Yeah, you gotta swim

[Sally-Anne]

You know how after that night we didn't watch The Princess Bride things were kind of crazy because a bunch of people were in St Mungo's and stuff? So I didn't really want to talk to Terry about our outing because he was using a dictaquill and talking about pianos and stuff and I thought maybe he was too busy with other things.

But then yesterday he warded to me! And we're going to watch Star Wars and eat food. And I just wanted to say thank you for bidding on him for me, because I wasn't sure if I should just let Lavender win him but  I'm excited.

[Wayne]

Hypothetically, if a girl fancies a boy but he doesn't fancy her back, and then she find out that another boy fancies her and she thinks she might fancy him so she starts dating him, but then she says she can't because her dad- of other things and she's not ready, but then a little while later the first boy kisses her and so now they're dating, do you think that's a bad idea? Because I mean maybe it makes the girl happy, and the first boy, but what about the second boy? I don't think it's fair to him, is it?

[Private]

I want him to get a bad punishment, not just community service or something. Does that make me a bad person? Because it's not as if he was as bad as someone like, I don't know, Bulstrode, so his punishment shouldn't be as bad. But I want it to, or worse, but really he didn't even do anything to me, it was the Carrows and that woman, and he only had to pick someone and that someone happened to be me. I just wish it wasn't because I'm ugly. That's not a good reason to do that to somebody, but I don't know if there really is a good reason.

[Wayne]

Do you feel a bit odd that we didn't go to Hogwarts today like we have on every other September first for the past seven years?

I do, but then I feel a bit silly because I've always known that on this particular September first I wouldn't be going back. But now that we're actually here and actually doing it, or not doing it really, well it's different than just knowing it was going to happen.

I don't know, maybe it would be weirder if everybody else was going back and we weren't. Or is it weirder that nobody is going back? Or maybe we can't tell, because none of the students are going back so we don't know what it'd be like if they did go back.

It's just a funny feeling. It's like we're actually adults now, only I still don't really feel like one.

[Hufflepuffs]

I'm glad I went to that defence thing today. Thank you for inviting us to it.

I always thought when You-Know-Who was gone everything would be over, and life could go back to normal. But it's not really. But also it kind of is, only it's a new and very different kind of normal.

My dad looks a lot better than he did when he first came home in May. He's gained a lot of weight, and he doesn't sleep all day like he used to. It's still weird, but it's getting better.

I think a lot of things are like that.

[Sally-Anne]

Okay this might sound kind of weird because you probably remember that Wayne and I weren't really good friends and we didn't even really write to each other when I was gone for sixth year or anything. But this year, I don't know, maybe it was because neither of us were taking Defence so we didn't have to deal with all that stuff, or maybe it was because we weren't in the DA something else.

Maybe it was because you weren't there.

But this year we were really good friends, and we always understood each other. He played Gobstones with me after I got tortured. And he invited me to sleep in the boys dorm when Hannah and Megan and Susan were gone. And maybe he did say I looked like Crabbe and Goyle that one time, but I think he was kidding and anyway he was still the one person I wanted to see after everything happened on my birthday. So he came over to my house and we had soup and talked and he was alive and I was happy.

And now he's being strange and not talking to me and stuff. And I thought that maybe it's just sometimes I don't understand him, you know, because that happens to people, but it's happening a lot and I'm worried. Maybe it's because I left the battle and he stayed and now everything's different and we don't understand each other anymore.

I don't know what to do.

[Wayne]

Did you leave Ernie's party early? I know you were there at the beginning but then later I didn't see you but you didn't say bye or anything so I wasn't sure.

I thought it wouldn't be as weird as Justin's party but it kind of was. There were a lot of people I didn't know and I didn't know what to say to them.

[Wayne]

Dear Wayne,

I know you can't read this right now because you're really busy, but I'm going to write it anyways and hopefully you'll read it soon.

I've been thinking a lot about what Professor Dumbledore told us at the end of fourth year, about Cedric Diggory. About doing what's right and not just what's easy. And now I realise that it was really easy for me to leave and come home but maybe actually it was right to stay. I still don't really understand everything that was going on with the DA and stuff but if they're fighting against You-Know-Who I reckon they could use all the help they can get. But Wayne, I don't think I would've really been helpful anyway. So it's okay that I left, maybe. Right?

My mum is making me soup even though it's really late and she said she'll stay up for as long as I want to talk and I know your parents are still in Australia so you wouldn't have anybody to go home to but maybe you could've come here and my mum would've made you soup too.

Love,
Eloise

P.S. It's Saturday now, so I'm eighteen, and I think it would be a really really great birthday present if you could please not die tonight.

[Private]

I guess I'll probably live to see my eighteenth birthday after all.

Just one week. Seven days.

Does anybody in Care of Magical Creatures want to take a walk by the lake with me tomorrow after class? I thought since we need to write about the lake's history in this essay it might be fun to, I don't know, observe it. I mean I know we won't really be able to see anything that we'd be able to write about in our essays, but it's still nice to have a sort of hands on experience instead of just researching in the library.

Or I guess if anybody who isn't in that class wants to come that would be okay too, only I'll probably end up talking about the mermaids and stuff and I think it would probably not be very interesting for you.

Or if nobody wants to come I can go alone, I don't mind that. I just thought I'd ask.

[Hannah, Susan, & Megan]

I just wanted to say thank you for being good roommates and good people.

[Private]

I can't believe we've only been back here for a week. Less than that, really, since it's only Saturday and we came back Sunday. It feels like it's been so much longer.

I guess that's because a lot has happened already. I mean, yesterday I had exams in Astronomy and Creatures, but that's not really what I mean.

It's the Muggles.

I just can't - it's not right to keep people in cages. But there's nothing I can do except not hex them, which really isn't much help at all. And what if they start punishing people who won't hex them? I don't want to be tortured again.

But at least I feel mostly safe when I'm here in Hufflepuff. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have that.

[Hufflepuffs]

Did you see Justin's name in the paper?

[Private]

I think I like alone time a lot more than most people do, but I really don't like this. I've lived in a dorm for nearly seven years now and it just feels so strange to have to fall asleep alone in a silent room. It's eerie. At home I can just put on a CD or something, but they took those away before they'd let me get on the train. And I tried counting sheep but before I even got down to the 700s I gave up because the silence was so distracting.

I know I shouldn't be complaining when they're the ones in detention. I'm sure it's so much worse than being alone in our room. I just wish -- well, too many things, really.

The problem with night is that if you're not sleeping there's not much to do but think. My mind keeps returning to what Cresswell said about going home for the break -- about whether it's worth it. I usually go home for the Easter hols, but it's not even really Easter this time. And I do want to see Mum, but I don't want to go home and not see Daddy. The house is just too empty without him.

But I really don't want to stay here either. Especially if my roommates go home and I'm left alone with my thoughts every night.

I don't understand why Slytherins didn't have to attend detention today. That's not fair. I mean, none of it is fair. It's not fair to punish a lot of students for what only a few people did. But it's even less fair to only punish students from some houses. It's not like we even pick which house we're in, the Sorting Hat does. So I'm sorry that I'm not heartless cunning enough or selfish ambitious enough for Slytherin, but that doesn't mean I vandalised the Hospital Wing and attacked Madam Pomfrey.

[Private - failed ward]

I do wish Wayne hadn't messed up that ward when he talked about comparing me to Crabbe and Goyle. It was bad enough when he said it, and now everybody knows.

I don't want to tell him that, though, because I'm just glad we made up.

[Private]

I hate scare tactics.

Why does everybody keep saying that people are going to die? This is a school and they can't go around killing the students! Can they? I just wish people like Weasley would shut up about it, but I know if I say anything to her entry she's just going to ask me how I'll feel when they kill one of my friends. And I shouldn't know the answer to that, but I do, because they already killed Justin and every day I worry that Sally's next. Am I really supposed to be worrying about the people at Hogwarts too? Because I can't, I just really can't, I can worry about who's going to get tortured next but I can't worry about any of us dying.

[Sasha Roper]

I know this probably doesn't mean very much to you, but I'm really really sorry about your jarvey. And I don't really think there's anything I can do to make you feel better, but if there is please let me know.

[7th year Hufflepuffs]

I cannot believe Goldstein had the nerve to write all that about Justin after he DI- everything. I can't believe he just calmly read that essay knowing full well that some of Justin's friends were sitting in the very same room and had to listen to every word.

I mean, I didn't really like it when Justin talked about being aristocratic and everything either, but that doesn't mean I think Hogwarts is better off without him! Anyway, Justin's "discriminatory views" that Goldstein was so glad to be free from are really no different than wizards discriminating against Muggleborns. In fact, I'd say it's a little bit better, because at least there's some degree of social mobility, but you can never change who your parents are. And you shouldn't have to.

I swim for brighter days
despite the absence of sun
( choking on saltwater )
I'm not giving in
I swim