Author's Notes: I know it's been a while since the last update, and I apologize profusely…that crazy thing called school keeps interfering with my fanfic-writing time. The nerve of that schoolwork! Anyway, I somehow managed to write two short chapters, so hopefully I can get the next one up pretty soon. Enjoy – from your resident sleep-deprived, caffeine-addicted, nine-o'clock-class-hating university student, Silver Phoenix.

Wednesday, 9 August

1:36 p.m.

I've been fairly bored today, since Mrs. Weasley gave us the day off after Ron was nearly strangled by a set of purple robes yesterday. I think she's finally realized that cleaning this house without the use of our wands to defend ourselves may be hazardous to our health. Anyway, she wants to approve a room with Sirius before allowing us to tackle it, just in case it contains strange stones that hypnotize you, or inanimate objects that bite you, or music boxes that lull you to sleep, or robes that try to strangle you to death.

That was actually quite scary - we found this dressing room adjacent to Mrs. Black's bedroom that we hadn't seen before, because the entrance was hidden. Sirius remembered something about it, though, and after yelling out every spell to reveal hidden doors known to wizard-kind, he finally found the door. Mundungus and Mrs. Weasley were with us, and also briefly Kreacher, who scurried off after Sirius threatened to chuck him out of the room. Honestly! Does he have to be so violent?

Speaking of Kreacher, Sirius absolutely forbade me to knit him clothes, pointing out that if I gave him new clothes, he'd be set free.

"And what exactly is wrong with that?" I asked shrilly.

Sirius sighed heavily. "Hermione, you're a bright girl, and I like you and all…but give it a rest with the house-elf stuff!"

Well.

I tried to broach the subject again, a few days ago when we were de-Doxying the curtains in the drawing room, but he just said no again and made up some lame excuse about Kreacher knowing too much about the Order to be set free.

Anyway, the six of us plus Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, and Mundungus slowly made our ways into the dressing room, which was downright creepy. Cobwebs were hanging everywhere, and there were inches and inches of dust. There were also a few eerie mannequins, which were wearing tattered-looking, but probably once very fine, dress robes.

"Ugh," said Ginny, looking around apprehensively.

Sirius, looking disgusted with the room, rolled up his sleeves, suddenly business-like. "Fred, George, run downstairs and grab a few mops for the younger ones who can't do magic, will you?"

"Hooray," said Ron unenthusiastically. Harry snorted.

"Will do, Sirius, old chap!" said George brightly as Sirius began giving the others orders. George took out his wand. Mrs. Weasley whirled around, but it was too late.

"GEORGE – "

"Accio mops!"

Four mops suddenly burst into the room, flying towards us at full speed. Harry quickly pushed Ginny to the ground and dropped down next to her, preventing two mops from knocking their heads off, I managed to jump aside at the last second to avoid the mop hurtling towards me, but Ron got his mop right in the stomach. He went sailing backwards with the force of it, and crashed right into a wardrobe. Dazed, he blinked a few times and rubbed his head.

"Whoops," said George meekly.

And so Mrs. Weasley was occupied with marching George downstairs while screaming at him when Ron and I started on the wardrobe he'd been hurled into. Sirius had left briefly to feed Buckbeak, Mundungus and Fred were trying to immobilize a mannequin that had started to inch out of the room, and Harry and Ginny were using the now-motionless mops to mop the floor.

"Stupid prat, he could've taken your head off," Ron muttered, tossing old robes into a heap on the floor.

"He knocked the wind out of you," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm used to – ARRGH!"

The ancient set of robes that Ron had been trying to remove suddenly came to life, swung upwards, and wrapped themselves around Ron's neck. He stumbled backwards, hands clawing at his neck while he made a choking sound. I screamed, and all activity in the room stopped.

"Oi!" Mundungus roared, hopping over a fallen mannequin with a short, stubby wand in hand. "Geroff him!"

The robes only squeezed harder. Ron's eyes bulged, and his face slowly began turning purple.

"Vestita immobilus!" Mundungus hollered hoarsely. The robes abruptly relaxed their hold on Ron and dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap, just as Mrs. Weasley screamed in the doorway. She and Sirius had returned a few seconds before.

"Ronnie!" Mrs. Weasley cried, running over to her son, who was gasping for breath.

"You all right?" Harry asked in concern, while Sirius hurried over and Banished the robes from the room, lest they decided to act up again.

"Yeah, I think so," Ron said faintly. "Aw, Mum, I'm fine – " He tried to avoid his mother, who was either trying to hug him or suffocate him.

"That was wicked, Dung!" Fred exclaimed in delight. Mundungus shrugged humbly, and Mrs. Weasley looked over to him, eyebrows raised very high.

Mundungus got an extra helping of pudding last night at dinner, and Mrs. Weasley has yet to say anything disapproving about him since.

Ron's fine, but I was really scared for a second there. If Mundungus hadn't been there…I mean, Fred would have probably just ended up killing Ron if he'd tried to help him with magic, and the rest of us couldn't have used magic…Harry's in trouble as it is…

Speaking of Harry, he's been adjusting quite well, I think…I haven't seen Sirius this happy all summer, and the two of them spend quite a lot of time together. Harry hasn't been angry or abrupt with us ever since his tirade the first night he was here, but occasionally he'll fall into quiet, sullen moods which only seem to get worse when he discovers Ron and I whispering about how to make him feel better.  He's also determinedly avoiding the subject of the Ministry hearing on the twelfth. We've all followed suit – everyone's quite afraid of provoking or upsetting him right now – but the fact remains that the hearing is going to come, whether he likes it or not.

But other than the occasional depressing slump, Harry seems quite happy to be back with his friends, particularly Ron (who almost certainly feels the same way …he probably thinks I'm really boring and he was likely getting sick of hanging around with me all the time) and with Sirius. I'm happy for him, but he really needs to prepare for that hearing. I mean, it is less than a week away. I think Harry's scared, but he doesn't want to show it. I'd better look some information up for him, just in case he needs it…oh darn, Weekly Goals first. I was so excited about Harry being here this week that I completely forgot on Monday. Well, better late than never…

Weekly Goals

1. Do not be in the proximity of a Weasley twin doing magic for the rest of the month. I suppose that would make that a monthly goal.

2. Do not let Harry get expelled.

3. History of Magic revision.