Life is just life, it may be good or bad, but it should never be boring. In boredom life dies. We lose our drive in the eternal apathy of the mundane.

  The daily routine kills the most vivid of imaginations, the boring rhythm of life can take your soul away. Sucking all the colour from your life, seeking comfort in other pleasures, trying to bring colour back to this cold and grey world, a world that takes pleasure in suffocating every ounce of creativity, refining it into slop to feed the bored mass.

  Get out of your routine, create, bring those fantasies to reality, try engaging in the media that you like, don’t let originality die. Even if you don’t feel your work is worth the hassle, you never know when that spark can turn into a wildfire.

  After professor Snape left, I felt that he took part of my soul with him, I know that tomorrow’s potion class will mark the anniversary of my death. Why should I provoke someone like him. I could’ve imitated anyone else, there are so many great speeches in movies and tv, but I had to try my luck with this grumpy professor.

  “James, I don’t think it’s okay to mock the professor’s like that.”

  “Hermione, I hope you can still think the same after you take his class.”

  “Even more reasons to avoid doing this”

  I knew that Hermione was right, but I didn’t mock him, in my defence I can say that I was paying homage to his incredible oratory skills.

  “I know, but that will be tomorrow, now we have to eat”

  “Good luck”

  We continued relish the scrummy supper that Hogwarts provided us. It was delicious, I can’t deny that the Hogwarts house elves were masters at their craft, I can’t say that the food is bland or something, or that it isn’t filling. I would be the biggest liar in the world if I said any of the previous statements, but… there really wasn’t that much variety, breakfast was almost the same every day, and supper was almost the same.

  My years of eating out with Bill had accustomed my taste buds to a very large and diverse range of flavour profiles. Even mom took pleasure in cooking a large array of dishes from around the world. But Hogwarts food, or to be more specific, the British magic world’s cuisine wasn’t that extensive.

  I certainly enjoyed the meals at the Leaky Cauldron, but that really was more of a compromise than anything, roasted meats, savoury pies, soups and some vegetables, there really wasn’t that much variety. I just hope that it will change in the days to come.

  The food was good, we finished the supper and made an appointment to continue eating together tomorrow. We parted ways and I went with my housemates to our common lounge to get the homework done once and for all, we don’t want to worry about coursework this weekend. Children shouldn’t be tortured like this.

  Our homework wasn’t that complicated, we just had to plasm our understanding about the thing discussed in class, at least that was the case with the charms homework. But defence against the dark arts was more like a book essay, or a summary of the things that we had read this week, nothing truly complicated.

  We finished earlier than we had expected and started with our daily groove party. Today we listened to Led Zeppelin’s [Led Zeppelin] album. It was mind-blowing for most of the Hufflepuffs, I am not saying that the wizard music was bad, but it certainly was ages behind the muggle music. Maybe their lack of magical capabilities gives them a certain edge in the creation of new entertainment.

  After all, why would a wizard wonder about the sky, the occult, or the ethereal, when that’s just normalcy in their day to day, maybe that’s why most of their music references potion making, or magical creatures. Meanwhile muggles explore their fears and dreams for the future.

  Just to give an example, the song [I put a spell on you] from Nina Simone, it doesn’t truly click with the wizards, after all spelling someone isn’t that strange for them, so it really doesn’t convey the same feeling, I’m not saying that they won’t appreciate that song, but that their cosmovision is different, even more with songs like David Bowie [Space Oddity] that reference muggle rockets.

  So that makes their music go in other directions, or to be specific, it makes it lag behind muggle media. Even more with the traditionalist mindset of most wizards, like the ‘Charm’ that Old Tom preserves in the Leaky Cauldron.

  So, I am truly happy when my new friends can appreciate muggle music, even if they don’t get all the nuances, after all art is meaningless, it is true that the author gives it a vision, but only when the spectator resonates with that vision is that it really acquires true meaning.

  We can say that something is awful, beautiful, pleasing or entertaining, we can agree with those adjectives, but why? To define something as beautiful, we must have a clear definition of ugliness, to contrast that meaning. But every single person alive has different aesthetics, not everyone has the same vision or taste, so your painting could be a masterpiece in technique but if it doesn't really click with your audience then it can come off as ugly, boring, tasteless or even soulless.

  After all, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

  Today is Thursday, September 5th, 1991, this marks my fourth day in Hogwarts. Today is also the anniversary of my death, every single day I woke up with almost infinite energy, waiting for what the world has prepared for me.

  But today it is different. I know what the future has put in my path. My antics have put me once again in a crashing course. I wish to get a nosebleed, explosive vomiting of something that would let me slip quietly into the infirmary.

  But today of all days, I woke up in particularly good health. Even if the selection of food at Hogwarts is somewhat limited, it is very nutritious. Every day I feel in better and better conditions.

  I readied myself for what’s to come and got out of bed and started my morning routine. Even if I get a perfect excuse for my prolonged stay at the infirmary, that will only aggravate and delay.

  When everyone was ready, I didn’t forget to give a little prayer to my personal angel and embark on this perilous journey.

  At the great hall I encountered Hermione and Neville, and got everyone together for breakfast, I know that we Hufflepuff’s can eat in the common lounge and that we don’t have many reasons to go up to the Great Hall outside of formal occasions, but today I wanted to stay as far away as possible from the potions classroom.

  Not even my fourth serving of breakfast could relieve my worries, the once delicious bangers, felt like Styrofoam, tasteless. I was a dead man walking, but at least I was with my friends, Hermione, in her typical behaviour recited the whole potions book trying to get me ready for my execution.

  I appreciate her intentions, but even if I miraculously memorized the books from the first to the seventh grade, I know that is useless. Professor Snape will find a way to stump me. And even if I somewhat survive that first round of theory, potions typically has a practical part that will let me know why his name is Severus.

  At this point I should just accept my destiny, there is no hope.

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  After we finished our breakfast, I walked slowly to the Potions classroom, every single step I took felt like it weighed a million tons. My classmates dragged me to the classroom, with a resigned heart.

  Just then a cold wind entered the classroom, walked swiftly to the podium and started class.

  The class went on as if nothing ever had happened, no questioning, no snarky remarks, just a normal class. As normal as Professor Snape’s class could be. But I just couldn’t relax, he was clearly torturing me, I could see it in his eyes, and the smirk that was painted at the corners of his mouth.

  He was taking great pleasure in my torment; he knew that I knew that he knew that I knew how much he was taking out of this.

  The class proceeded as per usual, but the tension was building up, even if he spoke in a neutral tone, everyone felt the chilling atmosphere.

  Until we got ready for brewing today’s potion, he noted the steps to follow in the elaboration of this potion, and a couple of minutes later he erased everything from his board. That sadistic man knew the exact time we would’ve needed to write that down, and wiped his board before anyone could finish, that included me. I was so tense that I couldn’t write anything.

  Then he proceeded to stand behind me, heavily breathing into my nape, waiting for my blunders, ready to reduce Hufflepuff’s score to negative numbers.

  Luckily for me, my mates had written down everything. But that didn’t mean that we were finished.

  While the other tables had been allocated the very best and freshest potion ingredients, our table was given the worst of the lot, barely enough for two successful decoctions.

  This was one of the most vexing tasks I’ve ever done. My hands were shaking with every step we took, just one mistake and we could have to decide which pair could go on, and which duo will be left at Professor Snape’s mercy.

  The cruel wizard just waited patiently, testing our friendship, testing our nerves, tasting our desperation.

  At some point we got on the zone, four pairs of hands worked in perfect synchrony, every step, every decision taken with the utmost precision our young selves could do.

  After what felt like an eternity, we finished brewing our potions.

  “A mediocre product Mr. Solé”

  “Sorry Professor”

  “Maybe a troll could brew a better potion with my clear instructions, but at least it isn’t poison.”

  “Thanks’ professor”

  “Don’t get complacent, I’ll have an eye on you.”

  That was horrific, but at least this was our last potions class for this week, our time table said that we just had a flying lesson in the afternoon and astronomy at midnight, but we were told that flying lessons will start until next week, so we don’t have anything till midnight, this is heaven, but we should finish the Potions homework, we needed to write an essay about the two potions that we practiced this week, their ingredients, precautions and understanding of the art of potion making.

  So, we all went to the Hufflepuff common lounge, did it. At least me and my roommates were on professor Snape watchlist, we couldn’t show the tiniest flaw, or we had to get ready for Professor Snape’s torture.

  Life in Hogwarts is a little boring, even more when you are a first year, you could study, but we are novices in the magic world, there are many risks in independent study at this stage, maybe next semester, but now we aren’t that proficient, we can practice what we were taught, but this is just our fourth day at Hogwarts, we don’t know many things.

  “I’m bored…”

  “Stop it J, put on some music, all go get us some biscuits from the kitchen.”

  “Solé, why don’t you try practicing what Professor McGonagall taught us in her last class.”

  “Yeah, James you were the one that got closer to completing her requirements.”

  Well, practice it was, today is just Thursday, I don’t want to imagine how my weekend will go.

  We practiced a little before it was time for lunch, so we went to the great hall and talk to Neville and Hermione.

  She was a little more relaxed, but I knew that it won’t take long for her to revert back to her previous state. At least she could distract herself a little helping Neville. The poor bloke had a terrible memory. I have reminded him many times to write to his grandma, but he forgets it almost immediately.

  At least I have something to do this weekend, making sure Neville writes home.

  Lunch was tasty, but it was almost the same yesterday.

  After lunch we searched for an empty classroom, Hermione and Neville had a free period, and their next class was Flying Lessons, so we were free to do as we pleased for the rest of the day.

  Put the Rad ants to the maximum and we started our “Study” session, everyone just practiced what we were taught this week. Time flies when you are with your friends.

  When it was time for supper, everyone just walked to the Great Hall. We enjoyed our dinner and went up to the fat lady’s portrait, I remembered my promise, and this way we could take a stroll to have a good digestion.

  She was overjoyed by our visit, and listened to some Queen songs with her, she particularly liked [Liar], she screamed liar when a poor Gryffindor got the password wrong.

  We shouldn’t laugh at him, even more when we take into consideration that our mate Neville has a pretty bad memory himself, so it is most likely that he will turn to be the most loyal listener to the fat lady’s rendition of the song.

  Anyway, even though I didn’t start the day with the right foot, it was a good day, and maybe Hogwarts wasn’t that boring, I had seven years to forge memories in the walls of this castle.

  My favorite part of this trip to the fat lady was the screams of Hannah and Susan. That was hilarious, but they didn’t take my little joke that lightly, for some unknown reason, when we were walking to our common lounge I felt a cold breeze running down my spine.

  At night we went once again to the Astronomy tower, we took this class with Slytherin, but we almost didn’t talk to each other. Professor Sinistra gave us some biscuits and warm milk after class.

  Astronomy was one of the most relaxing classes, we observed the starry sky and drew some charts, nothing too complicated, but the wizards understanding of the starry sky had many deviations from the muggle’s vision of the sky, we shared the same stars, the same sky, but we were clearly separated.

  I don’t know if there will be a day when the muggle world and the magic world will reach peaceful coexistence, and not this secret one.

  I still remember my muggle friends and I wouldn’t be happy if one day by mistake they walk into the wrong place and get their minds wiped out.

  There aren’t that many people like Connor and Charlize, trapped between two worlds. Connor still has a muggle family, so he can’t just disappear, but being with Charlize means that he can’t just return to the normal muggle world, risking her exposure.

  Imagine, you take your friends from work to a get-together in your house, and by accident you forgot to hide a magic artifact or potion, best case scenario your friends get their minds wiped out, worst-case scenario you get a ticket to the magic prison.

  It isn’t realistic the other way around either. Imagine you get invited to your company’s anniversary, do you have to force your partner to use muggle clothing, forbade them from talking anything about the magic world. That wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for anyone, not for you, your partner or your coworkers.

  That’s why Connor didn’t have a good job, and just went around doing some freelance accounting, nothing long term.

  Maybe one day we can do something, but I don’t know if it is even possible, both sides treat the other side as an oddity, muggles will see wizards as a threat, and wizards see muggles the same way muggles see monkeys, they’re amazed when a monkey uses a stick to get food but doesn’t really treat them as an equal.

  Friday was a good day, our first course was Herbology with the amazing Professor Sprout, her lessons were always a joyous occasion. She patiently taught us everything we needed to know about the care of magic plants, the precautions to be taken in consideration in their handling and encouraged us to explore this magic world.

  I’m happy to have someone like her as my dean, she always takes care that no one is left behind after curfew, even when a little wizard was late to the common lounge, she won’t berate him or something along those lines, she will just admonish them, tell them to take care and pay more attention to time, and lets them be.

  She believes more in positive reinforcement and encouragement than in punishment. She always talks to us in a gentle and encouraging tone, listens to the students that need counseling and gives us her trust.

  That’s why, before we had to go to History of Magic, I approached her.

  “Professor Sprout, excuse me, do you have a minute.”

  “Of course James, how can I help you”

  “Well, I wanted to organize a movie watching this weekend, maybe we could do it in our common lounge and invite our friends in the other houses, I don’t know what you think about it?”

  “That’s a wonderful idea James, if you needed my permission then go ahead, you have my all my support.”

  “Well, here is the problem. I don’t know how to play a movie here at Hogwarts, I have many VHS in my house, and I could ask them to send them to me, but I heard that televisions or almost any muggle devices work here. My other option would be a projector, but I wouldn’t be able to get reels for tomorrow.”

  “Hmm… that’s a tricky situation you have there James.”

  “So, it won’t be possible?”

  “No, it won't be a problem, just let me ask Professor Dumbledore, he must have a solution. And he will be more than happy to help you in this movie screening.”

  “Thanks’ Professor Sprout”

  “Just call me Ms. Sprout, ill tell you about your matter at supper, now go. Don’t be late to your next class”

  Ms. Sprout is certainly the best dean in Hogwarts, even before supper, when we were having lunch she approached me and told me that Professor Dumbledore will help me with the TV and the VCR

  Now, I just have to think about what movies we could watch tomorrow