It has been quite a busy week. I, for one, must say that I do respect the Headmaster for his attempt at aiding inter-House relations, considering I have always thought that we should be taught to get along and understand each other, rather than only cultivate our rivalries. Still, I am not at all certain this is the most successful way to go about the process. Nonetheless, how can one truly criticize random acts of kindness?
Yesterday, I made Millicent laugh when I told her that I thought perhaps Susan Bones was developing a bit of a crush on her. Susan has, after all, taken a rather strong interest in MB, which I believe started some time ago before Christmas. It really is quite an absurd thought, and Millicent did indeed think so as well. Since there was no restriction against making your own housemates laugh, I do believe that counts as one of my good deeds.
In addition to that Ron and I also had a conversation with the Fat Lady the other night. She is a rather pleasant woman, although I'm not certain she thought we were talking to her merely out of good spirit or just for assignment. We did, of course, try to persuade her it was the former and not the latter. We talked about many things, such as the history of the school, and whether or not it has changed much over the years. Ron, in particular, asked about the quidditch teams, but unfortunately, the Fat Lady did not know too much about them.
We also discussed the topic of House Elves briefly, as I thought she could give an interesting perspective. She was actually quite interested in SPEW and BARF, although she primarily only sees House Elves while we students were away at class and they came to tidy the room. Ron, however, did not seem as keen about talking about House Elves, although he did snicker every time we mentioned SPEW and BARF. I really never thought it a funny topic myself, but I suppose to each their own.
Furthermore, the Fat Lady was quite happy to talk about her own position of being in charge of letting those in and out of the Gryffindor Commonroom. She said she for the most part was very proud and honoured to have it. She did, however, mention that there were times it was not exactly pleasant, like when Professor Black had escaped from Azkaban and attacked her.
When I was in the kitchen early this morning, I seized the opportunity to get to know Winky, who is a House Elf at Hogwarts. She really is quite a nice little thing, although she still seems dis·traught over her situation. When I first came to talk to her, of course, she was somewhat suspicious that I had an allegience with Ms. Granger, which I immediately I assured her I didn't. I explained my own views to her and she was quite relieved, and far more willing to talk at that point. I have never met too many House Elves as most of them try very hard to keep out of sight and go unnoticed, but this was certainly an educational experience, I suppose.
There are a few good deeds we get to participate in that I am truly enjoying. Ronald and I do intend to go have our fortunes read by Professor Trelawney. I certainly think that shall turn out to be quite entertaining. We also decided to portraits of each other as one of our good deeds. So last night I had the opportunity to try my hand at painting. I believe my mother once tried to have me tutored in the arts, and she employed an instructor with the task of teaching me to paint still lifes of bouquets from her garden. However, she said that I turned out to be disappointing and so she decided it was best not waste anymore money on the lessons. I suppose I have not gotten much better, but nonetheless