Dear Parvati,

How are you? How was Italy? I got your card yesterday, but there’s still loads you need to tell me! Do you want to meet next week? We could go to Diagon Alley together. I need new robes (although Dad says I don’t, but I want something that fits better.) and we could buy our school things together.

Oh, and did you see that we need to bring dress robes this year? I absolutely need you to go to Diagon Alley with me! Mum and Dad say I can go on my own this year, since they’re busy with the renovations anyway.
Can you believe that school is starting in two weeks already? I wonder who the new Defense professor’s going to be…
I don’t have much time, so I’m just going to send this now. My parents want me to help clean out the rooms downstairs. I don’t see why they can’t do it themselves, I can’t use magic like them and it takes me ages to do stuff they can do in a minute.

I really really hope we can go to Diagon Alley together - and no parents! You have to come!

Love,
Lavender

~~*~~

Hello Lavender!

I didn’t even have to ask Mum and Dad. They already allowed Padma to go with some of her friends, so they couldn’t say no to me. They do want to bring us there though, but that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll shake them off at the Leaky Cauldron (we’re taking the Floo), and then we can meet outside Gringotts? Maybe we could meet the others for lunch later on - Padma and her friends, I mean, not Mum and Dad.
I KNOW about the dress robes - it’s so exciting, right? I completely agree, I can’t believe we’re finally allowed to wear something other than those boring old school robes! I wonder why though...They must be planning some sort of event. I never pictured Hogwarts to be the place for a party, but I certainly won’t say no!

I do have a lot to tell you about Italy, but I’ll do that when we meet up. How about Wednesday? We could meet early, then we have all day and don’t have to hurry.

I’m really glad that school is starting again soon. The holidays felt really long this year. I couldn’t even enjoy Italy all the time because I missed Hogwarts so much.

Still haven’t finished all my homework though... That Potions essay is horrible!

I better get to it now. (If I don’t do it in time, Mum and Dad might use that as a reason not to let me go...)

Can’t wait to see you!
Parvati

~~*~~

Ooh, are you missing Hogwarts, or a certain someone whose name starts with an H too…

Wednesday sounds fine, we could meet outside Gringotts at around ten, and then see where we go from there.

Love,
Lavender

~~*~~

No, I’m just looking forward to going back to school, that’s all! And maybe I am looking forward to seeing a certain messy-haired someone too... But only a little bit!

See you Wednesday at ten!
Parvati

~~~*~~~
He doesn’t even notice me…

Of course he does. You just aren’t looking when he looks.

He’s scribbling in Ron’s History book. I don’t think he only just turned his head away from me.

He notices you. You’re the prettiest girl in our year, everyone notices you!

Seamus cares more about you though.

What!?

He’s been staring at you for the last thirty minutes.

And you didn’t bother telling me before?
He’s only staring at blank air, everyone is when Binns is talking.

Why did he blush when you looked his way then?

Weren’t we talking about you and Harry?

What’s there to talk about?

I bet when the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive there will be some kind of party. It’ll be much easier for you to get closer when a party has loosened everyone up.

If he wants to...

Of course he does, why wouldn’t he?

~~*~~

He just had to go and become the Hogwarts Champion, hadn’t he... Now with all the attention he’s getting, how am I supposed to even talk to him?

Once you do talk to him, he won’t notice everyone else.

If he ever stops drooling over Cho Chang... did you see the way he looks at her?

Cho Chang is a cow... Have you heard her talk? I don’t get how she’s that popular. Also, she’s in Ravenclaw... Harry wouldn’t want to date a Ravenclaw. Everyone knows Ravenclaw girls are stone cold, I sometimes really don't understand why Padma is in that house.

You wouldn’t mind Roger Davies too much though, would you?

Who wouldn’t? Have you looked at him lately? He’s better looking than Cedric Diggory if you ask me...

~~*~~

Did you see how he out-flew that dragon?

I saw, and you haven’t stopped talking about it ever since he got out of that tent!

He looked so amazing on that broom... I’ve never seen anyone fly like that.

I still think you should have gone to congratulate him right after the task.

Maybe I would have, if we had found him after he went back inside that tent...

Snape’s looking. Quick, before he takes this.

~~*~~

A ball! That’s the perfect opportunity!

I’m too excited to argue that he won’t invite me!

Even if he won’t, you can still ask him to dance once you’re both there. And why wouldn’t he invite you!

I don’t know... Since he did so well in the first task he’s become really popular again.

There’s still Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum though. They are very popular with the girls too, and they’ll keep them away from Harry.

I suppose so... do you want to go up to Professor Trelawney after lunch? Maybe she’ll read tea leaves with us.

Sure! Maybe I can find out whether someone is going to ask me to the ball...

~~*~~

I TOLD you Seamus was interested in you!

I can’t believe he’s asked me! But now he has, I am sort of excited...

Of course you are! And at least you have someone now.

You know, I really do think you should have said yes when Dean asked you. You could still dance with Harry during the ball even if you went with Dean. And you and Dean and Seamus and me... that would have been perfect!

I want to wait though. Harry still hasn’t asked anyone, and as long as he’s free, I’m not saying yes, no matter who asks me.

What about Padma by the way? Who’s she going with?

No idea... After Terrance broke up with her to go to the ball with that Beauxbatons girl, she didn’t seem to be in the mood to go at all... I hope she’ll have lightened up by Christmas.

Yeah. I really think she should go - and show Terrance that she doesn’t miss him.

~~*~~

Harry Potter has asked me to go to the Yule Ball with him.

I don’t usually write in this diary a lot, but I just have to write this down somewhere. I still can’t believe my luck. Harry Potter... He could have had anyone, but he asked me. True, he did ask rather late, but I knew it would pay off to wait. I can’t wait now. Lavender and I have been planning our outfits, hair and makeup ever since the holidays started. I haven’t done any homework yet at all, I’m just too excited about this ball! Lavender is going with Seamus - I’m so curious how that’s going to work out.

Finally Harry and I will get to spend some time together... And dance even! Oh, this is too good to be true! I had a dream about it last night. I can’t remember too much now, but we danced, and then he asked me outside, and I think he kissed me... He definitely kissed me. I looked it up in my Divinations book, but I couldn’t really find anything about kisses. I’m just going to hope it’s prophetic now.

Oh! I’m so excited!

~~*~~

He is. The entire planet’s. Most. Giant. Idiot.

I don’t believe he did this – I never would have thought he’d be such a prat!

Tell me again.

It was fine at first, we danced, and it was all nice... but then he refused to dance, and at some point he left with Ron.

Well, I hope they had a nice time together.

That’s nasty.

They weren’t exactly gentlemen either, where they...

No, I suppose not.

You did meet Henri though, didn’t you...

Yes, and we had a nice enough time, but the whole thing certainly didn’t go as I had imagined.

Well, you weren’t the only one who didn’t get the ball she expected...

Hah yes - you and Seamus... you go as friends, and leave to snog.. I so saw this coming! And he is the best catch in our year. You still haven’t told me what you’re going to do now though. Do you want to go out with him?

I’m not entirely sure... Let’s talk about that during lunch, okay?

You know, I think I’m glad Harry didn’t act more nicely. If we’re not supposed to be together, then I’d rather not waste my time with him. Maybe it’ll work out with Henri...

I can’t wait for the next Hogsmeade weekend then. How about this: You go with Henri, and I go with Seamus, and then after that we decide where we want to end up with them.

Probably a good idea. Harry’s not that great anyway. He’s not even good-looking or funny...