Hermione Jane Granger

Sally-Anne says that maybe Professor Dolohov figured out that Justin and Hydra are still in love and so he's letting Justin sit by Hydra's bedside out of kindness and he's not in trouble.

Do any of you believe that for a moment?

I'm not sure how to do this, so I wondered if you could help.

Have either of you talked to Tim Clark before? Remember, he's one of the muggleborns who escaped at the Quidditch World Cup and now he lives at Sherwood with Sarah and Terry and Dudley and the others. Only I suppose not Terry soon, if he's going to go off with a Zulu company. Anyway, he's quite nice and really very fit, at least I think so, and he was at the Order meeting Saturday because he used to live at Moddey before he moved out to Sherwood and I talked with him there a bit, and I don't know if you noticed but we talked on Saturday too and then he wrote to me yesterday because he said he went straight to Mrs L to ask to be sworn in to the Order and then he wrote to me to tell me he'd done that specifically so that he could write to me and--and I think he fancies me and I think I just might fancy him back but I'm not sure because I've never really fancied anyone who was actually someone I ever could fancy, I mean not really, and I don't want Draco or Terry getting upset about it and how do you do this?

I mean, I want to write back to him but they'll see the message header. And with the way things are with Draco right now, I mean, he's really leaning on me a lot and I know he'll improve and it's not that I don't want to be supportive, I really do, I want to stick with him and we've even got a plan and we've talked to Sirius and he thinks it will be a good thing to do, and very helpful, so I'm really happy we have that to work on, but I don't want to upset him right now or make him think I'm going to abandon him. And Harry, I know you're spending loads of time with him, Hydra, but I could see how lonely he looked at the Order meeting on Saturday and I want to make sure he knows I still care about him.

Only. With Tim it's different. I mean, we don't really have a history together. And yes, he's a muggleborn but it's not as if that's the only thing we have in common, either.

Did I mention he's really quite fit?



Oh, bollocks. It'll never work, will it? I mean, he shares a tent with Dudley and Finbar and he's mates with Terry and I just don't think I can hurt Terry like that. Not right now, certainly. I mean, it would be different if it weren't someone he knows well, like that. Wouldn't it?

How do you lot ever manage to date different people at school? It's hopelessly complicated. I think I was better off not ever thinking about anyone like that. Maybe I'll just tell him we can only write to one another if we're just going to be mates, nothing else.

Today's the day you leave the Strettons, right?

(No offence, Jeremy, I know it's not you or your siblings Sally-Anne despises!)

That means Luna, Hydra, Neville, Harry, Draco, Evelyn and Colin are the only people left on the lock now. Isn't it funny how there were so many of us for so long? And now it's just dwindling down to a few.

It's a shame we couldn't have found more people to add but honestly, considering what's behind it now, I don't know if I'd have been comfortable with too many more.

Anyway, what I mean is: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Are you going to get your Apparation licence over the holiday? (Who else is thinking of that, by the way? Not that it matters, of course, because it's not like Harry's going--although! I bet if Harry wanted to get his early--Draco, do you think you could, too? Neither of you are 17 yet but you've taken the lessons and you did it in CCF, I'm sure no one would stand on legalities like an age limit. Oh, I think that's a really good idea, actually, Harry. You could show everyone you're able to get your licence before you're 17, isn't that the sort of privilege we're always looking for? And it doesn't involve Cruciating anyone, either.)

Sorry, Sally-Anne. I keep going off on tangents. I hope you have fun at Pansy's--that's where you're going, isn't it? Let us know when you've settled so we can all throw a proper housewarming. (Pansy, how likely is it that your mother and step-father would come there? Because it might also be a good place for us all to come practise over the holidays.)

Parkinson and Perks went and had tea with Professor Sinistra today. She told them the girl who accused Professor Lestrange is Cassie Calderwood. Calderwood's a Slytherin and she was caught last year harassing Professors Lestrange and Sinistra because she was obsessed with him. So it fits, but I guess the accusation is that he was with her willingly, knowing how she felt about him, while he was supposed to be with Professor Sinistra. Only Professor Sinistra said she thought it wasn't him, really, that she saw the memory that they have and she doesn't think it was him at all. And that she believes him when he says it wasn't.

I think it's good that Mr Snape Obliviated her, though, after he and Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout talked to her. Because from the sound of it she's not very good at keeping secrets--or I suppose I ought to say that she can keep them but she has no kind of dragon poker face. Sally-Anne just mentioned Cassie's name on a hunch and her expression gave it right away.

So maybe we shouldn't consider her as an Order member, if she gets scared too easily. And anyway she's still planning to marry him, even though he's a Councilwizard (and I know you'll all say he's dangerous and he is but he's also good to Harry, really, but anyway--) Although Pansy and Sally-Anne said that she's planning to help the students, by leaving notes for them to find and use, but that's not the same kind of thing, and anyway that's to stop Madam Umbridge and not the Council.

The thing is that we can't really do anything with that, can we? I mean if we tell the papers, they won't print it, and if they do, then Professor Sinistra will know that Pansy and Sally-Anne must have told someone, even if they didn't go to the magazines themselves or anything. So I'm not sure what good it does us but that's what Madam Umbridge has that's keeping the Councilwizards from getting rid of her.

I'm passing on some information that was overheard today:

• I think whatever the ritual is that Bill's going to watch, it involves Seamus Finnigan, because Mr Rosier has been keeping him sort of drugged, but he's going to wean him off them starting tonight.


• The Death Eaters are talking about maybe having to recruit new people and they talked about Mr Pennifold, and also Draco, Pansy, Justin, Sally-Anne, Zabini and a load of other people whom they didn't think were good candidates (and they didn't necessarily want any of the others, either).


• Something might have happened between Mr Malfoy and Mr Yaxley but maybe it's patched up now.


• He also doesn't like Mr Strangeweale and he also doesn't like Mr Glendower or Mr Thicknesse


• But Mr Rosier doesn't mind Mr Thicknesse


• and he doesn't want the Death Eaters fighting among themselves (which is what they might be doing)


• And Mr Malfoy thinks that going to Court is dangerous nowadays.

I think that's the most important stuff and I'm sorry to bother anyone's Boxing Day but if we have a meeting I probably can't come to it, which is too bad really because I think I'd like to be there once, especially since it seems like there are some big decisions we have to make.