Padma Patil

who was on my team. It's too bad we were just a little too slow on that last challenge but no harm done.

Zabini, Parkinson, Li, Macmillan, Bundy: excellent job taking each of your groups in hand. And Sandoval, Goshal, Nott, Bones and Whitacre: really, really well done. I've already passed on my thanks to Durand, Stoyanov and Larsen for their contributions.

Wynn-Davis, Archer: better luck next time, but good efforts. To everyone else on our team, again--very well done, indeed!

I don't blame Midgen one bit for being upset about next week, do you? I mean, what do you suppose that lot have done to deserve going to the Beauxbatons social thing, anyway? I mean, Perks I can understand, she's Siz's fave, isn't she. Did you hear the rumour that Siz is actually paying Perks to do chores for her? And if Perks gets invited, then of course Porkinson comes along as well. It's utterly infuriating, really.

Anyway, what have Bundy and Weasley told you about it? Anything? Brocklehurst is well chuffed that he's been invited--Weasley, I mean. Seamus, you ought to have some fun with that! You could tell him how much Brocklehurst is looking forward to seeing him there. And you've a whole week to torture him about it, too.

Tamblyn asked if I'd go along with him to Hogsmeade tomorrow (Lares, not Hermes. I think Hermes is still feeling well squibbish because of what Davies pulled). Lav, I'll see you and Pav at the Three Broomsticks? Seamus, are you going with the Durmstrang lot?

Especially everyone who celebrates Christmas and who's staying at Hogwarts this year!

I just wanted to say I think we're all very lucky to be here at a time when such important events are happening and I hope the fact that loads of us are here makes it easier for people who would normally be home with their families.

And Justin, everyone in Ravenclaw is very happy to hear that you'll be all right. I guess something's happened, too, because the Beauxbatons 7th-years are all well upset about what happened to you. Well, the whole delegation, really, but especially the 7th-years. But I think your friend JP was going to come see you anyway and maybe he'll tell you all about it.

But we've a little something for you when Madam Pomfrey lets you come back, which I hope will be tomorrow because it would be really really awful to have to spend all of Christmas in the Hospital Wing, even if Matron's the very best Healer there is (which she pretty much is, so you're in really good hands!).

And by the way, to everyone who was photographed or mentioned in the Prophet and in Teen Witch (they have a special edition on the Yule Ball), congratulations!

Happy Christmas!

Seamus, are you in Hogsmeade?

Silly question. I mean where are you in Hogsmeade?

Can you come find me in the Three Broomst the alley left of Gladrag's?

I....

Davies just told me he's going to the Ball with Fleur.

Dear Sir,

Thank you again for the lovely brunch today. It was very kind of you to treat us.

I hope I didn't take up too much of your time talking; I know you wanted to spend a little time with each of us. I really didn't realise how long it was until we finished and it was nearly time to go. But you did seem interested in hearing about things.

Of course, I should say that what I told you about the prefects and the Headmistress - that's just some stuff that the older kids in Ravenclaw Corner said. I mean, a few of them are Prefects so they see Professor McGonagall more often but I know that both Tamblyns and Dames have mentioned that it comes up in Prefects' meetings.

Oh, and of course, I don't really speak any French myself, so I can only go off what Dunstan and Laverty could tell us. But Laverty was well upset when that Archambault chap called Hogwarts mouldy and feudal. And he was complaining about the library, quite a bit, because loads of the references he said were 'everywhere' in France aren't here. I'm not sure which titles, though, sir.

I know you said I should feel free to write if I thought of other things. I dunno if I should say or not, but I suppose as a school Governor you would want to know that I think so far the foreign students aren't very pleased with--well, with Professor Carrow. (Miss Professor Carrow, obviously, they've never met Mr Professor Carrow!) I know for one thing, from what I understand from Justin Finch-Fletchley, none of their fourth-years have taken any Dark Arts lessons yet, so I think some of them are a bit behind. But they want to make it seem like they've just got no use for the subject! Though it could be that they're jealous, I suppose, that we've got a leg up. Didier did say that her father's been asking for it to be added to their curriculum since he was a student himself, I guess.

But they really didn't have much good to say about Professor Carrow--personally, I mean. And well, I suppose it's not so bad for those of us who've had her for Muggle Studies those first couple years and now Dark Arts for over a year, as well, but it is rather disconcerting, sometimes, the way she has of looking at one really closely. Not that I'd talk out of turn about a professor, of course.

Anyway, I really only wanted to say that it was a wonderful breakfast and I know you're frightfully busy so it was especially kind of you to arrange it for all of us.