InsaneJournal

[Filtered to older Arcturus' party guest list]

My dear friends,

I always suspected I would end up back in this place, although I did not think it would be so soon. I said that I would be content if only I weren't kept away from my home and family forever, and I meant it. The timing is inconvenient, because we were about to have school holidays, and my birthday. Last year when I asked my elder brother about the gardens I had heard of in Vauxhall he found the idea excessively amusing, and said he'd been there with Ella, and that he would take me on my next birthday for then I'd be old enough, and I meant to hold him to it.

Is Mr Darcy still here? I didn't lose any time at all back home, you know. Nobody knew that I was gone, and I returned to school where I had left off. As a result I've done capitally well in my Latin ever since, although it caused me all manner of trouble, because when I was put up to the first desk this other chap Cotterell who is usually top accused me of cheating, and then a couple of the seniors said they couldn't tolerate it and wanted me to fight him for the honour of the House, and there was a terrible fuss. It all came right in the end, which pleased me because there's nothing to gain from a member of the Club going up against an untrained fellow who does nothing but study. It wouldn't be sporting.

As I understand it I was gone perhaps a month here, although Sirius gives me a strange account of the man who replaced me, and I know it to be a true one because I can see the differences in the property, furnishings and spellwork both, and when I review the correspondence on this telephone, as I am slowly attempting to do, it reveals some very peculiar things. I am not sure that I like all of them, or agree with everything that he did. O'Hara, did he really agree to send Sirius to your classes? I thought I was quite against it. One of you must please tell me what I have missed.

I am not sure that I like the idea of knowing the future at all. He - I, I suppose - suffered much tragedy in his life. At first I wondered if I might prevent it, by taking drastically different action, but I don't think that I can. It's wrong for a man to flee from his responsibilities. He left me a letter. It said that I

Will one of you please tell me if you know the meaning of the cupboard full of little wooden boxes I seem to have acquired? Sirius says that they are for letters, but they are empty and not some sort of filing system. I dropped a silver sickle into one of them and it simply vanished.

I would very much like to renew my friendships here, as I think of many of you very fondly. The memories faded, when I was back in Britain, but they did not disappear, as I can tell from all that comes to mind now. Do write if you remember me. You needn't write at such length, because I know how laborious these telephones are, but I should like to hear from you all the same.

Your hopeful friend,

Arcturus C. Black

[Edit: postscript is added by Arcturus after he hears from Miguel]
P.S. O'Hara has explained the boxes to me, and you must write to me that way if you prefer it.