October 23, Monday

10:00 pm

Dear Diary,

I had good weekend – free of Snape! – we all went to Hogsmeade to get candy and such (butterbeer of course – so good!).  Right now I'm sitting in my bed, listening to the rain patter against the windows.  It's really coming down hard.  But anyway, I like rain though.  It makes everything smell so nice!  I must be boring you with my descriptions of rain…you probably want something more interesting, don't you?  Such as, how was Potions today?  Whatever did I do to Draco Malfoy to make him do what he did today?  I had taken out this very diary to begin to write in it, and he peeked over my shoulder (we were partnered up – who was Snape trying to kill?) and almost – almost! – saw!!  THE entry!  I could have fallen dead right that instant.  I was so afraid that he would read what I wrote about Professor Snape.  Since Malfoy is Head Boy AND in Slytherin, who knows what he would do.  I hope none of the Slytherin girls ever get a hold of this diary – for that matter I hope none of the Gryffindor girls do either!  I mean, what would happen if, for instance, Lavender or Parvati saw?  Or even Ginny?  Ginny would surely be shocked, and might even tell Ron – that would NOT be good.  Ron would freak out and then try to keep me as far away from Snape as possible!  Which in reality would not really be too hard for him, seeing as I hang around with him and he tends to stay VERY far away from Snape…Harry too for that matter.  Which is why I am so confused as to where these feelings are coming from…I mean, I've hated him for what, 7 years?  And now, in my last year at Hogwarts, my teenage hormones decided to kick in and chose Snape of all people for my first crush.  I think I'd have had an easier time if it was even Malfoy!  Then at least I wouldn't be crushing on a teacher…ARGH!  I hate this, I really do.  But there's something about Snape that I really can identify with.  I guess, and I'm going to brag a little here, we're both intelligent people.  We both strive for intense and thorough knowledge of things, whereas the people I am friends with do not (as much).  That isn't to say that Ron and Harry don't want to know things, they just don't want to know them as much as I do.  I mean, they groan every time I mention the library – they've been doing it since first year!  It actually gets a bit annoying after a while – after all, we ARE seventeen years old, one would think they'd have grown out of that by now.  Boys will be boys, I suppose.  Oh, you want me to go back to talking about Snape, do you?  Well…what's there to say?  He's tall, dark and handsome – your typical mysterious man.  Of course, he wasn't originally MY typical man, but I suppose things change.  Well, it's getting quite late, and I need to sleep – memories of third year and the Time-Turner are pulsing through my mind…I think that little voice inside my head is demanding sleep…so farewell for tonight,

Hermione