Padma Patil

I'm sorry you both had to go through that.

For the record, I don't think either of you had anything to do with the graffiti that's been popping up all over. I don't know who called you into question--well, I mean, Lav, I think you got called because you're a Gryffindor and he called all of you.

Blaise...I don't know what to say. I can imagine how much you hated what happened. It wasn't my idea--I just wanted you to know that I didn't take any satisfaction in it. At all.

I just hope no one gets any bright ideas to do anything else to annoy the Headmaster.

What. In. The. World. Happened?

There's no way this is an actual illness that happened to affect the Strangers and their brothers and boyfriends and all and you two and Demelza and no one else.

For Lakshmi's sake. What did you do to sick up so much?

flown--I mean, it could have been on a Firebolt, it feels like it's gone by so fast!

We're all so relieved that Diggory's eventually going to recover, for one thing. And now, all the clubs are being reinstated (we've completely lost track of History Club; I think we might just want to chuck it altogether until next year), and Professor Vector's trying to make sure that we all get our Careers Advice before the end of the year. I guess Madam Umbridge didn't realise we were supposed to have the sessions and people weren't sure if that counted as Professors teaching things that weren't strictly related to their subjects, so we didn't have them back in the winter when we were supposed to get them.

I hope that doesn't mean that people have been revising for the wrong O.W.L.s, though.

Oh, but lessons have been brill this week. Well, Monday was a little strange, but by Tuesday things felt normal again, didn't they? And we've got Defence sorted out again and everything. And everyone's been getting together to revise like mad, now that we can do. Ravenclaw Corner was bursting at the seams tonight--Madam Pince had to tell us that if she had to come over one more time she would eject us all from the library! And we all just smiled and didn't even mind being told off.

Our dormitory has an adorable kitten now, too, which we've all agreed we're going to let stay and consider to be everyone's. She's a little white and black number, with black ears and a sort of splotchy pattern on her back and legs and tail. It's almost like someone dipped her in ink. She's ever so dainty, too. Su Li said we should call her 'shaw moon yu' which is 'little cow' in Chinese, but none of us could say it right (that there doesn't even really do the pronunciation justice), so we've just decided to call her Moonpie instead.

I'm not sure what we'll do come summer, though. Mum certainly wouldn't want her at our house and I don't think Morag could stand having a cat to herself (she's a bit allergic, and she's been complaining that her nose is going to run straight through exams, now). Maybe Belinda will take her home. I don't think we could leave her in the castle all summer.

Lav, I think we should get something going this weekend, don't you think? I think we all need a little something to celebrate because it's May and April was just so awful and you can just tell that waiting for Hogsmeade isn't going to do anyone any good. I'll ask Professor Vector if we can get up a dance in the Great Hall or something on Saturday, shall I?

I figure you're not likely to be flying today.

I've just been sitting with Marietta and Cho. Cho's a wreck, too. Can you imagine being broken up with over journals?

I warned that that Davies will probably come sniffing; he's just the type to try to nose in on someone getting over a breakup. I don't know if she'll listen, though.

Maybe finding someone to snog silly is just what she needs, anyway.

Did either of you go to Zach's party yesterday? Most of Ravenclaw didn't go because Diggory had just officially told Cho it was over and she came back just when we were about to leave. So we stayed with her.

But Lakshmi, I hope she's not going to stay this upset for long. It can't be good for her to make him think he meant that much.

Listen, Seamus,

I forgot all about History Club tomorrow! I'm just so used to them being on Wednesdays that I was thinking we had until then. I completely forgot we moved them to Mondays so we could go to Prefects' meetings. Can you lead tomorrow's or should we skip a week?

I talked to Madam Umbridge about the problem with Binns and I think she really understands it. I think, anyway. She said she'd look into making sure that we've got more resources, and maybe even send someone from the Ghost Liaison office to see if they can't get through to Professor Binns. (I didn't want to suggest that she should just get rid of him but honestly, if she can't figure that out on her own then I don't know how she ever became Minister back in the day!)

Also, did Chadwick come and talk to either of you? I told him he should. He saw Fellsworthy starting in on Starling Friday evening but he didn't think he was supposed to say anything because it was the weekend. Lav, you might want to pull Starling aside and ask her what happened.

So far I think being a Prefect is pretty brilliant. Except when the firsties think they've seen silverfish in their bath. Ew.

Have you looked at the application?

I mean, it's simple enough but why do you think they want to know how many hours a week we spend reading? or exercising? I thought the point was to demonstrate fitness with the actual exercises.

And then those situation questions! 'You see a fork in the path. One path leads to a forest, the other to a castle. Which do you pick?' Oh, and the one about walking down the sreet at night and witnessing a robbery? What do they want you to say?

It's like they don't give you enough information to choose, you know? Is the robber a wizard? Is the castle as far away as the forest? Is it day or evening and would there be any shelter?

At least there's a proper essay topic. And no more PMs to famous people.

looked lovely today, didn't it? With the sun out much of the day and just that little bit of fresh snow falling as we were all coming back? Almost as pretty as Christmastime.

Although perhaps it's down to having someone to walk with that makes it better. I guess it's true about Valentine's, that it's ever so much fun if you've got someone and utterly horrid if you haven't.

Lares, thanks for the butterbeer. And for being a good sport about Lav and Pav joining us. I'm glad you introduced us all to Nikolai, he's really very nice.

It's almost hard to believe we've got homework to do after a day like today. But I guess I'd better get back to it! Good thing I stopped in at MacGhille's Manuscripts. I found a copy of the Textbook of Rare Runes in really good condition. It's got a whole section on the glyphs of the Mayans.

Could you and Evgeni come out to the entrance hall? Something's happened to Lav. We might need backup.

The way this night's going I don't think anyone should go anywhere without extra firepower.

Listen, starting next Sunday, Greengrass and I are going to get all the girls together for exercising - the sorts of calisthenics we've been doing from CCF.

I dunno if your Gryffindor boys are looking as self-satisfied as ours in Ravenclaw but it seems Zach's 'invitation' this afternoon was for a boys' club.

Well, we can't let them have all the fun, right?

So don't tell anyone - even Finnigan - what it is we're getting up to while they play Snap and pretend to be grown men. But let's find a spot and make sure we're all well fit when those French boys get here!

about all the reports in the news and on the journals? Did you see how Master Arkadinov says he predicted those dogstar captures, which Parvati thinks is proof he's a genius. I say it's proof he's full of himself! Last year he claimed he predicted that Auror Lestrange would kill Sirius Black - but I noticed that he didn't actually say that's what his prediction meant until after it happened. Just like now he's saying he knew all those dogstar people would be caught, but if you look at what he actually said, it just says that the Protectorate's fortunes will rise as stars fall. Well. Anyone who studies Arithmancy knows that there are meteor showers this time of year every year! I think it's awfully cheeky to say that they're linked to anything in particular. (But then I don't think Arkadinov is his real name, either!) Lav, I'm sorry, but he's really too much, even if he is supposedly very famous and Madam Carpenter says he's Talented. Your predictions are going to be ever so much more accurate and interesting, I'm sure!

But the reaction to the Aurors is really really nift, isn't it? Lana, I hope you saw that snitch entry Mrs Dapplemyre wrote about all the trainees, particularly you and Reethi Singh and how important it is that our young witches prove they're just as good as warlocks in the field. (I don't know if anyone else reads Mrs Dapplemyre regularly, but her entries are always interesting and really, really thoughtful about how witches can have brilliant careers and still be wives and mothers and all that. I just love how she writes about all the really amazing witches from the past and the ones we celebrate now in the Protectorate.)

And Seamus, did you see that long post by that bloke, whats-his-name, Orestes Skym? Well, he's Welsh so I'm not surprised at all that he thought MLE should have let well enough alone in the Vale of Glamorgan. But did you read the whole thing? Because toward the end he even compared his people's struggle to Ireland and how it would have continued to be peaceful and happy if MLE would just let them all be. And he had a choice thing or two to say about the Kestrels, on top of everything else!

I'm getting ready to go to the CCF next week, how about the rest of us who got in? Actually, I've kept up the exercises that we started when we were going to be tested - and Parvati sometimes comes along, too. We've convinced Mum that we're old enough we can take little jogs round the neighbourhood and no one will bother us. She even designed us some nift running robes, so that it's easier to go long distances. She might even put a line in for the autumn.

What's everyone else doing to prepare?