- Written By: NoahPOV: Michael
This time, Noah is writing the chapter, and he politely asks us to stop making death threats against his brother, a reasonable request.
Michael's hands begin to shake as he sees Ginny, and he realizes that he finds her attractive, but he desperately puts those thoughts out of his mind, recoiling when she pats him on the back. The only fictional character I know of who has this strong a reaction to being touched by women is Guy from Tales of the Abyss, and unlike Michael, Guy has a very good reason for feeling that way, and is able to overcome his gynophobia to grab Anise's wrist and save her life.
Ginny offers him a "poison," saying it will make him feel better, and he declines. I assume she means "potion," but as far as I know, potions aren't given out so casually in the Potterverse. She essentially says "your loss," saying that it will be a long train trip and they need to get changed.
Michael gets straight to the point and asks about Dumbledore, hoping to find his connection to the British government. Ginny says that Dumbledore is "a great man," who lets them do bad things like staying up late and taking pot, and whose beard makes him look even more evil.
Michael pretends to agree, and Ginny is glad, because she says wizards need the support, even if she won't elaborate on that in public.
At this point, the train is almost to Hogwarts. The conversation took about a minute in real time, which made the train trip seem like a moderately long elevator ride and showing that the author has an odd sense of time. It's a bit like in How NOT to Write a Novel, in which, in "Hello, I must be going," a man finishes a cigarette in the time it takes for the man he's speaking with to ask a brief question.
But while Noah has an odd sense of time, and stilted dialogue, his chapters are still preferable to those that Thomas writes. Perhaps he might be a promising writer if he improves himself and doesn't limit himself to stories like this.
Next Installment: Michael arrives at Hogwarts.
