Chapter 3 �“ I have no desire to eat frog’s legs and cheese any time soon.
Tuesday 27th October, Period 4, History of Magic, 12:30
Yes, yes, I know! I haven’t written in over a month, but that would be because I lost my diary! Nothing interesting has happened anyway, other than the weather �“ a cold front moving in from the east, with expected temperatures of three to four degrees! So as you can plainly see, life is boring.
As for the whole losing the diary fiasco, well it wasn’t so much that I lost it, more that it was stolen; I don’t know who took it, so don’t ask!
I woke up this morning and fought with Kat over using the bathroom. I pushed her out of the way, just to find that it was locked anyway because another girl in our dormitory, Alice, was in there already. I waited patiently outside for five minutes before she stepped out her hair wrapped in a towel and her feet adorned with fluffy brown slippers in the shape of bears… she is a cool kid!
I smiled at Alice and stepped into the bathroom, earning myself a glare from Kat.
Because I’d already had a shower the night before, it didn’t take me long to get ready, and so I was down in the common room within ten minutes. I tried to push myself past the commotion of students that always linger in the common room before heading down to breakfast. They were attempting to get some last minute homework done, I suspect. I noticed a particularly large group of people crowding around the common room notice board, which could only mean one thing! Hogsmeade!
I love Hogsmeade! The smells, the excitement and the cobbled streets. My senses tingle just from thinking about it! Hogsmeade is definitely the best part of the Hogwarts school term, other than lunchtime of course!
My favourite thing about Hogsmeade is of course the dates. But who would ask me to go with them? I know who I would like to go with, one of the Marauders obviously, but the chances of them asking me was slim to none and the chances of me making a fool of myself, even if one of them did ask me, was fat to a hundred.
Every time I have been to Hogsmeade with someone, it has either been with a jerk, a loser, or just someone wanting a date for a terrible reason. Simon Lovegood asked me last year. It turned out he just wanted to write an article about some creature he had read about and according to some fourth year Hufflepuff I had spotted one of these animals. Amos Diggory asked me out as well, but he only talked about himself the whole time we were there and Severus Snape was a dare from Katerina.
Tuesday 27th October, Period 4, History of Magic, 1:00
A note just landed on my desk from somewhere to the left of me. I turned to see who it was and saw Sirius looking up at me. With shaking hands, I began to unfold the note.
Miss Rozabela Bland,
You are cordially invited to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade this coming Saturday the 31st October. Meet one for a butterbeer and more if you’re lucky, at precisely 12:00.
His Royal Highness
Sirius Orion Black
Oh. My. Bloody. God. He’s asked me, ME, to Hogsmeade! ME! Questions began speeding through my mind. What should I wear? What should I say? Why the hell has he asked me in the first place?
Oh great, now I am hyperventilating. Breathe, Rosy, breathe.
Tuesday 27th October, Lunchtime, 1:30
I gave the note to Lily. She reacted differently to how a teenager would usually act. She rolled her eyes.
“Rosy, you aren’t going to go are you?” She spoke too maturely for a sixteen-year-old girl.
“Too bloody right I’m going! Listen, Lily, let me put this in words that someone as uneducated to the ways of the Marauders like you will understand. Sirius Orion Black has asked me, Rozabela Letitia Bland, to go to Hogsmeade with him… Sirius Orion Black!” I spelt out, very slowly.
“Yes, as much as I am uneducated to the ways of the Marauders, I did get that part!” she said sarcastically, again rolling her eyes. “Now, Rozabela Letitia Bland, let me spell this out for you: Sirius Orion Black is a womaniser, as is the rest of his motley crew!” she spelt out for me, as if I was stupid. The nerve of some people!
“How dare you insult my Gods? Do you see me going around mocking your Christian beliefs? No I didn’t think so!” I growled, picking myself up from the table and storming off. But I quickly returned to pick up the half plate of shepherd’s pie I had abandoned �“ waste not want not.
28th October, Dormitory, 12:05am
I was sitting here in my dormitory, very innocently, a few hours ago. My mum had just sent me a French textbook. She seems to think I need to broaden my knowledge of her world. But French, I ask you, why French? I have no desire to eat frog’s legs and cheese any time soon.
Anyway, I was flicking through the textbook, repeating a few things to myself, when Katerina entered.
Page 3, ‘Talking about oneself’. The page wasn’t all that interesting. It showed a table of the etre verbs. To talk about myself, which is what I usually do as I find that topic second most interesting to the Marauders of course, it would be je suis. That was easy enough to remember. I decided to practice my discovery aloud.
“ Je suis un lapin!” My French accent est parfait. But the less talented seem to feel differently!
“You’re a rabbit? Well that much is obvious, but what’s with the French?” It was Katerina; she had wormed her way into the dormitory without me noticing and then began intruding on my privacy. She sat down on the end of my bed.
I looked away, pretending not to hear her. Using the silent treatment can convey the message loud and clear.
“Listen Rosy, you can’t ignore me forever. Besides, I need to tell you something,” She begged, looking pleadingly at me.
“I would prefer it if you would call me Rozabela. Rosy is a name only used by my friends. And I think you’ll find I can, and will, ignore you forever!” The silent treatment plan failed then.
“See, you’re already giving in.” She smiled innocently; she was using the over-sickeningly nice tactic. “I have some crucial information involving Lily which you may find very interesting!”
I threw a quill, wrapped in a piece of parchment, at her head. “You may write whatever it is you have to tell me down, and then get out of here.”
This really set Katerina off! She jumped up off my bed, bringing the quill and parchment, which had lodged itself into her tidy bun, with her. “You’re impossible Rozabela!” she spat, putting emphasis on my name and throwing everything she could reach onto the floor. “I try to make up with you, which any normal person would be willing to do, and you just dismiss me and throw your stupid quills at me!”
“I’ll have you know that is my favourite quill, it cost me….” I began.
“Oh, shut up! I don’t care anymore. Take your French textbook and favourite quill and stuff them up your ars…” She was cut off.
“Ladies? Is there a problem here?” spoke a stern voice from the door. We spun around and faced Professor Mcgonagall. A couple of pale first years teetered behind her.
“N-no, Professor,” we stammered, stunned at the sudden presence of authority.
“I should hope not. It is rather late and these first years have apparently been woken up by loud thuds and shouting coming from up your dormitory, and several other sixth years have been avoiding coming to bed. I found three crammed on the sofa downstairs trying to get to sleep. I wouldn’t have to report this to the headmaster now, would I?” She peered down at us over her square glasses.
“No, Professor,” we answered automatically.
“Good, now go to bed!” she finished, before turning on her heel and marching out, the two first years tottering along behind her. Katerina immediately got into bed and pulled the curtains around her four-poster bed. At that moment Lily quite literally bounced in the dormitory.
“What are you so happy about?” I mumbled from the floor, where I was picking up my things, which Katerina had so kindly thrown there.
Lily bent down to help me collect my things together before answering. She stood up, handing me my textbook.
“I got a date!” she beamed at me, clearly delighted. My stomach, heart and nose all sank at the same time.
“You got a what?” Merde!
“A date, silly!” she replied, still very excited.
I have failed, failed I tell you! A date, I am pretty sure this wasn’t in the plan, no doubt the date isn’t with James, who I am supposed to be setting her up with.
“Who with?” I asked, trying to act as casual as possible, which is oh so very hard when you are about to cry! What will I tell Sirius? He might not want go to Hogsmeade with me now!
“Well, don’t tell Alice, but I’m going with Frank Longbottom!” She whispered, which was pointless because Alice wasn’t even in the room.
“Frank Longbottom? Frank Longbottom? You’re jeopardising my happiness for Longbottom?” I squealed, really crying.
“Rosy, why are you crying? Do you like him? Oh, I am so sorry, I thought you liked Sirius!” she cooed, patting my back.
“No, I’m just … I’m just so happy for you!” I wailed, tears streaming down my face.
“Well the truth is I am only going so that I can set him and Alice up! Genius, eh?” she beamed, before bouncing, again, out of the room.
“Oh yes, pure genius. Shame I thought of it first!” I shouted to the closed door.
“Shut up! Stop talking to yourself, you lapin gros!” I heard the snappy remark from beyond the curtains.
“It is too bad Kat that I haven’t done adjectives yet!” I replied, before clambering into bed fully dressed.