October 3rd 2004
Dear Diary,

The beginning of October would always mark the true start of the academic year at the boarding school. For just over three weeks since the term had started, students had settled in, staff knew what kind of direction they were moving in for the year and the best thing of all the older year students were allowed to leave on the Saturday to venture into the local small town. 

When she was younger and a student herself Hyacinth could never understand why they had to wait until their third year to go on the trip. It was only a 20 minute walk away and in her own brain she should have been allowed to venture in when she was 11 or 12. Yet now she was on the teaching team, she realised that actually there was a need to allow only the middle years and above to venture out. She could clearly remember Katie Bell and what had happened to her during their sixth year. 

And the person who had done it to her.

For the staff, they would rotate so that they would go to the village one week to keep a distant eye on the students, and the next week they would remain in the school to support the students who either chose not to go or were too young to. And there was a benefit of being the younger members of staff, as Hyacinth and Neville often found themselves getting to go outside of the swap system as the students were more likely to approach them if they faced a problem outside of the school. Minerva also took notice that they needed the break from the school. 

And as the two best friends took a seat in the Hogs Head pub, where they would probably remain for most of the day, Hyacinth noted the opposites to how she behaved as a student as to now. At the age of 24, she was barely a functioning adult at least in her own mind, she didn't even own her own house nor have that much money saved up. Sure as a Potter she had access to the family vaults but she was not head of the house and therefore, Harry had control of most of their familial finances, and she took pride in trying to save her own money. But Hyacinth was an impulse buyer and often ordered many things each time she had been paid. She hated to admit she was materialistic but after having so little when she was younger she had grown to be the opposite of her twin brother. Whilst he valued everything he had and often saved money for just-in-case. Hyacinth found herself finally being able to have the things she desired, she never seemed to have to go without anymore and therefore she wouldn't. 

"So Di, we need to talk about your love life." Neville started after placing the first of many drinks the two would consume on the table. Hyacinth looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"My lack of love life I am aware." Hyacinth replied fighting the urge to roll her eyes. 

"I thought you would have doubled over at the new chance to get Malfoy." Neville started both having noted that Hyacinth seemed to have been going through some sort of emotional turmoil when it came to her, what was thought to be concrete feelings. 

"I was at first, but my brain seems to be arguing all of a sudden. I had no problems with what he had done when we were younger, but now I suddenly have morals?" Hyacinth mused as she swirled the Butterbeer in her glass around. 

"Perhaps you are starting to overthink it all now, trying to pretend that you are adults all of a sudden. Do you think it's really just a school girl crush?" Neville attempted to probe to see if he could get Hyacinth to either figure something out or nudge her in the right direction. 

"I don't think it's just a School girl crush. Pretty sure Potters tend to only fall in love once, look at my father. Heck even Harry could be considered to have only fallen in love with one person." Hyacinth had been told by old school friends of her parents, that there seemed to be a trend that Potters only seemed to fall in love the one time. They had also hinted that it was occasional for the love to not be requited. And it seemed that Hyacinth had fallen into not one but both of the Potter love stereotypes. 

"You just need to talk to him properly then, see what's going on what's changed. You always have believed in second chances. Why not allow him another one?" Neville knew that Hyacinth would not find it easy moving on, he had personally never truly seen her taken by another person in the way she was taken by Draco. He could only hope that upon actually getting to know him, and not just admiring from afar, that she would be happy with him. He cared not for what Draco had really done, everything was all a blur when it came to the war, something Neville knew that he had locked away as trauma he was not ready to really pick through. He knew it was the same for his best friend, Hyacinth not that she ever let him call her that had been at an awkward non picked centre to the war. She had been thrown right in the middle of it due to her connection to her twin brother and she had locked away everything that had happened. Everyone that had been lost. Hyacinth was not exactly the same person she was prior to their final two years at Hogwarts, and neither was he, but the one thing she had clung on to was the love she had felt for the blonde haired wizard. And it was that what she had held onto during the fighting the chance for them to actually get a chance to properly know each other, and he wished that she did get that. And so did Lady Magik by the looks of things, after all they had been brought back together in the place the pair of them felt safest. 

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure he is interested in anything to do with me. Never has been. I either need to work out what is going on in my head or I need to move on." And with those words the pair drew the topic to a close, Neville had more that he wanted to ask, but Hyacinth seemed to not be wanting to share anymore, and he allowed her privacy. Rather changing the topic of the conversation onto their plans for the Christmas break. 

The pair were planning whether to stay this year or return to their lives away from the school. Neville was completely up to leaving the castle for the few days they were allowed during the school break, he wished to return and see his girlfriend Hannah again. Return to the flat that he shared with his girlfriend. He had even invited Hyacinth to share Christmas with them in the flat so she didn't have to spend it with her twin brother and his family. But Hyacinth seemed split. Christmas at Hogwarts had always been her favourite time of the year, and she really didn't want to head home knowing that she would have to spend time around her brother who was rooted in his newlywed bliss and she was chronically single. 

She would remain thinking on her plans for the holiday period. 

And a certain blonde wizard. 

Soon,
Diana Potter.