Lily's Diary - 6th Year

Chapter 3 - Start of Term

Wednesday, 1^st September 1976

The Knight Bus

Well the Knight bus was interesting. We sat with James and his gang because all the others who caught the bus were younger kids. James and his crew still went about trying to scare the younger kids but it didn't have as much of an effect as I suspect these kids are used to them and their wizarding kids anyway so you can't really scary them with stories about ghosts and Boggarts and stuff. They still had there fun with all there pranks though. They had a bit more of a shot scaring the kids on the train though. Anyway James explained a bit about the bus to me. They attempted to scare me about it but it didn't work I'm used to them and there pranks now.

The Knight bus is pretty interesting. The drivers aren't that great at driving, but it doesn't really matter seeing as the muggles can't see it or feel it. It's this purple triple storey bus. We were all on the top storey because that's where the Hogwarts students where put. They allocate seats for the start of term because of all the different schools going back and so it's easier to get everyone off.

They take about three different schools on the start of term. Hogwarts get dropped off first because we catch the train, they take a couple of the kids from Serlin. Fiona and Grace caught the bus with us today so we spoke to them a bit. They normally use the floo network to get to school but they wanted to see us off to school so they caught the bus today. It's mainly the younger ones from there school that catch the bus or the muggle born kids who don't have the floo network. There was also this other school that was on the bus too. I can't remember the name of that school though. They were on the second storey so I didn't talk to them much.

The Hogwarts Express

Once we got to the station me and James headed off to the prefects compartment for our usual meeting of introducing the new head boy and girl and going over what prefects have to do, and pairing up with the fifth years so they get some idea of what they have to do. We pair up with the fifth years for about four weeks to show them all the stuff they have to do so that they get to know it, after the four weeks there on their own.

The new head boy and girl are Martina Batts and Jordan Digg. I don't know them that well. Martina is in Ravenclaw and Jordan's in Hufflepuff so I don't see them around much. The twins, Belinda and Rowan Hayles are the fifth year Gryffindor prefects. I've met them before Belinda's a really nice kid, it's just kindda weird having twins as the prefects but oh well. I hope James behaves himself and doesn't mislead Rowan. Anyway I told Belinda about what she has to do and then we went and patrolled the train for a bit. I told her she just had to walk around the train every half hour or so to make sure there was no trouble and then I left her and went to see Jacqui.

Once I sat down in the carriage Jacqui asked about who the head prefects and new fifth years were. I told her the heads were Martina and Jordan and that the new Gryffindor prefects were the Hayles twins. She like me didn't know much about Martina and Jordan, she'd heard about them around the school of course but she didn't know them. She knew the twins though and was quite impressed that both of them had made it. We knew that both of them wanted it because they'd mentioned it at the end of last year. It was still surprising that they both got the positions though. We discussed that for a while and then Alice knocked on the door. Alice is a year older than us she's in seventh year. So when Alice arrived we started talking about our holidays and what we'd all done. Alice had gotten a summer job at one of the shops in Hogsmeade over the summer so that's why we hadn't seen her much. We told her about the Wizard Carnival and all the other stuff we did in the holidays. Then she asked us about our OWLs. We both did well so it wasn't a bad topic. Alice asked what we wanted to do after school. Alice wants to do some DADA stuff not sure exactly what though but she's brilliant at DADA she was always top of the class in it. I can't believe she'll be leaving at the end of the school year. She's been a really great friend to me ever since I arrived here.

Arrival at Hogwarts

Well the train finally arrived back at school. I had a quick word to Belinda before jumping into the horseless carriages with Jacqui and Alice. I've been told that Threstals are used to draw these carriages. Apparently you can't see them unless you've seen someone die. I've heard about them but I've never seen them, for obvious reasons. They sound like the most amazing creatures.

Once we got to Hogwarts we got out of the carriage and headed up to the great hall. The hall was as beautiful as ever. I think you appreciate it more every year. It's so gorgeous with all the candles floating in the air and the house colours on all the tables, its incredible. There were already heaps of people in the hall by the time we got there. The three of us headed over to the Gryffindor table. I spoke to Belinda as she arrived and told her we had to take the first years up to the common room so to stay behind after the feast. When James and his crew came in I had a quick word with James, about not scaring the younger kids, and to set a good example for Rowan. I mean gee I have no idea how he got to be prefect but he should at least act like it sometimes.

We got a fair few new Gryffindors in the sorting this year. That was pretty good. James started telling them horrible stories as usual. I wish he wouldn't scare them. It was funny watching the kids react when they found out all they had to do was put on a hat though. It always is I suppose. Oh well the feast was splendid as it always is.

At the end of the feast James, Rowan, Belinda and I waited around and took the first years up to the common room. It was so good to be back there again. Once I got there Jacqui came running down the stairs and told me I had to see the new rooms. I had no idea what she was on about but I went up anyway. It was absolutely amazing. We've got these absolutely gorgeous beds now, and we've got our own study room. I think there's more stuff too. Jacqui told me we've got our own desk and bookstand. It sounds brilliant I'll have to go check it out a bit more tomorrow. It's been a long day and I'm tired.

Gee I've written a lot for one day, two pages that must be a record for me. Oh well I best stop now, classes start tomorrow and it's getting late.

Thursday, 2^nd September 1976

Classes started today. My timetable's pretty good this year. I have at least one free lesson a day. I had Charms, Transfigurations, Ancient Runes and DADA. They were all the usual start of term stuff, giving out the syllabus and going over what we'll be doing this year. It's a bit different to last year though because it's NEWTs not OWLs. The classes are a lot smaller than they were last year and it's not done in houses anymore we have everyone at the same time. That was kind of interesting there are a couple of people in my classes who I don't really know because we've never had classes together.

I had a better look around our new dorms today. It's much better than when we first started, and now we don't have to study down in the common room with everyone else. It's always been so noisy down there. The study room is shared with the boys which could be annoying but we'll see. They've still being pulling pranks and stuff but I think that some of them are starting to be a bit more serious about stuff. I wish they wouldn't pick on the younger ones. I'd rather them pick on Snivellus than pick on the younger ones.

I noticed we've now got our own closets. That's good we don't all have to share the one. It did get kind of irritating having to share. Especially over the last few years when you were more concerned about your things being looked after. The fights that sharing a closet have started over the last few years were ridiculous. I mean you always have arguments about people moving your clothes or that someone had dropped your favourite jacket on the floor and didn't pick it up. At least those days are over.

Friday, 3^rd September 1976

Everyone's still adjusting to school again. I talked to Casey this morning she was one of the first year girls that James and his crew scared on the train. She was a muggleborn. She reminded me a lot of myself at her age. I talked to her on the train for a little while after I got rid of James and his gang. She seemed like a nice kid, just like me in the respect that she was very scared about coming. “Everything's so new. I have no idea what I'm doing,” she told me. That's probably almost exactly the same thing I'd said on my first day.

I put my name on the list of students who would rather have letters sent to their parents by muggle post. I wrote next to my name first term only. I wrote a letter to mum telling her that I'd gotten her okay and that everything was going well. I wondered over to Dumbledore's office to post the letter. There was a note above the box which had the address that parents could use to write back to the students. I took the address down and put it in the letter and posted it. The return address was to a post box near Hogsmeade. Apparently the post office there got the mail and sent it to the students by owl. The post box is enchanted so that the letters to the students don't get picked up by the postmen.