There had been a lull in Order of the Phoenix business and Mr. Weasley had
a work holiday, so the crowd from 12 Grimmauld Place decided to have a
little adventure, with Mr. Weasley, Hermione, and Harry serving as tour
guides.
In the morning over breakfast, Mr. Weasley seemed the most excited.
"A whole day passing as Muggles, doing what they do in their world!" he kept tittering excitedly.
"What exactly do you have in mind, Arthur?" asked Lupin, picking up his toast.
"Well, first I was thinking we'd go to a magic show..."
"A what?" growled Moody.
"A magic show," interrupted Hermione, "Is a show that Muggles put on to show off their ability to trick people into thinking they see what they don't."
"There's no real magic involved," Mr. Weasley added.
"Then what's the fun?" Moody returned, prodding his magical eye with his wand as it floated in a glass of water.
"It'll be an experience," said Mr. Weasley. "The Muggles have nothing closer to real magic."
"What after the show?" asked Harry.
"I was thinking of going to an interesting sort of place unique to the Muggle lifestyle-a swimming pool," he said dramatically.
"Oh, that'll be fun," Hermione agreed, "I haven't been swimming since last summer. But do we all have bathing suits?"
"I have a bathing suit," admitted Mad-Eye.
"What?" asked Sirius, who, up until this point had been brooding over not getting to go out at all.
"It's called taking off your robes and hopping in the tub," Moody continued.
"No!" screamed Hermione more vehemently than she had perhaps intended. "A bathing suit is a special thing you wear when you go swimming. Men wear shorts, which are like Muggle trousers with most of the leg parts cut off."
"Ah," growled Moody, "I don't have that."
Hermione was frustrated that, as an underage witch, she couldn't just conjure them all appropriate swimwear right there. She spent about twenty minutes trying to clarify the strange notions Mr. Weasley had in his mind (a wetsuit, a monokini), so he could do the job for her. By nine o'clock, though, everyone who was going had a suit and towel in a bag slung over his or her shoulder. Everyone's clothing looked passably Muggle-ish, and so they set off. They took the floo network to Diagon Alley, and then stepped into Muggle London from there.
In the morning over breakfast, Mr. Weasley seemed the most excited.
"A whole day passing as Muggles, doing what they do in their world!" he kept tittering excitedly.
"What exactly do you have in mind, Arthur?" asked Lupin, picking up his toast.
"Well, first I was thinking we'd go to a magic show..."
"A what?" growled Moody.
"A magic show," interrupted Hermione, "Is a show that Muggles put on to show off their ability to trick people into thinking they see what they don't."
"There's no real magic involved," Mr. Weasley added.
"Then what's the fun?" Moody returned, prodding his magical eye with his wand as it floated in a glass of water.
"It'll be an experience," said Mr. Weasley. "The Muggles have nothing closer to real magic."
"What after the show?" asked Harry.
"I was thinking of going to an interesting sort of place unique to the Muggle lifestyle-a swimming pool," he said dramatically.
"Oh, that'll be fun," Hermione agreed, "I haven't been swimming since last summer. But do we all have bathing suits?"
"I have a bathing suit," admitted Mad-Eye.
"What?" asked Sirius, who, up until this point had been brooding over not getting to go out at all.
"It's called taking off your robes and hopping in the tub," Moody continued.
"No!" screamed Hermione more vehemently than she had perhaps intended. "A bathing suit is a special thing you wear when you go swimming. Men wear shorts, which are like Muggle trousers with most of the leg parts cut off."
"Ah," growled Moody, "I don't have that."
Hermione was frustrated that, as an underage witch, she couldn't just conjure them all appropriate swimwear right there. She spent about twenty minutes trying to clarify the strange notions Mr. Weasley had in his mind (a wetsuit, a monokini), so he could do the job for her. By nine o'clock, though, everyone who was going had a suit and towel in a bag slung over his or her shoulder. Everyone's clothing looked passably Muggle-ish, and so they set off. They took the floo network to Diagon Alley, and then stepped into Muggle London from there.