August 23, 1995, 12 Grimmauld Place
I've spent most of the day on the second floor, either in my bedroom or just roaming about, seeing as there really isn't anything to do downstairs besides sitting around and doing nothing, and I thought, hey, why not do it in the privacy of my own room? So here I am, dear journal, here I am.
Fred and George have taken some very drastic measures in order to keep Mum from finding out about their advertisements in the Daily Prophet. They've confronted Hermione about her allegiance to the Order, even though she isn't a legal member.
"By reading all of that rubbish about Dumbledore, you're technically betraying him!" I overheard Fred telling Hermione this morning during breakfast. George just nodded all through Fred's little speech. Hermione looked unconvinced, but she promised them that she wouldn't be reading the newspaper anymore.
Yet, I saw Hermione taking a peak at the front page of the Prophet just before lunch. She's gone back on her word, but who honestly keeps a promise they've made to Fred and George? Personally, they've got no right to keep people from reading a newspaper, but they're being very clever in their ways to disguise their joke shop.
Besides, from what I can see, Hermione hasn't even noticed the advertisements. And if she has, she certainly hasn't breathed a word. Do the twins honestly expect a big thing such as a joke shop to be kept under wraps for so long? I suppose some of the students at Hogwarts will have seen the advertisements. What happens when word of the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes spreads like wildfire through the school?
Well, I suppose that Fred and George will take care of it. If things stay quiet right up until they graduate, they can just open up a real joke shop and pretend that it just happened, though I don't think Mum will really believe them. But she can't exactly punish them if they've hit a gold mine with their joke products, now can she?
Anyway, I heard Mum and Dad talking this morning before breakfast. They were speaking about the O.W.L.s, and how they hope that Ron will be able to scrape together more than the twins got on their exams. They talked about me, too, but Dad told Mum not to worry about my exams just yet, seeing as they're more than a year away.
Don't tell anyone, but I think that Ron has the capability of getting more O.W.L.s then Fred and George got. The twins weren't really paying attention, and besides, Ron's got Hermione on his side. She'll make sure that he studies when he's supposed to, and she'll make sure that he, as well as Harry, passes his exams. I'm sure of it.
I haven't really done anything exciting today. I visited Buckbeak, and I'm glad to say that Sirius is once again roaming the house. He seems a bit more cheerful that before, but I can still see that glum look written all over his face. He's worried that he'll be lonely once all of us leave for Hogwarts and Mum and Dad go back to the Burrow. But he'll have Harry writing to him constantly, I suppose, so he won't get too depressed.
Hermione's returned to her normal self again! And yes, it's because…I gave her back her textbook. Oh, I know, I know. It was all part of my plan, but I just couldn't bear to see my best friend going crazy over not being able to find Hogwarts, A History.
When she slipped out after lunch to talk with Ron and Harry, I grabbed the textbook from underneath my bed. I tried to find a place where I could put it, so Hermione could find it by herself. So, in the end, I decided to lean it against the side of the desk, where she usually studies, does her research, and things like that.
Hermione found the textbook on her own about ten minutes after she returned from Ron and Harry's room. She got so excited about having her book back. I couldn't help but smile. She asked me if I had even noticed that it had been there all along, and I shook my head and told her that she had probably just overlooked out, or that perhaps it had fallen of off the desk when she wasn't looking. Hermione just shrugged and eagerly flicked through the pages.
I must admit, I think I like Hermione better when she's got all of her textbooks in the right places. She's much more cheerful than she is without them. I guess it's just who she is, and I can't change it. At least I gave my plan a try. It might have worked, but I guess I'll never know. Moving on…
I received a letter from Michael just a few hours ago. He talked all about his little brother, Dylan, who will be starting at Hogwarts in two years. Michael says that his little brother wants to go to Hogwarts this year, but he isn't old enough yet. I'm imagining what Dylan looks like in my mind, and I'm picturing a nine-year-old version of Michael. How sweet.
Michael also wrote about how his parents have renewed their daily subscription to the Daily Prophet. "They miss reading the newspaper." He wrote. I'm a little worried about this, but I'm not really sure why. What if Mr. and Mrs. Corner actually start to believe all the rumors about Dumbledore and Harry? Will Michael be allowed to return to Hogwarts?
I suppose everything will work out in the end.
Tonks stopped by for dinner this evening, and I was so excited. She did more impressions using her morphing powers. She did a rather funny impression of Kingsley Shacklebolt, and even Kingsley himself laughed along with the rest of us. It was one of the best meals I've ever had.
Anyhow, I'm dead tired at the moment, even though I didn't really do anything exciting, as I mentioned before. I guess it's because I've been laughing and talking so much lately.
I'll write more tomorrow.
-Ginny
Longer chapter! Woot woot!
Anyway, by the time most of you read this, I'll be on my way to Seaside Heights, New Jersey. I'll be sure to thank each and every one of my reviewers once I get back.
Keep reading…there are two more chapters that await you! But don't forget to review this one first!
-Rox
