Padma Patil

to have all the visitors here!

That Goblet is well amazing, isn't it? I know at least three people who got up extra early this morning to go down and put their names in before anyone saw them.

Also, we've been getting to know the Beauxbatons students a bit. Everyone's talking about Delacour, she's the utterly gorgeous one (and don't pretend you haven't noticed, Smith!) and how everyone knew she'd be in from the first. Only then someone--sorry, I don't know everyone's name yet--but someone said she'd heard Delacour wasn't going to be allowed, on account of she's part-Veela and all. But anyway, I reckon she's one of Beauxbatons' Headmistress' favourite students so it was hard not to prove she had the proper qualifications.

Justin, it was great to finally meet you face-to-face last night. Your mate JP is well nice, too.

Malfoy, you were sitting next to Krum last night, weren't you? That was a huge surprise, when he walked off the ramp from the ship! Our whole Quidditch side are talking about it. Did anyone even know he was still at school? I dunno if we'd ever have a Quidditch star who's still at school here. It seems like it would be too distracting, doesn't it?

Anyway, after hearing them all talk about the Tournament, I guess there's less chance than ever that one of us 4th-years will make it (and with Krum, obviously, that's going to be hard to beat!) but I still think I'm going to put my name in. No harm, right?

I've been talking with some of the Ravenclaw Corner lot about possible charms to help set up that orienteering course this weekend. Not that I've decided what we'll do! (Since I think some of the older Ravenclaws are thinking of teaming up with older Beauxbatons students to help.) But it's given me some ideas. I suppose we'll learn more after Professor Sinistra gets back from her meeting.

Also, I reckon that some of us better sign up for setup shifts on Friday night, because Saturday morning we'll be busy. Su Li and I are working together, definitely, and--Moon, Finnigan, want to help on our setup?

Oh, and Lav, still no news about you-know-what. I'll keep you posted!

Lana,

How is your grandmother doing? I hope she's all right. Haruman said he'd call to check on her if you like.

I've been thinking more about everything that happened Monday night and, well, it was all very frightening, but honestly it was also kinda cool to be able to pitch in and help. And I hope I did. Help you, I mean. Setting up the checkpoints and the relay stations. You were amazing, I hope someone's told you!

I'm already incredibly busy being back at Hogwarts, and lessons haven't even started yet! Finnigan and I are continuing History Club, of course, and then we've been talking about some other ideas for the CCF, based on everything coming out of Monday. We got to talking about the IMA and some of the other terrorist groups, and of course, the false Black post and so on, and we came up with a proposal we're working on for Professor Sinistra. (And Professor Raz, really.) It's to do with learning more about the ways one can help decode things in the journals - you know, how some people say that all those posts from the Crimson Company are nothing but encrypted messages to their followers? We want to start a cryptography workshop. I thought perhaps someone from MLE might come and give us pointers. I just think...it's hard when we're reading things in the journals, sorting out what's real from what's just a load of stuff, and no one really tells us much here, they like to just tell us that everything's perfect.

Well, we know that's not true, but the whole point of YPL and CCF is to make it more perfect. And it seems to me that knowing what might be going on below the surface is a good way to do that.

And the Corner is really going strong already. We've been putting together timetables for when to revise what. There's hardly going to be a free night, at this rate!

Now, don't fret at me, but Lares Tamblyn actually told me yesterday that he thought Page acted horribly last year and that if I'd like to sit with him and his brother and the other Prefects at meals and such, that'd be all right. And then he said - well, he said Davies even told Page he'd been beastly, 'and especially to someone as fit as Patil,' was what he told him. Cox and Samuels overheard him in the locker rooms, I guess, after one of their matches. Tamblyn said he figures Davies might like to ask me out but he doesn't want anyone to make a meal of it like they did with Page last year. So he suggested that sitting up with the Prefects would put me close to the Quidditchers but not right in among them, because obviously that would look like I'm just trying to catch Page's eye again. As if I'd give him a second chance to be a gentleman!

Well, I'm not sure what I'll do about it. I don't think Tamblyn's the type to wind one up; if Chambers had told me then I'd be sure she'd just putting a kneazle among the occamies! But I always thought Davies fancied Chang, so I don't know quite whether Tamblyn's really drawing the right conclusions. I mean, it could just be that Davies is too decent to let the side's reputation get tarnished by one player's foolishness. Couldn't it?

But anyway. I thought you'd be interested to hear. What else? Well, you probably already know that Karoline Moon's already quite the mope since Baddock's gone. (Clearwater, too, but she does a better job, at least, of not letting it rule her every conversation. Though, honestly, I think I'd be sick if she did go on and on about Weasley, of all people. By the way, what do you think of them choosing her for Head Girl? You probably don't want to say but personally I think, as much as I'd like to see a Ravenclaw with the job, the Headmistress is rather scraping if Clearwater was her best choice. She's not at all a leader like you were. At least, not so far.) But anyway, Dames says Moon and Baddock wanted to get engaged over the summer, but Baddock's father wouldn't allow it! She's been a mope about that, too. Dames thinks it's not that Mr Baddock objects, really, it's just that he thinks they're too young. I thought perhaps he wasn't happy about the play, from last year, you know, how Ptolemy let Karo put in all the stuff about his parents. But Dames doesn't think so, not really. She says Mr Baddock's far too sensible to hold something like that against someone our age. Well, Karo's age. I asked Lines what he thought about his sister getting engaged to Baddock but he just shrugged. Boys.

Oh, and can you believe there were actually no new Bobolis cousins in this year's firsties? But there are some promising ones. Persephone Sanditon's supposedly got a lovely voice and Orla Quirke dances, I hear. And my own cousin, Darshana, she got sorted into Ravenclaw as well! I'm sure Sanji would have been Sorted

Well, I've really gone on and on, haven't I? I'm sure you've loads of important things you're learning at the Ministry and I haven't even asked what you're specialising in now. Of course, Monday was far from the time to catch up but I hope you'll write back and tell me all the exciting parts of your training nowadays!

pull-ups 60
push-ups 38
sit-ups 97 (down!)
distance 3mi / 33 min
speed 100yd / 24 sec
standing target 7/10
moving target 5/10


Single Attack Defence 13 defended, 17 allowed, 20 null
Low Visibility w/Obstacles 7 defended, 10 allowed, 8 null
Broomback 3 defended, 5 allowed, 2 null


Revised goals?

Pull-ups 100
Push-ups 100
Sit-ups 150
Distance 5mi / 45 min
Speed 100yd / 20 sec
Standing target 10/10
Moving target 8/10

Single Attack 25/50
Low visibility 20/25
Broomback 6/10


Work on balance plank and wall-climb.

I'm giving myself the morning to rest a bit and relax and then it's right back into training. But I'm also reading the assigned chapters for the summer.

Finnigan, tell me when would be good to come over, if it's all right with Mr Rosier, okay? And yes, I'll want that broom just as soon as possible, thanks. I suppose I could have been worse but I can surely do a good deal better.

Su Li, yes, I meant it when I said you could come next week. I've talked with Parvati and she thinks it's brill; she'll even come along. Lav, you too, of course -it's next Tuesday, unless another day would be better for you. Mum's said it's okay and she reckons we'll be all right in New London but Aunt Sivarti might just go with us anyway. Depends on how she's feeling.

I'm also setting up a target in the back. If I do it right I should be able to use it from the garden and from the balcony.

(Oh and Parkinson, meant to say, well done during that last duelling set on Saturday. And I don't think I would have ever come up with such a creative solution to that slow-motion hex, the way you just sort of did everything backward until you broke it. Clever!)

Last week was really intense, wasn't it? I can't wait for August, now, but I know we've all got loads to do before we get there.

Oh, and does anyone want to meet while we're in New London?