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Gryffindor Tower
3rd September 1998
Dear Diary,
Yes, I didn't write at all yesterday evening. Natalie and I drew the curtains round our beds and had a massive "explain". Like, who Thaklia was (from me) and what school was like last year (from her). I'm thinking we were much, much better off in Kentish Town. I'm almost scared how much better off we were in Kentish Town. And somehow Natalie seems to still think I qualify for sympathy!
We didn't really finish our explain last night, so much as put it on pause. But tonight I simply Had to write to Julie and Thaklia & Meck to tell them how things are and about Pam being in Slytherin, so Natalie went off to write home herself and now it sounds like she's chatting to Regina Haddercott over on the other side of the dorm, so I thought I'd better scribble a bit here too. They're just chatting, not like Natalie and I were last night, like we're friends. I mean friends-friends. It's kind of nice to have a friend. We went round together today, and I didn't feel as tiny spare-part-ish as I always have in the past.
Natalie and I are in most of the same classes. That's all a bit jumbled up this year. There are the First years, as usual – the really first years who are only 11. Then everything else is split – there are the Upper First years, and Second years, and upper second years, all the way up to the Seventh years. The Upper classes are for everyone who only got part way through the school year last year, but don't need to re-do the whole year, and the teachers say all the classes will take account of last year's "challenges" and not expect us to start quite as far on as usual. There's an Upper Seventh, too, but they're on some kind of individual arrangements per student – some of them are just going to sit the exams, and some are just doing part subjects and coming in daily, etc etc. I don't quite understand, I'm just glad I'm not a 7th year!
Anyway, it's all Thaklia's doing – not only the teaching us, obviously, which for me is Julie too because she did more with me while Thaklia argued with Pam (okay, I know that's exaggerating a bit, but Pam did ask the most terrible questions, the on-purpose kind, and Thaklia is kind of sarcastic and wordy when teaching) – but also the questionnaires. This year, as well as our Hogwarts booklists and letter, we each got a questionnaire about what level of schooling we had received in the previous academic year. It was a tick-the-box form, and the options were:
-Hogwarts until May 1st
-Hogwarts until - (blank space for date)
-muggle school
-none
Thaklia picked up mine and looked at it in a kind of intense silence. I think she might have resorted to swearing in German, had Pam not mouthed Evige Verdamnis at me, rather too clearly.
Thaklia does not like the fact that we have picked up her German. I'm not sure if it's so much that she minds, or that Julie kind of minds and once said so to Meck and he went and repeated it to Thaklia – but anyway, Pam got a rather hard smack on the head with my questionnaire and a bellow of "Pink soap bubbles!" - which is apparently what Thaklia used to use on Meck if he swore, and yells at him now when he does. (I have to admit, he doesn't much at all. Only when Thaklia's mad at him and he's winding her up). Then she – I mean Thaklia – stalked off and fetched a roll of writing parchment, and sat down and wrote an icily polite letter to say that we had been "privately tutored" in magic, with a list of subjects covered and where we were up to. It was very, very icily polite. I tremble to think what the teachers thought of it, and I hope they don't blame Pam or I for the tone, but they certainly seem to have taken it seriously. Pam is a Second Year in everything except Potions, for which she's in the Upper First; and I'm a Fifth Year with Natalie, except again for Potions where I'm going to the Upper Fourth, (because neither of us have done any practical Potions, just books.)
I think Thaklia should be gratified. Pleased isn't quite the right word for Thaklia. Julie will be pleased, and Thaklia's reactions aren't like that. But after all, she did tutor Meck until he was my age and he has straight O's in everything, so I think she must be a pretty good tutor, even if – well, you know. Snarky.
I don't think any of the professors will be snarky, or at least I hope not. Most of the professors are just the same, apart from Professor Porlock who's the Defence Against the Dark Arts - he's middle-aged and round-faced and is said to be a former Hufflepuff – and Professor Fenwick, who's the new Transfiguration teacher, and cool. I mean, really cool. She's ours, too – new Head of Gryffindor! She's got short blondish-hair and what Julie would call a shocking suntan and has one of those Fennec fox things with the big ears, from Africa 'cause she's been teaching in South Afric~~~
Oops. That squiggle's where I fell asleep ten minutes ago. Natalie has just stuck her head through my curtains to point this out. We have to go to the Owlery and post out letters first thing in the morning, so must sleep now.
Sally.
ps. Fifi seems happy enough to be back. I'm not sure whether to tell Thaklia and Meck this or not.