Author's Notes: Just when you all think I've dropped off the face of the planet, I return. Like Saved By the Bell: The New Class. Except hopefully I'm not an even cheesier, shoddier version of the original.

Thanks to everyone who's still reading; I know updates are few and far between, but I'm really going to try to get up to Christmas in the story done by...well, Christmas. Honest. I shall try.

Monday, 30 October

8:19 p.m.

I can't believe I haven't written in here in a fortnight! I haven't even been writing down my weekly goals, which is atrocious. This is how people lose focus and begin procrastinating and end up staying up until four a.m. Sunday night trying to frantically finish their Charms essay like a certain red-head I know, who I ended up staying up with and helping because I felt bad for him since all the Slytherins have been rotten to him for the past three weeks, but now I am extremely tired from staying up until four a.m., hence this nonsensical run-on sentence.

Things have been so busy with homework, knitting my house-elf clothes, tutoring Neville in Potions (he came to me last week and asked me if I would tutor him…he said he's sick of doing horribly in that class, and of course I said I would be happy to help), not to mention the DA. We've had three meetings now, and the improvement in everyone is incredible. I've never seen Neville work so hard or pick up spells so quickly; the Creevey brothers finally mastered the Impediment jinx; and Ron's gotten so good that I'm having trouble disarming him now. I mean, I'm sure I could, if I really tried, but it makes him feel good about himself when he does, so I go a bit easier on him sometimes. It's not that he's getting better than me…or anything…

Parvati and Lavender have, surprisingly, taken a huge interest in the DA, and are constantly practicing spells in the dorm and asking me to help them. I don't mind, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this has something to do with the fact that Anthony Goldstein was extremely impressed when Parvati turned that table to dust with the Reductor curse, and I have since heard the words "Anthony Goldstein" and "dreamy" in the same sentence many times.

I figured out a way for us to communicate meeting times and days, and I'm really rather proud of it! I just used some old buttons and Transfigured them to make the fake galleons, and the Protean charm wasn't difficult to do. I haven't shown Harry or Ron yet; I think I'm going to bring the galleons to the next DA meeting and see what everyone thinks. Viktor thought it was a great idea, but I'm a bit worried about what Harry might think – after all, I did sort of get the idea from Voldemort and the Death Eaters – but hopefully he won't be offended or anything, seeing as I decided to engrave the dates and times on galleons rather than our members' forearms.

It will be so much easier once we put the new system into effect; I was in charge of letting all the Ravenclaws know about our next meeting this week, and I couldn't get Cho and Marietta away from their giggly, non-DA friends all day. Finally I saw Cho go into the toilets alone, and although I wasn't too keen on the idea of cornering her in the loo, I didn't really have a choice. I probably should have let her be seeing as last time I saw Cho in the toilets she was crying by the sink, but I walked in anyway. All the stalls were empty except for one, from which there was coming an awful lot of sniffling and sobbing.

"Erm…Cho?" I said, rather foolishly. (Note to self: Learn when to keep my mouth shut and just quietly leave.)

There was a startled sniffle and then Cho's muffled voice saying, "…Yes?"

"Er…I just wanted to let you know that the DA meeting is Wednesday at eight…"

"Hermione?" Sniffle. "Is that you?"

"Yes…" I sighed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I…I just…tomorrow's the Halloween Feast and…and it'll be the first one…without him…" Cho choked back a sob.

"Oh, Cho," I said sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Cho said thickly. "I guess I'll…see you at the meeting, then."

And so my conversation with the toilet stall ended.

In other news, the Quidditch match is a week away and Ron is a mess. Even Harry wasn't this nervous before his first match. It doesn't help that the Slytherins are giving Ron such a hard time; yesterday Bole grabbed Ron when we were walking by in the halls and murmured, "I'll come visit you in the hospital wing after the match, Weasel." His friends all roared with laughter, and Ron turned a very disturbing shade of green. I do hope they don't jeer at him on the field or anything. That could be disastrous. I tried to discreetly have a talk with Harry about it last night (before the four a.m. Charms essay marathon, that is) while Ron was playing chess with Ginny (this procrastination ultimately lead to the aforementioned marathon).

"Harry," I said in a low voice, "how's Ron doing?"

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, hidden behind a stack of Charms books (he also left his essay to the last minute, although he actually finished at the reasonable hour of midnight).

"I mean for Quidditch."

"He's really good," Harry said loyally.

"I know he's good, I meant how do you think he'll be at the match?" I asked anxiously.

"Sick?" Harry said half-heartedly.

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Look, he's amazing when he thinks no one's looking…"

"So I guess we'll just have to tell everyone in the stands to look the other way whenever Slytherin tries to score," I said hopefully.

"It's just first game nerves. He'll be fine," Harry said, although he didn't sound very convincing. I didn't pursue it because that was when Ron walked over, saw Harry's essay, and yelled, "Oh bloody hell, is that due tomorrow?!"

Parvati and Lavender just came up from the common room. They said they wanted to practice the Impediment jinx tonight, and left to talk to the sixth-year girls across the hall before I had time to tell them that the only thing I'll be practicing tonight are my sleeping skills. Tomorrow night's the Halloween feast and I don't really want to pass out in the rice pudding or anything.

9:21 p.m.

Argh, Parvati and Lavender came back in and started bugging me to show them Impedimenta one more time before Wednesday's meeting so they can show off to Anthony Goldstein.

"Sorry, I really need to get some sleep," I told them with a yawn. "I stayed up all night with Ron last night."

Parvati and Lavender had a heyday.

"To help him with his essay!" I shouted over their shrieks and giggles. "TO HELP HIM WITH – oh never mind, you two are hopeless."

"Ooh Hermione, you never did tell us why wanted to get up here so badly!" Lavender squealed.

"Pardon me?" I said blankly.

"When he tried to get up to the girls' dormitories and the stairs melted!" Parvati said exasperatedly.

I stared at them. "THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO! WILL YOU TWO GIVE IT A REST?"

I have a headache. I'm going to bed.

Wait! Focus!

Weekly Goals

1. Continue tutoring Neville – our goal is at least a 'P' on his next assignment. Will work our way up to 'O'!

2. Continue knitting elf hats/socks/accessories. Try handbags? (for female house-elves)

3. Introduce and explain galleon system at next DA meeting. If Harry really doesn't like it, begin thinking of new way to communicate.

4. Improve Ron's self-esteem. Also, do not let the Slytherin team murder him.

5. Arithmancy independent study assignment Checkpoint #5.