September 19th

Do not care about resolutions today, am having day off from counting

7.45am - It's my birthday! It's my birthday! My birthday! Yay!

7.48am - OK, have calmed down now.
7.49am - Birthday!

7.50am - Cannot believe that fell asleep last night before midnight. Shocking. Is probably best for those who share room with self, however, as if up would have been dancing around room singing unintelligable babble about it being birthday, day of presents and cake and whatnot. Will now get up and dressed, and head for common room to wait for friends to have breakfast with.

8.05am - Friends are lazy, must be still in bed. Will go wake them up.

8.15am- Well that went well. Went to Ginny first, to give lazy boys longer to wake up on own. Conversation went thus:

"Ginny! Ginny! Wake up, time for breakfast!"
"Mmmph."
"Come on Ginny, else you'll be late for classes."
"Mmmmph... goway." Shocking. Shall forgive friend for comment, but only because it is birthday and am feeling especially lenient today. And because am about to be v. evil.
"Ginny, your mother's coming!"
"Wha!" Better. Get measure of sadistic pleasure from watching Ginny go from asleep to fully alert in less than half a second.
"Only joking. Now come on, get up, time for breakfast!"
"K..."
"I'll see you downstairs. I've got to go wake up Harry and Ron."
"'Mione?"
"Yes?"
"'Py brthdy."

And so bounced off down stairs in suitably bouncy fashion for girl who is having v. good birthday so far, and not even 9am yet.

Next went to wake Harry and Ron.

"Harry, Ron, wake up! Breakfast!"
"Mmph."
"Mmble... spiders... meh.."
"Come on lads, get up, got to go get food." V. annoyed, as recieved nothing but snores in response. Calls for drastic measures."Harry, Ron, it's the Quidditch World Cup and if you don't get up now you'll miss the final!"
"I'mawake!"
"Quidditch?" Love how shallow boys are sometimes.
"Sorry, no quidditch. But there is breakfast, which is commonly acknowledged the world over as an excellent substitute."
"Hermione, nothing is a substitute for quidditch." Rolled eyes and put hands on hips in suitably unimpressed fashion in manner of sophisticated, aloof wonder witch. Whose birthday it just happens to be.
"Ronald, there is always a substitute for quidditch, you just may not like it."
"Hermione?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"Happy Birthday."
"Yeah, Happy Birthday 'Mione."

Love life!

8.45am - Had lovely breakfast. Sausage and bacon and scrambled eggs and mushrooms and tomatoes and black pudding and hash browns and toast. Was v. v. yummy. Do not normally indulge self so much at breakfast, but felt that since was birthday, was excellent excuse to do so today. Also, was not jar of raspberry jam in sight, which is v. good, as despite retraction of previous sentiments as to the evilness of said raspberry jam, am still not overly fond of the preserve.

Owl post brought self plenty of v. nice surprises, with no less than four owls carrying cards and presents from home. Have recieved cards fromparents, grandparents, Mary-Sue next door, Aunty Katy and Uncle William, muggle friends Lucy and Sophia and cousins Danielle and Luke. Am also now proud owner of new pair of gloves, wand cleaning kit, three new muggle fiction books (hurrah!) and a telescope. Telescope was from parents, who apparently were determined to find muggle item which could be used for magical purposes. Am v. pleased, as is beautiful gift.

Have now returned to common room to fetch important items for day, such as school books, bag, ink, quills etc. Have been promised further cards and presents from friends after classes today. Birthday is going v. well.

11.53am - If is possible, birthday just got even better. Have just been witness to possibly only day in history when Snape will ever discipline slimy-grot-bag-Malfoy. Made even better by fact that just ten minutes earlier, Snape actually gave Gryffindor five points, and did not take them away again! Is v. strange, but also v. nice! Three possible scenarios present themselves;
1. Snape has been replaced by polyjuiced version of Mad-Eye Moody or other Gryffindor-loving person
2. Am dreaming, and will wake up in minute to find none of this actually happened
3. Finally good luck is all coming at once to compensate for absolutely rubbish days earlier in month

Hope very hard that is scenario 3 and not 2. Although 1 would be v. amusing.

12.05pm - Have not woken up yet. Is v. good sign.

1.30pm - Have had v. nice lunch. Have no lessons this afternoon, so think will head up to Gryffindor Tower to sit and read one of new muggle fiction books before Ginny finishes her lessons. Am looking forward v. much to present and card opening session that am anticipating later.

1.35pm - V. strange. Have just bumped into Harry coming down from Gryffindor Tower. Conversation ran thus:

"Hey Harry."
"Hermione!"
"Yes, that is my name."
"Um, yeah, of course. Um, where are you off to?"
"I'm just heading back to the common room, I thought I might read a bit in my afternoon off."
"No! No. You can't do that."
"Um, why not?"
"Er, some of the first years have been playing around with some of Fred and George's merchandise and it smells awful in there. Why not wait a bit. Besides, I... have something to show you!"
"Um, ok. Lead the way." Was v. confused by friend's strange behaviour, but is against resolution to deny Harry such harmless request as feel that might jeopardise his currently good mood. "Where are we going?"
"To... to Hagrid's. He wants to wish you a Happy Birthday." Brightened up at news of more birthday wishes.
"Really? That's nice of him."
"Yeah, well, you know Hagrid."

So am now headed down to Hagrid's.

1.43pm - Reached Hagrid's. Hagrid was v. pleased to see us. Gave me homemade card saying "Happipy Birrtday Herrmyonee" on front and signed by him and Grawp inside. Was v. touched. Also gave me some homemade rock cakes, which shall not be eating as value intact state of teeth (as should, as daughter of dentists) but was v. sweet of him all the same. Will either feed them to Crookshanks, who will eat anything, or to Ron, who is possibly even less fussy than cat.

3.25pm - Have finally left Hagrid's and am walking back up to castle. Cannot believe how long we stayed! Kept feeling that it might be time to go, but every time was about to mention it, Harry started another conversation. Could not upset him, so stayed until he finally looked at watch and said 'look at the time!' and other apologetic leaving-type comments. Harry mentioned important meeting with Ron which should have been at five minutes ago, so being magnaminous soul, let him run on ahead to common room. Hope that meeting with Ron will not jeopardise present and card opening session.

3.35pm - Reached common room. Am getting v. annoyed with Fat Lady, who will not let me into the common room, as claims that do not have correct password. Will have to wait for someone to come out. Hmph.

3.46pm - Finally! Ginny has arrived, looking v. out of breath. Asked what is matter, but friend merely smiled knowingly and led way into common room.

"Surprise!"

Cannot believe it. Friends have thrown surprise birthday for self and did not even see warning signs. Though now some of strange happenings begin to make sense.

3.50pm - Is wonderful party. Lots of balloons and cakes and butterbeer and hats and streamers and those little noise maker things that no-one really knows what they're called, but a party wouldn't be complete without them. Love friends.

3.59pm - Everyone is here! Entire of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff it would seem, though am sure that is not possible. Have recieved so many cards that cannot possibly count them all, and some v. wonderful presents from friends, including self-tieing shoes from Ginny (who obviously knows me too well). Am now going to have lots of fun at party.

10.23pm - Party declared over by Professor McGonagall, who came up to common room to find source of all the noise. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws sent back to common rooms.

10.36pm - Party restarted by Ginny, Harry, Ron and some other Gryffindors.

10.49pm - Party stopped again by Professor McGonagall, who called us all noisy troublemakers. Would be offended, but am still having too much fun.

10.56pm - Party restarted by Ginny, Harry and Ron.

11.05pm - Party brought to permanent close by McGonagall who threatened us with cleaning floor of Great Hall without magic every night for next month if she was forced to come upstairs and tell us again. Do not think that she would carry out such threat, but am not willing to risk it, so said goodnight and much thank yous to friends and went to bed.

11.40pm - Have had lovely birthday. :)