I’m so excited! Two letters came today. Mom and Dad sent me out in the yard while they argued over them forever. One of the letters was from Salem Academy of Sorcery and Spellcraft, where Dad wants me to go, since that’s where he went. The other is from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where mom wants me to go, cause that’s where she went.
It’s all so stupid. Nobody even asked me where I want to go.
But it’s okay. Mom won. I get to go to England!!! Finally, I’ll get as far away from here as I can get. I think somebody else wants to come with me though:
Anyway. I’m taking you with me Diary, and you’re going to be there beside me every step I take.
Hogwarts is soooo amazing!!! I mean, just LOOK at this place, who wouldn’t want to live here??
Okay, I admit, I was really nervous about the whole thing. I had to go to a place called Diagon Alley to buy all the stuff that was on my list of things I’d need at school. There were lots of people around, and store after store. It was SO awesome.
Okay, fine. I’ll be honest. I was scared. Since Mom and Dad never really let me go out by myself, I didn’t know what to do. I just tried to stay out of people’s way, and ducked into each store as fast as I could. I accidentally ended up in a beauty salon once. They were all like… gushing over trying to primp me up, but Mom didn’t give me enough money to spend on that sort of thing.
Olivander’s was neat though. I’ve got my own wand now. Mr. Olivander must really be smart, cause I didn’t even tell him I was from America, but he decided anyway that I should try the wands made of American Oak. My wand has a Dragon Heartstring core. Dragon!! It’s eight and a quarter inches. Mr. Olivander says it’s good for herbology work. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like it has something to do with food.
Anyway, the train ride was fun, and seeing the castle from the lake as we took the boats over was really neat. But the Sorting was almost a bore. Mom told me that I’d have to put a hat on that would tell me which school House I’d belong to, but she didn’t tell me how ratty the thing was.
It smelled likemildew. Bleh.
Oh, and when my name was called, as I walked up to put the hat on and get Sorted, I heard a girl I passed by bet somebody that I’d be a Ravenclaw. I found out after the Sorting that her name is Mai Roarke, a Hufflepuff.
And she was right. Just like Mom, I’m a Ravenclaw. Big surprise right?
After the Sorting, I was pretty confused on where to go. They told us how to find our Houses, but Ravenclaw House is like… waaaaay up in one of the towers, and the stairs kept moving on me like they thought it was funny to make me lost. I gave up and went back to the entrance hall. Good thing I did too. I met Rowan Theirin. She’s our House Prefect, and I remembered Mom saying to talk to one of my Prefects if I ever needed any help and to really listen to what they say. Mom was right. Rowan was really great! She spent a lot of time telling me all about Hogwarts and little tricks about how to find my way around, and even gave me some tips about the tons of classwork that I'll have. She also made sure I knew exactly how to make it to our House.
Okay, that’s it for my first day at Hogwarts, Diary. I can’t wait until tomorrow!
I have so many classes and so much work to do, I think I’m gonna go nuts! I asked Rowan for help, and she and some guys named Deme and Tomar helped me start finding stuff for Potions. Deme’s another Ravenclaw, and Tomar is a Gryffindor, I think.
Anyway, the stupidest thing happened to me while I was out with them. I got beat up by an armadillo! Of all things. Can you believe it?!
I thought armadillos were supposed to be cute little things that roll all up into a ball when people come near. But not this one! NOOooo! I get the most evil and vicious armadillo in the world!!
Gawd. I was so embarrassed.
Rowan was great though. She's really good at taking care of bites and scratches and things. So I'm alright. But I am NOT going near that armadillo's little holey-home again! I'll just borrow from other students. Or, if I have to, I'll just toss some random stuff in the cauldron and hope for the best. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
Okay, so I had a Potions class, and just tossing some random stuff in my cauldron wasn’t a bright idea after all. My potion exploded on me. Looks like I’m gonna have to get the right ingredients after all. Madam Pomfrey, the witch that oversees the Hospital Wing, wasn’t very amused. Neither was Professor Snape, who taught the Potions class. But at least he didn’t take off any House points.
I ended up missing all my classes the rest of the day while waiting for Madam Pomfrey’s salves to get all the gunk off that wanted to stay stuck to me. I really hated missing Charms though. Professor Flitwick is my Head of House, and I wanna impress him. It stinks that I’ve probably already made a bad impression instead.
When I finally got back to the House Common, I was feeling pretty crummy about the whole thing. There were a lot of people around, and I thought about just going up to my room early. But the fireplace was lit, and looked inviting, and most people weren’t by it, so I laid down on the carpet near it and just tried to relax.
I’m so glad I did! Rowan came over for a minute to check on me, and Deme followed her. Then, I guess just seeing what was up, two guys came over and introduced themselves. Matt Pace and West Coltern. Matt was really cool and had a nice smile. West, on the other hand, seems kinda shy, and I don’t think I ever did see him with his hood off. I’ll have to try to catch him with it off sometime so I can get a better look at him.
Oh, and somebody’s kitty came over and curled up next to me. I don’t know whose kitty it was, but all the attention, and being able to pet it, just made me feel soooo much better. A girl named Selina Rosaaru even came over and sat on the carpet by me and started petting the kitty too. It just ate it up, purring and purring. And then another girl, Gabby Sektai, turned around from her seat on the couch and introduced herself also. There were even more people I talked to last night, but there were so many I can’t even remember them all!
It was all just so awesome! I’m finally starting to feel like I really belong here. I stayed up most of the night chatting with everyone, and just having a blast. Probably should have slept, but I really did sleep most of the day in the Hospital Wing anyway, so whatever.
Okay, yeah, the sun’s coming up now. I really should have slept at least a little bit. But it looks like it’s gonna be a great day, and after how good last night made me feel, I can take anything that’s coming!
I’m finally getting the hang of some of these spells they’re teaching us. I can do Lumos now. Makes the tip of my wand all glowy, so I can see when it’s dark. But that’s not even the really exciting thing. See, to gather some ingredients, you’ve got to like find a way to get stuff from animals. I needed saliva from a bat, but I couldn’t catch the stupid things.
Well anyway, I saw West, who I mentioned meeting a few nights ago, and I asked him for help. He not only helped me get the bat saliva, but he also gave me a surprise. He told me to wait for him, and he ran off for a bit. When he came back, he gave me a cold case that had a rune-marked icicle inside it. It was an ingredient I needed to study for a Crinis Gelu charm.
It was really great of him to get that for me. Crinis Gelu makes things cold, like the bats, so that they just kind of curl up shivering and stay mostly still. It makes it much easier to collect stuff from animals, like the saliva, so I’ll be able to do it myself easier next time.
I couldn’t stay and talk to West long about it, since I needed to go take notes about the icicle before it melted. I was thinking though, he still seems kinda shy, but nice. Next time I need help with something, maybe I’ll try to find him and see if he’s got time.
Okay, so, I was just standing around the Entry Hall this afternoon, chatting with like Rowan, Deme, and West, when West said he was gonna make a trip to Diagon Alley. That sounded like a lot of fun, so I asked if I could tag along. Then it was weird, cause he got all quiet for a second, and then kinda said that he was actually meaning for me to go with him. Like, he was trying to invite me. I didn’t really understand why, other than maybe he just wanted to hang out with me or something, which was kinda cool to think about. But whatever, I wanted to get out of the castle for a bit and here was my chance!
So he showed me how to use the Floo Network to get to Diagon, and off we went. The first stop was Flourish and Blott’s bookstore, so West could buy some books he needed for his classes. Afterward, we just walked around Diagon for a while. He was still quiet, but every so often he’d like ask me a question about myself, what I like, and all that.
While we were window-shopping, some of the patterns on display at Twittering’s tailor caught my eye. West suggested we go in, so we did. While I was looking around, West had a conversation with Mr. Twittering, and they started playing with some clothes on a model and I noticed they kept glancing over in my direction. I got suspicious, but I thought “Nah, we’ve just met, he wouldn’t,” but he did! West actually designed and bought an outfit for me! I couldn’t believe it. I mean, all I had were my House robes and some clothes I brought from home, but he’d made me a really great outfit that I could wear around the school when I wasn’t in classes! That was really beyond nice of him. I think that’s when I started realizing he might actually like me.
But what came next kinda sealed it. We went over to a vendor, and West bought me an entire bouquet of red roses. They were so pretty, and smelled so good, and I felt so good in my new clothes, and he’d helped me with my ingredients and spells and just been so nice to me, that… well... when he asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend, I said yes. I mean, he’s a great guy! So why not? Right?
Yeah, okay, when I realized what I had just said, I started to freak a little on the inside. I got really nervous about it, and started imagining all the teasing I’d get from people back at school about it. And to top it off, right at that moment, Matt and Selina came walking up the street. I quickly hid the flowers behind my back, (I didn’t know what else to do!), but I think they saw the flowers before I could hide them. I was sooo embarrassed. I know I was blushing.
Anyway, Matt and Selina said some stuff to West, and I heard them tease us about being on a date, but then Selina said something about leaving us alone and they walked off. I saw a table nearby and just sat down putting my head on it. I couldn’t believe my luck. Not two seconds after I say I’ll be West’s girlfriend, and now EVERYBODY was gonna know about it. West assured me that it’d be alright, and people wouldn’t bother me, and that if any did he’d take care of it. I don’t know, but he did help me calm down some.
I asked about Matt and Selina, but West said they weren’t together. He said Matt is with a Hufflepuff girl named Caitlyn Rosewood, and that Selina isn’t with anybody that he knows of. I guess Caitlyn’s alright with Matt hanging out with other girls. I guess that means maybe I can still hang out with other guys too, and West will be okay with it. I hope so. I still want to make lots of friends.
Later… we um…. yeah. My first kiss. I’m not sure I want to write much about that though. It was… okay. But weird. Like, it felt good and everything, but … I don’t know. I probably just did it wrong.
Anyway. I have a boyfriend!!! (And new clothes!!!)
I know I haven’t written in a while. Classes, classes, classes. But! I finally got another break from school when Rowan asked me if I wanted to go to the Muggle movies! Muggle movies are just like portraits, but they don’t talk back to you if you ask them stuff. Instead, they like tell you a story from start to finish while you just watch it. It’s really kind of a neat idea.
Anyway, we decided to invite some others along too. Like.. um… Deme, and Asellia and Priscilla Rastanbul. They’re twins, but in different Houses. Asellia is a Hufflepuff, and Priscilla is a Gryffindor.
Anyway, I had some Muggle clothes, but not really anything to go “out on the town” in. So we all Floo’d to Diagon Alley and went to Twittering’s, where Deme made me a Muggle outfit. I changed, and we headed into London to the cinema. Deme really wanted to see a movie that had a guy in it named Johnny Depp.
I think Deme has a crush on him.
Something weird happened during the movie though. One of the twins, Asellia I think, fell asleep during the movie, and started talking in her sleep. But, I think she also tried to drink a potion too! Thank goodness Rowan was there to fix whatever was happening. I never did really figure out what was going on. I couldn’t hear much over the movie, and the cinema was dark.
Anyway, I gotta scoot. I’m meeting West in the Library. He’s gonna help me with my research on the Stupefactus charm, and he said that, afterward, he wanted to show me some special books.
Those special books in the library West wanted to show me, they’re like books you can jump right into and go on adventures and stuff! The one we went on had a giant guard dog, flying keys, some riddles, … Oh! And a kind of mirror at the end that West said is supposed to show you like … what your hearts wants or something like that. I think the enchantments on the book must be wearing out though, cause I know what I want is to learn as much as a possibly can (so I can stop feeling stupid in class!). But the mirror on the adventure showed me like… being held by a shadowy-someone. Kinda like a hug, but …um… more-ish.
When West asked me what I saw in the mirror, I described it as seeing myself “being loved,” cause … that’s what I felt like when I looked at what it was showing me.
West was convinced that the mirror was working right, and was showing me the like... "deep, unconscious, desire of my heart”. But I think the book's enchantments need to be re-cast.
Yesterday I was hanging around the Entry hall after supper with, like, everyone. But as it got darker outside people started heading to their Commons. Well, anyway, somebody mentioned Classroom 11 in conversation, and I said I hadn’t seen it yet. Ok, so remember Selina?
Well, she offered to show me Classroom 11 and said I really just –had- to see it. So we took off down the hall to where it is. It wasn’t far. Just down the left side corridor on the ground floor. And.. OMG! It’s like some kind of enchanted fairy-grove with flowering trees, oversized mushrooms you can actually sit on, places for campfires, and the most amazing waterfall making a stream! It was just… I wish that were my dorm!
So, okay diary, I broke a BIG rule. Selina sat down in the room and got to talking. And time passed. And more time passed. And, well, we sorta skipped curfew. *frowny face*
I really hope there wasn’t a Head-count. I haven’t heard of Ravenclaw losing any points because of us, but you never know.
Anyway, I think Selina and I could be really great friends! I hope we will be. We talked about - so- much stuff, and I feel like I really got to know her.
After classes today, Selina invited me swimming at the pool in our House. I didn’t have a swimsuit, but she made me one! How awesome is that?! So I got to go in the pool and swim around a little, and we talked some more.
A little bit later, other people started coming down to join us and turn it into a pool party. During the party Gabby, whom I really haven’t spoken to much cause she’s really kinda quiet all the time…, anyway… she wasn’t –exactly- quiet at the pool. She still didn’t talk really, but she kept going underwater and making these bubbles rise out of the pool that would boom when they popped. Like… not just the noise, but would actually –say-, “Boom!” Was really funny!
Ok. But. At one point, I guess a bubble didn’t make it out of the pool. It popped under the water. And the “Boom!” was really echoed! I even felt the waves it caused over on my end. Well, Gabby wasn't coming up out of the water. So we swam over to her and got her out. She was really hurt!
Me and Selina got her to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey took care of her. Gabby couldn’t hear anything at all! She ended up having to spend the night there, and half the next day, before she could hear again.
Anyway. More happened last night when I went back up to the dorms, but I’ll talk about that later. I have a Flying lesson in a few minutes out at the Quidditch Pitch that I need to hurry to. And anyway this Slytherin boy named Kayne keeps trying to look over my shoulder to see what I’m writing.
KAYNE IS A PEST!
Ha! If he saw that part, that’s what he gets for being nosey.
The Flying lesson was pretty fun. A lot of the Muggleborns had trouble controlling their brooms, and it was kinda funny to watch. I tried not to laugh out loud though, cause I knew it’d make them feel bad. Instead I cheered them on and clapped for them.
Anyway, more about last night.
After taking Gabby to the Hospital Wing, Selina and I spent more time talking. This time, mostly about West and how.. um… I guess “clingy” he can be at times. Like… I dunno. It’s just that he always seems to find me when nobody else is around. It’s kinda weird. And he keeps giving me things, which I think is really great, but Selina thought might be a little… um… obsessive? Anyway. She told me I need to be careful. So, … I just dunno. I really like West. He’s a great guy, and very nice to me. I think I will take Selina’s advice though, and maybe speak up more and remind West that I wanna take things slow. Cause, we still don’t really know each other that well yet.
But anyway, it turned out that Selina actually had a late Potions class and had to run. So I ended up back in the Common talking to Heidi Sorngeld. She’s really funny! I’ll have to hang out with her sometime.
Okay, so, this is where things get weird. It was getting late, so I said goodnight to Heidi, who said she was gonna stay up longer, while I headed up to the dorm. Well, it turns out that the room Selina sleeps in is right next to mine. Anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night to Selina screaming. Also, the window on my room was like frosted over, and I felt a chill. I grabbed my wand and rolled out of bed, crouching on the floor against the wall in the corner, I didn’t know what else to do! I was so scared!
But, as I looked at the window, at the frost covering it, I remembered something that Selina had mentioned from before she came to Hogwarts.
I was worried, but I tried to calm myself. I cracked open the door to peak out. I didn’t see anybody around. So I quietly crept over to Selina’s door and pressed my ear against it. I’m not sure, but I think I heard her sobbing. I don’t know. It could’ve been my imagination. But, I thought I heard it. I decided not to knock, cause whatever was going on, she might not want anybody seeing her. But I couldn’t just go away, if she really was upset about something.
There was this song I remembered. I don’t know if it was the right thing, but… it’s all I could think of. So I leaned against her door, and softly sang. I don’t even know if she heard me. But, I hope that, somehow, it made her feel better.
West and I had dinner together yesterday in the Great Hall, and walked around the grounds a bit. He said he had some stuff to do and probably wouldn’t see me again for a few days. He said something about Werewolves, which scares me, but he told me not to worry. Yeah… right.
Anyway, I didn’t see much of Seli yesterday though. I think she spent most of the day in her room. But this morning, when I came down from the dorm she was sitting in the Common. She asked if I wanted to have breakfast with her, so we went to the Great Hall together. Heidi was there, so we sat with her. She was really talkative, but Seli wasn't saying much.
This tall Hufflepuff boy, came over to our table and invited us to a tutoring session he got permission to hold for the lower years of students. We agreed to come to it. Seli told me his name was Keef. I’ve seen him around before a little, but never really talked to him. He’s always seemed kinda stand-offish.
So anyway, we went to the tutoring session and I worked on my Voca Creatura script and Fervesco Aduro scroll. Keef turned out to be really helpful, and pretty nice in a gruff grumbley sort of way.
After the tutoring, Seli asked me if I’d like to get some icecream. She sounded like she wanted to talk, so I said yes and we went to Fortescue’s. We talked a bit while there. Some about her, and some about me. She said that the other night she had been having a nightmare and apologized for waking me if she did. The way she said it, I’m still not sure if she actually heard me outside her door. She might have just been saying sorry “just in case” she woke me, since I room next to her. But, well, I thought after that she kept wanting to say something else to me about it, but she never quite did.
I hope she’s alright. I’m worried about West and whatever he’s doing with werewolves. I’m worried about Seli and whatever has gotten her so worked up. I’m worried about Gabby blowing up her ears again because she likes boom bubbles too much even after what happened to her. And beneath it all, I’m worried I’m falling behind in my classes. There’s a few spells, mostly Charms, that I can do really well, almost without even thinking about them. But everything else is becoming a blur in my head. Wave wand this way, recite that incantation, use these potion ingredients. I can’t keep it all straight.
I know it’s been a while since I last wrote. It’s almost spring now. I’m writing from up here on the astronomy tower after class. I have a couple of minutes before I have to be back for curfew, and I felt like talking to you again. I’m not going to write long though. I’ve heard rumors about the astronomy tower, and it’s probably not someplace I need to be by myself right now.
I’m getting really lonely. It’s so bad that I end up playing wizard chess by myself just to be around something that will pay attention to me.
West still disappears for days. And then show up at odd times. He’s gotten really agitated about stuff lately, but won’t talk about it. He says seeing me helps him calm down though. I like seeing him. I just wish he was around more and would maybe tell me what’s going on.
Gabby’s often sitting quietly in the Common, not talking to anyone. I can’t tell most of the time if she’s actually studying, or has just fallen asleep. Selina comes and goes. I sometimes catch her in the Great Hall for meals. She seems alright these days, but is always busy. Heidi’s busy too, but I don’t know what she’s doing either. She keeps running everywhere. It’s exhausting even watching her. Matt though, he’s always just sitting off in a corner with Caitlyn. They look like they don’t wanna be bugged.
Rowan and Deme have been whispering together a lot lately. I think they’re planning something, but I haven’t been included in it and can’t figure out what it is. When they’re not whispering together, Rowan is always whispering with her boyfriend Jinx Sinclair.
Others I pass in the halls, but nobody has any time to do anything. I used to do a lot of my work with another Ravenclaw named Vee, but she’s gone into more advanced studies that I can’t keep up with. Now I don’t really have anybody to help me anymore.
West looks more tired every time I see him, which isn’t very often. When I ask him what’s going on, he just tells me not to worry. That he can take care of himself. I can’t believe him. Not when he looks like he does. But he doesn’t wanna to talk about it. He’s getting really snippy with people too. The other day him and Selina had an argument in the Common, and I felt caught in the middle between my friend and my boyfriend. I wish they’d get along.
Speaking of grumpy things, I almost got in trouble with Rowan. She’s not the grumpy one though. It’s this kitty that started following me around whenever I walk the grounds. I have no idea why. Every day, whenever I went for my walk, this kitty would show up and start following me around until I went back into the castle. It was really a pain too. It kept hissing at everybody and sharpening its claws on everything in sight.
Well I’d gotten so used to it stopping following me when I went back in the castle, that yesterday I didn’t notice it come into the Entry hall behind me. I was going to the Great Hall when I heard Rowan call out, “Is this your cat, Misty? No pets in the hall.” I turn around and there’s the kitty staring up at me. I was gonna to tell her “no,” but I ended up saying “I guess so.” She told me pets had to stay in the House. I scooped up the kitty and took it to my room. I guess he's mine now. Anyway… his name’s Pip. And he's completely taken over my bed.
My first year at Hogwarts is almost over. I’m going home for the summer tomorrow. At least it’ll be after some happier days.
With all our schoolwork done, people have finally had the time to just have some fun again. So I’ve spent the past couple of days playing games, exploring the grounds more, having icecream in Diagon, and stuff like that with almost everyone. West has been around more, and has backed off a lot on some stuff and been really sweet toward me. I think it might be because I mentioned how much some stuff was bothering me to Selina. The other night Seli, Gabby, and I were hanging around outside the dorms when West came down, and Selina pulled him aside for a private talk. He’s been like a perfect gentleman since.
I’ve got a really fancy dress now that Selina made for me. I really liked her dress and told her. She’s thinking of becoming a designer, and asked me if I wanted her to make something for me. She wanted the practice, and I really wanted something nice to wear. And I think she did a great job!
It was good timing too, because Ravenclaw House decided to throw a party to celebrate the end of the year and how good our House did in the points. The party was gonna be semi-formal, and thanks to Seli I’d be able to come without being embarrassed about my clothes.
The next night was an end of year event. The Music Club was putting on a performance in the conservatory and everyone was invited to attend, and even to perform if they wanted. It was amazing! Almost everybody showed up and the conservatory was completely packed.
And even more amazing… West showed up near the end of the performances, and you’d never guess what he did. He actually sat down at the piano played for me. I didn’t even know he could play!
(“Superman” ~ Five for Fighting)
Finally, after staying up all night having a great time with everyone, those of us still awake went to the Great Hall for breakfast.
When I really think about it, my first year at Hogwarts seems to have gone by awfully fast. But mom was right, it has mostly been fun. I’ve made a lot of friends, and even a couple that I could call good friends. I have a boyfriend, and although I won’t see him over the summer at least I know he’ll be here when I come back. I’ve learned a lot in my classes, and can do tons of magic now. I’ve gotten to go on adventures, and go to parties, and have nice clothes!
Now, I’ve got to pack, and that includes you, Diary. But don’t worry, I promise I’ll talk to you again in the fall!
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