![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.sparknotes.com\/content\/sparklife\/sparktalk\/minerva0606_LargeWide.jpg\")
Dear Diary,<\/p>\nDear Diary,<\/p>\n
Every year James Potter and his friends \u00a0attempt some new way of confounding me and every \u00a0year I resolve to remain \u00a0unconfounded<\/em>. When they were third-years, the four of them all took Polyjuice potion and came to class as each other. They did not, however, go so far as to \u00a0act<\/em> like each other, and I knew almost immediately that it was actually shy Peter \u00a0Pettigrew wearing the form of the more outgoing Sirius Black. (James, of course, was Peter\u2014the best of the four at impersonation, although slightly cruel in the way he mimicked Peter’s \u00a0unfortunate stammer.)<\/p>\n It took me two weeks to discover what they were up to this year, and I almost didn’t notice\u2014until I realized that James Potter, usually eager to show off what he views as his extensive \u00a0knowledge of transfiguration, hadn’t yet volunteered to answer a single question. Peter \u00a0and Sirius have been equally taciturn. Their classwork and scrolls are \u00a0receiving the usual high marks, but their lips remain sealed.<\/p>\n Remus, who tends to \u00a0go along with whatever James suggests, does not appear to have signed on for this spell of silence. I would understand, perhaps, if he had a falling out with James\u2014who can be fairly exclusive about whom he lets into his inner circle\u2014but I can’t imagine him having fallen out with Sirius. Those two are as close as any friends I’ve ever seen.<\/p>\n I thought I would ask James about it after class today, but he disappeared before I could speak to him. I know I’m getting older, but I’d almost swear he vanished \u00a0right in front of my eyes, as I was walking towards his desk. Of course, by the time I turned around, Sirius and Peter \u00a0were gone as well. I will have to wait until next week to uncover why these boys have chosen silence as this year’s disruptive element.<\/p>\n Their self-enforced quiet does have the unintended effect of making class somewhat more peaceful than usual, though. Maybe it would be more beneficial to the rest of the students to let Potter and his friends keep at whatever game they’re playing. They’ll have to speak at some point. The longest I ever went without talking was a full month, and that’s because I was holding a mandrake leaf in my mouth \u00a0as part of my Animagus training. They won’t be able to last half as long.<\/p>\n Yours faithfully,<\/p>\n Minerva<\/p>\n Previously in The Diaries of Minerva McGonagall<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Diary, Every year James Potter and his friends \u00a0attempt some new way of confounding me and every \u00a0year I resolve to remain \u00a0unconfounded. When they were third-years, the four of them all took Polyjuice continue reading<\/span>