Author's Notes: I've been writing a Literature Review for one of my courses for the past week or so, and what's worked as my schedule is this:
3:00: write Lit Review for an hour
4:00: write TSD for an hour
5:00: write Lit Review for an hour
6:00: supper
6:30: play DDR for half an hour
7:00: write TSD for half an hour
7:30: write Lit Review for hour and a half
9:00: more DDR
9:30: write Lit Review for an hour
10:30: consider going to bed
10:31: start watching PoA DVD
Consequently, I've beaten almost every DDR song on Standard and have written a whole bunch of TSD chapters.
This was a fun chapter to write. Huge kudos to everyone who's still reading and/or reviewing. You guys are all amazing. I'm curious to know what you think of this chapter, and at the increasing amounts of almost-mush as Hermione progresses through the year. Yay feedback!
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Saturday, 4 November
7:42 a.m.
Oh, dear. I saw Ron last night before he went to bed and he actually looked paler than Nearly Headless Nick, who had dropped into the common room for a chat with Angelina about Gryffindor's chances last night. I hadn't the faintest clue that the ghosts follow Quidditch too, but there you are. It seems everyone in this castle is obsessed with the game but me.
Well, hopefully Ron will have gotten a good night's rest and he'll feel much better this morning!
7:59 a.m.
Ron looks terrible. I caught a glimpse of him leaving the common room with Harry as I came downstairs, and the look on his face was very similar to the one he had on his face just before he started vomiting slugs in second year.
8:35 a.m.
It's no wonder that some of the Slytherins do so poorly academically; it seems they spend all their time thinking up nasty things to say and/or do to other people, possibly as a consequence of their own low self-esteems and poor psychosocial developments. I honestly sometimes wonder if they all sit around and brainstorm lists of horrible things to do to people. Making badges? That's not being cruel to your peers for lack of anything better to do. That's bordering on making it a hobby.
Ginny and I came down to breakfast to find the Great Hall ablaze (I really do enjoy the word ablaze, but I haven't often had the opportunity to use it properly in a sentence without it sounding flowery and overdramatic, which I'm sure it just did, but oh well, it's my journal…) with red, gold, green, and silver. Happily, there seemed to be a lot more red and gold than green and silver. Unhappily, the Slytherins seemed to have branched off from the traditional scarves and rosettes.
"What on earth are they wearing?" Ginny whispered, squinting at the silver, crown-shaped badges the Slytherins were all sporting.
"Weasley is our king," I read under my breath. "Oh no."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I haven't the faintest clue, but something tells me that it's not a change of heart and show of good sportsmanship," I muttered. "Whatever you do, don't mention it to Ron. Hopefully he won't notice."
We sat down at the Gryffindor table, where Harry was trying to persuade Ron to eat, and Ron looked as if he was seriously considering drowning himself in his cereal.
"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked him as we sat down.
"He's just nervous," Harry answered quickly.
"Well, that's a good sign, I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous," I said with false cheerfulness.
Ron glanced up at me and briefly looked as if he was going to respond with a nasty retort, which was heartening, but the next second he looked just plain sick again and returned to contemplating suicide by cereal.
After a few more painful minutes of Harry trying to coax Ron to eat and failing miserably, the two of them decided to leave for the change room. As they were leaving, I took Harry aside and told him to make sure Ron didn't see what was on the badges.
"Good luck, Ron!" I said encouragingly. And then I did something very odd. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Ron on the cheek. I'm not really sure why. However, Ron being oblivious to the world and/or still entertaining ideas of suicide, did not notice or care. Not that I care. If he noticed or cared, that is.
"And you, Harry," I added hastily, so as not to appear partial. Harry gave me a faint smile and then led Ron across the Great Hall. I turned around to find Ginny looking at me with one eyebrow raised.
"What?" I said irritably.
Ginny just shook her head and smiled.
Well, it's nearly 9:00, and the game starts at 10:30. I'd better go meet Ron in the common room, he likes to go ridiculously early and get - oh, bother. Ron's playing. Funny how I just wrote volumes about his pre-game anxiety and yet I still forgot he wouldn't be sitting in the stands with me. Well, I suppose I'll go down to the stadium by myself…
9:01 a.m.
I just opened my drawer to get my scarf and that ghastly bracelet was in there, staring at me accusingly. If it is possible for ghastly bracelets to stare at people accusingly. I think I may bring myself to wear it…it might bring good luck for Ron, you know…
9:15 a.m.
Why did I come so early? The only people already here are the nutters who sit in the stands and examine the pitch conditions in order to make predictions about the outcome of the game. Oh, fantastic, the Slytherins are singing.
9:18 a.m.
I never noticed you could see Hagrid's hut from up here. You can tell it's empty even from here. I do hope he's all right.
Argh, what are they singing?! Something about a ring…or a king…
9:20 a.m.
Oh dear.
9:47 a.m.
Well this is just wonderful. The Slytherins seem to have composed a song about Ron, Ginny's left me to go sit with Michael and his friends, Parvati and Lavender have left me to go stalk Anthony Goldstein, and now Luna Lovegood has decided to sit with me and she's wearing that ridiculous hat. She doesn't seem to mind that I'm sitting here writing in my journal rather than attempting conversation, either. She's just staring off into space.
10:13 a.m.
I can't decide if Ron looked really sick when he left the Great Hall because I kissed him on the cheek, or if he was looking that sick beforehand.
"Hm," Luna just said out of the blue. "They're singing. Isn't that nice?"
10:33 a.m.
The teams have just come out on the field, but it's too far away to tell if Ron still looks like he's going to start belching invertebrates. Okay, he managed to get on his broom and fly to the hoop, that's good, that's a start…
10:42 a.m.
Oh no, oh no, he's headed for the goal…SAVE IT RON! Okay, well…that was a difficult one to save…maybe next time…
10:50 a.m.
It's really rather pathetic that I'm writing about the game in my journal, but that's what happens when the person whom you usually sit with and verbally discuss Quidditch matches with goes and gets himself on the team and you end up sitting with Looney Love - OH COME ON RON, BLOCK HIM! Okay, well, that's only two in…that only counts for a few points, right? Oh, according to Lee it's twenty…well that's not too much…ARGH! I'M GOING TO DO A SILENCING CHARM ON THE ENTIRE SLYTHERIN STUDENT BODY IF THEY DON'T SHUT UP WITH THAT SONG!
10:54 a.m.
HARRY PAY ATTENTION!!!
11:02 a.m.
Yes! We finally scored! Forty-ten, that's not too bad… and if Harry catches the Snitch I think we get a substantial amount of points…
11:10 a.m.
YES!!! Harry's caught the Snitch! I'm assuming he got us enough points to win because everyone in the Gryffindor section is cheering and…OH!
11:12 a.m.
HITTING HIM WITH A BLUDGER WHEN HIS BACK'S TURNED OF ALL THE DIRTY, ROTTEN -
11:20 a.m.
Well that's fine then, Harry's not hurt and yes, Ron walked off the pitch looking a bit dejected but they did win. And hopefully Crabbe will get suspended from the next game or something for that kind of behaviour…what on earth are the twins trying to do down there? Oh, no, no…HARRY, NO!
1:45 p.m.
Banned. Harry, Fred, and George are banned. From Quidditch For life. How can she do this?! She has no right…and I heard Crabbe only got lines for hitting Harry with that Bludger. Lines! There is absolutely no equality and fairness left in the disciplinary system at this school, and if the Minister for Magic was not a pompous ass, I would write to him straightaway demanding justice.
6:30 p.m.
I can't believe I called the Minister for Magic a pompous ass. But it is unfair and Harry hasn't looked this dejected and unhappy in awhile. Plus no one's seen Ron since the game and I'm beginning to worry. He wasn't at lunch or supper, and Ron never misses lunch or supper without a good reason. Where could he be?
