Hydra Lestrange Finch-Fletchley

I'm still working my way through all of the books I received at Christmas. I've finished two of them, which were both very good, and have now finally started Pure Hunger. I've gotten into a new habit of reading a bit before bed each night, but Pure Hunger has been keeping me up late because it's so very difficult to put down after a half-hour. I've been sneaking in a few extra pages, reading by wand light under the covers so that I don't disturb Norma and Cressida.

The whole premise is just so interesting. I'm sure everyone's heard about it by now, so I'm not giving anything away when I say that it takes place in an unknown future, where mudbloods are in charge of everything. They can use magic, of course, and even though they use muggles as their slaves they try to treat them well, giving them lots of entertainment and things to buy so that they don't even seem to notice the slavery part, or at least they're not much bothered by it. The purebloods, though, are treated horribly. They're all very poor, with barely enough to eat, and they have to do magic in secret. Like the heroine, Amaranth Teasdale - she has her Father's old wand, which he got from his Father, and she uses it to help her family survive and live a better life, but if she's ever caught with it she could be put to death.

All of that would be scary enough, but what's even more disturbing is that the mudbloods who rule the Empire have decided that every year, each pureblooded family has to offer up one of their children for a tournament that takes place in a giant arena, with all of the muggles and mudbloods watching. It reminds me a bit of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, only that all of the battles end with people dead. So of course Amaranth Teasdale is chosen for the tournament, and then she has to struggle not only with the tasks, but also the very idea of having to fight the other pureblooded teenagers.

One of the most interesting things about Amaranth is that she knows she's related to one of the Founders, but she doesn't know which one. It seems like she wants it to be Godric Gryffindor, but then when you see the way her mind works, it seems like she could easily be a Ravenclaw or maybe even a Slytherin. And then her loyalty to her family is very Hufflepuff. Remy, who's also reading the books, reckons she might be related to all of them, but how would that even be possible, unless... well, I just don't think that's very likely.

It's a difficult book to read at points, because sometimes Amaranth has to make a choice between two things that seem almost equally horrible. One of her very oldest friends is in the tournament with her, and he wants to pair up together to take on the others, only Amaranth also has a new friend, a boy who claims that he's not really pureblooded, and that the Empire is only saying he's a pureblood because his family are dissenters of some kind. So Amaranth is torn between her old friend and her new friend, and right now one of them is... oh - I'd better not say, I'll be giving too much away.

Something really, really peculiar about the book that I noticed straight away is that there is no mention of halfbloods whatsoever - just purebloods, muggles, and mudbloods. I'm sure there must be a reason for it that will be revealed in the next book.

I can't believe it won't be released until next Autumn. I've only a third of the first book left to read and having to wait that long to read book two might just drive me mental.

Sally Anne, you just have to borrow this when I'm done.

If I'm not careful I'll have spent all of hols having done nothing but read books. Many people gave me books as gifts this year, which is fine by me because I gave many people books in return, as well. I've got Pure Hunger, Charmless, the first book in the Incantation series, and some others besides. Now that I've finished all my thank you notes and sent them off, it's entirely too pleasant to stay in the dungeons and read before the fire while munching on chocs relaxing all day.

So I think that tomorrow I may need a bit of a walk, or maybe a fly. Something with fresh air and sunshine (if there is any!). Oh, and then I should probably try to study my arithmancy so that I can keep on top of things until lessons start up again. And study all my other subjects, too.

Pansy, I've heard people saying that your Mother had her baby, and it was a boy. Congratulations on becoming a big sister. I bet you can't wait to meet him in person.

I went to Draco's French speaking club today and I don't think I've learnt very much yet, except for Oui, s'il vous plaît and Non, merci. But Draco says you don't have to speak all that much to make a good impression. I hope that's right. I also found out that almost everyone at Durmstrang speaks German, even if they're not from Germany, so Remy sent away for a book on that and we've been looking over it together a little bit. So far I've memorised Hallo, Guten morgen, and Guten tag.

For some reason Deutsch seems much more familiar than French.

And I was curious because Teddy Nott was reading a book on parseltongue when he was in the commonroom. He let me look at it. It was extremely confusing, though, because it doesn't have words or even an alphabet, it's really just noises more than anything. The person who wrote the book said that for a long time it was thought that the parseltongue was hereditary and couldn't be learned, only imitated. But he also said that it's an intuitive language and if someone can properly visualise themselves as a serpent, they can penetrate the mysteries of the tongue. Then he listed different exercises for visualising yourself as a serpent, such as moving along on your belly, and sleeping in dark corners while coiled in on yourself, and eating dead mice.

So, I don't think I will be trying out parseltongue. Not now, anyway.

Tomorrow we're to have a birthday luncheon here at Saint James Palace and family and friends of family are invited.
Which I think means that the only people close to my own age will be Harry, Draco, and maybe Pansy, but that's fine because I know them best.
And then after the birthday luncheon I'm to have tea at Buckingham Palace with the Lord Protector.
He wrote me an owl personally, and it didn't say very much but his handwriting was very nice.
It reminded
I really don't know why he would want to sit down to tea with me, maybe it's something he does with some children when they turn twelve?
But because of my appointment with the Lord Protector Mummy's taking me to the shops today for a whole new wardrobe and to have my hair done!
I haven't been to the shops since last year before school started, and that was just for regular school robes and cauldrons and things.
I hope that I can find some shoes with bows on them, I think they'd look ever so fetching, especially if I could find robes with the same kinds of bows.
And I hope we have time to go to Flourish and Blotts or another book shop, because Daddy gave me money to buy the last two Melinda March books.
They came out while we were at school but I didn't have the money for them back then, and we weren't getting packages for a long time anyway.
Melinda March is the heroine and everyone (including herself) thinks she is a half-blood with disgraced parents but really she's a pure-blood, and no one knows because the midwife was vengeful and she changed the records to alter the names of her birth parents.
In the last book, Melinda was being fostered by her actual BIRTH parents, and only the midwife knows the truth and her foster parents don't treat her very kindly, unfortunately.
I can't wait to see if Melinda figured out that she's a pure-blood witch, and what her family will say when they realise she's the daughter they always wanted, even though they've been treating her like she's a speck of dust for all the time she's been with them.
They are really very good books.

I have been in school for a fortnight.
It seems longer than that but not as long as it should.
Do you know what I mean?
Because the weekdays are very fast and then the weekends not as much.
But the older students say that we will have a lot more homework starting this week and that then things will get much harder.
I hope I can keep up.
Draco is on the quidditch team now.
I wonder if I should try out next year?
I like to fly and I was excused from flying class after the first lesson because I already know how.
But the big quidditch matches with two teams flying fast way up high?
I don't know if I would like that.
A lot of other first year girls are buying robe pets now.
Mine is a rabbit and very lively because I take special good care of it.
Sally Anne also showed me how to fold parchment into a rabbit shape which is called ogreami (the folding parchment not the rabbit, the rabbit is called Tex), and then how to charm the parchment rabbit to hop about.
I think its hopping must have bothered one of my dorm mates, because when I came back from dinner tonight the hopping charm had been taken off and the rabbit was just sitting on my bedside table.
So I won't charm it anymore.
Or maybe I will but just when I'm alone.
Because I don't want the hopping to bother anyone.
Well, I think I will read a little before bed.
But before I do, can anyone tell me if Professor Slughorn allows students to talk to him in his office?
He's very kind, so I might want to talk to him sometime, if he allows it.