Professor Reid
Luxor, Egypt

Mr. Figaro Sellaphix
London, UK

Dear Mr. Sellaphix,

I'm writing to inform you that the Acceptable you earned on your Runes O.W.L. will allow you to continue the course in the fall, if you are still interested in doing so.

I also took the opportunity to glance over your other O.W.L. results, and I was pleased to see that you'd received only two failing marks, several A's, and a few E's. Despite a certain amount of reluctance on your part, you ended your fifth year well on track.

I encourage you to continue your hard work in the fall. Please be aware that due to the upcoming tournament and the arrival of the foreign schools,  professors like myself will only expect the best from their students. I'm certain your studies are foremost on your mind.

If you require any reminders of that, my office door is always slightly ajar.

Well done,
Professor Reid

---

(At the bottom of the parchment, there's a note scribbled in bubbly cursive)

Heeey! It's Abby! I stole this! Why have we not met yet? I've heard all about you from Neely and Sasha. Different things, but interesting things! Lots of stuff about eggs and the library. Aileen's actually smiling so you must hav e__ _

(The ink suddenly veers off to the right-hand side of the page)

Ok, she gave me back the parchment with a big sigh. I was almost done anyway . Ta!

This owl, a few days off the tail of his exam results and the Tournament announcement, was much more warmly received.  As much of a triumph his marks were to Professor Reid and Figaro himself, failing Herbology and History of Magic had not gone over well with his mother who ranted and railed about how she wasn't going to tell his imprisoned father until Figaro had turned 30.  Such was the life of the descendant of many many apothecaries...

As awkward as it was to get an owl from his Professor - normally bad news - Figaro was quite eager to reply...

Professor Reid
Luxor, Egypt

Figaro Sellaphix
London, UK

July 5, 2009

Professor Reid,

Thank you very much for your letter.  Thank you for helping me study.  It looks like it paid off.  Maybe I will try it again next year!  : ) I am looking forward to taking Runes again, too.  You are a great professor even if it seems like I don't like your class.

Sincerely,
Figaro

P.S. Who is Abby? Who is Aileen? What house are you in?

Professor Reid
Luxor, Egypt

Mr. Figaro Sellaphix
London, UK

Dear Mr. Sellaphix,
 
You're quite welcome. Now that I know what you can accomplish once you put your mind to it, I expect that you'll achieve consistent A's or better in Runes next year.
 
I am looking forward to having you in class again. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
 
~Professor Reid

---

The owl carries a second letter.

Figaro,
 
Aileen's my older sis. You know her as Prof Reid . I'm the smashing and spectacular squib of the family who drives her nutters. Maybe even more than you do. Kidding!
 
Nah, but she seems happy right now. Which means you're going to have to keep up your marks. I'm sorry! I know how that is. You do something good, and then they expect it ALL the time. We're teenagers, not house elves!

You're a hufflepuff, right? I was bored so I drew a doodle of a badger on a surfboard. I almost died when I tried surfing but not really! Did you know there's a sport called a Volley Ball? You play in the sand and try to hit the ball over the net? Not nearly as dangerous as quidditch but I wiped out EPICALLY with that too.
 
What're you up to this summer?

~Abby!

Abby Reid
Luxor, Egypt

Figaro Sellaphix
London, UK

Wow your a squib? I don't think I've ever met one before.  I mean, it's possible I have.  Not like you wear special hats do you?  (Do you? Sorry probably a stupid question.  Everyone says I have a big mouth.)  Guess thats why you're not at Hogwarts huh?

Yea I am a Hufflepuff and proud of it! People say its the shite house, but they're dead wrong.  Everyone in Hufflepuff's tight mates and have lots of fun.  Can squibs play snap? Sucks you can't work a broom.  There's my big mouth again.

Anyway, I'm having a party to listen in on the Cannons v Falmouth exhibition 27 Jul - you HAVE to come and meet everyone.  It's at my house on 34 Upper Montagu St.  It's in Marylebone.  I went out and checked just now.  our tube stop is Marylebone or Baker St.  It's not a magic house, so just come over.

Please come!

You can call me Fig if you want since everybody does

Abby Reid
Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Fig Sellaphix
London, UK

Fig,

I'd love to come to your party! That sounds brill! Who should I root for? Do you care? Oh who else are you inviting? Just out of curiosity!

I hear Hufflepuff and Slytherin are always like RAWR at each other! Anyway Neely's always complaining so Hufflepuff must be cool if they can hold their own.

I don't have a special hat, bummer, but now I feel like I need one! Steal the sorting hat for me? Just kidding! I've always wondered what house I would have end up in. Probably not Ravenclaw because they're so serious.

I hate that I can't fly, but that's ok, because someday I'm going to learn how to drive an Auto-mobeel, I've just decided. Those crazy muggle contraptions with wheels? I wanna try it!

You can call me Abby, Abster, Abbynormal, whatever .

12 July

You'll hate yourself if you go for the Cannons.  I highly recommend you support the Falcons.  I invited pretty much everyone I could think of, but I don't know who you'd know.   Xavier Tawse, Kirby Krause, Sophie Flickwick, Sasha, Addie Delacroix (she's graduated now) Kelvin Watkins, and some more I cant remember now.  I said people could bring friends so I don't know who's going to show up

I'll have food there

How old are you? 

Abby Reid
Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Fig Sellaphix
London, UK

Falcons it is then! I know Sasha and I met Sophie before at her December party. Can't wait to meet everyone else!

Sixteen. I'll be the big 1-7 in October!