The Diary of a Witch, Volume IV

THE DIARY OF A WITCH, VOLUME IV

PROLOGUE: AUGUST, 1994

Wednesday, July 31, Manor, Bedroom,

    EEEE!!!!

    Owen is the best friend a girl could ever have, NO QUESTION! I hold in my hand a ticket to the QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s all thanks to him. This letter will explain:

Dear Jubilee,

    Okay, you are going to freak. I’m completely serious. I hope that painting or pottery or whatever class you’ve been taking ends when you said it did because brace yourself: I got you a ticket to THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP ON THE TWENTY-FIFTH OF AUGUST; IRELAND V.S. BULGARIA.

    Feel free to say I rock

    Okay, technically it’s my Mum that rocks because it’s thanks to her job that we get these tickets FOR FREE. Maybe I should skip being an Auror and just go into the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I mean think about it: I’d get free tickets all the time like Mum does.

Anyway she got four tickets and she and Kingsley are taking two of them and Mum gave me the second one saying I could invite whoever I wanted to come along. I figured if I didn’t take you you’d kill me so here you are. Just kidding, I was planning on inviting you all along, honest.

    Besides everyone else is either busy or has tickets of their own. I’m sure Anthony and Terry have bragged to you about their tickets already. You now have an invitation from Mum to stay with us here at Chez Hollins/Shacklebolt until school starts. There’s a guest room ready with your name on it.

    See, the summers’ not so boring after all, is it?

        WBS,

            Owen

    OWEN SO ROCKS!

    PROFESSIONAL QUIDDITCH! Not just any Professional Quidditch either; THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!!!! I owe Owen and his Mum big time. Time to talk Giselle into making her awesome double fudge brownies. If she refuses I’ll just threaten to make them on my own.

Monday, August 4, Oil Painting Summer Class, Community Center,

    I admit I had my doubts about this class. I came back from school and found out that Angela had signed me up for two art classes at the local community center: pottery and oil painting.

    But it’s actually sort of fun. Pottery is nice and messy and when I pound the clay to get all the air holes out of it I can pretend it’s Professor Snape and get back at him for the nasty summer essay he assigned without getting a detention for my “impertinence”.

    I also sort of like painting with oils. It’s messy, my cut-off shorts are never going to be clean ever again. But I can control oil paint a lot better then other paints. Even if I make a mistake I can usually paint over it after it dries and it’s all fixed.

    Our teacher is pretty decent for both of the classes. The pottery teacher reminds me a bit of a Muggle version of Headmaster Dumbledore. Mr. Delaney’s got long grayish hair and always has classical music playing in the background. He’s really big on freedom of expression. Mostly he’ll just give a little boundary for a project and just let us go on our way. For instance he’ll say make a tall vase and just let us come up with our own design.

    The oil teacher is kind of the same only it’s a girl and Ms. Stephens is more of a rock and roll kind of gal. It’s nice having no real restrictions though. It lets you be more creative. The classes are a mix of ages. There are some high school and college kids who are on Summer break like me (though I’m sure they had a choice about coming here) and then there are some adults and senior citizens who are here to pretty much kill time.

    It’s actually kind of fun. Not that I’m going to admit to Angela that she was right, I still think she could have at least ASKED me. On the other hand, I know what Grandfather’s birthday money is going towards already: a pottery wheel. The magic art store in Hogsmeade has some portable magic ones in their store for about twenty Galleons.

Thursday, August 7,

Dear Jubilee,

    I just heard you’re going to Quidditch Cup. You’ll LOVE it. Anthony’s going too so you, him, Owen, and I are going to have to meet up somewhere, okay? You three can finally meet my brother Sam and see that I’m not exaggerating about his pompous act. I swear the man becomes the youngest person to be hired at the Department for Experimental Charms and he suddenly thinks he’s the bloody Minister of Magic.

    Mum and Dad of course worship the ground he walks on. But enough about my annoying family, you’ll meet them soon enough. See you then.

        Sincerely,

            Terry

P.S. How’s your Herbology project going? My Toothed Snapdragon plant bit me this morning. Any tips for avoiding that?

Sunday, August 10,

Jubilee,

    Remember when you walked in on Gerard and Giselle making out that one time? I can now relate. I walked in on MY MOTHER AND KINGSLEY MAKING OUT ON THE COUCH IN THE LIVING ROOM! Did you feel like you were about to throw up? Because I know I did.

    I knew it was only a matter of time before I saw my Mum make out with someone.

    Well, now you’re warned that you might see stuff like this. You should also expect hand-holding and other lovey-dovey stuff. Really the two of them are quite revolting sometimes. Anyway, here is the real reason for this letter: my Mum wants to make sure there’s a fireplace in your house so she can temporarily set you up on the Floo Network so we can come and get you easier. Please let us know as soon as possible.

        WBS,

            Owen

My reply:

Dear Owen,

    Want me to do a memory charm to block the memory of your Mom and Mr. S? There was a guide on some in Charms Today. Other then that I recommend LOTS of repressing.

    There are actually three fireplaces in this place. One in the parlor, one big fancy one in the ballroom, and one in Grandfathers Master Suite. I recommend the one in the ballroom since it’s very big.

    So I finally get to use Floo Powder. Cool.

        WBS,

            Jubilee

P.S. PLEASE say you’ll help me write my Potions essay when I get there. I’m positive the stuff I have right now sucks beyond reason. I’ll owe you a Chocolate frog...

Tuesday, June 12

Jubilee,

    No offense but I don’t want you messing around with my memories. Besides you can’t use magic until September 1, remember? I’ll just stick to repressing, thanks.

    I’m sorry you have a BALLROOM???? How big is this place? Why on earth is there a fireplace in a BEDROOM anyway? Also there is nothing cool about the Floo Network. It’s a bloody annoyance sometimes. Wherever did you get the idea that whooshing around in fireplaces was fun?

        WBS,

            Owen

P.S. Yes, I’ll help you with your Potions essay. As long as you talk my Herbology project into behaving. It’s been acting nutters since it got here.

My reply:

Owen,

    What, you don’t trust me with your memories? I resent that. Professor Flitwick said I’m the best Charms caster he’s had in years, I’ll have you know.

    This place is a manor so it’s pretty big. I honestly don’t know why there’s a fireplace in Grandfathers bedroom either. It’s not like he’s ever here to use it. Right now he’s in New York City on another business trip and won’t be back until after I leave. Anyway, you’ll see it when you get here. Oh, Angela invited you and your Mom (and Mr. S if he can come) to dinner here. TAKE HER UP ON HER OFFER! Giselle’s going to make cherry pie like she always does the day I leave for school. Her cherry pie is AWESOME.

        WBS,

            Jubilee

P.S. DEAL!

Friday, August 15, Community Center, Outside on Bench,

    I’m actually kind of sad these classes are over. They were fun, not that I will ever tell Angela that, but well...they were.

    It was interesting talking to people who weren’t my age. One of the older ladies, Mrs. Pelino, was really cool. She’s a widow from the states (New York area, not California) and moved here after traveling around the world. She’s been to Paris! Not to mention Venice, Rome, Salzburg, and tons of other places. She’s practically lived my dream life. Well, not the husband dying at age forty part. That would suck. But I would love to go to all the places she’s been.

    Oh, there’s Angela. Time to haul all these projects home. Really wish I hadn’t made such a big flower sculpture now...Where am I going to put it?

Wednesday, August 20, Dorm Room,

    This years’ Hogwarts letter:

Dear Miss Johanson,

    Welcome back for your fourth year at Hogwarts!

    Please note that the train leaves from Platform Nine and Three Quarters at precisely eleven o’clock in the morning. Your train ticket and supply list has been enclosed.

        Sincerely,

            Minerva McGonagall,

            Deputy Headmistress

BOOK LIST:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Four by Miranda Goshawk

SUPPLY LIST:

Star chart kit

Dress robes

    Umm....okay, WHY do I need dress robes? On second thought, I really don’t want to know. It’s probably safer that way.

Thursday, June 21

Dear Jubilee,

    Did you get your Hogwarts letter yet? Why do you think we need dress robes? Oh...do you think there’s going to be a dance this year????!!!! that would be wonderful!

    When are you going to get your supplies? I’ve gotten owls from everyone and a lot of them are going sometime next week after the Quidditch Cup. You and Owen are going to that right? You’re so lucky, my parents couldn’t get tickets. We’re going to have to deal with listing to it on the WWN. It’s just not the same...

    Well, let me know when you decide to get your supplies so we girls can at least all go to get our dress robes. Can’t wait to see you!

        WBS!

            Hannah

    A DANCE!? Hogwarts wouldn’t hold a dance would they? I’ve never heard of there being one before...PLEASE don’t let there be a dance! I SUCK at dancing and I HATE to get dressed up! Why else would I wear jeans all the time?

Saturday, August 23, The Hollow, Guest Room,

    So I finally made it to Owen’s house. Considering how long my surrogate family tried to prolong the dinner it’s kind of a miracle. Giselle practically made a feast, that’s a little excessive even for her. But considering how much Owen and Mr. S ate...maybe it’s a good thing she did.

    Owen kept goggling at the size of the manor. Me, I think it’s nothing. But then I’m sort of used to it I guess. Huh, funny, never thought I’d get used to living there...His Mom and Mr. S came with him and they’re really cool. Owen’s Mom is blonde like he is, only instead of short and spiky, her hair is long and straight. Instead of brown eyes she has light blue eyes. She also doesn’t wear glasses. Also, while Owen is sort of tall and stocky, his Mom is short and really skinny. She, I noticed, also eats meat.

    For a Mom she’s very pretty. You can tell Mr. S is totally in love with her and vice versa. I think they’re kind of cute together. The hand-holding certainly isn’t cause for Owen to pretend to gag like he did (when they weren’t looking). But then it’s not MY Mom so maybe that’s it.

    Mr. S isn’t completely ugly either. He’s black with black eyes and no hair. The bald thing actually looks good on him though. Kind of makes him look like Samuel L. Jackson. He’s also got a deep voice like Samuel L. Jackson. Jessie was drooling over him throughout the feast. When she went with me and Owen to my room to get my stuff she went, “Why are all the good ones either gay or taken?!”

    I learned something new about Owen today by the way. He’s a total neat freak. When we went into my room he goggled at the mess and wondered how I found anything. I caught a glimpse of his room as I went into the guest and you know what? Spotless.

    How the heck did the two of us become friends?

    This house is so cool. It’s a wizard house so there’s magic EVERYWHERE. The Hollow (that’s the name of it) is on the outskirts of London. It’s kind of in the suburbs but kind of not if you get my drift. It sort of reminds me of the Little home described in Stuart Little. The house is smack dab in between two tall apartment buildings. It’s a little further back from the actual street so there’s a bit of a front yard and there’s a back yard too. Thanks to magic it’s completely hidden from Muggles, they just see a small alley between the two buildings barely big enough to squeeze in.

    But The Hollow is there. It’s got a lower level basement area, two floors and an attic. There are moving photos all over the place, mirrors that speak back to you like the ones in Hogwarts, magical herbs in the back garden that Owen grows for his Potions, and all sort of magic odds and ends. The dishes even do themselves! No more dish duty for me this summer!

    I think I’m going to enjoy it here.

Monday Morning, August 25, Quidditch World Cup, Campsite,

    Okay, someone seriously needs to explain Muggle clothing to wizards. There’s a guy walking around here in a dress! While people wouldn’t bat an eyelash in California, that’s kind of frowned upon in England or so I’m told.

    Since the campsite is being run by a Muggle family everyone has to go in Muggle clothing so they don’t arouse suspicion. I just threw on cut-off shorts, a Ramones T-shirt, and sandals and I was good to go. The only remotely magic thing I’m wearing is my watch but how many people look at the face of a watch?

    Owen and Mrs. H had to get Muggle cloths for Mr. S and you could tell Mr. Roberts (the guy who runs the campsite) thought he was a thug or something. Probably due to the Metallica T-shirt Owen got Mr. S. He claimed it was the only one in his size.

    We had to get up REALLY EARLY to get here. Mrs. H learned a valuable lesson this morning: waking me up before dawn is not a good idea. I was so bad she made me drink coffee. Now I wonder how I’ve lived without the stuff. It’s the only reason I’m coherent right now. Coffee rocks!

    Anyway, the reason we had to get up early was because the Portkey nearest to us was scheduled for six forty-five in the morning. Portkeys are another way to travel; they’re objects that will transport you and anyone else touching the object to the spot it was prepared for. Since the Hollins’ and Shacklebolt are the only ones in this area the Department just gave the Portkey (a Coke bottle) to Mrs. H. The four of us put our hands on it at the time we were supposed to and the next thing I knew I felt like I was being yanked forward and fell on top of Owen onto a Moore. You know I think he’s gotten taller over the summer...

    Anyway, I immediately felt at home because the town the Manor is in is right in the middle of the Moore area of England. Hey, I wonder if we’re not far from there? That would be kind of ironic if that was the case.

    We had to walk awhile to get to the actual campsite. It wasn’t hard to miss because this place is PACKED! Though some of the wizards seemed to have missed the memo about going Muggle because there’s a three story ten across from me. With turrets!

    Not that our tents are totally Muggle either. Nope. They may look small on the outside but on the inside it looks like what I’ve always pictured the inside of the house from Little House on the Prairie to look like. Mrs. H and I are sharing one tent while Mr. S and Owen are in the other. Right now Mr. S is trying to light a fire the Muggle way. It’s not going so well. I’m going to have to go over there since Owen and his Mom went off to get water from the water pump.

Later Monday, August 25, Quidditch World Cup, Campsite,

    I’ve met so many people today my head is spinning. The only people I really remember though are very few. I remember Mrs. H’s boss, Ludo Bagman, who used to play Quidditch for the Wingborne Wasps; back when they were good. I remember him because he was wearing a full set of Quidditch robes from his old team. Only you can tell they’re his old ones because they don’t really fit him well anymore, his stomach keeps poking out.

    I’ve also run into several people from school here. Blaise and her family are here along with Fred and George Weasley and their family. I talked to them briefly and guess what? They managed to make fake magic wands! They’re really cool too! Apparently they’ve decided they want to open a magic joke shop and I think they’re well on their way. Unfortunately their Mom’s not so pleased about it and they smuggled in some stuff they’ve been working on and asked me to take care of it. I asked why they’re giving it to me and George went, “You appreciate a good joke, and are a fellow prankster, so we know we can trust you to take good care of it.”

    Then Fred added, “We also want you to go over the notes on the charm work for us since you’re even better at it then we are.”

    That’s kind of flattering when you think about it. I’ll look them over when I get back to The Hollow.

    Then I met dozens of Mr. S’s and Mrs. H’s co-workers. One of the Aurors Shacklebolt works with, Nymphodora Tonks (Tonks to anyone who wants to live), is really cool. She’s a metamorphagus, a witch with a rare gift of being able to change her appearance at will. Kind of like my animal shape-shifting ability only she just does human shape. She also likes to wear colored hair like me, today her hair was black with silver streaks through it. She mentioned she liked my hot pink bangs. The first person to actually like my hair! Thank you!

    There have also been vendors going around selling souvenirs of all kinds that Owen and I checked out. I got these cool things called Omnioculars that are like binoculars only you can slow plays down, zoom in on stuff, and much more. I also got a program, a dancing shamrock hat, and a model of Viktor Krum (best Seeker in the League) that really moves. Owen got a Irish rosette, a pair of Omnioculars, and a model of the Firebolt that really flies.

    The two of us did actually run into Terry and finally met the infamous older brother of doom. For once, Terry has not been exaggerating. Samuel Boot is a completely arrogant snob. He thinks he’s all that because he got an assistant’s job at the Department of Experimental Charms and is the youngest assistant they’ve ever had.

    Big whoop. Terry’s parents of course worship Sam and totally dismiss Terry’s accomplishments. Terry says it’s because they had only planned on having one kid and don’t know what to do with the second kid so they concentrate on the oldest one. I hate to say it but he’s right.

    Parents suck sometimes.

    Now Terry’s parents don’t totally ignore him like my Grandfather does with me (sometimes I think the only reason he remembers to send me stuff is because Angela reminds him). They just don’t seem to think he’s important. When Sam is around, THAT’s when they ignore him. No wonder Sam’s got such a big head with all the doting his parents do.

    Sometimes I wonder what possesses people to ACT like that. What possesses parents to dote on one kid who is a pompous jerk (you should have HEARD the tone he used when he looked at me and said, “You must be Terry’s little American friend.”) and totally ignore their other son who is a great guy. Okay, Terry has his moments where I want to sock him but he’s a GUY, that’s to be expected. Members of the opposite sex always want to sock each other at some point, it’s how we were made. That’s what Mom always said anyway when I once asked her that if she and Dad loved each other why did they have arguments sometimes?

    Hold up...what’s that?

    AWESOME! They set it up so that red and green lanterns appear and light the way to the Quidditch pitch before game time. Which means it’s time for the World Cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Late, Monday, August 25, Quidditch World Cup, Campsite,

    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Now THAT was a Quidditch match! I’m sorry, but Hogwarts Quidditch does SO NOT COMPARE. That was AWESOME! Here’s a play by play.

    First we had to find our seats. Mrs. H got really good seats since she worked on the committee that helped organize this thing. We happened to be seated with a bunch of other committee members and their families though none of them had kids who went to Hogwarts with us. A majority of their kids (if they had any) had already graduated . Owen’s Mom is the youngest on the committee.

    Ludo Bagman did all the commenting for the match. He first announced the team mascots for the pre-show. First up were the Bulgarians who had brought Veela. Veela are women-like creatures who are kind of like magical seducers, sort of like those sirens from The Odyssey, which I’m now in the middle of. The minute they started to dance all the guys went gaga and (in Owen’s case) started to drool. When Mr. S got this dreamy look on his face Mrs. H looked over at me (I was looking at Owen in disgust) and rolled her eyes at me. The two of us said at the same time, “Men.”

    Owen’s Mom is pretty cool.

    Needless to say the males weren’t all that happy when the Veela left but they got over it. I thought the Irish mascots were much cooler. They brought actual Leprechauns! The Leprechauns shot around the stadium like a comet and then created a rainbow, then a shamrock, and threw down gold to the audience. I didn’t bother scrambling to get it like the others because I knew that the gold would just disappear in awhile anyway so why bother? I read a section about Leprechauns once when I was in the library trying to avoid studying Potions.

    After the mascots the teams were introduced. I have to give Bagman credit: he didn’t mispronounce any of the Bulgarians’ last names. Not an easy feat.

    The game itself was AMAZING! The Ireland Chasers were...wow. They were the fastest flyers I’ve ever seen. No wonder they made it to the World Cup if they use moves like THAT. I commited those plays to memory and Terry came over later on after the game and the two of us agreed to practice some of the plays with Max this year. If could do stuff like that Porskoff Ploy the Quidditch Cup would be in the bag.

    The Bulgarian team...was okay. But honestly the only player I thought was great was Krum. Man, that guy can fly. He did a Wronski Feint! Do you know how hard that is to pull off? The rest of the Bulgarian team just didn’t compare. I mean, they tried their best, for sure, they managed to score one goal at least.

    But Ireland managed to get one hundred and seventy points. Mostly because the Bulgarians kept pissing off the referee. Don’t they know better then that? They’re adults for crying out loud!

    In the middle of the match, the Veela lost it and attacked the Leprechauns after they formed a rude hand gesture when Ireland scored again. They got really...well, ugly and started throwing fire at them and lets just say a mini battle broke out at the bottom of the field that distracted not only the officials but the referee as well one on of the Veela threw fire at his brooms tail.

    The game ended when Lynch (the Ireland Seeker) spotted the Snitch and he and Krum battled it out for it with Krum as the victor. So the final score was Bulgaria: 160, Ireland: 170. Ireland won the World Cup, but Krum got the Snitch.

    Quidditch. It’s just full of unexpected little outcomes. Maybe that’s why I like it so much.

    Gotta go, Owen and I are meeting Terry and Anthony at Anthony’s tent because his parents brought TONS of food and they invited the three of us to help them finish it. I like Anthony’s parents all ready and I haven’t even met them yet.

2 A.M., Tuesday, August 26, Quidditch World Cup, Campsite,

    That was...I don’t know WHAT that was.

    No wait, I do. That was just plain WRONG.

    Death Eaters attacked the campsite. That’s right, DEATH EATERS. As in followers of You-Know-Who, a.k.a Voldemort. Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t Voldemort DEAD?! What the hell are these dudes in masks doing going around levitating people for?

    And I’m sorry but what did Mr. Roberts ever do to them? What did he ever do to deserve being levitated in the air and getting laughed at. What did his wife do to deserve it? Or his two kids? Nothing, I’ll bet. Those Death Eaters are just plain SICK. It was even worse when the Dark Mark (the sign of Voldemort) went up in the air. Seeing that skull and snake thing was just...creepy. Which I guess is why it’s called the Dark Mark.

    Anyway, when that went into the air people just went berserk. But I guess I can understand why. Owen’s Mom and Mr. S told us about how the Dark Mark used to be left floating over people’s houses during the war after things had calmed down around here. You know what these Death Eaters remind me of? The Ku Klux Klan back in the U.S. or the Nazi’s in World War II. Had any of those groups been wizards I bet they would have got on great with Voldemort and his followers.

    When the Death Eaters attacked everyone went running into the woods. Owen’s Mom and Mr. S went to help the Ministry subdue the Death Eaters though. They told us to go with everyone else. I could tell Owen didn’t like the idea one bit and who could blame him? I mean, his Dad was killed by a Death Eater who never got caught when he was six.

    As we ran I asked some birds and the grass and trees to send me visuals along the way so I could let Owen know that the two were fine. The two of us found a tall tree who was happy to bend over and let us on one of the high branches. Just as Eli (the tree) straightened up a bunch of Ministry officials came discussing what to do. Okay, more like arguing about what to do.

    As Owen and I listened to them argue the Dark Mark went up in the sky like I mentioned earlier. The two of us stared at it along with them and I’m honestly surprised none of them heard Owen say, “Bloody hell,” when he saw it. We then watched them pinpoint where it came from and then Disapparate. That’s when I got irritated and swung down to the ground.

    “What are you doing?” Owen demanded when he climbed down after me.

    “I’m seeing what’s going on.” I replied. Then I shape-shifted into a robin and flew off to where I saw them point before. Okay, I admit, this was probably not my best idea but at the time I was irritated and a little freaked about the Dark Mark so sue me.

    I finally found the Ministry officials gathered around a House-elf. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were there along with Weasley’s dad. Some of the adults I recognized, others I didn’t. I recognized Mr. Crouch, Mr. Diggory (Cedric Diggory’s father), and Mr. Bagman. When I got there I couldn’t help but think ‘what the hell?’ because they were accusing the HOUSE-ELF of conjuring the Dark Mark. A HOUSE-ELF!

    Our politicians, ladies and gentlemen.

    Then they discovered that the wand was Potters and started to accuse HIM of doing until Mr. Weasley said, “Is HARRY POTTER likely to conjure the Dark Mark?” At least the WHOLE Ministry isn’t made up of complete idiots. Then Mr. Diggory went right back to accusing the elf.

    Basically it was concluded that Winky (the House-elf) couldn’t of conjured the Dark Mark. Had I been in human form I would have said DUH. But despite this Mr. Crouch FIRED HER ANYWAY. Talk about a jerk. Come to think of it, none of the Ministry wizards (except Mr. Weasley, the only one of the bunch I liked) treated Winky nicely. Is that how House-elves are always treated? I think I’m going to give an extra thank you to all the house-elves in Hogwarts from now on if they ever do anything for me.

    When I got back to Owen he was leaning against Eli with crossed arms. “Warn me before you do that! Did you find out anything?”

    I shape-shifted back and shook my head. “No. Not really. They didn’t find out who did it. I did however discover that the Ministry is made up of several idiots.”

    Owen smirked. “My Mum’s been saying that for years. I could have told you that.”

    Before I could answer him, said Mom and Mr. S came back and brought us back to the tents. Now I better stop writing, I don’t want to wake up Owen’s Mom, she needs rest.

Later Tuesday, August 26, The Hollow, Kitchen,

    Man, the Daily Prophet had a field day with the Quidditch Cup incident. Check it out:

SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP

by Rita Skeeter

The festivities after the Ireland victory

at the Quidditch World Cup were cut

short when Death Eaters ran amok

at the campsite last evening.

At around two in the morning the

masked wizards swarmed the area

and levitated the Muggle family

running the campsite into the air.

They then proceeded to blast tents

out of the way causing families to

flee in terror.

The Ministry blundered because of

lax security at the World Cup. They

were disorgananized and didn’t

seem to know how to subdue the

Death Eaters.

Then a terrifying sign shot into the sky:

the Dark Mark. The sign of You-Know-Who

caused fear to rip through the already terrified

people.

That there are still Dark Wizards at large is a

national disgrace. One can’t help but wonder

how the Ministry not only missed these Death

Eaters after You-Know-Who was destroyed but

FAILED to apprehend the culprits behind the attack.

If the terrified wizards and witches who waited

breathlessly for news at the edge of the woods expected

reassurance from the Ministry of Magic they were

sadly disappointed.

A Ministry official emerged some time after the

appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody

had been hurt, but refused to give any information.

Whether this statement will be enough to quash the

rumors that several bodies were removed from the

woods an hour later, remains to be seen.

    I’m sorry, WHAT BODIES!? No one was hurt!

    I would also like to point out that I was not terrified. I was more disgusted and annoyed.

Wednesday, August 27, The Hollow, Guest Room,

    Owen and I have been getting letters like these for the past few days. This is so the Daily Prophet’s fault. What are they doing printing articles like that? Aren’t they supposed to CHECK FACTS?:

Dear Jubilee,

    ARE YOU OKAY???

    I read about what happened at the World Cup.

    PLEASE WRITE BACK AND LET ME KNOW YOU’RE NOT DEAD!

        Love,

            Hannah

Jubilee,

    WHAT HAPPENED???!!!

    You and Owen didn’t get hurt right? Because there’s this rumor about dead bodies going around.

    Write back ASAP!

        Love,

            Padma

Dear Jubilee,

    You weren’t hurt right?

    If not, tell me everything that happened!

    NOW!

        Love,

            Mandy

Dear Jubilee,

    WHAT HAPPENED???

    You, Owen, Terry, and Anthony are okay, right?

    Aren’t the Death Eaters supposed to be gone???

    Write back as soon as you can!

        Love,

            Susan

Jubilee,

    You and that friend of yours, Owen, are okay right?

    I read about the Quidditch World Cup stuff and I know you went to that. I sent an owl to Terry to make sure he’s okay too. Tell me everything that went on! Not just about the match, but the whole attack thing too. What was that about anyway?

        WBS,

            Max

P.S. You might want to owl Davies and let him know you’re cool. He’s been paranoid because three of his players went to a match and might have been injured.

Jubilee,

    What’s this about Death Eaters running amok at the World Cup?

    What ARE Death Eaters?

    You’re okay, right?

        WBS,

            Justin

Thursday, August 28, The Hollow, Guest Room,

    After much owls and parchment and glaring from Gandalf my friends were all reassured that Owen and I were fine and that there were NO DEAD BODIES at the World Cup. Rita Skeeter is so not my favorite person right now. Then we decided to meet in Diagon Alley tomorrow for school supply shopping. Owen wasn’t thrilled about being the only guy there but Mr. S (KINGSLEY. MUST REMEMBER TO CALL HIM KINGSLEY SINCE HE SAID I COULD) but he’ll get over it. Probably disappear into the apothecary while the girls drag me over to Madam Malkins for dress robes. Maybe I can find some way to disappear into Flourish and Blotts...

Friday, August 29, Diagon Alley, Leaky Cauldron,

    The shopping trip was successful. More or less.

    I got my book and star chart kit along with a stack of new magic notebooks for the year. I also got some extra quills and a year-long black ink bottle since the professors have become picky about the color of ink you use on your essays. Then I got some more parchment for the year and potions ingredients refills.

    Then Hannah, Mandy, Padma, and Susan dragged me over to Madam Malkins for dress robes.

    Here’s the thing: I HATE to dress shop. As a matter of fact I hate shopping in general. If it’s not for books, music, or art supplies then I just don’t enjoy it. It’s one of my several personality quirks.

    But dress robes were on the list. So there I was among all these fancy dresses trying to find one that suited my taste. You know what? I found NOTHING. Nada. Zilch. Not one of those dresses screamed out JUBILEE. Finally I ended up buying a royal blue velvet dress robe that came with an ice blue spagetti strap dress to go under it. I know a few clothing altering spells and can add some glitter roses or something to it to make it more interesting and well...me.

    So that is taken care of. I just wish I knew what it was FOR.

Sunday, August 31, The Hollow, Guest Room,

    Okay, I’m all packed.

    My homework is finished (my Potions essay actually looks DECENT this time) and is in my shoulder bag ready to be handed in on the first day of classes.

    I’m all set for the new school year.