December 28, 1997

Dear Cedric,
   I have good news for once. Fucking finally. Ron's back, we have the sword of Gryffindor, and the locket has been destroyed! Harry had to almost die to achieve all of that (dumbass) but so it goes, I guess. It's as close to good news as we've had in ages.
   That's it for good news, sorry. It's significant good news, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to write to you for other reasons too.
   My dad's alive, Ced. I think. I still don't know how to explain anything I saw, let alone how to handle it, but I did something with my emotional magic and I SAW my dad survive his Greyback encounter. He tackled Greyback off of me and wrestled him successfully until he managed to find a rock and smash it into Greyback's head, knocking him out. He made his way back up the hill, back up to where I was supposed to be, but I wasn't there. I didn't see what happened after he saw I wasn't there, and I don't know if I want to see any more. I think I'll just plan to ask him when if when I see him. I know it won't be any time soon, but that's okay. I don't want to go back until I know nothing will follow me. My demons are my own, and I want to triumph over every last one before I risk bringing any back to the Everlins. If lycanthropy is the only problem I bring back with me, I'll consider it a victory.
    And I'll bring Harry with me. He went home on Christmas Eve... kinda. We went to Godric's Hollow in search of the sword, and, well, it went horribly. We were lucky to escape with our lives. And then Harry... I don't know how to describe what happened to Harry. I wish you were here with all of your St. Mungo's experience to try to help us understand it. He was possessed, I think, but it was somehow worse than it has ever been before? I don't know. It was terrifying. While he was unconscious, he had to watch his parents die from the perspective of their murderer. I felt awful for Harry, and I still do. He has no hope of a family reunion one day the way I do. I don't know how he keeps going without that. I keep going because of him. Even when I feel like I have no one left in the world, I know I have Harry. I love him so much, Ced, more every day. I'm admittedly a bit cross with him for nearly dying twice in the span of just a couple of days, on Christmas no less, but, well, considering we're trying to save the world, I suppose that's fair.
I miss you. I love you. I hope you're okay. You're so missed here still. I hope you're not getting much new company there, but, well, if you are, I'm sure you're taking care of everyone. You had a special talent for that.
   I love you. I miss you. I'll write again soon.
      Love, Lucy

🩵💛❤️💜🩷

December 28, 1997

Dear Cedric,
   RON'S BACK! He saved my life, when I did something admittedly rather stupid. I think your sister is still a bit cross with me for almost dying, again, so soon after I accidentally almost died and scared her half to death, but I think she's more excited about Ron being back and destroying the Horcrux and finding the sword of Gryffindor than anything. Oh yeah, by the way, Ron destroyed the locket with the sword of Gryffindor, so that's great too!
   Lucy learned a lot more about the Everlin family recently. I don't know how she bears it all as well as she does. I can cope without my family a lot of the time, because, well, I have Lucy. And Ron and Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys, of course, but I've always found a sense of family in Lucy. And Lucy's always been rather close to me, we've spent very little time apart in the several years we've known each other. I don't know how she handles feeling torn in two, with the Everlins so far out of reach. And you... I don't know how she's borne the pain of losing you as well as she has. She never ceases to amaze, I guess.
   Life is looking up. Ron's back, we have the sword, we're one more Horcrux down. Merlin only knows where the rest are, but for now, we have a weight off our shoulders. I have more hope now than I've had in quite a while.
   I hope you're doing well, wherever you are. We're doing the best we can down here. I hope my parents are doing well, too. I keep wanting to write a letter to my parents, just to try to say everything I've never been able to say, but I don't even know where I'd start. There's so much that they've missed. There's so much that I have yet to do. Their loss feels so tangible, now that I've seen their graves, the statue in Godric's Hollow, our home now destroyed. I've felt the weight of the future for a long time now. My future has been dictated by prophecy, by expectations. Lucy was always so good for me because she kept me grounded in the present. But now, I feel the weight of history too. I knew my parents died for me, but I think, for the first time, I'm starting to understand all that entails. Our home is a monument now. There's a statue of the three of us in the Godric's Hollow square. My parents are buried in the graveyard behind the church, along with a couple of their friends. I was on the other side of the snow, very much alive, looking like someone else. Polyjuice works for Lucy, by the way. She's been having a bit of fun with it. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry. I hope I make everyone's sacrifices worth it.
      Sincerely, Harry

🩵💛❤️💜🩷

December 28, 1997

Dear Cedric,
   Well, another Christmas has come and gone without you. This Christmas was without a lot of people I love. I'm safe now, no longer on the run, but I didn't want to risk bringing trouble to my family's doorstep, so I spent Christmas at the Burrow. It was nice, really it was, but it didn't really feel like Christmas, you know? I missed my dad and my sister. And Mum of course, and you, but there's nothing anyone can do about that. I missed Lucy too. We got to talk to her a bit at the end of the day, but it wasn't the same. She's family to me too, at this point.
   They're okay, as far as we know. Lucy let us know early this morning that Ron's back. She didn't say anything else, but Fred and George are in better spirits now, knowing their brother is back and safe. Well, as safe as he can be. At least he's not on his own anymore.
   Ginny says Gretch is doing okay. I believe her, I do, but I can't help but notice how... haunted Ginny looks. Something awful is happening at that school, Ced, I just know it... many somethings. I hate not being able to do anything. I hate having to keep my head down. I hate that doing nothing is what's genuinely safest. I want to go home and be there to protect my dad and sister, but my presence is more dangerous than any protection I could offer. Part of me wants to go back to school, somehow, disguised or hidden or something else, just to be there to help if I was needed, but, again, me being there would create more problems than it would solve. I hate that doing nothing is the best choice. If I keep my head down and no one knows where I am, everyone's safer and better off for it. If it was just my life on the line, I wouldn't hesitate to do something productive with it, but since that's not the case, here I am. Doing nothing. It's awful.
   I hope you had a nice Christmas, wherever you are. We did our best here. Here's to hoping next Christmas is a whole one, or, well, as whole as it can be these days. I love you. I miss you. Always have and always will.
   Love, Henry

🩵💛❤️💜🩷

December 28, 1997

Dear Cedric,
   I don't know how your sister does it. I don't know how she's done anything, really. She's such a marvel I can't even wrap my head around it.
   I don't know how she handled the anxiety of you competing in the Triwizard Tournament. I feel like Ron and Ginny are doing that now, Ron off to save the world with Lucy and Harry, and Ginny being in that war zone of a school. I hate knowing there's nothing I can do to help. I just have to hope I've done a good enough job as an older brother to prepare them for whatever they could face out there. I don't know how Lucy handled the constant fear that you'd die in the next task.
I don't know how she handled the fact that you did. I can't even bring myself to think about the possibility that Ron might never come home. The fact that he went back to Harry and Lucy and Hermione comforts me a bit, but just a bit. They'll watch out for each other, I know they will, they always do, but Merlin, it's just so scary to think that they're out there on their own in the snow, Merlin-knows-where doing Merlin-knows-what. Something happened to Lucy and Harry and Hermione over Christmas, we don't know what, but what if something like that happens again? What if a day comes that we just don't hear from Lucy ever again? We thought we lost her once back in July, and that was one of the worst nights of my life. I don't know what we'd do if we ever really lost her. I've never been in a situation where I thought I lost Ron. I don't know what I'd do if that happened.
   And Ginny. Merlin, hasn't she been through too much already?
   I know you'd understand what I'm trying to say, if you were still here. Lucy's been through too much too. She's a werewolf. Your dad... I don't know what his deal with her was, but we both know how unfair that was. She's nearly died so many times, not to mention everything she feels for Harry. His suffering might as well be her own. It so often is anyway.
   Anyway, I'm sorry for all of this, but it's just... a lot. I don't know how Lucy's handled herself so well. I don't know how you didn't crack under this unique pressure of being an older brother to someone who's being asked to carry far too much. I wish I could help. I don't know what to do.
You're so missed still. I wish you were here. Everyone does. One older brother to another, I hope you're somewhere far away from here, oblivious to everything happening. I know it would kill you all over again to know about all of this without being able to help.
   Sincerely, George Weasley