Dearest Hallie,
I have to apologise, also, for the way I treated you. As on the spot as I was - am - I shouldn't have given you the same dubious luxury. I hope within regards to that you can find it in you to forgive me. She truly is not unpleasant - barring, that is, her sweet tooth which I think will take me to the dentist with her before long at the very least in terms of some sort of precautionary measure. Ridiculous though this weather is, I tried the hot chocolate out on her. It went down a treat.
As per my family, I will respectfully decline to agree with you. They are a lot of things - some bad, some good. I'm not very different in that respect. I am them. They are me. We're all as bad as each other. We're all Rookwoods. That's no excuse, of course. Whilst I'd rather you didn't actively seek something that could upset my family's position, I doubt now there would be anything left to find. After Uncle Augustus went to Azkaban they got exceptionally thorough.
The fact of the matter is that everyone else's opinion doesn't mean anything to us. The opinions we value are those of our contemporaries, those we wish to marry our children to and those we wish to do business with. We desire to excel and to dominate and to end up where we feel we belong - naturally, at the top of the pile. Thus, the opinions of, I am sorry to say, Half-Bloods and Muggle-Borns are, largely, irrelevant. Insufferable snobs we may be but we perform a highly important function. Although, I doubt you would be able to appreciate it as you are now. Perhaps I could make you see.
My family is one you are a part of Hallie, ultimately. My relationship with them is always going to be awkward and difficult. I'm not going to pretend I am any different from them. I have a few ideas of my own that I think, personally, are a little bit more progressive than our prehistoric tendencies would suggest -- and I was good on the Wizengamot. Just, for the record.
May I have at least a precursor to what you intend to discuss about our future? I would much prefer us avoiding further arguments, thank you.
Affectionately yours,
T.R.