The cast of Hamlet had not moved much. They had that haunted yet hopeful look in their eyes, like the ones you see in photographs of people crammed into steerage compartments, traveling to some new, unknown land.

She wasn't only gay, she was a gay elf.

I had one class in the morning, the mysteriously named "Further Maths". It was two hours long and so deeply frightening that I think I went into a trance.

It was almost funny. Life seemed downright accidental in its brevity, and death a punch line to a lousy joke.

Lecturing Brooks was as useful as lecturing a cat.

Tell me what you want, what you really, really want," he said. "Braiiinnnnssss," we said in unison.

Prefects. I had learned this one. Student council types, but with superpowers. They who must be obeyed.