The Diary of a Witch, Volume I

CHAPTER 4: DECEMBER

Sunday, December 1, Afternoon,

             The WWN (Wizard Wireless Network) said it’s supposed to snow near the end of the week. I guess I’m the only eleven year old who hates snow and the coldness it brings. That’s what I liked about California: NO SNOW! Plus, the coldest it ever got was like fifty-five degrees. You could barbecue in November! Hell, some of our neighbors DID barbecue all year around. There was this one old guy across the street who cooked hot dogs every Christmas because he was Jewish and didn’t celebrate the holiday.

            What’s even crazier is that there’s going to be a Quidditch match on the fourteenth. HELLO! It’s like thirty degrees outside! How are we supposed to enjoy Quidditch when we’re busy freezing our butts off? Owen says I’m exaggerating about the cold but I’m seriously not. I can barely move my poor frozen fingers in Potions thanks to fact that we’re in the dungeon area and Snape refuses to do anything with the room temperature. Sadistic jerk. I could barely chop up my daisy roots on Friday.

             Lucky for me, Granger just took pity on me and my half frozen limbs and gave me this spell that will let me carry around a flame of fire in a jar that I can put under my robes. It’s called the Blueball Flame charm. Apparently that’s how she, Potter, and Weasley have been keeping warm. I wondered why they were actually outside the other day. The three of them have become a set. It’s rare you see one without the other two these days. Kind of like Owen and I, except we have different classes because we’re in different houses. The only classes Ravenclaw has with Hufflepuff are Potions and Astronomy.

I hope this charm works, I’m tired of shivering all the time.

Wednesday, December 4, Evening, Common Room,

             I got a letter from Angela and everyone back home. Looks like the manor is going to be empty this Christmas. Grandfather is going to be in Moscow, which is no surprise because he’s been away for Christmas the past two years. But usually the staff was home so I wasn’t totally by myself. However, this year everyone has plans. Angela’s going to be visiting her daughters and grandkids. They always have this big family get together on Christmas day, I went with her last year and it was pure chaos. She has six daughters. They all have husbands and more then two kids. One had five kids. Not as many as the Weasleys (Ron Weasley is one of SEVEN, including Fred and George Weasley and Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect, I heard he has one little sister and two more brothers who’ve graduated already. Poor guy) but when you get all these kids together...well, you get the idea.

             Giselle is having her parents visit from Spain, Apparently Gerard will be having Christmas dinner with them because he and Giselle are now dating and he’s going to have to meet them eventually. Angela told me he tried to weasel out of it, saying it was to soon and Giselle started to accuse him of not being serious about her and started to speak angrily in Spanish which is never a good thing, believe me. He relented of course because Giselle is scary when she’s mad. Jacob is going to visit HIS grandkids in London. Hard picturing him as a grandfather.

            So the place will be empty. Grandfather will have his annual business holiday party next weekend and then be gone. I’m so glad I don’t have to go to THAT this year. All that happens is a bunch of employees and CEO guys come to the manor in their best suits and bring along their wives and whatever kids they have. The wives of course usually look like fashion models and the kids are so well behaved you have to wonder if they’re robots.

             During the party the lower employees suck up to the CEOs in hopes of getting a raise or a promotion, the employees wives all gossip about whatever they gossip about (I listened to one conversation and zoned out about a sentence or two in), the kids...are just there. The last one I went to I read a whole book I brought. Basically the whole thing is a major snore-fest. The only thing worth going for are Giselle’s apple tarts which are the best food ever invented, hands down. Well, next to chocolate and pizza. Unfortunately Christmas is the only time she makes them.

            So since no one will be there I’ll be staying here at Hogwarts for Christmas. No big, I was kind of planning on staying anyway, it’s unfair that the staff has to stay home and miss spending time with their families just because I don’t have one and am not old enough to be by myself. I won’t be on my own here at least. Owen and Mandy are both staying here too. Owen’s mom has to go to Australia to oversee some preparations for the Quidditch World Cup which is being held in Sydney this summer. Having a job at the Magical Games and Sports department sounds like it’s a lot of fun, Owen tells me his mom travels a lot. Mandy is staying because her twin cousins Jack and Zack are visiting with her uncle. From what I gather they’re a mini Fred and George Weasley and play pranks all the time. Mandy is their favorite target. After she told me about some of their antics I don’t blame her for staying.

Friday Afternoon, December 6, After Potions,

 Ode to Potions Class

 by Jubilee Johanson

 Oh, Potions class,

 Why must you be so cruel?

 Why does my potion not thicken

 no matter what I do?

 Why does Snape

 have to yell detention?

 Despite all my good intentions?

 Why do you even exist,

 oh, Potions class?

 Besides to be a

pain in my **s!

Monday, December 9, Great Hall,

             I just signed that list McGonagall passed around to find out who would be staying over the holidays. Looks like Mandy and I are the only first year Ravenclaws staying, there are some seventh years (who I don’t know at all) staying. Owen and some guy named Justin Finch-Fletchley are staying over at Hufflepuff along with a few fifth years and seventh years. All of the Slytherins aren’t staying and some Gryffindors are staying including Potter and all of the Weasleys.

            It did snow but it was only flurries and not much to do anyone any good. On Saturday I put up some twinkle lights around the ceiling of my dorm for some festive cheer. The rainbow is a nice change and actually goes with the blue and silver decor thing they put in the dorms. I also had to serve ANOTHER detention where I had to clean out the bedpans in the infirmary. Does anyone even USE bedpans?

             Bets are going around again for the Ravenclaw v.s Slytherin game. I’ve been to some of our teams’ Quidditch practices and they’re not bad. I think we have a decent chance at winning as long as Slytherin doesn’t cheat. I bet two Galleons on our team to win. Gotta go, major essay to finish.

Wednesday, December 11, Dorm Room,

             You know what’s weird? I actually MISS hearing all the animals talk in my head! Most of them have gone away to the South or are in hibernation. The only ones around now a days are the pets of the students and most of them are kind of boring. You know that saying about how people’s pets soon resemble their owners? It’s true. Personality wise anyway. Owen’s owl talks just like him sometimes. He said hey to me this morning when he flew in to deliver the Daily Prophet to Owen and I almost said “Hi, Owen” out loud which would have been weird since he was at the other table.

            Most of the plants are gone too because of the frost that is now around on the ground. The only ones left are trees and the ones in the greenhouses. I could be wrong but there are some animals in the Forbidden Forest. At least I think they’re animals. I don’t know, their voices seem louder then normal. They might be magical creatures. The squid in the lake sounds louder in the normal animals even though she says she’s speaking normally. It was the same with Fluffy.

Weird, huh?

Thursday, December 12, History of Magic,

 ANOTHER Goblin war? How many of these things ARE there?

Saturday, December 14, Common Room,

             RAVENCLAW WON!

             The final score was 200-50 with our seeker, a second year girl named Cho Chang, caught the Snitch after Slytherin had knocked out our Keeper and one of our Chasers. Higgs didn’t see the Snitch in time, hah! They sure were more violent in this game, I guess they realized they needed to win it. Now they have two losses against them. I’m still a little fuzzy on the elimination process but Owen explained that if they lose the next game then they’re eliminated for the Quidditch cup. The next game will be Slytherin v.s. Hufflepuff and it won’t be until after winter break.

             We’re having a big celebration party here. The music is actually pretty decent. It’s something else besides the Weird Sisters which is nice because I had my fill of them with Turpin blasting it day and night. Thank God for silencing charms is all I can say.

Sunday, December 15, Library,

CHRISTMAS PRESENT IDEAS:

Angela: a set of Beethoven CDs

Giselle: a apron or recipe book of some sort. Sugar free licorice wands

Gerard: A Guide to the Worlds Most Common Magical Plants (he was interested in them earlier)

Jacob: a chain for the glasses he keeps misplacing, put unbreakable charm on it. Also herbal tea, since he likes that stuff

Grandfather: letter opener maybe? Or a fancy pen? No, I did the fancy pen last year.

Owen: Myth and Fact: How the Muggle and Magical Myths and Legends Connect. Also that weird seeweed candy stuff he likes.

Mandy: an assortment of candies and pair of earrings

Monday, December 16, Great Hall, Breakfast,

             Well it finally snowed. They said it would and boy did it. There is now about six or seven inches (maybe higher) of snow on the ground outside. The lake is frozen over and Herbology has been canceled until further notice. Owen, Anthony Goldstien, and Terry Boot all ganged up on me and talked me into joining them for a snowball fight. As retaliation I got Hannah and Mandy and it’s going to be the three of us against them. They have no one to blame but themselves if they get beaten by a bunch of girls.

Wednesday, December 18, Great Hall,

             The snow is still here. Whatever melted in the past two days was made up for with the snowfall overnight. Fred and George Weasley just charmed a bunch of snowballs to follow Professor Quirrel around and whack him in the head. I know it’s not very nice but I can’t help but laugh. I mean the guy was practically running in terror.

From SNOWBALLS!

Some Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Friday, December 20, Great Hall, Evening,

             The Great Hall looks so pretty!

             All of the decorations are going up including these awesome Christmas trees though I feel sorry for the trees that get cut down. I never really talk much to the trees in the Forbidden forest though, most of them tend to have attitudes. Anyway, there’s holly and ivy all over the place, mistletoe is hung up which I am so not standing under because I don’t want some guy to kiss me. What if I get stuck under there with OWEN? That would be embarrassing. He’s my best friend and all but that doesn’t mean I want to kiss him. Though he would be better then say...Malfoy who felt the need to say “I feel SO sorry for the people who have to stay at here at Hogwarts because they’re not wanted at home”. You could tell by his tone that he wasn’t sorry at all. That guy is such a jerk.

             But even he can’t ruin the cheerful decorations. There are also floating gold bubbles around the room thanks to Professor Flitwick and there’s snow that falls from the ceiling but never hits you. There are even fairies flying around! One keeps hanging out on my shoulder and watching me write.

            Normally I get lonely around the holidays because my parents are gone and miss them a lot but I think I won’t miss them as much this year.

Monday, December 23, Common Room,

             I finished all the holiday homework I had. Snape was his usual grouchy self and assigned a two roll of parchment essay on the development of medical potions. Now I’m just searching for something to do.

Tuesday, December 24, Dorm,

             Okay, I knew Hogwarts was weird, but THIS is something for Ripley’s Believe It or Not show. I saw my parents. I’m serious. Okay, it was in this mirror, but I saw them. I saw Grandfather too and he was actually smiling at me. I’ve NEVER seen him smile. Which is why I knew it wasn’t real.

             I went to the library earlier today to find a book to read. I still haven’t found a useful one on Wild Magic and it’s not for lack of trying. All the one’s the library have are just repeating themselves and none of them tell you how to control them if you suddenly get these powers. I would try the Restricted section but you need a notice from a professor to use the books in there and Madam Pince watches the entrance constantly so there’s no way to sneak in there.

            Anyway, I came back from the library and got turned around because the staircase that leads to Ravenclaw house moved on me and I had to go the other direction and I’m not really familiar with that part of the castle yet. I found myself in this narrow corridor with a suit of armor. Which didn’t really help me because suit of armors are all over the place, then there was this one door that I’ve never seen before. I admit I have the tendency to investigate stuff I’ve never seen before. That whole thing about curiousity killing the cat? Yeah, never learned that lesson.

             The room wasn’t anything spectacular. It was just a unused classroom with a blackboard and desks. What was weird was that there was a full length mirror propped up against the wall opposite of the door. It was a pretty nice one too, it was as high as the ceiling, had a gold frame, and stood on two clawed feet. There was this weird Latin phrase inscribed on the top: Erisid stra ehru oyt on wohsi. Don’t ask me what it means. You know I’m beginning to think I should try and learn Latin. Our spells are spoken in Latin and a bunch of stuff around the school have Latin inscriptions on them and it would be nice to know what they meant.

            Anyway, when I got closer to the mirror and stood in front of it Mom and Dad appeared IN THE MIRROR! Grandfather appeared awhile later. As nice as it was to see Mom and Dad I was a little wigged. I mean, they’re dead! I saw them die! Sort of, I saw the car go up in flames, same difference. I know Grandfather isn’t dead. He’s at the manor, probably barking out orders over the phone as we speak.

             So why did I see them in that mirror? Like I said, weird. I didn’t have time to wonder about it though because the door opened and HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE walked in! I swear I have the most rotten luck. He just sort of looked at me and I kind of ducked my head and said “uh, nice mirror. Really, very fancy. Bye!” and ran out of there before he could say anything.

            Can they give detention over the holidays????

CHRISTMAS DAY, Dorm Room,

             MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

             I’ve had god knows how much candy today so I’m a little hyper. This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a long time. When I woke up, there was a pile of presents at the foot of my bed and some stuff that somehow got into the stocking I had hung on my door. My stocking, which is red with all these funky pins I made on it and has my name written in rainbow glitter, had some Chocolate Frogs in it; Christmas cards from some people in my year; a chocolate Santa that says ‘ho, ho, ho’; a rainbow quill; and cute snowflake earrings.

For presents I got a easel from Angela, a nice sketchbook from Giselle, some magic plant seeds from Gerard, a nice art book featuring all the collected works of Georgia O’Keeffe, one of my favorite artists. Owen got me Charms, Hexes, and Other Spells That They Don’t Teach You at School, Mandy got me this bottle of rainbow nail polish that swirls when you paint it on your fingernails (she and Hannah are constantly trying to get me to care more about my looks) and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and Hannah got me these cute earrings that are a pallet and paintbrush along with a box of these things called sugar quills. Giselle also sent over some of her apple tarts because she knows I love them.

             I ran into Mandy on the way to the Great Hall and the two of us met Owen at the entrance. There was one large table for the students and one for the teachers when we had our Christmas feast. The feast was just as good as the welcome feast back in September. There were these wizard crackers on the table, they’re nothing like the muggle ones though, when you pull one there’s a big bang and actual presents come out. By the time I left I had a pack of Exploding Snap cards (no more borrowing from Hannah to play a game), a model of a Nimbus 2000 that really flies, a funky leopard print box, and a hat that looks like the one Mickey Mouse wore in Fantasia. At least I didn’t get a flowered bonnet like the one Dumbledore got. He actually wore it too. He hasn’t said anything to me about yesterday. I was afraid when I walked in he would give me detention the minute he recognized me but when he saw me he just smiled a little and gave a nod. So I guess I’m off the hook.

             I haven’t gone near the mirror and don’t plan on it either. My parents are dead, I need to get over it. Seeing them in a freaky mirror is not going to help me any. I am curious about what kind of mirror it is though and plan on searching the library tomorrow for books on magic mirrors. It’s not like I have much else to do.

Saturday, December 28, Library,

             I think I know what that mirror is. It’s the Mirror of Erised. It says here in Rare Magical Mirrors that the Mirror of Erised shows you what your heart desires the most. Well, I’ve missed Mom and Dad a lot and wish that they were still alive all the time even though I do my best to bury that wish. I also sometimes wish that Grandfather would acknowledge me. Or at least like me, even if it is just a little. I mean, he’s the only blood relative I have left, is it so wrong to want him to care about me? Want to know what his Christmas present was? A lifelong subscription to the Daily Prophet, which is the wizard newspaper. If Grandfather knew me at all he’d know that I barely read the newspaper. The only reason I actually know about that break-in at Gringotts a while back is because Owen and Mandy started talking about it once. I of course was all “huh? Someone broke into Gringotts?”

I wonder why Dumbledore has the Mirror of Erised though? I mean, what use is it?

             I swear, Hogwarts gets weirder every day.