WARNING: This may be the fastest update I've ever done.
Okay, a note on the last chapter which I forgot to add…got mysteriously deleted…
Dumb, I know. I loved writing the Triwizard stuff; I always do, and I realize the end was a bit off, but I dunno, I just felt like adding something more. I felt it needed a plot point other than those we've already seen, and I'm weirded out of my mind by the one I put in. Especially considering Tina is still me (or some variation of me in any case)…that was waaaay too strange to write. I felt slightly contaminated afterward, disgusted in my own freaky way that I wrote it. But hey, it's what I felt like writing, and hopefully it didn't come off as completely crap…?
Anyway, here's the last GoF chapter :sniff! Wait, actually…no. There'll be one more I think…short, but sweet…
Tina walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing feeling slightly dazed.
What exactly had just happened? In all the confusion, the mad panic, the night's excitement…had she and Terry just kissed? Tina couldn't help but shake her head disbelievingly; of course, at the most unlikely moment for something like that, it would have to happen to her.
Nevertheless, she couldn't help but smile to herself, a small, calming smile. It did little to subdue her mounting nervousness as she approached the hospital wing, but once again she took comfort in the fact that it was something real.
Like her friends. Seeing the Weasleys in the hospital wing made Tina feel glad all over that she had them all; it seemed nothing truly bad could happen in the company of such close friends and family. She thought of her family at home. What would they say? What would they think? What would they do, for that matter, when they found out? Tina thought of her young brother and sister…would they be safe? Would anyone?
Tina shook off these thoughts, speaking in the silence that filled the room.
"Where's Harry?" she asked.
"Professor Snape popped his head in a little while ago, saying he's with the headmaster and the person responsible for all this. I'm not sure I heard correctly…but she said something about Mad-Eye." Mrs. Weasley looked more ashen-faced than ever; Ron and Bill looked slightly pale, too.
"Professor Moody!"
"Yes, it seems…well, he said something about an imposter, I think, I'm not quite sure, he was speaking to Madam Pomfrey before she left…"
"Is Ginny coming?" asked Tina. The thought of an imposter in their midst was a bit much for her already clouded thoughts; she had forgotten Ginny all together that night, since Ginny hadn't sat with them, come down with them, and now might now know what had happened.
"I'm here," said a voice by the door. They turned around to see Ginny, her face white and anxious, following Hermione through the door. "Oh by the way Tina, Terry Boot was looking for you earlier. Did you — ?"
"I found him," Tina said quickly.
"And I found Ginny in the common room," said Hermione. "She was looking for us."
"Well, as glad as I am that you're okay, darling," said Mrs. Weasley. "I think it'd be best if you went on up to the dormitories and went to bed. No use sticking around here."
Ginny looked thoroughly angered by this, but after several attempts to speak (all of which failed), she turned on her heel and left.
Several minutes later, the door of the hospital wing opened again, and in came — on a stretcher — Mad-Eye Moody.
"Wha —?" Hermione hushed Ron and pointed. Moody looked thinner and paler than he had that night; his magical eye and wooden leg were being carried by Madam Pomfrey.
"The real Moody," voiced Bill quietly, putting two and two together. Moody was placed in a bed nearby them, fed some potion and covered up, his eye and leg placed on his bedside table.
"So," said Ron, seeming determined to speak and organized his thoughts. "The cup…was a portkey, right?"
The others nodded.
"Which took Harry…where?"
"To wherever You-Know-Who was at the time of his return." Said Tina. Ron gave her a look that said this was clearly no help.
"All right, and you know who came back." More nods. "And he…killed Diggory? But why?"
At this Mrs. Weasley and Bill gave dry, humorless laughs. "'Why?'" Bill repeated. "No reason."
In response to the confused expressions on Ron's, Hermione's, and Tina's faces, Mrs. Weasley spoke again.
"Dears, what you've got to try to understand about You-Know-Who is that he doesn't need a reason to kill, torture, or do anything of the sort. I'm sure his original reason was power…but now that he's got it, death and destruction are just byproducts of getting more. He obviously didn't want or need Cedric Diggory there, so…" — her voice shook — "he killed the poor boy."
More silence followed, as this sunk in. It felt so wrong, so horrible…an innocent life lost…gone to waste. Cedric could've been great…but his future had been destroyed, destroyed by the most evil of all wizards…
Tina felt her jaw tighten with anger.
Mrs. Weasley was growing worried. After about ten or fifteen minutes, when Madam Pomfrey had returned to wait in the room with them, she began asking her where Harry was. The others joined in, harassing Madam Pomfrey with questions, demanding to know where Harry was, what he was doing, and why he hadn't been brought up already.
Just then, Harry entered, followed by a large black dog. Fighting her instinct to shrink back (owing to her slightly improving fear of dogs), Tina gave the dog a small smile. Perhaps it was out of relief, to see that Harry was back and that he was okay.
"Harry! Oh Harry!" Mrs. Weasley rushed forward, but Dumbledore stopped her.
"Molly," he said, holding his hand up. "Please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."
Mrs. Weasley nodded, and turned upon the four of them. "Do you hear?" she hissed. "He needs quiet!"
Ron raised an eyebrow sideways at Tina and Hermione.
"Headmaster," said Madam Pomfrey, looking apprehensively at Sirius the Dog, "May I ask what —?"
"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while. I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry — I will wait while you get into bed."
"I will be back to see you as soon a I have met with Fudge, Harry," Dumbledore continued, the silence between his words broken only by the sound of Hermione nervously (and Tina had a feeling it was also obliviously) gnawing on her fingernails. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." And with a swift movement, Dumbledore had left.
"Is he okay?" Harry asked, looking at Moody while Madam Pomfrey got him some pajamas.
"He'll be fine," she said, pulling the screens around him so he could change. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, Hermione, and Tina settled themselves in chairs around Harry. They looked at him cautiously, not wanting to ask what had happened, but wondering all the same, and hoping he was all right.
"I'm all right," he said, seeing their looks. "Just tired." Mrs. Weasley smoothed out his sheets, and she sniffed.
Madam Pomfrey returned with a goblet full of potion for Harry, which he drank. After a few seconds, he was fast asleep. Ron chuckled despite it all. Harry did look rather odd, his glasses dangling, his mouth slightly open. Tina chortled herself and removed his glasses.
"Do you lot want any Energizer?" asked Madam Pomfrey, referring to the potion that would keep them awake for the night without feeling tired.
Mrs. Weasley looked around the group, asking with her eyes. "Well, give us a goblet full and we'll take it in small amounts if we want any."
Tina got off the chair and took off her cloak, using it to make a small pillow. She then sat down by the wall, resting her head against it.
"Good idea," said Ron, arranging his the same way and lying down completely on the floor. They seemed to be the only two with any intention of sleeping, though Hermione folded her cloak into a pillow she placed behind her on the chair. Their heads felt too full; Tina didn't want to have to think about the night's ordeal and the skeleton of thoughts she had of how it occurred. Perhaps in the morning, it would all make more sense.
Tina woke to the sound of voices outside the door of the hospital wing. They went by quickly, but sounded agitated all the same. It seemed to be Snape and the Minister, and the room suddenly went a bit cold.
"Minister, you cannot — the Headmaster — take it away…"
"Severus, we are at great personal risk, it's only fitting — just a precaution, that's all —"
"The headmaster would never permit it — there is little reason and I refuse to let you…"
Their voices faded away.
"Ron," Tina whispered. "Ron, wake up!" She shook the lump curled up several feet from her; Ron's cloak had somehow become wrapped around his head.
"Ishmorning?" He said groggily. Tina was felt quite odd; usually, someone else would be shaking her unconscious sleeping form.
"No, but McGonagall and Fudge just passed, arguing — oh, here, let's take a sip of the Energizer, you're useless like this —"
With some help from Hermione, Tina managed to make Ron drink a few sips of Energizer, taking a couple herself as well (though she was still shocked to find she had woken with such ease).
A few minutes later after Hermione and Tina had repeated the brief argument to Ron in hushed tones, the voices returned, though by no means had anything been resolved.
"How dare you — how dare you — have you no sense at all, Minister!"
"Minerva, it was for everyone's own good, a dangerous criminal —"
"EVERYONE'S OWN GOOD! YOU THINK THAT IS WHAT'S GOOD!"
"A bit louder, Professor, we can't hear you," Tina muttered sarcastically.
"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!" said Ron, his eyes glued to the door.
"What are they shouting about?" asked Bill. "Nothing else can have happened, can it?"
Mrs. Weasley stood up. "That's Fudge's voice, and that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it?" But what are they arguing about?"
"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva —"
"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" shouted Professor McGonagall, seething. "When Dumbledore finds out —"
The doors flew open. Fudge sauntered in, followed by Snape and Professor McGonagall.
"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge barked at Mrs. Weasley.
"He's not here," she snapped in an equal tone of impatience. "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you thin you'd do better to —"
The door (which was still swinging), opened again. Dumbledore glided in.
"What has happened?" He asked sharply. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you — I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch —"
There was time for one look of immense confusion between Ron, Hermione, and Tina, before Professor McGonagall shrieked her reply.
"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore! The minister has seen to that!"
Her hands were fists now, and her face purpled before their eyes.
"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," Snape said quietly (well, compared to McGonagall), "He seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch--"
"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall shouted, shaking. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but —"
"My dear woman!" yelled Fudge, his head looking like a giant beet. "As Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous —"
But Professor McGonagall screamed over him.
"The moment that — that thing entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and — and —"
The party by Harry's bed gave a collective shudder. Two kisses in one night, Tina thought vaguely.
"By all accounts, he is no loss!" said Fudge, as though this action was simply dripping with reason. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!"
"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, looking slightly disgusted by Fudge's ignorance. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."
"Why he killed them?" blustered Fudge. "Well, that's no mystery, is it? He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"
"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."
Somehow, hearing it come out of Dumbledore's very mouth made it seem completely real. Fudge was reeling; the shock seemed much too immense for him.
"You-Know-Who…" he sputtered, "returned? Preposterous, Come now, Dumbledore…"
"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you, we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort — learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins, went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."
Slowly, everything seemed to be falling into place, but at the same time it didn't. Tina felt as if what they had felt was most definitely not confusion compared to their current state.
"See here, Dumbledore," Fudge was saying, smiling slightly, almost pleadingly. "you — you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who—back? Come now, come now…certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders — but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore…"
"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," said Dumbledore simply. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office. I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."
Fudge continued to smile as though indulging some child telling the story of how it was thrown off a high building into a pile of garbage by a mad goat. "You are — er — prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"
Tina raised her eyebrows as if challenging Fudge to repeat that. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her doing it. Sirius growled.
"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore, glaring into Fudge's eyes. "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's actual account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."
Fudge glanced at Harry's bed.
"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who…well…" There was a pause as he searched for the right words.
"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," Harry's voice said quietly. Tina and the others jumped…when had Harry woken up?
Fudge's face, which had gone back to its regular color in the past few minutes, grew red again. He still looked as obstinate as ever.
"And if I have?" he challenged. Tina's jaw had dropped in disbelief of the man's denial; Ron and Hermione were undergoing similar reactions to it.
"If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet?" Fudge continued, seeming to think he'd trapped Dumbledore. "A Parselmouth, eh? And Having funny turns all over the place —"
"I assume that you are referring to the pain sHarry has been experiencing in his scar?" said Dumbledore coolly.
"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" said Fudge triumphantly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly — hallucinations?"
"Listen to me, Cornelius," Dumbledore said as Ron's jaw proceeded to go a bit closer to the floor. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."
Fudge stepped back, but stubbornly replied, "You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before…"
"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry yelled. He tried to get up, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him. "I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their name! Lucius Malfoy —"
Snape gave an odd sort of twitch, Ron a knowing nod.
"Malfoy was cleared!" Fudge cried, looking affronted. "A very old family — donations to excellent causes —"
"Macnair!" Harry continued. Tina's mind was stirred. The executioner?
"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"
"Avery — Nott — Crabbe — Goyle —"
But Fudge remained obstinate, accusing Harry of looking the names up in records and coming up with some crackpot story...calling him untrustworthy because he was a Parselmouth.
"You fool!" cried Professor McGonagall. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"
"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, fuming again. "It seems to me that you are determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked or these last thirteen years!"
At this, Hermione shook her head and pulled Ron and Tina back down to the floor, whispering.
"That fool!" she hissed, echoing Professor McGonagall's thoughts. "What're we going to do if he doesn't believe Harry?"
"Yeah," said Ron numbly. "I mean, we can't do much with the Ministry against it all, can we?"
"I can't believe him," said Tina, shaking her head. "I mean, he just won't accept the fact that something bad can actually happen to him anymore! One little puncture in his perfect bubble of a world and what does he do? He denies it!"
"Shh," said Hermione, but she nodded in understanding. "I think —"
But she was drowned out by Dumbledore's rising voice.
"You are blinded," he said to Fudge, the power of his words filling the room. "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much important, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any — and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now — take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act — and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"
"Insane," Fudge whispered. "Mad…"
Madam Pomfrey had entered the room at some point or the other, and she stood there with her hands over her mouth. Ron was staring at Fudge disbelievingly, Hermione defiantly, and Tina with an expression of deep dislike.
Tina shook slightly. It had just occurred to her — really struck her — that Voldemort was out there, somewhere, alive and thriving. What was he doing now? What was he planning to do? She had a vision of Death Eaters opening a bottle of champagne and letting it spray out over You-Know-Who's head. Somehow, it seemed unlikely.
"There," Snape was saying to Fudge. He harshly pulled up the sleeve of his roves on his left hand; Fudge shrunk back. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the signed burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."
Fudge stepped away, shaking his head. It seemed the words had just bounced off him, and all he could do was stare in revulsion at the tattoo. Proceeding to tell Dumbledore that he and Professors McGonagall and Snape were playing some hideous joke on him, he stepped back again.
"Your winnings," he added shortly, plopping a bag of gold next to Harry before leaving. "One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances…"
He jammed his hat onto his head and trooped out of the room, the door slamming behind him.
"There is work to be done," Dumbledore said, turning to the group around Harry's bed. Everyone seemed to sit up a bit more, rapt with attention. "Molly…am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"
"Of course you can," said Mrs. Weasley, looking resolute. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."
"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," Dumbledore continued. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."
"I'll go to Dad," Bill said as he stood up. "I'll go now."
"Excellent. Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry —"
"Leave it to me," said Bill. He patted Harry's shoulder, kissed Mrs. Weasley's check, pulled on his cloak, and strode out of the room.
"Tina," said Dumbledore, startling her. "Will you mother and father be assisting us?"
"Definitely," said Tina, nodding vigorously. "They'll both do whatever they can…even Ma."
"Good. I will need your father to contact those he can make aware of this also, as well as your relatives in India and America. The more international involvement and awareness, the better."
"I'll go send him an owl right now."
"All right, but be careful to word it cautiously. Tell him I will contact him soon."
Tina jogged out of the room. She found a piece of parchment in her pocket, as well as a muggle ballpoint pen, which she always made a point of carrying. She figured the safest way to word it would be in Hindi, so she did her best.
Ma, Papa—
Aaj Tournament ka teesra task thi. Lekin jab hum sabne socha ki ho gaya...jeet gaya…mere dost aur doosri Hogwarts champion ne…er…disappear kiya. Headmaster ne kaha ki mere dost (jiski naam mei yaha bata nei sakti hoon) ne Tum-Jaanti-Ho-Kaun ko dekha…aur vo ne vaapas aa gaya. Papa, tumko logo ko bataana parega…usse bolo ki humko larna parega. America aur desh mei humaari rishtedaaro ko batado, aur usse bhi kaho ki aur witch aur wizard ko batade. Headmaster tumaare saat baad mei baat karenge. Aakhen khol; sambhaalo apne aap ko.
Mere chhote bhai aur behn ko bhi sambhaalo. Koi din mei hum sab phir milenge.
Tina
She looked the letter over, amazed that she had written it so fast. Then she quickly grabbed a school owl (which nearly bit her for it) and tied the parchment to it, throwing it violently out into the night.
Tina returned to the hospital wing to find a very odd scene before her eyes.
Sirius was standing up, human again, opposite Snape. Furthermore, they were shaking hands, though they let go the instant Tina entered, and she wasn't entirely sure she had seen it correctly.
"That will do to be going on with," Dumbledore said, stepping between them. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher — the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."
Harry tried to protest to this, but Sirius managed to subdue him. He grasped Harry's hand briefly, then turned into a dog, ran to the door, and left.
"Severus," Dumbledore continued gravely. "You know what I must ask yo to do. If you are ready…if you are prepared…"
"I am," said Snape gravely.
"Then good luck," Dumbledore said. Snape left.
After several minutes he broke the silence again. "I must go downstairs," he said. "I must see the Diggorys. Harry — take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."
No one spoke, or moved for that matter, for a while. Finally Mrs. Weasley wheedled Harry to take his potion again.
"Try and think about something else for a while…think about what you're going to do with your winnings!"
"I don't want that gold," Harry said dully. "You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's."
There was a pause in which Harry's breathing became shallow and shaky.
"It wasn't your fault Harry," Mrs. Weasley whispered.
"I told hi to take the cup with me," Harry said.
Mrs. Weasley set down the potion and embraced him, and Tina could tell from what she could see of Harry's face that this put all his feelings into perspective. His eyes seemed watery…and who could blame him…
Slam!
Everyone turned to the window, from where the noise had come. Hermione stood there, her hand clamped tightly over something.
"Sorry," she whispered. Tina gave her a questioning look. Hermione's widened her eyes and jerked her head at the side of the window. Tina went and saw a small spider disappear through a gap in the wall. A bug.
Tina widened her own eyes now, and gazed openmouthed at Hermione. She pointed silently at Hermione's clenched fist and raised her eyebrows at her friend to be quiet sure. Hermione nodded vigorously. Tina clapped her hand to her mouth.
Ron came over, looking at the both of them suspiciously. Tina shook her head and put a finger to her lips, then pointed it at Harry. He was asleep, and once again, looked peaceful.
I truly cannot believe myself. One chapter—and it ain't shrot—in ONE DAY! Prize still stands for number 100…I realize I haven't given ample time, but still!
Lemme know if ya want the note translated. I put more English words in there so it was sort of follow-able, that and I didn't know all the words I needed. Bengali's my main language, not Hindi; that I picked up from movies.
THREE DAYS! THREE FREAKING DAYS!
Go Jim Dale! Poo the Today Show, and NBC for that matter, for getting us all on our toes, giddy and shaking with excitement hoping for one glimpse, one earful, one brief eclipse of the shadow that is HBP's upcoming entry into our lives. (i'm such a poet...wow) I woke up at 6:15…SIX FIFTEEN, and I sleep like Tina…to watch Jim Dale read a bit of "the new Harry Potter book".
But AAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH I fell asleep at 1:30 this morning, woke up again at five, and I get WHAT! The chapter of OotP I've just read. Fat lot of good that's gonna do us as we gnaw our fingernails in spaz fits over the next three days. And what was up with all those six year olds sitting there? How many times does the world have to be told HARRY POTTER IS NOT JUST SOME CHILDREN'S BOOK. Half the kids there were looking in the other direction, bored or tired.
Venus725- THREE DAYS! THREE DAYS! THREEEEE DAYS! This typing of the exclamation point, while refreshing, is getting hard. Glad you felt all the emotions int he chapter…hope you felt 'em here!
Tikvah Ariel- Glad you found it interesting; it was actually intriguing to write, because I mostly make them up as I write them. Yeah, the Terry thing, as you can see from the mysteriouslydeltedAuthorNote at the beginning of this chapter, was odd beyond words for me to write, but I felt the effect was at least somewhere near all right. Three days till the world rights itself. Let's hope we make it. I'm seriously doubting I will. Enjoy your sleep Friday night…I'll probably do the same, but not until I've freaked out at the bookstore PARTAY! I watched SS at 4:30, and PoA at ten that night; top of the park on a huge screen. Actually made it more bearable, too. I'M SO PSYCHED!
Moonbugg- It's good to see you enjoying this view. The panic after they disappeared wasn't as hard to write, since you do get a view of that in the books. Yes, there are other people around when Harry comes back, but Tina doesn't feel them worthy of mention in her clouded mind's dull narration of everything. And what's more, Harry said the Voldemort thing to Dumbledore—even Tina and Hermione shouldn't've heard, but they were closest after Dumbledore. Also, most others would've just thought he was delusional after his absence. They did yell about Diggory's death into the night though…I think I put that in there…didn't I? I think your use of the word 'giggle'…made me giggle. Perhaps you've still got your review talent. Hey, I forgot to ask, what of the Daily Prophet Lonely Hearts! I do miss it; I'm thinking of going back to read a few issues this week so I don't actually gnaw my fingernails to bits.
Three more days till the world rights itself. Let's hope we make it; I'm doubting I will…