Chapter 4 – Of Sugar and Rituals.
The next week was filled with a myriad of activities as Hermione and Harry continued in their attempt to teach Ron more about the muggle world. They took him to museums and zoos and even to the cinema. And in the evenings the three of them would shut themselves away in one room or another, and immerse themselves in the Hogwarts of his parent's days. They learnt many things that Malfoy's father and Professor Snape had got on with the Marauders just about as well as Harry himself got on with Draco. They learnt of many pranks that they played some of which they decided Fred and George simply had to be told about (and many which they were definitely not to be told of). All three had been shocked by the entry in which his father recounted walking in on Professor Flitwick and the Care of Magical Creatures professor 'making out' on the quiditch pitch. But this was nothing compared to the glee they felt when Gryffindor thoroughly gubbed the Slytherin team in their quiditch match in late November.
Harry yawned and smiled at his friend who was still jumping around the room doing a victory dance at that latest discovery.
"I really don't think that we should have let him eat that entire stick of rock." Hermione whispered in his ear.
"Yeah, that's probably the most sugar he's had all summer." He replied.
"Dah dah, dah dah. Dah. Dah! Dah dah, dah dah. Dah. Dah! Woohoo hoo hoo yeah! Woohoo hoo hoo yeah!"
"He's going to be at that all evening isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Probably." Ron replied to what was really a rhetorical question about himself. "I so wish I'd been able to see when your dad stole in front of Snape to steel the snitch! Can we listen to his entry again?"
"NO!" Came the unified response to from the other two.
"Look- I think we should head off to bed. We want to get going early to get into London and the Leaky Cauldron before lunch." Hermione suggested. They had decided fairly early on to spend the last week of their holidays in Diagon Alley where they could do their shopping and eat ludicrous amounts of Florean Fourtescue's ice cream.
"Sounds like a good idea." He replied out loud. "Come on Ron let's grab some sleep."
"But…" He began in a very whiney voice. Hermione and Harry just rolled their eyes s the latter dragged their friend out of the room the diary tucked safely under his arm.
It was late the following evening when they returned to the Inn well laden with packages. Luckily, Ron had calmed down significantly since the previous evening.
"I may never eat again!" Hermione declared collapsing into a high-backed armchair that sat in front of the fire in the suite where they were staying.
"Hmm." Echoed Ron. "Anyone want a drink?" The other two both groaned out loud before taking him up on his offer. Once he left, Harry went to his bag and retrieved the book which had rarely left his side since he had acquired it and as with the quirky routine they had developed set it down on the coffee table in front of them. Hermione pulled out a piece of needlework and threaded her needle with a new colour. Crossing the room Harry looked over her shoulder at the almost complete work. At first glance it looked rather like the cross-stitch that his Aunt Petunia would leave out if she was expecting a member of the local PTA* or residents association to drop by. This canvas showed Hogwarts in the dead of night and sitting in the foreground was a tabby cat preening herself but unlike a normal cross-stitch Hermione had charmed the thread before she set to work – the stars twinkled brightly in the sky and the cat was methodically working her way from her ears to the tip of her tail cleaning every bit of fur she could find. He couldn't help but laugh softly at how much the cat really did look like their transfigurations teacher, or at least it looked like her when she was a cat.
"You really caught the markings." He complimented her as he pointed to the rectangles that outlined the felines bright amber eyes. "McGonagall will probably think you spent all term following her around." They had decided, or rather Hermione had, that it would be nice to give their head of house a Christmas gift this year as they really had grown rather fond of her and as 'they were bound to be way to busy studying' during term time she had also decreed that they would have it all sorted before they left on the express. So she had begun sewing and Ron and Harry had been given the task of buying a frame – with her advice of course though. His thoughts were interrupted as Ron returned carrying three overly full tankards.
"Two butter-beers and a hot chocolate." He announced placing them down on the table and miraculously not spilling any over the diary, much to Harry's relief. Ron pulled a piece of parchment, which he had been doodling on in previous nights, and a quill.
"Is everybody sitting comfortably?" He asked playing the part of the storyteller. He received nods all round so he continued. "Then we shall begin." Leaning forward he opened up at the page where they had finished the previous night and sitting back he let his fathers voice permeate his consciousness and focussed on the images that cam to mind with his words. They had wondered at first whether this was another magical aspect to the book as they had all been able to see what James Potter described so vividly. In the end however they had decided that it was just the combination of the natural talent of the writer and the fact that they knew most of the characters that the entries revolved around. They listened for maybe half-an-hour to irregular entries that basically told them that James was snowed under with quiditch practices on top of a hefty workload in preparation for the end of terms they were required to sit. By the second week in December it seemed that everybody was getting of everybody else's nerves, even more so than usual. However, there was one ray of excitement that seemed to shine through the darkness. Moony, Padfoot and Lilly were all to be staying at the school along with James as he couldn't go home for the holidays (his parents were working undercover somewhere for the ministry). On top of that Professor Dumbledore had invited all the prefects along with the Head boy and girl to join the staff for a 'partay!' as James put it, after the last feast of the term. All three of the friends decided that they would listen till the end of term before going to bed that night, desperate to see what it was the Sirius had actually bought is friends and whether or not he really would try and catch Professor McGonagall under the enchanted mistletoe. So Harry headed out for another round of drinks and when they were all comfortable again re-opened the enchanted pages that they were soon to find held more than simple tails of schoolboy pranks.
* I don't know if you have these anywhere else but in Britain a PTA is a Parent-Teachers Association. They basically raise extra money for the school and decide how it gets to be spent. In the class system of schools they usually rank quite high which I guess is what I was getting at.
A/N – sorry this has taken so long but end of term deadlines and all. I kind of meant to get further than this but well…. Again Please review even if you don't like it. If you have any questions or suggestions they'd be appreciated too though I can't promise I'll follow all of them. Thanks,
LinZE
* A/N. I don't know if you have these anywhere else but in Britain a PTA is a Parent-Teachers Association. They basically raise extra money for the school and decide how it gets to be spent. In the class system of schools they usually rank quite high which I guess is what I was getting at.