August 12, 1995, 12 Grimmauld Place

The atmosphere in the house in so tense and anxious, I don't think I can stand another minute of it, much less the rest of the day. Or at least until Harry comes back from the Ministry, either bearing good news or bad.

Hopefully, he'll be able to tell us good news.

I'm sitting here in the kitchen, which is just about the only peaceful room in this entire house at the moment. Everywhere I turn, there are either screaming portraits, a muttering house elf, or people sharing their worries about Harry.

I just had breakfast, and when everyone retreated to other parts of the house, I just lagged behind. No one, not even Mum, seemed to notice, so no one's really been bothering me, which is a very good thing.

Harry and Dad left for the Ministry before everyone else woke up. Hermione was nearly reduced to tears when Mum told her this. She started whispering about how she never got to say "good luck" to Harry because she thought she would be seeing him this morning before the hearing. Ron was silent and didn't have anything to add to her argument.

I don't mean to sound self-absorbed or anything like that, but talk of the hearing is really started to annoy me. I mean, there are better things than worrying whether or not Harry Potter is going to be allowed to come back to school.

I know. That sounds awfully selfish, doesn't it? Please don't think of me that way. It's just…this entire summer has been stressful for me, from nightmares about Riddle to just being stuck in this house for two months. The added tension because of Harry is just a little too much for me to handle.

That just makes me think about how everyone else must feel right now. Hermione's probably crying, or close to crying at least. She did all of that research, so she's most likely running through all the reasons that Harry is innocent in her head.

Ron is probably trying to distract himself from all thoughts of his best friend being banished from Hogwarts. Maybe he's sidetracking those thoughts by cleaning his old chess set or something. He really isn't the kind of person to get all-emotional, so he probably isn't crying.

Probably.

I can't even imagine how Sirius is feeling right now. I mean, he's known Harry since he was born. He's Harry's godfather, for crying out loud! And if Harry really does get his wand snapped, he'll be on just about the same status as Sirius is at the moment: outlawed. I know that Sirius doesn't want to see his godson sentenced to a life filled of misery and despair.

Ugh. My head is starting to hurt. I'll write more later on, once Harry comes home from the Ministry.

I promise.

Later

Oh my god! I am stuffed full of Mum's good food, and I'm so tired that I'll probably fall asleep while writing this! But it's been a very good afternoon.

A very good afternoon.

For startes, Harry was cleared of all charges! Yes, it's simply fantastic news, and I've never seen Hermione and Ron happier for their best friend.

Once Harry announced that he was cleared, Fred, George, and I started this war chant in the kitchen. It went "He got off, he got off, he got off". I must say, it was very amusing. But then Mum shouted at us to shut up, so we did. But I think she was too happy to really punish us or anything like that.

I overheard Harry telling Ron and Hermione that Dumbledore actually saved him at the hearing. He arrived and explained the decrees to the Minister of Magic.

That's right. A full court tried Harry, and not just Madam Amelia Bones like Mum said he would.

But the thing is, Harry told the other two, Dumbledore didn't even make eye contact with Harry, much less speak to him. He completely ignored Harry and swept from the courtroom before Harry could thank the headmaster from saving the entire hearing.

That's very odd. Very odd indeed. I always thought that Harry was Dumbledore's favorite student, so why would he ignore Harry during the hearing? Hmmm…

Mrs. Figg also testified on Harry's behalf, telling the court that she saw the dementors gliding towards Harry and his cousin Dudley. The Minister didn't believe him at first, but most of the other court members seemed to, so he was cleared of all charges and allowed to leave.

After Harry explained his escape, Mum served up the best meal I've eaten in ages, though all of Mum's food is simply superb. For the rest of the day, the mood in the house was airy and simply put, wonderful. Sirius even smiled for a few seconds when he heard the news about his godson.

I'm so tired right now. Michael's supposed to be writing a letter to me tonight, though, so I must stay up. But I don't think I can write anymore.

Good night!

-Ginny


I'm not feeling one-hundred percent at the moment, so I do hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll explain my condition after my thank-you's.

I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers. I honestly can't describe how much you guys mean to me. Even those of you who don't review. Thanks for giving this story a chance, when I myself have considered abandoning it in my times of trouble.

Okay, on with my condition…

I have never felt worse in my entire life. I can't even type. In fact, my mother is typing this on my computer for me, so everyone better thank my mother in a review! Thanks, Mom!

I have a fever of 103, and if it spikes again, I'm going to the hospital. I've been throwing up all day, and I've had about a dozen dizzy spells in the past half hour. But I've been thinking about my precious readers all day long.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review!

-Rox

(and Roxy's mother)