Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

In the summer of 1993, seven Hogwarts students wrote a series of letters to each other, totalling in fifty-six unique messages. Collected here are some of their favorites.

Dear Ron,

Italy is amazing! We spent the first three days in Rome. There’s so many historic sites here, and if you know where to go, you can learn about the magical part of Rome, too.

There’s a museum behind one of the older churches, but only a witch or wizard could cross the barrier, just like Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

We learned all about the interactions between the Ministero della Magia (Ministry of Magic) and the Vatican at the museum. Apparently the Pope is one of the few Muggles who knows about the magical world, and he’s sworn to secrecy. I’m sure that we’re just one of the many secrets he has to keep.

The museum is actually the original location of the Ministero. They moved to Venice in the early 1800s, but they didn’t stay there long, moving to Naples in the 1820s. They finally settled in Florence in the 1960s, as it was the Muggle capital of the time, and they’ve been there ever since.

As I was saying, after Rome, we spent a few days each in Milan, Venice, and Naples. I loved Venice the most. But Harry can’t seem to pick a favorite. He’s been sketching non-stop since we got here - buildings, statues, scenery, people. He even sketched some magical creatures we met at the Milan Magical Creature Reserve (I forget how to say it in Italian). This one was started by a friend of Mr. Scamander’s. I was a little sad we didn’t bump into him, but I suppose he’s busy at Gilder’s Rock.

We’ve just arrived in Florence, our last stop before returning to London. I’m going to miss Italy. I’ve learned so much. Harry is practically speaking Italian already. He and Uncle Remus are going to be trilingual by the time we get back.

I haven’t even talked about the food, and I’m sure that’s what you’re most interested in. I wasn’t fond of the cuisine in France, but here in Italy - there’s just something about it. It looks so good that I want to try everything. Too bad I can’t taste the prosecco, right? I think my favorite dish was ossobuco. Daddy and I are going to try and make it when we get home.

That’s all for now, I suppose. I’m going to send this letter after dinner (Harry is writing one to Neville, so I have to wait until he’s finished).

Hope you’re having a grand time in Egypt,
Kitty

P.S. Daddy proposed to Ruth at dinner! And she said yes! Please don’t mind the teardrops on the parchment. I’m just so happy I’m crying!

Dear Neville,

Come va? That means ‘How are you?’ in Italian. Uncle Remus and I are practicing. It’s actually similar to French, since they both have roots in Latin.

From exploring the beautiful cities and learning the colorful history of Italy, I’ve come to understand why Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet as taking place in Verona. I think anyone could fall in love here.

Kitty calls everything here romantic. I’ve never seen her act so feminine before. No, I’m serious, she wore a dress last night and I’m just a bit concerned. Is this the effects of puberty or Italy?

She was looking over my shoulder as I wrote that, apparently. Is there a potion or spell for head trauma?

Only joking, I’m fine.

Merlin, there’s so much to talk about that I don’t even know where to start. I’ve sent you a few sketches I made of the different things we’ve seen.

There is a magical creature preserve in Milan, a sister park to the one at Gilder’s Rock. One of the magizoologists there was actually a faun. He taught us how to feed a griffin without getting nipped (which apparently happens often).

We also learned a little about Remus and Romulus, the two brothers who founded Rome. The Muggles think they’re just a myth, but according to our history, they were real.

They were supposedly raised by wolves, and I think that maybe those wolves were born from werewolves, just like Solan’s pack. Or maybe Remus and Romulus were actually werewolves themselves. Quite a coincidence that Uncle Remus was named after someone associated with wolves and then bitten by a werewolf, but then Sirius is named for the dog star and his animagus form is a dog, so I suppose these things just happen sometimes.

But the best news has to be Regulus’ proposal to Ruth at dinner tonight. He looked so nervous, but then he took this little box out of his pocket and knelt on one knee in front of him, and Ruth looked like she couldn’t breathe. Remus and Sirius were just smiling. And before you ask - she said yes, after she caught her breath. I think Kitty is more excited than Ruth. She practically danced out of the ristorante.

The magical districts in Italy are much more numerous here than France and England - almost every city we’ve visited has one. I think it might be because of how old Italy is. The one in Venice is my favorite. There’s an alley that leads to a bare wall. If a magical person were to walk through it, they would end up directly in a trattoria called Il Cappello D’oro, which means ‘the gold hat’. There’s an actual golden witch’s hat in the corner.

The owner is a funny Italian witch named Tullia D’Asaro. Some wizards actually recognized me and wanted an autograph, but she chased them off, and then gave us all a free round of drinks. Kitty and I got a fizzy orange-flavoured drink, which is as popular here as Butterbeer is back home. I don’t remember what it’s called, though. Signora D’Asaro was talking too fast for me to understand everything, and she went off on tangents in Italian a few times.

Kitty is very impatiently waiting for me to finish this letter, so that we can send Hedwig off with them. I’ll tell you more on our Diagon Alley trip when we get back.

The best to you in Dublin,
Harry

Dear Hermione,

Greetings from England’s seaside! I know Mum and I are the only ones who stayed in the country this time around, but it was nice to have a simple holiday for once.

The week with my father went well. By that I mean, I stayed in my room while he went about his ‘business’ or whatever he does. I think there was a time when he was planning on teaching me about it, but he’s not dense. Two of my ‘uncles’ are Aurors, after all, and he probably thinks I would blab to them about anything illegal.

Which I would.

He bought a new House-Elf, too. I know, it’s terrible. Her name is Kiffy. And he doesn’t treat her nicely. She nearly had a heart attack when I thanked her for breakfast this morning. I promise you, when I inherit everything from my dad, I’ll make sure Kiffy has a much better life than this, but for the moment, all I can do is treat her kindly.

Enough about my father, though. I’m actually writing this letter from the beach. It’s just so different from London, where there’s so much noise and Muggle car traffic and buildings everywhere. It’s peaceful here - the sound of the waves, the salty sea air, the warmth of the sun. Well, actually, that’s the one part that hasn’t changed. The first day we were here, it rained constantly. It finally stopped just as the sun was setting and the beach had closed.

The second day, the weather was pleasant. Mum and I went swimming and then we built a sandcastle. The beach we’re at is popular with wizard folk, but there are some Muggles, too. We’re staying at a small inn, which is a short walk from the beach.

There’s a town, too. The residents are accustomed to tourists, and half of them are witches and wizards. They’ve got an all-magic pub that serves the best fisherman’s pie I’ve ever had.

Yesterday I was walking along the beach, when I looked up and saw one of our classmates from Hogwarts. You’ll never guess who.

Blaise! Yea, it was Blaise Zabini. And he was just standing there, staring out at the ocean, so I cleared my throat and he looked at me, and said, “Oh, hey, Draco. Didn’t see you there.” I don’t know why he wasn’t surprised to see me. I didn’t tell any of my roommates I was going to the sea.

We did spend the rest of the week together, though, since neither of us knew anyone else. Mrs. Zabini and my mum talked for maybe five minutes, before they both came up with excuses to go somewhere else. Blaise and I went off to explore the town, which feels small at first, until you realize that the outskirts with the farms and such actually cover three times as much area as main street.

There is a Muggle arcade, which I’m sure you or Harry would be fantastic at, but we were rubbish at every game except the one with the yellow circle that eats dots and dies when ghosts touch him. Muggles have very odd beliefs about ghosts. They’re absolutely harmless, though it doesn’t feel great when you walk through one.

I’m headed home tomorrow, although Blaise is staying for a few more days since he arrived later than Mum and I. It was nice to spend the holiday with someone my own age. Mum is great but she’s… my mum. Do you know what I mean?

That’s all for now. See you in Diagon Alley!

Sincerely,
Draco

Dear Kitty,

Italy sounds brilliant! Egypt is wicked, too, and I mean that in a good way and a bad way.

Good wicked because there’s a ton of interesting history here, too, with all the pyramids and pharaohs and stuff. Bad wicked because most of those pharaohs employed some horrible curses to protect their tombs.

Bill took us on a tour of some of them, and Mum wouldn’t let Ginny in the last one because there was a two-headed skeleton. Maybe she thought it would give her nightmares or something. Egypt’s magical government is somewhere in Cairo, but they don’t let outsiders in without certain permissions.

There is a magical bazaar, though. We went on a magic carpet ride and saw the Sphinx from a bird’s eye view! But then Fred and George nearly fell off and we had to go back.

There was enough of Dad’s winnings left over for each of us to have some pocket money, so I bought a few souvenirs for everyone. Not going to tell you what they are yet, though. I want them to be surprises. Ginny bought a few gifts, too, I think.

We’re going to be staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the last few days of August. It’s easier to get to King’s Cross from there. I think Neville and his Gran are going to do the same thing. Of course, you lot and Draco and Hermione all live in London, so there’s no need for you to stay. Besides, Tom would probably run out of rooms if he had to house all of us. My family would take up three, and that’s without Bill and Charlie.

Speaking of Bill and Charlie, Mum keeps fussing over their appearance. Bill’s grown his hair too long for her liking, and Charlie’s is just scruffy. And Bill’s got an earring now - just the one. I think they look cool.

It’s been great here, but I’m glad we’re going home in a few days. I miss the Burrow and all of our friends. You’re coming back after Ginny’s birthday, right? I suppose we’ll see each other in Diagon Alley. I hope Tom lets us use that private parlor again.

See you soon,
Ron

P.S. Tell Ruth and Regulus I said congratulations. Mum and Dad want to celebrate their engagement when we get back, but I don’t think any of us are invited. It’s supposed to be an adults-only night.

Dear Draco,

You were absolutely right when you said France is incredible. I know everyone else is seeing all of the magical and Muggle sites but my Mum and Dad are Muggles and magic is still quite overwhelming to them so we’ve stuck to Muggle France.

Still, I’ve seen so much of France and learned some incredible history. I’ve actually rewritten my entire History of Magic essay to include facts about the witch hunts that I found. It’s much longer than the required length, but I’m sure he won’t mind.

I think my favorite part of this trip has been our visit to the Louvre. It’s the most famous museum in the world. This year is actually its two hundredth anniversary. Some very famous pieces of art are displayed here, such as the Mona Lisa. Have you heard of it? It was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, who I’m sure Harry and Kitty must have learned more about while they were in Florence.

We visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and a few other places, too, before we left Paris. We’re in Versailles right now, and my parents said we’re also going to see Normandy and a small village in the countryside. There are several other places I’d like to see, but since we’re travelling by train and car, we don’t have the time. I’m sure I’ll have the chance to return someday.

Mum and I bought a recipe book that’s written in both French and English. We were quite fond of the different dishes we had in Paris and here in Versailles. When we return home, we’re going to try to make Macarons and Ile Flottante, which are both desserts. Dad wants us to make Quiche and Huîtres. I’ve never cooked much, and Mum isn’t much for baking, but maybe Remus will help us.

I’ve got to go. Clementine has kindly awaited my reply to your letter, and my parents want to go sight-seeing soon. I’ve taken plenty of photos to show everyone, and I heard from Kitty that Harry’s been sketching the sights in Italy.

See you in Diagon Alley,
Hermione

Dear Harry,

Thanks for the sketches! If that’s what Italy looks like, then I’d like to go there someday, too.

I told Gran about Regulus and Ruth’s engagement. We’re both very happy for them. My relatives were, too, until Gran mentioned Regulus being a werewolf. They were… polite, but you could tell in their face that they aren’t fond of werewolves. They probably didn’t say anything bad because they didn’t want to row with Gran.

We’re actually visiting a cousin of my Gran, who lives in Dublin. She has grandchildren, too, but they’re much younger than me. The oldest is six, and she keeps asking me where my parents are.

I don’t really want to tell her about my parents, though. It’s not her business, and she’s a bit of a crybaby so if I told her such a sad story and she cried, I’d probably get in trouble. I’m going to ask Gran for help if she asks again.

Anyways, Uncle Eoin gave us a tour of Dublin. There are a few places that are for magic-folk only, but nothing as big as Diagon Alley. Just a pub, an inn, and a potions shop. The Weird Sisters performed in the pub on our first night, and I actually got to see them live! I’ve got an autographed photo now, too.

But the city itself is definitely something to see. We saw a couple of cathedrals, and a Muggle school called Trinity College. There’s a book here called the Book of Kells. I already wrote to Hermione about it, and I think she’ll be trying to convince her family to go to Dublin on their next holiday. It’s a really old manuscript, and I wish I could have sketched it like you do, but you have to see it to really understand how special it is.

We musn’t forget Dublin Castle. It’s not very castle-like, not like Hogwarts, but it’s interesting nonetheless. We visited several museums and parks, and a really old, empty prison. It gave me the creeps, and there were a few ghosts floating about, staring blankly ahead. They didn’t even look up when I said ‘hello’, though a few Muggles gave me strange looks.

I think I was channelling Kitty, because I said to them, ‘Don’t worry, I’m just being friendly with the ghosts.’ All the color drained from their face, and they left shortly after that. I hope I didn’t ruin their holiday.

We’ll be here for another week before we return home. I’m looking forward to it. It’s tiresome trying to keep up with my younger cousins. I haven’t been able to work on any of our essays. I’d understand having to entertain them if they were MY guests, but I’m THEIR guest. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? They are little, though, so it’s not really fair of me to expect them to be hosts. Still, I wouldn’t say no to a nap right now.

I asked Gran if I could stay home tonight and work on the homework, because everyone is going out for dinner. She asked Uncle Eoin and Aunt Maisie if they’d mind, and they looked all impressed and said I was a hard-working young man, and that of course I could stay. Aunt Maisie even left me a plate of dinner.

They’ve just left, so I’d better get to work. I’ve got to make the best of my time. Enjoy the rest of Italy, and I’ll see you at Diagon Alley!

Sincerely,
Neville

P.S. Maybe we could actually get together before the shopping trip to go over homework?

Dear Hermione,

I hope you’re enjoying France. We’re having a grand old time in Egypt. Dad wanted it to be spectacular, as he thinks it may be the only family trip we’ll ever make. I disagree, as we’re much better off now that Mum’s got the daycare. Word has spread fast, and they’ve got almost more children than they can handle.

Did you know Kitty’s friend, Maddy, is the secretary now? She runs the front desk. Mum and Aunt Cissy are still teachers, but Augusta has taken up the position of Headmistress, which wasn’t necessary before. They’ve hired two new teachers on for the coming school year, but I haven’t met them yet. Dobby, of course, is the cleaner, and he won’t let anyone pay him more than a Knut a month. They’ve tried, I promise. He’s happy, though. And the children, when they see him, absolutely love him.

I’m sure you want to hear about Egypt, though. I hope I can think of something Ron hasn’t already said.

Did he tell you Mum wouldn’t let me into the last tomb on the tour? Apparently there was a two-headed skeleton that was caused by a curse. You know, a curse that Bill and his team has already removed? Does she think I’ll get nightmares if I see something like that? I already have nightmares, as you know, so one more horrible thing isn’t going to make much difference.

It’s very hot here, but you get used to it after awhile. And the food is very different. I know you bought a cookbook from France, but I haven’t found a dish here that I particularly like. Bill and Charlie scarf it down, no matter what it is. And it’s not bad, just different.

Uncle Remus bought me a camera to take photos, and I’ve made sure to capture all of the sights. I have to be careful, though, since the photographs move, because there are a lot of Muggles about. I’ve sent a few I thought you’d like with this letter.

Ron and I have both bought souvenirs for everyone, and I can’t wait to show you what I got you.

I’d better go, we’re going to meet a friend of Bill’s for dinner, and we head back tomorrow.

Enjoy France,
Ginny