alt_padma | Shopping in New London was

utterly brill! Mum saw our new lacquer and the bag I got and Parvati's new comb and simply adores them, too. And it was so nift to just gad about, even without buying anything. I thought we might never get Parkinson back from that record shop.

Perks, Parvati says Gemma can plait her hair anytime she likes! Did you decide against that bracelet, after all? I know some people don't like anything round their wrists when they're writing. Or the jingling bothers them. It's probably just as well you didn't get it.

Supper was lovely, too! I didn't know that Burrow and O'Flaherty had both gone into Healers' training. It was a surprise to see them - Haruman usually doesn't talk much about his mates.

(Lav, did you see the way that Chadwick smiled at you? He's well fit, isn't he?)

Oh, and has anyone seen today's Prophet? There's a huge piece about Auror Crouch - and they mentioned Sandoval prominently, too! I knew she'd be brilliant as an Auror! 'Presence and grace under heavy hexfire' and then later it said she was 'instrumental' in apprehending the traitors. I'm keeping our copy so when she's head of the Aurors one day, I can say I knew her back at school. Well done, Lana! Ravenclaw Corner is well proud of you!

Daphs, you might want to read the article, too, because it does talk about Auror Crouch's career and some of the things he's done for the Lord Protector. Plus there's his mum, which might be useful to you when playing that scene with Chang. (Actually there's a sidebar that's got a bunch of facts and trivia about him, like how he showed his magic the first time and when he joined MLE and like that. And you might want to read it, if you haven't. I think there's more there than in that Rise of the Protector book Ptolemy found for us all!)

I don't know about anyone else, but even though it's been lovely to get away from school, I think yesterday was the best part of the holiday. I can't believe we've got to pack up now and go back. I hope our lacquer lasts as long as they said it would. We paid the extra two sickles for the hardening and strengthening spell, too, so that it should last through the end of term.

Ugh, and now Aunt Sivarti wants us to go help make supper. It's not even time for lunch!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_sally_anne

Shopping was lovely, and so was dinner. Thank you for the invitation. (Gemma and I sent a note to your brother today to thank him, as well.) I'm glad Gemma's plaiting didn't do any damage! That bracelet was quite lovely, but something like that might be distracting when casting spells.

Gemma was quite taken with Parvati, especially after she heard Parvati actually got to touch a unicorn. She's been talking about unicorns all day today.

From:

alt_ron

Lacquer?

Huh?

From:

alt_ron

(Lav, did you see the way Chadwick sicked up after he met you?)

From:

alt_ron

Well. Shopping with the Patils and Brown sounds so much more fun than playing Quidditch. I'm sure it was well grand.

What was for supper, then?

From:

alt_sally_anne

Supper was curry. I hadn't had it before. It was rather nice, aside from the subtle aftertaste of Patil Sneer that was served up on the side.

From:

alt_sally_anne

It's decorations for finger nails.

It's something only girls do. Though when we got home Philip looked at the unicorn on mine (Gemma picked it out, I have a teeny tiny unicorn running from one nail to the next) and wanted to know why boys couldn't get them. He had this idea for a design that would have a Snitch that would move around the way the unicorn does and then he started thinking about how it would be even better if it were a GAME and you had to CATCH the snitch with one of your other fingers.

I'm not sure why no one's done that yet. Maybe because boys would all say 'ew nail lacquer is for GIRLS' even if it were boyish designs.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Chadwick smiled at everyone. He was a seventh year when we were firsties and he IS fit, actually, but it's not as if he'd be flirting with a third-year, he was just being polite.

From:

alt_sally_anne

It's not as if the choice was 'quidditch' or 'shopping.' Quidditch was Wednesday. Thursday was either 'shopping' or 'sitting at home with the Strettons, with possible exciting row between Jeremy and his parents.'

It sounds as if the Patils were trying to get away from something similar actually. Rows or some such. Their parents would only let them go out in a HUGE group though.

From:

alt_ron

Yeah, curry's sort of different. Good different, mostly. And the bread's wiznift.

We had it at the dragon preserve when we were visiting Charlie. One of the handler's is from India or Pakistan or somewhere. And another of them's from China. Charlie wrote Mum about how at the Chinese new year, they had something called Flying Duck and it was mad good. Anywiz, they have loads of different food up there, and none of them seem to mind. And Bill says there are loads of places in London to get Indian takeaway. Chinese, too, I think. I don't know whether he goes there much, but that's what he said.

Can't see how you could stand to eat with her.

From:

alt_ron

Their parents were rowing?

From:

alt_ron

That's what you call that glittery rubbish girls put on their fingers? How about when they put it on their hair?

And YEAH. Ew. Laquer's definitely just for girls.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Maybe not rowing? But they're not rowing because Mr Patil mostly just never comes home anymore. I overheard Parvati talking about it. I don't need to tell you not to bring it up to them, do I? even if they're being horrid? because first of all, they'll be certain it was me or Pansy who gossiped about it and frankly I don't need the Patils out for my blood, and second of all it would be cruel, even to the Patils.

From:

alt_sally_anne

If I couldn't stand to eat while in the room with people I didn't like, I'd get very hungry on holidays.

Never mind term.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Glittery RUNNING UNICORN rubbish!

Ooh, I know what to get you for your next birthday!

From:

alt_ron

You wouldn't!

From:

alt_ron

Point.

Can't see how you can stand eating at your House table, really. I'd lose my appetite every meal if I had to sit at the same table as Malfoy. And Zabini. And Greengrass.

Don't see how you keep eating at all, really.

From:

alt_sally_anne

The bread was fantastic. It was probably my favourite part of the meal. Although to drink there was this thing -- when Haruman heard Gemma and I hadn't ever had curry before he said we had to have a lassie? It's made with mangoes. This is a rather posh curry shop so they use real ingredients. The Strettons have a transfigured mango jam thing that's sort of odd and too sweet but this was NOTHING like that.

I really liked it. I might almost put up with more sneering from Patil to get another one of those. Almost.

It was really awkward, actually. I hadn't planned to stay to dinner because I knew her brother was treating and I didn't want to impose. But Gemma got all slow-pokey at just the wrong moment and he arrived before we left and when I tried to say 'well, it's been grand, see you later!' she dug in her heels and insisted we didn't HAVE to go back yet and then Haruman got all gracious and if we'd left, it would have been rude plus Gemma would have made a scene.

From:

alt_ron

Yeah, okay.

Shame about their parents. I mean, my dad has to work really late a lot, and so he's not home a lot, and that makes Mum, I don't know, upset's not quite right, but she doesn't like it.

And my parents fuss at each other.

Well, y'know. Mum fusses at all of us, including Dad. Dad mostly just keeps quiet. And then says sorry. Even if he didn't do anything to begin with.

But I can't imagine what it'd be like if they didn't get along at all.

From:

alt_sally_anne

You have to sit at the same table as Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, you git!

From:

alt_sally_anne

And then when you go home you have to eat with Percy.

I kept hoping and hoping Gemma would accidentally flip a plate of food on Padma Patil's head but no such luck.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Well, you have to hold still for a long time while they're putting it on or it won't take. So you're probably safe unless Neville offers to help deliver it in your sleep...

From:

alt_ron

I'd hex him from here to Hampstead.

From:

alt_ron

Well, you've got a point there.

And that would've been wicked! I'd be jealous if it'd happened and I hadn't been there to see it!!!!!

From:

alt_sally_anne

If he were clever he'd say it was Finnigan or Thomas! As IF you would go hexing Nev when he was pointing at either of those two.

From:

alt_ron

Oi!

Don't go giving him ideas, yeah?

From:

alt_sally_anne

It just occurred to me the Twins aren't in your dorm but they are in Gryffindor, and since boys can go into other boys' rooms, just not into girls' rooms...

Too bad you just had your birthday...

From:

alt_ron

...

From:

alt_ron

Lassie, eh? Never heard of them. Must've been really good, though.

Little kids can be a right pain. I remember when Ginny was like that.

Still is sometimes.