I got into Hufflepuff!

Nat's super excited - and so am I! It's nice to see a familiar face everyday, makes leaving home a little easier. I was starting to feel a bit homesick a few days ago but don't worry, Nat's been making sure I've been okay! The other girls in my dorm are very friendly too. Margie Lockhart is also a Hufflepuff - you might know her parents? - which is nice!

Everything is so beautiful here, so different from what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. The Great Hall was enchanting when we first arrived, candles hovering in the air and the stars bright against the sky. It was hard to stay focused when I just wanted to look at everything! (The Sorting Hat even said that I had "potential", though I'm not entirely sure what it meant by that.) The grounds are lovely too, so lush and green, and I can't wait to fly around on the Quidditch Pitch! Nat's already said that he'd help me practice for tryouts! Speaking of, they say we need parental permission to try out for Quidditch - would you be willing to send a note saying that I have your permission, please?

The classes are probably my favorite part of school so far! In Herbology, we all got to choose a plant to study, and while the common daisy wasn't my first choice, I enjoyed learning about it. (Did you know that there are more than 20,000 types of daisies and they can be traced all the way back to 2,200 BC? How crazy to think about!) In Defense and Magic Theory, we're learning the basics of spell casting. I never knew how much went into casting a spell than waving your wand and saying a few words!

Other events of note: There was a boy before the start of the ceremony that called magic "blasphemous". I only heard bits and pieces about it because I was further at the front of the line, but I assume he was Muggleborn. What's interesting to me is he ended up in Slytherin. I don't know too much about Muggle religion, but that's a curious placement in the house that's traditionally mostly purebloods, is it not? The girl I rode in the boat with to school, Miss Gower, is also Muggleborn - but also a seer! She had a pretty notable vision at the Ravenclaw table during the Opening Feast, which made a lot of people wary of her and she's considered a little odd now. While I did notice that there was a strange, sort of dreamy aura about her when we first met, I don't believe that she'd intentionally harm anyone. I haven't had much chance to check in with her since, but I do hope she's settling in okay.

That's all I have for now, but I'll keep you updated on anything else that happens! Give my love to both Theo and Cee, and I miss you all!

---

avatar and signature created by the talented jordan