The Grounds.

We're getting off the train and making our way to the carriages now. It is very dark and spooky outside. Blustery and biting; like a terrier. Very Scotland In The Fall type weather. I love it and I hate it. It excites the senses and makes my nose freeze. With the giant castle and the mist and the midnight blue lake, the whole ambiance of the school is given an historical aspect.

And Hogwarts is historical (one of the highest compliments I'll ascribe to anything).

It has been around for more than 1,000 years, and I am lucky to go here, really. I almost missed out on this experience. I am lucky my parents did not decide to send me to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, like they did my older sister, Blessed Bell Ransom. Blessed Bell turned out to be A Snob And A Half because she went to a School For Snobs, so I am lucky that I got to go to Hogwarts and so turned out the level-headed way I am.

"Here they come!" said Camilla excitedly.

The carriages are made to appear as if they run on their own—as if by magic!—so all the little ones receive the full experience, but they are really pulled by animals called Thestrals. I can't see Thestrals, so I can't vouch through first-hand experience of what they look like, but I've read that a person can only see one if she or he has seen someone else die. Moving on. Getting into the carriage.

I guess I am getting more anxious for the school year to start. I know the train and the ride to the castle and the Welcoming Feast and the leading of our new students to their House Common Rooms is all traditional and all very nice, but I have been going here enough terms to just want classes to begin already. It's Wednesday, so we have an entire five days to "prepare"—as it were—for classes on Monday, but I wish Monday were here now. It gets a bit tiring sometimes, having this build up of excitement year after year. I think I might be getting too old for it.

After our Prefects' Meeting—which consisted of a lot of forced politeness and barbed looks on Evans's part—we were all given time slots and a section of The Express to monitor. My bad luck that Camilla quit her Prefect-ship last year and I was left with having to deal with Mara Dice for one hour, but so is life. The Fat Slug most rightly and correctly hates me just as much as I cannot stand her, so the chore of minding the little kiddies was done with minimal conversation.

The one major sore spot during the ride however was reached when I bumped into Sirius Black.

After I had gotten over my momentary brain freeze at seeing him appear so close to me, I gave him one of my superior "Aren't-You-A-Stupid-Sad-Man" smiles. It did not seem to work quite as I wanted it to because Black just proceeded to give me a confused look and meandered on his way down the hallway; presumably to create some sort of mischief with his friends. But I think in the future he will know to watch where he puts his feet, lest he incur greater wrath.

As Black was walking away, Mara Dice looked at his bottom like it was The Most Glorious Creation Ever, but I, of The Classic And Divine Restraint, forced my eyes straight ahead. It was a great win on my part and was an enormous help in cheering me up.

Realizing, of course, that I have yet to mention Sirius Black in full, I will rectify that now.

Two Things You Need To Understand About Him Are:

#1: Black is so often on my mind that it is amazing to me if or when other people need his presence explained.

And #2: Black is such an awful human being that I hate thinking about him and actively try not to do so.

Of course, when you are trying to actively not think of a person, you just end up thinking about that person all the more. I am so stubborn however, that this is not a major set-back for me. As much as I think about Sirius Black, I not think about him more.

I have just contradicted myself.

It is alright however, because this only has to make sense to me as this is my journal and not yours.

To wrap things up, I think it will suffice to say that Sirius Black and I have a bit of a History together.

He is That Boy.

Not the One Who Got Away—if only because I never had him—but That First Crush. "The One" who is so soiled and diseased in my memory, that he has become a permanent fixture in my soul. I cannot get rid of him. I really want to, but I can't. He is so beautiful and arrogant that he's un-get-rid-able. His very existence is useful to me, however, in the fact that it reminds me of how much better a person I am. This is why I make a point everyday of ragging on him.

In my head, Black is ever sorry that he called me an "ugly cow" in third year.

The Great Hall.

"I hope you all had a pleasant trip here!" Our Headmaster began his yearly Welcoming Speech that Returning students and Newcomers alike were forced to listen to. In the past, I have tried to enact Muffling Charms so I don't have to listen to Headmaster Dumbledore's prattle about Things I Am Already Supposed To Know but The Great Hall apparently has an innate magic that prevents this. Oh well. "A very great welcome to our new and returning students! And one to our lovely professors as well!" Dumbledore smiled benignly, looking over at The Gryffindor Table. "I am crossing my fingers, hoping Mr. Potter and his friends have decided to leave off on their pranking, if only for this evening! A bad bet to take, I am sure, but I have the hope that they have grown up and learnt from past mistakes! I have faith!" Dumbledore, unsurprisingly it has to be said, did not sound very concerned if it turned out either way.

From The Gryffindor Table, a tall, long-haired, classically-handsome boy, Black, rose up from his seat. Under everyone's staring, he preened and expanded with ego. "Oh, Dumblebucket, you wound me! How you could think we—!"

"Black, sit down this instant!" our Transfigurations Professor, Minnie McGonagall, yelled, quickly rising. Professor McGonagall isn't the most patient of women at the best of times. When it comes to Sirius Black, Minnie is as cold as the reeds in our Lake. I believe she identifies Black as everything wrong with our generation and that can only be good for my piece of mind. "I will brook no tomfoolery in this Hall!" In her exhilaration, McGonagall's pointy hat was in danger of dropping fully off her head. "Sit down now!"

"But, McGonagall! My heart! Your words cut me deeply! Yes! I am skewered on the blade of my own passion!" It seemed that every girl in The Hall giggled. "Much like Rombleton is skewered by his blade in Shaker's play!"

"That is enough, Mr. Black!" Professor McGonagall said. "Cease this disruption and sit down right now!"

Sirius Black pouted. "I don't want to! Look around, Minnie Mouse! They love when I stand up like this! What kind of wizard would I be, to deprive my audience of such a glorious opportunity?"

"Feast for the eyes!" Potter, Black's best friend, fellow annoying cohort (and Evans's bane) agreed. Though to give Potter his credit, he looked to be trying to pull Black back onto the bench.

"Oh!" Professor McGonagall glared at them. "Dumbledore, I…this is unacceptable!"

"Yes, yes, Minerva," the Headmaster said with a sigh. "I know. Boys!" he addressed the Gryffindor 7th years as a whole, which I thought funny but a little unfair—on Potter's left, it looked like Remus Lupin was trying to sink into his seat, "Please refrain from any rough-housing until you get to your Common Room." Not looking very placated, Professor McGonagall sat back down. "One more thing of note, my children: The Forbidden Forest, as always, remains Forbidden. Now, I believe it is time we all tucked in! Thank you!" The Headmaster gathered up his trailing beard and got down from the dais.

"Merlin!" said Lucille, once people could start talking again. "Can you believe him?"

"Are you referring to Sirius Black or Professor Dumbledore?" Camilla, who was sitting on my other side, asked breathlessly, perhaps a little charmed despite herself. "Because I can believe anything of Sirius Black. Anything! That boy practically runs our school!"

I looked up from my writing, offended. "No, he does not! No, he does not, Camilla! And I won't hear a word otherwise! You want to know who runs our school? I will tell you: Albus Dumbledore runs our school. Not some trumped up schoolboy with a fetish for sparkly scarves!"

Lucille rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows you hate him. No need to go on about it every day and Sunday."

"I do not g—."

"Who do you hate?" Tamara asked, focused intently on my face, and leaning in more to better hear my answer. "I never thought you could hate anybody, Evie! You're too nice!"

"Thank you," I said, surprised.

Lucille smiled at Tamara. "That was very nice, Tammy! But really, Evelyn, you're going to have to stop going on about him so much. He has spies! Any one of them could hear you. And then we'll be worse off than third year."

"Spies in Ravenclaw?" I asked. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it!" Lucille said, cocking her head in the direction of Fat Lump Mara Dice. I glanced over as well. Mara reportedly has the biggest, most gigantic crush ever on Sirius Black, and I am actually surprised I momentarily forgot this piece of Absolutely Vital Information. In the future, I need to stay more on top of things (note sarcasm). "She could squeeze you like a pimple," warned Lucille.

"Like one of her pimples," I muttered, going back to my food.

Tamara started giggling. "Evie!" she said, scandalized. "That's mean!"

"I am sorry," I replied. Not Contrite At All. "I'm a bad influence on you. You shouldn't listen to me."

"True," Lucy said, and then actually proceeded to coax Tamara's attention away from me and onto the serving dishes. Ah, good girl.

I looked to my right at Camilla, wondering why she was being so this evening. "What's up?" I said. I gestured at the assortment of foods we had available; Camilla's plate was empty. Noting how thin she was already, this was not good. "Why aren't you eating? It's going to all disappear soon."

Camilla shrugged. "You know it replenishes anyway. And I'm not hungry."

"It doesn't matter. Big night ahead and all. You should be eating. What with trudging up to The Common Room and going straight to bed. You need your energy to sleep, baby girl!"

"I'll get something in a few," Camilla assured me. "I just want to think for a minute."

I waited a long minute, hoping Cam would enlighten me as to what she wanted to think about. "Yes?"

"I miss Alex," she mumbled finally. "We shouldn't have broken up."

I gasped. "Blasphemer!"

"It's true!" Camilla maintained. "We were good together, you know it! Two years, Evie! He's the only boy I've ever known! What am I supposed to do now that he's gone?"

"You're supposed to not be thinking about him!" I told her. "It's our Cardinal Rule. We made up a whole list, remember? And what was at the top? No Thinking About Alex Riktus Whatsoever."

"It was a stupid list," grumbled Camilla. "I shouldn't have to stick by it. Rules were meant to change. I'm thinking of getting back together with him, anyway."

"Has he said something to you?" I asked suspiciously. One of my jobs as Best Friend was to make sure this did not happen. Camilla was not meant to be with Alexander Riktus. Riktus, being a devil-worshipper, it boded ill for their future offspring. "You should tell me if he is harassing you. I'll bring it up at the next Prefects' Meeting. Featherbutt should be able to do something about it."

Camilla laughed, momentarily diverted by the topic at hand—what you, Dear Reader, will soon come to know as, The Great Anthony Featherbutt Debate. "His name is Featherhead," she corrected. "He can't like you calling him that. And why do you, by the way? I've forgotten."

I smirked in remembrance. "I transfigured a bird's tail onto his arse once. It was magnificent."

"You did that!"

"Keep it down!" I said, making sure the only people who overheard were people I was comfortable with overhearing (i.e. one other person: Lucy). "No one really knows! They think Lucius Malfoy did it."

"But you look nothing like him!" Camilla said. "Why would they think that?"

"Having your arse transfigured by a Slytherin boy, especially one who graduated four years ago, is infinitely more manly-sounding than having it transfigured by a girl," I replied with a snicker. "And Anthony swore me not to tell. It was his price for not running to a professor and making me serve detention. Though I think he was being unjust. He started it. He was the one who tripped me up in the hallway and made me rip my tights. I really liked those tights. They were never the same after that. Not even my mum could reparo them."

"It's 'Anthony' now, is it?" Camilla asked, latching onto the only thing that would naturally interest her. "Intriguing!"

"Not really. He's pretty boring, if you ever get a chance to talk with him."

Camilla shook her head. "No. I meant that—."

"Look!" I interrupted, pointing at the table with my fork. "Scalloped potatoes! Yum! May I serve you some?"

Ravenclaw 6th year Girl's Dorm Room.

"So, to commence our meeting of the minds, Evie, will you give us a speech?"

Confused, and absolutely not wanting to give a speech at all, I said, "But I thought I was doing the minutes! I always do the minutes!"

"Will you just say something already?" Mara Dice exclaimed, yanking a pillow away from her eyes and glaring at me. She was sitting up in bed, looking like a big frou-frou spotty elephant. "I hate that we have to do this. Why do we have to do this every year? I just want some fucking sleep. I don't even like you that much!"

"Hey!" Lucille barked, coming to my defense, as I looked to be made speechless by Mara's tactlessness. "You know this is Tradition. You know we have to do this. Once you graduate, Mara, I am sure you will have fond memories of this. Mark my words."

"I hate all of you!" Mara grumbled. "But, continue, Ransom." She gave me a rather nasty smile. "Make your speech. I know how good of a public speaker you are! Third year, wasn't it, when you wet your pants?"

"I thought we weren't set on the speech-maker yet," I said, valiantly disregarding her. I hated Bad Attention. It made me go all splotchy. "I am a much better note-taker. I don't see why Lucille ca—."

"Fine!" Lucille interrupted. "I'll do it." She paused to clear her throat. "…On this day, Wednesday, September 1st, 1976, the 6th year Ravenclaw Girls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hereby acknowledge and welcome the coming year into our minds and hearts and bodies, in the specific hope that at term's end in July, we will have accomplished what we set out to accomplish ten months ago."

"And what was that?" Camilla asked the room.

I was already flipping through my journal.

"I can't find it," I told her apologetically. "I forgot that I start a new one each summer."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Mara said. "Get this over with, Lucille!"

"Fine," said Lucy. "Everyone, grab the hand of the person sitting next to you."

"I am not getting up!" Mara felt the need to remind us. "I am all tucked in. And I am not touching sticky Camilla's hand anyway. She probably has semen smeared all over it!"

I frowned. "Hey!"

"This isn't my tradition," Mara added.

"It used to be," whispered Lucille. "Before you went all Betrayer on us."

"What was that?" Mara asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Why don't you go to sleep? I agree with you about this not involving you. You are, in fact, ruining the peaceful environment that we've been trying to establish for the past fifteen minutes."

"Fine!" said Mara, immediately picking up her wand and spelling her bed curtains shut. Camilla and I exchanged pleased glances when she added a Silencing Charm; that meant we could gossip about Mara all we wanted and she wouldn't be any the wiser as to what we were talking about.

I gave a salute. "Well rid of you, fat beast!" I turned my head only to receive Lucy's severe look.

"You didn't have to do that," she said. "You could have been more diplomatic about it."

"In the future," I said, "Tamara will handle all our diplomacy."

"What's 'diplomacy'?" Tamara asked, sounding pleased that she was finally being addressed.

I gave her a wary look. "Pardon?"

"Let's finish up!" Lucille ordered loudly. "What are all our wishes for this year?"

"I would like to get a boyfriend!" said Tamara at once.

"Well, that should be easy." I smiled at her, envying for a moment her glossy brown hair and perfect tan skin. Boys liked shiny things. "You get hit on all the time."

"That is true," said Lucille. "I can help you there." Lucille smiled at all of us around the circle. I felt her squeeze my hand. "My wish is for me to do better in Astronomy."

"An admirable one!" I replied, wanting to encourage staying on topics other than that of Boys for fear we would all get a bit too silly. Astronomy was a good choice. A quick glance at Camilla told me that she didn't quite appreciate this change in subject.

"What about you, Evie?" Tamara asked.

I paused, remembering #1 on My List from earlier today. "I would like to get on The Quidditch Team," I admitted.

"Really?" Lucy said. I had no way to tell if her enthusiasm was faked. "That's great! Have you been prac—?"

"I have a wish," Camilla put in before Lucy could finish her sentence. "Like Tamara, I'd like to get a boyfriend. Preferably the one I just had."

I started groaning. "Camilla!"

"What?"