Ron Weasley

So, yeah.

You know how Director Selwyn told me I should come to work at the Ministry with my dad some day? Well, he was serious, and today Dad decided I should come along.

He showed me around his department and introduced me to some people, but then he had to review a huge stack of parchments that I wasn't allowed to look at. He did take me along to a meeting that lasted forever and was about different camps and people who run them and whether they're doing a good job keeping the people there ready to work, which I think means that some people in the camps are too sick to be any use when they send them out to do stuff. And then we had lunch, only it was pretty late and I was really hungry cause there wasn't anything but pots of tea during the meeting.

And then Dad had to go talk to his Department head, so I looked at some stuff they send out to places that are thinking about hiring Muggleborns to do stuff. And then I read a couple of old comics I'd brought along, except I already knew what happens, so that wasn't too exciting.

And then Dad came back and was going to take me with him to talk to someone else, but Director Selwyn came in just then and asked if I'd like to come talk to him about some of the other stuff that's part of his division, beyond what Dad does, y'know? And, yeah. He told me some stuff about the group that's reclaiming the countryside for new wizarding communities and uses (or something like that). But then. He started talking about what kind of OWLs I'd need and how I'd need people to be references if I wanted to do surveying or that reclaiming whatsit. And he said I'd need to really work at getting people to think a lot of me if I wanted to get a good job like that. And then he started talking about how sometimes even little things can hurt what people think of you, like things other people do who're connected to you, so it's not even just stuff you do yourself that matters.

And then he talked about the Woods. How they were doing bad things and how it could have hurt Oliver's chance at playing Quidditch, only that doesn't have to happen if you make sure that people know you're loyal and a good person to help along. And he said that if I ever saw or heard anything that seemed fishy or, y'know, disloyal, then I should be sure to tell him or tell Ms Mortynson in his office because that's a way to make sure that if anything comes of stuff like that you're on the right side of the file. I think that's the way he said it. But he meant you should turn people in so you don't end up seeming guilty, too, if they get caught and you didn't say.

And then. He told me he was impressed with me. He doesn't invite kids to come talk to him very often. Maybe at all. And he wanted me to know it was because he'd noticed I have potential. Oh, and he said he thought Moody's Mad Cat was hilarious. Especially when I died like that.

And then. He gave me three tickets for the Cup in level 19! And he said I could invite my parents or anyone I wanted to sit with me.

So, anywiz. Mum and Dad are talking about that, I think. Dad seemed pretty worried when I told him what Mr Selwyn said. And I said he didn't have to worry I'd ever tell anyone about anything that'd get anyone in trouble.

Or maybe he was just worried it might look bad if he sat up in level 19 with me when the people at the top of his department will be a level below that. I reckon that might cause problems at work cause they'd think he was showing them up.

Um. So it was kind of a big day, y'know?

So this morning everyone was talking at breakfast about the Headmistress's announcement and Towler said it was in the Prophet, too, in the section where they report what happened here at Hogwarts during the week. And later we thought that we should probably check to see if they said any more about Dean, so at lunch we asked around and found someone who still had a copy--you know, I never really noticed, but I don't think a lot of people take the Prophet, I mean Towler and Wood just get it for the Quidditch results, I think--anyway, it didn't say anything new about Dean, so that was okay, but then I closed it up and saw what was on the front page.

I mean, it took me a few minutes to realise what it was. There's a picture of a dead bloke on the front page!! Really! A corpse, just sitting there on a bench, and he's dead dead!!! It's, um, the article says he's a 'Mudblood labourer found murdered at his New London worksite Monday morning'. And he's just sat there, with his lunch beside him on that bench, and one arm draped over the back of the seat like he's just waiting there, and then if you watch the picture just a minute, you realise that it looks like he's sweating: there're beads of it on his forehead and dark patches of it, y'know, on his clothes, and then I saw it looks like he's been crying cause there are kind of streaks running down his cheeks only it's not clear like tears, it's darker like maybe there's blood mixed in? But it's hard to tell because it's a picture, and THEN! Something blurps out of the side of his mouth and sort of blurbles down his shirt front!!!

And, and, the article says when they found him all his fluids (ew, I know!) had been turned to mud. So that's muddy tears on his face and that sweat is mud, and when they moved him, it says that loads of mud just sort of sloshed out of him!!!

I can't believe they put this in the paper. Except Seamus says it's because of what it says on the bench beside him in the picture. Somebody's written 'this is the grim truth' on the bench like that's the point of it. But it just doesn't seem right, them putting a picture of a dead body like that where everybody can see it. Just, y'know, ughk!