3rd May 1970

Today was the craziest day.
I woke up as usual: headache, situation with Mandy, situation with other girls, situation with Mandy, chores, then it changed.
I was freaking FOSTERED! By a WITCH! Who is employed by DUMBLEDORE! Insane right? She lives in Scotland in this cute little cabin in the countryside, where I am now. I'm in my new room. I have plans. There's a freakin window seat. I love window seats.

I'm worried. What if she gives me back? What if she doesn't like me and leaves me? The thing is, at the orphanage I didn't know any better. But now I've been here and it's the most beautiful place I've ever been. If I went back now I'd be absolutely miserable. This bed is the softest, comfiest thing I've ever layed or sat on. I took a shower. A shower! I have real. Life. Clothes. What if I have to go back.

5th May 1970

I'm not able to be happy here because I'm scared to be sent back. Minnie invited me to go out and plant flowers, bake, just be happy but I'm scared to be happy.

6th May 1970
Minnie asked me if I would like to talk to someone. I seemed really sad. Really? I agreed. Why not? Tomorrow I'm going to a therapist.

7th May 1970

I went to that therapist and now life is good.
I woke up at 9, got dressed and went into the living room. Minnie asked me to go pick strawberries. I brought them in and we ate them with pancakes. It was delicious. Then we flooded to the thing.
I was so nervous. I was scared it would turn out like some sort of messed up Scooby-Doo episode: "I it wasn't for you meddling psychiatrists I could've gotten away with it!"
It started with the therapist and me without Minnie.

She said she knew the outline of what was going on. That I was an orphan with a troubled past and I was having a hard time settling in.

I told her I was scared of being sent back if I put a toe out of line. I didn't want to have fun because I would know what I was missing out on. She then asked me to sit in the hall as she talked to Minnie. That lasted for like 20 minutes. I brought a book.

Then we sat all together.
The therapist said that there was no need to worry because I wasn't going to be sent back. Minnie nodded and looked me in the eye.

"I am not sending you back. You are staying with me." She said clearly. I couldn't help but smile.

The therapist said I should continue to come because I still had a "traumatic past."
I don't even care. I'm not going back to the orphanage.

10th May 1970

I'm having so much fun. So far I've done so much.
We went fishing, We did a lot of gardening, baking, and a bunch of stuff. We went to a muggle paint store and got the color I want to paint my room (it's a secret, I'll get a picture and glue it in later). We are planning what we're going to do with my room. Oh and Zoë is coming to visit soon! I'm so excited.

15th May 1970

Every Wednesday Minnie and I walk to the little village center to buy food. I met a girl there. She's almost as old as me, a month younger. She was born 29th of March, my birthday is the 30th of April. Anyways, the town is so cute. It's picture perfect. I love my life right now.

17th May 1970

Aunt Lydia said Zoë can come and visit tomorrow! I'm so excited. I've already planned everything. Minnie and I planted strawberries. There are leaves! Today is really rainy. I'm sitting in the window seat with a cup of tea. I'm turning British! I have to stop it. Oh it's dinner! Bye!

19th May 1970

Zoe came over yesterday. We had so much fun. Minnie picked her up early in the morning. When she got here I showed her around (she loved my window seat).

I showed her our plants and all the new books I've been reading. We sat in my room (on the window seat of course) and talked. She told me how miserable the orphanage was without me. A new girl took my bed and she was as bad as Mandy. Poor Zoë.

She only had her pillowcase and she was filthy so I told her to take a shower, using my wonderful smelling vanilla shower gel. I gave her a big fluffy towel and some clothes. She was so happy she was glowing.

She had a navy blue shirt with a big yellow smiley face with the phrase "have a nice day" printed under it. I also gave her a pair of my most comfortable sweats. She looked so happy. Her usually pale face was tinged with pink. Her freckles where not as prominent and she looked more healthy.

Then we ate. I told her to not eat porridge at the orphanage (that rhymes) because we would have breakfast here. She ate faster than I've ever seen.

We started the project in my room: paint. We moved out all the furniture (Minnie put a protective cover on the window seat) we covered the floor in plastic and put painters tape in the corners and I the "creases" of the wall.

Zoë and I painted the whole room. It was so pretty. We had to let it dry so we decided to set up camp in the living room because we couldn't sleep in mine. We took the mattress from my room and Zoë slept on that. She agreed that it was super comfortable. I took the couch.

We set up a tent using chairs and a big blanket. We piled pillows and brought our stuffed animals. I had a new one I got from Minnie, Zoë had one that she's had forever. Almost as long as I've had this book. We sat up with a flashlight and told scary stories. It felt like forever but we probably didn't stay up long.

We got into bed/couch and just talked about how awesome this was and how we have to do this more often. I feel bad for leaving her there. I wish she could stay here. But Minnie has a hat enough time with me. I can't believe I've already been here for 16 days. What if I stay the rest of my life?

1st June 1970
For the time since I've been here, I sent Zoë food using Minnie's owl. I send it late at night so no one notices. I've had so much fun, I've never been happier.

I still go to school in the same place I went to when I lived in the orphanage. I see everyone from the orphanage every week day from 8:30 to 15:15 except on Wednesdays. Then we stop at 12.
And weekends of course. But being in a class with Zoë means I'm also in a class with Mandy and the new girl. Zoë was right, she is an ass.

Allow me to explain:
I met Zoë at the train station as usual. I get to the train station by flooing to the wizards underground transport (it's not literally underground, just hidden).

We walked to school. It's a very nice walk. Through a forest and you can hear the river. The school is at the bottom of a big hill. Zoë and I where walking down just talking and suddenly there's a whoosh and a pain in my arm. A group of people on their bikes went flying by, not caring who they almost squished.

Zoë told me who it was. I was a little angry and my shoulder hurt. When we got to school Zoë and I sat at our normal places. The new girl, I didn't even try to learn her name, complained to the teacher that her arm hurt because I hit her with my bike. EXCUSE ME?!

My bike isn't here, I don't even own one. I'M the one who was almost flattened, I'M the one who's shoulder hurts, HOW DARE SHE.

So the teacher made ME sharpen her pencils all day. Zoë and I complained but the teacher wouldn't budge. She'll get what's coming to her soon enough.

3rd June 1970

My room is officially re decorated and the cutest room ever.

The walls are light pink. The old bed had bedbugs so we had to buy a new mattress. They didn't have a mattress so Minnie said because she picked me up after by birthday, I could get a new bed as a birthday present.

I moved the bed to the left and the bookshelf to the right. I painted the whole bookshelf brown so it matches my pillows and whatever. The bookshelf is slowly filling.

Zoës birthday is next week. She hasn't seen my room yet so I'm bringing her here and we are having a mini party seeing as the orphanage doesn't care.

9th June 1970

Zoe's birthday was today. We had school so I brought her breakfast to school. We ate on the way. I brought some pancakes and a thermos of the fruit juice I made.

Luckily, school wasn't too bad. Then she flooes home with me. I made her take a shower again (the water at the orphanage doesn't get the status "clean") then I showed her my room. She loved it . We sat in the window for hours until we sat in the window and ate instead of in the kitchen. Minnie and I baked a cake the day before, chicolate. We (me, Zoë Minnie, and Minnie's husbad Elphinstone.) I was sad to see her leave.

I realized that I haven't talked about Elphinstone too much. He's an auror and works a lot. He's really nice and a great cook. We have "cooking lessons" where, as the title suggests, he teaches me to cook. Him and Minnie are so freakin cute.

12 June 1970

The summer holidays have started! Do you know what that means? It means that the orphanage doesn't really care where Zoë is. She can come over more often!

I flipped further into the diary. I didn't need to read about the adventures of Zoë and Jaz.
~~
24th December 1970

This has been the best Christmas.
I woke up, I usually don't look forward to Christmases because I never got anything, except from Zoë. Her gifts are always so thoughtful.

I woke up and went into the living room where we sat up the tree a few days ago. There where gifts. Minnie was in the kitchen and Elphinstone was sitting at the living room writing some sort of report. I went up to Minnie and hugged her and said merry Christmas. I went to Elphinstone and did the same. I opened the presents and Minnie came in from the kitchen and watched me from her rocking chair. She looked exhausted.

I got some art supplies and a bunch of cool books. I thanked them so many times. Then I opened the one from Zoë. It was small and flat. It was wrapped in cloth. I unwrapped it and inside was a picture frame with the first picture ever taken of us together.

When we were 8 we went to a carnival with the orphanage. We had used all our money but there was a photo booth that only cost 50 cents for 2 pictures, one for each. Mandy stole mine and ripped it up. I was devastated and cried for a week. And yet, Here was a picture. Zoë gave hers to me.

Then there was the last picture taken of us. A moving Polaroid from Zoe's birthday. It was me and her smiling from ear to ear laughing with cake all over our faces. I read the note and it said it was charmed so if a muggle saw it, it would be totally still but magic people can see it move. She said it works and she knows because she can't see it move.

The frame had many open places for other pictures. The note said it was so we could add more as we got older and had more adventures. I cried.

Then I remembered I had a gift for Minnie and Elphinstone. I went to get them from my room and gave them their presents. Minnie's eyes were watery and Elphin had the biggest smile. Minnie opened hers first. I gave her hand knitted socks. They were really bad and had bumps and odd colors and uneven stitches but she claimed they were wonderful and she wore them the rest of the day. Then elphinstone opened his. I made him a hand knitted hat that was just as bad as the socks. He too loved it and wore it the rest of the day.

Then Zoë came and we played out in the snow. We made snowmen and snow angels. We are building an igloo next. We came in soaking and cold so we had hot chocolate with marshmallows and cinnamon. While we were outside Minnie made chocolate chip cookies and we ate them fresh out of the oven. We all sat by the fire and snacked and told stories and laughed, it was so fun. I had a family.

We are sleeping by the fireplace. Apparently there's a firework show in the village on New Years. I can't wait.

30th Dec 1970-1st Jan 1971

The rumors were correct. There was a firework show. Zoë has been staying here since Christmas. She's getting fatter which is a great thing. She was really thin, now she's... less thin. She's really happy and that makes me happy. This is the last day before she goes back.

At 11 , the four of us walked down to the town square and found a place to sit. We sat on the edge of the fountain. When there was 5seconds left of 1970 we counted down into the new year and the fireworks started. Zoë and I where mesmerized. I've never seen fireworks up close before. They've always been on the other side of the city and we could only see the sparkles over the tops of the buildings. Now they were right in front of our faces.

I think Minnie snapped a picture.
Then someone came round and gave us sparklers. I've never been happier. If you move the sparkler through the air fast, it leaves a trail of light. You can almost draw in the air.

Minnie made us pose for a picture, I wasn't mad. I wish I could save that moment in my head forever.

~~~

I stopped reading and held the diary close to my heart, closing my eyes, trying to imagine myself back in that moment. Cold, I took off my gloves so didn't drop the glowing stick. My cheeks where frozen solid. The only warmth was from the sparkler but I want miserable. The yellow glow illuminated Zoe's smiling face. My scarf tightly wound around my neck and mouth.

I looked towards the clock. It was midnight. I opened the top drawer of the nightstand beside the bed. I put it inside carefully and closed it. I climbed in between the sheets and pulled them towards my face and fell asleep instantly.