If no news is good news, then this must be crap

I've really done it this time.



Wisteria and Minee, our prefect and head girl respectively, were to host a welcome back party in our common room last night. In fact, they did host a welcome back party, but I didn't get to attend. Rather, I spent the evening waiting outside of Headmistress Wartbobble's office, waiting to speak to her.

Remember how I was saying earlier that the thing I remember most about first year is getting lost all the time? I had said as much to Michael and Euan as well, and somehow, between the three of us, we came up with the idea of drawing up some maps of the school grounds, and selling them to the first years. We were going to make just regular maps, and then Euan suggested we charm it so that you could tell it where you wanted to go, and it would map out your route. Sounds relatively harmless?

It was, at least until we thought it would be funny to make maps that would misdirect people on purpose...In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea to have the maps direct the holders to Professor Black's personal quarters...or to the Forbidden Forest. Between Black's anger and the tears on the face of the little Hufflepuff girl who spent three hours wandering around the Forest, completely lost, it's a wonder I wasn't expelled.

When I finally got to see the Headmistress, she really had very little to say to me. I stammered for about twenty minutes about how sorry I was. At the end, she just looked me and asked, "Am I right to imagine that these maps were not solely the product of your talents, Mr. Cauldwell?" I couldn't meet her eyes. "Very well, Mr. Cauldwell," she said. "You may return to your common room, and I hope you will tell your associates how fortunate they are that you have neglected to name them as party to this idiocy. I shall expect you to return tomorrow morning, however, and then we can discuss how you might begin to make amends for the...distress that you have caused today. You will go straight to bed, this evening, and I will see you immediately after breakfast. Do I make myself clear?"

I am so dead tomorrow.

Great Hall

The thing I probably remember the most about last year is that it took me forever to find my way around the castle. It's quite funny to watch the first years struggle with it this year.

Every time I go through the Great Hall, there's always a whole gaggle of girls milling about, drinking tea and eating snacks. The last time I was down that way, they invited me to stop and chat for a bit. One of the girls makes these pumpkin pasties that are just fantastic--my own mum couldn't make better. (It turns out she's our Head Girl over here in Ravenclaw, and I'm hoping that means more treats!) One of the older girls from Slytherin had brought a keg of Butterbeer. I think it was a lot bigger than what she had imagined, because she had a hard time moving it into the Great Hall. What's a bloke to do then? Help a lady of course. Sure enough, they offered me a pint for my troubles--it certainly can pay to help those as need it. The new House unity initiative the Headmistress has put into place is helping to liven people up a bit. Everyone was quite content to hang around and chat. I don't even know when I've laughed so hard as that--I think it's fair to say I've seen and heard things I never imagined.

The girls are all quite nice, really, so I stop to chat them up a bit every time I find myself down there. Yesterday, when Michael, Euan, and I were out walking after our swimming misadventure, we passed a group of the Slytherin girls in the courtyard. They all turned to each other and giggled, in that way that girls have, and then turned back to us, calling, "Hiiiiiii, Stuart" and then giggling again. You could have knocked Michael and Euan over with a feather! All the way back to Ravenclaw Tower, all I could hear was "How do you know all the girls already?" - "Did you see that redhead smile at me?" - "Did you see the one who smiled at Stuart?" and so forth. I've a feeling that my next walk through the Hall may not be taken alone...