Mr W. Brady

[Sita Mehadi H7]

(On the front of the envelope):

Mr W. Brady
14 Chelmsford Lane
Ranelagh
Dublin 6
IRELAND

(On the back of the envelope, handwritten):

If undelivered, please return to:
Miss S. Mehadi
9 Saxon Street
Mossley
Lancashire
OL5 0RY
ENGLAND

(Inside, on a couple of sheets of thin pale blue paper):

14th July 2000

Dear Billy,

It's just as well that you gave me your address! Me giving you mine didn't pay off much, since you haven't fulfilled your promise to write. You should be ashamed of yourself! - I was relying on you to stop me from getting bored during the holidays.

I get to play far more tennis when I'm at home than I do at Hogwarts, so I've been doing loads of that. It's nice to be able to spend my time running around outside, in the sunshine. Tennis gives me an excuse to do that without people thinking I'm silly - I suppose I'm too young to run down my street in bare feet anymore. I used to do that if you'll believe it, when I had my best friend to do it with. I've been staying away from her though, because I'm not interested in her acting one way towards me when we're at home and then having no time for me while we're at school. Last year I was glad to get a bit more of her attention while there was no one else to distract her but I think I've just got to face facts now and find myself new friends. You're a good start!

My garden smells gorgeous right now. My dad's a keen gardener (and so am I!). We have sweet peas, lavender and petunias... I think that they're the ones you can smell the most right now. But we also have lots of bright coloured flowers, and also plenty of herbs, runner beans, a big rhubarb plant and (these are new!) lettuces, so actually then we can eat lots of our garden too. I love it. I've been making sketches of the flowers in my garden and colouring them in. I've tried some watercolour painting too. I've put a small sketch of my whole garden in with this letter for you! I hope you like it.

Actually, talking about arty things, are you coming to Llanrhystud? You'd better be. I want to share a room (hut?) with you, and you can introduce me to all your friends! I hope you won't let me down. Even if you didn't sign up at school, I bet you can still come if you bring your money and permission slip with you. I'm really looking forward to getting to spend a holiday with some new friends.

My mum's just called me for dinner (a curry, and it smells absolutely delicious!) You'd be jealous if you knew what her cooking tastes like. I expect your mum's a good cook too, though? Everyone likes their own mum's cooking, I think! Anyway, going for dinner means that I have to stop writing this now, so I'll stop the letter here too.

Love,
Sita.
xxx

[Billy Brady H6]

((Addresses same as in above post but reversed, written on just a plain bit of paper)). Italics are what Rex is writing on the paper.

18th July 2000

Hey Sita,

Good to hear from you again! Sorry I didn't write sooner-there're several reasons really. Well, to start with I've been pretty busy-Rex, as usual, is here for the summer so we've been hanging out a lot, and I've not really had time to sit down and write a letter. Right now I'm actually writing while watching the TV, with Rex pestering me to tell him what's so secret - go AWAY Rex you big doofus, I'll tell you once I've finished! Oooo, it's a girrrrrrrl Billy's got a girlfriend hahahaha - sorry about that, Rex is just being an idiot Oi, don't call me an idiot, you're the idiot man!. Also, I must've lost that bit of paper you gave me your address on so I couldn't've sent a letter anyway Suuuure!!!-thanks for writing your address on the envelope.

Sorry about the interruptions by the way. I've just thrown Rex's pen across the room so hopefully there won't be any more from now on. if there happens to be any blood on the paper at all, I'm sorry, it's probably cos Rex has punched me in the nose. I'll be alright, no need to worry!

It's good to hear you've been out and about and not wasting time! Not that I thought you would! And yeah, I can imagine tennis being excellent exercise. I prefer skateboarding myself...I swear I'm like a real-life Bart Simpson, if you know who I'm talking about. Apart from my family's nothing like his and Rex is hardly MIlhouse (his best friend, in case you were wondering). It's fun, just skating around town, going to skate parks and stufff.

Ah yeah, it's a shame what happened to Ingrid. She's changed a hell of a lot over these past couple of years. Luckily I have Rex, who hopefully won't end up ditching me Hah, you're the one with the girlfriend Billy hahahaha, you'd better not pay more attention to her than me! Speaking of which, he's got his pen and he's back. WHy he had a pen in the first place, I dunno. He must've found it on the table or something. Anyway, I've thrown it across the room again now. He may be a big idiot but he's great really.

I'm not into gardening much myself. My dad is though and keeps trying to make me join him but I'm not interested. Flowers are flowers as far as I'm concerned, they're either nice or they're not. And homegrown veg, that's good. Supposed to be nicer and healthier than the shop-bought stuff. I don't care much for veg myself-exercise is what keeps me healthier generally. I like carrots though, and parsnips, that kinda thing. Sprouts are alright too I guess. Fruit's alright though-I could eat bananas all day, and I like apples too. And if my parents had anything to do with it fruit juice would be all I drink, but hey.

Yeah, the sketch is really good-you're an excellent artist, I must say! I wasn't planning on going, but I think Stace was pestering Rex to go, and now you want me to go, so I might as well go. And yeah, I guess you can share a room with us. Don't be surprised if Rex decides to prank you in some way or another, that's just what he's like. They're doing some sort of watersports there right? That should be fun, even if the other stuff isn't great. I'll see you there then Do we really have to go Billy??? Yes, Rex, for Sita's sake if nothing else Aww, it'll be boring though! No it won't get over it! Sorry about that! I've thrown his pen away again now.

Anyway, I hope your dinner was nice. My mum cooked us a chicken and mushroom pie today, with a big pile of mashed potatoes, and carrots and parsnips. Yum! She's a good cook really, but nothing compared to the house elves at Hogwarts, they're the best I think!

See you on the trip then, I guess. If not, then I'll see you back at school.
Bye for now,
Billy

Yeah, bye Sita xxxxxxx now don't forget the kisses next time Billy!
Shut up Rex!
Bye then x

[Sita Mehadi H7]

20th July 2000

Dear Billy,

I'm glad you were so easily persuaded - so I'll see you at Llanrhystud, then. Don't forget to bring a waterproof - no doubt it will rain at some point during the holiday, and I don't particularly want to be keeping wet and miserable company. You ought to own a waterproof anyhow, living in Ireland as you do! My mum says that I'll probably need a wetsuit for the windsurfing, but I don't have one of those so I hope we can hire them when we get there.

I'm looking forward to being introduced to your friends! I don't really fancy being on the receiving end of Rex's pranks, though, so please could you communicate to him that I come in peace? As for the girlfriend part, I hadn't thought about it, Billy, but I'm very flattered! I'll keep it in mind...

The skateboarding sounds cool! Perhaps you could bring your skateboard (is that what it's called?) with you to Llanrhystud so I can try it out and make a fool of myself falling off or rolling off down a hill out of control. So what other exercise do you do as well then? There must be something, if that's what you do to stay healthy.

You sound very ungrateful saying that you prefer the house elves' cooking to your mum's! I could never prefer anyone's cooking to my mum's, I don't think, although the food at Hogwarts is pretty good and a whole lot better than we used to get at my primary school. I think that Muggle schools on the whole aren't as good for food as Hogwarts.

Looking forward to seeing you! I'm really excited about this holiday - hopefully you and maybe even Rex will be too by the time you get there!

Love,
Sita.
xxx