Defence, exams and holidays

[alt_padma]

Today I asked Professor Lockhart how soon he thinks they'll catch that horrible Black fellow who keeps invaiding our journals.

He said they were sure to find him and if he was posting to say that they haven't yet, it must be because they came close. He said that if he weren't teaching, he was sure he'd be able to discover Black's hiding place in a trice.

But my brother says Black's a dangerous criminel and he wants to kill the Lord Protector. Professor Lockhart must be very brave if he would go after someone like that single-handed! But then I guess he's done so many brilliant things that catching Black seems like its not much of a task.

I dont know why everyone is so worried about Potions when weve also got Charms and Transfiguration and Herbology to get through, too. I mean, Potions is basically following recipies, but Charms and Transfiguration really take concintration.

Morag and Belinda are getting much more excited about Christmas than their exams. I'm just looking forward to going home for a bit, even if Haruman will probably call me 'Parvati' just to be annoying and Sanji will not want to let me or Parvati out of his sight.

Lavender, did your mum talk to you about maybe sleeping over during the holidays? Mum mentioned that you might want to and that it would be okay with her.

Comments

[alt_sally_anne]

I don't think they'll ca

I think you're right that he wouldn't say 'you didn't catch me!' if they hadn't almost caught him.

He writes like he's not actually here, in England I mean. Or Scotland either for that matter. He says 'you' instead of 'us' in places where it doesn't make sense. If he's not anywhere here that must make it harder to catch him though of course they will eventually.

At least if he's not here he can't turn up here at Hogwarts. I felt much better when I realised he must be writing from somewhere very far away.

[alt_sally_anne]

Though perhaps that's selfish of me. If he were close by he'd be much easier to catch. But I want him to be far away so he can't so he won't because he makes me nervous.

[alt_padma]

I asked my brother (Mum just told me it was a long time ago but wouldnt give me any details). He says he can remember that it was about ten years ago, it was in all the papers, that Sirius Black went mad and tried to destroy the Ministry or something. There was a big fight and he got away and no one knows where he went but he hasn't been in England ever since.

I'm not sure how he got a journal, then, but maybe the Lord Protector planned to trick anyone like him into writing in their journals so they could be tracked and caught.

He's completely mental, though, Haruman says, and now he's trying to make peopel hate the Lord Protector. But it won't work, will it? Because things are getting much better. Haruman says soon there won't even need to be rationing anymore, and look at New London and everything.

[alt_sally_anne]

I think you're right about the journal being a trick, and that was very clever of the Lord Protector and Magical Law Enforcement even though I don't like it when he writes something and it appears in my journal. I reckon it'll be worth it if when they catch him.

[alt_draco]

Even if you follow the instructions for making a potion really carefully it can still end up botched, and its mad, because you stare at your cauldron wondering why its wrong when you've just done everything the instructions said. Mother says that just looking at a potion the wrong way can make it go bad.

[alt_padma]

I think maybe its one of those things where it's easier to do it if you are certain you can do it. Like flying, right? When you show the broom your in control it does what you want ever so much easier. When you just beleive you know how to make the potion, it just works better.

Was your mum a really good Potioneer? My brother's brilliant at potions, but he hates having to make them for his Healing programme.

[alt_sally_anne]

Maybe that's my problem, I knocked over my cauldron on my very first day and I've been worried ever since I'll do it again.

[alt_pansy]

Mum's given me money to go shopping for clothes. But I don't know what to buy. Do you have any suggestions? I think everything I own is dark colours and it gets boring.

[alt_padma]

With your colouring? You shoud definetely look for jewel tones: ruby and jade and royal blue. I don't think you can do eggshell, which is to bad because it would make your hair look dark. You could do baby blue, but I dont know if you like pastels. Pink, maybe, if its not too pale.

Tomorrow night Parvati can do your colour chart.

[alt_pansy]

What's a colour chart?

[alt_padma]

Well, it tells you what colours match you, not just your looks but your personality, and your sun sign and all that.

We got a book about them a couple years ago, for our birthday, but she's much cleverer at it than I am. She remembers the wheel better, since I dont think either of us brought the book with us. (We'll bring it back after the holidays, though!)

[alt_pansy]

This sounds intriguing.

Can she do anything with my hair?

[alt_padma]

Your hairs' a funny length. We could maybe pin it back with a clip. It's to short to plait and I think pigtails are for babys. You might grow it longer, then you can do more.

[alt_padma]

How do you know how to plait, by the way, when your hairs' so short?

[alt_pansy]

Mum's hair is long and I used to plait hers.