Mary Lavender
Mary Lavender Holmes attended Hogwarts during the 1990s, and this is her journal that she kept for all her time here and left behind for future students to read when she graduated.
Mary Lavender
Entry 1
Date: 1st Sep 1994 Time: about 8pm Subject: I'm at Hogwarts now! I can't believe I'm finally here. Eleven whole years I've waited to be here and now I am, so walking these corridors now is almost dreamlike- I mean, it has been my most frequent dream ever.
The sorting hat put me in Hufflepuff. I wonder why exactly? From my very extensive research, this house I have been assigned is for those who are loyal, friendly and all that, but I don't feel that's what I quite am. But the hat must have had some reason for its choice, so yeah.
But I've forgotten to introduce myself. Alright, so my name is Mary Lavender. My parents and any teachers all call me Mary, but that sounds a little old-fashioned, doesn't it? So friends call me Lavender or sometimes even Mala (get it? Ma for Mary and La for Lavender?) I'm eleven at the moment and I live in Snowdonia, in Wales.
I have my parents- Dorothy and Nathaniel Holmes- and my three sisters. My oldest sister, Katharina May, is seventeen and starting her final year at Hogwarts this year. Then there's Adelaide, who is fifteen so in fifth year, and finally my little sister Elizabeth Jane- eight years old. My parents chose all of our names to be old style so to help we all have nicknames- Kath, Addy, Lav and Ellie.
It's strange, not sleeping in our family house tonight. And if I can't go to sleep, I can't just go and tell anyone. Kath is in Ravenclaw and Addy in Gryffindor. Like, I don't know anyone at all who is in Hufflepuff- no family or friends.
Mother said you get used to it after a while- but I'm never going to adjust to this, not ever.
Mary Lavender
A week, already? Seven days. 168 hours. 10080 minutes. (Yes, I did the maths. I hope its correct. Also I couldn't be bothered to work out the seconds, but it would be something like 600000). A week spent in this massive castle. Really, its gigantic- I can't count just how many times I have got lost in the corridors.Entry 2
Date: 8th Sep 1994 Time: about 3pm Subject: A week already
A few days of lessons and I already have a favourite subject- Herbology. I love plants. When I was younger, I used to sneak into Kath's room at home and borrow her Herbology textbook so I could read all about plants and look at the nice drawings on every page. Now I'm older, and Kath installed a lock on her door.
Today I also got my first owl from home. Here, I'll pin it to the journal:Wow. Mother really has the audacity to send me this stupid note. I underestimated her.Dear Mary,
I hope this finds you well. We've missed you so much this last week and want to ask if you're all right or need anything. Elizabeth can't stand being the only child in the house, and I must admit it does feel a little odd.
Have you painted anything else lately? Hogwarts has a beautiful landscape you know, and I wouldn't want you to miss the opportunity to paint it.
Apart from that, we've received an owl from Katharina saying you were sorted into Hufflepuff. Interesting. I mean that it's just interesting that after a long line of Ravenclaws, both you and Adelaide are in another house.
I don't really have much else to say, so goodbye for now and remember I'm always here if you need anything.
Lots of love, Mother
For one, I'm completely fine- as far as you need to know- and I don't need anything but if I did you would already have a letter from me saying so. Second thing, I have painted Hogwarts. I did it two days ago and I have the finished piece hanging on the dormitory wall beside my bed.
Third, you say Katharina is owling you about my life? Isn't there enough going on in her life, what with being a seventh year? So either she wrote an entire essay on her first week back or her life is so mundane that she feels the need to intrude on mine to find any kind of excitement.
I'm thinking it's the second option.
Mary Lavender
Entry 3
Date: 26th Sep 1994 Time: afternoon Subject: my new friend Celestia Peterson So, I haven't been in contact with my family at home in over two weeks now, but I've seen my sisters every day- Kath is normally found in the library, reading. On the other hand, Addy likes to sneak up on me in the corridors and scare me. I'm starting to realise why she has already wound up in detention this year.
But honestly, my sisters being like that is just old and so I'm not going to ramble on about them much more today- why? Because in Charms today I met a girl called Celestia and we're now officially friends.
How we met. Well, as I've already said, we met in Charms class. Specifically when we were doing practical work on wingardium leviosa and I was paired with her. She's really nice- also in Hufflepuff and turns out is in my dorm (I guess I hadn't really paid much attention to the people around me).
We talked on the whole way back from class to the common room, and Celestia told me how she loved open-water swimming and did it competitively, and that she lived in the town of Inverness in Scotland. Personally, swimming isn't my thing but it's fine if she enjoys it.
Since then, I've started to notice the rest of the dormitory a bit more and I know the others better. Well, enough to have a good time all six of us playing the muggle game 'monopoly' together (Sasha brought the game and was the one who had experience in playing it, so of course she won).
Mary Lavender
Entry 4
Date: 13th Nov 1994 Time: afternoon Subject: Not a great day So, since I last wrote, Kath and Addy have finally left me alone and are not stalking me around the corridors anymore, meaning life here has got slightly better. Honestly, the castle feels a whole lot less chaotic without Addy's pranks around every corner.
Mother is sick at the moment- father says its probably just a cold because it is that time of year, so there is no need to worry. Yes, the weather has not been great recently. I miss the spring flowers.
Today I was walking with Sasha across the grounds as she showed me the great lake, when a group of other children in our year approached and called her a mudblood. I don't think Sasha knew what it meant but I did and told them to back off. Really, that's most likely the bravest thing I've ever done in my life- I'm generally not a brave person.
Anyways, they did eventually go away when an older student (I think they are a prefect) came along. Sasha and I then continued our walk without disturbance.
With that out of the way, I've only just realised that Christmas is coming! Christmas! The only decent thing during these cold months. Apparently you can stay at Hogwarts over the holidays, but I would never- as soon as I have the chance, I will race back home and see Ellie.