¤*~ Spring Break in SoCal Chapter Eight!!
Disclaimer: Do I even need a disclaimer? Why would I own Hp?
A/N: Yeah, I know: I took a super long break from ff.net. But during that break I rewrote chapters 3, 6 and 7. Go read them!! They're a lot less sappy!! And follow the plot better!! Okay, now I'm rambling…On with the story!
"Harry! Not yet!" yelled Hermione as she bounced happily atop the translucent red cube of Jell-O, "I want to bounce for just a little while longer!"
Harry squirmed impatiently. "But it's my turn! You've been on for nearly ten minutes! Okay, fine…I'll go down that giant rainbow slide over there." Harry frolicked over to a steep, towering rainbow slide and scurried up the ladder. "Watch me go, Mione!" He sat momentarily atop the platform, then propelled himself down. Halfway down, he tumbled off the edge of the slide and rapidly fell towards the shiny green grass. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he –
"Harry! Wake up! The plane is landing!" Harry was shaken awake to stare into two large grayish-blue eyes.
"What time is it?" Harry groggily noticed that Ginny had changed into a new outfit.
"Like nine in the morning. Go get dressed. And brush your hair, it looks like a bird's nest."
"You sound like my aunt," grumbled Harry as he pulled a collared shirt and a pair of khaki pants out of his weathered green bag. He shuffled sleepily down the aisle.
Ginny rolled her eyes and checked her makeup in her compact mirror. 'Perfect', she thought. 'Now to review the outfit. Blue halter from Abercrombie and Fitch, good. Gap jean cutoffs…are they short enough? Does my butt show? Oh, just a little. Good.' She smiled and a sparkle glinted off her pearly white teeth. 'I could be in Teen Witch,' she thought hautily. Just then Harry walked back to the seat. He had already gotten dressed, and apparently he had fully woken up. He sat down next to Ginny, who was applying an extra layer of gloss to her pink sparkly lips. She glanced over to him, and ran her hand through his hair.
"Do you even own a brush?" She tried in vain to comb his hair to one side.
"There's no point. It just doesn't work," answered Harry.
"Have you ever tried gel?" Ginny pulled a blue bottle out of her bag.
"No…why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Here, let me comb some through your hair." She squirted a jiggling dollop of the blue viscous gel into her hand.
Harry repulsed himself from her reaching hand. "I don't want my hair to get hard and crispy."
"It won't. This gel is special." She combed her gel-covered fingers through his soft, thick hair. Suddenly his hair shifted into a current of organization.
Harry stared at her uneasily. "What did you just do?" He gingerly touched his hair. It was soft as usual, but it had some sort of order and direction.
Ginny beamed proudly at her accomplishment. She feverishly tapped the heads of the two passengers in the seat in front of her. Annoyed, Ron and Hermione turned and sat up in their seat to face her.
"What?" asked Hermione. She looked over to Harry and gasped. "Y-your hair…"
Hearing this shocked statement, Ron glanced to the object of Hermione's astonishment. "What did you do to it?" Ron closely examined Harry's hair with squinting eyes
"Ginny put some weird gel in it. Does it look okay?" answered a smiling Harry.
"It looks great!" exclaimed Hermione. Ginny replaced the bewitched hair gel to her bag.
A sudden rocking of the plane silenced the four chattering teens. A man's voice came on over the loudspeakers.
"Thank you for flying with English-American Airlines. You may exit through the door on your left."
Several passengers cheered. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny collected their various bags and followed the line of passengers out the door and down the ramp leading into San Diego airport in Lindbergh Field. As soon as they emerged into the busy airport gate, bright morning sunlight pierced their shielded eyes.
"Harry Potter! Harry, is that you?" exclaimed a high-pitched voice with an American accent.
Harry looked squinted against the streams of sunlight to see a tan girl with blond curly hair standing next to a tall, tanned, muscular golden- haired boy and a pale, freckled, green-eyed girl with dark-blond hair. The curly-haired girl smiled and waved excitedly. Harry smiled and walked up to her with his entourage of three curious teens following him.
"Hullo, I'm Harry." He introduced himself with a smile and held out his hand.
The curly-haired girl, who Harry took to be Calista, squeaked excitedly and hugged him. "You are like so way much hotter than I imagined you'd be!" She let go of a somewhat shocked and blushing Harry to introduce him to her friends. "This is Mike," she said, motioning towards the grinning boy who looked like he had walked straight out of a magazine, "and this is Sandra Fernandez," she added with a flourish, pointing towards the green-eyed girl. Harry smiled and accepted a friendly hug from Sandra.
Harry decided it was time to introduce his friends. "This is Ron, Hermione, and Ginny." Sandra and Calista didn't waste time running up to hug Ron. "These girls are rather flirtatious, eh?" whispered Ron in Harry's ear. Harry nodded justifiably.
Calista led the group outside to the airport's loading zone and into a large red van, which was running in neutral outside the sliding doors of the airport. Once inside, Calista introduced Harry to her brother Alex (who was driving), and initiated a conversation with her guests.
"So Ginny, Harry told me in his letters that Ron is your brother." shouted Calista over the radio, which was blaring the music of a popular alternative band.
"Unfortunately," responded Ginny with a laugh. Ron's attention was piqued, and he honed in on the conversation.
"Aren't you pissed that you have to spend spring break with your older brother? I mean, you can't flirt with any hot guys or anything," asked Sandra lightheartedly. Ron frowned.
"I have my ways," answered Ginny mischievously. Hermione laughed.
"You can always flirt with me," joked Mike, who was leaning past the side of the front seat to face Ginny. She blushed and ran a nervous hand through her pencil-straight orange hair. She didn't want Ron to hurt this boy like he had done to her past suitors.
Several minutes later, the car parked and seven teenagers clambered out of the back seat. Alex locked the van, and proceeded to walk nonchalantly towards a sprawling white mansion. It faced the dazzling pale sands of Coronado's Central Beach. Near Central Beach lays the famous Hotel Del Coronado, which is flocked to by throngs of tourists every summer.
The young teens ambled awe-struck through the stained-glass-paned French doors of Calista's house. She led them up a marble winding staircase to their rooms. Once settled into their respective rooms, Ginny and Hermione flocked to Ron's room.
"This is so cool," marveled Hermione. Ron agreed.
"That girl must be really rich," said a wide-eyed Ginny, "Where's Harry?"
"He and Calista are picking some lemons from the backyard. Harry said he wanted to make real lemonade," answered Ron with a chuckle, "He can be such a little wanker sometimes. Hey, Ginny…you never told us about what was going on with him back there at the airport."
"He was crying, wasn't he?" stabbed Hermione. She leaned forward towards Ginny expectantly.
Ginny shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Don't be silly…Harry never cries."
"Yes he does," interjected Ron. Ginny stared at him, waiting for the detailed explanation that Ron usually gives after delivering one of his shocking statements. "But only in his sleep. I don't think he realizes that he does, either."
"I remember the first time that I saw him," added Hermione. "It was last summer while I saw staying at your house. It was so weird."
"I agree. It's so uncharacteristic of him."
Ginny listened, wide-eyed, to the conversation that was being held between Hermione and her brother. There was no way Harry could be that messed up, just no way. He didn't seem too sad at the airport- he was crying, but he didn't seem so…sad. At least not like that. Ginny broke off her chain of thought and jumped back into the discussion.
"Well then I'm going to stay up tonight and see if I can hear him."
Hermione stopped talking. She and Ron looked at Ginny quizzically. "Why?"
"Well…I don't know-" she started, but was cut off by Ron.
"Why don't you just talk to him about it?"
"I already tried. He's too closed off. He barely tells me anything," she answered.
"Well then, tonight if he starts crying again, go into his room, wake him up, and ask him about it. That way he has no way to get out of explaining it to you," suggested Hermione.
Heavy footsteps plodded up the flight of stairs leading to the hallway. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were silent when Harry walked into the room. He stared, surprised, at the three forlorn faces for a moment before he spoke.
"Who died?" he joked, trying to ease the odd tension. No one responded, and his smile fell. "Err…Calista and I made some lemonade, it's in the kitchen if you'd like any." He watched silently in the doorway as Ron and Hermione and filed out of the room. He stopped Ginny before she could leave.
"What happened in here? Did Ron and Hermione get in another row?" he asked curiously.
"No…Harry, I have something to ask you."
"What?"
"Why do you- no, nevermind…I'll ask later," she tried to leave again, but once more Harry grabbed her shoulder.
"Just ask me now."
"No, you'll get cross with me for prying."
"No, I won't." Harry walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the mattress, and Ginny strode nervously over and sat next to him.
"Now, what were you going to ask me?" He turned to face her and stared at her attentively. She was silent. "Well? Are you going to ask me the question or not?"
"Not now. Later tonight. I promise I'll ask you, but not now. It isn't the right time."
"Blyme, how important can this question be? What, are you going to ask my hand in marriage? Do you want my kidney?" mused Harry sarcastically. Ginny blushed and ran out of the room. Harry was left sitting on the bed, wondering what in God's name she wanted to ask him.
Disclaimer: Do I even need a disclaimer? Why would I own Hp?
A/N: Yeah, I know: I took a super long break from ff.net. But during that break I rewrote chapters 3, 6 and 7. Go read them!! They're a lot less sappy!! And follow the plot better!! Okay, now I'm rambling…On with the story!
"Harry! Not yet!" yelled Hermione as she bounced happily atop the translucent red cube of Jell-O, "I want to bounce for just a little while longer!"
Harry squirmed impatiently. "But it's my turn! You've been on for nearly ten minutes! Okay, fine…I'll go down that giant rainbow slide over there." Harry frolicked over to a steep, towering rainbow slide and scurried up the ladder. "Watch me go, Mione!" He sat momentarily atop the platform, then propelled himself down. Halfway down, he tumbled off the edge of the slide and rapidly fell towards the shiny green grass. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he –
"Harry! Wake up! The plane is landing!" Harry was shaken awake to stare into two large grayish-blue eyes.
"What time is it?" Harry groggily noticed that Ginny had changed into a new outfit.
"Like nine in the morning. Go get dressed. And brush your hair, it looks like a bird's nest."
"You sound like my aunt," grumbled Harry as he pulled a collared shirt and a pair of khaki pants out of his weathered green bag. He shuffled sleepily down the aisle.
Ginny rolled her eyes and checked her makeup in her compact mirror. 'Perfect', she thought. 'Now to review the outfit. Blue halter from Abercrombie and Fitch, good. Gap jean cutoffs…are they short enough? Does my butt show? Oh, just a little. Good.' She smiled and a sparkle glinted off her pearly white teeth. 'I could be in Teen Witch,' she thought hautily. Just then Harry walked back to the seat. He had already gotten dressed, and apparently he had fully woken up. He sat down next to Ginny, who was applying an extra layer of gloss to her pink sparkly lips. She glanced over to him, and ran her hand through his hair.
"Do you even own a brush?" She tried in vain to comb his hair to one side.
"There's no point. It just doesn't work," answered Harry.
"Have you ever tried gel?" Ginny pulled a blue bottle out of her bag.
"No…why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Here, let me comb some through your hair." She squirted a jiggling dollop of the blue viscous gel into her hand.
Harry repulsed himself from her reaching hand. "I don't want my hair to get hard and crispy."
"It won't. This gel is special." She combed her gel-covered fingers through his soft, thick hair. Suddenly his hair shifted into a current of organization.
Harry stared at her uneasily. "What did you just do?" He gingerly touched his hair. It was soft as usual, but it had some sort of order and direction.
Ginny beamed proudly at her accomplishment. She feverishly tapped the heads of the two passengers in the seat in front of her. Annoyed, Ron and Hermione turned and sat up in their seat to face her.
"What?" asked Hermione. She looked over to Harry and gasped. "Y-your hair…"
Hearing this shocked statement, Ron glanced to the object of Hermione's astonishment. "What did you do to it?" Ron closely examined Harry's hair with squinting eyes
"Ginny put some weird gel in it. Does it look okay?" answered a smiling Harry.
"It looks great!" exclaimed Hermione. Ginny replaced the bewitched hair gel to her bag.
A sudden rocking of the plane silenced the four chattering teens. A man's voice came on over the loudspeakers.
"Thank you for flying with English-American Airlines. You may exit through the door on your left."
Several passengers cheered. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny collected their various bags and followed the line of passengers out the door and down the ramp leading into San Diego airport in Lindbergh Field. As soon as they emerged into the busy airport gate, bright morning sunlight pierced their shielded eyes.
"Harry Potter! Harry, is that you?" exclaimed a high-pitched voice with an American accent.
Harry looked squinted against the streams of sunlight to see a tan girl with blond curly hair standing next to a tall, tanned, muscular golden- haired boy and a pale, freckled, green-eyed girl with dark-blond hair. The curly-haired girl smiled and waved excitedly. Harry smiled and walked up to her with his entourage of three curious teens following him.
"Hullo, I'm Harry." He introduced himself with a smile and held out his hand.
The curly-haired girl, who Harry took to be Calista, squeaked excitedly and hugged him. "You are like so way much hotter than I imagined you'd be!" She let go of a somewhat shocked and blushing Harry to introduce him to her friends. "This is Mike," she said, motioning towards the grinning boy who looked like he had walked straight out of a magazine, "and this is Sandra Fernandez," she added with a flourish, pointing towards the green-eyed girl. Harry smiled and accepted a friendly hug from Sandra.
Harry decided it was time to introduce his friends. "This is Ron, Hermione, and Ginny." Sandra and Calista didn't waste time running up to hug Ron. "These girls are rather flirtatious, eh?" whispered Ron in Harry's ear. Harry nodded justifiably.
Calista led the group outside to the airport's loading zone and into a large red van, which was running in neutral outside the sliding doors of the airport. Once inside, Calista introduced Harry to her brother Alex (who was driving), and initiated a conversation with her guests.
"So Ginny, Harry told me in his letters that Ron is your brother." shouted Calista over the radio, which was blaring the music of a popular alternative band.
"Unfortunately," responded Ginny with a laugh. Ron's attention was piqued, and he honed in on the conversation.
"Aren't you pissed that you have to spend spring break with your older brother? I mean, you can't flirt with any hot guys or anything," asked Sandra lightheartedly. Ron frowned.
"I have my ways," answered Ginny mischievously. Hermione laughed.
"You can always flirt with me," joked Mike, who was leaning past the side of the front seat to face Ginny. She blushed and ran a nervous hand through her pencil-straight orange hair. She didn't want Ron to hurt this boy like he had done to her past suitors.
Several minutes later, the car parked and seven teenagers clambered out of the back seat. Alex locked the van, and proceeded to walk nonchalantly towards a sprawling white mansion. It faced the dazzling pale sands of Coronado's Central Beach. Near Central Beach lays the famous Hotel Del Coronado, which is flocked to by throngs of tourists every summer.
The young teens ambled awe-struck through the stained-glass-paned French doors of Calista's house. She led them up a marble winding staircase to their rooms. Once settled into their respective rooms, Ginny and Hermione flocked to Ron's room.
"This is so cool," marveled Hermione. Ron agreed.
"That girl must be really rich," said a wide-eyed Ginny, "Where's Harry?"
"He and Calista are picking some lemons from the backyard. Harry said he wanted to make real lemonade," answered Ron with a chuckle, "He can be such a little wanker sometimes. Hey, Ginny…you never told us about what was going on with him back there at the airport."
"He was crying, wasn't he?" stabbed Hermione. She leaned forward towards Ginny expectantly.
Ginny shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Don't be silly…Harry never cries."
"Yes he does," interjected Ron. Ginny stared at him, waiting for the detailed explanation that Ron usually gives after delivering one of his shocking statements. "But only in his sleep. I don't think he realizes that he does, either."
"I remember the first time that I saw him," added Hermione. "It was last summer while I saw staying at your house. It was so weird."
"I agree. It's so uncharacteristic of him."
Ginny listened, wide-eyed, to the conversation that was being held between Hermione and her brother. There was no way Harry could be that messed up, just no way. He didn't seem too sad at the airport- he was crying, but he didn't seem so…sad. At least not like that. Ginny broke off her chain of thought and jumped back into the discussion.
"Well then I'm going to stay up tonight and see if I can hear him."
Hermione stopped talking. She and Ron looked at Ginny quizzically. "Why?"
"Well…I don't know-" she started, but was cut off by Ron.
"Why don't you just talk to him about it?"
"I already tried. He's too closed off. He barely tells me anything," she answered.
"Well then, tonight if he starts crying again, go into his room, wake him up, and ask him about it. That way he has no way to get out of explaining it to you," suggested Hermione.
Heavy footsteps plodded up the flight of stairs leading to the hallway. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were silent when Harry walked into the room. He stared, surprised, at the three forlorn faces for a moment before he spoke.
"Who died?" he joked, trying to ease the odd tension. No one responded, and his smile fell. "Err…Calista and I made some lemonade, it's in the kitchen if you'd like any." He watched silently in the doorway as Ron and Hermione and filed out of the room. He stopped Ginny before she could leave.
"What happened in here? Did Ron and Hermione get in another row?" he asked curiously.
"No…Harry, I have something to ask you."
"What?"
"Why do you- no, nevermind…I'll ask later," she tried to leave again, but once more Harry grabbed her shoulder.
"Just ask me now."
"No, you'll get cross with me for prying."
"No, I won't." Harry walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the mattress, and Ginny strode nervously over and sat next to him.
"Now, what were you going to ask me?" He turned to face her and stared at her attentively. She was silent. "Well? Are you going to ask me the question or not?"
"Not now. Later tonight. I promise I'll ask you, but not now. It isn't the right time."
"Blyme, how important can this question be? What, are you going to ask my hand in marriage? Do you want my kidney?" mused Harry sarcastically. Ginny blushed and ran out of the room. Harry was left sitting on the bed, wondering what in God's name she wanted to ask him.
