[mjk]

Letter to Teddy Lupin Contest

We are always interested in contest ideas that our readers might have and we regularly use them. The idea for this contest was submitted to our Brainstorming for Ideas thread by rowena_r.

“I didn’t want you to die,” Harry said. These words came without his volition. “Any of you. I’m sorry --”
He addressed Lupin more than any of them, beseeching him.
“-- right after you’d had your son . . . Remus, I’m sorry --”
“I am sorry too,” said Lupin. “Sorry I will never know him . . . but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life.”

Scholastic pub. DH pg. 700

Imagine bringing a child into the world in the middle of a war. A war with no definite front line, but where your enemy is in control and assails any opposition with swift brutality in public space and private home alike; one that is waged both under cover and in open, graphic view. Your son is only a few weeks old with the most significant battle yet in a horrible war almost upon you and there is every likelihood you won’t return home to him.

Suppose Lupin recalled Molly's fears for her family which were revealed during her trouble with the boggart in Grimauld Place (Order of the Phoenix) and he remarked to Tonks that he now understood how she felt. Suppose also that one of them then suggested they write letters to their son to be given to him if one or both of them were killed. Consider your thoughts were you in Remus or Tonks’ place knowing Harry would have cherished a letter like that from James or Lily. What would you say if you had the chance to put words on parchment to be presented to Teddy eleven years later just as he begins his magical education?

In 500 words or less writing as either Remus or Tonks compose a letter to Teddy Lupin to be given to him on the occasion of his eleventh birthday.


General Guidelines:

Anyone 13 years of age and over may enter the contest, including staff members who are not involved in the judging process.

One entry per person.

500 word limit.

All submissions must be the original work of the contestant. Any entries found to contain the work of another author will be disqualified.

All decisions by the judges are final.

All entries must meet PG-13 standards of decency and good taste.

The first place winner will receive a custom made wand donated by Wizard Wood Wands and 200 MyLeaky points.

Please refer to our FAQ if you are not sure of something.

If you have any questions not answered on the FAQ, or would like to discuss this Contest, please come to the Contest Corner Forum of The Leaky Lounge.

All submissions must be e-mailed to contests@the-leaky-cauldron.org by 11:59 pm (EDT) on 30 April, with "Letter to Teddy Lupin" in the subject line of the e-mail.

Please copy-paste your story into the body of the e-mail and include a name to be used for authorship (real name or Leaky Lounge name).

The judges will be looking for creative, interesting and cannon correct entries that are well written. You may find the "tips and hints" located below the FAQ helpful.

Thank you rowena_r for suggesting this contest!

This post has been edited by mjk: 01 April 2010 - 12:58 AM

[nellythemarrow]

Hi Mods, I'm having a problem! I've left this really last minute, but I've written an entry for the contest and now I can't send it! I've tried from several different emails, another Leaky member has even kindly tried from theirs too, but it hasn't worked. I keep getting a message failed thing with a suggestion of what to do when sending bulk emails, even though the only address I put in the email was contests@the-leaky-cauldron.org . Is there any other way I can get to to you? Deadline's coming up fast now.

[mjk]

For the future -- this is now in the FAQ -- if you (that's anyone) ever have an issue sending an entry via e-mail and you've tried several times and even several days, please feel free to PM it to me with all necessary information: name for authorship, e-mail address, and reason why you're PM'ing it.

Entries can also be sent to contests@leakynews.com if contests@the-leaky-cauldron.org is giving you issues.

Please remember to use PMs for entry submission only as a last, desperate resort.

This post has been edited by mjk: 30 April 2010 - 11:46 PM

[mjk]

The winners have been picked!

Please help us in congratulating the following winners!

First Place: moonyschick
Second Place: MalfoyDiva
Third Place: BriannaWazHere
Honorable Mention: RavenclawDancer
Honorable Mention: hakusonlygirl

You can scroll down to read the entries or click on the winners' names to be directed to them.

As usual, if you entered a letter, you are welcome to post it here for others to read.

This post has been edited by mjk: 06 May 2010 - 07:46 PM

[mjk]

First Place: moonyschick

Dear Teddy,

If you are reading this, it is your eleventh birthday. It also means that I am not there with you to celebrate it. However, even in death, a father’s duty to his son cannot be forgotten. Though a letter can never take the place of spoken words and tender gestures, I pray that this will help you understand how much I care about you.

It may be hard for you to believe now, but you were once a baby. In fact, as I write this, you are sleeping in your mother’s arms. You have no dreams, no aspirations. You haven’t done anything. And yet, I am as proud of you as it is possible to be. I want you to remember that as you begin your Hogwarts career. No matter what you decide to become, I will be proud of you. You may think that is impossible, seeing as I am dead. Not so. I firmly believe that there is an afterlife. You may be sure I am watching you from there.

You are now eleven, at an age when you have likely noticed that most children have fathers. I have no way of knowing what your reaction to my absence in your life is. It may very well be that you don’t care. Worse, you might even resent me for not being there. I promise you that if I could find a way to be with you, I would. I love you more than anything in the world, and I wish I could be there with you today. My one comfort is that the world is different now, and that you have your mother, your grandmother, Harry Potter, and many others to watch over you and give you support and love.

Perhaps I am wrong, though. The world may still be covered in darkness. Harry may be dead, and the Death Eaters may have taken over the Wizarding and Muggle world. Yet, in my deepest of hearts, I do not believe that is so. That is one thing you did for me. Before your birth, I believed the world was destined to always be ruled by darkness. I fought for the light, but I never truly believed we would have it. Peace seemed impossible. Once you were born, however, I had to believe in peace and light. How could you exist in a world without those things?

And, so, Teddy Lupin, I end with this parting message: No matter what has happened or will happen to you, remember that you deserve to live in a world full of happiness, a world full of light. Make the world a peaceful, loving place, and most importantly, trust others to help you in this endeavor. Don’t ever let anyone tell you what your life will be or what your limitations are. Have a wonderful birthday and a wonderful life. It is yours to live; make the most of it.

Love from your father,

Remus J. Lupin

[mjk]

Second Place: MalfoyDiva

Dear Teddy,

If you’re reading this now that means it's your eleventh birthday! Many happy returns! But it also means I'm not there to share the occasion with you, and for that I am truly sorry.

I spoke to your mother yesterday about leaving letters for you if the worst should happen and she wouldn't stand for it. Don't misjudge this, my son, it's one of the things I love most about your mother, she is so stubbornly optimistic. You should've seen us when we were courting. I was all doom and gloom over my condition as a werewolf, knowing she deserved someone far better than me, someone whole, but no matter how hard I tried to push her away she never relented and so we married.

I still remember the day you were born. You were so small I feared I'd break you if I held you. Your mother on the other hand couldn't be parted from you for all the galleons in the world. How she beamed with delight every time you smiled or yawned; how your tiny fist clung so tightly to her finger. The greatest excitement was seeing your hair suddenly change from brown to turquoise! You get that from your mother.

She's a wonderful metamorphmagus; a talent that's served her well as an auror, though she loves using her gift to entertain. We'd be having dinner with the Weasley’s, Hermione, and your Godfather Harry and your mom would morph her face constantly from a duck bill, to a pig snout, and occasionally a long warty green nose. She'd change her hair to ridiculous colors and styles... even now I can still hear the laughter.

This is what we were fighting for. This is why Voldemort had to be stopped. The joy of families all together, the security of one's friends and home was ever at the mercy of Voldemort's rage and his despicable death eaters.

I couldn't stand to sit idly by and allow the tyranny to continue and neither could your mother. We wanted a better world for you to live in without fear and persecution. Where you could study at Hogwarts as we did, making friends, learning spells, and to one day fall in love and raise a family of your own.

It pains me to think I won't be there to see it, but I have confidence in you, my son, that you will be kind and courageous, and that you too will never tolerate injustice. Know, my son, that you will never be alone, that though I'm gone I will forever be in your heart and your mind helping to guide you whenever you're in need.

There are bonds in this world that can never be separated by time or death and I'd like to believe that the bond between father and son is one of them.

I love you Teddy as does your mother. No parent could be more proud than we are of you.

With all my love,
Remus

[mjk]

Third Place: BriannaWazHere

Dear Teddy,

I have decided today to leave your mother and you to fight in the war against Lord Voldemort. Please understand that I do this only out of love for you and your mother and that I want you to live the happiest and safest life you can. I do not know what will happen, war is a nasty place, but I want to let you know that I love you and I would do anything to make the world you live in a better place.

I leave this letter with your mother for you to open on your eleventh birthday, when you first begin school. I want to let you know never to be afraid of anything and to do always what is right. Evil will always be in the world and I want you to keep fighting against it. A wise man named Albus Dumbledore once said that we must fight and keep fighting, only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated. There is so much I want to tell you and so little time for me to write this, and yet I cannot find the words to describe how much I care and love you. When you were born, my life, that I wasn’t so sure of, became clear and meaningful. You were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen and I know that you will make me and your mother proud some day. I love you, my son, and that is all I can say. I hope that you know that whatever may happen to me that you will understand it was because I was trying to make a world in which you could live a happier life.

With all my love,

Your Father

[mjk]

Honorable Mention: RavenclawDancer

Dear Teddy,

I hope with my whole heart that you never have to read these words, but I am writing them just in case. I am so very sorry that I cannot be with you on your eleventh birthday. Soon you will go off to school, where you will have more adventures than you can possibly imagine.

There are so many things I want to tell you, and right now it's hard to think of them all. Don't worry too much about the Sorting. Whichever House you join will be proud to have you and will become your family. However, be sure to make friends in the other Houses as well. Listen to your professors and the prefects. Visit Hagrid whenever you can. Don't irritate Peeves, but don't be afraid of him either. Don't ask Slytherins how to find your classrooms, and don't levitate the Giant Squid out of the lake, even though it's funny to watch it flail around in the air. You'll get in trouble for that; I guarantee it. Do your best, learn all you can, but have fun! I mean that!

I am so sorry, Teddy, that your dad and I have not been able to be with you for the past eleven years to watch you grow into a wonderful young man. Our time with you has been so very brief, but it has been the happiest time of our lives. You were born during such dark, terrifying days, but you filled our hearts with joy. Please understand that leaving you was absolutely the last thing we wanted to do. We had to go and fight, though, to ensure that you and all the children of your generation would never know the terror and the hatred that we have known.

I want you to know, Teddy, how very much your dad and I love you. We cannot come back to talk to you, but if you talk to us, we will listen. We cannot sit with you at the dinner table or tuck you in at night or hug you as you board the Hogwarts Express, but we will always be with you inside your heart, and someday we will see each other again, because love is the strongest form of magic – stronger, ultimately, than death itself.

Happy birthday, my son.

All my love, forever and always,

Mum

[mjk]

Honorable Mention: hakusonlygirl

Dear Teddy,

Wotcher Teddy! This seems kind of awkward... I don’t really know what to say. I hope you never have to read this. See, your father thought that we should each do this. Just in case, you know. But I don’t see anything happening to us, it would be too... unfair. I also have some trouble trying to picture you reading this. You’re only a few weeks old! I’m looking at you right now and you’re just a baby. I don’t like this at all. The thought of it alone is enough to make me cry.

So if anything happens, I guess I just want you to know I love you and I would never want anything to take me away from you. You’re so tiny and helpless right now, it wouldn’t be right to leave you. However, this is a war and both your father and I have made ourselves targets by joining the Order. I don’t regret it though, no matter what happens I’ll always be glad I was a part of it, as cruel as that may sound. This battle has to be fought. So many people were just ignoring the threat. This is going to sound cliché but I’m fighting now so that you can grow up in a more peaceful (and less prejudice) world. I don’t want you to know what it’s like to live during a war.

So pretty much just always know that I love you with all my heart. You’ve brought so much happiness to us all just when we needed it most. If you do end up reading this, take care of grandma for me. She loves you dearly and she will need you. She already misses grandpa so much. You were named after him and I’m sure you’ll have no problem bringing around as many smiles as he did.

First I didn’t know how to start this letter and now I don’t know how to end it. I just hope you’re happy and I hope you’re not upset with me for leaving you. Trust me, if it were my choice I would never leave your side. Even if you didn’t want me there, I’d stay. So take care of Grandma, she’s so amazing and a magnificent mother and now grandmother. Take care of Daddy also, sometimes he gets a little confused but his heart will always be with you. Most of all though, take care of yourself and remember to smile lots. Happy birthday, love. I’m sure you’ll do great at Hogwarts. I wish I could be the one to walk you to platform 9 ¾ and cry as I watch you depart. I hope I am there. Nothing will stop me from fighting my absolute hardest so that I can watch over you up close as oppose to from afar. No matter what though, I will keep an eye on you and be proud of my baby boy.

I’ll always love you.

xoxo
Mummy