"Once upon a time, there lived a small boy, with messy black hair, bright green eyes, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. This boy was a hero - he had saved the world! His name was Harry Potter, and he was very powerful and rich, but he was also good, and kind. Even though he was very famous, he was never proud or rude - and he never lost his temper. He helped old ladies out of the Floo, rescued kittens from trees, always said Please and Thank-you- Ugh, Ginny, is this really what you want every night? This is sickening, he sounds dreadful!"
"No he isn't! He's wonderful!"
"Well, he's probably better than you and Ron, I admit…."
"Well of course he is, he's better'n everyone! I want more! Read more!"
"Uh uh, what's the magic spell?"
"Fine, please finish reading the story, Bill"
"Oh, all right then. Sure you wouldn't rather a story about the Evil Vampire Bat Snape though? Or even Babbity Rabbity?"
"Yes I'm sure!"
"Fine, fine. I'm not doing this every night though! He always helped out washing the dishes, even though he was very famous - really Ginny? Fine, fine, though this is gonna make me sick. One day, something very dreadful happened."
"You skipped some! I know it!"
"Yes but...it was only going on about how he always took out the garbage and did chores without grumbling, that's boring! I'll read all the exciting stuff, I promise!"
"Oh fine, Mum and Dad always give me stern looks when they read that part anyway. It never changes from story to story, I know it by heart!"
"Well it hasn't done you any good! Now, no interrupting, you're supposed to be asleep by half past, and I'm never going to finish the chapter at this rate."
"Once upon a time, there was a small boy with messy black hair, bright green eyes, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead - hang on, don't they ever change anything in the introduction?"
"Nope. It's always the same, that's how I'll know if you skip some!"
"But that's rubbish, even I could do better'n that! Look, I'll try it: Right now there lives a little boy with hair as black as a...blackboard, and eyes that were the colour of toads."
"Toads are ugly though! They're all brown and stuff! Frogs are the green ones!
"Oh is that right, is it? And how do you know that, squirt?"
"Luna's dad told me! He knows heaps about animals, he's written books and owns a newspaper! He showed me a book about pond creatures after I didn't know what frogspawn was. So there! You don't know everything about animals, Mr Smarty!"
"Well….I meant pickled toads! Toads are always green after you pickle them, just like lobsters go red when you cook them!"
"...really?"
"Oh yes, for sure! They're brightest when they're freshly pickled, but they do go all brown and faded if they're too old. Tonk's cauldron melted because my toads were too old - Snape said we should have noticed they were the wrong colour."
"Oh ok - so his eyes are as green as freshly pickled toads, and his hair as dark as a blackboard. That's more interesting than the same old boring introduction."
"Hey, that sounds better than the way I put it! Sounds like a poem. You should try writing some Harry Potter Poetry, Ginny, maybe one day you could sell it and become rich."
"If I did, I'd buy my own brooms and not let any of you boys fly them!"
"You can't do any flying, you're too little! Maybe you can next summer."
"Harry Potter can fly!"
"Well, he's the Boy-Who-Lived, so he's allowed to!"
"Charlie! Don't upset your sister, just read her the story before her temperature goes up! Ginny, it's time for your medicine."
"Fine, fine.."
"Mum! The twins stole my diary! They're laughing at what I wrote!"
"FRED! GEORGE! GET HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"tattle-tale!" "Yes mum!" "We're coming, it was just" "a joke!" "We thought it was Charlie's old notebook" "We didn't realise Ginny used it when we took it!"
"Here you are, Ginny dear. The twins will be apologising to you when they've finished cleaning the bathroom, but they didn't mean to steal your stuff, they just wanted Charlie's old notes."
"Well, I wish I had a diary of my own! One no one could ever read. There wouldn't be any mistakes then!"
"Well, maybe we can get you one of your own when you go to Hogwarts, diaries are very useful for girls away from home at school. I understand you've been writing some poetry – I used to write some when I was a young girl too, so never mind the boys."
"Really, mum? To dad?"
"Well, not all of it – I didn't realise I was going to marry your father until Fifth Year – I had a crush on a boy named Septimus Bones when I was 12. Now, come give me a hand with the washing, dear."
"Mum, can't I please go to Hogwarts with Ron? It's not fair I have to wait! Fred and George get to go together, I'm only a little younger than Ron!"
"No Ginny, you can't start Hogwarts until you turn 11, I'm sorry, but those are the rules."
"But I'll be so lonely all by myself! It's not fair! Everyone else had someone younger when they got left behind! Please mum! I can take an Aging Potion for just a few months, they wont know!
"No Ginny, Aging Potions are far too dangerous for young children. Besides, I'll be lonely here too, you know. I won't have any children at all. I can't lose both my babies at once, it wouldn't be fair to me, either."
"But you and dad have each other; I won't have anyone my age. And Harry Potter is starting Hogwarts! I could be in the same year as him! Pleeeease mum!"
"Really Ginevra, do stop harassing Mother like that. Rules are rules, and if we all broke them as we saw fit, the entire world would be destroyed by Fred and George. Besides, you have your friend Luna. Mother, have you seen my Potions Textbook? I want to double-check my summer homework before the letters arrive."
"Fred and George have it. And Luna's no fun, she's still sad about her mum . I want someone to have fun with!"
"Oh no, not my textbooks! Those cretins are NOT messing with my textbooks!"
"PERCY! Sorry Ginny dear, I have to stop your brothers killing each other."
24/08/1992
"Dear Diary, my name is Ginny Weasley. I am 11 years old and am going to Hogwarts in one months time. I finally have my wand, though it isn't new. It belonged to Gran – I don't really remember her very well, but she was very good at magic and I hope I will be too. I would have liked a new wand, but I am glad it belonged to such a strong witch. You are the only thing I have that didn't belong to another Weasley or Prewitt, except for my robes and textbooks, but everything is second-hand anyway and clothes and schoolbooks don't count. But that is why you are my new favourite thing, because you are all mine, even though you used to belong to someone called Tom, but he never used you, so that means it's really like a new thing. I am very glad mum bought you for me like she said she would! Only I do wish there was a way to enchant it so only me can read it."
"Hullo Ginny. I already am enchanted, and I never belonged to Tom – I am Tom. I am enchanted to talk back to you, so do not fret about privacy. I am very pleased to meet you."
"Wow! This is cool! I didn't realise you could do that! No one can read what I write at all! Although...I hope I didn't say anything too silly. I can't remember everything I wrote."
"Not at all, you seem like a very mature young lady. Who are you worried about reading what you write?"
"Why thank you Tom! My brothers, Fred and George - they're twins, and they already read my poems that I wrote for Harry ages ago, and they threatened to show them to him! They're really mean and if they do I'll hex them both! I wrote them when I was much younger, if he sees any it should be ones I write now I'm older. I found out pickled toads aren't green, even if they are fresh, and Harry would think I was stupid."
"I see. I think. Well, I am just a diary, so I don't understand about pickled toads and why their colour is relevant - I'm guessing they feature in your poems? But I assure you, no Freds or Georges or Harrys will be reading me without your permission, so write all the heart-felt poetry you like. I'm sure you're very good at it. You write very well for your age."
"Really? Everyone thinks I'm just a silly little girl - I'm glad I'm a mature writer at least! My brother Charlie said Harry had eyes are green as a toad, but he didn't know toads were brown, and frogs were green, so he pretended that toads turned green when you pickled them, and I believed him because I was REALLY little then."
"Oh, I highly doubt you are anything like a silly little girl - you haven't even written about your hair or your nails! You seem far more interested in magic, which is how it should be. Now tell me about this Harry - you must like him if you're writing poetry to him. Is he your brother's friend?"
"Yes, he's Harry Potter, and he's friends with Ron, and they're already at Hogwarts, they started last year. He's really famous, do you know who he is? You might have been made before him."
"Harry Potter? No, I don't know him, though I am familiar with the name Potter. But if he is only twelve, then he was..'born?' long after I was..'made'. Do you mean he was made by some new form of magic, or did you just mean before he was born? Why is he famous at such a young age?"
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I'm not that good at writing after all! Yes, I meant you were made before he was born. How were you made? Unless it's something icky like how babies are born, then I'd rather not know! Harry Potter defeated a Dark Lord when he was a baby, that's why he's famous. No one else could kill him, not even Dumbledore, and he's really powerful, but when You-Know-Who tried to kill Harry, Harry defeated him instead. There are lots of story books about him, but I think they're all made up, though I used to think they were real when I was little. But he is really brave, last year Dumbledore had something really secret and special hid inside Hogwarts and You-Know-Who himself was after it and Harry stopped him and defeated him again! Do you know Dumbledore?"
"I'm familiar with Dumbledore. Is he the Headmaster now? Who is this Dark Lord? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with him at all. However did this young Harry defeat him? He must be very impressive, Dumbledore has defeated Dark Lords before."
"Oh, his name is Lord Voldemort, but everyone's too afraid to say his name, so they say You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry says his name though, so I think I can write it at least - but I dont like using it! Yes, Dumbledore is the Headmaster. I suppose you never attended Hogwarts, being a diary - I was about to ask who was Headmaster when you went! How do you get the knowledge you have? Did someone own you before after all? Oh dear, perhaps I should take you to Dad - you might be Dark."
"No no, I'm not a Dark object at all - I'm simply an enchanted diary that records people's memories and talks back like a friend. I first belonged to the real Tom Riddle - so I hold all his memories safe, and all the words and magic I know comes from those memories. But you are the only other friend I have ever had, so I do hope you don't throw me out - it's been so long since Tom grew up, it's been a little lonely."
"Oh dear, that's really sad! Well, I know Fred and George have something similar that talks back to them, only it has more people, so I guess it's ok. Do you know lots of magic? What was Tom like? The other Tom I mean, not you. Can I still call you Tom, or do you want a new name?"
"Well, I'm afraid I promised Tom I wouldn't share his memories, just like I promised you, so I cannot tell you anything about him. Why don't you tell me more about yourself, instead?"
"Oh of course! I didn't think of that! I'm so glad you keep your promise even when Tom doesn't use you any more! Now I know you'll keep my secrets. Oh dear, mum's calling me for dinner, but I'll write more later! Bye Tom!"
