Author's notes…. As always, the original copyright holders retain their rights, and this is intended for the non-commercial enjoyment of the readers. Comments and reviews are always welcome, as long as they bear in mind that I am not a perfect typist, do not always get timelines right, muddle items from manga and anime without regard for canon, and have other personal quirks like my low sense of humour. I plan on staying on the ecchi side of things, but these last few entries ar definitely mature in outlook.
-Imagine who I bumped into last night -
"Psst!" went the quite rotund boy sitting next to her at the "kiddies" table parked in a far corner of the conference center cum dining hall cum Meet-and-greet-the Prime-Minister fund-raising thousand-pounds-a-plate dinner for the Conservative party in Crawley.
She clamped her hands on her shaking knees and looked at the boy again as he leaned over a bit and went "psst!"
"I can hear you quite clearly."
"Then why are you shaking like a leaf? I swear that the cutlery and glassware on the table is shaking and knocking along with you… Say, you aren't one of 'them', are you?" he stage whispered after glancing around to see if anyone was paying them any attention.
"'Them'? Who do you mean by 'them'?"
His shoulders slumped. "You are, and your, um, stuff is leaking all over because you're nervous and trying to squish it down. Even the lights are starting to flicker. Relax, and yes, I know all about it and things leaking when you get excited, or frightened, or mad, or really happy, like you getting your 'letter'. You have got your letter?"
She looked at him sharply and the rattling settled down to a quiver that still threatened to burst out like a late summer storm. "I did but how did you know about it?" she stage-whispered back.
The boy smiled and blushed. "Well, it's my cousin who's living with me and my parents. Used to happen a lot and was supposed to be kept secret. Well, Mum and Da finally figured things out and took action. When the dust settled, we all started to get along. No more secrets."
She looked at him again. "Sounds like you've got some secrets."
"Yeah, but not the ones that you are probably thinking. Anyway, you seem to have stopped. Wanna tell me what set you off?"
She snickered. "My parents to me to stay her, be quiet and don't cause a scene. I tried so hard, that, well, Mama calls it getting my knickers in a twist."
The boy smiled. "Well, glad to be of assistance. Name's Dudley. Dudley Dursley. Glad to meet you!"
She smiled back "I'm Hermione Granger. You can call me Hermie. Wanna be my friend?"
Both snickered, drawing glances from the surrounding tables as they shook their hands.