CHAPTER THREE

Island culturE

For the first time in a long time, Harry finally felt relaxed.  He, Ginny, and Sirius sat on bar stools in a small shack-sized restaurant.  The food was good.  He wasn't exactly sure what he was eating, but it tasted sweet and sour all at the same time.  The company was good too.  Ginny had always been a friend of Harry's, and eating a meal with Sirius made him feel like he was finally part of a family.

Ginny excused herself to the restroom, leaving Sirius and Harry alone at the bar.  "Are you having a good time, Harry?" he asked.

Harry nodded.  "It's been really great, Sirius.  I couldn't have asked for a better vacation."

Sirius smiled a genuine smile.  "You know, I was thinking, hopefully by the time the winter holidays roll around I'll have my own place – not a cave this time," he chuckled.  "Or would you rather spend Christmas at Hogwarts this year instead of with me?"

"Do you even have to ask?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Good.  I feel bad that I've imposed on Molly and Arthur for all this time, but I just needed to start living like a real human being again.  Not a mangy old mutt."

"I reckon Ron's mom was happy to have you there, anyways, Sirius," Harry said.  "You finally got Mr. Weasley to make that new addition onto the burrow.  She said she's been waiting for a whole year to have it magicked up correctly."

"And I finally have my own room," Ginny said, returning from the girl's bathroom.  "It's been terrible sharing a room with Ron ever since the old one collapsed.  He snores something awful."

Harry grinned.  "I know."

Sirius let out a satisfied sigh.  "Well, I'm ready to hit the beach again.  What about you two?" he asked.

Harry checked his watch and glanced at Ginny.  "I don't know.  D'you think we've given them enough time?"

"Enough time for what?" Sirius questioned, completely oblivious.

Ginny and Harry exchanged private smiles.  "I think it's safe," Ginny said, and stood up from the stool.

Sirius pulled out his wallet and fingered the various bills.  "This is all so confusing.  Galleons and Knuts and Sickles to Muggle money, and what's worse, it's American.  I have no clue what kind of tip to leave."

"Hermione'd know," Harry said.  "I think you should leave three of the lowest bills."  He turned to Ginny.  She shrugged.  The Weasley family was not known for it's education of muggle culture.

Sirius went on Harry's estimate and the three of them headed back towards the beach.  The sun was at its highest peak and the traffic on the beach was as heavy as ever.  Children were running, building sand castles.  Others were playing numerous games, like volleyball or Frisbee, and some were having cookouts on the grills that were strategically placed along the shoreline.

When they finally reached the blanket, Harry's feet were on fire.  He quickly took off his sandals and stood on his towel.  Ginny collapsed on the blanket, next to Hermione, who had stopped reading her book and was leaning up against the palm tree, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked.

"In the water," she replied tonelessly.

            Ginny shook her head.  "It went that bad, huh?"

            Hermione turned to her in surprise.  Then she frowned.  "It was worse."

            Harry decided to go see how his other counterpart was holding up.  He took off his glasses and his white undershirt, a little self-conscious, and made a quick beeline for the water before his toes caught on fire.

            He spotted Ron a little farther out in the distance.  Harry stepped into the cool ocean water and made his way Ron.  He was floating on his back as the waves brought him closer and closer to shore.

            "You're really going to get a sunburn out here, you know."

            Ron's eyes flew open.  He tried to sit up in the water, but instead went underneath and got a mouthful of water.  He sputtered for a moment before regaining his bearings.  "Thanks a lot, Harry."

            Harry smiled.  "So what happened?"

            Ron sighed.  "I don't want to talk about it."

            "Did she say no?"

            "Not exactly."  Ron shrugged.  "It wasn't a 'no.' It was more of a 'not now' kind of thing."

            Harry stayed silent, knowing full well with what kind of feelings Ron was dealing with.  He'd had that same conversation with Cho.

            "Women."  That summed it up for the both of them.

            Harry ducked under the water to cool off, getting his dark hair wet.  When he came up, it covered his eyes and pulled it away, revealing his legendary lightening bolt scar.

            Ron was staring at him.  "What?"

            "Maybe you shouldn't do that – let everybody see your scar.  They might ask you about it.  I mean, we're surrounded by curious muggles."

            Harry shrugged.  "I suppose you're right."

            Suddenly, there was an uproar from one of the half-hidden coves along the coastline.  People were screaming and there were masses of hooting and hollering.  The waves were a lot bigger on that side of the beach.  It looked like hundreds of men and women were riding flat wooden boards into shore.

            "Whoa!  Harry, did you see that?"

            "I can't see a thing," Harry grumbled.  "I don't have my glasses on and my hair is in my face."  But he turned to the direction that Ron was pointing in.

            "What are they doing?"

            "They're surfing.  I saw a competition on the television back at the Dursley's once.  The professionals – the people who do it for a living – ride waves that are fifteen feet."

            "Wicked!" Ron exclaimed.  "D'you reckon we can try it?"

            "I don't know.  Not with fifteen foot waves."

            "C'mon Harry, it'll be fun.  Let's go see where we can get those board things."

            "Surfboards."

            "Right."

            Harry followed Ron back up to the beach where Ginny, Hermione, and Sirius were laying in the sun.  "Aren't you going to go into the water?" Ron asked.

            "Eventually," Ginny replied.  "It's not hot enough yet."

            Ron rolled his eyes in Hermione fashion.  "Sirius, Harry and I were wondering if we could try… Um… I forgot what it was called."

            "Surfing," Harry interrupted and pointed over to the cove of surfers.  "You stand up on a board and ride the waves into the shore."

            "Isn't that sort of dangerous?" Hermione questioned.

            "Not if we could get some lessons or something," Harry replied.  "I bet if we go back to that rental shop, they'd let us rent some surfboards – the boards you stand up on – and gives us some lessons."  Surfing sounded like just the thing Ron needed to get his mind off Hermione, and Harry was also anxious to try something new and exciting.

            Sirius looked from the surfers to the boys, then back again.  "I don't know.  What do you say girls?"

            "I'm in," Ginny said.  "I've always wanted to learn a muggle sport."  She turned to Hermione.  "What about you?"

            She shrugged.  "It looks like fun, I guess.  As long as no one gets hurt or anything."

            "Now she's worried about me getting hurt?" Ron muttered.

By & © 2002 spazzoid3@yahoo.com