Savino did not customarily derive any pleasure in perusing issues of Witch Weekly, but since his mother had once put in a Lonely Heart on his behalf, he made a habit of scanning the column from time to time, just to be forewarned if it happened again. This time, he seemed to have been spared – and that should have been the end of it, given that he was looking for neither romance or marriage, except another one of the titles had caught his eye. And this had said nothing about either of those, merely intrigue and adventures, so now he was intrigued, entirely in spite of himself.

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16th February, 1892

Dear Anonymous Adventurer,

Though I only saw the advertisement half by chance – and would not consider my heart especially lonely – I admit I could not help but be curious about yours. I have the same impulse always to try new things, I think. I would be pleased to experience anything and everything that I can, and would never turn down interesting company of any kind in pursuit of it! (I am more accustomed to swimming in lakes than in the ocean, as yet; but might still qualify for the rest.)

As to the most intriguing thing that has happened to me recently (besides your advertisement falling into my lap, ha!), I found myself locked into a very strange greenhouse the other week, and happened to get very well-watered in the process. But I have not spotted any sea monsters in the Black Lake or been in any mysterious mortal peril, so perhaps I am overdue for an adventure. What is – assuming you are still interested in sourcing a friend and companion-in-minor-adventures, that is – the most intriguing thing that has happened to you? And what sort of oddities, by the way, do you collect?

Sincerely,
A Spontaneous Someone

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Witch Weekly Holly Scrimgeour

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   Dorothea Twycross

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February 17th, 1892

Dear Someone,

What a serendipitous chance indeed! I am glad to hear your heart not particularly lonely, as it seems like the sort of thing that might make for a poor companion in adventures (admittedly, my choice of venue for this letter is perhaps suspect, but a young woman in search of adventuring companions in England does not have a wealth of options available to her, as you can perhaps appreciate).

Tell me more about your strange greenhouse. Were any of the plants carnivorous? Did some sort of nefarious criminal activity bring you to be trapped within its glass walls? Did you need to engage in any theatrics in order to escape? Oh, probably nothing quite so exciting — you did say you have not been in any mortal peril lately. I do prefer to avoid mortal peril myself, for all that the threat of it can make the stories afterwards more exciting.

As for things that have happened to me... I believe I may have been nearly kidnapped, but as I live in Hogsmeade village that is not particularly novel at the moment, is it? And I wasn't kidnapped; I just had the feeling of being watched as I sat in the garden. But if it was a kidnapper there's no reason they might have stopped at watching, so perhaps I need a different explanation there — a new infestation of garden gnomes, perhaps? In any case, not terribly intriguing. I, too, am overdue for adventures. (I shall investigate the possibility of garden gnomes; perhaps there's something more interesting occupying my back garden, but it's too soon to say).

I collect magical inventions and artifacts. I have more than anyone else I know. My siblings all think it's a waste of time and space and money (acquiring them and storing them takes no small amount of each) but I can think of nothing better than having the magical ingenuity of so many different talented witches and wizards at my fingertips. (You will likely ask which is my favorite, but please banish the question; it would be like asking someone to choose a favorite pet out of a litter of puppies!)

The happenings around Hogsmeade have certainly put a damper on adventuring — where do you live? Are you sheltered from such unpleasantness?

Adventurous

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   Savino Zabini

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Beautiful set by Kit!

18th February, 1892

Dear Adventurous,

Inventions and artifacts! Why would anyone think that a waste of time? I’m sure your possessions are more interesting than everyone else’s. Everyone else’s possessions might have aesthetic appeal or sentimental value, but yours presumably have all manner of unique abilities and uses as well, which can hardly be disparaged. There was an auction in Hogsmeade last month – did you have the chance to visit? It sounds like you would have been very much in your element.

The greenhouse was ‘Tortoni’s’, and I suspect its owner is an eccentric, but that my getting trapped was merely bad luck. There were some hungry carnivorous plants, but I must regrettably inform you that I escaped with all my limbs intact.

And I live in London, so I have been in little danger of kidnapping. Or rather – little danger of kidnapping by that serial abductor; I would not say crime is itself foreign to London, so I cannot rule out the risk entirely! I am fond of Hogsmeade, though, and often visit. Speaking of adventuring, of course, is there anywhere you would like to explore? Anywhere in the world, I mean; though if there are still intriguing places so close to home, perhaps within Hogsmeade too.

Indeed, I’ve just read this morning’s paper, and apparently Hogsmeade was just beset by all manner of escaped exotic animals. Did you happen to see any? (That would probably constitute as more of an adventure than garden gnomes.)

Sincerely,
Someone

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February 19th, 1892

Dear Someone,

You're quite right — the things I collect are exceptionally useful, but some of my siblings think it a waste of my time to have them all the same. Unfortunately even my loved ones can be rather closed minded and old fashioned when it comes to a young women wishing to make herself useful in the world — the expectation, I believe, is that we remain primarily ornamental, but I've never had much of an appetite for that. I did have a chance to visit the auction (you're right, it is exactly my cup of tea), but ultimately I was disappointed; the item I purchased has proven itself to be more of the ornamental variety, which I suppose is what I get for not verifying that it functioned before I bid on it.

I shall not regret your having retained your limbs — it would be difficult to write charming anonymous letters had you lost your quill hand to an overeager fly trap. Though I suppose I wouldn't have missed one of your legs, at least in our relationship's current capacity — should we ever meet up for a real adventure, though, I should prefer to move along at a more steady clip than might be allowed by an amputee with a cane, so all the better that you escaped the greenhouse without incident.

Anywhere in the world I should like to explore — what a delicious question! I have done some traveling — more than the average girl of my age, I am fortunate to boast — but primarily in towards the east. I have little experience of the continent, which of course I should like to remedy (it is a little embarrassing not to have been even to Spain — who will believe me traveled and worldwise without having even been to Spain?). There is some part of me, too, that is intrigued by the possibility of going somewhere truly wild. Where are such places, in the modern era? America, perhaps, if one goes far enough west, or maybe Africa. I'm not sure exactly what I would do in the wilds, were I to reach them, but the idea is intriguingly romantic all the same.

I have yet to encounter any exotic animals (my parents have been utter bores about letting me do anything, lately, lest I be kidnapped), but I am holding out hope. I think it would be rather exciting... to meet an actual exotic animal, that is, not one of the kidnapped people. I hope they're all recovered before I have a chance to encounter them, as goodness knows I would be quite powerless to help them out of their predicament.

Sincerely,
Adventurous

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Beautiful set by Kit!

21st February, 1892

Dear Adventurous,

Ah, I had forgotten about the particular expectations upon young women when I wrote that – but I applaud you for desiring to make yourself useful in the world in spite of what they think. I don’t think nearly enough people care about being useful in the world, for that matter, or at least not the people I know. And my sister might suffer more than I from that expectation – I have found some freedom to follow my interests – but I admit my parents can be much the same, rather narrow-minded when it comes to our prospects in life. (You would think we were pawns on a chessboard, sometimes; they rarely seem to realise we might actually have minds of our own.)

But on the topic of gender, I hope this does not rule out the prospect of our adventuring together? I cannot recall if you specified a preferred gender of companion in your advertisement, so if you were looking for another young lady to accompany you I apologise for not being one, and for my obvious presumption. (I do, however, retain the functionality of all my limbs, and am not averse to a fast-paced jaunt.)

The East! For my part, I have the opposite problem: plenty of experience of the continent, but depressingly little of the rest of the world – I would be thrilled to explore the East, or to venture across America someday.

I am not sure that I would know much what to do if I encountered a wild animal, either – so if we are still to meet up for a real adventure, it might be in our best interests not to begin with that, or we might well both end up with missing limbs.

Sincerely,
Someone

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February 23rd, 1892

Dear Someone,

There are many things in your letter to respond to, but before we get to that I must inform you right away that I did in fact see a zebra at Padmore Park today! You might suppose zebras are rather benign as far as exotic animals go, but he (she, it?) did try to put hooves through the auror who was attempting to capture it, so apparently they can be dangerous enough in their own way. No missing limbs, though, for anyone (including the zebra); I have escaped without incident. And I met a young woman who seems to know a lot about zebras, which I think is worth investigating further — how do debutantes in England come to learn so much about African herd animals, anyway? She must be an interesting sort.

But to the point of your letter: You need not apologize for the presumption as I don't believe I stated a preference one way or another in my advertisement; I only said a partner in minor adventures. I would not have been adverse to female companionship, but neither am I adverse to ... bending some of the rules society has handed down to me. I've been bending rules in other areas for long enough. This does mean, however, that we are limited either to the sorts of places a young woman can reach whilst chaperoned during the daylight hours (which would perhaps be less adventurous than we might wish, by virtue of that fact) or to some adventuring which can be conducted at night. I think I could safely steal away two or three hours of any given night if I waited until the right moment to slip out the window, when everyone else was already asleep.

Of course, if I'm stealing out like a thief in the night for an adventure it would have to be something worth all the effort — can you think of any midnight romps that would merit all the trouble?

Sincerely,
Adventurous

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   Savino Zabini

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Beautiful set by Kit!

25th February, 1892

Dear Adventurous,

Well, sincere congratulations on your zebra! I’m pleased you all survived the experience – and I do not think I have ever seen a zebra, myself, so perhaps I should be envious as well.

As long as you are sure you don’t mind bending a societal rule or two (– what other areas have you been bending rules in, by the way? That’s very intriguing of you –) I can’t say I mind, either.

And I might have suggested a visit to somewhere in Spain, since you have never seen it – but you may need more than an hour or two to explore a new country, I suspect. (Or to not begin your adventures by taking rash international portkeys with strangers. That does seem a little inadvisable.) So, unless you are more interested in breaking and entering, I suppose there’s always the Black Lake, for something a little closer to home? Apparently people have been turning up all sorts on the banks recently, so there seems to be something mysterious going on in in its depths; it might be worth wandering that way, anyway. Perhaps there’s even a long-lost creature living in it that might be lured out or caught a glimpse of in the quiet of night. (I don’t know – you are the new exotic creature expert between us, after all.)

Regardless: let me know where you’d like to meet, any night, and I’ll be there.

Sincerely,
Someone

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March 1st, 1892

Dear Someone,

Alas! To think that I have missed the possibility of Spain! But I agree that portkeys at this juncture might be ill-advised, and in any case if I am to explore Spain it's probably best to do it in the daylight hours. Exploring the Black Lake in pursuit of strange creatures does sound like a marvelous adventure. There are some rowboats at one edge of the lake, and although I imagine they're probably secured in some fashion after sunset I'm sure it's nothing an enterprising gentleman might not overcome (particularly if the other adventuring option you devised involved breaking and entering — while I am not usually of the criminal inclination I admit to being intrigued enough by this I am almost inclined to volunteer for it, just to see what it is you had in mind).

I suggest we meet in one week; that ought to give us both enough time to adequately prepare for a creature-finding expedition, I should think (what these preparations entail I shall leave to both of our imaginations). You'll have to write and tell me what you intend to wear, so that I can discern you from any ruffians who might be lurking in the park at night looking for young women to kidnap and perhaps transfigure into zebras.

Sincerely,
Adventurous

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   Savino Zabini

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Beautiful set by Kit!

4th March, 1892

Dear Adventurous,

That’s an excellent plan, I think. I am sure I can be enterprising enough to solve that little problem for us, and will see what else I can come up with for such important creature-finding preparations.

Will a blue scarf do, to find me? I won’t wear a hat, either, so that you might distinguish me any other gentleman from a distance. I don’t know if you were hoping for something more garish, but I do not want to attract too much attention from anyone else wondering why I am lurking in the park at night in some strange costume.

And I will of course forgive you if you have any misgivings, or otherwise change your mind and turn and run – but I promise I am not a criminal or a ruffian myself, however these letters might be making it sound.

(Hopefully you are not one either, or this could be a very clever scheme to lure me out somewhere in the middle of the night.)

But I’m looking forward to it, anyway; write me a time when you know, and I’ll meet you by the lake.

Sincerely,
Someone

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