It was a hot Sunday afternoon. Harry Potter just arrived at the Dursley's house for the summer. Dudley was out having tea with one of his friends or so his parents thought. Harry was laughing around the front yard trying to stay cool. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a big black dog and a big stag playing together, glancing in Harry's direction then running off. Harry took a double look before running after them. After about 20 minutes or so he lost them. As he walked back to the Dursley's, he kept thinking to himself,
"I must have dozed off or was day dreaming or something." Harry laid back down under his favorite shade tree thinking to himself drowning out everything around him. Harry was brought back to reality when an owl dropped a letter on his face. The second the letter hit his face, Harry heard his uncle screaming from the living room through the open window,
" Harry! Harry Potter, get in this house right now!"
"Yes Uncle", Harry replied, as he jumped up and crammed the letter in his back pocket. He headed inside to see what his uncle wanted.
"Harry, we are going out of town to visit my sister. Well 'we' as in Petunia, Dudley and myself are going to visit Marge. One of my co-workers and his kids will be here for the few weeks we're gone. They will be here to watch over the house and baby-sit you, so no funny business while we're gone."
"I don't need a baby-sitter, I'm 17 years old." Harry interrupted. "Well, in 2 weeks I will be, which in this wizarding world that's the age of an adult!"
"Yeah right OK Leave you, home alone so you can blow the house to smithereens! Not bloody likely!" Vernon answered sarcastically. " They will be here in the morning. If you happen to pull any funny business and blow the house up, I'll lock you in the cupboard and throw away the key!" Vernon threatened.
"Whatever" Harry answered as he went up to his room to read. He thought to himself, "Hermione would be proud!" as he picked up Hogwarts, a history.
Later that night, he was laying on his bed thinking about what Vernon had said. He felt something poking him in his back from out of his pocket. Then it dawned on him: the letter he received this afternoon out in the lawn. Harry pulled it out and recognized Ron's scribble on the front instantly.
'Dear Harry,
How's your summer this far?! Are the Dursley's treating you OK? Ginny's staying with Hermione for a few weeks. I just found out
they're going out of town to take care of some retarded kid our age at some muggles house. Lucky huh! Well, tell the Dursley's you will be out of their hair soon. I'll let you know when I can pick you up. Owl back ASAP!
Your friend,
Ron'
Harry decided to write back in the morning. As he drifted to sleep, he thought about the dog and stag he must have imagined earlier.
The next morning, Harry awoke to the smell of bacon and a knock on the door. He heard the most angelic voice through his door. It sounded very familiar, but yet so new he could not place it. She sounded motherly and scared at the same time.
"You awake?... Breakfast is ready!" said the angelic voice.
Harry pulled off the blankets and threw on his pants and headed downstairs. As he arrived in the kitchen he saw a bushy-haired girl about his age, her back facing him, cooking, and a red-headed girl about a year or two younger than him sitting at the table. The bushy-haired girl was complaining to the red-headed girl about having to come and baby-sit a boy her age and ruin her summer. The red head just sat glued to her seat and stared. Just then, the bushy-haired girl turned around to see the pan of eggs on the plate at the table. As soon as she came eye to eye with Harry Potter she squealed and dropped the pan.
"Harry… Oh… My….God… I… Can't believe this!"
"Hermione, what are you doing here? Wait, your dad works with my uncle?" Harry asked confused.
"No. my uncle Jim does. He was called away and could not make it but he promised your uncle, and Grangers don't break promises, so we came in his place." She answered.
"But you're stuck here to baby-sit a boy your age and RUIN your summer!" Harry reminded he in his pouty voice sarcastically.
"Oh… Um…. you heard that…. did you?" Hermione answered turning slightly red.
"But at the same point she didn't know it was you Harry…. If she knew she would not have said it!" replied the angelic voice in Hermione's defense.
"Ginny?" Harry questioned.
"of course its me… Who else would I be?" Ginny yelled at Harry before running outside.
"Ginny wait!..." Harry yelled before turning to Hermione "what
did I say?... what did I do?"
"You just don't get it do you?... she changed her look so maybe you would notice her for once…. and you didn't even recognize her!" Hermione yelled at Harry
Harry felt bad that he hurt Ginny's feelings but he could not help but think a bout how beautiful she is now: Ron's sister, he kept reminding himself in his head. 'He would kill me,' "Damn". Is all her hair red in all places? "Crap, Ron would definitely kill me now!" he added as a side note in his head hoping he didn't voice that last bit out loud. Then a thought dawned on him she will be staying in HIS house… in the room next to HIS room. Harry was day dreaming and mentally arguing with himself, he didn't notice Hermione leave after Ginny to calm her down and bring her back inside.
Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen as Harry snapped out of his daze. The three of them sat down to breakfast. While eating breakfast they discussed what they would do that day. As they finished, Hermione, being 17 and of age, magicked the dishes to the sink to wash themselves. Her dad walked in and saw the dishes flying on their own to the sink.
"Hermione!" her dad yelled.
"Dad, it's OK"
"His uncle works with Jim… He doesn't know that kind of stuff."
"Dad … this is….. This is Harry Potter… Harry, my best friend from school," Hermione answered proudly.
"Well, if this is the famous Harry Potter I hear so much about… Guess it's OK, my sweet bookworm" he responded with her nickname which makes her turn slightly pink.
"So… OK… where were we… right so we could go to the mall" Hermione said changing the subject and going back to her conversation.
"What's the mall?" asked Ginny.
"A mall is a large enclosed building complex containing stores, restaurants and other business and facilities serving the general public," stated Hermione in her know-it-all voice.
"um OK… that sounds…. fun, I guess." Ginny sounded hesitantly.
"Ok… settled, mall it is. Let's go get ready," Harry piped in.
The trio ran upstairs to change. Harry grabbed Hermione and pulled her aside. "Mione… I need to talk."
"O….K."
"It needs to stay between us."
"O….K"
"Um… I think… umm…. I believe I'm falling for Ginny…. I couldn't keep my eyes off her at breakfast… I so wanted to reach over and kiss her"
"Wow… I'm so happy!" Hermione said ecstatically.
"Um… How do you think Ron would take it? I mean he wanted to pummel Dean and the others any time he caught them kissing."
"He will be happy. He always said he was pissed 'cause Ginned belonged with you, not Colin, Dean, Michael or Josh." she replied.
"Ok…. cool… great" he said out loud to himself as he ran into his room. As he entered, he saw the letter he got yesterday on his bed.
"Crap, got to write Ron back" he said out loud to himself. Harry quickly changed into some of Dudley's old clothes, a black Metallica shirt and a pair of black pants, and and old pair of black DC shoes.
Harry then sat down at Dudley's old desk that looked brand new, like Dudley never used it; which, with as dumb as he is, probably never did. He pulled out is quill and parchment paper to respond to Ron's letter.
'Dear Ron,
Well, the Dursley's went out of town for a few weeks. Guess who's came to "baby-sit" me….? Hermione and her dad. Well her uncle was suppose to but he couldn't make it so they came in his place with Gin. Speaking of Ginny, I know she's your sister and all so I wanted to talk to you first. I'm your best friend….. and… um…. I think I'm falling for her, man…
your best friend,
Harry'
Harry rushed over to Hedwig, and the baby snow owl Hedwig brought home one day about a year ago. Harry trained her (with Hagrids help) to carry letters. He rolled the letter up and tied it to Willow's leg. "Take this to Ron, Willow." he told the baby owl.
After he sent Willow off and was dressed, he headed downstairs to meet the girls. The girls were waiting for him in the living room with Mr. Granger. "So where you off to today Bookworm?" her dad asked.
"Mall… Ginny's never been," Harry answered from behind them.
"Oh… OK…. want keys to take the truck?"
"Ya… cool, thanks dad." she replied.
"Well let go." said Ginny. They all walked out the door and climbed into the cab of the sapphire blue lifted Ford F150. Hermione behind the wheel, Ginny in the center, and Harry on the end.
