19 July 1996
Met Minerva McGonagall in Diagon Alley at lunchtime today. I think she was actually looking around trying to find someone to have a bit of a gossip about current affairs with, but alas I'm not really the best candidate for that. The things she showed interest in seemed either to be the Dread Family Matters, or Dangerous Stuff That I Don't Talk About. So I just muttered a few words about Bella's survival skills and changed the subject. Ah well. Perhaps she found someone else more forthcoming to chat with after we parted company.
I'd really gone there hoping to catch the ear of Florian Fortescue, but he was busy so I had to settle for a coffee and a read of the Daily Prophet's latest installment in their so-called exclusives on that Survivor game. Maybe I'm unduly cynical, but the fact that they're making such a big splash of this thing makes me wonder whether their circulation took a bit of a dip and needed a swift ratings winner to massage the figures after that egg-on-face moment when they had to start reporting on those trivial little stories - like the return of Lord Voldemort - that they'd been ignoring for the past year.
Yes, I knew that I swore I'd never let the silly scandal rag in the house again. But this game show fluff has actually allowed me to catch up with my family. For the first time in years I know where all the surviving Blacks actually are. It's a strange and disorientating feeling.
I still think The Quibbler has better journalistic standards, by and large. Just so long as you ignore the fact that the editor has a bee in his bonnet about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.
I'd really gone there hoping to catch the ear of Florian Fortescue, but he was busy so I had to settle for a coffee and a read of the Daily Prophet's latest installment in their so-called exclusives on that Survivor game. Maybe I'm unduly cynical, but the fact that they're making such a big splash of this thing makes me wonder whether their circulation took a bit of a dip and needed a swift ratings winner to massage the figures after that egg-on-face moment when they had to start reporting on those trivial little stories - like the return of Lord Voldemort - that they'd been ignoring for the past year.
Yes, I knew that I swore I'd never let the silly scandal rag in the house again. But this game show fluff has actually allowed me to catch up with my family. For the first time in years I know where all the surviving Blacks actually are. It's a strange and disorientating feeling.
I still think The Quibbler has better journalistic standards, by and large. Just so long as you ignore the fact that the editor has a bee in his bonnet about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.