Pi Day
By: QDT
Disclaimer: I am neither JKR Rowling nor the unknown mathematician who discover pi, nor William Jones (the man who first used the pi symbol). I don't even have a pie in my refrigerator.
NOTE: In case you didn't know (and I hope you do), pi is the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter, approximately 3.14159. Also, "ides" are days halfway through each month, and the Ides of March is the day Julius Caesar was assassinated.
Wednesday, 14 March, 1995
"Happy Pi Day, everyone!" Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"Why are you so chipper?" asked Ron. "It's seven in the bloody morning, and in half an hour, we have to be in Snape's classroom."
"It's not even Friday," Harry added.
"No," said Hermione, "but it's Pi Day."
"I don't see any pie." Ron made a gallant effort to open his eyes, but closed them promptly when he saw no pie in his immediate vicinity.
"Look at my shirt, genius," said Hermione.
"I fail to see what some ancient rune you happen to be fond of has to do with anything, Hermione," said Harry.
"It's not an ancient rune! It was a letter of the Greek alphabet, but now we use it to symbolize the number of times a circle's diameter goes into its circumference."
"Was it made up today or something?" asked Ron.
"No. Today is Pi Day," Hermione said this again, in case they had somehow missed it the first two times.
"You've mentioned that," said Ron.
"Well," said Hermione, "you still don't seem to have realized that. Besides, I'm sure someone here besides me knows what Pi Day is."
"Dumbledore probably does," Harry pointed out. "But we're not Dumbledore, so would you please tell us why today, of all days, is Pi Day?"
"Because today is March fourteenth!"
"I know you don't think we're very smart, Hermione," said Ron, "but we did know that already."
"If you don't know why today is Pi Day, I'm not going to tell you!" Hermione stood up and went to eat breakfast with some of her Ravenclaw acquaintances.
"Hey, Dean!" said Harry in Transfiguration.
"Yeah?" Dean looked up from the textbook in front of him.
"Do you know what today is?"
"Thursday?" Dean guessed.
"No, like, a holiday or something."
"Uh...no. There is no holiday that I know of on March fourteenth. Why didn't you ask Hermione?"
"Because Hermione won't tell us what it means. She says it's 'Pie Day' or something like that."
"Oh!" said Dean. "Pi Day! I completely forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Harry! I'll have to visit the kitchens later."
"What's Pi Day?" Finally, Harry hoped he was getting an answer.
"Well, since pi is approxim ―" The bell rang. "Sorry, Harry," said Dean, throwing his things haphazardly into his bag. "I've got to get to the kitchens before dinner." He left.
"How does Dean know how to get to the kitchens?" Harry wondered aloud, gathering his stuff us at a more reasonable pace.
"We bought it off Fred and George in second year," Seamus said. "That where he's gone to in such a hurry?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Hey, do you know what Pi Day is?"
"Sorry, mate," said Seamus. "I think it's mostly a muggle thing."
Ron was having no more luck than Harry. Eventually, he gave up finding a classmate who knew.
"Erm...Professor McGonagall?"
"Yes, Mr. Weasley?"
"Do you...by any chance...know what Pi Day is?"
"I'm afraid I do not, although if you would like some pie I would suggest the rhubarb that I believe they're serving at lunch, or if you would prefer a text or two on the number I would ask Madame Pince to direct you to the maths section of our library."
"Uh, thanks, Professor." Ron was still as bewildered as before and decided that if Professor McGonagall didn't know, Hermione was probably the only one who did.
After dinner, however, Harry and Ron were walking back to the Gryffindor common room when they ran into Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor!" said Harry. "Do you know what Pi Day is?"
"But of course," replied Dumbledore, with the usual twinkle in his eye. "Am I correct in assuming that your friend Miss Granger informed you of its existence this morning?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "And then she went off in a huff because we didn't know what it was."
"Well," said the Headmaster, "that certainly won't do. Pi is a number, representing the number of times the circumference of a circle can be divided by its diameter ―"
"We knew that part," Ron interrupted.
"Yes," Dumbledore continued, "and the value of pi is approximately 3.14, and so today, 3/14 is considered Pi Day."
"Thanks," said Harry.
"Professor," added Ron.
The next morning began in much the same manner as the one before.
"Happy Ides of March!" Hermione told everyone who could hear her.
Lest they also spend this day as the previous one, Harry and Ron wisely decided to remain silent.
The End.