A/N: Sorry for the delay. Had this chapter done, thought it was posted and then found out it was lost, and had to rewrite the whole thing. Don't own Harry and friends, just this plot.
Chapter 10: New friends.
After getting Mini to agree that the kids needed some time off, and that it might not hurt to meet some of the children from allied houses, she said she would make the arrangements.
"The question now is; when do you want us to bring the children?" Mini asked.
"Could we make a weekend of it? Starting on Friday and end Sunday evening?" replied Emma.
"Do you want to put up with that many children for two days?" asked Augusta.
"Well that would depend on how many children we are talking about."
"I was thinking of six children." Mini said.
"I think we could handle that many unless they become rowdy."
"I doubt that will be a problem. You have to remember that these children come from noble houses and maybe more restrained than Harry and Hermione."
"Then they shouldn't be a problem at all. Let's start on Friday evening with just the children, that way they get a chance to get to know each other. Then on Saturday, those parents are going to join us can arrive, by say eight, to start the day. It's about an hour drive to the amusement park. How many adults will be coming?" Dan asked.
"I had thought just you two, myself, and Augusta."
"What about clothing? I notice you are always in robes. You would hardly blend in dressed as you are." Emma asked.
"We hadn't thought about that. Perhaps we could arrange a shopping trip."
Emma thought for a few minutes. "Dan, do you think it would be all right if Harry and Hermione missed one day of school?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking that if these kids need to buy clothes, Harry and Hermione could help them pick them out. Our fashion sense is not the same as theirs after all. That way they would look like they fit in better. It would also give them a chance to get to know each other."
"Why don't we ask them?"
Emma went to the back door, as Harry and Hermione were in the backyard. Harry had a touch for gardening, and although not required, he loved to tend the garden even this late in the year there were things that needed to be done. "Hermione, Harry, would come in here for a few minutes?"
After washing their hands, Hermione and Harry joined the grown-ups in the living room.
"What's up, Mum?" asked Hermione.
"We are trying to make plans for next weekend and came across a slight problem."
"How can we help?"
"We thought it would be a good idea if you two took a break and went on an outing as a family. We also thought it might be good for you to meet some children from the magical world. The problem is; they don't dress the way we do. We thought that maybe you two could help them pick out some clothes. We were wondering if you two would mind missing a day of school to help." Emma explained.
"MISS A DAY OF SCHOOL?" Hermione asked scandalized.
"Hermione, we are easily three weeks ahead of the rest of the class. One day will not hurt us," reasoned Harry. "Besides, it might be fun."
She looked at Harry as if he had lost his mind.
"Think about it Hermione. We will be joining their world next year. Wouldn't it be nice to see it from their point of view and maybe even have some friends before we start? I mean it's not like we are over burdened with friends, now are we?"
She bit her lower lip as she thought. "I suppose you're right. It wouldn't hurt on either point." She paused, "I don't suppose one day would hurt."
"Thanks Hermione."
"Good. I'll send a note with you tomorrow for your teacher to let her know that you will miss school next Friday." Emma said in relief.
The next four days were met with some trepidation and anxiety about meeting the kids from a different world. How much different would they be? Could they accept them as equals? Would Harry and Hermione be seen as lesser?
On Friday morning, Harry found Hermione quite nervous about meeting the new kids. "Relax, Hermione. Their just kids like us.' He said as he hugged her. 'They are probably just as nervous being in our world for the first time." He tried to reassure her.
She looked into his emerald green eyes, comforted by his presence. "You're right Harry. I didn't think about that. Thank you." She said as she rested her head on his shoulder. This was something that they had become quite used to when one of them needed comforted for one reason or another. Even though Hermione grew up with and loved her parents dearly, Harry's presence had always seemed to give her more comfort for some reason.
Because of the changes in their life, Dan and Emma had decided to take on another dentist into their practice so that if one of them had to take the day off to cover some business concerning the children, they had someone to cover for them. After all, they did have a business and their patients shouldn't suffer because they had other issues that needed to be taken care of. It would depend on the nature of the need to take the day off that determined which would be absent. Today it would be Emma that stayed home to greet their guest and take them shopping. Dan drove the Mercedes and left the Land Rover for Emma, as it would carry more people. Still it would take more than one trip to get them all to the shopping center.
Minerva and Augusta arrived in the Granger living room with six children, four girls, and two boys. After seeing the girls, Hermione felt inferior. They were all very pretty, even at their age. Five years of ridicule didn't help her self esteem. Harry, knowing how the kids at school berated her, he could sense her feeling of self worth.
"What's the problem, Hermione?"
"Look at them Harry, they're all so pretty."
"You're just as pretty as they are. Don't let it bother you."
"How can you say that Harry? Look at their hair and their teeth."
Harry did take a moment to look at them. "I don't see the problem Hermione. What do you see that I don't?"
She looked at him as if he was blind. "Harry, my front teeth are too large and my hair is out of control. How can you compare me to them?"
Harry thought about what he wanted to say. He didn't want to insult Hermione, but he wanted her to look past what she considered as faults in her looks. "Hermione, do you think any of the girls we go to school with are prettier than you?"
"Of course I do. Almost all of them are."
"No, Hermione. None of them are prettier then you. I think you are the prettiest girl in the school. I'm biased of course, but you have to remember beauty is only skin-deep. True beauty comes from here.' He pointed to her heart. "That is were you outshine them all, Hermione. I know you and I know that if they gave you half a chance you would help any of them. Would they do the same? Apparently not as they have not done so yet. Personally, I like your hair. It reflects your spirit, wild and untamable. Who could notice your teeth when you smile and light up the room?"
"Thank you Harry, but I think you are wrong about being untamable." She said looking into his eyes, no trace of deceit to be seen.
"How so?"
"You seem to be able to tame me quite easily." Harry turned slightly red at the compliment.
"Harry, Hermione, I would like to introduce Susan Bones (a red headed girl with pale green eyes), Hannah Abbott (brunette with brown eyes), Daphne Greengrass (wavy black hair and grey eyes), Tracey Davis (had shoulder length blonde hair with blue eyes), Neville Longbottom (a heavy set boy with sandy brown hair and brown eyes) and Terry Boot (blonde hair and brown eyes)." At each child's introduction, they stepped forward and shook hands. "Children, meet Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."
The six magical children had been told that they would be meeting someone today, but not who. To say that they were shocked would be an understatement.
"Potter! We thought they were all dead." Susan exclaimed.
Harry cringed and dropped his head at the mention of his family's death. Even though he couldn't remember them, it still hurt.
"We were all lied to. I can assure you that he is in deed Harry Potter. You cannot speak of meeting him to any one. Is that understood?" Minerva said sternly.
"Yes Ma'am." They chorused together.
"Now then, the first order of business is to make sure you have clothes that will pass for mundane."
"Why?" asked Daphne.
"Because for the next two days you will be in the mundane world and have to fit in."
When they responded that they did not, they were told of going shopping for new clothes. The boys could care less, but the girls were excited at the mention of shopping.
"When will we go to Diagon Alley?" Daphne asked.
"We won't be going to the Alley. We will shop at a local store here in Stanford Hills. Be careful not to mention magic while out in public."
The girls were slightly disheartened to hear this. They had no idea of the wide verity of clothes they would be exposed to in the next few hours.
With a flick of her wand, Minerva expanded the inside of the Land Rover to accommodate all of the children and adults. A short half hour drive had them at the shopping center and with careful spacing; the mundanes at the shopping mall never noticed the number of people getting out of the single vehicle.
Once inside, the magical children were amazed at the number of people. There were more here then in all of Diagon Alley. They were also amazed at the number and variety of the shops. Even though Harry had been here a few times, he was still amazed at some of the things for sale.
When they got to the clothing store that they intended to shop in, they split up. Minerva took the boys and Emma and Madam Longbottom went with the girls. Harry did his best to explain the different types of slacks and jeans, recommending that the boys all get jeans for all round comfort and utility. Then they got a couple of shirts, sweaters and jackets. All told they were done in less than an hour. Then they went to see how the girls were doing.
When they arrived, Daphne was just coming out of the dressing room. She was wearing a pair of slacks that hugged her waist and accented her bottom before falling straight to her ankles. She also had a long sleeve slip over with a V neck that came down a couple of inches below her throat. Neville and Terry were fascinated by the look even if they didn't understand yet why. Harry only had eyes for Hermione. He would look at the others and pay compliments on how different outfits looked, but he wasn't really paying attention.
Two hours later, the girls finally finished choosing what they would wear that weekend.
"It's about time." Terry complained even if secretly he enjoyed the way the girls looked as they tried on different clothes.
"Hush you." Daphne said. She took the longest to decide what to wear. Hermione told her that a lot of her choices were not practical for their outing the next day and had to change often. You could tell she was trying to impress and flaunt her good looks.
As they were headed for check out they passed the lingerie department. The boys wisely left as they girls browsed this section. When asked why there were so many different types, Hermione responded, "While I don't know for certain, I understand that it makes older girls feel better about them selves even if no one sees them."
"Do you have any of these?" asked Daphne, hold up a pair of black lace knickers.
Hermione blushed. "No, I don't feel a need for something like that yet. I'm only eleven after all."
The girls giggled and headed for the checkout.
With purchases paid for they decided to eat lunch at the food court. Each person tried something different. There was pizza, hero sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs to name a few. Soft drinks were another hit. After everyone ate, they spent two hours window shopping with Harry, Hermione and Emma explaining as best they could what the various items were for and how they operated. Finally arriving at the Granger home the girls raced up to Hermione's room to change.
"How can they have so much energy after all that? I'm beat." Neville asked as he trudged up the stairs to Harry's room that he would share with Terry.
"I don't know for sure, but I think its part of the female make up to be able to wear us out shopping," remarked Harry.
"You've been through this before?" asked Terry.
"Oh yes, at least once a month."
"How do you stand it?"
"It makes them happy." He shrugged. "You'll find that if the women in the house are happy, you will be happy."
"But aren't women supposed to serve us?" asked Terry.
"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked looking at Terry strangely.
"Well…" he said nervously, "in our world many believe that women are just for making babies and serving men, making us happy."
"I don't know if that's true or not in the muggle world as I don't have any friends to compare to, but in this house that idea would never fly, and I wouldn't want it too."
"Soo… what do you guys do for fun?" asked Harry.
"I have a green house where I grow a variety of plants." Neville injected, glad for the change of topic.
"Really?" asked Harry enthusiastically. "I wish it was summer so you could see the garden here in all its glory. Maybe next summer you could come over and help me with a problem area."
"I'd like that. I've never seen a totally non-magical garden before."
"What do you like to do Terry?"
"I like to fly on my broom. I want to get on my house Quidditch team."
"You mean witches actually fly on brooms? I thought that was a fairy tale."
"Of course we do. What makes you think different?"
"Muggles have all sort of strange stories about witches and wizards. Aside from the clothes, I haven't seen anything that resembles the stories."
"What kind of stories?" asked Neville.
Harry thought for a minute. "Well, if we can talk the girls into it, I know just the movie to watch tonight."
"What's a movie?" asked Neville.
Harry hesitated for a moment. "It's a story set to moving pictures."
During dinner that evening Harry put forth his idea.
"Hermione, what do you think of watching the 'Wizard of Oz'? While I was talking to Neville and Terry, I found out they do fly on brooms and I thought it would be funny for them to see what muggles think of as witches."
"That's a great idea. I always loved that movie."
"What's a movie?" asked Susan.
"You'll see." Giggled Hermione, "and I think you'll find it funny after what we actually found out that your world is real."
After dinner and the dishes cleaned up, they all gathered in the family room to watch the movie. Susan, Hannah, Daphne and Tracey sat on the couch facing the television. The boys sat on cushions in front of them. Terry looked slightly put out by the arrangement, but said nothing. Augusta and Minerva took the two wing back chairs and Dan and Emma brought chairs in from the dinning room and sat behind the couch.
Hermione found the movie and then started to explain the various items that they were going to use. "This is a television; it allows us to watch various shows. Every house that has one can watch the same show at the same time or watch different shows. This is a VCR. When you put in a pre-recorded movie like this," she held up a tape, "you can watch the movie anytime you want, not at a pre-set time as with regular television. Now you have to understand that what we are going to watch is not based on fact, but on someone's' imagination." She then turned on the television and loaded the tape in the VCR and took her seat next to Harry on the floor.
Two hours later, after many belly laughs and two bowls of popcorn, it was time for bed.
The next morning found eight excited children and four adults hurrying through breakfast. Dan and Emma had decided that since they enjoyed different type of music, they would change the radio station every half hour to give the magical a taste of a variety of music. Dan loved Classic Rock and Roll and Emma preferred classical music.
Nine o'clock found them pulling into the amusement park. Being Harry's first time to the park, he was as amazed as the rest of the children. Hermione had only been once before as it not as much fun if you don't have friends to share with. Harry was fascinated by the merry-go-round with its mystical creatures to ride. The favorite with the boys had to be the roller coasters with the wind whipping through their hair.
The only incident happened when some older boys decided to pick on the girls. Harry stepped in between them and it might have come to blows if Dan hadn't showed up and told them to move along. The only break the adults had was when they forced the kids to stop for lunch around one in the afternoon.
It was late in the day when Harry was able to talk Mione into riding the largest Ferris wheel in the park. It must have been at least a hundred feet high.
"Harry, please I really don't want to ride this."
"Why Hermione? It's the tamest ride in the park outside the Merry-go-round."
"It's the height Harry. I don't like heights."
"I'll make you a deal. Ride with me and the whole time I'll hold you tight and you can keep your eyes closed. I'll do my best to describe what I see and how I feel. Please ride with me?" he pleaded with puppy dog eyes.
"That's no fair, double teaming me like that."
The first time at the top, Harry held her tight with his left arm around her shoulder and her left hand in his right. He really tried to describe the view, the way the lights out lined the design of the city, the skies above. The second time as he was describing the stars, Hermione squinted to see. The third tome she opened her eyes fully. "Wow! It really is beautiful up here isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He said, sighing as he relaxed but still held her close.
By six in the evening all were worn out and ready to head for home.
Dinner that night consisted of sandwiches as no one felt like eating a lot.
"Harry is a little protective of you, isn't he?" Daphne asked with a hint of jealousy after the girls met in Hermione's room.
"I suppose, but then they were picking on all of us weren't they? So I suppose he was protecting all of us." Hermione replied with a hint of pride.
"Imagine having your own knight in shining armor living under your roof." Susan said dreamily.
"I'm sure you're reading more into than there is." defended Hermione. She would never be able to tell these girls her dreams now.
"Oh, come on, Hermione. Surely even you have dreamed of a knight in shining armor rescuing you?" teased Hannah.
"Doesn't every girl, but how often do we find one?" She stretched and yawned. "I don't know about you but I'm ready for bed. I have to get up early."
"On a Sunday?" Daphne asked sounding scandalized that anybody got up early.
"Yes. Harry and I get up at five every morning for training and exercise."
Daphne could be heard to mumble "muggles" as she and Tracey left the room.
"Is this training and exercise why you look so good?" Hannah asked.
"I suppose it is. I mean the exercises do keep the fat burnt off."
Sunday morning found the magical waking around ten in the morning. When they came down for breakfast, they found Harry and Hermione in the study reading. When they entered the Kitchen, Emma asked what they wanted for breakfast and started to prepare their request. Dan was sitting there drinking tea.
"How long has Harry been up" inquired Neville?
Dan looked at his watch. "I would say about five hours."
"Hermione too?" asked Susan.
"Yeah." He replied as if it was obvious.
"Why?" asked Tracey.
"It's a routine they set for themselves."
"That still doesn't explain why." Said Daphne.
"Not long after Harry started going to school with Hermione, some other kids started picking on her. Harry tried to stop it and got beat up. He decided he wanted to learn how to fight so it wouldn't happen again. Hermione wanted to be able to defend herself."
"He didn't want what to happen again? Being beat up or Hermione being picked on?" asked Hannah.
Dan smiled, "Take your pick."
After breakfast, Harry and Hermione gave their new friends a tour of the house and the neighborhood. They spent an hour in the local park on the swings, bars and playing tag. Then they all explored the house library.
Around six that evening, Madam Longbottom and Minerva arrived to see how the day went, ate dinner and then returned the children home. All in all it was a fun weekend for all and a needed diversion for Harry and Hermione.
A/N: Sorry for the long delay. Life got in the way.