July 19, 1995, 12 Grimmauld Place
I am dead tired. And no, I'm not dead tired just because Mum had all of us (including Bill) cleaning a huge trophy/awards room just off of Buckbeak's/Mrs. Black's bedroom. I was tired even before all of that started because I was up half the night, afraid to close my eyes.
Why?
I had another nightmare about You-Know-Who last night.
I don't even remember how I drifted off to sleep, but the last time I remember seeing a clock, it was around ten. I must have dozed off for a while, because the next thing I knew, I was looking up into Riddle's face and actually feeling every ounce of strength draining from my body all over again…
When Riddle was just about to reach for my wand, I heard someone calling my name frantically. I opened my eyes to see Hermione's frightened face looking over me. I tried to sit up, but I felt dizzy, due to the fact that my head was swimming in thoughts of Riddle and my heart was pounding so fast I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. I was all tangled up in my bed sheets, and when I looked around, I realized that Hermione had still been awake during my nightmare, reading an Ancient Runes textbook at the desk by candlelight. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly half past eleven.
Hermione wanted for Mum to check me out, to see if everything was all right, but I told her no. Mum has enough things to worry about without me running to her every time I have a nightmare. Hermione looked doubtful as she blew out the candle, but I assured her that I was perfectly fine.
So, I spent the hours between midnight and four in the morning with my eyes glued open, staring around the room. My heart started to pound every time I saw a shadow move in the room, or every time I heard the floorboards creak outside the door. I was so convinced that Riddle was in the house that for a while, I had my eyes frozen to the door, expecting him to burst into the room at any moment.
I must have fallen asleep sometime, because before I knew it, Hermione was gently shaking me awake. I was groggy, but I heard her say that Mum wanted us downstairs by seven. I asked her what time it was. She said it was just after six.
That's just when the fun started! Ha. I wish.
Let me just summarize what happened to me between six and seven this morning.
I stubbed my toe on my dresser when I went to get my clothes. I got my brush stuck in my hair when I tried to get a knot out. When I started to reach for my wand, it exploded and morphed into a rubber duck. Turns out that Fred and George have planted their trick wands all over the house, and just decided to place one on my nightstand when I wasn't looking. They're rather clever for thinking of that, actually, but that's getting off topic…
Oh yeah. And I almost fell down a flight of stairs but I caught myself on the banister just in time.
Breakfast was, well, rather amusing. Since Bill usually heads off for Gringotts before any of us wake up, we don't normally have him for breakfast. But this morning, he decided to take a day off to help us with the cleaning. Mum thought this was the perfect chance to persuade Bill to cut his hair. It's nearly as long as mine now, but it looks perfectly fine on Bill. Obviously, Mum can't see that.
The instant Bill sat his bum down in a chair, Mum started attacking him about his hair. She actually took out a pair of scissors from the utility drawer and was about to cut his ponytail when he wasn't looking, but Bill shifted in his seat at exactly the right moment.
Mum and Bill argued for ten minutes about the importance of "looking clean and tidy". When she realized that he was wearing his fang earring again, she started shouting about that, too. Something like, "that awful fang has got to go, William Weasley!"
Finally, Bill decided to take a survey around the table on whether or not he should allow Mum to cut his hair. Of course, we all said no, even Hermione. Mum threw her hands in the hair as a sign of defeat and shook her head as she turned to put away the leftover sausages. Bill winked at Hermione and I and started telling us a new joke he heard at Gringotts, about the goblin, the hag, and the bartender. I could have sworn that I've heard that joke before…it sounds like one that Dumbledore might say.
After breakfast, Mum sent us all down to the trophy/awards room. Sirius refused to help us. It seems that all of the awards have Permanent Sticking charms on the backs, so we have to clean them while they're up on the wall. I think Sirius just wanted to avoid having to see anything that reminds him of his family.
The trophy room is not unlike the one at Hogwarts. It's large, circular, and every inch of the walls is covered in plaques, shields, trophies, documents, portraits, and there's even a glass case displaying every birth certificate of the Black family. I checked, and Sirius's isn't there.
Mum split us up into two groups. Fred, George, and I took one side of the room, and Ron, Hermione, and Bill took the other. I was a bit disappointed when I wasn't put into Bill's group…I really want to hear the end of that joke. But this gave me the chance to talk to Fred and George about what they're really doing with their joke shop.
While we were polishing shields and plaques, George explained to me that he and Fred are working on a new invention, Skiving Snackboxes. They are a "range of sweets that make you ill, but not permanently, so that you may enjoy a leisure activity of your choice during the time you would have spent in a boring classroom". They've got Nosebleed Nougat, Puking Pastilles, and Fainting Fancies so far. Fred told me that they needed testers, and guess what?
I volunteered.
I mean, come on, it can't be dangerous, and it's not like Mum is going to find out. I've been dying to see what Fred and George are really up to with all that junk they've been stealing. They made me swear not to tell Mum; they don't want the Skiving Snackboxes confiscated and thrown out after all of their hard work.
I really don't know what I've gotten myself into, but that's the least of my problems at the moment.
It took most of the day to finish the trophy room, and by the time we were done, my hands were sore and throbbing from all the scrubbing and polishing I had been doing. Mum gave all of us some "special" cream to rub on our hands, and it smells like the dying begonias that we had back at the Burrow one summer. She sent us all upstairs until dinner, and I finally got the chance to talk to Hermione. Turns out, she heard the end of the goblin, hag, and bartender joke. I must say, it was rather funny.
I got a letter from Michael! It was sitting on the edge of my bed when I came upstairs. I read through the entire thing very slowly, and I gave a yelp that caused Hermione to knock a candle over:
HE SIGNED IT LOVE, MICHAEL!
He's never done that before…it gave me quite a fright when I read it. Hermione's glaring at me now, because the candle burned the edge of her completed Potions essay about bezoars and their many uses.
God, now Hermione's talking about starting a group about goblins, like she did with elves. Dear Lord, help us. Maybe she'll call it G.A.G.S.—Girls Against Goblin Slavery? Ha.
Anyway, back to Michael.
He sent me a picture of himself standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower. Oh, god, he's so handsome…I hope we get to talk together more once term starts up again.
You know what I just realized? I'm thinking less and less about Harry this summer! You should have seen me in my first and second years at Hogwarts. The words "Harry Potter" were all I seemed to think about! Hermione should be proud of me…she's been telling me for weeks that I have to move on with my life and go out with other people.
Lovely. Mum's calling me downstairs. Maybe I have to help with dinner again…or maybe she found my pictures of Draco Malfoy! Hermione looks a bit shifty right now…what if she told Mum about my pictures?
I promise I'll write tomorrow. I need to work on some homework after dinner so Mum and Hermione will get off of my back about holiday work.
Good night!
-Ginny
:Gasp: Did Hermione tell Mrs. Weasley about the baby Draco Malfoy pictures! Will the baby pictures be confiscated! The only way to find out is to wait for the next update! It's not much of a cliffhanger, but for those of you who have been big fans of the Baby Draco Malfoy Pictures plot…who knows?
I'd like to thank my fantastic reviewers:
PadfootGal: Are you calling me an idiot? I only read the ending because I thought I would never be able to get my hands on HBP again. Thanks for the nicer portion of the review, though.
IamSiriusGrl: Thanks so much! I can't wait to read your next review!
Prongsgurl202113: Oh, poor dear, you still haven't gotten your book? Here. :Passes HBP stolen from mother through the computer screen: I really hope you get your book soon, and thanks so much for reviewing!
Morei Sky: I totally agree. Percy and Snape are both insufferable gits. Thanks for reviewing!
Uasoccerbear08: Thanks very much! Keep on reviewing!
Kelso the Great: Oh, a bet, eh? Yeah, well, I lost a bet to my cousin, Julia, because my mother took away the HBP book before I could finish it. Julia's a speed-reader, I swear! Anyway, thanks for the review!
Ronniekinzluver: Aw, thanks so much! Can't wait to read your next review!
Fatalgambler: Thanks for the constructive criticism in your review. I'll try to include some of your suggestions, because they really are great ideas, but I'll also portray Ginny the way I feel she really is. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
:Breaking News:
I HAVE FINISHED HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE!
Last night, my parents and my sister went out to dinner, and I decided to stay home. I found the HBP book hidden in a drawer in my dining room, and I snuck the book into my bedroom and hid it underneath my bed before my parents and my sister came back. I completed the book between the hours of 11 PM and 4:30 AM without a single yawn! But now I'm dead tired, and it's a miracle I'm not slumped over the keyboard, fast asleep, yet.
I loooooooove HBP! There's a lot more romance in the sixth installment, and it's much darker and sadder than the other books. I can't believe killed (for those of you who have read the book, you know who the blanks are)! I guess Jo has her reasons.
There were plenty of Ron/Hermione moments in there, too, which satisfied the rabid RHr shipper in me. I actually cried during the parts where it said Hermione was on the verge of tears or crying. I loved every second of every page!
So how do you think I did with this chapter? I took FatalGambler's advice and ramped up Ginny's thought level a bit. This chapter is rather long, and I'm getting the hang of it, so except lengthy entries in the near future! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.
Now, you know what you need to do! Review, and tell me how I did!
Another thing...PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT STUFF BELOW!
I'll be posting a funny and romanticOliver Wood/OC story in a few hours, called "Puddlemere Night Stand". But don't worry! I'll still be updating "Hear My Voice". I'll be juggling the two stories, and neither story will suffer because of the other. So be sure to check that story out, too, and keep reviewing, folks!
Oh yeah! Almost forgot!
If anyone wants to chat about Half-Blood Prince, you can IM me at:
BaBi bLu 762I'm online most of the day, and I'd love to talk with my reviewers!
Thanks for reading, and please review!
-Rox
