Wednesday October 16th

7:15 am

Common Room

Found this message up on the notice board:

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS IN SIXTH AND SEVENTH YEAR! Do you want a break from all those grueling classes? Perhaps a private trip to Hogsmeade WITH FOUR OF YOUR FRIENDS?

THEN THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME!

Find and solve all the clues first to win a trip to Hogsmeade with four of your closest friends ON A SCHOOL DAY!! The winner will be announced on Halloween. Just take an entry form, fill out your name and sign it, and you're on your way to winning the ultimate getaway!!

Well, this is certainly new. Looks interesting, however. And not TOO hard. I might as well try it. I'll just take one of these entry forms here…

9:15 am

Ancient Runes

The first clue says:

"Find the one who wrote this note

For your next clue he has to tote

Do not be shy, he will not bite

But if you're wrong he just might

You must be quick, don't waste your time

For that would be an awful crime

And if you choose the wrong person

The game is over and you are done."

What a crap clue. The last two lines don't even rhyme.

Anyways, looks like this Writus Revealis charm will come in handy yet again. Good thing I pay attention in class and do my homework, unlike someone who shall remain nameless. Ron.

12:25 pm

Lunch

Crap, the charm didn't work. It must have an anti-whatsit on it. Hrrrm.

3:15 pm

Common Room

I've got about forty minutes to solve this before Quidditch practice starts. I've got out my old Forensics Charm essay and I'm scouring it, looking for something which may help me.

3:16 pm

…

3:20 pm

Ah-hah! Here we go:

"Sometimes the writer of a letter will place a spell on said letter which cancels out the effect of Writus Revealis. A skilled Auror, however, can break this anti-charm by putting a drop of Veritaserum on the parchment and letting it sit for twenty-four hours. After this, Writus Revealis should work."

Oh, just great. Where on earth am I going to get Veritaserum? I certainly can't make any – it takes a month. I suppose I'll have to…sigh…ask Snape.

3:30 pm

Hallway

Out looking for Snape. How come the stupid greasy git won't show up except for when you don't want him around?!

3:50 pm

Found him.

"Professor Snape!"

He looked at me like I was a slug or something. "What?"

"I…uh…well, for this er, contest…the first clue…I need some er, Veritaserum."

Then something really WEIRD happened. Snape SMILED.

"So you've figured it out, then?"

"Huh?"

"You've solved the first clue by coming and asking me for Veritaserum. Others who attempt to steal it or make their own are disqualified. Here."

He took my parchment with the clue on it and tapped it with his wand, causing the next clue to appear.

"Good day, Miss Granger."

Well, I'll consider that a stroke of luck. That's quite clever, actually – lots of people hate Snape and would rather die or worse, be expelled, before asking him for Veritaserum.

I wonder if I should tell Harry and Ron?

…nah.

3:55 pm

No time to read the clue now…I've got to get to Quidditch practice!!

3:58 pm

Run, run, pant, pant. I'm so red that I probably look like a sausage with black hair.

6:20 pm

Common Room

Whew…practice is over, thank God. Today was NOT my day. Katie tried to show us this wicked new tackle thing, and I couldn't master it for love or money. I blame it on the fact that Lavendar showed up and watched Ron with these adoring puppy dog eyes, which ruined my concentration.

I think in reality though I'm just frightened of vaulting backwards off of a broom one hundred feet in the air.

Well, it's scary! I don't know how Ginny does it.

I think I'll look at my second clue now as I have no homework.

It says:

"Tb naq Srrq erpvrir gb gur svaq guvf lbhe ebbs gur pyhr arkg bs gb bar. Untevq'f vg gb uhg jrngureinar."

It must be some kind of code (duh) but…hrrm. I have no idea. Well, let's get cracking on it.

7:15 pm

God, this is hard. Is ONE day in Hogsmeade worth all this crap?

10:32 pm

Yawwwn. I'm sooo tired…and I've only got half of this dumb thing solved. It makes NO sense.

10:40 pm

I'm going to bed, I'm freaking tired. Nighty-night.

Thursday October 17th

7:05 am

Bed

Late to bed and early to rise makes one tired Hermione.

8:15 am

Breakfast

Overheard Harry and Ron discussing their clue.

"We'll have to steal it…Snape'll turn into Santa Claus before he gives us any."

Idiots. I should say something.

"I wouldn't if I were you," I said loudly. "Snape -"

"What do you know about it, you insufferable know-it-all!" Ron snapped at me.

I glared at him for a minute and then turned back to my porridge.

8:25 am

Fine, if they want to be disqualified, that's their problem. I'm not going to help them if they're going to be complete prats. God, what idiots!! Ron makes me sooo angry sometimes!!

8:26 am

If it's any consolation, Matt (who's sitting on my other side) told me that I am definitely not insufferable. So THERE, Ron!

9:10 am

Herbology

Matt held my hand and walked me to the entrance hall, where we departed (I have Herbology, he has Transfiguration) then he kissed my hand (!!) and said, "Catch you later, gorgeous." Before walking off. Harry and Ron are singing, "Hermione and Ma-att sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!" How immature can you get? Really!

9:15 am

Ron sidled up to me and said, "Are you and Matt going out, then?"

"Is that any of your affair?" I snapped, still smarting from his comment at breakfast.

"Well, yes – considering you still like me and are majorly rebounding." He looked sooo smug, I wanted to slap him and snog him all at once.

Then he patted my shoulder and said, "Be careful, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I said, "That rules out anything that involves spiders then…darn, they're kinky." He looked really sad and kind of worried when I said that. Jeez, doesn't he know how to take a joke? I thought it was v. funny. So did Harry, apparently, who snorted violently into his plant.

3:04 pm

Common Room

Lalala…I'm bored. Of course, I could be doing my DADA homework, but as I have said before, "Why?"

Oh, I could work on that clue. Aaand…out it comes.

4:18 pm

Cracked it. But it makes no sense:

"Go and feed receive to the find this your roof the clue next of to one. Hagrid's it to hut weathervane."

It must be one of those anagram whatsits. A word jumble thingum.

4:20 pm

Matt slid into the chair next to me and whispered, "Hey, gorgeous." In my ear. I shrieked and jumped up like a fish, tripped over my bookbag and fell hard on my bum on the floor.

I am SUCH an idiot.

4:55 pm

An idiot with a boyfriend!! Hah! Matt helped me up and said, "You're really cute when you're flustered." Ten minutes later we were snogging our hearts out on a sofa by the fire. Then he had to leave – he was meeting his mates to play gobstones or something – I don't know, I can't remember. I am in a haze of snoggosity and such. I can hardly concentrate on my homework.

6:15 pm

Supper

Matt is sitting with me, Harry is sitting with Ginny, and Ron is sitting with Lavendar. Am I the only one who secretly wishes Ron was sitting with me? Of the girls, I mean. If Harry wished that he'd be known to be a raging homosexualist and we'd all be really uncomfortable around him – although he would make a rather excellent shopping partner.

Friday October 18th

6:30 am

Bed

Had a really weird dream, which consisted of me being a giant rope, and on one end was Matt and on the other end was Ron. They were both tugging at me like mad. It really hurt – even now I have cramps in my abdomen.

6:32 am

Loo

Well, that explains the cramps.

6:33 am

But what about the rest of the dream? I'd ask Trelawney, but she'd probably just tell me it meant Harry was going to be eaten by a sheep or something.

7:12 am

Common Room

I have absolutely no idea what this stupid clue means. I think it's got something to do with Hagrid's hut and that hideous weathervane of his, but I don't know. After school I'm going to head down to Hagrid's and see what's going on with that stupid rooster – and the weathervane, too.

2:10 pm

Outside Hagrid's Hut

It is exceptionally lovely having a spare last thing on Fridays. I must remember to kiss whoever thought it up.

Hagrid isn't here – I can hear cries of pain and muffled animal(ish) sounds coming from inside the forest, however. Hagrid must be teaching a class.

Luckily I have my broomstick with me so I'll just fly up onto Hagrid's roof…

2:12 pm

On Hagrid's Roof

So. Here I am on Hagrid's roof with this ugly weathervane. Now what?