Chapter 5! Ah yes, the long-awaited chapter five. This one will have loads
of British slang in it, thanks to the British water polo player (major
hottie!) from the school Eton (Prince William's school- in fact, he was
also on the water polo team, but there wasn't high-enough security for him
to come) that oh-so-recently stayed in my house. So: thank you, James, for
speaking so fast and so full of weird slang that I could pick some up and
mix it into my story.
"Ron! Ron, you were right!" exclaimed Harry, jovially clapping Ron on the back, "She thinks you're a bit of all right! And to think, all this time I thought you were just a silly barmpot, thinking she liked you!"
Ron's was silent for several seconds, gaping in unbelieving shock. Then suddenly the realization of what Harry had just said hit him like a freight train, and he leapt into the air as though he was just stuck by a needle. "Blimey O' Reilly! Oh, that's just bazzin', eh Harry? I knew it! I knew it!"
Harry clapped a hand over Ron's mouth. "Shhh! You can't let her hear you! If she knows that you fancy her, she'll think she can do whatever she wants. Now, if you go about as usual- and maybe even act a bit more standoffish- well, Bob's your uncle and you've got her respect."
Ron nodded behind Harry's large, heavy hand. "Mmm hmm! Mmph, umm hmm bumm mm hmm!" came his muffled exclamation. Harry immediately removed his hand from covering Ron's face. "Harry, you're right! I'm not going to camp it up, but I think I'll- as Percy's weird little American friend says: "play it cool"."
"Simply smashing, Ron. Finally, you and Hermione can be quit being so argumentative and get along," sighed Harry with a relieved grin.
"Argumentative? We're not argumentative!" argued Ron, completely undermining his point.
"Yes you are, you two have thrown more books at each other than I care to remember. Now, if you excuse me, I'll be on my way." Harry bounced up the stairs and arrived in Ron's room. Throwing himself onto his foldaway cot, he stretched like a contented feline. 'Now that THAT episode is over,' he thought sardonically. After several minutes, his thoughts strayed to his own romantic interests. 'What about Ginny? She's much less shy than she used to be, I mean- I like talking to her now that I can really see her personality. But then, what about Raquel? Her Spanish accent makes me so h-' His thoughts were cut short by a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.
He nearly choked on the gum he was chewing. Ginny was standing in the doorway, wearing the most flattering black bikini he could ever have imagined. "H-hi, Gin. What's with the bathing suit?"
She smiled and tossed her hair. "Charlie's taking us to the shore. Put your swim trunks on," she quipped, turning and purposefully wagging her rear as she strolled out of the room.
Immediately after she was out of Harry's visual and hearing range, she dashed into her room where Raquel was anxiously waiting.
"It worked, Raquel! It worked! I walked in and he just gasped, I heard it! Oh, he must think I'm SO hot! Finally, oh, what if he likes me? I could just die! What do I do next?" she asked anxiously, leaping onto the floor next to her friend.
"What you do," began Raquel, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position, "Is be as sexy as you can. Don't throw yourself at him, that would make him think he can take advantage of you. Play hard-to-get. Act like you're the most desirable woman in the universe, but you're just out of his reach. Got it?"
Ginny bounced up and down like an excited child. "I got it! Okay, so you mean demure?"
Raquel screwed up her face in confusion. "Dah-myur? What? I didn't say that. I don't even know that that means."
"Don't worry about it." Ginny popped to her feet, and helped up Raquel. "What bathing suit are you wearing?"
Disappointed, Raquel shook her head. "I can't go. My parents are picking me up at noon, we're going to the zoo with my aunt- she's visiting for the week."
Ginny relaxed her shoulders and groaned. "No, you can't go! Can't you owl them and ask to be picked up later?"
"I'm sorry, I'd totally love to stay longer- but you know my dad. He's so stubborn when it comes to staying at friend's houses. 'No no, Raquelita, shou cannot stay. Your mahter and I are going to deh zoo weet shour Tía Melina, ant shou must come. It would be so rude not to go, shou know dat. Be a good hostess, mija'. "
"That sounds just like your dad," said Ginny with an amused chuckle. "Oh, but still- I hate it when you have to leave."
"Me too, Gin. We can hang out tomorrow night when Aunt Melina goes to dinner with my mother. But for now, I have to pack up my stuff. My parents are coming in," she glanced at her watch, "half an hour." Raquel began plucking various articles of clothing from the clutter in Ginny's room, then moved on to packaging her toothbrush and other toiletries in Ziploc bags. "So how is your Harry doing?" called Raquel from inside the bathroom.
"I swear I'm in love," responded Ginny. "He is the most handsome boy I have ever seen. Oh, guess what happened this morning?"
"What?" called Raquel's hollow-sounding voice, which echoed off the tile walls of the bathroom.
"Well we were both awake at about sunrise, and I'm walking down the hall when he comes out of the bathroom all sexy-dripping-wet in this tiny white towel."
"Ooh!" commented Raquel.
"Yeah, that's what I said! So we start talking, and it turns out he's lost his glasses. Oh, and his eyes are gorgeous without his glasses, they're all lashy and green and sparkly and- Oh, sorry, got off track. So we're talking, and then there's this awkward silence so Harry leaves, but since he can't see he runs into a wall."
"Ha ha ha! I would have liked to see that!"
"That's not the half of it, Raquel," began Ginny, "Listen up: What does a sudden jolt do to a something that's loosely tied around your waist?"
Raquel was silent for a few seconds, then gasped. "You don't mean- it fell off?"
Ginny burst into fits of giggles and began hopping up and down. "It did! It fell off! And I saw EVERYTHING!"
Raquel scampered into the room and mirrored Ginny's excitement. "Was he well-proportioned?"
"Oh baby, yes! He was tremendously-proportioned!" exclaimed Ginny. "You should've seen it, Raquel. You'd be bouncing off the walls."
"Plus, Ginny: did he say that he was cold?" asked Raquel curiously. Ginny nodded. "Do you know what being cold does to- y'know, IT?" Ginny shook her head. "It makes it smaller. So if you thought it was pretty big then, think of what it would be like if he felt normal. And THEN, think of what size it would be if Harry got excited." Ginny's eyes had been growing larger and larger, and finally she squealed in delight.
Harry, who had been standing outside of her door for the last two minutes (he needed to know what time they were planning on leaving), snickered softly to himself. Tremendously proportioned, eh? This was quite a happy day for Harry. 'Hmm,' he thought mischievously, 'Maybe I should mess with their heads just a little bit.' He rapped twice on the door, and immediately both girls fell silent.
"Yes?" called Ginny uncertainly. She hoped to God that it wasn't Harry behind the door.
"It's Harry- can I come in?" He tried his best not to break into laughter when he heard the girl's hushed, worried whispers. ("Do you think he heard us?" "I don't know, I hope not!")
"Erm- yeah, sure. Hold on," she replied seconds later.
"I just need to ask you a question." He decided not to ask about the beach, and instead bring up the subject of the morning's events.
"Okay, come in."
Just before Harry ventured inside, he tore off his shirt and threw it into Ron's room. He knew it was wrong to tease the girls like that, but after what they were saying, how could he not? He slowly strode into the room, trying his best to act oblivious and casual while still reveling in Ginny's reaction. Apparently she had told Raquel to hide, because the dark- haired girl was nowhere in sight.
"I was just getting dressed when I remembered- you know, what happened this morning. You didn't tell anybody about it, right? I mean, it's kind of embarrassing and I've had my share of rumors. Oh, and thanks for finding my glasses for me. I have no idea why I put them in the closet, I must've been sleepwalking or something." He smiled graciously, and Ginny blushed.
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't worry about the whole naked thing. It was just an accident, no harm done," she reassured, tightening the bow in the strings of her bikini top.
"Thanks, Ginny. You're a such a great girl," he said, kissing her on the cheek and patting her shoulder affectionately before he left the room. As soon as the door had closed, Raquel leapt out from under the bed and lunged at Ginny.
"He kissed you! I told you my plan would work!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend in proud excitement. Ginny was frozen in shock and delight, and simply grinned in astonishment while Raquel danced around her.
"He kissed me," she whispered, her eyes as big as dinner plates. Finally it hit her, and she started dancing wildly with her friend. "Woo-hoo! I'm one step closer!"
Downstairs, Hermione had already changed into her swimsuit and was now wearing a pair of denim shorts over the bottom half. Sitting at the coffee table, she sipped from her tea and turned the page of one of her trademark "old, thick books". Meanwhile, Ron was over-doing the "nonchalant" attitude and strutted into the room.
"Hey," he greeted with a low voice, crossing his arms rebelliously and standing over Hermione.
She looked up curiously. "Oh, hello Ron," she said before turning back to her reading.
Ron bit his lip worriedly- she wasn't noticing his new attitude! "So," he began, but immediately cut himself off- his voice was too high and boyish. He cleared his throat and started over. "So," he began in a gruff, manly voice, "Reading, huh?"
Hermione gave him an odd look, and replied, "Yeah, that's what people do with books."
Ron's macho guise faltered for a moment, but he forced it back up. "So I've noticed. You going to the beach?"
She answered by snapping the straps of her bikini top.
He nodded slowly. "Nice suit."
"Thanks," she answered, flipping another page. "Hey, when are we leaving?"
Ron relaxed onto a chair and slumped very low in it, much like the pop stars he had seen on his father's new Muggle-picture-box. "Don't know. Don't care."
By now, Hermione had noticed that Ron was acting differently. "Are you mad at me or something?"
He tried not to appear startled, and ran a large hand through his shaggy red hair. "Maybe. Why do you want to know?"
She blinked twice, and closed the book. "Why are you mad at me?"
He sagged lower in the chair, and almost fell off. "Never said I was mad at you."
"You're acting weird," she remarked. "Are you okay?"
"Not weird. I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine, I'm- erm, cool," he responded, glaring menacingly at the wall.
Hermione was now almost worried for Ron's sanity. "Maybe I should go."
Before Ron could dig himself into a deeper hole, Charlie bounded down the stairs in electric blue swim trunks. "C'mon, kids. We're leaving." Hermione and Ron stood up expectantly as the five remaining Weasley offspring entered the living room. Harry came after the five redheads wearing green board-shorts and white shirt, and seconds later Molly and Arthur walked in through the kitchen. Mrs. Molly Weasley was struggling to carry several chairs, two umbrellas and a large wicker picnic basket, while Mr. Arthur Weasley was minimizing a barbecue and bags of meat and marinade with his wand.
"Molly, you don't need to bring all that stuff. Here, let me put back some of these chairs," offered Mr. Weasley, reaching for his wife's excessive equipment.
She recoiled and hugged the chairs close to her body. "No, the children need them. Just minimize this stuff and I can put it in my purse." Mr. Weasley sighed and charmed the heavy load of items to become a tiny cube.
"C'mon, Mum, let's go!" urged George impatiently.
"Yeah, we have to get back to the shop!" whined Fred.
"Why am I even going with you people? The Ministry is busy enough with You-Know-Who's comeback, and they need my assistance very badly!" complained an ornery Percy Weasley, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses. Fred snorted, and was echoed by George.
"Yeah, right. Percy's a real match for You-Know-Who," remarked a sarcastic twin.
Bill decided to join in the joking. "I can just see it now: Percy throwing staplers and teakettles at the Dark Lord." Everyone but Harry laughed at this, who knew far better than to joke about fighting with Lord Voldemort. After last year's events, he knew he would never stop worrying.
Clearing his throat, Harry asked: "How are we getting there?" The laughter immediately died down, and his host family remembered just who exactly was in the room with them: the Boy Who Lived, the richest, youngest, most powerful wizard who has been through far too much turmoil for his age.
"By portkey," answered Charlie, "Dad got the Ministry to arrange one at the shore."
"But Harry! Guess which beach we're going to?" asked Ginny, who was waiting in a little white skirt with Raquel at the window to watch for her parent's vehicle.
He shrugged. "I don't know, where?"
"Charlie's taking us to his new workplace at Tahiti!" she squealed happily, high-fiveing Raquel. Charlie laughed proudly, then swung his little sister over his shoulder and carried her outside where Mr. Ocejo was now leaning against his expensive car. Bill picked up a giggling Raquel and brought her outside as well.
"Is this yours?" he joked, handing the 14 year old to a tall, well- dressed man with a black goatee and white streaks along the sides of his dark, groomed hair. The thin man smiled and said something with a deep, lulling, accented voice, then received his daughter and placed her in seat of a shiny red Ferrari. Raquel waved as the car sped down the road and out of sight.
Harry, like the rest of the family, was gaping when Bill, Charlie and Ginny strolled back into the house. "A Ferrari? And was her dad wearing Armani?" exclaimed Hermione incredulously.
"I never said that she wasn't well-off, now did I?" said Ginny, crossing her arms defensively. "Anyway, we can leave now that she's gone." At these words, everybody filed out the door and began walking in the bright, late-morning sun towards Stoatshead hill. The parents led, followed by Charlie and Bill, who were trailed by twins (who were teasing Percy). Ron was still attracting curious stares from Hermione, who had no idea why he was trying to strut. Now that Raquel was gone Ginny didn't really have anybody to talk to and so ambled glumly behind the three fifteen year olds. A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione's strange antics were boring Harry, so he waited for Ginny to catch up and then began walking with her.
"Hi," he greeted cheerily, and Ginny looked up. "Aren't you excited for Tahiti?" he asked eagerly, "I mean, it's some kind of tropical paradise, isn't it? Wow! I can't wait to get there! I bet the first thing I'll do is learn to surf, that's what! And then build a sand castle!" He stopped chattering to notice that Ginny still looked sad. "What's the matter?"
She sighed. "My friend's gone, and now I have to hang out with my Mum and her romance novels. So basically, I'm spending my day in Tahiti with "Lone Feather and his Indian Maiden". Tahiti! I should be basking in the sun with a dashing young man, like they showed in last month's Teen Witch magazine."
"Aw, don't worry," soothed Harry. "I can be your dashing young man! I'll put on a grass skirt and serve you margaritas, while you get a spa treatment and are massaged by monkeys in little tuxedos."
Ginny cracked up into laughter. "Oh, for heaven's sake! You're insane, you know that?"
"No, I'm serious!" he continued. "I can even belly-dance for you! Watch this!" Ginny laughed even harder as he began rolling his abdominal muscles and pretending to sing in Arabic.
"Mate, what are you DOING?" Ron had stopped and turned around to witness Harry "belly-dance". "Trying to seduce my sister, are you?" he joked.
"Oh, yes," responded Harry with a chuckle. "How could I not?"
The large group stopped at a dead, rotting piece of wood. "This is it," said Arthur. "Come everybody, it's going to leave any minute." Everyone crowded around and placed a hand on the wood, then suddenly it took off and they fell onto the white-hot sand of Tahiti.
"Ron! Ron, you were right!" exclaimed Harry, jovially clapping Ron on the back, "She thinks you're a bit of all right! And to think, all this time I thought you were just a silly barmpot, thinking she liked you!"
Ron's was silent for several seconds, gaping in unbelieving shock. Then suddenly the realization of what Harry had just said hit him like a freight train, and he leapt into the air as though he was just stuck by a needle. "Blimey O' Reilly! Oh, that's just bazzin', eh Harry? I knew it! I knew it!"
Harry clapped a hand over Ron's mouth. "Shhh! You can't let her hear you! If she knows that you fancy her, she'll think she can do whatever she wants. Now, if you go about as usual- and maybe even act a bit more standoffish- well, Bob's your uncle and you've got her respect."
Ron nodded behind Harry's large, heavy hand. "Mmm hmm! Mmph, umm hmm bumm mm hmm!" came his muffled exclamation. Harry immediately removed his hand from covering Ron's face. "Harry, you're right! I'm not going to camp it up, but I think I'll- as Percy's weird little American friend says: "play it cool"."
"Simply smashing, Ron. Finally, you and Hermione can be quit being so argumentative and get along," sighed Harry with a relieved grin.
"Argumentative? We're not argumentative!" argued Ron, completely undermining his point.
"Yes you are, you two have thrown more books at each other than I care to remember. Now, if you excuse me, I'll be on my way." Harry bounced up the stairs and arrived in Ron's room. Throwing himself onto his foldaway cot, he stretched like a contented feline. 'Now that THAT episode is over,' he thought sardonically. After several minutes, his thoughts strayed to his own romantic interests. 'What about Ginny? She's much less shy than she used to be, I mean- I like talking to her now that I can really see her personality. But then, what about Raquel? Her Spanish accent makes me so h-' His thoughts were cut short by a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.
He nearly choked on the gum he was chewing. Ginny was standing in the doorway, wearing the most flattering black bikini he could ever have imagined. "H-hi, Gin. What's with the bathing suit?"
She smiled and tossed her hair. "Charlie's taking us to the shore. Put your swim trunks on," she quipped, turning and purposefully wagging her rear as she strolled out of the room.
Immediately after she was out of Harry's visual and hearing range, she dashed into her room where Raquel was anxiously waiting.
"It worked, Raquel! It worked! I walked in and he just gasped, I heard it! Oh, he must think I'm SO hot! Finally, oh, what if he likes me? I could just die! What do I do next?" she asked anxiously, leaping onto the floor next to her friend.
"What you do," began Raquel, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position, "Is be as sexy as you can. Don't throw yourself at him, that would make him think he can take advantage of you. Play hard-to-get. Act like you're the most desirable woman in the universe, but you're just out of his reach. Got it?"
Ginny bounced up and down like an excited child. "I got it! Okay, so you mean demure?"
Raquel screwed up her face in confusion. "Dah-myur? What? I didn't say that. I don't even know that that means."
"Don't worry about it." Ginny popped to her feet, and helped up Raquel. "What bathing suit are you wearing?"
Disappointed, Raquel shook her head. "I can't go. My parents are picking me up at noon, we're going to the zoo with my aunt- she's visiting for the week."
Ginny relaxed her shoulders and groaned. "No, you can't go! Can't you owl them and ask to be picked up later?"
"I'm sorry, I'd totally love to stay longer- but you know my dad. He's so stubborn when it comes to staying at friend's houses. 'No no, Raquelita, shou cannot stay. Your mahter and I are going to deh zoo weet shour Tía Melina, ant shou must come. It would be so rude not to go, shou know dat. Be a good hostess, mija'. "
"That sounds just like your dad," said Ginny with an amused chuckle. "Oh, but still- I hate it when you have to leave."
"Me too, Gin. We can hang out tomorrow night when Aunt Melina goes to dinner with my mother. But for now, I have to pack up my stuff. My parents are coming in," she glanced at her watch, "half an hour." Raquel began plucking various articles of clothing from the clutter in Ginny's room, then moved on to packaging her toothbrush and other toiletries in Ziploc bags. "So how is your Harry doing?" called Raquel from inside the bathroom.
"I swear I'm in love," responded Ginny. "He is the most handsome boy I have ever seen. Oh, guess what happened this morning?"
"What?" called Raquel's hollow-sounding voice, which echoed off the tile walls of the bathroom.
"Well we were both awake at about sunrise, and I'm walking down the hall when he comes out of the bathroom all sexy-dripping-wet in this tiny white towel."
"Ooh!" commented Raquel.
"Yeah, that's what I said! So we start talking, and it turns out he's lost his glasses. Oh, and his eyes are gorgeous without his glasses, they're all lashy and green and sparkly and- Oh, sorry, got off track. So we're talking, and then there's this awkward silence so Harry leaves, but since he can't see he runs into a wall."
"Ha ha ha! I would have liked to see that!"
"That's not the half of it, Raquel," began Ginny, "Listen up: What does a sudden jolt do to a something that's loosely tied around your waist?"
Raquel was silent for a few seconds, then gasped. "You don't mean- it fell off?"
Ginny burst into fits of giggles and began hopping up and down. "It did! It fell off! And I saw EVERYTHING!"
Raquel scampered into the room and mirrored Ginny's excitement. "Was he well-proportioned?"
"Oh baby, yes! He was tremendously-proportioned!" exclaimed Ginny. "You should've seen it, Raquel. You'd be bouncing off the walls."
"Plus, Ginny: did he say that he was cold?" asked Raquel curiously. Ginny nodded. "Do you know what being cold does to- y'know, IT?" Ginny shook her head. "It makes it smaller. So if you thought it was pretty big then, think of what it would be like if he felt normal. And THEN, think of what size it would be if Harry got excited." Ginny's eyes had been growing larger and larger, and finally she squealed in delight.
Harry, who had been standing outside of her door for the last two minutes (he needed to know what time they were planning on leaving), snickered softly to himself. Tremendously proportioned, eh? This was quite a happy day for Harry. 'Hmm,' he thought mischievously, 'Maybe I should mess with their heads just a little bit.' He rapped twice on the door, and immediately both girls fell silent.
"Yes?" called Ginny uncertainly. She hoped to God that it wasn't Harry behind the door.
"It's Harry- can I come in?" He tried his best not to break into laughter when he heard the girl's hushed, worried whispers. ("Do you think he heard us?" "I don't know, I hope not!")
"Erm- yeah, sure. Hold on," she replied seconds later.
"I just need to ask you a question." He decided not to ask about the beach, and instead bring up the subject of the morning's events.
"Okay, come in."
Just before Harry ventured inside, he tore off his shirt and threw it into Ron's room. He knew it was wrong to tease the girls like that, but after what they were saying, how could he not? He slowly strode into the room, trying his best to act oblivious and casual while still reveling in Ginny's reaction. Apparently she had told Raquel to hide, because the dark- haired girl was nowhere in sight.
"I was just getting dressed when I remembered- you know, what happened this morning. You didn't tell anybody about it, right? I mean, it's kind of embarrassing and I've had my share of rumors. Oh, and thanks for finding my glasses for me. I have no idea why I put them in the closet, I must've been sleepwalking or something." He smiled graciously, and Ginny blushed.
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't worry about the whole naked thing. It was just an accident, no harm done," she reassured, tightening the bow in the strings of her bikini top.
"Thanks, Ginny. You're a such a great girl," he said, kissing her on the cheek and patting her shoulder affectionately before he left the room. As soon as the door had closed, Raquel leapt out from under the bed and lunged at Ginny.
"He kissed you! I told you my plan would work!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend in proud excitement. Ginny was frozen in shock and delight, and simply grinned in astonishment while Raquel danced around her.
"He kissed me," she whispered, her eyes as big as dinner plates. Finally it hit her, and she started dancing wildly with her friend. "Woo-hoo! I'm one step closer!"
Downstairs, Hermione had already changed into her swimsuit and was now wearing a pair of denim shorts over the bottom half. Sitting at the coffee table, she sipped from her tea and turned the page of one of her trademark "old, thick books". Meanwhile, Ron was over-doing the "nonchalant" attitude and strutted into the room.
"Hey," he greeted with a low voice, crossing his arms rebelliously and standing over Hermione.
She looked up curiously. "Oh, hello Ron," she said before turning back to her reading.
Ron bit his lip worriedly- she wasn't noticing his new attitude! "So," he began, but immediately cut himself off- his voice was too high and boyish. He cleared his throat and started over. "So," he began in a gruff, manly voice, "Reading, huh?"
Hermione gave him an odd look, and replied, "Yeah, that's what people do with books."
Ron's macho guise faltered for a moment, but he forced it back up. "So I've noticed. You going to the beach?"
She answered by snapping the straps of her bikini top.
He nodded slowly. "Nice suit."
"Thanks," she answered, flipping another page. "Hey, when are we leaving?"
Ron relaxed onto a chair and slumped very low in it, much like the pop stars he had seen on his father's new Muggle-picture-box. "Don't know. Don't care."
By now, Hermione had noticed that Ron was acting differently. "Are you mad at me or something?"
He tried not to appear startled, and ran a large hand through his shaggy red hair. "Maybe. Why do you want to know?"
She blinked twice, and closed the book. "Why are you mad at me?"
He sagged lower in the chair, and almost fell off. "Never said I was mad at you."
"You're acting weird," she remarked. "Are you okay?"
"Not weird. I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine, I'm- erm, cool," he responded, glaring menacingly at the wall.
Hermione was now almost worried for Ron's sanity. "Maybe I should go."
Before Ron could dig himself into a deeper hole, Charlie bounded down the stairs in electric blue swim trunks. "C'mon, kids. We're leaving." Hermione and Ron stood up expectantly as the five remaining Weasley offspring entered the living room. Harry came after the five redheads wearing green board-shorts and white shirt, and seconds later Molly and Arthur walked in through the kitchen. Mrs. Molly Weasley was struggling to carry several chairs, two umbrellas and a large wicker picnic basket, while Mr. Arthur Weasley was minimizing a barbecue and bags of meat and marinade with his wand.
"Molly, you don't need to bring all that stuff. Here, let me put back some of these chairs," offered Mr. Weasley, reaching for his wife's excessive equipment.
She recoiled and hugged the chairs close to her body. "No, the children need them. Just minimize this stuff and I can put it in my purse." Mr. Weasley sighed and charmed the heavy load of items to become a tiny cube.
"C'mon, Mum, let's go!" urged George impatiently.
"Yeah, we have to get back to the shop!" whined Fred.
"Why am I even going with you people? The Ministry is busy enough with You-Know-Who's comeback, and they need my assistance very badly!" complained an ornery Percy Weasley, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses. Fred snorted, and was echoed by George.
"Yeah, right. Percy's a real match for You-Know-Who," remarked a sarcastic twin.
Bill decided to join in the joking. "I can just see it now: Percy throwing staplers and teakettles at the Dark Lord." Everyone but Harry laughed at this, who knew far better than to joke about fighting with Lord Voldemort. After last year's events, he knew he would never stop worrying.
Clearing his throat, Harry asked: "How are we getting there?" The laughter immediately died down, and his host family remembered just who exactly was in the room with them: the Boy Who Lived, the richest, youngest, most powerful wizard who has been through far too much turmoil for his age.
"By portkey," answered Charlie, "Dad got the Ministry to arrange one at the shore."
"But Harry! Guess which beach we're going to?" asked Ginny, who was waiting in a little white skirt with Raquel at the window to watch for her parent's vehicle.
He shrugged. "I don't know, where?"
"Charlie's taking us to his new workplace at Tahiti!" she squealed happily, high-fiveing Raquel. Charlie laughed proudly, then swung his little sister over his shoulder and carried her outside where Mr. Ocejo was now leaning against his expensive car. Bill picked up a giggling Raquel and brought her outside as well.
"Is this yours?" he joked, handing the 14 year old to a tall, well- dressed man with a black goatee and white streaks along the sides of his dark, groomed hair. The thin man smiled and said something with a deep, lulling, accented voice, then received his daughter and placed her in seat of a shiny red Ferrari. Raquel waved as the car sped down the road and out of sight.
Harry, like the rest of the family, was gaping when Bill, Charlie and Ginny strolled back into the house. "A Ferrari? And was her dad wearing Armani?" exclaimed Hermione incredulously.
"I never said that she wasn't well-off, now did I?" said Ginny, crossing her arms defensively. "Anyway, we can leave now that she's gone." At these words, everybody filed out the door and began walking in the bright, late-morning sun towards Stoatshead hill. The parents led, followed by Charlie and Bill, who were trailed by twins (who were teasing Percy). Ron was still attracting curious stares from Hermione, who had no idea why he was trying to strut. Now that Raquel was gone Ginny didn't really have anybody to talk to and so ambled glumly behind the three fifteen year olds. A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione's strange antics were boring Harry, so he waited for Ginny to catch up and then began walking with her.
"Hi," he greeted cheerily, and Ginny looked up. "Aren't you excited for Tahiti?" he asked eagerly, "I mean, it's some kind of tropical paradise, isn't it? Wow! I can't wait to get there! I bet the first thing I'll do is learn to surf, that's what! And then build a sand castle!" He stopped chattering to notice that Ginny still looked sad. "What's the matter?"
She sighed. "My friend's gone, and now I have to hang out with my Mum and her romance novels. So basically, I'm spending my day in Tahiti with "Lone Feather and his Indian Maiden". Tahiti! I should be basking in the sun with a dashing young man, like they showed in last month's Teen Witch magazine."
"Aw, don't worry," soothed Harry. "I can be your dashing young man! I'll put on a grass skirt and serve you margaritas, while you get a spa treatment and are massaged by monkeys in little tuxedos."
Ginny cracked up into laughter. "Oh, for heaven's sake! You're insane, you know that?"
"No, I'm serious!" he continued. "I can even belly-dance for you! Watch this!" Ginny laughed even harder as he began rolling his abdominal muscles and pretending to sing in Arabic.
"Mate, what are you DOING?" Ron had stopped and turned around to witness Harry "belly-dance". "Trying to seduce my sister, are you?" he joked.
"Oh, yes," responded Harry with a chuckle. "How could I not?"
The large group stopped at a dead, rotting piece of wood. "This is it," said Arthur. "Come everybody, it's going to leave any minute." Everyone crowded around and placed a hand on the wood, then suddenly it took off and they fell onto the white-hot sand of Tahiti.