Author's Notes: Good to know that I'm not the only one who's had to suffer Chaucer. In seminar she made us read parts out loud. It was horrible. Now we're doing the Wife of Bath, the over-sexed, five-times-married, gap-toothed whore of the Canterbury Tales. Good times.

No, I don't have an update list, unfortunately…but if you check my profile, I usually have a little update section and write down whenever I update, or you can check the "Author Alert" box when you review (yet another reason to review!). I think ff.net sends you an e-mail whenever I update if you do that.

I'm majoring in Biological Sciences, for whoever asked. But I'm in a program in which you can do your BEd at the same time as your BSc, so in five years I can teach high school! Yay! Still, I'm pretty swamped, and the only reason that this chapter is even up is because I cannot stand Child and Youth Studies, and am making every excuse under the sun not to read the required reading for this week. Hence, chapter. Short but sweet. Enjoy. ^_^

Saturday, 5 August

3:32 p.m.

I haven't had a chance to write much of anything lately, as holding a quill's been somewhat painful due to numerous cuts and beak marks on my hands. But Harry's still okay, and best of all – he's coming to Grimmauld Place! Tomorrow night! Oh, I was so relieved…he's going to be absolutely furious with us, though, if Hedwig was any indication…

Wednesday morning, after breakfast (we've been granted a brief repose from cleaning due to Mrs. Weasley being pre-occupied with being furious at Mundungus) the five of us gathered in the twins' room to discuss the Dementors, and the hearing.

"It's completely idiotic!" Ron said heatedly, pacing the room. "They can't expel a bloke for trying to save his own skin! What the hell was he supposed to do, drop his wand and say, 'Take me, I'm yours'?"

"Even Fudge is going to have a hard time trying to come up with grounds to expel Harry on. He can't go against his own law," I said confidently from the floor, where I was playing with Crookshanks. "I've looked it up."

"You would," Ron muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Noth – hey! Hedwig!" Ron exclaimed.

Sure enough, Hedwig was waiting impatiently outside the window. Ginny threw it open and Hedwig flew purposefully over to Ron, sticking out her leg. Ron detached three pieces of parchment from her leg and threw one to me, which was addressed "Hermione" in scribbled writing. I hastily opened it.

I've just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here.

"Mine says the same thing," Ron said, striding over and reading over my shoulder. "And the third's for Sirius, it – ouch!"

Ron yanked his hand away from a very angry-looking Hedwig. He tried to hop out of the way, but Hedwig soared towards him and started pecking at his hand again.

"Hedwig!" Ginny cried.

"What – the – hell – are – you – doing – you – stupid – bird – yeow!" Ron clutched at his now-bleeding hand. Hedwig gracefully circled him and then dove towards me. Crookshanks hissed loudly.

"Ow! Hedwig, stop!" I yelped, sticking a bleeding finger in my mouth and sucking on it. I tried to wave her away with my free hand, but only succeeded in getting pecked some more.


"Hm," Fred said mildly, watching as Hedwig doubled back to assault Ron again. "Harry must be really pissed off."

"Don't just stand there!" Ron hollered, dancing away from Hedwig. "Someone get this crazy bird out of here!"

"What's all the yelling about in here?" Sirius asked curiously, strolling in the door. Hedwig snatched up his letter in her beak and deposited it in Sirius's hands. "'I've just been attacked by Dementors…' what's this all about – ow! What's wrong with this owl?" Sirius tried to wave Hedwig, who had turned her sights on him, away.

"Hedwig, we're not allowed to give Harry a reply!" I tried desperately. "We swore to Dumbledore that – ouch! Stop it!"

"Harry's being brought here in a few days, so you can cut it out," Sirius told Hedwig sternly. This seemed to satisfy her, because she gave one more warning hoot and then sailed out of the room.

"He is?" I exclaimed. "Harry's coming here?"

"Yeah, as soon as Remus and Mad-Eye can organize it," Sirius replied, sounding pleased and looking happier than he had all summer.

"'Bout time!" Ron said enthusiastically. He then swore; one of his cuts was quite deep, and his finger was bleeding profusely. "Harry's got to have snapped for Hedwig to go that crazy."

"Well, you probably would have snapped too if you'd been attacked by Dementors," Ginny said coolly.

Later, when I was bandaging Ron's hands for him (he got the worst of it, possibly for calling Hedwig stupid and crazy), he abruptly said, "He's going to be furious with us when he gets here."

"I know," I said quietly.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful, save for when Tonks concocted an ingenious plan to lure Harry's relatives out of the house so that members of the Order can come take him away from there. He's supposed to arrive here tomorrow night, and the Order is evidently going to have a meeting afterwards. Half the Order volunteered to go get Harry, so I suppose they thought it reasonable to have a meeting if they're all gathering anyway. And apparently Snape's going to be there, to give a report!

"We should break out the Extendables, then," George said to us pleasantly last night.

"Absolutely not!" I said firmly at the same time Ron and Ginny said, "Definitely."

Some people never learn.

But Harry's coming! We're all going to be together again, and Harry will be safe, and we'll have the rest of the summer to spend with him!

I just hope Ron and I are wrong. I couldn't bear it if Harry was angry with us.