The Diary of a Witch, Volume II

CHAPTER 2: OCTOBER:

Thursday, October 1, Dorm Room, Aura Color book notes,

AURA COLORS AND THEIR MEANINGS:

Blue: Person is usually calm, logical, reliable, and loyal.

Red: Coragious but tends to be stubborn. Very passionate in everything they do.

Yellow: Usually cheerful and optimistic with an energetic/upbeat personality. Friendly.

Gold: This color is usually on wizards or witches with special magical talent.

Purple: Has deep values, regal, at times opinionated. Elegant.

Silver: Indicates extremely high magical power. Always flares up during spells when a wizard or witch calls on their power.

Amber: Highly intelligent, hates ignorance, strong beliefs.

Brown: Down to earth, kind, sometimes shy.

Green: Has petty tendencies (such as holding grudges), can at times indicate a gift with plants.

Orange: Fiercely protective of friends and family, independent, often has a temper.

Black: Has known loss, or seen death first hand, lots of deep pain, may have more then a few issues.

Bronze: Light of this often indicates gift with animals. In an aura it means the person has deep empathy for others.

Pink: Sometimes superficial, frivolous, silly. Occasionally self-centered.

-At times the colors will vary. For instance some might have aqua blue in their aura. It depends on the person's personality.

-Most auras are three colors but there are exceptions where there will be a fourth one. Usually happens with extremely complex people.

-The three colors often blend together and form in between colors which indicate other personality traits.

Late Saturday, October 3, Dorm Room,

This seeing magic aura thing is WEIRD. Who knew there was so much color surrounding people and things? Even magic objects have silver glitter stuff around them. Firenze's aura was the first one I saw since he was the one who taught me how to do it. His is very pretty. It's gold, amber, and a light purple. The gold and amber mix into a brownish color.

When I walked back to the castle I just kept looking around at all the glittery stuff around. I know it's stupid, but I never realized there was so much MAGIC around here. It's even in the walls. Firenze says I'll get used to seeing all this color after awhile, I hope so because right now I feel a little dizzy.

Sunday, October 4, Breakfast, Great Hall,

Okay, how am I supposed to eat breakfast with all this magic aura stuff around. I really wish I knew those other Wild Mages personally then I could ask one of them how they managed to get used to it. I woke up a little later then normal and dragged myself down to the Great Hall and kind of just stood still in the doorway dumbly as I stared at everyone. Note to self: group full of people with auras equals dizzy effect and slight headache. Going to have to find a way around this.

Whoa! Professor Dumbledores aura is really cool! Its main colors are red, amber, silver, and purple. In between the colors are orange, blue, brown, and black. All together the colors form this really wicked halo around him.

Oh, man. Poor Ginny Weasley. She got that cold flu that's been going around and her big brother made her go to the infirmary to take the Pepper-up potion that makes smoke come out of your ears for two days. She's only on day one and a half. I offered her my purple floppy hat to put over her ears to hide the smoke but she reluctantly said that Madam Pomfrey said not to wear any hats until the smoke stopped. Something about it interfering with how the potion works. I'm extremely thankful that Percy Weasley is not my big brother. Actually, I'm thankful I don't have any brothers period.

Wednesday, October 7, Astronomy class,

Owen knows something is up. I'm going to have to be more careful about hiding my wild magic. Look at these notes we passed in class (until Professor Sinistra caught us and gave us both detention).

-Jubilee, what's going on?

-Um...Astronomy class? What are you talking about?

-I meant what's going on with YOU. You're acting strange. More so then usual.

-Okay, HEY, and I'm not acting strange.

-Hey is for horses, and yes, you ARE acting strange. You're reading books on meditation when you can barely sit still in potions class, you haven't made ANY jokes lately, you keep staring at people a lot like Lovegood does, you haven't made any rants about Snape and his ability to not see anyone's POV except his. In fact, you haven't ranted about anything in about two weeks. IT IS NOT NORMAL. So I repeat, what is going on?

-Okay, one: I don't rant. Two: Snape DOESN'T see anyone's POV except for his own, he gave me an E on my last essay because of it when that was so an O essay, and three: I'M FINE! I'm just tired from Quidditch practice that's all.

-Terry says you don't look tired at practice.

-One generally can't look tired at practice when one is tossing a ball around and catching said ball and dodging Bludgers and oh yeah: FLYING ON A BROOMSTICK!

-You don't need to take that tone with me.

-Okay, who died and made you my big brother?

-Well, no one. But I am your best friend and SOMEONE has to make sure you stay out of trouble.

-Helping me rig dungbombs to dump on Lockhart when he walked out of his office yesterday was keeping me out of trouble how???

-I meant life-threatening trouble. Besides, Lockhart deserves to get a few dungbombs dumped on him.

-That's true.

-So you're sure you're fine?

-YES, Owen I'm fi-

Professor Sinistra caught me when I was writing that last part and gave us detention for passing notes and another for the mentioning of the prank. Which went off without a hitch. I normally don't go in for pranks (except for occasions like April Fools day) but I was feeling a little irritated with Lockhart and bored with the rain and Fred and George gave me the idea. The downside to pranks is getting caught. I hate doing detentions and don't understand how Fred and George and can stand doing them all the time.

I still don't believe Owen though, I mean since when was he the observant one? People seriously underestimate Hufflepuffs.

Thursday, October 8, DADA,

Professor Lockharts aura: pink, magenta, and yellow. No silver anywhere, which means he obviously isn't as powerful as he pretends to be. Color me shocked. No pun intended.

It's raining yet again and would you believe Davies is making us practice in this mess? I swear if I get sick, I'm telling Madam Pomfrey to blame my Quidditch captain and go lecture him about being cruel to his teammates. What's even worse is he's making us Chasers go spy on the Slytherins because he's not sure that Fred and George's word is trustworthy. I know the twins have a tendency to exaggerate but they don't play around when it comes to Quidditch, I doubt Wood would let them. What I want to know is why doesn't Davies just go spy on them himself?

Boys, I swear.

Friday, October 9, After Quidditch Practice, Girls Locker Room,

Fred and George weren't exaggerating. Damn.

I also really, really wish I could have gotten a Nimbus 2001 now. Nothing against my Nimbus 1900, it's really great. But compared to the newer models...lets just say I'm a little jealous of Malfoy right now and can't believe the unfairness of it all that a jerk like that can get such an awesome broomstick not only for himself but for all the Slytherins on his team.

There is no justice in the world. Really.

Saturday, October 10, Dorm Room,

Arrgh...I just don't get this magical meditation stuff.

How am I supposed to picture myself as an object??? I mean, I know I have an imagination but why would I want to pretend to be a vase or something? What is the point of it? Magic just makes no sense sometimes.

Monday, October 12, After Charms, Just Before Transfiguration,

Why do I have such nosy friends? What is up with this? These notes Mandy and I passed while trying to do the Boil Charm on a cup of water just proves that my friends are nosy.

-Hey, Jubilee. Are you feeling okay?

-What is up with people asking me that lately? It's starting to get irritating.

-You haven't been acting like yourself.

-Excuse me, there is nothing different about my behavior.

-Yes actually, there is.

-Like what?

-You wake up EARLY now.

-I have an alarm clock now. Plus, I got sick of you banging on my door. No offense.

-None taken. Didn't you break that clock your first week back when the meowing got on your nerves?

-Witch, Mandy. Hello.

-You didn't argue with Snape when he gave you that E last week.

-I've decided why argue with the man when he's just going to ignore me or possibly give me detention.

-You star at people a lot lately. You stared at Snape all through dinner last night. I'm pretty sure he noticed.

-I'm starting to do a portrait and decided to do one of Snape. I just can't decide whether to do it in charcoal or pencil.

-There's a difference??? And why Snape???

-Yes, there's a difference. Medium is very important in portraits. It can set the whole mood of a piece. And I'm doing Professor Snape because...he has some very interesting features and the man has depths that would be challenging to get on paper.

-Snape has depths?

-Yup. At least I think he does. He's still interesting to draw even if he doesn't.

-This is clearly some sort of artist thing. You're SURE you're fine?

-Mandy, have you been talking to Owen?

-Maybe.

-Geez. I TOLD him I was fine and now I'm telling YOU. In fact, why don't you just do me a favor and tell all of Hogwarts: I'M FINE!!!

-OKAY!!!!

I swear to God if one more person asks me if I'm okay I will not be responsible for my actions. I sort of lied to Mandy, though. I am doing a portrait of Professor Snape but the real reason I was staring at Snape was his aura. It's green, silver, and amber. But is also red which is kind of a surprise since he's from Slytherin. I'm pretty sure he'd be mortified to learn that he shares the same aura color with a lot of Gryffindors.

Thursday, October 15, DADA,

How lame is this essay assignment: A Week in My Life. Lockhart wants us to write two rolls of parchment on a typical week in our lives. Excuse me but WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS???!!!

Lockahart says it's so he can "get to know his fans better". I barely refrained from telling him that I'm not a fan, I'm a person who wants to punch him in the face and hopefully leave a black eye. The only reason I'm doing any of the work in this stupid class is because otherwise I'd fail and I am not going to get an f on my record because the teacher is an imbecile. At least I don't have to write about him for a change.

Saturday, October 17, Dorm Room,

I DID IT!!!

I finally got magical meditation! Excuse me while I do the moonwalk.

It's so much cooler then regular meditation. It's hard to describe the feeling I got except that I sort of became a rose. Firenze suggested that I choose a plant instead of an object so I chose one of the rose bushes that run along the edges of the courtyard next to the Ravenclaw dorms. They're silver and blue and run along the walls.

Next thing I knew it was like I was actually the bush and sitting against the wall facing my dorm room window and seeing the maple trees that line the middle of the courtyard and the squirrels and birds and what not. I even saw my dorm window. I could tell it was mine because I saw the paper jack-o-lanterns I had taped to the window for decoration.

When I opened my eyes again I was back in the Forbidden Forest with Firenze feeling...calmer then I've ever felt in a awhile. Firenze was smiling at me and said that soon I'll be able to heal because my powers aren't so tangled up now. I have to practice magical meditation now every day now.

I don't mind as much now.

Thursday, October 22, Breakfast, Great Hall,

As of midnight today I am twelve years old. One year away from being a teenager. A fact that Angela assured me in the card she sent is not something she likes to think about.

My...I guess I might as well call them my family sent me an actual pet for my birthday! He's an gray-feathered owl who is kind of funny. When he found out I could hear him he was all, "they left out that my new owner was weird." He didn't have a name because owls have an awful memory. They know where their going for letter carrying because it's sort of built in them to know where their going at all times. Some weird magic thing with owls no one can really explain. Part of why they're ideal for carrying wizards' letters and unlike muggle postmen you can guarantee that they won't make a mistake.

So I decided to name him Gandalf. I know, I know, I couldn't help myself. I've officially become a Tolkien freak. I've read all the Lord of the Rings books and am now going through The Book of Lost Tales stuff. I gave him a choice between Elrond, Shadowfanx, and Legolas (one of my favorite characters). He's lucky I didn't name him Gollum.

My friends all presented me with gifts during breakfast too: Hannah gave me a big box of assorted magic candy; Mandy gave me this bracelet that had charms in the shape of a Snitch, broomstick, Beaters bat, and Quaffle; Owen got me this bird feeder that magically refills itself with Every Flavor Bird Seed (specially made for all types of birds) because he knows I've been borrowing from Professor Sprouts stash (only she technically doesn't know about it); Terry gave me The Chasers Bible; Padma gave me The Most Important Charms in History; and Anthony got me a box that changes colors for my led pencils. The entire Ravenclaw house team gave me a t-shirt that says Quidditch Gal on it. It's really cute.

My friends are really awesome, even if they are nosy.

Late Thursday, October 22, Common Room,

That was surprising.

Gandalf just delivered me a package (he sure is a quick flyer) and it was from Grandfather of all people. I kind of figured he'd forgotten about my birthday (wouldn't be the first time) but apparently he didn't and actually sent a thoughtful gift.

He sent me a box that had photo albums of my Dad from when he was kid. In most of them he's with Jacob or Angela (who had just started to work here then when he was little) so I guess they took the pictures. There are also letters from my father to either one of the staff or Grandfather which surprises me because I kind of figured that they weren't very close either since Dad never even mentioned him to me.

I don't think they were but it wasn't from lack of effort on Dad's part. He tried to get Grandfather to open up, I can tell. There are ones from when he was in boarding school (Eton. Not too shabby, Dad) where he was constantly inviting Grandfather to come to school functions and visit him. From what I gather from the letters he never went. I could have told Dad that was going to happen. I realized the first month I was in England not to really count on him for anything.

Eventually the length of time between the letters got longer and then they were coming from America. That's when he started to talk about meeting my mother. Boy he sure gushed about her a lot. Not that it surprises me, they were always doing lovey dovey stuff when they were alive. They didn't call each other cutesy nick names or anything like that (thank God, or I would have puked) but they held hands a lot and never turned down an opportunity to kiss.

The last one tells Grandfather that I was born and he sent a baby picture. I was so cute! But I guess that's when Dad finally gave up because that's the last one. Can't really blame Dad, I guess. What I don't get is why Grandfather sent me this stuff. Does this mean he's realized 'hey, I have a granddaughter I barely know, it would be nice to get to know her since I am her only living family' or was he just clearing stuff out and decided to get rid of this stuff???

Why do adults have to be so difficult?

Saturday, October 24, Common Room,

My weekly lesson with Firenze has been canceled due to the fact that it is POURING outside. He and the other centaurs are stranded in a cave according to the letter he sent with Gandalf (who pointedly said that he hated flying in rain and deserved an Owl Treat for his trouble). For some reason the mental image of a soaked Bane is just too funny.

Serves him right if he IS soaked. Firenze told me he and the other centaurs are giving him the cold shoulder because he's teaching me. One or two still talk to him if need be but for the most part they ignore him.

I feel kind of guilty for causing him this trouble but he said not to worry about it because he and his herd (that's what he calls them) have never seen eye to eye on many things. I still feel guilty though, and mad. Firenze should not have to put up with this junk, he's a nice guy for helping me out. Centaurs may be cool looking, but they're total jerks.

Monday, October 26, Charm Notes,

-Hey Mandy, can you meet me, Owen, and Hannah tonight after dinner?

-I guess. Why?

-I found out something that might be useful in the future.

-What? How did you find out about it?

-I'll tell guys after dinner and I sort of found out about it from Fred and George.

-Fred and George Weasley?

-Yep.

-It's not going to land us in detention is it?

-Only if we get caught.

-Oh, THAT'S reassuring.

-You don't have to come.

-Yes, I do. Otherwise, you three will get yourselves in trouble. Besides, I want to know what you found out.

-Your faith in the three of us overwhelms me.

Tuesday, October 27, DADA,

I now have a way to keep from going hungry in between meals and it's all thanks to Fred and George Weasley. I ran into them on Sunday and mentioned how I hate waiting until the next meal because I sometimes get hungry real late at night and don't always have candy with me. So George cheerfully told me the way to the kitchens as what he called 'a belated birthday gift'.

I figured this was too good to keep to myself and told Mandy, Hannah, and Owen about it who all loved the idea of being able to get food when they wanted. Well, Mandy needed convincing but Owen enticed her with images of being able to eat a nice snack during late night study sessions. Then she went, "Fine. But we better not get caught."

So we went down the way Fred and George told me too, which was down stairs that led to below the Entrance hall. Then there was a corridor you went down to that had all these paintings of fruit and torches that lit the place up. Somebody went a little still life crazy.

At the end of the hall is a huge painting of a fruit bowl with pears, grapes, and stuff like that. I took out my wand and tickled that pear at the bottom like George said to and it started to laugh and giggle until it sneezed and turned into a green door handle that let us pull the painting open like a door.

The kitchens are as big as the Great Hall and have tables arranged exactly the same way as the tables upstairs. I also finally got to meet the fantastic cooks or our meals who are believe it or not house elves.

I think I like house elves. True, their over eagerness to please is a bit weird but hey, if it makes them happy to feed me and my friends eclairs who am I to complain? House elves sure are short though. The highest one came up to my knee, and I got to say it was nice to not be the shortest one in the room for once.

Saturday, October 31, Dorm Room,

All I can say is WHAT THE HELL???

What is up with freaky things always happening in Hogwarts on Halloween here? Last year it was the troll. This year it was Mrs. Norris being...I not entirely sure what happened to Mrs. Norris. All I know is I don't hear her in my head anymore. Not that I miss her or anything it was just weird. Then there was the voice.

I went to the feast with everyone else looking forward to pumpkin pie and chocolate pudding when I heard the scariest animal voice ever. It kept saying stuff like this: "rip...tear...kill...hungry...time to kill!...I SMELL BLOOD!" Yeah, can't really enjoy pudding when you're hearing stuff like that in your head.

I must been green or something because Mandy looked at me in concern and asked, "Are you all right, Jubilee?"

I stared at her and tried to figure out how to say 'oh, I'm fine. Just heard an animal say it was about to kill something in my head. Treacle tart?' Instead I said, "Um...I think I ate too much food."

Mandy sighed and said, "I told you not to eat so much candy."

Luckily, the feast was pretty much over by that point and we were getting up to leave. So I tried to figure out how to ditch my friends so I could search for the owner of the creepy voice or tell a professor that there was a dangerous animal on the loose in the castle without revealing my powers to everyone.

It turned out I didn't even have to worry because by the time we left the voice was gone. However when we got to the second floor I froze along with everyone else because of what was in front of us. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter were standing under a wall that had red blood like words on it that said THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Under the wall was a large puddle of water and a torch on the wall held Mrs. Norris who was stiff with her eyes wide open and hanging by her tail. She was like a really freaky statue. Everyone was really quiet up until Draco Malfoy shouted, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next Mudbloods!"

Someone really needs to smack that guy. I volunteer.

Filch came quickly when he heard Malfoys' shout and went ballistic when he saw Mrs. Norris. I've never liked Filch but Mrs. N always said he takes good care of her and people who take care of animals must have some good side, even if it is very deep down. I do think he was out of line when he immediately blamed Potter. No second year could have done...whatever was done to her.

Dumbledore came and stopped Filch from attacking Potter and then detached Mrs. Norris from the torch and led McGonagall, Snape, Filch, Potter, Weasley, and Granger to Lockhart's office (because he so eagerly offered) after telling the rest of us to go to bed.

Go to bed after this? Yeah right. I get the weirdest feeling that this thing with Mrs. Norris is just the beginning.