Dear **Sandria** the ~Smiler~,
Hmmm ... I think I'm leaning towards Jillia the Gryffinlady right now. Thanks! I forgot I was so obsessed with gryffins - even though I still have my diary with that huge gold gryffin on the cover, flying over the forest - remember? I showed it to you once when you slept over ... haha, that was fun, when we each read each other's diaries! Remember how you got mad at me when you read the part where we were in a fight and I said some ... erm ... not so nice things? LOL! Sorry, but you know I didn't mean them ... and you didn't mean what you said either.
Hey, I just thought of something - that was three years ago! We haven't fought since! Don't respond with "Maybe it's time then ..." hee hee, I know you too well. No, I don't have enough energy for a fight right now. Hee hee again.
How's Hogwarts (All my paragraphs so far have started with 'H!' I should try to keep that theme running, and then maybe next time it'll be 'I' ...)? Have you talked to Dumbledore at all? He sounds like such an awesome person! Wish I could go to school with him. He'd definitely do something about "Crazy Mr. Banton!" (That's what everybody calls him now. Meagan says it should be "Wildly Insane and Violently Talented Mr. Banton," but John said he had trouble remembering.) Even though I'm not too sure I like the idea of him not trying at all to get rid of Peeves ... isn't he worried about you concentrating on your studies rather than ways to retaliate against pesky poltergeists?
All your classes sound interesting (sorry, I couldn't think of a way to keep the 'H' thing running ...) and FLYING sounds awesome!! What's the sport??? PLEASE tell me! I don't use caps lock often ... so you know it's important for me to know this time! You know how much I love sports.
Transfiguration? What's that? Do you change people into animals and stuff like that? Tell me! I need to know ... I need to know ... tell me baby girl - augh! I think I'm spending too much time around you.
Anyways, my news: our history teacher, Mrs. Tory, is a complete ... well ... idiot! She's got those weird glasses with the strings hanging down, and she has a really squeaky voice. Worse, she didn't even know what the Arc de Triomphe was! She sent Andrea and Meagan to the office because they looked at each other in class and Meagan raised an eyebrow - I think that was right after she said, "History is the stuff of life," trying to imitate some opera singer ... I kid you not!!
Ah, well. What have you been up to?
friends forevah :o)
-Jillia the Gryffinlady-
Yo yo yo Jillia ...
YAY! A letter from YOOUU!!!! *grin* I was so happy. What happened to you? You hadn't written for awhile ... well anyways ...
OH! I remember that night I slept over - I LOVE that journal (even though rabbits are my thing ...)!! It was so awesome ... I think I did a story based on the cover. Want me to rifle through my endless notebooks and try to find it for you? *grin* It'll be a hard task ... but SOMEBODY'S got to do it ...
Nope ... Dumbledore actually is kind of aloof. I hate to say that because it's usually NOT a compliment ... but I have yet to figure him out. He's a powerful wizard ... and something tells me powerful wizards are ALWAYS weird, whether they're for the good or the bad!!!!! And about Peeves - maybe he just doesn't want to. Or maybe he's teaching us how to deal with troublemakers like him ... ugh. Some way to teach us! But I guess it works.
LOL about Mr. Banton! ... Um, I mean KAH-RAAAZY Mr. Banton!!!! I like Meagan's version, though. I miss her. I miss all of you ... darn. I keep coming back to this subject ... well on a HAPPIER note, I've made some friends! *grin* NOBODY could replace you guys EVER ... but I want to tell you about all of them so you'll know who I'm talking about when I mention them in something.
Amy Cooper - she's the one who volunteered to buy candy & things for you from Hogsmeade - fourth year
Erin Marcus - she's pretty shy but once you get to know her she is SO nice! she's also a great friend - first year
Ben Hunter - he's Muggle-born, but he's very outgoing and friendly ... plus he's funny! - first year
Salena Morgan - not quite sure how to spell her first name (um!) ... but she's very athletic and also funny - first year
AHA! The sport ... is called Quidditch. Okay. *lauches into DEEEEEP explanation, this'll take AWHILE!*
- field: sort of like a raised basketball court ... except the ground doesn't matter much (because it's played on broomsticks ... there are all different brands and things, the top right now is ... the GoldStreak800 I think) and there are six hoops, three on each side
- balls: there are four ... the Quaffle (which scores ten points when it goes through one of the hoops, like basketball), the Bludgers (two big black balls that try to knock you off your brooms; they personally scare me to death!!!!), and the Snitch (a very, very tiny little golden ball with wings that flies around avoiding the eyes of everyone ... the player called the Seeker has to catch this ball and when s/he does, the game ends and the winning team gets 150 points ... games ONLY end when the Snitch is caught!)
- players: The Chasers (three players who play with the Quaffle and try to get it in the hoops), two Beaters (players with big clubs that beat the Bludgers away from their team and try to get them attracted to the *other* team!), the Seeker (I explained that one already ... the one who catches the Snitch), and the Keeper (who guards the goal posts from the opposing Chasers and the Quaffle)
- details: The games really revolve around the Chasers, the Quaffle, and the Keepers ... the Beaters just stay on the sidelines keeping control of the Bludgers and the Seeker's fifteen minutes of fame come when the Snitch is sighted! And it's *REALLY*, **REALLY** hard to see ... also, a teacher (usually Madam Hooch, the flying teacher) referees and each house has a team. Our Seeker's none other than HARRY POTTER (for some reason every time I mention him his name is in capitals ... I guess I'm just awed, that's all. But he's REALLY nice, too! *smiles*) ... he got picked to play Quidditch in his first year (which is normally against the rules; we're not even allowed to bring BROOMS! *pouts*) and he was the youngest Seeker in a century (besides defeating You-Know-Who thrice and counting and getting rid of the Chamber of Secrets and all that ... lol ...)
OY! After all that I'm exhausted ... and it's 11:43 P.M. right now ... what, you don't believe me?? I stayed up late tonight memorizing the six potions of Healing and the seventeen things you can make out of Aiyabooga Weeds ...
much love from HOGWARTS!
**Sandria** the ~Smiler~
Dear ~Smiler~,
Haha ... well, what are they? Maybe I can learn two curriculums this year - Hogwarts sounds like a far more interesting school than Elfleaf Oak! Aiyabooga Weeds? Ho-hum. I'll just sit here in my clueless little corner and see if anyone notices.
Yikes! You-Know-Who is the evil wizard, right? (What's his real name?? Can't you tell me just ONCE??? Oy.) And QUIDDITCH - oh my lord, I would LOOOOOVE to play that game!! It sounds so EXCITING! (I'm using the caps lock key more in this one letter than I've ever used in my life, probably ... lol! you got me so excited ... wish wish wish I could go to Hogwarts!!) Hmm ... if I were a Quidditch player ... I would probably be ... hmmm ... well, the Chasers sound really cool, and so do the Beaters (I like the idea that they're the only players with a means of defense against the Bludgers) ... I'd definitely want a GoldStreak800 or whatever the top of the line broom is! Do they change a lot? Well anyways ... maybe I'd be a Seeker. What does Harry Potter look like?? I wish I could see him play! Do you wizard people have a way to make videotapes or something like that? So I can see?
Erin sounds a little like me ... and Amy sounds like the kind of person you tell everything to, know what I mean? ... plus Ben and Salena must be hilarious! Wish I had a little humor around here ... (well I do have Maura and Andrea and Meagan and Chris and John and Taylor and Ellie and sometimes Jane Elton ... plus I'm writing to Martin ... and oh yeah, there's another kid, Sammy, who's pretty nice - he can get wild though. I met him in a food fight ... lol!)
Sheesh! Sounds like they work you a lot at Hogwarts ... it's 4:46 right now ... I got home from school about five minutes (I can walk this year! My parents also said I can pass by Savior Ave. and shop! Maura and Meagan and Andrea and I are going tomorrow.) ago. Hey - Halloween's coming up and I meant to ask you ... why can't you go to Hogsmeade? It sounds fun! Can you ask Amy to tell you all about it so you can tell me?
Well ... guess what? John's having a Halloween party and he's inviting the following people (he showed me his R.S.V.P. list because I'm his "joint planner," lol!)
Me - coming, of course!
Maura - coming
Andrea - coming
Meagan - coming
Chris - not coming, he has to take his little brothers trick-or-treating and his parents are being stubborn ...
Taylor - not coming, she has a "prior commitment" which is what she told us ... but I'm beginning to get worried about why she didn't tell us ... I mean ... it's Halloween! ... but I guess she'll tell us or something ... plus she has a right to her privacy, right?
Sammy - hasn't responded
Ellie - missing the first hour for watching her little sister, but then she's coming!
Marcus (Sammy's best friend) - hasn't responded
Erin (a girl in ninth grade at Yaton Park High that John met somehow in his acting program thingy (?) ... did I tell you that E.L.O. (ElfLeaf Oak) goes from 7 - 12? Strange but pretty cool, I thought ...) - nope, hasn't responded (wouldn't you think that a ninth grader wouldn't want anything to do with us? but John doesn't think so ... he says Erin's different ... some of us are suspicious as to the fact that because John's so tall and a good actor, she played his wife in the play they did ... but that's another story! I'll tell you the whole saga later.)
I'm not sure if we're done with the whole list, but remember John's gigantic attic? He's having the party in there! Isn't it so perfect?! I'm so excited!! And Maura's his "chief decorator" and Andrea's ... um ... I think she's the one who goes around screaming at people who haven't R.S.V.P.ed ... don't exactly know what to call that but she definitely does a good job! Lol!
Yikes! 4:53! Time to empty out the dishwasher ... then get started on my essay on the clash of good and evil in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' ...
friends forevah :o)
gryffins always!
Jillia the Gryffinlady
Dear ~Smiler~,
Just a short little update because you haven't replied in awhile ... Hogwarts must be hard work! I feel only a little sorry for you, though, because it's probably not the least bit boring. Imagine ... having to do WORK on spells and potions and magical plants! I pity you not (sorry!).
Well, anyways, John's Halloween party's in a little over a week!!! Here's the updated list:
Me - coming, duh again!
Maura - coming
Andrea - coming
Meagan - coming
Chris - not coming ... except he said maybe he can weasel his parents into coming the last hour (10-11)
Taylor - not coming ... and no, we still don't know what the "prior commitment" is - it's not like her to say that!
Sammy - coming
Marcus - coming
Erin - still hasn't responded (and I'm going to tell you the full story with her as soon as you respond! because it might not be done yet ... hee hee)
Rory (last-minute addition by John ... he's *very* athletic but kind of nice) - maybe for the last half
And Dr. Delaney had a "serious talk" with Crazy Mr. Banton!! Meagan and Andrea tried to eavesdrop, but all to no avail. Meagan thinks she heard Dr. Delaney going, "violence is not an option ..." and Andrea thinks she heard "... to vent your anger" but I'm not sure. I sure hope he gets either (a) a memo saying "YOU ARE FIRED" or (b) a completely new personality!
friends forevah :o)
gryffins always!
Jillia the Gryffinlady
Sandria ...
I'm really worried about you! It's one day before Halloween and I still haven't gotten anything from you! It's been nearly two and a half weeks! Is something wrong at Hogwarts??
worriedly yours,
Jill
Dear Jillia,
I'm so sorry I haven't written in so long! It's one day before Halloween as I write this to you ... and actually I think something *MIGHT* be wrong at Hogwarts!!!!!!!! It's a long story though, so hold tight!
Did I tell you about Draco Malfoy? I'm not sure if I did. He's the biggest bully in the school and he has these two huge friends that walk with him everywhere, everybody calls them Crabbe and Goyle but I'm not sure if those are their real names or what. He's usually after Harry Potter. Well, yesterday I was asking Amy for advice on how to handle and organize all my schoolwork ... because the teachers are starting to give me stern looks whenever they hand out tests or quizzes and it's making me terrified! She said we should go back in a corner so nobody heard, and so we were behind the stairs which is usually our secret room after dinner, and once everyone had gone upstairs, we heard Draco Malfoy's voice - he'd lagged behind - talking to Crabbe and Goyle! Amy has a really good memory ... so together afterward we pieced together what we'd heard and wrote it down **RIGHT** away in the common room!!!!!!!!!! Here is is:
Draco: Now remember, *I'm* going to do the potion. You just have to create a distraction.
Crabbe (we think! I don't know them that well but Amy can detect voices pretty well): A dib - a what?
Draco: AUGH! Does anything I say STAY in your stupid heads?! Here's the plan: stay in the entrance hall and wave your wands around and make a LOT of noise ... and Goyle, you say "Vocifus Uludium", that'll create the sounds of an explosion that should bring the entire school out there. Then I slip over to Harry's place in the confusion and drop the poison in, okay? Got that?
Goyle: So I say Voki Uludum ...
Draco: NO! Okay, never mind that ... just when we go in for the Halloween Feast, you two STAY BEHIND and make a WHOLE BUNCH of noise!
Crabbe: Okay. I can make noise. In our common room?
Draco: NO!!!! In the entrance hall! Got it?
Crabbe: Uh ... yeah.
Goyle: Sure, Master!
Draco: Don't fail me. Let's go; Snape will be looking for me.
Amy says all I have to do is tell Harry ... and I'm going to now ... so wish me luck! I'm kind of scared, actually.
I did it! He **THANKED** me!! I **SPOKE** to him!! Now all I gotta do is chew on my nails until the feast tomorrow night ... please don't let Harry be poisoned! (And Ron and Hermione, his friends, talked to me too. Hermione says anytime I need help to come to them ... and she's the best student in the SCHOOL so I'm thinking of asking *her* for help about my grades, too! D'ya think I should?? *smiles* I'm almost really, really excited ... but I'm so, so scared about tomorrow. What if it was a trap? What if Malfoy finds out I told them and poisons ME instead?? I won't be able to eat at my first Halloween feast!! And Dumbledore's got dancing skeletons and a huge storytelling jack-o-lantern and EVERYTHING!! *deep breath* I'm really nervous.)
I have to go soon but about the stuff in your letter:
1. John's party sounds AWESOME! I kind of wish I could be there ... but the Halloween feast is going to be *SO* eventful ... perhaps more eventful than I'd like ... oh dear!
2. Good going, Dr. Delaney!!!!!!!! Now fire him!!!!! *grin*
3. What are you going to be for Halloween??????
4. TELL ME ABOUT JOHN AND ERIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Even though I think I already know what you're going to say. *wink* I'm already laughing!!!! So did she R.S.V.P. yet?? Or Rory?? She BETTER! It's nearly time for the party!!!! Wasn't there an R.S.V.P. deadline or something, joint planner?? :) He's tall now? I don't remember him being tall. I guess he's grown ... I bet you all look so different ...)
5. Did you ask / did Taylor tell about her "prior commitment?" You're right ... that's not like her at *ALL*. Of course I haven't seen you all in what ... a few months ... *grin*
much love from HOGWARTS!
and you're the best friend in the world ... and sorry if I can't write for awhile if the potion "gets me" because we still don't know what it does! Don't even think about what I'm thinking about ... *shudders!!!!*
**Sandria** the [Harry-Saver ... LOL!!] ~Smiler~
Ah ... hee hee ... a cliffhanger ... YAY! :) You liking this so far?? I am, but you know, I care about whether you do, too, of course! =P Anybody think there should be Tamora Pierce fan fiction?? (Random question again ... but hey ... where else can I ask these things? When you're answering also tell me about the fic. *grin*)
