Draco C. Malfoy

Splendid party at the Manor last night - Mother outdid herself, as ever. The winter garden was particularly festive, with an arrangement of lights, charms, and other delights. The band played until the sun came up, since everyone was loathe to stop dancing and celebrating, so you might say that the party didn't actually end until after breakfast.

Many of the usual faces in attendance, of course, and it was good to see all of you.

Of course, those who were unable to make it were, with a few exceptions, missed. Best wishes for a Happy Christmas to you and yours.

Did you see that package the Owl brought at supper? Massive, wasn't it? I think that Harrod's clerk I called on the fire must be new, or just nervous about filling an order for Malfoy, because judging from the weight of the box that's going to be a lot more food than what I actually asked for. Not that we'll have any trouble getting people to finish it off. The fifth years are eating a lot, have you noticed? Something to do with studying for OWLs, I suppose.

We'll start setting up after lessons tomorrow. I'll make Harry help me with the decorations, maybe Jeremy, too, and we'll get Vince and Greg to move the common room furniture if we need to. Teds will keep Blaise occupied elsewhere.

Would you two mind coming up with some games or other entertainment ideas, though? I know music and theatre was important back then, so Pansy, maybe we can get out our guitars. But even that can only go on for so long. Charades? Cards? I don't know.

Renaissance - bit of an odd theme, don't you think? Especially coming from Daphs. No wonder Lizzie didn't know what to do with it.

Pansy - see you after I'm done at the library?

Father - I want to thank you (and the other governors) for making last night such a brilliant and memorable event. Tintagel was epic and Pansy was thrilled. Everyone's still talking about it and not liable to stop anytime soon. I said my thanks to Mr Tenebridge last night but I've got a little something to send him for Christmas, as well.

Mother - You looked beautiful as always, and were as gracious as ever.

I'm going to miss the Manor this Christmas. It sounds like the party will really be something else, and of course spending time with you both is what I really look forward to. I've not stayed behind for hols since year two, when I threw that tantrum because you made me stay at the castle to keep from catching the plague. Ha, what a brat. Don't worry, I know now that you were only doing it out of concern.

Firechat on Christmas?

Hope the party goes spectacularly.

Love,
Draco

Blaise: Pucey, Montague and the others agreed to meet us at the Ouroboros course at nine. Any of the rest of you lads in CCF are welcome to join, if you can make it. We'll be running the course from 9:30-12:00, steam and massage from 12:00-1:00, then a luncheon in the club restaurant just after. If we make it back to Kensington by 3:00 that should leave us plenty of time to rest and clean up for the evening's events.

Everyone else, the festivities will start at 5:00. Make sure you bring your invitation, because you can't get in without it. The gardens will be closed off the public so we'll have the run of the place. Oh, and bring a bathing costume if you want to swim in the fountains, and a broom if you fancy a fly.

That was one wicked party, mate. Don't get a big head, though - we let you clean us out at portkey, on account of it being your birthday. I think we should have more nights like that, though, portkey in the common room with just the lads, you know. Or girls, too, though I don't know of any who play portkey.

Daphs, brilliant planning, as usual. Maybe I'll let you throw a party for me someday, yeah?

Went a bit later than I expected, though, seeing as it was a school night. Might need to stop by the Matron's to get something for this headache.

Well, that settles it.

Mother, I've decided that I only want a few select friends at my Birthday celebration. That should make it easier to plan something really fantastic, shouldn't it?

It's become obvious that if I invite the whole second year that there will be nothing but chaos. Frankly, I'm looking forward to not being surrounded by so many people for once.

Harry will be there, of course, but beyond that I really don't know who I want to invite. I'll have to give it some thought.

Well I have no plans to attend a Deathday Party ever again if I can help it, and I would advise the rest of you to do the same. It was freezing, for one, because if you get a load of ghosts in one place the air goes all chilly. For two, did you know that ghosts eat horrible, rotten food? I didn't. Apparently the more the food reeks, the more they convince themselves they can still taste it. Though they aren't truly tasting or eating it, they're just floundering around in it helplessly. I don't think I can imagine anything more undignified than being a ghost.

That toilet ghost, Myrtle, was at the party moaning on about how much everyone loathes her. Honestly, after hearing her complain I can't see why anyone wouldn't. Peeves was actually useful for once and drove her away with a fistful of mouldy nuts. And then the group of headless ghosts showed up and were awfully full of themselves. Losing one's head - what a brilliant thing to be proud of, that. I don't really care whether or not Gryffindor's ghost gets to go on the headless hunt, but this one particular ghost, Sir Patrick, was pretty rude and gobbing off all over the place, especially to Harry. So when he showed up we were all more than ready to leave, and as we were heading for the Entrance Hall, Harry thought he heard someone or something speaking in Parseltongue. I didn't hear anything, but I don't have a pet snake or study the reptilian tongue. I don't know if Harry could actually make out any words but it must have been the Heir of Slytherin talking, because when we followed the voice up some stairs we ran right into Granger's petrified cat. And then there were those words on the wall, which I suppose everyone must have seen by now. It was all quite exciting but Harry might be a little unhappy because Granger is his mudblood and that means that no one should bother her cat without asking him first. And Granger's gutted too, obviously, because when you think on it the cat's probably her only real friend.

All of that happened but I scarcely had any pudding. Did they serve anything good? Last year there was treacle tart but it was sort of watery, I was hoping for a nicer one this time.

As you might now, my birthday is today, and my parents sent me a hamper of sweets and other nice foods from the Harrod's food halls. There's fancy cheeses with quince chutney and figs, truffles, chocolate marzipan, biscuits with grapefruit marmalade and strawberry conserve, macaroons, little pies with either venison, stilton and orange, or chicken, ham, and walnut. Oh, and turkish delight. I've not ever tasted grapefruit before, I don't think, so it must be really hard to get and expensive. And of course there's not very much it. But I want to share it with friends, and also to play the new game that Nanella sent me, Imploding Snap. I don't know what it does yet or how it's different from Exploding Snap, but I want to find out.

So if you're someone I consider a friend, you should come to my party tonight. It will start at eight tonight in the empty classroom where Pansy used to make people listen to music.

Mother and Aunt Bella and Nanella want me, Harry, and Hydra out of the way while they finish getting things ready for the party tonight, so after breakfast they sent us to the conservatory to put together a giant gingerbread house! The walls are taller that I am, and sort of heavy, so we've been using wingardium leviosa to get them upright. I might need to find a sticking charm, though, because the icing sugar isn't really strong enough to hold everything together. It is good for sticking peppermints and sugared jellies on for decorations, though. The jellies are nearly the size of quaffles! Hey Harry, maybe we should save one and practise with it once I get my broomstick?

It's a good thing I haven't an allergy to sugar, otherwise I'd be very sick by now. Speaking of, I can breathe much better now that I'm back at the manor. Seems I was right after all and that castle air is all mouldy and bad for the lungs.