✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

73 | UBUNTU

UBUNTU
(n.) the belief that we are defined by our compassion and kindness towards others

TESSA ROAMED GRIMMAULD PLACE WHEN SHE RETURNED FROM DRACO'S ROOM. She couldn't go back to sleep, so she'd stood by a window and watched the sun rise. And when day broke, she wandered up the stairs and past the several rooms until she found herself in front of Sirius Black's old room.

     It was large and spacious inside with a large bed, a chandelier, and an enormous wardrobe. Stepping further inside, Tessa stifled her laughter when she found the many posters and pictures teenage Sirius had stuck on the wall. It ranged from Gryffindor banners to motorcycles and even to Muggle women in bikinis.

     There were only two Wizarding photographs on the walls — one was of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew with their arms slung around each other's shoulders as they laughed at the camera.

     The second picture was of Sirius and her mother — it showed her jumping on his back while the two laughed and dodged her father trying to reach for either of them. Tessa smiled at the photo, delicately running a finger along the frame, brushing off a layer of dust.

     She heard shuffling by the door, and she turned to see her brother walk in as well. "Wow," he said as his eyes scoured the room, "Sirius's room." He chuckled under his breath when he saw the posters of half-naked women.

As Harry looked around the place, Tessa bent down and found a letter. "Hey, I think you should read this," Tessa said, handing it to him. "It's from your mother."

Harry took it and perched on the edge of Sirius's before flipping open the missive to silently read it.

Tessa sifted through the pile of books on Sirius's desk in hopes to find other interesting stuff. She opened a drawer and paused, finding a bundle of letters tied together with a thin piece of rope. She would've returned it were it not for the name scrawled on the very top parchment: Catherine.

Tessa slowly sank to the chair by the desk, cutting the rope loose as she began to read the letters one by one.

September 1978

Dear Cat,

     It's been a month since your wedding with Prongs, and I couldn't be happier for the both of you. I still remember how much fun we had that day, and all the jitters Prongs had when we both stood waiting in the altar for you to walk down that aisle. You looked so beautiful that day, and I'll never forget it.

I write this to you without any intentions of sending it to you. I write this letter as my last goodbye — this is me putting all my love and emotions I've ever had for you into this piece of parchment, in hopes of never feeling them again. I know I gave up the race for you to be with James a year ago — but this time I'm giving up everything so you can be happy. And so that I can be happy as well.

     I'm afraid James and I haven't been completely honest with you — the first time we both saw you was when we were in our first year. I'd met James already on the platform, and we'd agreed to share a compartment after I say goodbye to my parents and Regulus. With my trunk already inside, I hopped in the Hogwarts Express where I found you with Fabian and Gideon Prewett. The three of you were making a mess with playing cards scattered all over the corridor that it had taken me a while to get through. You were so small and skinny with eyes so big and full of mischief — it was impossible not to find you adorable.