August 2, 1995, 12 Grimmauld Place

Oh my god.

That's all I can really say.

Good night!

You thought I would actually leave you with just that, when so much has happened? Think again.

Remember my gut feeling from yesterday? Let's just say that my gut feeling turned out to be right. Something big did happen, but it isn't a good thing. It's not good at all. In fact, it's probably the worst thing to happen this summer, apart from the fact that You-Know-Who returned to power.

Two Dementers attacked Harry and his Muggle cousin just a few hours ago. It's mass hysteria here at Headquarters. People are going to and coming back from the Ministry as quickly as possible, trying to sort things out.

Harry used a Patronus against the Dementers, and it's a breach of Underage Sorcery to preform magic in front of a Muggle or outside of Hogwarts. Mrs. Figg saw him do it, and she came straight to headquarters as soon as she delivered Harry back to his aunt and uncle's house.

Some people blame Mundungus Fletcher, because he was supposed to be tailing Harry, but just a few minutes before the Dementer attack, he left Privet Drive to see about some stolen cauldrons. Mum is simply furious with Mundungus. She believes that if only he had been there, then maybe Harry wouldn't have needed to use a Patronus, and then we wouldn't be in the middle of this huge mess.

Dumbledore left for the Ministry about an hour ago. Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and I saw him over the banister. It was frightening. I have never seen the Headmaster so upset before. He is absoloutely furious with Mundungus, even more than Mum is. I only say him for a few minutes, but I saw enough to know that he's boiling mad.

Mum's downstairs in the Order meeting now, and she's instructed all of us to stay in the same bedroom while she's gone. So Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and I are all sitting in Ron's room right now.

Hermione's on the verge of tears. Ron looks very pale. Mum's banned them from writing letters to Harry until everything's sorted out. We don't even need the Extendable Ears to hear what's going on downstairs in the meeting. Everyone's shouting and screaming.

I'm trying to listen to the meeting and write at the same time, so bear with me here. It seems that everyone is worried Harry might be expelled, because the Ministry is definitly not on his side anymore. What if he gets his wand snapped in half?

Hermione's telling all of us that there's a part of the Underage Sorcery law that says magic used in life-threatening situations in not illegal. I don't know about the Ministry, but I classify being attacked by two Dementers a "life-threatening situation". They could suck out your soul, and then you'd just be a body, not knowing what's what. Dad had to go to Azkaban once, and he told everyone how the prisoners looked once they were given the Dementer's Kiss.

Harry's lucky that he can perform such a powerful Patronus. Otherwise, the Dementers would have gotten him and his cousin. Dudley Dursley wouldn't be a great loss to the world, from what I've heard about him from Ron and Hermione, but there would be hell to pay if a Muggle got his soul sucked out by a Dementer he couldn't even see.

But what if the Ministry doesn't classify a Dementer attack as a life-threatening situation in which magic was absoloutely neccesary to survive? What if Harry is expelled from Hogwarts? Mum will just die if that happens.

Either that, or demand that Harry be allowed to live with us back at the Burrow. But wouldn't Harry just come to 12 Grimmauld Place? Sirius is technically is guardian, since his aunt and uncle treat him like dung…

Oh, I don't know what to think anymore! Everything's just happening so fast. One minute, I'm doubtful about my gut feelings, and then the next, Dementers are popping up all over a Muggle neighborhood, right in the alleyway where The-Boy-Who-Lived and his cousin were.

Question is…how did the Dementers even get there? I remember Dad saying that Dementers can't see, that they just feed off of human emotion, and that the Azkaban Fortress is on an isolated island.

You know what? I bet that someone sent them to Harry's neighborhood. It was probably someone from the Ministry, someone who wanted to punish Harry for spreading all of the "lies" about You-Know-Who really being alive. But who on Earth could get away with sending the Dementers away from Azkban?

How much do you want to bet that it was Lucius Malfoy? Come on, now, all of the pieces are starting to fit together! Malfoy works at the Ministry. According to Dad, Malfoy gets away with everything (including being a Death Eater) because he gives the Ministry a load of gold every year. And who hates Harry more than anything right now, because he witnissed You-Know-Who's return?

Lucius Malfoy, that's who!

Oh. The shouting's stopped. Maybe Dumbledore came back from the Ministry.

Never mind. Everyone's screaming again.

Hermione just tapped me on the shoulder. She wants to know if I want to come back to our bedroom with her. I think I'm going to call it a night.

Here's to hoping that Harry doesn't get expelled,

Good night!

-Ginny


Yes, the Dementer attack has finally come! And if anyone's doubtful that I have the dates right, I've double-checked with my own copy of OotP and it cleary states that Harry performed the Patronus on the night of August 2. I'm trying to make everything as true to the book as possible, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job at it, don't you think?

Cheers to my lovely reviewers, all of whom answered my survey questions truthfully. I'll take your comments and suggestions into consideration. Everyone seems to agree that Ron is getting a little OOC, and I'll be working on that during the next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing and responding to my survey?

Puddlemere News: Chapter Three, "The Morning After", is now up, so please check that out after you've finished reviewing this story, and don't forget to review Puddlemere Night Stand! Thanks!

How did you like this chapter? This is one of the entries that needed to be serious, but except more humor once Harry arrives at 12 Grimmauld Place in a few days.

Also, I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Every time I use the Spell Checker on my computer, everything freezes. So sorry!

Now it's time to press the little purple button on the lower left-hand corner of your screen and give me a nice review like good little readers ;)

-Rox