Entry 3

The end of my first day here. So much has happened today, I don't know where to begin... I'll start with breakfast. I got up very late; everyone else had gone down to breakfast already. It then took me twenty minutes to find my way down to the Great Hall and sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table. No one came and sat with me, except Peter, he seems like a bit of a loner. I know why – he's not exactly intelligent. He talks a lot though – enough so that I don't have to talk about myself. At breakfast I was given my timetable. My first lesson was double History of Magic.

Peter was chattering away as we walked toward the classroom on the fifth floor. He told me about his Squib brother, Ben, who is sixteen; about how his parents had been afraid that he was going to be a Squib too. I wasn't really listening. I was so surprised that someone was actually choosing to talk to me. I knew it was just because there wasn't anyone else for him to hang around, but it was still a comforting thought. I have a friend. Ha!

Peter and I got to History of Magic just in time. We took the only two seats left – the two right at the front. We sat there in silence – and then I saw something strange. There was a person coming out of the blackboard. I blinked, rubbed my eyes... It was a ghost.

'I am professor Binns', said the ghost. 'I am your teacher. Please take notes'.

I took out my quill and a new roll of parchment and started to write notes about what Binns was saying about famous medieval witches and wizards. I managed to keep writing notes for about five minutes – then I felt my attention wandering.

I turned around to look out of the window, but something else caught my attention. I saw Sirius Black take a frog out of his pocket and put it on the head of the girl in front of him. The frog sat there in between her dark curls, croaking very softly. The girl was staring out of the window. She absent-mindedly put a hand up to push her hair behind her ear, felt the frog sitting there and screamed loudly.

Everyone turned round. Professor Binns, however, was oblivious to all this and carried on solidly with his notes, now droning on about Ambler Gerstein. Meanwhile, the frog jumped off the girl's head and onto the desk with a deafening croak. The girl screamed again and a few people laughed. Sirius stood up and scooped the croaking frog off the desk. The rest of that double lesson was as boring as the first five minutes of it.

The rest of the morning was just as uneventful.

Peter and I spent lunch break in the library, I was hoping for some peace and quiet, and I knew that he would follow me wherever I went. The books are all fascinating! I wrote a few inches more than professor Binns asked for, but I don't want to give anyone an excuse to chuck me out now. Even after a day, Hogwarts is more like home than anything I have ever known.

This afternoon we had our first flying lesson. I was actually very nervous, because usually I like to keep both feet firmly on the ground, but I acted normal. The flying teacher is called Madam Hooch. She's a young witch with short hair, and she's also the Quidditch referee. I heard James telling Sirius about how he'd love to be in the house team. I don't think I could cope with the pressure. But anyway, we were having our flying lessons with the Slytherins, and that was another reason why I wasn't looking forward to it.

We were all told to go and stand next to a broomstick and say 'up'. My broom didn't seem to want to – it just rolled around on the grass. Next to me, Peter wasn't having any better luck. Finally, we were all standing there with our brooms hovering at a height to be able to mount them, Peter with a bloody nose because his broom had hit him. 'Right, when I blow my whistle, kick of lightly and then lean forwards and touch back down', said madam Hooch. But before she had blown her whistle, Peter started going up... 'Lean forwards, you stupid boy!' shouted madam Hooch. But he went higher and higher – and fell with a sickening crunch on the grass. Madam Hooch rushed over 'ok, hospital wing, come on'. Then she turned to the rest of us, who were all standing in a shocked silence. 'If anyone dares to take their feet off the ground they will be out of here before you can say 'Quidditch'.' She shuffled off, Peter leaning on her. His leg looked broken.

One of the Slytherins picked something up off the ground. It was the book Peter had taken out of the library. I stepped forwards. 'Give that to me', I said.

'No, I don't think I will', said the girl.

Sirius and James stepped forwards too.

'Give it here', said Sirius quietly, with a hint of a threat in his voice.

'And what are you going to do, cousin, if I don't?' she sneered at him. He was her cousin...

Sirius gave a bark like laugh. 'Bella', he said, 'I don't give a damn about if. Accio book!'

The book slid out of her hand and neatly in to Sirius's. I was very impressed. Summoning charms is fourth year stuff. 'Thanks', I said to Sirius.

'Forget it', he said, and smiled.

At dinner, I sat with Sirius and James. Peter still wasn't back from the hospital wing

Now I am sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, writing this. Sirius and James are sitting around a table, writing something. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life...

This is the end of entry 3