16/09/1989
Saturday, 16th September
Dear diary, I feel calmer now. It’s still going to be difficult to get used to not having Mum around, but now, instead of remembering her with just sadness, I can also think of her with nostalgia and affection.
Blaise suggested that I draw or paint Mum, and it has really helped. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do, but then I just let myself go, and now I have a whole collection of paintings and drawings of her alone or with me and the rest of my family, except James (obviously).
Dad has been telling me stories about Mum from when they first met and all the time they spent being neighbours and friends. Together, we also went through Mum’s trunk, categorising everything and arranging it all in a room in our house. Dad always has a story or anecdote about each item, even the smallest ones, like the broken green quill that Mum broke when she threw it at James in their third year, or the nearly empty ink bottle that still has a bit of ink that changes to all the colours of the rainbow. Dad made the potion to keep the ink with this property and gave it to Mum at the beginning of her fifth year.
We found many photos of her with several of her friends, with whom we were able to communicate and exchange letters to learn more about Mum. Miss Mosavite, or Char, was in the same dormitory as Mum and asked if she could visit us.
She is an apprentice at a salon and mainly makes potions to grow hair and change hair colour. Char is very kind and told me that she wanted to get close to James to tell stories about Mum to Xavier and Anna, but James rejected her, saying that she didn’t have enough social status to interact with the saviour of the wizarding world.
That made her very sad, so she was very happy when we contacted her. The best part is that her only comment about my appearance was that I looked a lot like Mum but with black hair. She even suggested that I dye my hair the same shade of red as Mum’s to resemble her more.
I’m going to think about it. I like that my hair looks like Dad’s (I hadn’t realised, but the reason I look so much like Dad is because of the blood adoption). Maybe I could have red hair for a while, not forever… I wonder what Draco will think if I suddenly turn up as a redhead…
Oh, right! The Weasleys! They sent me several letters with their condolences and potion formulas to show Dad. They’re all for pranks, but they say they wouldn’t mind something a bit darker if we use them on James.
Dad is preparing something to get back at that man and says my help is quite important and that the twins’ formulas and instructions will also be put to good use. I’m not that good at potions yet, but even Julius has noticed that Dad is preparing something nasty for James. I can’t wait to see what he does!
I also talked to Julius about the redhead threats’ proposal (I can’t believe I had forgotten about that), and my little brother made fun of me, saying I shouldn’t be jealous. I’m not jealous! But in the end, he decided to help me with the terms, but he still said I should talk to Dad about it, as it’s his decision. I understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t know if Dad will take me seriously… what if he makes fun of me like Julius?
Anyway, I’ll think carefully about whether to talk to Dad about it or not, but we’re already writing down our conditions with Julius. I’ll also think about whether to dye my hair or not or maybe just change my hair with my Metamorphmagus ability, but Dad says that if I want the change to last a long time, using my ability would just tire me out by having it active all the time, which can be dangerous. On the other hand, if I dye my hair with a special formula, this colour can last for years with almost no maintenance, just the hair treatment that both Char and Cissy gave me to use. I need to think about it.
Next week we’re going to travel again, first to France, then probably Spain, and after that, I’m not sure, but I hope to have fun…
See you,
Goodbye.