littlemagicstar (littlemagicstar) wrote in weddedto_sonora, @ 2018-09-16 18:45:00 |
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In the evening, Tabitha was most likely found in one of two places. Either her private rooms or Mary’s. On this particular night, she was found in her own, alone. While she would’ve much rather preferred to be with the lovely Potions professor who was her girlfriend, she was admittedly falling behind in her lesson preparation and thought that it was perhaps more sensible to catch up and get ahead in that. It wasn’t like she didn’t see Mary everyday anyway, given that they worked in the same school and had their meals in the same place and frequently crossed each other in the halls, taking a brief moment to share a smile. So tonight would just have to be reserved for her more professional responsibilities.
Admittedly, her progress on the preparation front wasn’t going very far. She was distracted, her thoughts elsewhere although this time, Mary was not to blame for the Defence professor’s diversion in her thoughts.
Ever since they’d encountered the boggart that had been lurking in Labyrinth Gardens for goodness knows how long, Tabitha had been feeling out of sorts. Of course, being confronted with one’s fears wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience but it wasn’t particularly her fears that she was thinking about. The boggart had manifested in the forms of her parents and while the things it had said had been cruel, they were also sickeningly true. She hadn’t returned to England in years and she hadn’t even written them a letter. She didn’t know if JJ had made them aware that Tabitha was, in fact, alive. Of course, it had been months since she’d seen him so the information could’ve been easily out of date. For all anybody knew back in Kensington, Tabitha Hawthorne could be dead.
With a resigned sigh, Tabitha moved her notes and sketches out of the way and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment from one of her desk drawers. She remembered doing something similar after her interview with Selina but hadn’t found anything to say, having given up on the whole thing after only a couple of words. Tonight, however, she seemed to find plenty to say and dipped her quill into her inkwell and began to put pen to paper.
Dear Mum and Dad,
It is perhaps a surprise for you to hear from me. I know it has been a long time since I have been in touch and for that, I apologise.
Tabitha paused. Was she sorry? She mulled the words over in her mind before deciding that she was, in a way. It probably wasn’t fair to simply let them come to their own conclusions as to their fate of their only daughter.
A lot has changed over the many, many months since I last wrote to you and it’s hard to work out where to begin. I suppose the beginning is a sensible start. JJ is no longer with me.
Writing those last few words felt like a weight had lifted from her chest. There was no loneliness or pain gripping her heart but merely, a sense of acceptance. JJ was another chapter in her story that was now finished, the final journal entry she could write before starting anew. It was a nice feeling, especially since her future seemed to hold the presence of Mary and that made her feel much warmer altogether.
You might know this already, I’m not sure but he returned home at the request of his family, his mother and father having found someone for him to marry. It turns out that you were right, Dad. The relationship that he and I had, while it had lasted for many years, wasn’t fated to last forever.
A younger Tabitha might have found that a hard admittance to make but this was an older, wiser Tabitha writing the letter and it felt as if she was merely stating a fact.
I am still in America and, given JJ’s departure, I had to find employment. JJ was funding our trips around the world and when he left, so did his money. I am unsure whether you will be pleased to know that I have taken up a position at Sonora Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Whether you will be pleased or not, I am sure that me holding a position as a teacher will be a surprise. I am now known as Professor Tabitha Hawthorne. Not something, I suppose, any of us predicted in happening.
This was true. When Tabitha completed her education at Hogwarts all those years ago, many guesses were made as to what she would do with her qualifications. Both her mother and father had stressed that she had many admirable qualities that would suit a position working in the British Ministry for Magic but Tabitha hadn’t really entertained the thought. She might’ve made a good auror but anything else didn’t feel right and her father worked for the government. She wouldn’t have felt comfortable being constantly under her father’s watchful gaze. Of course, she hadn’t envisioned herself as a teacher either but there you go.
It is a position I find myself enjoying very much, educating the younger generations in how to defend themselves against whatever they may come up against once they depart the academy. It is a respectable school with respectable and kind staff and students. There is one member of the faculty that I find myself very fond of, Mary Brooding. She’s the Potions professor here at Sonora and is a wonderful person. I think, if you both met her, you’d like her very much indeed.
It was brief and Tabitha hadn’t stated that she was actually quite a bit more than ‘just fond’ of Mary but it was perhaps one too many surprises to drop on her unsuspecting parents in one letter. Having said that, her parents were not unintelligent individuals and Tabitha wouldn’t be surprised if they, in particular her mother, drew their own accurate conclusion from their daughter’s words.
I do not know, as of yet, whether this may become a position that I will hold permanently but for the time being, I am happy and comfortable. I hope that you approve.
Tabitha did want them to approve. She was tired of constantly wondering if what she was doing was the right thing. Even if they didn’t like it but accepted it, simply because it was better than learning that their daughter was constantly throwing herself into dangerous situations, that would be enough for her.
I hope that this letter finds you both well and I look forward to hearing from you both.
From your daughter with love,
Tabitha.
The Defence professor found herself surprised at how she signed off the letter but also discovered that the sentiment was true. Regardless of their differences and how they had frequently disapproved of Tabitha’s actions, she did love them because how could she not? She also thought of Mary and how the woman would more than likely give absolutely anything to write a letter to her family and tell them that she loves them. It felt somehow wrong not to use the opportunity to tell them that yes, she did love them.
She searched out an envelope as she let the ink dry and melted some wax. She folded and slipped her letter carefully into the envelope before sealing it carefully, her seal leaving the imprint of the Hawthorne family crest, which depicted a shield with two cinquefoils either side of a chevron which rested above a large tree. She let the wax set before leaning back in her chair, feeling oddly relieved and much more relaxed, her mind far clearer. Now, the final hurdle was to simply go ahead and send the letter, a task that was considerably easier than writing the thing in the first place.