Penelope Clearwater

Oh, Perce.

The charm arrived today. It's just perfect.

I managed to get through it and now it's the 5th-years' turn. I remember two years ago going out of my mind for OWLs and now compared to NEWTs I feel like I had nothing to worry about at all.

Too bad Capper didn't take them seriously enough. Can you believe he had the gall to complain last night that if he fails his Astronomy OWL it's Professor Siz's fault? Because she 'wasn't available' when he tried to see her on Tuesday. Everyone knew she wasn't going to be around on Tuesday! She'd made sure everyone knew it. Capper's a brilliant Arithmantist but he's dead oblivious about anything else. It's sad, really. I don't think he'll have a good week.

Oh, and Avery finally did something he can be proud of as a Head Boy. Unfortunately it's one of those things we all wish we didn't have to do. Still, he made a decent enough guard, escorting Barney Bole back and forth to his exams and to the room where Professor Slughorn was making him stay in solitary confinement. I'm sure you've probably heard through Mr Malfoy that Bole was told to pack himself off as soon as NEWTs were over? He thought his father was going to make a big stink on his behalf. No fear of that: His father (Avery says, anyway) wrote him back and said that if he wanted a hope of making the Quidditch sides as a professional, he'd do what the Headmistress and Sluggy told him, keep his mouth shut and slip off quietly on the Saturday train to London. It's appalling that no one realised how brutish he is, honestly. But Gamp and Greengrass are both so visibly relieved he's gone it's hard to believe no one saw it before.

It's so odd to think that in just a few weeks I'll never be back here. If I didn't have Head Girl duties I think I'd be perfectly happy to follow Barney on that train and find a flat right away. Oh, did I tell you in my last letter that Professor Siz got me an interview with two of her contacts? The first is someone who needs a research assistant or something and who'd be willing to spend most of the time in New London looking through records. And the second one's her aunt, who isn't really her aunt but well, anyway, she's a family historian for hire. They both sound like they could be dead boring or they could be brilliant--I guess it'll depend a lot on what they're like to work for.

Things are really coming together.

How's work?

I know how busy Mr Malfoy's been keeping you but please, please say you're going to be able to make it to Hogsmeade on Saturday? I might have to commit some serious dark arts if I don't get a chance to see you.

Only joking. Mostly.

It's Avery, mainly--and all those 4th-year girls! Honestly, I don't remember another class being broadsided by their hormones quite as badly as this lot. But at least the 1st-years have given up their bullying for the time being, and that's a small mercy.

And I'm sure I've been revising way, way too much to be healthy. There's no help for it, though, since I keep falling asleep over the books if I try to read in the dormitory. And my father sent me a stern owl about my marks at the end of last term. So.

To make matters worse, poor Professor Siz has just been having a terrible time, too. I'm sure you heard all about what happened during the CCF exercise last week? I guess someone's not too happy because she's had to answer all sorts of questions and she's even gone down to New London to tackle the fallout. It's really too bad; she tries hard to make the programme run so well.

Between all that and the weather it's just been hard to be anything but glum. So I really hope you don't have to cancel again. Though if you do, I suppose I shan't throw myself off the Astronomy Tower or anything dire.

Just miss you that much more. I wish it were NEWTs week already and I could just have it all done and over with!