So this is what it all looks like from the other side of Hogwarts. Not so different so far, but I'm willing to wait and see.

I'm all settled in to where I'm living, now, and I'm just waiting for my NEWT results and then hopefully job offers to come in the post. Until then, it's me and Demelza all day. I'm sure it's a nice break, not having to wake her up and move her about just for Rex to get to work - instead she stays here with me. And watching her is plenty of work, in case anyone didn't know. She can walk so long as she's holding on to something, so she walks everywhere. And every single day after her nap she cries for D It's very cute.

I don't think I've seen any of the other seventh years, yet, but I hope everyone's enjoying a few days of rest after writing all those exams.

( Private. )

NEWTs this month. I wake up early, I revise, I go to class, I eat dinner, and I revise until I fall asleep.
I really hope my marks turn out well. After all of this, if they didn't ...
Well.

I found somewhere to live, too. I'm going to move in with Rex after school, and I'll be helping him take care of Demelza, too. Making myself useful and all of that. But before I get too settled, once I'm home I'm going to see how many Galleons I've got saved up and maybe go somewhere for a weekend away. After I get my marks, of course. Maybe a reward if I do well.
And in July we have Regina's wedding, so the first month or so sounds like it'll be pretty busy.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm worried about NEWTs. If anyone else wants to study together ... well, a fresh set on eyes on a subject never hurt anyone beforehand.

( Private. )

Firstly, I can safely say that I did not go mad, no one was hurt, and everything is okay after last month and my studying fiasco. Hopefully it won't happen again.

This month's been busy. Career weekends (not that I need to go but it's good to see what's there) and review and keeping up with homework. And the weather's getting nicer again, thank goodness, because now we can leave the castle without freezing.

Easter is next month, and it's the last time I'll be specifically going home for it. Isn't that funny? I guess we're all just so used to it, and now ... we have to unlearn it. But thinking about Easter made me think about the fact that this time next year I'll have a job, and I realized that I really shou don't want to live at home my whole life, so I suppose I'll have to start making plans to move out. Has anyone else who isn't rich started doing this? The only two of my siblings I remember moving out at Rosemary and Regan and neither of them are terribly helpful because Regan lived with someone and I don't know if there's anyone I could live with and Rosemary slept her way through beds at fi

This is what I think about when I take a break from review. I haven't figured out how to really take a break yet.

Time for more Herbology!

( Private. )

I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH REVIEWING FOR THIS WEEK


That is all.

Congratulations, Ravenclaw, on a good gam winning, first of all. I hope you'll be back to normal soon enough, Bex. The room's quiet without you.

No Hogsmeade until February 19th, so I'm trying to do as much work between now and then as possible so that I don't feel bad about taking the day to have a little fun. Just for a change.
I sat down the other night and I wrote up a large list of everything I need to review in Potions, and the parchment's definitely a good five feet long. It's now hanging beside my bed, and I'm checking things off as I get to them. I want to make them for other classes, too, but I'm worried that it just might make me worry more.

I was busy and didn't get to say anything about Christmas, but it was good, if a little odd because suddenly there were two babies trying to unwrap presents and it made things very messy very fast. But it was nice.

And last, there's a Bats versus Puddlemere game on the 30th, and I'm going to try to listen while I do some more work. I'm not great at just listening to Quidditch and following along (I need to see them!), but I'm going to try because obviously my cousin's starting for the Bats and I thought it might be nice to know what she's doing.

( Private. )

So. The train leaves for Christmas hols in one week. Less than, really, since in a week's time, we'll be home.
Well. Imagine that.

I'm up to my eyeballs in reviewing and reading and studying and notes, and I don't even know how I'm going to manage everything over hols along with a decent amount of review, and spending time with family, and things like Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and all of that.
Not to mention, I've realized that I probably can't bring home all of my books and all of the presents I've bought for people, or my trunk will be so impossibly heavy that I'm likely to break my toe if I put it down too heavily. So I think I have to owl home some books and keep the presents in my trunk. There are really cute things for little babies who are having their first Christmas.

Oh shoot and I need to find time to go shopping for a dress because I can't imagine it would look good if I showed up to a ball in my school robes. Maybe I should just go after I get off the train. Last I heard from Mum, she wasn't sure if anyone was picking me up, so it's probably easier to take myself. After this many years, I imagine I can navigate the Platform alone.

I don't think I've been this excited to go back home in a long tim

OKAY back to this Charms essay or it'll never get done. I think every time someone walks by my table in the library, I'm distracted.

Hogsmeade next weekend already. I can barely believe it.
I don't know if we're doing anything, though? Mum didn't owl. I guess she's been busy with everything.

I know everyone's still talking about the great news from the beginning of the month, and that some people are getting a little bored of hearing it, but I'm not sure that means we all want to hear about private details, either. If one more person tries to tell me about Corliss Aubrey's baby, I am going to drop a book on their foot. And I mean it.

Other than that, everything's going okay, I guess. Studying for NEWTs, the same as usual. I finally sent in a few job applications, get that out of the way and done with before it's too late. I know it's early, but I'd rather not forget about it.

Victoria is almost seven months and Demelza is nearly three months, and between Sam and Dad I keep getting updated pictures and they really are beautiful. There's an especially nice one that Sam managed to get of Rosemary holding the both of them.

( Private. )

It was nice seeing everyone at Hogsmeade so soon after school started. Mum said something about doing it again this month (Regan's belated birthday, I guess), so I suppose I'll see everyone again on the 16th.

That career advice we got in fifth year was really useless. It really is hard to take seriously now, when I've got half-written job applications everywhere.

( Private. )

It feels funny to be back at school. At first summer felt like it was crawling by, but now it went way too fast.

Victoria is almost five months old. It's very sweet, if you say her name or start talking about her, she immediately tries to look at you. She definitely recognizes her own name - but she seems to pick up on Vicky faster than Victoria. I guess Vicky is going to stick.
Demelza is nearly three weeks old. She's absolutely beautiful. I thought that Vicky was quiet, but no, now she's only quiet when she's in the same room as Demelza. Otherwise, she's loud and constantly making noise. Demelza is just happy to sit in someone's arms - she likes Rex's best - and cuddle.
I'm already missing both of them a lot.
Especially since today is Demelza's christening and I'm missing it.

NEWTs this year are keeping me busy. I'm trying to read ahead as much as possible, so I know what we're covering next. It certainly keeps my hands full, without a doubt.
And we have what looks like a nice group of first years, this year. So far there are no games of Pester Hester, so I think we need to take what we can get.

If anyone wants to start studying now, I'm in the library most nights. It would be nice to study with someone else.

( Private. )

Wales is nice this time of year.
And so was Bex's house.

Now that we've got booklists, I think I'm going to go buy my books early and read them through. Since we have NEWTs this year, we might as well, right? The sooner we get a handle on the information, the better. Or, at least, the better I'll feel. Maybe do some of the Arithmancy problems and such.

Tomorrow I think I'm spending the day or as much of the day before she kicks me out with Rosemary and Victoria and I guess Sam, if he's not working. Mum says that she'll grow a lot when I'm at school, so I thought I'd spend as much time with her as possible before I leave. Especially since I'll miss Rex and Aileen's baby by about two weeks and I don't think they'll send as many pict.

It looks like it's beautiful out today.

( Private. )