The Diary of a Witch, Volume IV

THE DIARY OF A WITCH, VOLUME IV

CHAPTER 9: MAY

Sunday, May 2, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish HoM, Potions, and Astronomy essay

2) Update Potions and Astronomy record book

3) Translate Latin essay and Rune tablet given

4) Start studying for exams

5) Bug people about buying stuff from the Charms club. Oh wait, I guess the proper wording is sell stuff for the club.

Monday, May 3, Library,

I'm very glad I'm not Artemis right now. The reason I haven't seen him at all lately, except for him popping up during meals to say hi, is because his N.E.W.T.s are coming up. Or whatever the French equivalent of the N.E.W.T.s are. He's been in what he calls his Exam Hibernation Bubble.

Who knew normally calm and cool Artemis got major test anxiety?

It's weird seeing him look stressed. Apparently while he does well on homework and essays and stuff like that, test taking is not one of his strong suits. Mandy mentioned today at lunch that I should lend him my photographic memory and he stared at me and went, "You have a photographic memory?" I nodded and then he glared and went, "I hate you."

Hey, it's not like I ASKED for it. It just sort of surfaced when I was really little. But it seriously does help a lot with tests, I'll admit. Though while I can remember anything I've read once I still lose stuff constantly. Go figure.

Tuesday, May 4, Common Room,

Aww man...

Today was the first day Max, Terry, and I got time to practice our Quidditch moves in forever and the Quidditch Pitch turns out to be out-of-bounds! Talk about unfair! Apparently the pitch is being used for the Third Task which is June twenty-fourth (the end of exam week). They could of warned us.

After Professor McGonagall shooed us back to our dorm I asked a bird friend of mine (Lola) what they were doing in there and she sent me a mental picture. They're growing stuff on the field! I'm serious, there these hedges all over the place forming some sort of maze. I hope whatever they're growing isn't permanent and our Quidditch Pitch is back to normal by next year or heads are going to roll. Seriously, if Davies knew about those bushes he'd blow a gasket. Probably why they've made it out-of-bounds; they don't want the Quidditch teams mad at them.

Wednesday, May 5, Great Hall, Dinner,

Orders so far for Charms Club:

-two beaded necklaces (both red and gold) for Ginny

-Ravenclaw mascot earrings for Luna

-Slytherin mascot pin for Blaise, Devon and Dapne

-Hufflepuff mascot pin for Hannah and Owen and Professor Sprout (yes, I hit up a teacher; am I good or what?)

I'd do the math and add up the prices too, but it's dinnertime and I don't want Anthony or Terry stealing food from my plate again. You'd think the two of them never ate...

Sunday, May 9, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish HoM and DADA essay

2) Reading for Astronomy and Charms

3) Runes translation

4) REALLY start studying for exams

5) Make up study schedule

Monday, May 10, Ancient Runes,

EXAM STUDY SCHEDULE:

Monday

Potions: 30 minutes

History of Magic: 30 minutes

Latin: 30 minutes

Tuesday

Charms: 30 minutes

Herbology: 30 minutes

Ancient Runes: 30 minutes

Wednesday

DADA: 30 minutes

Astronomy: 30 minutes

Divination: 30 minutes

Thursday

Same as Monday

Friday

Review all material gone over the week

Thursday, May 11, Divination,

-Owen, I fell asleep. What did I miss?

-Just the usual: darker times coming, Potter's going to die, etc. etc.

-So I didn't miss anything?

-Nope.

-Cool.

-You have a little bit of drool on your chin by the way.

-EWWW.

Wednesday, May 12, Library Notes,

REPRESENTATIONS OF PLANETS:

-SUN: person's personality, core traits, general approach to life

-MOON: emotional reactions, instincts, unconscious needs

-MERCURY: communication, intelligence, change

-VENUS: romance, relationships, love, beauty

-MARS: aggression, physical energy, ability to take initiative

-JUPITER: good fortune, opportunity, ability to broaden one's horizons

-SATURN: obstruction, fears, challenges

-URANUS: represents the person's eccentric and rebellious side, indicates sudden change, up-heave and impatience

-NEPTUNE: imagination, creativity, dreams, and the ability to distinguish between illusion and reality, things that are deep

-PLUTO: obsession, unconscious mind, ability to transform ones life

Sunday, May 16, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish HoM and Divination essays

2) Study for Potions quiz

3) Practice Charms, Jinxes, and spells for practical in Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA

4) Study for exams

5) Find way to calm Artemis down. Possibly buy him a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade this weekend.

Friday, May 21, Charms Club,

TOTAL ORDERS FOR CLUB SO FAR:

-ten beaded necklaces (five Gryffindor, two Slytherin, two Ravenclaw, one Hufflepuff)

-three Ravenclaw mascot earrings, two Gryffindor mascot earrings, four Slytherin mascot earrings, two Hufflpuff mascot earrings

-ten Hogwarts pins, five Slytherin mascot pins, six Gryffindor mascot pins, seven Ravenclaw mascot pins, four Hufflepuff mascot pins

Not bad. I'd do the math to see what we've earned so far but I think I'll leave that up to Mandy.

Saturday, May 22, Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks,

Wow. I think it's fair to say that Artemis has become fairly stressed due to the N.E.W.T.s. He looks really tired and I'm pretty sure that's the beginning of a small beard around his chin. Terry is trying to soothe him right now by telling him how his big brother was the same way but when he took the actual tests he found that they were no big deal. I don't think that's a fair example though because despite how snobby Terry's brother is, he is very smart from what I've heard and saw at the Quidditch World Cup.

I think Artemis will be okay though. He's very smart too. I mean he was able to help me make my Latin sound like something that resembles actual speech and if he can do that, then I'm sure he can pass these things with no problem.

I hope I don't get like this when I have to take my N.E.W.T.s. Oh well, if I do, Mandy or Owen can always smack some sense into me.

Sunday, May 23, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish HoM and DADA essays

2) Study for Herbology quiz

3) Update potions and Astronomy record book

4) Continue trying to sell stuff for Charms Club. Maybe hit up the twins?

Later Sunday, May 23, Great Hall, Dinner,

Damn. Hermione already got to the twins and they've ordered Gryffindor mascot pins. It was nice thought. I think they're the last people I haven't tried to sell stuff too. Oh well.

Monday, May 24, Common Room,

Well, that was weird.

But then conversations with Luna Lovegood always tend to be on the weird side. I was in the midst of memorizing a potion for the exam when Luna came up to me so I was only too happy to talk to her. I'm probably the only one in this school who doesn't have a problem talking with Luna. Okay, so she's eccentric, but so what? I'm not exactly normal either. I think the world needs more people like Luna. Plus, I think she's kind of right; not everything people tell you is true. Just look at the Daily Prophet.

Actually, considering not everyone understands us you'd think Luna and I would be best friends or something. But I kind of already had Owen and Mandy when she started school and when I try to get my friends to see she's not insane they don't believe me. I really don't think she's insane. Well...I'm pretty sure anyway.

When she saw I was reading my potions book she wrinkled her nose and called Snape a vampire. I laughed until I realized that she was totally serious. Mandy, who was sitting next to me at the time, snorted and said Dumbledore wouldn't hire a vampire. Luna just raised her eyebrow and said, "He hired a werewolf and half-giant didn't he?"

Which, when you think about it, is a valid point.

That part wasn't the weird part though. The weird part was the reason she had come over. She knew I tended to make some of my t-shirts and knew that I designed the Charms Club jewelry and asked if I could make a custom t-shirt for her father whose birthday is apparently coming up. She even said she'd pay me two Sickles to have it made!

I kind of stared at her in surprise until Padma kicked me and I said sure, why not? I mean hey, who am I to turn down money? She's going to give me a description of what she wants on the t-shirt tomorrow. So I'm getting money for something I would normally do in my free time anyway. Sweet deal, huh?

Thursday, May 27, 10 P.M., Common Room,

You know what's really annoying about being able to hear plants? The fact that when something annoys them YOU end up being the one that they complain too. Seriously! I somehow end up always being the one the trees, bushes, or whoever rant at when something irks them. I really love it when they seem to think that I'm the only one who can solve their problem too.

Tonight's annoyance was kind of interesting though. I mean, yeah, I was a little ticked at being interrupted as I was in the process of finishing up my History of Magic Essay. I was about to tell the tree to bug off when the scene she was showing me registered.

From what I understood Estelle (the tree who was annoyed) was in the process of dozing off when some man came up to her out of the blue and started talking to her. Get this, the guy who was talking to her like a crazy person? It was Mr. Crouch!

I tried listening to what he was saying and he sounded nuts. He kept on ranting on about having to see Dumbledore and the Dark Lord getting stronger. Just as Estelle was threatening to snap one of her branches at him Krum and Potter found him (wonder what they were doing outside at this time of night?). I guess he got to Dumbledore okay. I don't know for sure though because I got distracted from the image by Anthony who asked me a question about Charms. By the time I was able to pay attention to the scene again everyone was gone.

Weird huh? I wonder what that was all about?

Friday, May 28, Great Hall, Breakfast,

Is it me, or do Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape look more serious then usual? They're talking about SOMETHING seriously up there. I wonder if it has anything to do with crazy Crouch last night? Could the Dark Lord really be getting stronger? Normally I'd scoff, but I can't help but remember that saying that says you can't believe anyone but crazy people and children or whatever.

Oh well, if the Dark Lord WAS getting stronger, I'm sure we'd all know. I mean, they can't keep THAT out of the Daily Prophet. Right?

Friday, May 28, Great Hall, Charms Club,

COMPLETE LIST OF ORDERS FOR FUNDRAISER:

-twenty-five beaded necklaces

-thirty pairs of earrings

-five bracelets

-forty mascot pins

Final figure for total money earned: forty-five Galleons, five Sickles, and five Knuts.

Okay, so we didn't totally raise fifty Galleons but we came damn close.

Sunday, May 30, Great Hall, Breakfast,

THINGS TO DO:

1) Finish assignments

2) Work on orders for Charms Club

3) Study for finals

4) Don't forget Padma's birthday present!

Monday, May 31, Divination,

Okay, THAT was freaky.

Potter literally had a fit in class just now! He was clutching his scar and screaming his head off! Seriously! I don't think I've ever been that wigged out in my life. Trelawney being...well TRELAWNEY immediately assumed that he had a vision and started to grill him on what he'd seen. He (wisely, I thought) brushed her off and headed for the infirmary.

I don't mean to sound paranoid or like an alarmist but Crouch shows up ranting about the Dark Lord growing stronger and now Potter has fits that HAVE TO DO WITH HIS SCAR? Am I the only one getting a bad feeling? I can't be, can I?

Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion. There's no way Voldemort could be coming back. He's dead. People do not come back from the grave. Well, except for the ghosts. But Voldemort's not a ghost as far as I know. I'm sure we would have heard about THAT.