The Gryffindor Five: Year 1

Quidditch

Well journal, just so you know, it's about two o'clock in the morning. Most of the dormitory is asleep, well Mel and I just climbed into bed, but even she's probably nearly unconscious. However, I did say I'd report the events of the night, so I will.

After I closed you earlier, I went down to the Common Room to wait for Mel, since I was pretty sure she'd be up soon, and, as I figured it, she's always the easiest going about breaking the rules. Some nonsense about civil disobedience. She says it's a theory in the Muggle world about breaking rules as long as you are okay with accepting consequences and she said a few points and detention for a chance at hexing Snape, or whatever Slytherin is his second, would be worth it. So once she agreed we went to the library and began looking up as many hexes and curses as we could find and used an empty classroom to work for a few hours. Then we went back to the library and checked out a few books on counter curses. We didn't have time to practice them, but both of us agreed it would probably be a good idea to at least know a few of the incantations to undo whatever damage might be inflicted. To us, of course, who cares about the Slytherins. I think Alice noticed we were up to something when we were up here working on that, but she wisely just avoided us. Peter Pettigrew actually came over at one point and, without even asking what we were doing, explained how to shoot water out of your wand. He said it can be used as a distraction sometimes and left it at that. I'm under the impression the Marauders suspected we were up to something. Well, when they see the house points tomorrow, they'll know for sure.

Anyway, around ten thirty, we realized that we needed to get out of the Common Room somehow and we hadn't planned for that, so Melissa woke up Tessa and begged her to make some sort of diversion. Let's just say that she was still cleaning it up with Mrs. Scower's Magical Mess Remover when we got back to the Common Room an hour and a half ago. Mel and I finished cleaning it up for her so she could go to bed though, after all, it was our fault. She lost ten points from Gryffindor for that stunt too... who knew Maximus Factorius mascara could be that explosive if you mix it with shrivelfig and Sleekeasy's Hair Potion? Well, I guess Tessa did. Anyway...

During that whole brouhaha, Melissa and I slipped through the portrait hole and made our way to Sir Cadogan's portrait in the South Tower. I'd never seen it before, but Melissa said she'd been lost up there once and that Sir Cadogan was a madman. The night was already shaping up to be quite exciting. We kept going over various curses and whatnot during our walk there. When we got there, Snape and his second hadn't arrived yet, so we sat down to wait for them and discussed who he would bring if he was on the outs with Malfoy and gang. About ten minutes after eleven we heard footsteps heading our way and we jumped up. Snape and Bellatrix Black came around the last bit of stairs and walked up to us.

"You brought a Muggle born?" Black cackled, pointing at Melissa. "Does she even have a clue what a Wizard duel is?"

"Shut it, Black," Melissa snapped at her. "You'd better pray that you don't need to step up because I am fully in the mood to hex you into next Sunday without blinking. Come on, Becca." She walked over to our corner and Snape and Black walked over to theirs, all of us had our wands out.

"Ready then, Snape?" I asked. He nodded. "Sorry, but I don't trust Black any farther than I can throw her, so if you don't mind, I think Melissa best count to three."

"If you think that'll help you, Longbottom. Go ahead, count Denezyuk."

And we turned around and walked away as Melissa counted to three. On three we both whirled around and shot our first curses.

"Conjunctiva!"

"Expelliarmus!"

My wand went flying and Snape dropped his as he grabbed at his eyes. Fortunately though, I could still see, so I grabbed my wand as Black stooped down, grabbed Snape's wand and shoved it back in his hand.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

And that's where it all went to hell, excuse my language, journal. Snape and I toppled over at the exact same time and Black and Melissa jumped up. Oh Merlin, I felt so bad lying there, I really didn't think Mel was going to have to do anything other than maybe a counter curse or two to fix me at the end. But she really surprised me, I guess she doesn't spend all her time with just the Daily Prophet.

"Tarantallegra!" Black's feet started twitching and jumping, but to my surprise and probably Mel's too, she just laughed.

"Stupid Mudblood," she yelled at Melissa. "If that's how you want to play, Rictusempra!"

Melissa doubled over wheezing and laughing. "F-f-f-finite incantatem!" I could tell Melissa's counter curse was weak, but it was enough to calm her down so that she could repeat it and make it work well enough to stop the hex. While Melissa had been laughing, Black had ended the tarantallegra hex, too.

"Nox!" Black said loudly, plunging us all into darkness, quickly followed by "Furnunculus!" I heard Mel cry out in pain and then yell.

"Lumos maximus!" All the lights blazed on even brighter than before, but before I even had time to clear my eyes, I heard her yell "Aquato!" and saw her point her want directly at Black. I started to get worried then that she was running out of hexes. Bellatrix Black was one person I had not expected Snape to turn to and the levels to which she could sink scared me a bit. I felt even worse since this was my fight and not even Melissa's and here I was, stuck on the floor in a full body bind and she's covered in painful boils shooting water at Black's face.

Black sputtered but managed to get out "Serpensortia!" which I was completely unfamiliar with and therefore rather frightened when a huge snake came out of her wand. It made its way across the floor and was headed for me when it suddenly changed course and started slithering towards Melissa. I've never kicked myself harder mentally than at that moment. I knew we were screwed. Melissa's jaw dropped and Bellatrix stood back with her arms crossed at her chest with a look of triumph on her face. I really think she was going to let it bite Melissa, and it looked poisonous. Suddenly Melissa shook her head and pointed her wand at the snake.

"Incendio!" The snake burst into flames and crumbled into a pile of ashes. At that moment, I decided that Melissa would always be my first choice for a second in any battle. Then she spun around to Black and yelled "Relashio!" which sent out a stream of fiery red sparks, burning Black's face, neck and shoulders slightly and setting the tips of her hair on fire. She screamed obscenities that even would've made the Marauder's blush and put it out using the same water spell Mel had used earlier.

"Crucio!" I almost passed out. I swear, the moment I heard her yell that, I thought I was going to die. First a poisonous snake, now an unforgivable curse.

Melissa screamed so loud, I swear, if I could've moved I would've cried, even Snape's eyes seemed to widen in shock. Fortunately, her spell was really, really weak and she couldn't control it long. I mean, it was a miracle that she even made it work, I'd read that you really have to have a lot of hate to use and control the Unforgivables and I just can't believe that she would hate two girls she doesn't even know that much...

Well the second the curse stopped Melissa wheeled around and yelled "Impedimentia!" since Black started advancing on her. This took Bellatrix by surprise and she toppled over. "Locomotor Mortis!" Mel yelled, locking her legs in place.

But Black still had her wand, even if she was toppled on the ground and she yelled "Crucio!" again, but this time she was weaker and Melissa just yelled like she'd gotten a shock not that horrible scream like before.

Before Black had a chance to say anything else, Melissa said "Expelliarmus!" and as Bellatrix's wand flew from her hand, Melissa collapsed to the floor, with a horrible expression of pain on her face. She pointed her wand at me and muttered, "Finite Incantatum." And then slumped her back against the wall before pointing her wand at her throat "Sonorus," she muttered and then said "Help us, we're in the South Tower. Please, come help." Then she slumped back even farther and dropped her wand. I was so scared. I pointed my own wand at her throat and muttered "Quietus" so that she wouldn't still be shouting when a professor arrived.

Filch showed up first and from the way he stood there, clearly he didn't know what to do. Usually he would scream at any student breaking rules, but the four of us were in such sorry shape. I was crying and Melissa was nearly unconscious. Snape was still in a full body bind and Black was still stuck on the floor, unable to move, yelling obscenities. I reached over and grabbed her wand, out of fear that she just might manage to get it somehow. It seemed better to be safe than sorry at that point. I was still reeling that she'd used an Unforgivable twice on one of my friends. This wasn't some life or death duel, this was supposed to be just two rival Houses having at each other again and she'd tried to kill Melissa once and had succeeded in seriously hurting her another time.

Professor McGonagall nearly knocked Filch over as she came running up the steps. I was crying so hard by this point I could barely see until Melissa looked up at me and grinned weakly, and you know what she said journal? You know what the girl who'd been hit by Crucio twice in five minutes and nearly eaten by a snake said to me? "Quit crying, we won, you idiot. That'll teach Slytherin." Then she passed out. That didn't really help my mental state at the time.

Professor McGonagall gasped at the sight before her and demanded an explanation. By now, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, both in their pajamas and robes had shown up in the South Tower. Professor Sprout walked over to Snape and undid the body bind as Professor Flitwick took care of Black. Melissa was out cold though, so Professor McGonagall had to levitate her body down to the Hospital Wing. I had kinda stopped crying by now, but I still felt on the verge of tears.

When we got down to the infirmary, Madame Pomfry took one look at us and shook her head. She put Snape and Black into beds and one end and Melissa into a bed at the other end. I was so worried about Melissa, I really didn't know much about Crucio but there has to be a reason it's an Unforgivable and as I saw it, it was my fault she had to endure it. Twice. Oh man, I still want to go wake her up and apologize again or something... except she'd be pretty mad I woke her up, I bet. Ugh.

Well, while Madame Pomfry took care of the other three, Professor McGonagall made me tell her what happened. I told her Snape had challenged me to a Wizard Duel and that Bellatrix and Melissa were our seconds. Then she asked me why Ms. Black and Ms. Denezyuk seemed to be in considerably worse shape than either Mr. Snape or I and I told her that we had knocked each other out pretty quickly and instead of calling it a draw, they had jumped in to finish the duel. Professor McGonagall looked so angry. I've never been so scared... I thought we might even get expelled. For some reason I just couldn't bring myself to tell her about the spells Bellatrix had used. I just told her that the Slytherins fought dirty and then burst into tears again, which seemed to frighten her a bit. I guess it was because I'm really not a crier. I never cry. Except for tonight, that's all I've been doing since Melissa took me of that body bind.

Then she took 100 points from Slytherin and 100 points from Gryffindor. Fifty from each person involved and said that we'd all have detentions in addition to that, she just hadn't decided on how many yet. That I ought to be ashamed of myself for break so many school rules and that she thought higher of me than that. And she was right, I've never felt more ashamed of myself. Mel and I are dead when we go into the Great Hall tomorrow morning, and none of it is even Mel's fault. I tried to explain that to McGonagall... I even said that when it got too rough, Melissa was the one who knew when to call for help, that she was the one who had shouted. And McGonagall said "Be that as it may, you still both broke many rules this evening and you were both well aware of the consequences. However, when I assign your detentions, based upon the complete and total lack of good judgment the four of you illustrated tonight, I will take that into consideration. Few people know when to call for help and despite all of your actions this evening, that was perhaps the one good judgment call." In a way, it almost reminded me of Melissa's whole civil disobedience idea... but I don't think she quite expected this.

Professor McGonagall surprised me though and let me wait for Melissa before coming back to the Common Room. When I walked past Snape and Black, I noticed that the conjunctivitis curse I'd sent Snape's way had been pretty impressive. And that spell that shot fiery sparks out of Mel's wand... well, let's just say Bellatrix will have to figure out a new hairstyle for a while. I hope Melissa at least gets a chuckle out of that. I forgot to tell her about it on the way back.

When I got to Melissa's bed, she was already sitting up and ready to go, but Madame Pomfry grabbed me and made me drink a Calming Draught before she let us leave. Mel told me that she'd given her one too, along with a pain one. I asked her if she'd told her which curses Bellatrix had used, but for some reason, Melissa decided not to mention them either.

I think maybe neither of us want to admit someone our own age could already be so full of hate. As we walked past Snape and Black, Melissa beamed widely at them and gave them a jaunty wave. I thought she'd lost her mind and asked her about it on the way back to the Common Room.

"Have you lost it? She seriously tried to kill you!"

"I know. But she didn't. She got beaten by a Muggle born, and I fully intend to rub it in every chance I get until we graduate."

"You have lost it. We could've died tonight and it would've been my fault!"

"Have you lost it? You explained to me clearly what could happen. I knew what I was getting into. That may well be the coolest thing that has happened since becoming a witch. I didn't even realize that I knew so many curses. Good thing I looked up that fire one, huh? That was one nasty looking snake." She smiled again.

"You have lost it. Competely."

Then she just shrugged at me.

"We lost fifty points and we're going to get detentions for this. I think McGonagall admired that you knew when to call for help."

"Well, fifty isn't so bad I guess. If we answer a lot of questions in class, we can make it up before the end of the year."

"Um. No. It was fifty each. We lost one hundred points for Gryffindor in a little less than an hour."

Then Melissa stopped short and her jaw dropped.

"We're dead when we get into the Great Hall tomorrow. We are deader than dead. Oh my gosh, they're going to lynch us. And we're only First Years too... this could result in six more years of ostracism. One hundred points..." And then she shook her head.

Anyway, when we got back to the Common Room, Tessa was scrubbing the carpet and muttering about stupid pranks and whatnot. Melissa jumped around and was like, we kicked their butt. Gryffindor rules and Slytherin drools and she glared at me. And I just now realized that that glare meant that that was the attitude we should take towards the whole thing. I guess she's right. There's nothing we can do now and at least Slytherin lost 100 points too... so maybe we will live through breakfast tomorrow. Anyway, we finished cleaning up the mess for Tessa, even though I wanted to do it alone, I still felt bad about... everything. But Mel wouldn't let me, so we sat there scrubbing the floor for another hour and a half chatting about classes and stuff.

Wow, this is so long and I need to get some sleep before History of Magic tomorrow. That class is so boring... ugh. Night.

-Rebecca

Acid Pops

I'm sitting in the Great Hall with Lily and Tessa. Mel and Becca were afraid to come down this morning and I couldn't figure out why until I saw the hourglasses. There is absolutely no way though that the two of them are solely responsible for loosing one hundred and ten points in one night.

Oh, Tessa just corrected me, she lost ten last night. They only lost one hundred. How did they manage that? I really don't think even the Marauder's have done that in one night. Unbelievable. I better get details later. Tessa says she doesn't really know anything, but she did figure out a fun little explosive with her make-up last night. I worry about her sometimes.

Oh my gosh, Frank just walked in with Rob Cage from Ravenclaw. Maybe he'll come sit with us. Oh, I doubt it. Becca's not here, so he'll probably sit with Sirius and Peter at the other end of the table. Where are the other two?

Oh my, James and Remus just sat down with us to ask if the rumors were true and we were like, what rumors? Apparently the word around the castle is that last night there was a duel between Gryffindor and Slytherin and both houses are trying to figure out who was involved and who won and when they said that Tessa gasped and was like, that's what they meant. And the rest of us all looked at her and she said, "I'm not sure who the Slytherins were, but I think the Gryffindors were Mel and Becca and I think they got caught, which is why Slytherin and Gryffindor are both down one hundred points today." Then James and Remus squawked... apparently they hadn't checked the hourglasses on their way in, but most of the rest of the house has and the general concensus is that if someone in our house really did manage to beat Slytherin in a Wizard Duel, then it's worth the points. Then Tessa added that Mel had danced around the Common Room chanting 'we beat them, we beat them' and whatnot after she and Rebecca got back, so maybe they did win. I wonder how exactly you win? I've never paid much attention to Wizarding Duels before. I assume all four of them are still alive. Well, I know at least Mel and Becca are, they were sleeping when we came down today.

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait till History of Magic to ask them.

Always,

Alice

Gryffindor

Becca? I saw you have your diary on your desk. Come on, look over here. Don't make me waste a piece of parchment writing you a note telling you to write to me here. -A

Gryffindor

What, Alice? Can't you see I'm ever so interested in the Kappa Act of 1296? If I don't learn information like this, life could cease to exist as I know it! -R

Always with the sarcasm. -A

Well, not always, but most of the time and in here, yes. -R

So what were you up to last night? -A

Nothing as spectacular as some of the rumors suggest. -R

Which rumors are those? -A

Well I heard from one Fourth Year Ravenclaw that I'm shacking up with Professor Flitwick in hopes of a passing grade. I thought that was a rather nice opinion of my morals. Really now. -R

I actually hadn't heard that one. I did hear a fun one about Filch though. -A

Ugh. Please, spare me. -R

You're no fun. Really though, what happened? -A

What most of the rumors say. I dueled Snape and Mel took on Bellatrix Black. Scariest thing I've ever seen. -R

A First Years Wizarding Duel was the scariest thing you've ever seen? You have issues, my friend. -A

Listen, I don't want to recount it. Drop your book and I'll drop mine. If you promise only to read that entry, the last one, then you can just read what I wrote. Then drop it again when you're ready to switch back, alright? -R

You'd trust me with your password? -A

Are you going to go snooping randomly when I don't want you to? -R

Never. -A

Well, that's what I figured. It's not like you're Frank. The password's Quidditch. -R

Should've guessed. -A

Listen though... Mel and I kinda agreed that we really don't want to talk about it. I mean... really. I know she told Tessa though, so I'm telling you, and Lily, if she asks... but there are some pretty nasty details. I think I'd rather just try and forget them. -R

It can't be that bad. A First Years duel, really. But I won't ever mention a word of it after I finish reading it, if that's what you want. -A

That's what I want. -R

Acid Pops

I'm sitting in History of Magic right now. Rebecca let me read her account of what happened last night...

I just can't believe it. Part of me is in shock that that hag even managed to get an Unforgivable to work, they're supposed to be very difficult. Another part of me is outraged that Melissa and Rebecca didn't tell McGonagall... and part of me is just flat out scared... and I can't even entirely place my finger on why. And a very small part of me even understands how they might decide not to tell. I feel so wrong right now. And I can totally understand why Mel slept in, I bet that's why she's skipping class today, too. If I'd had the Cruciatus Curse put on me, I'd probably want to sleep for a week. Only Mel would be able to dance around and voluntarily scrub the Common Room...the girl is nutters... I just. I'm in shock. I think I want to forget all those details now too... maybe ignorance really is bliss sometimes.

Always,

Alice

Acid Pops

I'm completely convinced I bombed that Potions test this morning. In that class I really am abysmal sometimes. It's just that Nackle makes me so nervous and then he makes fun of me... and it's just a horrible class. I swear, we loose points because of me every single class period. Today I knocked into my cauldron and had to grab it to keep it from spilling and that horrid old professor made a comment about how uncoordinated and large I am. What sort of man says such things?!? I just.... I burst into tears and ran from the room. I ran out of the dungeons and into the nearest bathroom when I realized I'd picked Myrtle's bathroom. All the girls try so hard to avoid it, Moaning Myrtle is just beastly when you're upset. She hung over me and mocked me even more until I screamed really loud at her that she was a horror and she burst into tears then and shot down the toilet, but I was so mad at her that I didn't even care she was crying and I flushed the toilet. That'll show her, she can go fight with the giant squid for a bit. Anyway, about an hour later Tessa and Lily found me in the bathroom and hugged me and told me that Nackle was a grumpy old git (according to Tessa because "he can't get any"... I have no idea what she meant, but I could tell she was trying to cheer me up and Lily looked just as confused as I did). Then they told me I should come to the Great Hall since I was time for lunch. I didn't really want to but they insisted and they told me that Becca and Mel had all three of our supplies, since the two of them had run straight out of the classroom after me as soon as the bell had rung.

When we sat down to eat they told me that Melissa had lost ten points from Gryffindor for yelling at Nackle when he said that. I felt so bad that she lost those points for me, what a stupid thing for her to do. But she just grinned that stupid grin of hers that makes you forget about being guilty, even when you are, and said that she should thank me, she was always wondering how many points a student could possibly loose in a week and claimed that she still had a few hours to go until dinner, should she go for an even hundred? Then Tessa flung a buttered roll at her and Becca and Lily both smacked her. But Melissa just laughed and bit into the roll Tessa had thrown at her.

But the most amazing part (and horrid when you think of the points lost) was when Sirius and James came into the Great Hall with Frank clamped firmly between them. Each of them had a hand tight around one of his arms and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. When they walked by the Slytherin table, Frank seemed to try to get loose but whatever James said to him made him stop struggling and walk along. Then they sat down by us and Frank sat next to Becca (like he always does when he sits with us) and I noticed that he had a fat lip and a black eye and I asked what happened and all through lunch he wouldn't tell me. He ate really quickly and then went up to the Hospital Wing. Becca took him and when the walked past the Slytherin table he started towards them again and Becca kicked him really hard and pushed him out the door.

Well, I really wanted to know what happened by this time, so I asked James and Sirius, since I was pretty sure they knew. Those two know all of the rule breaking that goes on around Hogwarts. For some reason, neither of them would tell me either, so finally when they left the table, I turned to Mel and was like, please, pretty please tell me what happened? And Tessa looked interested too so Melissa just sighed as was like, "Frank pummeled Malfoy... or tried. The Slytherin prat dumped his cauldron onto Frank, Nackle gave him an antidote, probably just because he had to, but the cauldron hit Frank, which is how he got the fat lip. The black eye came from the scuffle outside the classroom. He lost twenty points from Gryffindor, but we both joked that he still doesn't hold a candle to me when it comes to loosing points."

But I wanted to know why he did that, Frank's so even tempered most of the time, just like Becca and Mel looked at me like I was nutters and said, "Well Malfoy called you... a name. Apparently Frank doesn't appreciate it when his friends are insulted."

Frank tried to beat up Malfoy for me! Couldn't you just die?

Always,

Alice

Hogwarts

Bloody hell, it's about time. I swear, if Remus was lying to me and one of them actually managed to read this... they're dead.

Just so you know, diary, you've been lost for the last couple of days and I've been in a frenzy. I didn't want anyone to find you and open you, especially since my passwords are so easy to guess and I couldn't tell the others because I didn't want Becca to find out since I was scared she'd think I was careless with my Christmas gifts. I'm sure she wouldn't have in hindsight... but at any rate you're found.

And do you want to know where I found you?!? In Sirius Black's grimy paws, that's where! I walked past the Marauder's today in the Common Room. Since Herbology was cancelled for the day, we all had some free time before dinner and everyone was studying and I said hi to Remus as I passed by and when I glanced up to look at him I saw Sirius studying. Except he wasn't studying any school subjects, oh no, he was asking James what he thought this book was and why it was empty and they were actually trying passwords. They were trying passwords! So I shrieked, "That's my diary! Give it here, now!" And all four of them looked really surprised and Remus grabbed it from Sirius and gave it right to me and told me he'd found it but hadn't known whose it was... or what it was for that matter.

What a few days! Earlier this week Rebecca and Melissa got in some sort of Wizarding Duel, but they lost so many points that everyone was mad at them and I didn't want to know the details of what I'm sure was a sordid activity and they didn't volunteer any, so all I know is that Gryffindor won and Snape and Bellatrix Black had to spend the night in the Hospital Wing.

Then earlier today in Potions, Professor Nackle made the most horrid comment to Alice and she ran out of the room crying and after class Tessa and I found her in the bathroom and while we were gone, Mel lost even more points for yelling at a professor, I swear I don't know what gets into that girl sometimes and Frank Longbottom lost even more points on top of that for getting in a fight with that git Malfoy after class.

And now its dinner time and after that, that stupid meeting. I've got so much homework to do... this had better be interesting.

Love from,

Lily