Disclaimer: I no own anything clearly Rowlings'. The Archmage and the other ocs I own, though. (but don't tell them--they'd kill me...)
Sylvarus got off the Hogwarts Express with Ron, Hermione, and Harry and eagerly began scanning the crowd for his mother. "I don't see her. Maybe she's out in the regular terminal." A long, high-pitched whistle cut through the noise of the hustle and bustle. All four students' heads snapped in the direction of its source and spotted a woman with blond hair waving at them from in the middle of a crowd.
"Hey! Sylvarus!" she called, smiling.
"Hey!" he called back, waving.
"That's your mum?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"Nope," Sylvarus said, wheeling his stuff towards her. "That's Melanie—my aunt's friend."
The others followed to where Melanie was waiting. She was just over five foot and her form fitting jeans and t-shirt set off her slim figure. A pair of blue-tinted sunglasses hung from the scoop-neck collar of her blue t-shirt.
"Hey, kiddo," Melanie said, playfully ruffling Sylvarus' hair. "It's been a while. Did you pass this year, or are they holding you back?"
"I passed. Where's Mom? I wanna ask her something."
"At your aunt's. I came to pick you up."
"Oh," he said, disappointed. "I was gonna ask if my friends could stay over for break."
"You can still ask," Melanie said, flipping open her cell phone. "You'd just have to ask your aunt. You're staying at the Liadon's this summer."
"Yes!" he pumped his fist into the air and turned to his friends as Melanie made a quick phone call. "My aunt and uncle are the coolest. It's like a guarantee now." Melanie handed him the phone. "Hi, Leyla. Yes, ma'am. I was wondering if a few of my friends could stay the summer with me. —School. —Three, ma'am. —Just the two months til school starts. –Thank you, Leyla! We'll see you in a few hours. Bye." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Melanie. "My aunt says it's ok if your parents say it's ok."
"What is that thing?" Ron finally asked.
"A cell phone. It lets you talk to just about anyone just about anywhere."
"There you are, boy!" boomed a fat man in a business suit. He strode up to the group, followed by a tall, thin woman and a pudgy boy. "What do you think you're doing, making us wait! Get your things together and let's go!"
"No," Harry said, standing his ground. "I'm not going with you this summer. I'm staying with Sylvarus this summer."
"Excuse me," Melanie said, interjecting herself to try to defuse the situation.
"Who are you?"
"Melanie Taylor," she smiled, extending her hand. The man eyed it suspiciously. "I'm just here to drive Sylvarus here home." She motioned with her head to Sylvarus.
"Vernon Dursely," he said gruffly, shaking her hand firmly. "I'm here for Harry."
"I see. Well, Sylvarus here got it in his head that he wanted to spend his vacation with his friends. And he was wondering if Harry could join him—if it's all right with you, of course"
Vernon seemed to be wrestling with the idea. The thin woman interjected. "Staying with friends from that school?!"
Melanie sensed their mood on the school and decided on a different approach. "Of course, that by no means means that the summer is guaranteed to be pleasant. The owners of the house don't approve of wand-waving at all, there will be virtually no television—if any, the meals are small, and they will be restricted from entering many of the rooms."
"What?!—" Ron, Hermoine, and Harry said almost in unision. Melanie's hand flew up to order their silence, and Sylvarus quickly shushed them.
Melanie's explanation and the kids' reactions seemed to sway Vernon's attitude. "Very well," he sneered. "You can have the boy for the summer."
"Where exactly will he be staying?" the woman asked.
"Does it matter, Petunia?"
"Vernon!"
"A few hours outside of London. Here, let me write down the address and home phone for you." Melanie pulled a pen out of her back pocket and a small bundle of business cards. "I hope you don't mind—I'm writing it on the back of one of my business cards."
"Not at all," Vernon said. When she handed it to him, he took a look at the front of the card. It listed her as an archaeologist and gave her cell number, a business address in the United States, and an e-mail. The back had a hand-written address and phone number. The address was outside of any city.
"Feel free to stop by the house at any time—just make sure to call first. The Liadons hate unexpected guests."
"We'll be sure to keep that in mind," he said, pocketing the card. "Good day, Miss Taylor." With that, they walked off.
"What was that about?" Harry fumed. "Are you telling me that we're staying the summer with people who hate magic as much as the Durselys?"
"I never said that."
"Yeah, you did."
"And what's this about small meals?" Ron asked.
"And restricted from rooms?" Hermione piped up.
"Easy, easy," Melanie said, holding her hands up. "I just phrased it that way for Harry's parents."
"They aren't my parents," Harry spat.
"Guardians, whatever. Look. The Liadons are magic users. Adair's a very accomplished wizard. He just uses a different approach to magic."
"What kind of 'different approach'?" Hermione asked.
"You'll see when we get there. The meals are a bit lighter than you're used to at school, but they're really delicious and filling. They don't like to use a lot of different electronics, so the TV is rarely on. And the restricted rooms are mostly for whatever Adair is working on at the time—volatile materials and such."
"Makes sense," Hermione said.
"Really," Melanie assured them, "you'll love it there. There are huge grounds, a good sized library, lots to do. Adair's even pretty lenient with the use of magic on the grounds. Just don't ruin anything, be careful around the lake, and don't fly anywhere."
"Why no flying?" Harry asked.
"Hermione!"
"I'll tell you on the trip." She held her hand out to the approaching couple. "Hi, I'm Melanie Taylor, the designated driver for this group."
"Hi, we're Hermione's parents."
"Mum, Dad, is it okay if I stay with Sylvarus' family for the summer?" Hermione asked politely.
"Oh, I don't know," her dad said. "Where would you be staying?"
"With the Liadons," Melanie said. "It's a few hours out of London—nice place, good place to relax and unwind from school. Here." She scribbled the address and phone number on the back of another card. "In case you ever need to get a hold of her for any reason." She handed him the card.
"Wow. It looks like you've got everything already planned out."
Melanie laughed. "I'm a mother, myself. I know I like to know where my daughter is."
"Well, thank you. I'm glad we won't have to drag this out of her. Sure, honey, you can stay. Just be sure to call every once in a while."
"Don't worry, I will." Hermione hugged her parents. "And thank you."
"You're welcome, honey. Be good now!"
"All right, then," Melanie said once they had left. "Two down, one to go."
"Ron, dear, there you are," a woman said, hurrying up to the group. Fred, George, and Ginny were in tow with all their trunks and school things.
"Mum, this is Sylvarus," Ron said, motioning to him. "He's a friend from school. Can I stay with him this summer?"
Mrs. Weasley seemed a bit flustered at the idea. "Well, Ron, I don't know. With all that's been going on, I don't think it'd be safe—"
"Hi," Melanie said, smiling. "I'm Melanie Taylor. I can assure you that it's perfectly safe at the Liadon house. In fact, I'd consider it to be the safest place in the world."
"I'm sure it is reasonably safe, but I doubt it could ever be the safest."
"The only place that I would consider even close to what protection the Liadons could provide would be if the kids came to America with me. As long as they follow a few simple rules of the house, there is nothing that could harm them there."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley asked, shocked. "You're going too? You should be with the Durselys this summer! Especially this summer, after what has happened."
"I can assure you that Harry will be perfectly safe," Melanie said. This woman was going to be the hardest to convince of all. "Here." She scribbled on the back of another card. "You can contact anyone at the house at any time. Adair and Leyla would be happy to dissuade any of your fears. They'll be there all summer. Alexis and Raistlin, Sylvarus' parents, will be there for the rest of this month as well; and I and five of my friends will be staying the next two and a half weeks with our girls. It is perfectly safe. If you or your husband wish to see for yourselves, here's the address and phone number. Stop by anytime. Just make sure to call or use some other mundane way of travel. The Liadons' pets aren't too keen on others using their air space."
Mrs. Weasley was speechless after so many reassurances. "Well—I suppose, if it's all right, if there's going to be no problem—and with so many others there—You can expect a visit after I talk to my husband."
Melanie smiled. "Of course. And it's perfectly fine with the Liadons. We were just waiting for your approval of Ron's presence."
"Yes, it's fine with me—for now. He may not be able to stay the entire summer, of course."
"We'll just have to see how things turn out."
A/N-Okay, so I know I probably didn't get the parents' reactions right, but I suck at writing permission thingies--probably because I'm so laid back about getting and giving permission myself. So just deal with this. It gets better, I promise.