Padma Patil

Smith,

Have you heard anything yet about the challenges? Or getting called before Our Lord for His decisions or anything?

I'm just asking because Seamus and I were wondering what sort of decision they'll make now that Malfoy's--now that he's not in the picture anymore.

I mean, that may seem callous but honestly, we're all sad but there's nothing to be done, and it's not fair to leave the rest of us hanging, after all.

Has your sponsor told you anything?

Effie, that tablespoon error was well-spotted. And Perks, good on you for recognising that there was far too much salt in the recipe compared to the amount of sugar. Donovan, good show with the maths. It's a good job the three of us know our way round a kitchen, though, because that really gave us an advantage. (And yes, 'cinnamon' is spelled like that.)

Pansy, you and your team did really really well. I wasn't sure we were going to break our code before you translated yours! Well done. It was close.

Marvolo and Weasley, I shouldn't feel too bad if I were you. Zach said the bit about blatching was really convincing and clever. I think you both ought to get points just for realising that the passage was incorrect! But that would be Quidditch game theory, wouldn't it, and not codebreaking. Still, it was a noble effort. And besides, finding codes where there aren't codes is actually pretty easy to do.

Still, this was loads of fun, and thanks, Professor Sinistra, for including it in the programme.

I hope everyone's ready for tomorrow's fitness testing!

It was snitch of you to have the bunch of us over yesterday. Thank Mr Rosier again, will you?

I do wish the Hogwarts crew had been able to come as well. You would have liked the game we played, Malfoy especially, I think. Hooper brought it. It's called Illusionary. Have you heard of it? Well, you divide into teams and there's a stack of cards with words on, like 'muggle camp' and 'transfiguration' and 'London' and 'snake' and all sorts of things. And there are some props you can use, but you don't have to use them if you don't want to do. Well, each person on your team takes it in turns being the one to get the others to guess what your word is. But you have to make an illusion that illustrates your word to get them to guess, and you can't talk, of course. It was great fun. Thomas was the best at sketching the illusions in the air, of course, but Page was really good at making the props into whatever he wanted.

Well, anyway, then Thomas wanted to go skating, so we did that before tea, which was really not tea at all, but chocolate! But the game had been so much fun that we kept casting spells out on Mr Rosier's duck pond. Oh, and Hooper taught us this completely nift charm he knew, to make illusions and shapes and such out of his breath when it fogged up in the air. He must have pracised forever to be able to do things like that unicorn he made for Parvati. We all tried, but it's difficult to make the shapes quickly enough. I think Lav was getting the hang of it, though!

I think Page really enjoyed getting to speak with Mr Rosier in the library while we were off touring the house again. I know I've been before but we've still not seen the whole place! It just keeps going. I can't believe you said it's smaller than your family's main castle in Ireland, though, Finnigan. I dunno what I'd do with so many rooms! But I knew we'd lose Page in the library. It's quite my favourite room of Mr Rosier's, too. I know it's not quite as large as Hogwarts' library but then, Mr Rosier doesn't need multiple copies of things or quite so many books that no one ever wants to read, does he? It was really kind of him to loan Page that copy of Command of Thought, as well. I'm sure it'll be really helpful for his Dark Arts unit on Curses.

Mr Rosier was right about getting to know some of the others better. I never knew Robins was so witty! Or that Cuthbert and Page would bore us all with broom care as Quidditch strategy, ha-ha! It was loads of fun and now it won't seem like so long before we're all on the train back to school.