One of the only things I hate about Hogwarts is that you have to live in a dorm room with the same people for seven years. Now, most people bond with their roommates, but regrettably, I’m not that great at bonding. But, even if you don’t get along with your roommates, you do learn their quirks and habits and such. For instance, I know that on the first day of the school year, Rita and Bridget will spend an hour whining over not having anything to wear. We wear uniforms. You do not need to pick an outfit.
It doesn’t make any sense, they always pick an outfit, wear it to breakfast(where they each eat two grapes or some equally nutritious meal) and then return to the dorm and change. How pointless is that? Their explanation is that robes are just so unflattering, and how are they going to get boyfriends if they don’t show that they have perfect figures? Right. Because having a boyfriend is the most important thing that will ever happen to anyone.
Of course, in their perfect little pureblooded world, I suppose that it is the most important thing that will ever happen to them. Sometimes, I wish I were a pureblood, just so people wouldn’t make fun of me for having a mother who is a muggle and I might have half a chance of fitting in here, but then I remember that they’re all going to get married days after graduation to some pureblooded widower twice their age that they’ve probably never even met. Those are the times, Diary, I’m so thankful that I’m a half-blood. At least my parents won’t force me into marriage with someone like Oscar Flint. He looks, smells, and sounds like a troll and has the intelligence of one too. I’m not saying that looks are the most important thing in the world, but personal hygiene is a nice bonus in a marriage…
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I’m sitting in bed, and I am so glad the day is over. I always hate the first day of classes. All the teachers really do is go over their class rules, and the syllabus for the year, and then go over what we learned last year. I wrote that last bit during Charms, Diary, which by the way, I can’t stand. Flitwick wanted us to practice Cheering Charms today, and I mastered those last year.
I don’t think that yesterday I mentioned my lovely rat, Henrietta. She was asleep in my pocket the whole train ride. She’s pretty fun, for a rat. I actually really hated rats before I got her, but she’s kind of made them seem tolerable.
Okay, so I still can’t stand any that aren’t Henri, but still, it’s an improvement. My mum found her in our garden last summer, and I kind of liked her, so I kept her. My mother thinks that pets help teenagers feel more stable. My mum is rather odd in that way.
Anyways, I did have a point in mentioning Henri. This afternoon, I was in my room to drop off my textbooks and get something to read at dinner. The other inhabitants of my dorm were there changing into the clothes that they wear to dinner- not, though, the clothes they wore to breakfast, because apparently, ‘being seen in the same outfit twice is like, so out.’ Uh huh. Sure. Anyway, while one of them was in the bathroom changing, Rita suddenly started screaming. Like, full on, mass-murderer-in-the-room, I’m-going-to-die, screaming. She got up on her bed, still screaming, pointing at her underwear drawer.
I walked over there, to see what she was being so dramatic about, and guess what Diary? Henri’s decided that sleeping in one of Rita’s bras is quite cozy. She was just all curled up, looking pretty cute, for a rat asleep in someone’s bra that is.
I walked back over to my bed, and grabbed my camera, figuring I would enjoy the picture someday. I snapped a picture of Rita alternating between screaming and whimpering like a kicked dog and I picked Henri up out of Rita’s bra(I tried hard not to touch it), and put her in my pocket, so Rita wouldn’t kill her or something.
I smiled sweetly at Rita, “You really shouldn’t leave that open! She could get in there and get shut in and suffocate!” I have no idea why I felt the need to taunt Rita, but, I did.
She jumped off of her bed, glaring at me. “You FREAK. How DARE you let that filthy THING get near my private things? Do you even know how expensive that bra was? And you let a RAT near it?” She was breathing heavily, and she looked rather insane. She took a few slow, deep breaths, like she was trying to cleanse herself of negative feelings (She does that. Apparently, a monk taught her about it. Right…). “Well,” she said slowly, “At least it’ll wash.”
I shook my head, a look of fake sadness on my face. “I’m not sure you’d really want that bra anywhere near you now. Henri has this really, really dangerous disease. It’s a Muggle thing, with a really long name. There’s no treatment for it. I’m immune, but if you touch anything Henri’s gotten within four inches of, you’ll probably die.” I gave her my best ‘I’m-really-really-sorry’ look. “You might want to throw everything Henri might’ve touched away.”
Rita looked at me suspiciously. “I don’t believe you. I bet it doesn’t have a disease. And what do you mean I wouldn’t get it? Are you calling me stupid? What’s the disease called Miss I‘m-so-smart?”
I smirked. “Bolivian hemorrhagic fever. It’s a very, very real disease. Sorry. Just burn all of your clothes, and you’ll be fine. And of course I’m not calling you stupid. And Henri is a SHE, not an IT. How would you feel if someone called you an ‘IT’?” I glared at her.
The disease I told her Henri had? Bolivian hemorrhagic fever? It is actually a disease, only it only occurs in Bolivia, and only five to thirty percent of the people who get it die. So I lied. Sue me.
I left, after putting my camera into my trunk, locking it, and picking my book off of my bed. Rita was just standing there, looking all blank and terrified. That was fun.
At dinner, I watched as Rita and Bridget whispered and pointed at me, both of them with evil looks on their faces. I could already tell that they were planning something. Luckily, Diary, as I’ve said before, neither of them is really very smart, so none of their plans would be too threatening. Rita glared at me, and I smiled back, taking a bite of my kidney pie.
So, halfway through dinner, when Rita had already left, because apparently ‘some people need beauty sleep’, Regulus Black, who had been sitting next to her, got up and walked around the table and sat next to me. Why on Earth would he sit next to me? I don’t know.
I ignored him, and continued reading. Most people had already left the Great Hall, but I was still there, because I really don’t need to listen to my roommates discuss how beautiful they are. I read for a few minutes before looking over at him and rolling my eyes. “Do you need something?” I asked coolly.
He grinned slightly, not his normal ‘I-know-I’m-better-than-you-so-bow-down’ grin, but a kind of shy, maybe even sort of
I smirked. “Yes. Henri suffers Bolivian hemorrhagic fever. Very deadly. So sad. Rita informed you, I assume?” I rolled my eyes, I’m sure she had been telling everyone that I had a dangerous animal. I just hoped the teachers would be smart enough to realize that I had lied.
Black frowned slightly. “No he doesn’t. Bolivian hemorrhagic fever only occurs in Bolivia, and there hasn’t been an outbreak in two or three years. As far as I know, not many people actually die from it.”
Insert ‘surprised face’ here, Diary. I know I looked like a total idiot, sitting there with my mouth hanging open. “Yeah, that’s right. Completely right.” I sounded amazed. Oh Holy Salazar. Regulus Black is amazing me. This is bad. Yesterday, I believe I mentioned a tiny-miniscule-not-really-even-there crush I might be developing on Black? Well, I think it may have grown into a tiny-miniscule-possibly-there crush.
Black smirked. “You sound surprised. You don’t think I’m a total moron, do you? God, Lovett, I’m insulted,” he said sarcastically. "Anyway, I told you I'm semi-literate, so when Rita mentioned your diseased rodent, I went and looked it up in the library. I figured you'd lied," he added, grinning knowingly.
This is really weird, and I don’t like it.
Regulus Black is being… friendly? I don’t know. It’s confusing. I hate being confused.
And being the subtle, tactful girl that I am, I said, “What do you want? You’ve been a complete jerk to me for four years, and now you’re acting like an almost tolerable human being. Why? Why do you keep talking to me? And yes, I di- do think you‘re a total moron.”
He looked surprised, and maybe slightly… what was it? Hurt, possibly? Maybe he expected me to say something like that. Maybe he’s not as much of an idiot as I thought. He let out a long, slow breath, and shrugged. “I honestly have no idea what I want, or why I keep talking to you. I think you’re weird. But kind of interesting. And I guess I’m kind of… sorry, for being such a jerk, you know.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not as dumb as you think, you know. I’ll leave you alone if you want. I just thought… Never mind. See you.” And with that confusing statement, he left. Just got up and walked away.
I really want to know what he thought, actually. (Which is weird, because I’ve never cared what Regulus Black thought before.)
I considered going after him for a minute, but then decided against it, seeing that he might think I liked him or something like that. I finished the chapter I had been reading in my book(The Incurable: Magical Diseases and Ailments Without a Cure), and left. I headed straight to my dorm, instead of reading on the worn old armchair in the corner of the common room.
I’ve been up here for two hours, now. I took a shower, magically dried my hair, and got ready for bed. I wrote a letter to my mum, telling her that I’m ‘thrilled to be back, and really interacting with my roommates this year!’. She’ll be so happy. After I did all that, I climbed into my bed, and pulled my soft green sheets up around me, and started writing in you, Diary.
I think I’ve pretty much exhausted the topic of my day, so now I’m going to bed, even though it’s only nine, so I can get up and get out of the dorm before Rita and co. wake up.
I have a feeling they’re going to try and get back at me more than ever now. Especially if anyone tells them that I was talking to Black at dinner.
With Love,
Emma