The Grounds.

Rejoice, for The Weekend is finally here! I have had a Very Busy Week and it feels Fantastic to me to just be able to rest for a bit.

"Are you ready?"

But of course I cannot rest. I have to walk to The Quidditch Pitch right now to practice with M.F.R.G. for the upcoming season. Merlin, is it cold.

You did not think that we took the yearly Resolution List very Seriously?

Well, I am here to tell you that we do.

#1: Camilla is already back with her (cough, splutter!)…Boyfriend Of Old, Alexander Riktus, and after two days they still appear to be Going Stronger Than Ever, pashing in every corridor—looking absolutely, absolutely ridiculous: like two badgers (and we know about badgers: once they latch on to something, they never let go).

I so dearly wanted this time around to be different. I actually wanted this time around to Never Happen. But it is not meant to be. Camilla Jones is just not the type of person to be once burned, twice cautious. Camilla would rather skip-de-loo around Rationality, and land straight on the Absurdity Circle.

#2: In the spare time we have had for such things—which is not much—Lucille and I have been working on her Astronomy Grade. It is yet very early in the year, so if we keep at it, Lucy should achieve her goal.

So far, we have re-copied all of her notes, going over each star and sun chart minutely, searching for mistakes. It turns out that Lucille was unaware as to whom precisely Hipparchus was. As a Firm Lover of Antiquity, this seems unbelievable to me.

It is also unbelievable how Lucille could have gotten an Exceeds Expectations on her Astronomy OWL in the first place. But perhaps Aurora Sinistra took pity on her and owled the Ministry; since anything less than an EE in Astronomy—where you look at fecking white dots on a blue backboard—is tantamount to a Year Three Literacy. And you might as well drop out of school if that is the case, because there is obviously nothing anyone anywhere ever will be able to teach you.

Another example of How Far Behind Lucille Is:

Early Thursday Morning, directly after Lucille got back from Astronomy class with Tamara in tow, I fished out a Mini-Quiz I had been working on for the both of them. Lucille could not tell me any of the moons around Jupiter.

For their OWL's, 5th years are required to know and chart Jupiter's moons.

Lucille is now a 6th year.

You see the Ignorance I have to deal with.

No matter. We will just have to work harder.

#3: I do not think Tamara needs any help with Getting A Boyfriend, and so I am not helping her, but Lucille happens to be working on it. Thanks to Lucille's supposed swain, Remus Lupin, Tamara is meeting and getting acquainted with all sorts of other boys Lupin's age.

Tamara is a sweet girl, but I do not think she is Ready For A Relationship with Anyone.

Especially a seventeen-year-old boy.

What Tamara wants is someone who will Sweep Her Off Her Feet, and Carry Her Away Into The Sunset On A Broom/White Steed, Where They Will Then Commence With The True Love Making And Happiness Ever After. I do not think such a person exists in the realms of adolescent boys, but perhaps I am wrong. I also do not think the concepts of "True Love" or "Happiness Ever After" exist but I am not so cold-hearted as to ruin Tamara's dream by telling her this. She will find out soon enough.

Also: We have been over this before, but I feel I need to reiterate: as thick as Tamara can be sometimes, seventeen-year-old boys are much, much thicker. Someone needs to be smart in the relationship if it is going to have a chance of working out, so I can already tell Things Are Doomed, because all the smart boys are already taken.

#4: I am Number Four and Not Number One, because we all already know my desire is to get That Chaser Spot On The Quidditch Team.

I would not call myself a superb flyer, but I am pretty decent. I have been sneaking out to fly since I was old enough to attend Hogwarts, and I am getting better each time I practice (imagine!). In two weeks, when try-outs finally begin, I should be prepared for whatever Heathcote decides to throw at me.

(Edit: I also will not allow myself to Lose, so really, there is nothing to worry about.)

"Are you ready?" Lucille asked again, looking pointedly at My Journal.

I nodded.

"Then get on your broom, you lazy thing!" Lucille swung up herself and vaulted into the air. I am not sure on why Lucy feels she has to fly with me every day when I am clearly the better athlete, but such is the Bossy Way of Lucille Sawyers. Since it was the weekend, we of course were not the only ones On The Pitch, but thankfully—I would not know how to cope if Black were Spying On Me—no one seemed to be paying us any mind.

"Yes, mum."

"This is your wish, to fly, is it not?" asked Lucille, turning her broom so she could glare at me. "Because all I have heard for the past three months is you going on about Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch! Stop me if this isn't your wish and you want to get down, because I am here to help you!"

"It's my wish."

"Well, then act like it!" said Lucille.

"Do you not see me holding a broom?" I said. "Am I not now kicking up into the air?" I lifted off on my borrowed school broom. Before try-outs begin, I will have to make a sneak-trip into Hogsmead to purchase one of my own. "Am I not now in the air? Lucille, I am practicing!"

"Well, good!"

"Yes! Yes, it is." I was no longer reticent about the Cold Air, because I had affected a warming charm around me. I was now very much exhilarated and loving every second of it. "We left the set on the ground, didn't we?"

Lucille swooped over to Tamara and Camilla, sitting in The Stands and doing homework. "Ladies!" Lucille called. "Please unleash the Quaffles!"

Outside The Great Hall.

Back from a Rigorous Workout on The Pitch. After a while, I had started to overheat due to my warming charm so I finite-ed it. As a result, I am Cold-Sweating Buckets. What is more, is the feeling has been increased ten-fold ever since we stepped foot inside the heated school. I desperately need a shower, but I am also starving. This is a New Development as my stomach never seems to be empty enough to growl.

Perhaps I am losing weight at last?

I have been filling up on hot tea more in the past few days than I have on chocolate and cream-cheese pastries, this is true. I have just had too much on my mind to think about what Sweets My Body Has Been Craving. Apparently, my body stopped craving the sweets and started craving caffeine. Maybe my Stomach Will Continue Eating Itself and by next week, I will actually have a waist. Something to hope for, though I doubt I have that much self-control.

The Great Hall is just to our right so I believe we are going to eat first.

"Ooh, food!" We all sat down and Camilla, Lucille, and I watched in amusement as Tamara loaded up with just about one of everything on The Table.

Another Background on Tamara:

Tamara loves food and eats about nine times a day. Due to the Heart Medication she takes, Tamara is required by her Muggle Doctor to consume upwards of 4,000 calories every day. This is hard to do when her stomach is about the size of a sickle-piece. Unfortunately, at her current weight of about eight stone, Tamara's metabolism is Evidently Still Getting The Best Of Her and causing her to shrink like someone not eating at all. Tamara is of average height, but due to her bone density, she looks like a skeleton. People have begun to notice and comment, and it is currently causing Tamara Much Grief—one reason I do not feel so envious!

Certainly, it is not like the poor girl can help it!

(Edit: I should note that Lucille and Camilla are only aware that It Is Vital for Tamara to Eat Vast Quantities; I think they are currently under the assumption that she is Hypoglycemic, which of course is also true)

I have dreams of being able to eat Every Fuck-All Thing I Want and Not Gain A Pound, but if the price is a bad heart and poor health then I guess I would rather be slightly chubby as I am now.

On the sly, I am searching the Restricted Section—via permission from Flitwick, of course—for a Cure.

It is almost purely academic however, so please no thinking I am a Closet Softie, because I am not. (Grin!) Looking over, Lucille looks like she would prefer to shower before she faces the chance of having Remus Lupin come in and see her all sweaty and disgusting. But she is too stubborn to say anything about it and race upstairs. Good girl, I say. Good girl.

However, it looks like Our Solitude will still be Broken by Black, because he is making his way over to The Ravenclaw Table as I write this sentence. It would behoove me to put My Journal away, but like all Addicts, I have a Compulsion—I just cannot seem to stop.

"Raisin."

Why Black feels he has to bother me on my Off-Day when I am sitting with my friends, I do not know. Today is supposed to be Sirius-Black Free. If he expects a conversation then he has come to the wrong place. Over the top of my book, I noticed Lucille grinning cat-like at Camilla. Why the two of them think something sordid is going on is beyond me.

I do not understand anything anymore.

"Raiiiisin!"

"What?" I said, setting aside My Beloved Journal, and whispering a protective charm over it to keep it undisturbed. "Have you somehow forgotten that we're not supposed to see each other today, Black? Because there is still time to remember."

"I had a question to ask you," said Black. "About the notes."

I blinked in surprise. Yesterday, I had magically re-copied another packet for Black—this one complete with notes from The History of Magic class I had just had. The fact that he had even looked at them after his destruction of the previous copy was suspicious. "You actually read them?"

"Well…"

I sighed. "Black. Either sit down or leave, but stop standing there looking like an ape who's lost his banana."

Black actually laughed. "Fine!" He sat down in the now Curiously Empty Space next to me. I glanced at my friends, wondering why they were not helping me out at all—especially Lucille, who seemed to have developed a personal enmity against Black for getting her last name wrong yesterday. For a moment, I was truly gob-smacked that I had invited Black to even sit down at all. For a moment, I was truly gob-smacked that Black had accepted my invitation and sat down.

Having decided that Black's Agenda Was Obvious—he wanted to harass me of course!—I relaxed as much as I could. "What's the trouble?" I said. "Do you have the notes with you?"

"Yea, hold on, let me get them out."

"I am glad you're taking some initiative, Black."

"Here they are."

I took the sheaf of parchments out of Black's hands, flipping through them. "They all seem to be here." I was surprised. "Have you really read them?"

Black, deciding that the breakfast on our table looked better in his mouth than out on the serving dishes, started fixing himself a plate. "I even used that spell you taught me. The one to increase my ability to retain memory."

"Good."

"I am confused on dates, though," Black continued. "Could you make up a chart for me?"

I stared at Black; really, truly, honestly curious as to where all this enthusiasm was coming from. "Sure," I said. "I would be delighted to make up a chart for you. I'll have it for you by Monday."

Black smiled, biting into the Incredibly Large Sausage Sandwich he had just fixed up. A bit of juice dribbled down his chin. "Fantastic!"

Ravenclaw 6th year Girls' Dorm Room.

"What is going on with you and Black?" Lucille said, moving to Tower Over Me by standing next to my bed curtains. I was sitting in bed, propped up by my pillows, contemplating transfiguring my bear into a cold compress. In the end I decided not to, because I felt too lazy to wave my wand.

Camilla and Tamara chose that particular moment to join Lucille. A second later, all three were ensconced up around me, squished like sausage-links, legs folded Indian-Style.

"Uh…"

"You know what I'm getting at. Don't pretend ignorance!"

"I am not pretending!"

"Oh, right!" Lucille said, unconvinced. "Next thing you'll tell me is that you're suddenly in love with Mara Dice!"

"Well, I have to admit that that won't ever happen." Tamara giggled and I let myself smile a bit. "But I still am just as clueless as you. Yesterday, Black hated the fact that I was tutoring him!"

"Maybe he still does," suggested Camilla. "Maybe he's just taking McGonagall's advice now and not showing it?"

I scoffed. "Black can't ever hide his feelings. He's too stupid."

"Evelyn!"

"What?" I said. "It's true. Aren't I right, Lucille?"

"She is right," Lucille said. "Black is dumber than many an inanimate object."

"How did he get so many OWL's then?" asked Camilla.

"He has an…Aptitude," I said finally, for lack of a more appropriate word, though that seemed to fit just fine in this situation. "Unfortunately, it's pretty high, from what I hear. Lucille and I call him dumb, because he's throwing it away and not applying himself."

"So says the girl who never applies herself," answered Camilla.

"I don't need to apply myself," I replied. "I'm Top Of Our Class."

"That's hypocritical of course!" Lucille said, voicing her opinion loudly, as she was wont to do. "If Black needs to apply himself, then so do you."

"I apply myself more than Black does!"

"Barely!"

"Hey now! Who's tutoring whom now, hmm? Black is the one who's in Trouble With His Grades, not me."

"This is true," said Camilla. "Alright, Evie, Lucille and I will stop interrogating you. We're just curious as to what Black thinks he's up to."

All three girls stared at me in the Hope That I Would Enlighten Them. I wished I could have. I really wished it.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't know." I looked to Lucille, remembering Lupin. "Why don't you ask your boyfriend what Black is about? They spend all their time together. Maybe I'm about to be a part of Some Prank."

"Don't say that!" said Camilla. "You'll jinx yourself!"

"Are we sure that it matters? I don't exactly have that far to sink in the social order, frankly."

"Oh, stop whinging!" cried Lucille. Tamara, like a puppet, nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to Remus about Black. Though why he'll confide in me, after only two dates, I don't know."

"So you are seeing him!" I said.

Lucille glowered. "Obviously."

"Shall we play a game of Snap, then?" Camilla asked, rising up from my bed and diffusing the tension.

Tamara clapped her hands together. "Yes, let's!"

Even though I Had Several Bad Feelings about What Black Was Up To, I still could not erase the Curiosity and, alright…uh, Joy…I felt in someone actually supposedly benefiting from my Instruction. Regardless that that person happened to be Black. And Regardless that that person happened to be Snotty. Come Monday, I would have That Chart ready for him.