Zacharias A. Smith

It was snowing pretty heavily earlier tonight, then the sky cleared up. Glad it stopped, as I asked permission to do some night-watching from the Astronomy tower. There's maybe 3 inches on the ground? About?

I started tonight pointed towards Norway. Jupiter was just peeking over the horizon, so I decided to stay. Everyone always thinks they know all there is to know about him. Wrong! He was named Marduk first. And then everyone came after and just had to name him something different. I know I'd have a complex after that.

Mars isn't so bright tonight, which is a shame. If I'm right, and I'm right, then Mercury'll be coming along soon too. Three more hours or so. Dunno.

Whenever the sun starts to rise. You know, much like Marduk up there, Mercury was both Apollo and Hermes at one point. Apollo at sunrise - that's the version I'm waiting for, and Hermes at sunset, because that's the only time you can see them, and the astronomers of old thought they were two different planets. Apollo to pull the sun across the sky ... and I forget what Hermes was for.

I like looking at the stars. Beats thinking about what's happening on the ground, students being beat up by other students, national id cards, and god knows what else. I just like the peace and quiet of me and the stars.

If anyone wants to join me next time, come. It's really something else.

//Padma//
Alright, seriously. Your sister is a piece of work. I'm not sorry I didn't agree to marry you. If you're that upset about it, at least talk to me directly.

It's rainy, not snowy, nevertheless, bad weather. That means ... it's cloudy and there are no stars to tell their tales across the sky. It's almost Valentine's day, I've been preoccupied with the star stories around lovers. Like, Cassiopeia, that's who I could talk of today, sweet little Cassie with her armour and it never doing enough, they still hang her, upside down, for her gay son, with his two lovers.

Zeus, so mad and in fits of rage, sets his revenge upon her for creating Atymnios. What a cruel fate for a woman who told her son that love was something he could take from the world instead of the choices she'd never had, once Zeus claimed her. Almost seems relevant today, doesn't it? It's almost poetic, in a way, Zeus gobbling up the stars and the women and trying to hold on to something ever-changing. It's almost poetic, in a way, and it's almost terrifying. He hung her upside down, sweet little Cassiopeia, for teaching her - and let's be honest, Atymnios was always hers - son that love is pure in all its forms. Silly Atymnios for believing it and taking his two lovers and condemning his mother to swing in eternity. Silly any of us, for believing it in today's society.

All I wanted was to watch her tonight, to honour her and the sacrifice she made. Love is pure, in all its forms. What a lesson, and look the price she paid for it, if you can see her tonight. I wish I were half as brave as her, and tilted at windmills so ferociously, knowing that as I did, Zeus would find a way to control, to dominate, to break the soul.

Poor sweet Cassie. Maybe the blanket of the rain - and not snow - will soothe some of your eternal pain.

So. Open telescope night at the Tower.

I like going up there, when there's not too many people and the sky is clear and I don't have to listen to people too stupid for the class asking stupid questions about the position of Mars relative to the twins. If you can't find Polydeuces and Castor and need Mars to help you out, you don't belong in advanced Astronomy. You know who you are. Just be lucky I'm not actually naming you, Jack Sloper, because I could, and it would give me absolutely no pause to do so.

Heck, if Snape's dropping people, other people who can't pull their own shite in other classes should be allowed to drop too, right?

( One Zacharias A. Smith )