(no subject)
Italy is beautiful this time of year. The work is difficult, but rewarding. I'm staying in a charming, somewhat quaint little Muggle village. It doesn't have many young people to do the physical labour, since most of the younger people have gone to bigger cities to attend universities. The older citizens were rather happy when I arrived. I've been helping various people around the village, harvesting crops, doing repairs to buildings and machinery.
The older women have taken me under their wing, trying to teach me ancient Italian cooking methods. It's been... interesting, to say the least. A bit taxing for the poor signoras, but they are nothing if not persistent.
I rather like it here. I started out sleeping in the loft of a barn, but soon I was invited to stay in a spare room in the house of one of the local families. Their daughter went away to university, and eventually got married, so her room had been sitting unused, completely furnished and decorated, for years. It's quite comfortable; desk, chair, bed, chest of drawers for the few clothes I had with me. I've even been able to start building up a small book collection; I don't make much in the area of wages around here, but what little I have made has afforded me a few books at the local book and antique store. The owner even gave me a few books after I repaired a split in the frame of his roof.
The people around here seem to think I'm some miracle from all the work I've done around here. I almost feel compelled to confess I used magic for some of the larger constructive chores, but I dare not. I know full well the consequences of confessing magic to Muggles. And besides, if 98% of the work I accomplished of my own bare hands, what need I confess the 2% I had a bit of help with? My magic is still my own accomplishment, after all.
I've been enjoying learning Italian. It was quite difficult to communicate with the villagers here at first, but I've been picking up the language fairly steadily. It has some delightful similarities to Latin at times. It's a shame I didn't take it up earlier.
Most of my new books are in Italian, actually. Perhaps when I return to Hogwarts in Autumn one of the Professors versed in Italian could help translate them for me?
The older women have taken me under their wing, trying to teach me ancient Italian cooking methods. It's been... interesting, to say the least. A bit taxing for the poor signoras, but they are nothing if not persistent.
I rather like it here. I started out sleeping in the loft of a barn, but soon I was invited to stay in a spare room in the house of one of the local families. Their daughter went away to university, and eventually got married, so her room had been sitting unused, completely furnished and decorated, for years. It's quite comfortable; desk, chair, bed, chest of drawers for the few clothes I had with me. I've even been able to start building up a small book collection; I don't make much in the area of wages around here, but what little I have made has afforded me a few books at the local book and antique store. The owner even gave me a few books after I repaired a split in the frame of his roof.
The people around here seem to think I'm some miracle from all the work I've done around here. I almost feel compelled to confess I used magic for some of the larger constructive chores, but I dare not. I know full well the consequences of confessing magic to Muggles. And besides, if 98% of the work I accomplished of my own bare hands, what need I confess the 2% I had a bit of help with? My magic is still my own accomplishment, after all.
I've been enjoying learning Italian. It was quite difficult to communicate with the villagers here at first, but I've been picking up the language fairly steadily. It has some delightful similarities to Latin at times. It's a shame I didn't take it up earlier.
Most of my new books are in Italian, actually. Perhaps when I return to Hogwarts in Autumn one of the Professors versed in Italian could help translate them for me?