Hydra Lestrange Finch-Fletchley

How is everyone feeling? We're supposed to be happy, I suppose.

I'm happy about some things, but not about others. I'm happy that the bomb in the school didn't explode. And that members of my family weren't killed. Yet I'm a rather sick at the thought of how many people who weren't involved were killed. And then there's those strange things they've said about what was done to the airport. It can't have been good.

When I was little and first heard the word "airport," I thought it was a place for ships that carried air in their cargo.

I keep thinking about odd memories like that and getting distracted. In Potions yesterday, I nearly exploded our dizziness draught by stirring in billywig eyes instead of black beetle eyes. If Remy hadn't shouted at me just as I was about to add them, we would have probably both slept in hospital wing last night. And this morning, I tried to re-read my Arithmancy notes and could barely follow them, which I suppose means I wasn't concentrating during lessons. At least I'm not the only one. I've seen a lot of people who look as if they're having trouble concentrating.

And did anyone see that Mummy said some rather unkind things to Madam Umbridge on the journals? It made me a little pleased, just for a second, but then I remembered that she doesn't really deserve that - even if she does hate kittens. And you know, if Mr Yaxley is injured that probably means that Mummy is in charge of MLE, which I'm sure she doesn't like one bit. She doesn't like having to manage people and mind little details, so it's probably driving her mental. That pleases me a little, too.

That's all. I just felt like talking to all of you.

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.

The firsties are so cute and amusing, and they don't even realise it.

Some of them were in the common room before supper talking about French Kissing, and they said that it's when you kiss someone on each cheek after having not seen them in a very long time. Cheek kissing is popular in France, and we do it here in England, too, but of course that's not what French Kissing is at all. So Remy told them that it's really snogging and they looked so embarrassed and also like they expected to be in trouble for talking about such a thing. I told them that if they felt confused they should talk to a prefect, because if Remy had kept talking about snogging then all their hair might've gone white.

The third year course work has been challenging so far. Transfiguration and Defense, especially. But both Runes and Dark Arts are covering material that I've already known for a while, so that helps. It's still a lot of reading, and I was almost thinking I should put learning German and French off to concentrate on homework, but then I received a fantastic book in the mail and thank you, Justin, for thinking to send it to me. It seems very thorough, and I especially like how you left your notes in the margins, they make it even more helpful. Thank you again! It should be terribly useful.

Does anyone know if Professor Grubbly-Plank minds speaking with students who aren't taking Care of Magical Creatures? I wish I coul I tried to talk to Professor Brutka about changing Tevis' diet for the winter, and he seemed grumpy didn't say much but reminded me that he doesn't teach Creatures anymore. So maybe I should ask her, if she doesn't mind.

I feel a bit funny this morning.
My tongue is a little sore, I think on account of all the sweets Remy and I have been eating.
(Remy is Jeremy, but he says he wants to be called Remy now so people don't confuse him with the other Jeremy who's older.)
First there was Friday night and we ate all the cakes and tarts leftover from the party Daphne Greengrass threw for Blaise Zabini.
She ordered too much refreshment, so she said we could do with them what we liked.
And then last night Warrington had a package of all-colour lollies and just wanted to see if I could turn my mouth all colours of the rainbow and everyone else wanted to see if it was possible, too.
One of the teeth on the top right side of my mouth hurts, lately, so I had better learn to start chewing on the other side.
Ever since he played it at Blaise's party Remy's been trying to teach me portkey.
It's different from a lot of other games, isn't it?
Because you have to hide all of your emotions so that people can't tell what's on your cards.
Or, Remy says someone with enough practice you can learn how to bluff, making people believe you have a good hand when you really don't.
So if you think about it, that that makes it one of the only games where you can actually win even though you are losing.
Well, Remy says it's the perfect game for Slytherins and I can see why.