September 1st
Gryffindor Common Room
I want to make the fact known that I have never written in a diary before. I've never really felt the need to write something so personal on paper. It's probably the most incriminating thing a girl can do. But you're an "enchanted" diary, aren't you? Instead of placing a quill to you, all I have to do is speak to you and the words are written by themselves. Still, who's to say some sneak isn't riffling through my things and messing everything up?
Personally, I think Minnie McGonagall has the house elves go through our trunks, just to make sure something "inappropriate" isn't among our possessions. How else would the Professor have known that Gwenneth Baltimore had a collection of, admittedly, romantic novels on an advanced level? "Tasteless, unbecoming rubbish," McGonagall had said. "Far too inappropriate for impressionable teenage girls."
Cor. I mean, they weren't that bad. I mean, if you looked past the -
Oh! But I've gone off too far without introducing meself, haven't I? I tend to speak a lot without pausing or giving room for break, so feel free to jab me next time I start, eh?
First of all, m'name is Derry O'Keane. I hate my name though, so you shall only know me as "D", is that understood? Yes? Wonderful.
I am currently a seventeen year old student of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and, if you didn't get that ever so subtle hint from me school's title, I am a witch.
Before you start visualizing me with green-tinted skin, warts, and stringy hair, would you give me a bleedin' chance? I do thank you for that.
First of all, I don't have green skin - unless I happen to stumble upon a Slytherin, as they're probably the most disgusting of creatures and often lead to vomitting - but I am quite pale and freckled. Pale as in, "shield your eyes from the blinding whiteness that is D O'Keane!". I burn retinas. I do. People are constantly toting around sunglasses because of me, but that's beside the point.
I am also a strawberry blonde. That's like being a red-head, but not quite so vibrant. "Derry", my name, also means to be red-headed, so you understand what kind of a household I came from. Irish household that is, so if I go off a bit crazy, you might know why.
When I was eleven.. and twelve.. and thirteen.. and maybe even fourteen and fifteen, I was sort of shortest in my year. This, along with my Irish tongue, red(ish) hair, and MILD temper, led to me nickname by my very favourite people, the Marauders. Yes, I was known as 'Leprechaun' for most of my years here. The first time it happened, about second week, a girl came to my rescue. Lily Evans. She was a real red-head you know, bloody-red if you can imagine. She already hated the Marauders and was quick to jump to my defence. Or their's, I suppose it could've been, as I was busy pummeling one of them, Black, into the ground. (I may be a girl, but me Da made sure his little girl had an impressive left hook).
It was that day that she and I became best friends. Later in the term, we added another girl, Valerie Perkins, to our group, and we soon became somewhat inseperable. We shared mutual disdain for those boys who so often picked on us and others, and a bond formed over it.
Who says Hate takes and never gives? I got the best mates a bird could ask for because of it.
7:53 p.m.
September 3rd
Girls' Dormitory
Hello, Eduardo,
Now to continue with our introduction. It'll be more detailed, now, eh?
Me Mam thinks that family makes you who you are, so let's start with that.
I grew up in a small Irish village near the ocean. It was just me, me Mam, me Da, and me older brother Kip. Me and Kip went to school, played on the beach, and rode our draught horse, Sir MacKenzie, on our property's fields. Me Da was a carpenter and me Mam was something of a "volunteer", as she put it. She could never really hold a job, so she just did any old errand and took whatever pay she could get out of it. Mostly, she shopped for housewives too busy to do it themselves.
When I was eight me parents got in a bit of a spat and decided their marriage wasn't satisfying anymore. Me Da had just returned from the village's local Boozer and me Mam was upset about it. I don't exactly know why, exactly. An Irish man isn't worth nothing if he can't drink everyonce in a while.
But it mattered not, because the next day me Da left to England with Kip in the back of his car. I never was visited by them, but during the summers me Mam would pay the fare and I'd visit them. They had settled an hour from London, and the shopping was nice.
You must realise, that I never knew of my magical heritage until I received m'letter of acceptance. It came as a bit of a shock, and I was inclined to believe it was a prank by me best friends at the time, the MacFarley's boys, who were something of tricksters.
However, me Mam assured me it was no lie, and took out her wand. She explained what she could to me, and I asked if Da knew anything about it. He did, she said, and he was never very pleased with it, but he accepted me mother for who she was. Neither of us knew if Kip was Muggle like Da, or if he was merely a Squib, but Kip didn't mind either way, so we figured it to be a topic best left on its own.
So, that's me family life in a jar. Friends, now?
Of course I mentioned that Lily Evans was me best mate. She has been since first year, and I imagine her to be as we're both old and grey. Lily is something of a swot, but I wouldn't tell it to her - especially when she's in one of her foul moods. Mostly, these moods are bred because of Mr. James Potter, but we'll cover him and the others near the end.
Lily is prim and serious, but it doesn't take much to make her loosen up, IF she's not busy studying for Exams. I've learned the hard way that you never interrupt Ms. Evans when exams are upcoming.
She's easy to get along with, and perhaps the most loyal friend you could hope for. She's very fond of her beliefs and morals, and never hesitates to stand up for something or someone.
She's also Muggle-born, which is why our conversation never ceases. I'm Half-blood to be sure, but I grew up Muggle, so we can always talk about movies or books which Valerie may not be familar with.
Valerie is strictly pure-blood. Her whole family was in Ravenclaw, so it came as a bit of a shock when she was sorted into Gryffindor. Valerie's a bit of a snob, but she has a dry sense of humour that can be quite entertaining, as long as you're not the brunt of her joke. (I often find myself in this position). Her easy-going charm comes in handy when we receive a disapproving glance from a Professor. She could charm a free drink out of me town drunkard's hands, which is something.
The last of our group is Timothy Palmer, but we call him Teddy. He's a sweetie and a great listener. He listens to me dumb stories, Valerie's constant insults (often directed towards the Slytherins. Or me.) and Lily's lectures. I think he holds a flame for Lily, and it's not a well-kept secret, so this leads to excessive and unneccessary bullying from James Potter.
Which brings me to the Marauders. First, there's of course James Potter. He's one fourth of this group, and one halfth of the most popular boys in school. Girls are often flocking to him as he's Quidditch Captain, but I can honestly count on one hand how many dates he's been on. He's been waiting for Lily since he hit puberty, but she won't have anything of it. They're a comical pair, and seeing them together as the School's Heads has become better than my favourite t.v. show. I tune in regularily.
James' best friend would be Sirius Black. He's charming, elegant, and just as popular as James - if not more, I suppose. He's Hogwart's Hearthrob and Lady Killer, and doesn't shy away from the fact. He teases me more than I like also, so often I avoid him.
He is a good mate to drink with though, as he can't hold his liquor, so it's a fair laugh to see him staggering about, hitting on pillows and the fire mantle.
Peter Pettigrew is a short, stumpy boy with watery eyes and no charm, grace, talent, or anything that could resemble a complimenting virtue. I imagine the boys keep him about so he can laugh at their jokes, the few times that nobody else does. I even heard from a reliable source that he once wet his cacks as the group pulled of a prank. Just so you know, I didn't doubt this fact at all when I first heard it, which gives you a better idea of what Pettigrew's like. He's a bit dense, but he's always been polite to me, so I sometimes grace him with a nod of my head.
Lastly, there is him. That bloke Remus Lupin. The boy who owns my heart and mistreats it so. Everyone knows about me fancying him, which is fine by me. I've staked my claim and now everyone knows the lad's mine. I do hate is so when those Ravenclaw girls bat their eyelashes at him. Don't they understand that he's taken?
In any case, Remus indulges me when it comes to me little crush. I do hope he doesn't find me as bothersome as Lily finds Potter, but even if he did it wouldn't dissuade me all that much. We study together every Thursday afternoon, and it's basically the highlight of my week. One of these days he'll wisen up and ask me to go with him. You'll see.
September 4th
5:34 p.m.
Great Hall
Hello, Eduardo,
This morning Valerie woke me up as pleasantly as she always does. Really, this meant she jumped on my bed, pinned me down, and tickled me until tears leaked from my ever-lovin' eyes.
Lily was wrapping her crimson and gold tie around her neck as she strolled past my bed, and I swear I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. Tickling me so I wake has become a bit of a tradition with Valerie and myself. It's so much more effective than an alarm clock. Who's to push a snooze when your sides are aching and muscles tensing? I ask you that.
Anyway, we took our showers respectively (save Lily, who was reading my diary. I have no problem with that, really. I tell them everything I tell you, Eduardo.) She did comment on my name for you, the rat, but I informed her I was very fond of Latino lovers, and she left it at that.
We left together for the Great Hall and sat down where we always do, at the end. Valerie at the end with me at her side, and Lily across from me. Teddy soon slipped in beside Lily, across from Valerie, and Potter soon slipped to Lily's available side. This led to Sirius by James, Remus on the other side with me (Clear the table! I'm going to dance!) and Peter beside Remus.
Potter was greeted by four identical glares (that would be myself, Lily, Valerie, and Teddy) and in turn we were returned with four glares (that would be the Marauders). I hoped Remus was averting his gaze purposely. This stare-down went on for I'm quite sure was ten minutes before the empty plates filled themselves with food.
Potter turned to Lily and smiled widely.
"Potter," she said. "What do you want?"
"You," he answered promptly, with no shame.
"I'm not for sale, Potter. I, for one, don't believe in slavery."
Potter looked hurt, then turned to me. "Top of the mornin' to ye," with an inclination of his head.
I was often greeted in such a manner, so I replied, "and the rest of the day to yerself."
The group enjoyed playful banter and comfortable conversation for the rest of the meal, before the crumbs vanished and the students lined up for classes. Seventh year Gryffindors had Potions first, so the eight of us headed for the dungeons. I took slower than neccessary steps, of course, because Remus was laden with several textbooks, and he had little to say at breakfast.
As I matched his pace, I did notice that his complexion was fairer than normal. Remus claimed to have a horrible immune system, which means he's very vulnerable to illness. I imagined he had a cold of some sort, so I offered him my hankerchief. He declined, but smiled at me, so I ambled into class with an extra bounce to my step.
In Potions we seperated into partners. I was with Teddy while Lily and Valerie paired. Both Teddy and James looked a little hurt that neither were considered. I would have been offended that Teddy showed so little enthusiasm at being my partner, but remember Eduardo, Remus had just smiled at me.
Gods. Did I ever have it bad.
The class was rather uneventful. Slughorn nearly wet his cacks as he observed Lily and Valerie's potion. Perfect, per usual. He made a similar expression at mine and Teddy's, but for a very different reason.
The potion was supposed to be a royal purple, but ours looked like mud. Dirty, stinky, and bubbling mud.
Fan-bloody-tastic.