This is my very first entry in you, my new diary.  I really hate the word "diary," but that's inconsequential right now.  As you are a diary about beasts, I'm going to name you Yogi, after both the Muggle character, Yogi Bear, and a character in one of my favorite Muggle animes.  As I said, this is my first entry in you, Yogi, and it's about Ashwinders.  Ashwinders interest me because of the way they move.  Most snakes slither forward, but the Ashwinder moves like a Muggle snake known as a Sidewinder.  Sidewinders and Ashwinders move by slithering sideways, different from other species.  Another thing that makes the Ashwinder interesting to me is the fact they don't have to mate to reproduce, as they don't like contact with other members of their species.  They are hermaphrodites, meaning they produce both types of reproduction cells, and they self-fertilize.

I first came across one of these lovely, gray serpents while I was walking along the Hogwarts grounds.  I followed a trail that I saw, but I wasn't sure what the trail was, so I bent down and touched it.  It was a fine powder and it turned my fingers gray, much like the color of the serpent I found.  I thought of the name of the serpent and determined the fine powder to be ash.  I continued following the ash trail and found the Ashwinder in a coil.  Despite it being all coiled up, I could see its eyes.  Their red color reminded me of my mother's birthstone, the ruby.  I found the eyes to be captivating and pretty, but I knew its time was coming to an end, so I decided to end my observation of this wondrous creature.  I hope to see another one someday soon, and I'll be back to write in you again, Yogi.  Goodbye for now.