Padma Patil

got their copy of Pure Victory in today's post (the proper one, that is, not the counterfeits that made their way into people's bags last week) is positively aching to rip right into it - but remember, school first. It's no good trying to read while walking down the corridors or trying to go up the stairs--you'll just regret it. (Certain third-years know who they are. Next time you trip on your robes, try not to fall against the portraits. Sir Moribunt is still giving tongue-lashings to the whole upper east wing.) And no reading during lessons, of course!


Someone mentioned reading aloud in a group. I'm sure that's a fine idea, so if anyone would like to give it a go, I'll be happy to bring my copy along to the large classroom we usually use for History Club. Finnigan, you don't mind if we suspend the club for the night to get us started? I promise it won't be a regular occurrence. It shouldn't take more than three evenings or so to finish it. And again, we don't want anyone neglecting homework, so perhaps we'll finish up at the weekend, or pace it out so everyone has time to get their other assignments done.

Don't forget, Apparation lessons start tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

I know a lot of CCF members were asking about having successfully Apparated over the summer. I asked Professor Vector. She said that the examiners are aware many of us can do it but they want us to at least go through the first lesson to make sure we've got the technique correct and haven't forgot how since then. They might be willing to let those people who are already of age test at the end of the day and apply for licences right there; everyone else will have to wait until we are legally old enough for the licence, but we might be able to get a waiver for the remainder of the lessons if we can prove we're safe.

(And no, Macmillan, the licence fee is not waived regardless of whether you Apparated at CCF or not.)

off to a great start for the year. We've added some new pillows for the window seat and Madam Pince has given us permission to bring Restricted Section books there for reading, provided we bring them back to the desk at the end of the evening.

As has always been the case, if anyone else happens to be looking for a title in the library and can't find it, you're welcome to see if it's on our adjoining table. We generally keep those texts near to hand when we're revising there in the afternoons or during free periods.

Gilhooly and Vane: We were talking in Ravenclaw Corner and we've decided that if you'd like to come and sit with us now and then, you're welcome to do so. It's good to see an incoming class with so much potential; our advice to you lot is: Don't squander it.

Thompson and Cuthbert: Congratulations again on making Prefect. Remember that House Prefects meet every Monday and Thursday for breakfast and Professor Vector likes us to report to her before each staff meeting, so you can tell me or Edgecombe (or Moon and Tamblyn, of course) if there's anything from the lower forms that we need to her to know.

Oh, and Lines, there are a couple of things I wanted to ask you, if you can tear yourself away for a private conversation. Maybe in the common room tonight? History club, for one thing, and a couple of other little thoughts I had.

I'm sure we're all glad to be settling in and now that we're all in our Common Rooms, the reality of classes starting again tomorrow is being met with anticipation.

It's probably going to be difficult to get to sleep tonight, many of you, but do try to get back onto a regular schedule as much as possible.

Also, Ravenclaw girls, remember that you're back to sharing bathrooms. That includes the mirrors and the sinks.

And Ravenclaw Corner, Madam Pince asked me to tell you all that she found a piece of toast after everyone left for the holidays, behind one of the windowseat cushions. I'm surprised at you, whoever you were: Eating in the library is a clear violation of the rules. If you have to eat, you also have to leave the library.

(On the plus side, I did get her to agree to stock our usual table with the reference volumes we've been using, so they'll be there tomorrow between lessons. Anyone who is looking for Battle of Wills, 1001 Defensive Spells, or any of the Arithmantical Calculation series of volumes, among others, please come and use them at our table, with our compliments, but don't remove them. Madam Pince has the full list.)

And don't forget: History Club, tomorrow night, as usual. We may be suspending some Club meetings based on the rehearsals for Hogwarts Through the Ages but we'll let you know if that becomes necessary.


Welcome back, everyone!

On behalf of all the students, our thanks to Professor Vector and all the Professors for their indulgence this week. Many of us are personally affected by the stirring events in Ireland and many others of us wish to stand in support of our friends and schoolmates who have relations across the sea.

Hearing the Minister address the people has, I'm sure, brought us all a measure of comfort. It's certainly bolstering to know that the Council's and MLE's quick actions saved hundreds of lives and avoided countless amounts of damage. As tragic as it was, it could have been worse.

And I know all my mates and I could not be more proud of our own Professors Lestrange and Dolohov, who were there in the thick of things, defending the wizards' way of life.

We'd also like to thank Madam Pomfrey and Madam Umbridge for their sensitive and understanding care for all those students who needed extra reassurance yesterday. As Prefects, we'd also like to remind everyone that we're here to help. If anyone should require an escort to the hospital wing, or someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to seek us out.

As Madam Umbridge so perceptively said, we all have to give our whole selves to the service of Our Lord and strive in all things to bring Him as much honour as the members of His Council have done over the last few days, and in the days to come.

Where are you revising today? Because if I have to sit and listen to Davies go on any longer about how terrible Diggory was to Chang I may just vom.

He brought her round the Corner again this afternoon. And she's still telling anyone who'll listen that Diggory dumped her by journal and he's only thinking about his career and she's 'holding him back' according to what he told her and UGH.

I liked Chang much better when she wasn't such a watering pot. And Davies has been playing the supportive 'friend'--as if he's interested in her as a 'friend'! I hope she knows he's going to dump her too, as soon as something else catches his eye.

Anyway. I just can't go back to the Corner after Prefects' meeting. Where do you reckon we can meet instead?

Just wanted to let you both know that I talked with the other Ravenclaw Prefects and we're all planning to go on Saturday, so if Professor Dolohov needs any help with crowd control or anything, we're all available for it.

Oh, also, I told Dames if he really wanted to switch patrol on Wednesday I could do it, since we've got Astronomy that night. (In fact, it might not be a bad idea to ask 5th-years to regularly take Wednesdays, since that's our Astronomy night and we've got to stay up, anyway.)

LOVEGOOD.

How thick can you be? And you turned in an ESSAY about it?

You're a disgrace to the whole House.

Professor Dolohov could get into serious trouble about this. Do you realise that?

Ten points from Ravenclaw. If you know what's good for you you'll send that book back to Mrs Brown before breakfast tomorrow.

Brampton, Case, Corner, Giles, Gupta, Lorimer, Shelton, Stretton, Tatterson, Whisp and Xing!

Congratulations on being Sorted into our House. We in Ravenclaw have a reputation for excellence both in and out of the classroom. You're sure to fit right in.

We Prefects are here in case you have any questions or problems. Don't hesitate to come see any one of us if you need anything. We'll use every discretion on your behalf.

And don't forget that the Common Room will have loads of information for you about life at Hogwarts. I hope you'll check out the notice boards and consider any of our many clubs, including History Club, Duelling and so on.

Especially for those of you with siblings in other Houses, your journals are a great way to keep in touch. By now I think you'll all know how they work but if anyone has questions about them, please ask any older student; everyone knows how to use them. Not in lessons, though, of course!

Welcome again and it's going to be a marvellous year.

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!