The Diary of a Witch, Volume III

THE DIARY OF A WITCH, VOLUME III

CHAPTER 5: JANUARY, 1994

Saturday, January 1, New Years Day, 1994, Breakfast, Manor, Dining Room,

MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

1) Make up with Owen when I get back to school.

2) Stop procrastinating on homework, particularly HoM and Potions.

3) Take actual notes in HoM

4) Stop mimicking Davies behind his back even though it's fun. It's really not nice.

5) Save up for a Firebolt! 5 Knuts a week might do it...

6) Pass Potions with and O, hah hah.

7) Stop/limit cursing. Including cursing in french.

8) Work on posture and manners to make Angela happy

Sunday, January 2, Hogwarts Express,

Well.

He said hello at least.

That's a good sign, right?

Of course his Mom and Shacklebolt were there, so...

Monday, January 3, Divination,

Hmmm....Maybe Owen is still a little mad. He made Hannah read my palm just now in class even though we usually pair up. This semester we're starting palmistry early. Apparently Potter has the shortest life line Professor Trelawney has ever seen. Am I shocked? No, not really.

Tuesday, January 4, Potions,

Owen's still partnering with me here at least. Only we're kind of just sitting here instead of joking or bantering back and forth like we usually do. Snape is looking at us back and forth with a weird expression on his face because of it. Better stop writing before he catches me.

Saturday, January 8, Dorm Room,

Owen and I are friends again!

Despite my freaky powers!

Okay, I don't think they're freaky but to the average person it must seem odd. But I keep forgetting that Owen doesn't think or act like most people. I mean how many guys are best friends with a girl? How many guys read the Odyssey twice? Willingly? How many guys are vegetarians willingly?

I rest my case.

How we made up was also very...well, us, as Mandy put it when I told her. She also said this with a roll of her eyes which I did not appreciate. Anyway, I'm sitting in the Owlery writing a letter home and here's what happens:

[Owen enters and pauses when he sees me]

OWEN: Hi.

ME: Hi.

OWEN: Letter home? [nods at my stationary]

ME: Yeah. Gerard and Giselle gave me a stationary set for Christmas. Subtle, huh?

OWEN: Very. [Awkward silence. Much shifting]

ME: So how was your vacation?

The rest is history. He talked about how he and his Mom went to a gathering with Shacklebolts family for Christmas. Apparently, unlike her son, Mrs. Shacklebolt can cook. Then we started talking about the Quidditch match this weekend that Ravenclaw has against Slytherin (Davies has been working our butts off).

It was like we never argued. Or didn't argue. I never did figure out if this counts as real argument. Whatever it was, Owen and I are friends again. He also said later on that he didn't mind about my powers though he did look a little taken aback when I started to argue with Gandalf like I we always do. I forgot that he can't hear Gandalf's side so I must of looked pretty insane talking to a owl.

He'll get used to it.

I'm just glad we're friends again!

Tuesday, January 11, Ravenclaw Common Room,

These nightly Quidditch practices are a pain but necessary. Slytherin isn't going ot be nice like Hufflepuff. They don't play that way. So we have to be ready for anything. Michael came up with all these possible plays that they could do after observing them in each games they play so Davies is drilling us in how to maneuver around them.

Personally I don't know how Michael remembers all this stuff. I don't do strategy, I just play. Memorizing all these plays is a major headache. It gives Latin a run for its money.

Thursday, January 13, Dorm Room,

Owww.

My butt is so sore. That stupid Bludger knocked me off my broom. Luckily, I was low to the ground at the time and so it was like I just fell off my chair or something. It was actually kind of embarrassing. One thing about pain though, you forget about your embarrassment because of it.

I tried to tell the team I was fine but Davies said, "When Madam Pomfrey says you're fine, you're fine, Johanson." So they all dragged me to the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes and said the same thing I did: I was fine.

Why can't people just take my word for things?

Saturday, January 15, Infirmary, After Match,

We lost.

BY TEN FREAKING POINTS!

DAMN IT!

Terry, Max, and I managed to score 140 points between the three of us and Davies blocked ALL of the goals Slytherin tried to make.

Then Malfoy SHOVED Chang and grabbed the Snitch as they raced each other for it. He shoved her into a freaking goal post and she broke her arm because of it! Madam Hooch couldn't really do anything because well...the Snitch was caught.

So we're going to be facing Gryffindor next to decide who plays Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup. This is not going to be easy. I see more nightly Quidditch practices in my future.

Sunday, January 16, Quidditch Team Locker Room,

I was right about the Quidditch practices.

Monday, January 17, Divination Notes,

-Owen, what is Trelawney prattling on about?

-Can't you hear her?

-Vaguely. I have a major headache. She sounds like the teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoon.

-The what?

-Sorry, American Muggle reference. I'll explain later.

-I look forward to it. Why are you so tired anyway?

-Two words: Quidditch and Davies. Wait...does and make it three words?

-Ah. But you had a match Saturday. Shouldn't you at least get the weekend off?

-Tell that to Davies. Oh, famous palm readers. THAT'S what she's talking about.

-It's actually pretty interesting in the book.

-Something about Divination is interesting? Have I mentioned you're kind of weird, Owen?

-Says the girl who talks to animals and plants regularly and had a debate with birds yesterday about the best tree in Hogwarts.

-Touché. Who won that debate anyway? Me or the birds???

-I don't know. I didn't hear the birds half. I think you said it was a draw.

-Oh. Cool.

Thursday, January 20, Ancient Runes Notes,

-Jubilee, you and Owen have made up and everything right?

-Yes, Padma, we did. Really appreciate you grabbing my journal by the way.

-Oh come on, it's not like you were writing in it. You were drawing dragons. I saw them.

-It's still rude.

-So are you ever going to tell us what you and Owen argued about?

-Nope. Plus, it wasn't even really an argument.

-It was for you two. I've never seen you two so silent and stiff around each other. It was creepy. You really won't tell me?

-No. It's driving you insane, isn't it?

-YES!

- This thing you have about needing to know every secret in the school is slightly disturbing, Padma.

-I know. I'm trying to work on it and I don't need to know EVERY secret. Just the really juicy ones. At least tell me this: was it because he kissed you and you didn't like it?

-NO. FOR THE LAST TIME! WHY would Owen kiss me anyway???!!!

-He is a boy.

-SO???!!!

-You're hopeless.

-Why? Why am I hopeless?

-Nothing. Never mind.

Friday, January 21, Dorm Room,

WHAT was Padma on about yesterday? I mean what was up with her thinking that Owen would kiss me? Why did she and Hannah even think that happened in the first place? Why would Owen kiss me anyway? He's OWEN.

Why am I even stressing about this? I have much better things to stress about : school work, Quidditch practice and the upcoming match, keeping these stupid powers from morphing me into a bear in the Great Hall or whatever. So why am I stressing about some stupid thing Padma said?

Sunday, January 23, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish reading assignments

2) Summary of defense spells chapter for DADA

3) Finish Charms, HoM, and Transfiguration essays

4) Translate runes given last lesson

5) Three palm interpretations for Divination

6) Send Giselle a birthday card. She turns 27! Or so she says...

7) Finish reading sonnets in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

8) Ignore Padmas comment. She doesn't know what she's talking about anyway.

Monday, January 24, Divination,

This incense is giving me a headache....

Wednesday, January 26, History of Magic,

ANIMALS I'VE TURNED INTO (BECAUSE I'M SERIOUSLY BORED)

Cat (various types)

Bird (several kinds including starling, crow, robin, pigeon, owl)

Mouse

Garden snake

Fish

Toad

Currently working on turning into a dog

The shape-shifting is becoming easier the more I practice them. Last night was the first time I became a crow and I managed the first try in 20 minutes instead of an hour.

Saturday, January 29, Dorm Room,

Looks like my lessons are over for the year. My Wild Mage lessons I mean. Bane, the annoying centaur who always gives Firenze a hard time, spotted Sirius Black in the forest yesterday and sent an owl to the Headmaster.

So now the professors from the school are going to be patrolling the forest edges as well as the castle grounds. Firenze thinks it's just asking for trouble to continue my lessons. I tried to argue with him but he has a point. The patrol route they're taking is near the clearing we usually have our lessons in. Plus, do I really want to go sneaking into the forest when there's a madman running around in it? Not that I couldn't handle Sirius Black if I needed to.

So he said to just continue practicing different animal shapes and getting used to shape-shifting and to meditate like always for the rest of the year.

It's probably just as well. The work has started to pile on top of one another. I practically live in the library nowadays. If I'm not there, I'm out on the Quidditch pitch practicing. Honestly I'm surprised Granger hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet because if I'm feeling pressured, imagine how SHE'S feeling?

Sunday, January 30, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish HoM, Charms, and Potions essay

2) Transfiguration equations at the end of ch. 6

3) Rune and Latin translation

4) Read A History of the Crstal Ball; make a list of important dates for upcoming test

5) Drawing of plant for Herbology with labeled parts

6) Try not to hurt Davies if he mentions Quidditch plays one more time.