Title: Harry Goes on Holiday
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: H/OC
Summary: After Sirius is killed, Harry doesn't want to go to the Dursleys again. The Grangers notice something is off with him so they offer Harry the chance to go home with them and then on holiday where something unexpected happens.
A/N: Total size is about 23K words, so I'll post this in 2 long chapters.
Harry Goes on Holiday – Chapter 1
Harry walked off the train in a morose mood. He was starting to come to grips with Sirius's death - a little; then there was the prophecy which he certainly hadn't come to grips with yet.
He followed Hermione over to her parents in the non-magical part of King's Cross Station, helping her with her trunk. He gave a respectful nod to her parents as he set her trunk down then looked around. It took a moment but he found the Dursleys, except they weren't alone. A group of Order members were there and from the expression on Vernon's and Petunia's faces he could tell his relatives were being told to shape up and that wasn't going over well.
Shaking his head, Harry muttered, "No, just no; I can't deal with that again. I have to get out of here." Feeling a hand on his shoulder suddenly, he realized he wasn't alone and looked up to see Mr Granger looking at him.
"What's wrong? Is there anything we can help with, lad?" The man had obviously overheard him, his question was sincere.
"I know what's going to happen," Harry said with a helpless gesture towards the group. "My aunt and uncle aren't going take that well and I'm not in the frame of mind to deal with it. It'd be best if I just left on my own. Maybe I can stay in the Leaky Cauldron again."
Mr Granger clapped him on the shoulder again and squeezed lightly. "Why don't you come home with us then? We'll put you up for a few days until you can find friends to stay with for the summer. I'd let you stay with us but we'll be leaving in a little less than a week and will be gone for most of July."
Harry looked at him hopefully before glancing at the two women in front of him. Both nodded their agreement.
"I know Professor Dumbledore won't be completely happy with that," Hermione said, "but after what happened last summer, surely this will be better. See, I did learn something," she said with a small smile.
"If you're sure?" Harry asked.
"Grab your trunk, Harry," Mrs Granger told him. "I can read between the lines; leave those people there."
Harry blinked at her in surprise before he reached down and grabbed his trunk while Mr Granger grabbed his daughter's. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."
The four walked out while the Dursleys were still being "corrected". It was several minutes after the four were gone that it was finally noticed Harry hadn't joined the group. The Dursleys left during the search of the train station; Vernon was angrier than usual after the dressing down only to find out they'd driven down here for nothing as the freak wasn't even here.
— — —
In the car, the two teens sat in the back seat. Mrs Granger turned in her seat as her husband drove away from the train station, unaware of the chaos they'd created behind them. "Harry, let's make this a little easier, shall we? You should call me Emma and my husband is Dan. All right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Also, you're going to find out that we're fairly blunt with each other as it simply cuts down on confusion. I believe you're noticed this with our daughter?" Emma queried.
"I won't say that she's that way all the time," Harry replied, "but she's the most blunt of all those I know."
Emma smiled. "Good, then I have to ask after what I saw at the train station. You're not on good terms with your relatives, are you?"
Harry shook his head.
"I'm sorry I'm having to ask this, but you're abused there, aren't you?" The woman kept watching him.
It took him a moment to get over his shock at the question, but Harry finally answered, "I suppose it depends on what you mean by that."
Emma looked at Dan who sighed and nodded back at her. "I'll take that for a yes then, even if it's minor." She looked at her daughter. "Honey, did you know?"
Hermione shook her head. "I didn't know, but I will say I've wondered a few times. I think it's more emotional than physical." She looked at him. "Is that right?"
"Mostly," Harry said hanging his head and wish the conversation would change topics.
"I see and that changes things." Emma glanced at her husband again before returning her gaze to Harry. "We are leaving for a holiday in about a week. Would you like to come with us? Our plan is to visit Australia, so I doubt anyone would find you and that would give you some time away to think."
"That sounds wonderful, actually, but I'd need to get some money from my bank in Diagon Alley," Harry told them. "I don't know what it costs to go there, but I do have money."
"We wouldn't want to deprive you of your funds for school when it was our idea," Dan told him, "but we're near and I'll stop for you to pick up a little spending money. Just get British Pounds and we can convert when you get there."
"What would a ticket cost?" Harry wondered out loud.
"Ours were a couple thousand pounds," Emma told him, "but please don't worry about it; we can easily afford to buy your ticket."
Harry looked at his friend. "What's the Galleon exchange rate?"
"About ten Pounds to one Galleon," Hermione replied.
Harry chuckled. "I'll buy my own ticket; I won't even notice missing 200 Galleons. I can afford that easily."
"Are you sure?" Dan asked as he made another turn.
"Yes."
It wasn't long until they were entering the magical shopping area and then the bank. While the parents waited in the lobby, Hermione went with her friend.
When he presented his key, the Goblin looked at him and said, "This way, Mr Potter. You have other business with us."
A few minutes later they were in a small room with an older Goblin. "Mr Potter, I need you to sign these forms to receive your new vault keys." The Goblin pushed two forms across the desk.
"I'm sorry, for what?" Harry asked, confused.
"Our records indicate that Sirius Black is deceased and you're recorded as the heir to his vaults." The Goblin handed over a quill and pointed to the lines at the bottom.
Harry sighed and did his best to ignore his emotions for the moment, helped a little by a hand on his back from his best friend. "I'd like to take a quick tour of them. Also, do you have branches in other countries?"
"We do. Which country did you want to know about?"
"Australia." He saw Hermione give him a sharp look.
"We do have branches there, in Sydney, Melbourne, and Port Hedland. Is there any other business you need to discuss?" the Goblin asked.
"How to find those branches before I go look at my new vaults," Harry told him.
The Goblin reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a brochure and handed it over. "If you'll follow me please."
The pair were led out and passed to a younger Goblin who took them to the vaults. It was another fifteen minutes before they were back in the lobby with Hermione only a little worse for the trip.
"That took a long time," Emma told her daughter as Harry stood in line to have Galleons changed to Pounds.
"Harry's godfather died recently and he just inherited two vaults," Hermione replied. "After signing for those, Harry wanted to look in them briefly."
Harry walked over a moment later with a small silver case the size of a lunch box and no one gave it more than a cursory glance. "We can go."
Soon they were heading towards the Granger's house again, though they stopped for dinner first. Unbeknownst to them, that delay prevented Harry from being found by the Order of the Phoenix.
— — —
Much later when they finally arrived home, Dan called to make airline reservations. After talking for a few minutes, he covered the phone receiver and looked at Harry. "They've sold out of the normal tickets and only first class is available, but they are double the price. I'll pay for the extra."
Harry smiled at him. "That's fine, I'll take that and I can still pay you." He opened his silver box from the bank and started pulling out stacks of hundred Pound notes.
Dan goggled at the money for a moment before returning to the person on the telephone. "Is it possible to take that seat and move our other three so we're all sitting together? It is, great. Just charge it all to the same credit card."
It took a few minutes but Dan finished the transaction and looked happy. "We have a pair of two seats; you and Hermione can sit together. Do you have a passport, Harry?"
"Err, no." Harry felt dejected and just knew that was going to stop the trip.
"All right, we'll take care of that tomorrow. Don't worry, lad," Dan told him with confidence as he counted out the money required and handed some back to Harry. "How safe is your little box?"
Harry smiled. "I was told only I could open it. I paid a little extra for that. With a tap of my wand at a certain spot, it will even be ignored by everyone but me."
"I didn't know that could be done," Hermione said with a frown as she looked at the box. Looking at him she smiled. "I'm glad this is working out; I think it'll be good for you."
The next day all left the house. Dan went into the office while Emma, Hermione, and Harry went to get an emergency passport. Emma also took him shopping when she found out that the less than reputable clothes he was wearing were some of his best. That made him glad he'd pulled out a lot of extra money and that he could get more where he was going if it was required.
As they were all gone, again they missed the Order of the Phoenix dropping by to look for Harry. These misses continued for the next few days to the point that the Order members dropping by to check were convinced the Grangers had already left on holiday.
Harry sat in his seat on the airplane and marveled at it all. He also noticed the flight attendant didn't look too much older than he was and that caused him to consider a few things as he looked between the young lady and his friend.
His friend had finally noticed the looks and pointedly but quietly asked, "What?" after the first set of drinks had been served.
Harry looked at his drink for a moment before looking at his friend. "Hermione, would it surprise you to know that I think of you as my best friend? I mean, Ron's a good friend and all, but, well, you're really my best friend between the two of you."
Hermione smiled at him and replied in as low of a voice as he'd used to keep this private. "No, I'm not surprised. You're my best friend between the two you also. What brought this up?"
He took a sip of his drink to consider how to ask this next part. "I, uh, I'm sorry, but this is hard yet I feel like I have to ask." At her encouraging look, he said even more quietly, "How do you feel about me? Do you fancy me?"
She gave him a shocked look. "I was not expecting that. How do you feel about me?"
With a snort he smiled and teased, "I asked first."
Hermione gave him an annoyed looked, but after a moment said, "I feel we could make something work if we wanted to. It would certainly be easier to have a relationship with you than with Ron."
He looked at her for a moment. "Since you didn't really answer the question, should I assume you don't? I'm sorry, but I'd like to know since we're going on a trip together and I've seen some of the looks your parents have given me, sort of like they're expecting us to make an announcement."
She looked over and up one row at her parents with an annoyed look before looking back at him. "I'll have to admit I've seen a few of those too. Look Harry, I find it all so very complicated. It's not just do I like you like that. I do a little, but not really. How do you feel about me? Do you want us to date?"
Harry wanted to look out of the window next to him to think for a bit, but knew he couldn't as he was sure she'd take it wrong. "I don't know. It seems like I should feel something, yet I don't really, so I guess that means I don't want to date you. I'm sorry. You're pretty and smart, but I just don't have the feelings." He thought she reminded him too much of his aunt and that wasn't a good thing, but he knew better than to say that.
"I appreciate your honesty," she replied. "I like you, Harry, but I have to agree I don't have any warm gushy feelings for you. If you could date anyone, who would you date? Cho?"
"No," he snorted softly, "that infatuation is gone. I think I could date Ginny, but I don't think I could deal with her mother if a relationship worked out and I really don't want Ron for a brother-in-law. He's a good friend but I don't want him as family."
Hermione giggled. "I understand. I like him as a friend too, but can't really see myself dating him or anything beyond that. There's no one else you find attractive?"
"There are a few, but I don't know them well enough to know if I'd want to date them or not," he replied. "Thanks for taking this so well and not making a scene."
"First," she gave him her pointed look again, "it wouldn't do either of us any good and my parents would be upset with me if I did make a scene. Second, I kind of appreciate you asking. I've wondered about it myself but haven't felt like asking. Maybe I would have next year now that we're beyond our OWLs, but this last year I've ignored boys because I've been too busy."
They settled in their seats again before Hermione turned to him. "Harry, are you really all right with Sirius being gone? I do worry about you."
Harry looked at her and smiled. "Thanks. I'm working through it and it's a little better each day." He shook his head. "I'm sad about that, but I'm still angry at Dumbledore for how he handed this last year. He told me a few things right after that fight which really upset me and has caused me to look at him in a new way."
"Like what?"
He shook his head. "I don't want to influence you too much, but he told me something I'm having trouble believing and his timing was horrid too. Sorry, I don't want to say more as it could put you in danger too."
"Considering what we just went through I think I can handle a little danger," she told him, her pointed look back yet again.
"I'll think about it," he said. "It's not something to be shared lightly and certainly not here."
It took a moment but Hermione finally nodded.
Turning the other way so he could look out the window, Harry considered his feelings again and thought he'd made the correct decision. That also caused him to consider what he wanted a girlfriend to be like. There was a lot to like about Ginny, but he'd still change even a few things about her.
After that he spent a little time thinking about the prophecy and that conversation with Dumbledore. He had to calm himself after that memory.
Harry also thought about the trip they were taking and what Hermione and her family had planned. It was no surprise that part of it was educational, but he was really looking forward to the part where they were at a resort for two weeks and just goofed around with little to do. He'd never done that and wanted the time to think as he had a number of conflicting ideas in his head.
Harry walked down to the beach in his swim trunks and looked at the ocean. Wading in up to his knees he was surprised at how warm the water was considering they were entering winter in this hemisphere, but they were on the north shore of the continent too. Looking around at all of the other people in the water, he walked out until he was waist deep and enjoyed the waves.
Turning back to look at the beach so as to let the waves hit him in the back, he looked around, glad his glasses were spelled not to come off and that he had a Sun Block charm on. It was interesting to watch people, especially those young ladies that weren't too much older than he was.
Speaking of which, he noticed Hermione walking his way in a conservative bikini, but still a bikini. There were times he's agreed with Ron that she was a "bookworm", but she was an attractive one. It really made him wonder about all of the other girls at school and what figures they really had under the less than flattering robes. He also noticed that Madam Pomfrey did excellent work as he could see no evidence of her injury in the Department of Mysteries.
"This is really your first time in the ocean?" Hermione asked as she joined him.
"Yeah, it's nice though. I could live here," he told her impishly, which caused her breasts to move in an enticing way as she laughed.
"I think everyone who likes coming to a beach thinks that," she told him. "We'll see if you think the same by the time we're ready to leave. As much as I like going to a beach I find it unappealing that sand gets everywhere."
Now Harry laughed. "If that's the worst that happens, I'll gladly put up with it. I like our school, but it's really cold in the winter and I like this weather better."
"It's hard to argue with that," she replied. "I was going to check out the magical area here this evening. It's not large but it's within walking distance. Will you go with me? Safety in numbers and all that."
"Sure, a stroll after dinner would be nice," he told her.
They played in the water for a while longer before they returned to the beach and the large umbrella her parents had rented. Stretching out on the warm sand felt good. He wasn't ready to think about his life just yet, but just relaxing felt really nice.
Of course, he couldn't think of nothing for too long, so the highlight of the last week quickly came to him…
They'd visited the Outback and came across a Shaman of some magical Aborigines. They'd been allowed to visit the camp and the Shaman had performed some sort of ritual Harry still wasn't sure about. The first thing the Shaman had done was to put up a "ward" to keep out the evil spirits as he worked…except that had knocked Harry flat on his back and unconscious.
Hermione had had to defend him and had almost had to use her wand to do so. After some very fast talking, she'd convinced to Shaman to keep the others back and to check out Harry as she was very certain Harry was not a demon. The Shaman had found that Harry wasn't a demon but that he just had a bit of "evil magic" in his curse scar, which the Shaman had exorcised then healed the wound.
Harry smiled at the memory of how he couldn't go anywhere without something weird happening to him. At least his curse scar was now gone and he felt better than he ever had before.
Turning over, Harry again considered girls and fell asleep on the beach, resting peacefully.
— — —
After a very tasty and filling dinner of seafood, Harry and Hermione took a walk with wands hidden and not holding hands. It was only a couple of blocks to the magical district, which was really a collection of shops hidden in the second floor of a large building that looked to be only one story tall - courtesy of magic.
The shops were pretty usual. What was unusual was they took payment in either Galleons or Australian Dollars. The pair also found that there were a few shops run by magical owners downstairs in the Muggle area as their merchandise was non-magical.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening to walk around with a friend talking of nothing important.
Back at the hotel, Harry grabbed an extra blanket and pillow and made himself comfortable on a pull-out bed from a sofa in their little living room, since the Grangers had rented a small suite with two bedrooms. Hermione took the extra bedroom and he took the pull-out bed, which was more comfortable than the cot he used at Ron's house.
Harry woke early the next morning before the others were awake and headed back towards the magical district. He thought he'd seen a bakery down on the outside first floor that faced the ocean. It didn't take him long to find the place. Walking through the little tables on the outside, he headed in the propped open door which was probably to cool the place down from the hot oven. It was definitely warmer in here than outside.
Behind the counter he saw a blonde girl about his age. He was about to ask her what was good when she caused a raisin in the palm of her hand to go up high enough she could move her head a little a catch it in her mouth. Amazed, he stopped and stood barely inside the door as she placed another raisin in the palm of her hand and stared at it for a few seconds until it flew up and she caught that one in her mouth too.
"That's a good trick," he said, startling her. "I'm impressed you didn't need your wand for that."
The blonde shook her head and stammered. "W-wand, I don't know what you're talking about." It was really unconvincing.
Harry raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I know what's in the top of this building so I know what I just saw. I've always heard that wandless magic is hard, but I have managed a little by myself. I've never thought to actually practice it."
The girl relaxed a little. "I'm so glad you know. I really shouldn't have been doing that, but I wanted to practice. I suppose you're really here to buy something though. What would you like?" She smiled at him, which seemed to light her face.
He smiled back at the attractive girl. "My name is Harry."
"I'm Pam. See anything you like?" she asked, waving generally at the case between them.
"You?" Harry asked before he froze in mortification, not knowing where that line came from.
Pam blushed and looked down for a moment before she looked back up and was smiling. "You're not so bad yourself, but I don't think you have enough to buy me." She'd ended in a teasing look.
That allowed Harry to relax and be thankful he hadn't offended her. "I doubt I do, but I have enough to buy you lunch later, unless you have to work."
"That might be possible as I'll need lunch before I go surfing. Do you surf?" She looked completely serious.
"No, but I'm willing to try. Is it like flying a broom?" he wondered.
"Can't really say as I've only flown once and not for very long. Dad has to take us somewhere to do that so it never really works out. I could fly if you handed me one but I wouldn't be very good with it," she replied.
"If you'll teach me to surf, I'll teach you to fly - if we can go somewhere that's allowed," he offered.
She looked at him for a moment then smiled again. "Come back at noon and buy me lunch and I'll teach you to surf after. We'll see about broom lessons if the surfing goes well."
"It's a deal," he said with a grin. "As for the food, how about four of those muffins, a couple of eclairs, and a few of those cinnamon things, buns, rolls, whatever."
She giggled a little but grabbed a bag and started filling it with his requests. He grabbed a few bottles of juice and milk each plus an assortment of yogurts, hoping he got at least one thing everyone liked. He noted as she moved around that she was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and her tan looked good with her hair. He realized she was probably a "sun bleached blonde", but it did look good on her.
He paid for the order and dropped all the change in to the tip jar, which caused her to smile again.
An older woman came out of the back. "Pam, I'm finished and you can go take your run now. Oh, hi! Can I get you anything?" she asked him.
"It's OK, I got it mum," Pam told her. "I'll be back in an hour or so."
Harry nodded to the woman and waited a moment for Pam to walk out from around the counter. He liked it that she was about his height. He stopped near the door to let her go out first. "I'll see you here at noon?" he confirmed.
"Sure, bye for now." With that, she turned left and started a jog down the sidewalk before angling towards the beach.
Harry turned right but walked backward for a moment to watch her go. She had great legs and an amazing arse, he thought just before something hit him in the back of his legs and caused him to stumble and almost fall. He caught himself from his stumble caused by a chair but found he was looking at the face of an older woman who was looking at him and shaking her head.
"Watch yourself, young man," she chastised him before going around him.
"Sorry," he told her and hurried on his way, not seeing the snickering mother through the window.
Back at the hotel, Harry's breakfast treats were well received.
"What do you want to do today?" Hermione asked him as they finished breakfast.
"Maybe enjoy the beach some more this morning. I thought I'd try learning to surf this afternoon, though," he told her.
Hermione looked at him incredulously. "You? Surf?"
"I fly a broom in the air, how hard could surfing on water be?" he asked innocently.
"Are you any good at flying?" Dan asked. "I believe Hermione has mentioned you're on a team at school, but I really don't know how that would compare."
Hermione snorted. "Yes, Harry can fly very well. In fact, he's without a doubt the best flyer at school." She turned to her friend. "I have no idea if those skills carry over to surfing though. How do you plan to learn?"
"I met a new friend when I bought breakfast that promised to teach me; I promised to teach flying in exchange," he replied.
"That seems fair," Emma commented as she finished her yogurt. "Hermione, I was thinking of hitting up some of the shops. Want to come?"
"I guess." She looked at her friend. "Will you be all right alone?"
"I saw a place to hit a few golf balls nearby," Dan said. "Want to come, Harry? I thought I'd take an hour to a…" he smiled, "stay in the swing of things then we can come back for the beach."
Emma and Hermione groaned at the pun.
Harry just laughed. "Sure. I just have to be back by noon."
— — —
By noon, Harry had found golf didn't hold much interest for him, but spending time with Dan went pretty well. He wasn't sure if it was just because they were on holiday or Dan was normally like this, but he had been pretty easy to get along with.
Dressed in his swimming trunks and T-shirt, plus a Sun Block charm and a sticking charm for his glasses, he headed back to meet Pam. He found her sitting at an outside table under an umbrella.
"I wondered if you'd come back," she told him as she rose. "This way." She led him down the street. "While we could have eaten inside at Mum's deli, I do that so often I'd like something else."
"Sure, I can do whatever you like," he told her easily.
She walked into a place that labeled itself "the best burger joint in town". When he asked about that, she laughed. "It's not hard, there are only two and the other isn't very good."
They ordered, he paid. Taking a seat she looked at him quizzically. "What brings you here? The resort I assume? Because there's not much else important here."
"Yeah, I'm staying there with a friend and her parents," he replied.
"A her?" Pam looked like she wasn't sure about him.
"Yes, Hermione if you really want her name. She's my friend from school, but that's it. I wasn't feeling well at the end of school and her parents offered to let me come on holiday with them. They're really nice and the time away has been helpful to me."
"I'm sorry. Were you sick?"
Harry shook his head. "My, uh, my godfather died a few weeks ago. He was like a father to me since my parents died when I was very young."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She looked really apologetic too.
"It's all right, you couldn't have known," he assured her. "The time has been good to get away and do something completely different, maybe even make a new friend."
She smiled at him. "I think that could be possible." Her name was called so she got up and returned a moment later with their order.
After a few bites, Harry nodded, "This is good."
"Best in town," she said with a laugh.
"So, you have a dad and mum, anyone else? I hope not a boyfriend," he said.
She smiled. "No, not a boyfriend. I know boys who are friends, even a couple like us, but I've never found any of them that interesting. I see boys from the resort and let them buy lunch if they're nice." She smiled again. "Just me and the parents. Life is pretty good here most of the time."
"What about school? I go to Hogwarts."
She looked surprised. "Hogwarts? I've heard of that; don't know anything other than its name and it's in Britain though. I'm home schooled. Dad does most of the teaching, but Mum does some like history," her voice dropped to a whisper, "and Potions."
Harry nodded. "I don't care for the last one, but it's mostly because of the teacher."
They soon finished lunch and headed back towards the bakery. She led him to a door next to the bakery and unlocked the door and let him in. "Our house, wait here."
He looked around and it was a fairly nice one although small. The decorations matched, including nice pictures including a few with Pam. It helped him to know what her dad looked like and she mostly took after him, although he could see influences from her mother.
She came back with two very small surfboards and wearing an unbuttoned vest with an extra over her arm. "You didn't bring your wand, did you?"
"No, I was afraid I'd lose it in the ocean."
"Good call. Put this on." She handed him the vest then grabbed a wand from a vase he hadn't paid any attention too and she unshrank the surfboards so they were normal sized. She handed him the extra surfboard and pointed at the door as she grabbed a bag that was hanging on a peg. The wand went back into the vase.
Locking the door, she led him towards the resort. "The main area for surfing is on the other side of where you're staying. It won't take too long to get there."
"I saw they mentioned surfing in the brochure, but I didn't know where it was. Do you do this often?" he asked.
"A few times a week when I can. It's one of the benefits of being home schooled. One of the drawbacks is that if I don't keep up with my school work then this gets taken away." She shrugged. "The bad with the good, I guess."
After they walked through the resort beach area, he could see a few people surfing further down. "Why there?"
"We have to do it away from where swimmers usually go. Also, that area," she pointed, "doesn't have any rocks or shoals like some of the other areas do, so that's safer for us. There are flags on the beach. They're far apart, but you want to stay between them to stay out of the resort on this side and out of the shoals on the other side. Those can get you killed if a big wave throws you into them.
"Also, if you've ever seen surfing on the telly, you won't get huge waves like you see there. Here," she waved towards the water, "the waves aren't any taller than you are, but that's a good height to learn on…if you're brave." She laughed.
"I'm brave and courageous," he boasted, not bothering with the Gryffindor part as he knew she wouldn't understand.
She laughed again. "Yeah, they all say that. Come on." Dropping her bag high on the beach, she led him towards the water. None of the others were nearby, but she still whispered, "I hope your glasses are charmed on you?"
"They are. Sun block charm too."
She nodded and dropped her board in the shallow water. "This will be harder than if we were in a pool, but stand on it. Let's see how good your balance is."
Harry tried…and fell off…his first four times, causing Pam to laugh at him the whole time. The fifth time he did it just after a wave came in and the new calmness allowed him to get his balance and hold it until the next wave came in.
"Good enough here, let's go further." She took him to waist deep water and showed him how to paddle, then how to go from the position of lying on the board to kneeling. When he'd accomplished that, she paddled out further, beyond the crashing waves so they could float for bit.
She sat on her board by straddling it, and so did he. "In theory, it's not that hard," she told him. "When you see a good wave coming, you paddle hard to get to the edge as the wave is about to crest, stand on your board quickly, then ride down the front and stay on the leading edge of the wave for as long as you can."
With the way she was smiling at him, he knew something was up. "You're leaving out something, aren't you?"
"A lot of experience," she joked with a knowing smile, which dropped after a moment. "Wait, you do know how to swim, right?"
"I've done it once, with Gillyweed, but you gave me this jacket," he told her.
She slapped her forehead with her palm. "Are you trying to kill yourself? You shouldn't be surfing without being very good at swimming. We should go back; hold onto your board as it'll always come back to the top. Go on, I'll come behind you and pull you out if needed. I can't believe I didn't ask that sooner." She'd muttered the last.
With a shrug, Harry laid down on his board and started paddling towards the shore. He had the vest, how hard could it be, he wondered. While he hadn't officially learned to Apparate, he felt he could if he really had to. Still, he paddled in as she'd requested. Maybe she'd teach him to swim better. He'd still teach her to fly.
As he neared where waves broke, a swell came behind him. "What the hell," he murmured and started to paddle hard. Just before the board tipped forwards, he pulled his knees forward and went over the drop on all fours. It made him stable but he could still lean.
Sliding down the wave he found he didn't tumble though he did have to lean into the wave; that allowed him to skim over the water. It took a moment for him to realize the shouting he was hearing was his own voice. The wave sort of faded so he relaxed and looked backwards only to see another wave come in and crash into him, knocking him flying.
Flailing in the water for a moment, his feet hit the bottom so he pushed up hard, only to fly through the surface. As he landed, he realized he was back in waist deep water and Pam was surfing toward him, neatly going around him and riding another ten meters before she hopped off her board and spun to look at him.
"How did you do that? Are you the luckiest person on Earth or what?" She glared at him as if he had no right to have done so well.
"I have no idea, but it was a lot of fun. Can we do it again?" He was grinning broadly.
"Hell no we won't do that again until you can show me you can swim well," she reprimanded him. "Why do you think we came back? Ugh! Idiot boys and their egos!"
He walked towards her and stood in front of her, even as the diminished waves went by them. "It's not ego; it was fun and different and I don't get to do enough of things like that. When I do get to have fun, it's flying and I do a lot more dangerous moves on a broom than that back there. I want to do that again, but I do see the wisdom in making sure I can swim. So let's do that."
Pam looked at him for a moment and just blinked. "OK, if you say so. Let's go put our boards and vests up." They walked towards their boards at the end of the water and hauled them to where she'd dropped her bag. Her vest came off as did her T-shirt, leaving her in a square top and square shorts – all hot pink.
He pulled his vest off too as he checked her out. She wasn't large in the bust, but she was big enough there was no doubt she was a girl. Overall, she was very toned and he would have to say "hot!" if he was asked. He knew some boys might not like her looks by saying she was too muscular, but he thought she was attractive.
She led him back to the waist deep water and simply said, "Swim parallel to the beach."
He shrugged and pushed forward and did his best to swim like he had with the gillyweed. It wasn't nearly as easy without webbed hands and that he had to keep his face clear to breathe, but he didn't think he was doing badly…until Pam was swimming beside him and passed him with ease. He stopped when he caught up to where she'd stopped and was waiting on him.
"Well, not bad for only doing it once with Gillyweed," she admitted. "Was that really the truth or just a story?" she asked a little accusingly.
"That was really the truth, part of a much larger story I'll tell you if we stay friends long enough," he told her with an impish grin. "I will admit that I tried to remember what swimming was like while I had Gillyweed. Do I need to do some more before we try the surfboards again? I'll do what you think best."
"Well, at least you have a little humility," she said with grudging respect. "Swim back."
Harry turned and pushed off, trying to do better. She eventually caught up with him again, but it took longer, although he wasn't sure if it was because he was doing better or she'd simply waited longer to start. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder and stopped and turned for the beach. He stopped swimming and followed her.
Pam opened her bag and pulled out a towel and put it on the sand before she took a seat and held up a water bottle. He gratefully accepted and sat beside her.
"You're very unusual, Harry." She eyed him as she took a drink.
"Perhaps more than you know, but then again, maybe not." Harry shrugged. "I'm just me and I do the best I can with what I have. What else can I do?"
"You're supposed to save the hard philosophical questions until dark," she joked. "You're unusual though, not like any of the normal resort boys. Well, you're magical for one; I've never met a wizard from the resort."
"Really? I'd think you'd meet more. My friend picked this place because it wasn't a big city and was out of the way. I'm pretty happy here so far, other than I didn't think about it being winter here before my friend told me on the plane, but it's still pretty nice."
"It'll cool off a lot over the next month. It won't get very cold, but we won't be surfing a couple of weeks from now. This is really the end of the season for that. It get really hot in the summer, which is a good time to be in the water." She looked at him contemplatively. "I wonder if you'd say the same thing after you've lived here for a year."
"Part of me would like to find out. It's pleasant like this. No pressure, just being carefree for a while," he said wistfully.
"Spoken like a true tourist," she snorted.
"You don't enjoy living here?" he asked, surprised at her.
"Most of the time, but I'd also like to experience life elsewhere too. Maybe do some traveling, go see the world. Bah, listen to me, now I'm getting philosophical during the day and without beer."
He looked at her and started to laugh, which caused her to laugh too.
"Come one, get your board. Kneeling isn't a bad way to way to start, but let's work on getting you on your feet if you're still so determined to do this." She jumped up and grabbed her board and he followed.
— — —
"The concierge said the surfing area was this way," Hermione said as she led her parents down the beach as the sun was getting low in the sky. "Oh look, there's a few still out."
A pair of surfers a little ways apart stood suddenly on their boards as a wave broke and started to come in.
"The waves aren't huge here, but those two are doing well," Dan commented.
"Wait, that guy's Harry!" Hermione cried and pointed at the one. "Who's he with?" She stared at the girl.
"A girl?" Emma supplied helpfully, checking the pair out. "A very fit girl."
"Probably need to be to do this well," Dan suggested. "How can he do that if this is his first time to go to the ocean?"
Hermione marched towards where the pair of surfers were heading.
"Do you think someone's about to be in trouble?" Emma asked as the parents hung back.
"I'd think not," Dan replied. "I asked him about Hermione this morning as my curiosity couldn't wait anymore and he said that they were just friends as neither of them had any 'feelings' for the other. Yes, he did use the word feelings."
"That's interesting. Hermione told me that they're just friends too, but I do wonder." Emma watched the meeting about to happen. "It might be best if we stay here."
"I'd love to hear what's about to come, but I think you're right. Perhaps waiting in the shade of that tree?" He headed that way and Emma followed.
Hermione watched the pair come in. She'd never seen Harry like this before, not even yesterday. Had she just not looked hard enough or only seen him as she'd expected to see him. He was fairly good to look at right now for some reason. He undid his vest and she saw he even had the beginning of some abs too.
The girl though, she definitely had some abs and a number of other muscular curves and some very straight blonde hair Hermione would have given a lot for. She was even more tanned than Hermione was. It took a moment, but she recognized she was being jealous, but she wasn't sure what for.
"Hermione! What a surprise! Did you see me on that wave? It was my best run of the day!" He dropped his surfboard near her on the sand and grabbed a partial bottle of water that had been lying there and took a deep drink as the girl in her hot pink suit walked up and laid her board down too and looked at her.
"Hermione, this is Pam. Pam, my friend Hermione. Dan and Emma are her parents over there." He waved at the two who waved back.
"Hello," Hermione said normally, or she hoped it came out normally. "Where did you two meet?"
Harry grinned and Pam looked a little embarrassed. "Her mum owns the bakery and she was minding the counter. I caught her levitating raisins without her wand and I think scared her a little when I called her out on it." Pam just rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh, so you're a witch too?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"No wand on me at the moment, but yes. I'm home schooled though," she said a little defensively.
"Which I think is cool," Harry said, drawing surprised looked from both girls. "Really! I'd love to have my parents teach me."
The two girls looked at each other and said, "Oh," at the same time, causing Harry to laugh.
"It's all right," he told them. "I guess we're done here. I should walk you back home as you can't carry two boards."
"Nope," she said as she knelt down to put her things in her bag. Rising, she handed Harry his shirt.
"Thanks." He took his vest all the way off to put his T-shirt on then shrugged his vest on too, but didn't zip it up. Grabbing his board, he led the three back towards the waiting parents.
"Dan, Emma, this is Pam, my surfing instructor and baker," Harry said with a grin.
"Hello," the three said to each other.
"That answers how you met," Emma said with a sly smile. "You were very good out there, Pam."
"Thank you," Pam replied. "I try and it's fun. I'm so amazed at how quickly Harry picked it up. I'm really having a hard time believing he's never done this before, and that he's only swum once before too."
"Wait! That time in the lake at school really was your only time to swim before you got in the ocean yesterday?" Hermione voice rose towards the end in horror. "Harry James Potter! Don't do that to me! You'll drown yourself."
Harry just smiled and looked at Pam. "See, she's my best friend because she cares."
Hermione slapped him on the arm and looked cross. Her parents looked on and seemed to having to hold their reactions.
He looked at the parents. "Do you mind if I invite her to dinner with us?"
Before they could answer, Pam said, "Thanks, Harry, but I can't. I promised my mum I'd be home tonight."
"All right." Harry was disappointed as he'd had so much fun with her today.
"Do you jog?" she asked as they started walking.
"I've run before, why?"
"Come by the shop tomorrow morning at the same time and you can jog with me. I can't go surfing tomorrow afternoon because I have class with my dad. You shouldn't go surfing by yourself yet, but I'll ask about dinner tomorrow night. All right?"
"All right, I can do that," Harry said with a smile. He wondered if he could do more. There was something about her that he really liked – something beyond her looks.
The three Grangers split off at the resort, though Hermione's exit was reluctant. Harry promised to return soon before he continued on with Pam.
"Do you think your Dad would let me join you in your class? I'm curious how that goes," he told her.
"You want to sit in on my class? You don't even know what it is," she told him with a chortle.
"You told me you're in the sixth year like I am. Yeah, I know you said you started in April so you're really a few months ahead of me, but I'd like to see. Like you said, travel and learn." He smiled at her as they approached her house.
"You're crazy, but I'll ask and tell you tomorrow," she told him before she dug out a key and opened the door. "Just lean it against the wall," she told him as she did that for her board and put her bag down. She took her vest off and took his from him and piled it all.
They stood there and looked at each other for a moment – a little awkward.
"I should go, but I wanted you to know that this has been one of the best days of my life so far. Thanks." He knew what he wanted to do but wasn't sure it was appropriate.
She solved it for him and leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You're welcome."
Before she moved back, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "You're amazing." He'd surprised her but thought it was a good surprise since she didn't look upset. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." He left before she could say anything else.
He smiled the entire time he jogged back to the hotel and even took the stairs up since they were only on the fourth floor. Walking into their suite, he found the other three waiting in the living room. "Let me take a quick shower and we can go to dinner." Grabbing his things, he hurried into Hermione's room for the bathroom. He wasn't sure if all of them being silent and looking at him was a good thing or not.
When he came out, they all acted normal and had a good evening together. Pam wasn't mentioned either, but Harry couldn't help but think about her.
Harry hurried into the bakery as another customer was leaving. Pam's mother was behind the counter this time.
"Hello, you must be Harry. I'm Annette. Pam will be out shortly; someone got up a little late today and hasn't finished her morning duties," she said teasingly and looking to her left and into the kitchen. "I understand you're from Britain?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And you can do extra things too?" she queried.
"Yes, ma'am, but that's back at the hotel," he answered.
She nodded as Pam came rushing out of the back. "Sorry I'm late," she told him before looking at her mother. "It's all in the oven with the timer on and I've cleaned up."
"Very good," her mother told her with a smile. "Go have your run but don't forget you have your studies this morning and class this afternoon. You can tell Harry your news." She looked over. "It was good to meet you, Harry."
"Thank you, you too."
Pam took him outside and they stretched quickly since neither had done it earlier. She led him down to the beach and to just above the edge of the water where the sand was harder.
"Do you run often?" she asked.
"I do it more often in the summer," he replied easily since they weren't running fast. "During the school year not so much, but I do spend a lot of time on stairs and run up and down those. So don't go too fast or I'll fall over," he joked. "Why do you do it?"
"It helps to keep me in shape for surfing. I do a few other exercises too," she told him.
Harry wasn't much into general exercise, but he'd do it if he could spend time with her. "So what news did you have for me like your mother said?"
"That didn't take you long," she teased. "You can sit in my class today and see how it goes. Today's a transfiguration class. How are you on that?"
"I do reasonably well," he told her, glad it wasn't potions.
"Then if we can finish on time, I can go to dinner with you as long as we stay in the local area," she told him.
"Oh, good; I think you'll like the Grangers." He smiled at her and was glad they weren't running faster as they continue to talk slowly during their run.
He was a little sweaty as they returned to the bakery. "Sit at that table," she pointed to one outside with an umbrella. "I'll be back in a few minutes with some drinks for us."
She came back with a handful of bottles and a few books. She also placed her hand in the middle of the table for a moment and then pulled back. "There, that will cause people not to worry about what we're doing here. They'll see us but won't stop to talk. It's something my dad did to this table and the one inside."
"Sounds like a low-level Confundus charm," he said quietly as he took the drink from her and enjoyed the cool water.
"Yep. Here's my book. What we're covering this afternoon is marked so you can look at that and read anything before it if you need to. I have Runes homework to finish." She didn't sound excited about it.
Harry opened the book to the marker and looked. It was on conjuring, so he was in luck. "Err, how long is school? We go for seven years."
"We do eight," she replied.
He nodded and flipped through her book starting at the beginning. He didn't see anything he didn't already know in general, but a few of the spells were a little different - same goal as what he did though. He continued on until he found new material and started reading.
They took a break at lunch time. She led him in and they saw her mother having to take and make orders too. "We should help her," Harry said quietly.
Pam nodded. "We should. Can you make sandwiches?"
"Sure, take me to the kitchen," he told her.
"We'll help," Pam said as she walked behind the counter, grabbing the few orders from her mother and received a look of gratitude as she rang up a customer.
In the back and after he'd washed his hands, Harry took an order and immediately went to work, surprising her. "What's this 'M'? Is it-"
"Mustard," she told him. "Mayo is a 'Y'."
"Right." He finished it and gave the sandwich on a plate to her to finish by putting crisps on it and otherwise finishing the order then taking it out. He continued on with the sandwiches.
Soon they were done and made their own. As they came out, Annette placed a hand on each of them. "Thank you so much! We had extras in today for some reason. You were a life-saver." She looked at Harry. "It's on the house; go enjoy it."
"Thanks!" he told her and they returned to their table.
"You did really well in there," Pam told him. "It can be hard to impress Mum most of the time. Fair warning, it's harder to impress Dad."
"I'll work on it," he said with a grin. "Do I have time to go change before class?"
"Sure. I'm going to take a quick shower and change right after we finish lunch," she told him.
— — —
The Grangers were all gone when Harry returned to the hotel, so he cleaned up and left them a note about Pam joining them for dinner before he hurried back to join her with his wand in his pocket. Not seeing her outside, he knocked on their door, which was opened by her father.
"Ah, you must be Harry, come in. I'm Cal." He held his hand out and they shook as Harry walked in. "Follow me to a back room; it's our school room." As he led the way he yelled, "Pam!"
A door opened in the back and she appeared a few seconds later. "Sorry, I had to dry my hair."
Her dad shook his head and entered the school room. "Harry, I'm not totally sure about this, but I'll give it a try in the spirit of cooperation. Perhaps Pam will learn something new from the other side of the world and that's all good. On the other hand, if you're not here to learn or help her learn, then this will be the only lesson." He gave a pointed look.
"I understand," Harry answer solemnly.
"Very good. Since you're in the same year, let's see what you know. Today's class is Transfiguration. There's a block of wood, please transfigure it into a desk for you to use." Cal settled a hip on his desk to watch while Pam took a seat at her desk.
Harry looked at the log that looked like it was ready to go into a fireplace. The diameter was about the length of his wand and it was twice that long. Pulling out his wand he looked at Pam who was smiling encouragingly at him and then at her desk. "I guess I should copy that one." Visualizing carefully, he said the spell quietly and the log morphed into a desk that looked just like Pam's. Pleased, he took his seat and saw Pam beaming at him and Cal giving a respectful look.
"Very good," the father said. "Today's lesson is on conjuring, which we've already started. Harry, have you been introduced to conjuring?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I'd like each of you to conjure an item in wood, glass, then metal, for a total of three items. They can be anything you like but they must fit on your desk." Cal looked at them as the teens considered the request.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment as he considered what he wanted. Without opening his eyes, he cast the spell, whispering three times. When he was done, he opened his eyes to see Pam looking at him in shock and her father leaning forward to look at his desk.
"That is an excellent recreation of my surfboard in miniature, including the colors with natural wood. I like the details on the rose as well as the clear stem, green leaves, and red petals. The statue…" Cal reached forward and tapped it with the end of his wand and it clinked as the wooden wand hit the thin metal. "Not colored metal I think but you conjured paint on the metal?"
"Yes, sir."
Pam reached forward, passed her globular paperweight and carefully picked up the delicate looking glass rose. "It's so beautiful."
"It's for you," Harry said with a smile, gesturing at the metal bust that looked like Pam, down to the color of her hair and the blouse she was presently wearing. Her blue eyes were very vivid.
Pam looked at her wooden block, globular glass paperweight, and metal ball and seemed to shrink in on herself.
"You've obviously worked on conjuring before," Cal said, implying his question.
"Yes, sir. It was most of the last two or three months for last term before we took our OWLs," he answered.
"I see," he said slowly then looked at Pam and back to Harry. "My apologies. I'd assumed a course schedule like ours and I see now that's not true. Pam won't take her OWLs until the middle of this year, or in about another three months."
"Other than lots of revising, they're not that bad," Harry told her. "I found the practical portion fairly easy, but I've always been better at doing spells than the theoretical. Hermione is amazing at the research and theoretical."
Cal smiled and joked. "Maybe I should have you teach this part then."
Harry shrugged and looked at Pam. "That's," he gestured at her objects, "what we did at the beginning too." He saw her relax a little. "Honestly, I think it's mostly a matter of visualizing very carefully then a lot of practice. Consider not only how it looks, but what it's like - you know, how it's made up. If it has texture, smell, even a taste. Transfiguration and especially conjuring is really mostly an exercise in visualization and then getting your magic to do it."
Cal chuckled. "A very nice summary, Harry. Does that help, Pam?"
"A little." She put the rose back on Harry's desk reluctantly and then vanished her first try. Taking her time, she tried again and also conjured a very passable miniature surfboard, a glass rolling pin that wasn't quite symmetrical, and a large nail.
Her father stepped forward and looked closely. "Yes, much better. The surfboard is very good. The rolling pin is good here, but you faltered a touch on the other end." He picked the nail up and dropped it and it sounded like a real nail. "Very usable and good work. Try the rolling pin again."
"Harry, what else that's advanced can you do?" Cal asked.
"I don't know. I done everything for my OWLs. I guess my Patronus is the hardest thing I can do," he said with a shrug.
"You can do a Patronus, a corporeal Patronus?" Cal asked shocked.
"What's a Patronus?" Pam asked.
Harry jabbed his wand towards the other side of the room as he thought about last Christmas with Sirius and what it would be like to really kiss Pam. "Expecto Patronum!" His usual stag burst forth and looked around and stood there.
Being closest, Pam reached out and touched the flank of the stag. "Oh my," she said in amazement and continued to pet it until Harry let it go. "It was so pretty and amazing, but what's it for?"
"Dementors, Lethifolds, and other creatures of that kind," Harry said. "You don't want to be around them if you can help it."
Cal shook himself. "Quite right. Fire is handy substitute but not as good to run them off with. That," he looked at his daughter, "is an optional project for your final year. Only a quarter to a third of all magicals can create one. Thank you for the demonstration, Harry. I assume you learned that for your OWLs?"
"No, sir. I learned it in third year because I had to in order to protect myself. I drove off nearly a hundred Dementors in order to save my godfather and myself at the end of that year." Harry shook his head. "I've had to use it a few other times as well against Dementors."
"I'm sorry," Cal said quietly. "No one your age should have to run into those. However, I'm very impressed you can do that."
"I survived," Harry said just as quietly.
"Perhaps you can help Pam with her conjuring while I look at her homework." He held out his hand, which caused Pam to hand over several pages of paper.
Harry grinned and scooted his desk over next to hers. "Try the rolling pin again and think about the whole thing carefully before you do it."
— — —
Harry walked Pam back from dinner with the Grangers. He'd let them go on to the hotel while he walked Pam down the beach slowly towards her house.
"Thank you, Harry, that was very nice of you to pay for my dinner. You didn't have to," she told him.
"Sure I did, it was a date, at least to me," he smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders.
"I guess it was and I did enjoy it," she told him. "I liked talking to your friend Hermione. You're right, she is very smart. I can see why you like her parents too."
Pam looked at him for a moment. "You call me amazing but you are too. I've never seen a boy impress both of my parents and on the same day." She giggled lightly. "I think they actually like you."
"That's good, but do you like me?" he asked, hoping.
She stopped next to the single tall stand for the lifeguard, who was long gone since it was several hours after dark. "I think I do."
He moved closer and put his arms around her loosely. "You only think?"
"Well, I suppose we should make sure one way or the other." She pulled him closer and they kissed fully. No pecks, no surprise, just a full kiss that turned into a long one before they separated.
"It was as good as I imagined," he told her breathily.
Pam giggled again. "I agree. One more before you really take me home."
"I've heard three is a very magical number," he whispered before he leaned in again.
After the third kiss, she gently pushed him back. "I can't be out all night or you'll ruin your good impression," she told him.
He sighed but stepped back and put his arm around her waist and continued walking her home, which wasn't too far away. In fact, they were at her front door far faster than he liked.
"Will you come join me for another run tomorrow? We can surf tomorrow afternoon too. It will probably be the last time this season as a cooler wave of weather is coming in day after tomorrow, or so the forecast says." She had a pleading look, one he couldn't refuse.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning." He stole a quick kiss that she didn't seem to mind before he let her go and she went inside. With a smile he turned for his hotel and considered the evening.
As he approached the front door of the hotel, he heard, "It must have been a good kiss, Harry."
Surprised, he looked over and saw Hermione sitting by herself on a bench with a book, obviously waiting on him. He sauntered over and sat next to her, very aware of his broad self-satisfied smile. "Your observation skills are spot on."
"It's probably none of my business, but what is it between you and her?" his friend asked.
"I don't know, Hermione." He considered the question and she let him. "She's just amazing, like someone I've been searching for but didn't know it. Finding her has been like finding Sirius, sort of. I like her parents too.
"Oh, she says you're smart and likes your parents also," he told her.
"Thank you." Hermione studied him for a moment. "What happens when you have to leave in a week and a half? I'm not trying to upset you, but I do think you should consider that for yourself and for her."
That sobered him quite a bit. "I don't know, but I know I get to spend the day with her tomorrow and we're going surfing again. I don't think it could get any better considering we're still getting to know each other. On the other hand, it does give me an idea…thanks Hermione!"
"Wait! What?!" she grabbed his arm as he stood so she had to as well. "I know that look, Harry Potter. You're about to get into trouble; I can tell."
He shrugged. "It's just an idea, a rather crazy Gryffindor'ish idea that I probably won't do, but it is fun to think about. Shall we go up?" He walked to go into the hotel.
"Harry, what?" she called after him and she followed, but he answered her only with a smile which infuriated her, even after they were back in the suite where her parents watched in amusement as Hermione nagged him to answer her.
(A/N: There's your start and a teaser. :-)