Busy little bee

Oh my! Where has this term gone? I can't believe I haven't sat down and wrote since February! It has been so busy, I guess I completely forgot about it. I have been very busy in my classes. Final exams are coming up, and the professors have made sure we've had plenty of work to do to study for them. We've had many extra spells to practice for Charms. Many of the Ravenclaw First years have taken to sitting in the common room in the evenings and practicing on each other, under the watchful eye of the upper classman of course. My favorite is the charm to induce euphoria. Its a great one to do at the end of a study session, because you leave feeling very confident and happy.
I've improved quite a bit in Potions. I've learned to read the directions carefully, and take my time. I make very few errors now, and even Professor Slughorn has remarked on my improvement.
Gabrielle and I have still been writing. She has been getting busy preparing for end of term tests at Beauxbatons also. She is looking forward to getting home and working in the garden with her mother. She wants to plant some new roses this year, pink ones, since they already have lots of red ones in the garden.
We didn't win the Quidditch cup. We won our games against Slytherin and Hufflepuff, but lost to Gryffindor. Gryffindor won the Cup overall, having won all their games. Hopefully next year we can win!
Alright, its getting late and I want to go read another chapter of History of Magic before I go to bed. Hopefully I will find a few minutes to update before I'm home from school.

A Letter!

I got a letter from Gabrielle today! It took her a while to write back to me, hopefully my owl didn't get lost. Here is the letter:

Dear Emily,

            Bonjour! Ca va? That is how you ask “How are you?” en Français! I am looking forward to get to know you more! I am also 11, and I attend Beauxbatons Academie de Magique. We do not have Houses here, our dormitories are sorted by age. I am in the Sixième ète, which is what you call the “First Year”. Our rooms are in the ground floor of our Palace. The older students get room on high levels, with the oldest students getting rooms with only one roommate in the towers. These rooms have lovely views and plenty of space to study. I can’t wait to get one of these rooms.

            My family and I live outside Paris, in an old maison that has been in my Father’s family for many generations. He is family have been wizards for very far back in our family tree. My mother is a muggle-born. Her and my father met at school, they are trés adorable, still in love. My mother loves to garden, and when we moved into the family house, she fell in love with the garden. It’s a lovely mixture of magical and non-magical plants. I love to cut roses from my mother’s garden and put them in vases for our dinner table. Working in the garden with my mother has been some of my favorite times. It is no surprise I love my Herbology classes.

            I better stop this letter here for now, I have much studying to work on. I hope you write back soon!

Gabrielle

The First Letter

I got my pen pal. Her name is Gabrielle Montegue. I hope she likes me. I found a nice bit of parchment and my best quill and wrote her a letter.

Dear Gabrielle,

Bonjour! Hello is the only word I know in French, but hopefully you can help me learn more. My name is Emily, I’m 11 and attend Hogwarts here in England. I’m sorted into Ravenclaw house, we’re the smart bookish house. I love to read so it is a perfect fit for me. Charms is my favorite class, and Potions is my least favorite. I like the professor quite a bit, but I just don’t seem to have the knack for Potions, although I got a tutor and am practicing more often now.

In my free time I read, did I mention I love to read. I like all sorts of books, anything with a good story. I’m also starting to collect chocolate frog cards, I only have a few so far, but I think they’re really interesting.

I’m excited to write to you and learn all about your school. Write back soon!

Sincerely,

Emily Bennett

I went up to mail the letter this afternoon, and when the little brown owl saw me he pretended to be asleep. I went up and gave him some steak from lunch, and explained he only had to go to France, not America, and he took the letter and flew off. I hope he flies fast!  

Pen Pals

I've been back at Hogwarts for a few days now. The trip back with the floo powder was luckily uneventful. I tucked my new fairy doll deep in my bag so she'd stay safe and clean on the way back home. I didn't relieze how much I missed being here until I got back. Ravenclaw tower is starting to feel like home. Yesterday was the first day of classes and everything went well. I read quite a few of my textbooks over break, including my potions book. I worked on memorizing the steps for different potions to help me when I brew them. 

This morning a notice appeared on the board in the common room. I got quite excited and cast Gemino to have a copy to save for my journal:

Would You Like to Make New Friends?

Learn about another culture or even a new language?

Then sign up to be a Pen Pal!
Every interested Hogwarts’ student will matched up with a student from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic to correspond with.

Those interested please send an owl with your information to:

Morgana Ilmacoa

Beauxbatons Pen Pall Programme

Department of International Cooperation

                                                                                        

I sent off the Owl at lunchtime. I can’t wait to hear from my pen pal. I hope they’re nice. Anne is always encouraging me to learn French, and this will be good motivation I think. I didn’t even know there were other schools for magic, but now I’m off to the library to research and see what I can find out about them.

Christmas presents!

Ok, I should be caught up now with all that happened before Christmas, now onto the exciting part; Christmas Presents! We woke up early on Christmas morning and exchanged gifts. Anne and Elliot loved the gifts I made for them. We all had fun things in our stockings, lots of candies and other treats, including some wizard candy I brought home. Then Anne pulled out a big box from behind the tree with a sly grin on her face. It was for me! I opened it up and inside was a beautiful fairy doll. She had silver wings with a pink dress and dainty pink slippers. Anne explained after I got my wand and it had fairy wings in the core, she came home and saw the doll in the store and just knew she needed to come home for me. I love her and can't wait to take her back to school with me, she'll be a great companion to sit on my bed!

Going Home

December 23rd

I’m packed and ready to go home. I’m excited but sad to go home. I’m looking forward to being home, but it will feel weird to leave Hogwarts. All the other students who are going home for Christmas have already left. They took the Hogwart’s Express back to London where they will meet their parents at King’s Cross Station. I sat in the Great Hall reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and drinking cocoa. (There are always yummy snacks to eat here, I hadn’t sat down more than a few minutes at a table to wait for Dumbledore and a mug of cocoa with marshmallows appeared next to my book!) Soon Professor Dumbledore came down, and asked if I was ready to leave. I said I was and grabbed my valise. He pulled a small silk bag from his robes and threw a handful of Floo Powder into the fire. I knew what to do at this point. I clearly said our address, and then stepped into the flames. I felt a whooshing sensation, and saw many other fire place grates pass by. I thought I even saw one that showed an underwater scene, but it was gone before I could get a better look. After what seemed like a long time, I finally recognized a familiar sight, our living room! I stepped out and Elizabeth was waiting there for me! She gave me a big hug, and said how much she missed me. It feels so good to be home. 

Decorating for Christmas

December 22nd

They started decorating for Christmas today! They’ve been bringing in very large pine trees and putting them in the Great Hall. One of the older students said each one would be decorated differently. The one they decorated first was covered in glittering snowflakes made of ice, but they didn’t melt! I can’t wait to see what the rest look like.

I’m also looking forward to going home! Professor Dumbledore said that they would be connecting one of the school fireplaces to mine just for one day to take me home for Christmas, and one for me to come back to school, allowing me to travel by Floo Powder. I have been missing Elizabeth so much, and am looking forward to seeing her and Adam and having a nice Christmas break. Also Professor Dumbledore told me a secret. Students are not supposed to do magic outside of school, but that while I’m in the United States, there will be no way for the Ministry to know if I’ve done magic. He said I should be careful and use the upmost care, but he also winked so I think he knows I’d like to show Elizabeth what I’ve learned. I’ll just have to be careful to make sure it is only when we are alone at home, I don’t want anyone to see by mistake!