Midterms, an Owl and a Badger

So we have had our midterms this past week and I hate to say that Professor Snape's class - no matter how much I study - is kicking my ass. I am surprised I have still managed to maintain Es on my essays for his class. Charms and DADA are going well, as always; Professor Flitwick is wonderful to us first years and I seem to be improving in the practical aspects of the class. DADA with Professor Whitmarsh is... interesting. Several of the girls in our class cannot seem to get ahold of themselves. Whenever he says something, they giggle hysterically, thus interrupting the lesson while the rest of us wait for them to calm down. Unfortunately, most of these girls are Slytherins, though a few are from the other Houses, as well.

Unforunately, we have our Arithmancy midterm tomorrow. As nice as Professor Vector is (and as much as she is one of my favorite professors here), her exams are quite difficult. Not as difficult as Professor Snape's or even McGonigall's, but challenging in their own right. I told Penelope that I would help her study for the exam, as she does not like Arithmancy... and as much as I dislike it, at least I am managing somewhere between an E and an O in that class right now. We also have our Transfiguration midterm later this week, which is rather unfortunate. I am crossing my fingers that McGonigall doesn't put a question about Gamp's Law on the exam, as I can never explain it to satisfaction.

In other news, I recieved an owl the other day. It has some wonderful presents for my spoilee in the package and I cannot wait to get the rest of my kit finished for Cassandra. I think she is really going to like it! I also recieved a nice shipment of beads and wire so I can make some stitch counters. I already made a set and they're really nice... I think I'll take pictures and put them up here later. They're for a friend of mine. I also might be making another friend a snake for Christmas. Such wonderful things, they are.

That is all for now, as I have to go work on some homework for Professor Vector and an essay for Professor Snape's class. We have a double potions session on Tuesday afternoon with Hufflepuff and I don't want to be unprepared for that; he seems to like picking on me more than anyone else in that class, so I want to show him that I'm better than he thinks I am. Obviously, that man thinks very little of me, but what else is new?

I'm a half-blooded Slytherin. Even my father was disappointed when I was put here instead of Ravenclaw. I never asked the Hat to put me here. In fact, I never asked it anything at all. It just did put me here. I heard Slytherin himself didn't like half-bloods, so what are people like me doing in this House? Does that mean there's something wrong with the system or something? Or is that just the way things work? If I actually trusted Professor Snape to answer honestly - I am not sure I do - I would ask him about this.

Le sigh. Another week of exams, essays and trying to avoid Rufus Hufindor. He's a stupid 'Puffball and if he doesn't watch his step, he'll find himself with blue skin and green hair and hexed into the Hospital Wing by a certain Slytherin whose father's Ravenclaw background influenced her to go into the library and look up curses and practice them. I swear if he follows me to Potions again, I'm going to ask Professor Snape to help me get rid of him. He's been driving all of us crazy since before Hogsmeade.

I have to go. Someone's at the door. Bye.