The scarlet Hogwarts Express puffed and hissed at the platform, steam curling around trunks and bustling students. Another school year was over, and while the promise of summer waited just beyond the train ride, the trio found themselves reluctant to leave the castle that had come to mean so much to them.
They secured their usual compartment early, a cozy little space that now felt like home. The scenery rolled by in a blur of green hills and scattered sheep, but their focus was elsewhere.
Hadrian had conjured parchment and ink from his bottomless bag, laying them out neatly on the small fold-out table between them. "We should write to them now," he said, calm and matter-of-fact.
Iris raised a brow. "Lupin and Black?"
Dora tilted her head, thoughtful. "You think they'll write back?"
"I think," Hadrian said with a small, knowing smile, "if they're anything like the Marauders we've been reading about… they'll answer in person."
Iris grinned at that. "That's if they don't turn up halfway through reading the letter."
With giggles and banter, they got to writing. Three letters, each one different in tone but threaded with shared purpose.
Hadrian's letter was sincere but measured. He wrote to Remus Lupin about Hogwarts life, discovering things his parents had left behind, and a quiet wish to meet the man who had once been their friend.
Iris, for her part, wrote to Sirius Black. Her letter was bold, sarcastic, and a little teasing, full of sly jokes and subtle affection. "If you're not a dangerous man and fancy a chat," she wrote, "we'd love to meet you. But if you are a bit crazy, maybe meet us in daylight."
Dora wrote her own letter to both of them, humorous and heartfelt, introducing herself properly and making it clear that if either of them showed up, they better come with stories—and snacks.
Once finished, the letters were sealed and stacked. They would send them by owl from home.
Arrival at the Tonks Household
The platform was as chaotic as ever. Shouts, laughter, and the clatter of trunks echoed beneath the soaring glass roof of King's Cross.
Andromeda and Ted Tonks were waiting with open arms and warm smiles.
"Look at you three—survived the year, won the House Cup, and didn't blow up the school!" Ted said as he took Hadrian's trunk effortlessly.
"Not for lack of trying," Andromeda said with a wink at Dora, who blushed and mumbled something about "research-based mayhem."
The car ride home was filled with stories of final pranks, last-minute essays, and how Hufflepuff had shocked the world.
Once at the Tonks' cozy home, the trio unpacked and settled in, the warm, familiar air of summer wrapping around them like a soft blanket. The letters were placed near the owl perch, ready for flight.
As evening fell, Hadrian sat by the window, looking out at the quiet sky. The letters were just a formality—he knew they would come. He just didn't know with certainty when.
And as stars blinked to life overhead, he smiled.
Summer had begun.