Padma Patil

and it's sort of hard to think that it's been that long. It doesn't feel that long at all.

Our birthday is coming up next week, but now all I can think of is it'll be a month after. I guess it'll always feel like that, now. A little. My aunt says her grandfather died on her mum's birthday, and ever since her mum could never be one hundred percent happy about her birthday, because she had to think about her father, too.

Lav, I know what you mean about things changing. But I guess that's what things do. And it'll be all right, you'll see. Trust me, you don't know her well because she's not in your common room all the time, but Lovegood's not that much bother. No one pays her much mind in Ravenclaw, that's for certain.

The Model Wizengamot is really interesting, though. And what's really amazing is, I think they had planned that we'd be doing it basically on our own, you know, because of the quarantine. But since it's been lifted they told us that some real Interrogators are going to watch later this week and tell us what they thought of how we did the job. Yesterday was opening statements (each side gets to make a speech). Today we're hearing testimony from the witnesses - and the Interrogators get to try to poke holes in their stories or make them remember details that help prove guilt. The defenders also have time to try, but they don't have the same kind of latitude that the Interrogators have. I know that in the model, we're switching sides - I mean, there are two cases, so in the next case, the people being Interrogators will be the defenders - but I think it's much better to be an Interrogator than a defender no matter what the case is. It just seems like most people who face Wizengamot charges are guilty, anyway.

Though there are different kinds of cases, of course. This one's a pretty simple one.

It's based on the trial of a wizard named Stalk who was found guilty of imbe embezl embezzling a lot of gold from the Daily Prophet in the 1850's. And it was really clear that he did it, once he got caught.

But the case we're starting tomorrow is a little more complicated. It's about a witch who used to lure muggles to her cottage and then made them work for her. And when she was done, she used them for potions ingredients and things. And when she was caught by a bunch of muggles, they wanted to burn her, but she got away, but then the Aurors told her she had to stop because it was making all the muggles hunt for the rest of us. Well, obviously, that part's not a problem anymore. But then this all happened for real in 1690, so we've updated the case a little. Now she's stealing muggles from the camps, you see, and there's a part of the case where - well, I don't want to give it away. You'll have to come on Thursday and see.

Meanwhile, Ravenclaw Corner is mostly back. There aren't many fifth-years and the ones who do go there have been keeping themselves scarce this week, with OWLs. I guess Sandoval feels pretty good about her NEWTs, though, but she's probably just more relieved that it's over. Johns says she never wants to go through that again.

Oh, and Orion Sandoval says he's heard that they are allowing the Apparition instructors from the Ministry to come up next week, after the Wizengamot is over, to teach the sixth-years who are eligible for their tests. Troy says he reckons Sandoval's worried he'll splinch himself, but Dames thinks he's just excited.

And I mainly managed to get through the day without the shudders every few minutes.

Also, I hope we may have found a way to stop whatever has been attracting these horrid SWARMS of insects. D'you know there was actually a wasp's nest forming in the upper corner of the dormitory by this afternoon? A wasp's nest.

Anyway. So, what happened was Troy came to Ravenclaw Corner this afternoon and he said that he's not having another night's sleep interrupted by 'shrieking females' because he needs his rest for the last Quidditch matches of the year and to revise for NEWTs. So while ordinarily he wouldn't see fit to put himself in the middle of a second-year's dust-up, as it's affecting everyone in the tower, he'd do us a favour this one time.

So he gave me a piece of parchment with a rune on it. He says it'll repel all the bugs. I nipped up to the dorm to set it on the shelf so it'll start working as soon as possible.

When I came back to the library he was telling Capper all about how he's been making a study of useful insects and used a variation of the rune that he gave me to protect himself from stings and such. (He was really chatting up Capper, as if studying bugs were the most fascinating thing in the world and honestly, I know he's really doing us a favour with this rune, if it works, I mean, but he could have been more of a gentleman about it all instead of making it seem like we ought to kiss his robe hems. As it was I think he wasn't half doing it because he thinks she'll be impressed.) Honestly, she already fancies you, Troy, you don't need to push at it so!

Well, anyway, thanks to Troy, we ought to have a relatively restored dormitory by the end the day. I hope. (And really, Troy, it'll be as much a relief to us as to you! And I hope after all this Ravenclaw wins the cup, or you get 12 NEWTs or something else, because you needn't be so shirty about it!)