Lavender Brown

I just realised something very, very important this afternoon while going through my shoes to see if I had something to wear with the dress Amelia gave me for Christmas.

I don't have any plans for New Year's Eve and I don't even have my boyfriend here to snog!

So even though Mum is having a MAJOR hissy fit over it, what's the POINT in wearing this new dress? I can't even show it off.

This ride back to London is taking FOR-EV-ER! Seriously, I've already gone through like ALL of my magazines twice and am starting to run out of things to talk about with everyone! Are we there yet!?? We HAVE to be getting close!

Private to Ernie:
I miss you LIKE crazy already! I wish you would have signed up to go home. This train ride would have been much better with you. We could have gotten our own compartment and spent some fun time together!

I'm SICK!

Sicker than sick and Madam Pomfrey won't leave me alone long enough to actually GET some sleep like I sooooo want to do! I feel like I'm going to DIE at any second. Everything is all achy, I'm all splotchy, and my head feels like a balloon about to pop. I don't even want to THINK about how horrible I look because if I feel THIS bad, then I'm sure I look a hundred million thousand times worse!

NO ONE is allowed to see me until I'm better. I don't ANYONE to see me like this!

I just HAVE to say:

I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND! There is NOT a sweeter guy on this whole planet!

[Inksplotch]

Private to Ron and Ernie:
I can't sleep. I keep having nightmares again about that night on the Astronomy Tower. I can feel the scratches that were on my back -- I can feel the scars stinging even though they're healed! Was it him? Was it the same one who did it?

I'm too scared to go to sleep! I'm scared I'll see his face again and his teeth and feel his claws!

Remember how I said I didn't want to come back to school? Well, I was WRONG! Even though classes are already way harder than last year and it's colder up here, it's really, really great to be back! I've missed my dormitory something mad and my friends even more! In just a bit, we're going to stop doing homework and go down by the lake! Anyone can come, but only if you're not going to ruin the party!

Private to Ernie:
We have to talk.

This is my favourite time of year! Mum's taking me clothes shopping tomorrow! I'm so excited! Let's see: I need new skirts, new pants, new shirts and blouses, and a few new dresses. Oh! And shoes. Shoes are a definite must. I also need jewelry to match everything and whatever else I happen to find that I fall in love with! It's a pity it's too cold at Hogwarts to go swimming in the lake. I saw this ADORABLE bathing suit that would have been perfect, but since I'm leaving pretty soon, mum said it was pointless to get it in case it doesn't fit next year.

Private to Ernie:
WHY have I not seen you in over a month?!

WHY is the summer already halfway over?! WHY!? It should be longer! A whole month or two longer!

OH - MY - GOD!

He's DEAD!?

HERMIONE would NEVER! I don't believe it! They're totally lying!

Mr. Gidget and I are staying with my second favourite person in the world: the lovely Amelia Bones! It feels SO great to be home, especially after they kept us for AGES after the time we were supposed to go home. I know there was an outbreak of Dragon Pox, but did they REALLY have to keep those of us who didn't get it there longer? It ruined some of my summer holiday plans and tapped into the time I could have spent with Amelia and enjoyed the warmer weather!

Of course, it DID give me more time to spend with my Ernie and that's ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS a good thing! Though I miss him like the sun misses the moon and like the flowers miss the rain!

CAN WE GO HOME YET?!

I promise to all things holy that if I get Dragon Pox, I WILL hex someone! It wouldn't be ENOUGH to just get what happened to my back this year, but ugh! Not even kidding, okay? So everyone remember to stay AWAY from me if you have it or are feeling the least bit sickly! Oh! And remember to follow Witch Weekly's rules about hand-washing! Hold on, I'm going to glue it in here for EVERYONE! FOLLOW IT!

UGH! I don't want to look at another book or another scrap of my notes! My head is POUNDING, my eyes HURT, and I can't fit anything else into my head! Seriously, there is like no more room up there for anymore stuff about magical creatures or hovering charms or how to transfigure this into that! Aaaah

Maybe I'll take a very, very, very, very long break and fix my nails and relax by the lake. Actually, now that I think about it, that's a BRILLIANT IDEA! Anyone want to come?! Ernie? Draco? Ron? Hermione? Everyone's welcomed!

Just no talking about THOSE EVIL THINGS while we're there!

The leaves are being so conflicting tonight. I wonder if it's my fault since I can't concentrate after all the news in the Daily Prophet, but...Oh, this isn't good at all...

Clouds: Trouble ahead.
Feet: An important decision.
Gate: Opportunity, future happiness.
Snake: hatred, an enemy.
Mask: Deception.
Bird Good news.

I'm starting to run out of things to do that don't include doing my homework. I've changed the colour of my nails and toenails from a dusty rose to watermelon pink, reshaped my eyebrows like my surrogate-aunt Amelia showed me last summer, rearranged all my clothes by favourites, and reread this month's edition of Witch Weekly.

Ernie-kins, I miss you and think we should do something. What are you doing right this second?

[Private to the DA]
So I wrote to Amelia Bones who works at the place where they do all those legal hearings at the Ministry and had a LOT of questions to ask her. She FINALLY replied to all of them and I thought you all might be interested in what she said.

[Lavender copies this conversation into her journal for all DA members to see]

I WILL NOT GIVE UP MY MAGAZINES OR MY MAKEUP! How will I know what's going on in the world of fashion without my Vogue and how will I know all the latest trends out in the muggle world?!

I WILL LOOK POSITIVELY UGLY WITHOUT MY CONCEALER, FOUNDATION, BLUSH, MASCARA, AND LIPGLOSS! And then everyone will no longer look at me, Ernie will think I'm hideous, and every mirror will crack!

Okay, maybe that is exaggerating a BIT, but I'm still NOT giving up my makeup or magazines! My parents paid for them and have them owled here and they have more say so than anyone else because THEY'RE MY MUM AND DAD!


[Added after this.]
Private to Amelia Bones
Since you're all important in the Ministry and work there, I have some questions that me and some of my friends were wondering about! Hopefully you can help!

1. Is Umbridge allowed to take any muggle stuff our parents send us?
2. Is she allowed to change rules as she sees fit?
3. Does the Ministry really give her the "authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removals of privileges as may have been placed by other staff members?"
4. Can she really get rid of Muggle Studies?
5. One of my housemates was expelled from classes but not from school and is being made to work with Filch. She's a seventh year and NOT a muggle-born! Umbridge is letting her take her NEWTs, but how can she take her NEWTs if she's not going to classes?!


Thanks for your help! ~Lavender

[Hexed away from Adults and Inquisitorial Squad members]

It's even MORE miserable around here than before! Ten knuts says she makes a rule against BREATHING too loudly or now chewing a certain number of times! Ugh! I should have just stayed home. I'm not TECHNICALLY a pureblood anyway (though they don't know that so please please please don't tell anyone!!) so I could have...

I bet she's the one who got Professor Dumbledore sacked. ONLY because she wanted his job so she could rule over all us kids.


[Hexed to Amelia Bones]
Mum and dad let me come back to school for now. Maybe they stopped looking into my grandmother's case with all this other stuff?

Why are you people HAPPY?! There isn't anything to be happy about! The whole world's messed up, people are upset, my Witch Weekly subscription has run out, and / and everyone can just bite a quaffle!


Private to Amelia Bones
Mum refuses to tell me, but is my grandmother going to be okay? She and dad are looking into places outside the country in case she isn't and we have to leave. I don't want to leave...


Private to Ernie
I might be-

What happens if -

Hi.

Oops! I lost my journal for a few days and have only JUST found it! I accidentally left it in Professor Flitwick's class and he forgot to tell me that he had it! Not that I've really had time to write in it with EVERYTHING going on! Some of it is good stuff, but others - well, it's really not so good and has me worried. Especially the stuff about my parents... Not that it's anyone's business.

Anyway, my journal's back and I can finally catch up on the latest gossip! Unless someone wants to be A-Ma-Zing and save me some time by telling me all the latest gossip so I don't have to go back and kill myself reading through everything!