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Harry Potter and the Junior Year Abroad
Letters From Home
By Ishtar
Chapter Seventeen
Letters From Home
1 September
Dear Harry,
I thought I might try this correspondence book thing right off to make sure it works. I'm writing from the Hogwarts Express, as if you couldn't tell by my handwriting being all over the place. You don't realize how bumpy the ride is until you try using a quill during the trip. *splat* There, see? Wish I'd nicked one of your ballpoint pen things now — bet they wouldn't go splat so much. Maybe I can borrow one from Rob.
There, that should be better. Weird not having to dip it every few letters. And the ink is blue, that looks strange, too. Hope it works with this journal so you won't find just this big blank space instead of my letter. I figure if you do find a big blank space you'll let me know.
It was kind of strange watching you go off alone yesterday. Okay, I know you weren't alone, exactly, but you know, alone without us. There's something just not right about that. Hermione and Ginny both waved until we couldn't see the bus anymore and then ran upstairs to have a good cry. What is it with girls and crying, anyway? Mum looked a little weepy, too. I asked Dad, and he says if I ever find out I should tell him.
By the time they came downstairs again, F & G and I had a second breakfast, and Mum said I could spend the morning with them at their shop. It's still not ready to open yet — they were hoping to get it open before the Express left, but they had to spend extra time getting explosion wards put up on the workshop. Apparently the owners of the shops on either side insisted. So I spent yesterday morning doing fetch and carry work and helping put up shelves and stuff, and they paid me for it! Just a couple of galleons, but it's the first I ever really made for myself. So of course I blew most of it by taking the girls and Mum out for ice cream after lunch. It felt good, tho.
Midafternoon, the bus was back, with the American exchange students. Boy, they looked like they'd been round the rugged rocks and back again. Hope your trip wasn't that rough. Looked like they all wanted just to go to sleep, but their chaperones dosed them with Pepper-Up potion so they'd stay awake for a while and then sleep all night. So since we were the only ones there, and Dad being with the Ministry and all, we sort of got to be their escorts for the afternoon. Ginny and Hermione took the girls over to Madame Malkin's and they all came back giggling madly. (There's another thing about girls — what is it with them and clothes?) Since they're all from different schools they're all wearing different robes — Ginny says she wants to start a petition to change to colored open-front robes next year 'cos she thinks they're pretty.
I took the guys over to Quality Quidditch Supplies and we talked brooms for a while. Those Americans really know their brooms! They've got all different models, of course, and it took us a bit to get the terms straightened out, but all four of them are flyers. None of them plays Quidditch, but they were telling me about something called lacrosse that sounds kind of like it. You might want to look into it. And it turns out Rob (Watson, he's from San Francisco, he's the one that loaned me the pen) has a little one-person flying carpet! He says he can do stunts on it and everything, and he promised to show me when we have space at school. I told him that flying carpets were illegal and he didn't believe me until I had Dad tell him, but Dad said if he didn't go off the school grounds with it and didn't do anything dangerous, it would be okay for him to use it. I think Dad is still interested in getting the carpet ban lifted, because he said he'd like to see the stunts if he had a chance.
Hermione is looking over my shoulder and telling me I should tell you who the guys are. I think she'll do the girls. We have Rob from San Francisco and Jonathan Andrews from Boston and Taylor When from New Orleans and I know I'm not spelling his name right because his parents are from Vietnam and he's the first wizard in his family ever to go to school instead of apprenticing, so he's very proud, and I think he's just like Hermione because he already read all the school books for the year. And we've got a real Red Indian, from the school where you are now, but he doesn't wear his hair in braids or with feathers or anything like that. He's just like a regular guy, except he only uses one name, which is Cheveyo, and he says he's from the Hopi people and he's in the Loon Clan at school. If you know what any of that is, please tell me. I got the feeling calling him a loon would not be a good idea.
Anyway, we had a good time talking to each other, even though they all have these weird accents, but I figure we'll get used to that soon enough. We had dinner together at the Leaky and it was funny watching them try to figure out what bangers and mash and shepherd's pie and pasties were. I guess you'll be telling us all about the strange food there, too. I never figured something like food could be different. They all went to bed early to catch up from travel, and Fred and George and I played Exploding Snap all night.
You should have seen their eyes pop out when they saw the Hogwarts Express at the platform! And all the crowds! They loved it! Well all the guys loved it, anyway. For once we weren't the last people on the train, so we got compartments all together, and Dad's riding up with us as an "official representative of the Ministry" and to talk to the chaperones about stuff, but I think it was really because he wanted to see Rob's stunts.
Lots of people have been coming by looking for you, Harry, mostly from the D.A., and they looked disappointed that you're not here, and I've practically gone hoarse explaining where you are. Most everybody is happy that you had a chance to go someplace fun, but I thought Malfoy was going to explode! Purple is not a good color on him. *sketch of exploding Malfoy* It should be even better when we go to the Prefect's Meeting and they explain about the exchange students. I think Dad's going to be giving the speech on that, and Malfoy had better behave himself.
*chocolate fingerprint* Did you know they don't have Chocolate Frogs in America? Bet you've found out by now. If I can figure out how to send you some, I will. Taylor had some gooey worm-shaped candies, though, and we swapped. The worm things are okay, taste like fruit, and they kind of wiggle in your mouth until you swallow them. Hermione says they're disgusting. I think that's a point in their favor.
They'll be calling the Prefects any minute now, so I'm going to finish this up and send it. It'll be kind of busy for the next few days, but I'll write again as soon as I can. (Especially if there's any more chance of Malfoy exploding!)
Write soon and tell us all about America. What's the food like? Are the girls pretty? What was it like riding in an airplane? Waiting anxiously, I remain,
Your friend,
Ronald Bilius Weasley
0o0o0o0o0o0
2 September, 1996
Dear Harry,
I hope this letter finds you settling in well in Minnesota. Have your classes started yet? How do they compare to the classes here at Hogwarts? How are the professors there?
Things here are progressing about as well as can be expected. We met the American exchange students on Saturday after you left, and introduced them to Diagon Alley and a bit of Muggle London. We split up into groups and Ron took the boys off somewhere while Ginny and I took the girls shopping, since several of them were not quite prepared for a winter in Scotland. I know it is only September, but the time to shop is before you need the things, a concept which seems quite beyond most boys. I'm sure that nice young man from New Orleans is going to be quite shocked when he tries to go on the first Hogsmeade weekend wearing short pants and sandals.
I know Ron told you in his letter about the male students, but I'm sure he didn't mention the girls. Ginny and I squeezed into a compartment with the four of them, and we had a wonderful talk on the way to school.
Ingrid Johansen is from Minnesota, although her grandparents came from Sweden, I believe she said, and she is really good at Charms and Transfiguration, and is planning on going on to work in new spell research when she finishes school. I'm looking forward to seeing if they do things any differently in the United States; perhaps we can exchange tips.
The girl from Boston is Maria Pereira, and she likes Potions best. She seems a little flighty, so we'll see if her enthusiasm survives her first session of Double Potions with Professor Snape.
The girl from San Francisco is Allysia Kirkland; she says her family are descended from the old wizarding family of Donovans in Ireland and there are eleven relatives of hers studying at Norton right now, including her twin brother and a pair of younger twin sisters, and every one of them has one pureblooded parent and one Muggle parent but is really strong magically. I think that is quite curious, don't you? She is interested in studying with Hagrid as she wants to be a cryptozoologist when she finishes University; apparently our Hagrid's reputation for finding new and unusual creatures has reached even California.
I think the girl from New Orleans, Therese Mayeaux, may have the biggest adjustment to make. She came from Haiti to study at the Laveau Institute, and she didn't even use a wand there! She's been doing some sort of specialist studies program. We had to buy her a wand in Diagon Alley. You should have seen her at Ollivander's. You know how he can get, he likes to spook Muggles and the Muggle-raised, at least he did me and my parents although Ron and Ginny said he's quite a nice fellow. Therese walked into the shop, and Mr. Ollivander came sliding up on that ladder of his and got all mystical, and reached out a hand for a box, and she looked at him and said, "No. The next one over. Ten inches, willow, rather flexible, with a unicorn tail hair. Thank you." And she swished the wand and sparks flew out, she paid him and left! And he just stood there, with this silly smile on his face!
The trip up on the Express was quite uneventful, except for Malfoy's face turning quite an unbecoming shade when he found out you weren't on the train. He seemed quite put out that he hadn't been chosen, or even notified that the exchange program existed. As if anyone needs to tell him anything! He was even more put out when he took count of "his" Slytherins and discovered that Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass were missing. I don't know how well his long-distance curse casting works, but you might want to warn them to watch out for any unusual spots or other effects.
At the Welcome Feast, the Headmaster explained about the exchange program and introduced the American students, and they were sorted first, before the first-years. They seemed to find it amusing, at least until they saw how seriously we all took it.
The Sorting Hat seemed to be a little confused, as it didn't put them evenly into our Houses. Gryffindor got three: Maria, Allysia, and Rob Watson. Ron was really happy about that because he likes Rob. Ravenclaw also got three: Ingrid, Therese, and Taylor Nguyen went there. Jonathan Andrews went into Hufflepuff, and Cheveyo went into Slytherin. I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces! Malfoy didn't know whether to shake his hand or not — you know, not sure if he was pureblood or not, and it certainly wasn't English blood anyway, but Snape glared at him and he shook hands and did the pretty to introduce everybody. I told Ron he should sort of keep an eye on Cheveyo since he doesn't know how the Slytherins can be. Ron grumbled that he was a Slytherin himself now and could probably look after himself, but I eventually got him to agree. I got on well with Ingrid and she's from the same school, so maybe I can keep tabs on him that way too.
Oh, and each school sent a chaperone, and each chaperone was a teacher, and they have all agreed to teach a new class called World Magical Studies, which will replace Muggle Studies for the year since Professor Broomfield-Hill is off with your lot. Between the four of them, they can cover enough class periods so that everyone can get to take it! Isn't that exciting? I don't know when was the last time a new subject was added, although I'm sure it's in Hogwarts: A History, and I shall look it up when I'm finished writing this.
Have you noticed that every class since Ginny's has gotten bigger? There were tons more first-years in this class than ours. Sorting took forever this time, and the tables are longer. Usually it's the fifth-year Prefects that take watch over the first-years, but this time there were so many we had to have the sixth-year Prefects help out as well. Ron's cousin Gerry got sorted into Gryffindor, of course — you remember the one you met at the tree ceremony? Ron and Ginny were very proud to have someone to continue the Weasley tradition in school once they've left. I saw Professor Snape wince when Gerry was Sorted, though.
We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as if that were surprising. She's not even English, she's an Italian witch (only she calls it strega) and she's a specialist in countering and removing hexes and curses. Her full name is Alexandra de Palatis, and she says we are to call her "Donna Alexandra" instead of "Professor". (That's "doh-nah" as a title, not like the name Donna.) We also have an assistant professor working with her, and you'll never guess! It's Mrs. Figg! She's going to be giving us classes in how to defend yourself when you can't use magic, like if you're in a crowd of Muggles or something. It sounds fascinating, and I'll take good notes and send them to you. So it looks like we're going to have a really good year, although anything would be good after Professor Umbridge.
And guess what! They've put on extra teachers for some of the classes, I think mostly for the lower year classes, since they're all getting too big for one person to handle — without a Time Turner, anyway. Filch was complaining about spending his summer cleaning up the old unused classrooms on the third and fourth floors. The experienced teachers get the advanced students, of course, so we're still stuck with Professor Snape for Advanced Potions. We don't have our first class of that until Thursday.
That's all for now, since I need to get a jump on the homework and I promised to meet Ingrid, Maria, Therese and Allysia in the library and introduce them to Madam Pince and show them around. Ginny said she would be writing to you as well, so you will probably have a note from her tonight or tomorrow.
I hope you are enjoying yourself with no Malfoy!
Sincerely,
Hermione Jane Granger
P.S. The last time a new class was added was Muggle Studies, which was added in 1920. (I suppose contemporary events had finally convinced "certain parties" that the Muggles were worthy of note!) The last one before that was in 1744, when Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were split into two separate classes. Isn't that interesting? H.J.G.
0o0o0o0o0o0
September 3, 1996
Dear Harry,
Well, I know Ron and Hermione have already written to you so now it's my turn! Did you know they made me fifth-year prefect for Gryffindor? There were eight girls to get settled in the firstie dorms and all of them were so excited from the boat ride and the sorting and the feast that you can imagine they all took forever to go to sleep! Hermione and I made them all drink warm milk with vanilla in it (and maybe just the tiniest drop of a sleeping draught, but don't tell anyone I did that — especially not Hermione).
You know, I hadn't realized it until the Welcome Feast, but Cho Chang lost both you and Michael Corner, who she was going out with at the end of last year, to this American trip. She was just furious! I wonder who she's going to pick next? She's the only seventh-year Seeker on any of the Quidditch teams this year, so with you gone, she's considered the one to beat. I know you'd rather be playing yourself, but since you can't, I'm going to give it my best shot and kick her in the tail for you! Malfoy's no competition, and Hufflepuff is going to be holding tryouts, but I'm not worried about anyone they might field. Except maybe for that American, he's an unknown quantity but Ron says he knows flying. I don't know if he'll try out or not since he's never played Quidditch, but then you had never played either before you got drafted for the team. We'll have to see. Maybe Ron can threaten him a little bit.
I had my first DADA class with the new teacher today, and it was really interesting. Donna Alexandra started teaching us how to set wards today, starting with a simple one that doesn't stop anything but lets you know when something crosses it. She says she wants us to always practice casting our wards around our beds at night because you never know when something might be sneaking up on you, and I think she's going to be sneaking up on us from time to time to test us. It's weird, she looks like a female Snape, same nose and everything only hers isn't quite as big, and I wonder if they're related somehow, but she's so much nicer. I like her a lot.
I think the announcement about the new D.A. will be made next week because the Headmaster said he wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione about it this weekend. If it's going to be a regular school program, that means we'll have to let Slytherins in, but that's OK because it means I might get to hex Malfoy. I caught him giving directions to some of my Gryffindor firsties that would have got them lost all the way across the castle from where their class was, and I got five points taken off for being late to Charms when I took them to their class, but McGonagall gave me back the five points because I was doing my Prefect job and said she'd talk to Snape about Malfoy. You know and I know nothing will happen to him, so I'd really like a chance to Stun him silly and get away with it.
They said at the Welcome Feast that we'd be having Hogsmeade visits like always, but we're to travel in groups of no less than four at a time and to stay to the main street because some of those little alleys off to the side are dodgy. Of course this means the Prefects will be spending the entire day getting people out of those little alleys. Why don't they just say everyone should go there, and then nobody will?
I talked to Luna after History of Magic today and she said the woods of Minnesota were just crawling with sasquatches at this time of year, so if you happen to find some of their hair on bushes or something, could you bring some home for her? A picture would be great, too. You could use that camera Ron gave you for your birthday. Her father could print it in the Quibbler and you'd get a by-line and everything. I said I'd ask. So keep your eyes peeled for sasquatches.
That got me thinking, though, that maybe the Quibbler or one of the other magazines might be interested in articles about your trip, you know? I know people would read it, mostly just because of the Boy-Who-Lived tie-in which I know you hate, but lots of other people might read it because it's about interesting places and things. None of us have ever been anywhere interesting, except Malfoy, who says he's been all over Wizarding Europe, but who believes him? Oh and there was the time we went to Egypt, but nobody wants to hear about us. But they might be interested in hearing about you in the United States. What do you think?
Hermione and I went up to visit Hedwig in the owlery last night after dinner and took her a treat, but I think she 's moping. Is it OK if I use her to send letters to Mum and Dad instead of borrowing Pigwidgeon from Ron? I think it will be good for Hedwig to have something to do.
I've got to run, lunch is almost over. Neville and Seamus and Dean and everybody says Hi and we all miss you. Write back soon!
Yours,
Ginny
(Ginevra Molly Weasley)
0o0o0o0o0o0
4 September, 1996
Dear Hermione, Ginny, and Ron,
Sorry I haven't written back sooner, but classes only just started here today. It's not that we haven't been busy though. They've pretty much kept us on the run since we got here. This will probably be a pretty long letter, but don't worry, I'm not writing it all out three times — my handwriting would probably look like Hermione's Ancient Runes by the time I got done with the third copy. I learned a good copy spell from Vijay (exchange student from Norton, nice fellow) so I'm going to write it once and then copy it into all your books, then make personal notes as PSes. I hope that's OK.
The plane trip was fine, but very long. You wouldn't think that doing nothing but sitting for so long could be tiring, but it is. Professor Broomfield-Hill made us sit all mixed up instead of by Houses, so we started to get to know each other some. Blaise and I had a little misunderstanding at first, but we got it cleared up. He's not a bad fellow, even if he is a Slytherin. I learned that there's a lot of stuff I don't know even after living in a school full of wizards for five years — about Family Grimoires and things like that. Ron, Ginny, you'll know what I'm talking about — but Hermione probably doesn't. And about Wizard's Oaths. I didn't realize how dangerous they were. Can you explain it to her, please? I think she really needs to know.
We also learned about how pureblood families (they call them Heritage Mages here) should be trying to get married to Muggle-borns (who they call Natural Mages — it's very confusing at first) to keep their lines strong because they'll die out if they don't. And about how we should all have lots of kids because the whole community is too small. Maybe there are some books in the library on this that Hermione can find, because I'm not sure I got it all — the guy I was talking to about it (who isn't even a teacher, but he knows all this stuff!) was using terms like "gene pool" and "genetic drift" and "founder's effect". I think that's Muggle science, not magic, but maybe she can find out about it. Or maybe you can ask the Brains about it, Ron. It's got to be in there somewhere.
All that was pretty deep, especially for the first few days, but it hasn't all been like that. The day we got here, we pretty much just slept. I don't think we even had dinner on Saturday. Sunday the other exchange students came in, and most of them are nice. There's even a girl who's just like you, Hermione — except her hair is green. Really. It's green. I'll send a picture if I can figure out the camera. And get this — my roommate is a Malfoy. You heard me right, Malfoy. Seems I can't get rid of them after all. His father is stuck-up, and keeps looking at the lodges and everybody like they're beneath him, but Bart seems like a reasonable sort so far. At least he hasn't gone out of his way to be nasty or anything, and he doesn't get upset if something happens that makes him look foolish. Not like our Malfoy. He's got the same eyes, though, and I can't help but wonder if it's a front and he'll turn out to be a git after all.
We all got Sorted on Sunday — they have five different Houses here, which they call Clans, and Lavender and I got sorted into different ones — she's a "Marten" which is kind of a weasel, and I'm a "Loon" and don't you dare say anything, Ron! Blaise and Bart both got sorted into Loon Clan, too — we're warriors and chiefs, so nobody messes with the Loon Clan! All three of us signed up for the Vision Quest program, and so did Justin and even Susan. That hasn't started yet, though, but the first meeting is this weekend, and then we get to find out what we're in for. Our Clan Head was very happy we all signed up since he teaches the thing.
Then we had a long trip all over the campus, including the Outer Campus where they have a separate school for Squibs and Muggle relatives of people who attend and work at Nokomis. (They're called "Mundanes" here) They also have a museum and a living village where tourists come to see how the Native peoples in Minnesota used to live, so that's a lot of Mundanes! We're going to be taking some classes in Muggle subjects at their school on Fridays; the rest of the week is all magical classes. The Outer Campus also has a Recreation Center where they have televisions and video games and show movies on the weekends. There's also a stable if we want to learn how to ride a horse. I wouldn't mind that, but there's just too many other things to do, between the Duelling Club and the Vision Quest. And I haven't found out yet who here might be able to teach me Occlumency. It will probably turn out to be Mr. TwoBears; he runs all the Loon Clan warrior stuff so I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Legilimens as well.
Monday was a bank holiday here. They call it Labour Day, and apparently picnics are the traditional way to celebrate it. The staff set up big tables outside on one of the athletic fields, and everybody took turns cooking so no one person would get stuck doing all the work. We did our turn in the kitchens before things really got started. We were cutting up vegetables and things so they could make the salads and soups with them. They don't have house elves here, by the way, just real people doing real work to get things done. The picnic food was very different from what we have at Hogwarts. There were sandwich things, of course, but we also had hamburgers and hot dogs and fried chicken and maize cooked still on the ear so you could eat it with butter and salt and pepper on it. It was messy, but quite good. And since there are so many Indians as staff and students, there was all different kinds of their food, too — so I tried fry bread and succotash, which is maize and beans and squash mixed, and even some buffalo meat grilled on skewers.
In between eating, there were games and races, some of them organized, some not. Bart went off with some people to play "softball", a students vs. staff game. I got involved in a broom obstacle race — flying in between trees and under bridges and things - and got a third prize. They were surprised that I did that well since I'd never done that kind of racing before. The closest I've come was second year when Malfoy and I got down under the stands during the Quidditch match when Dobby sicced the bludger on me. Ron, you might want to get the team practicing under conditions like that (well, maybe not with the killer bludger) — it really puts you on your toes! And maybe some aerial work for the D.A.? It's an idea, anyway.
Then when it got dark, they lit fires in pits and we toasted marshmallows on sticks over the flames. I burned three of them up before I figured out how to do it right. A bunch of the Indians got out drums, and Transfigured their normal clothes into traditional wear — beads and buckskins and the whole works! — and they did songs and dances. Aispun, who is our liaison and who will be travelling with us, got in a dance competition with Mr. TwoBears. I think they come from two different nations or something and there is a traditional rivalry there. So they both danced around the fire and made shapes rise up out of the flames, and their shapes fought each other and they tried to take command of the fire. Eventually Mr. TwoBears won when he made a bear that ate Aispun's salmon, but then the two of them danced the fire together and it was even better that way. They gave all of us a lesson in it, and most of us couldn't do much more than get sparks to shoot up, but Susan managed to get a bird to fly out and turn silver, and she was very pleased with herself. Bathelus, who is from Laveau, did very well, too, but it turns out he's a specialist in Fire magic so that wasn't surprising. We were all pretty tired by then, so we went to bed, but we could still hear the drums "talking" to each other long after we left.
The next day was free, so we mostly spent that learning our way around the school on our own. They have a fireless Floo system called Flash Platforms that even I can't get lost in, for if you don't have time to get all the way across campus for a class or if it's raining or snowing, or you can walk between buildings if it's convenient. In the afternoon, Professor Broomfield-Hill had to take Blaise in to town to get him Muggle clothes — sorry, I mean "Mundane" clothes — and those of us taking the Vision Quest program needed to get working knives so we went too. And all the girls wanted to look at the clothes in the stores, too. Aispun took us into town on the bus. They drive on the wrong side of the road here, and it took a while before I got used to looking the correct way when crossing the streets. The town has a lot of places catering to the tourists, but also there's a magical trade all mixed in. There are symbols they put on their signs so you know where it's safe to talk about magical stuff to the shopkeepers and what's a "real" magical tool and what's a toy for the tourists. Some stuff is both, which makes it really confusing. The tourists buy things like sage bundles and special wands called talking sticks and dreamcatcher webs and have no idea what they really are or how to use them. They just think they look cool. (I asked Aispun about the dreamcatchers and told him I get nightmares sometimes, so he said he'd show me how to make one that would work better than the tourist ones.)
So now Blaise is all kitted out, and we have our knives for Vision Quest, which will start Saturday.
We're still all getting to know each other. I've hardly even talked to Val and Vo, who are twins and are Blaise's roommates. He talked to them more, of course, and says they were born in Mexico actually connected to each other, and their mother died and their father sold them to a travelling carnival show where they spent the first few years of their lives. Then they were "rescued" and sent to the United States where they got surgery to separate them, and they were adopted by a magical family, but they still stay together always. I suppose when I get to feeling sorry for myself I should remember that there is always someone worse off — I can't imagine actually being sold to a carnival!
Today was our first day of classes. In Herbology we're going to be learning how to start with plant materials and make essences and things that can be used in Potions. The professor says it's good to be able to make your own things when you have to, and this way we'll have more respect for where our potions ingredients come from. Today mostly we spent out in the field — literally — starting journals with samples of all the different plants we could find, and we're supposed to identify them and write down what they're used for and how to prepare them. Good thing I know a thing or two about weeds. The American schools are really big on journaling — most classes have journals that we're supposed to keep independently and they'll be graded at the end of the year. Then we keep them as references for when we make personal Grimoires. Our Herbology journals should turn out really interesting since we'll be visiting four different areas of the country.
Charms is taught pretty much like it is at home. We're learning how the various Charms are grouped and what the similarities are, so that we can learn how to modify them if necessary (like that "Mobiliarbus" spell you invented, Hermione).
The most unusual class so far has been the Practicum. Today we spent on wand maintenance. I didn't know that a wand develops memory for the spells you cast with it to get better with that class of spell. We learned how to "clear" the memory of a wand, and why you might not want to do that — and why you might. Clearing it would defeat a priori incantatem, for example, if you'd used an Unforgivable or something you didn't want someone to know about. Some Americans have more than one wand for different kinds of spells, and Professor Rivenbank says their Aurors carry special wands for combat because a regular wand might break under combat conditions. Next week we start to learn how to use the tools used to make the wand shaft, and we're supposed to start reading about the different woods and crystals and core materials so we can pick out what we want our wands to do.
Tomorrow is Transfiguration and Magical Zoology and Potions, and Friday is the Mundane classes in History, Chemistry, Literature, and Ethics. I've probably forgotten something, but it's pretty late. I'll keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Harry James Potter
P.S. Ron, the ballpoint pen came through just fine. No big empty space. Nice sketch of Malfoy. I'm trying to put together a Quidditch team out of us and the American exchangers, but if I can't manage that, I'll try this lacrosse thing. I've seen several flying carpets here. They are used mostly for hauling cargo or for large families. Let me know about the stunts this Rob does.
And yes, the girls are pretty, and since they don't wear robes here for the most part, you can see a lot more of them. We're told that will change quite soon because it gets very cold very fast in the fall, but for now we're enjoying the scenery. Ahem. I thought Blaise's brains were going to squirt out his ears the first time he saw a girl in shorts and a cropped top walking across the picnic grounds. Daphne was, shall we say, less than pleased?
Oh, yeah. Lavender. Shorts. Wow.
P.S. Hermione, I know you're friends with some of the Ravenclaw girls. Some of them may be friends with a girl in Slytherin named Tracey Davis. Could you kind of ask them to keep an eye on her? She's friends with Blaise and Daphne, but with them gone it means she's isolated against Malfoy's crew. Daphne says she's quite smart and you might like her. (I think we may have made a mistake to not pay attention to the politics over in Slytherin — some of them are definitely not Death Nibblers.) Keep an eye on Cheveyo, too — He may be in for a rude shock with the Slytherins.
Oh, and thanks for the book.
P.S. Ginny, I'll see about that sasquatch hair for Luna — we'll be doing a unit on them in a couple of weeks. There's a small village of them near here and we get to go visit them. There's even one that travels as a mascot for the Vancouver Quodpot team — The Fighting Sasquatch. Do you really think there might be an interest in travel articles? Because if there is, maybe the entire group could contribute. I don't really have time to do the entire thing by myself. Feel free to use Hedwig whenever you need her. I'd hate for her to start to moult or something because she's bored.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Harry sighed, put down his pen, and closed all three books. Off in Scotland right now, the script on the covers of the books would be flashing to let his friends know they had received messages. It would be almost time for breakfast there, and his friends would be getting ready to begin their day. It was almost midnight here, and way past time for bed. The Lodge Common Room was deserted, everyone else having gone to sleep (or to their rooms, at least), long since. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then collected all his things and trudged off to his room, trying to be as silent as possible so as not to wake Bart.