The girls were the first ones up the next morning.  The sun came into their room through the window and hit Hermione's eyes as she slept on the top bunk.  The noise she made as she climbed down the ladder woke up Ginny.

"Is it morning already?"  Ginny mumbled.

"Yes!  It's morning in California!"  Hermione said very perkily.

"OOOOOH!  Let's wake the boys!"

Some time later that morning, after everyone was awake ("Geez, Ginny, I would have got up on my own!"  "yeah, but you'd have got up, like, tomorrow.") and they had all eaten cold cereal for breakfast, Charlie made this announcement:

"Surf lessons start in an hour.  Now that Silas guy said he'd provide the boards.  But, I think he's a muggle, so you won't be getting those new Hungby 500 Super Speed Surfboards.  Naw, not today anyway.  Besides, I personally prefer the muggle way of surfing.  It's more of an adventure, almost an art form.  You have to find and catch the wave all by yourself.  And the board doesn't balance itself, so you have to concentrate on that too.  Man, it's really fun.  It'll change your life.  Well, it will if you can stand up.  Otherwise surfing might just bruise you up a bit."

Charlie paused talking for a second to swat a spider.  Ron turned very pale, and was relieved to see the creepy thing thrown out the window.

"What do we wear for surfing?"  Harry asked.

"Well, you guys will wear board shorts or swim trunks, and maybe a rash guard.  Girls you can wear any suit you'd like.  You can also wear Girl's board shorts and rash guards, too. It just depends on your style and what kind of image you want to have."

"Well, we only have bathing suits."  Ginny said, wishing she had more money to accomplish all shopping that needed to get done.

"Well, don't worry.  The pathetic tourist look is very easy to get.  You'll fit right it.  It gets more popular every summer.  Though many tourists like to blend in, and many locals like to let it go.  You really get quite a mix on the beach.  But I wouldn't wear a wetsuit today.  The water is 70, so you really don't need it. "

"70 degrees!"  Ron exclaimed.

"Fahrenheit, Ron.  This is America."  Hermione explained.

They all went to different rooms to change into their suits. 

            Harry wore a really horrible one.  They hit about half way down his thigh and were baggy.  Of course it had been passed down from Dudley.  It was faded red and the tie had been replaced by a piece of string.  The suit was altogether very unattractive and unflattering.  He looked like he had never been to the beach before in his life.  (he hadn't, but that's not the sort of thing you let on about.)  Harry was also very pale.  The English weather, plus being covered up in robes, and then oversize Dudley hand-me-downs hadn't given his skin much exposure.  His muscles were pretty alright though, he thought as flexed into the mirror.  Definitely had bigger muscles than Ron…

            Ron, who was at least wearing board shorts that hit the knee, had very scrawny arms.  He too was pale; red-heads generally come that way. He was also tall and lanky and did not really look like he belonged in a swim suit.   He really had nothing to show off.  His swim suit was a faded blue and white Hawaiian print, the kind of print that never really went completely out of style, but was never really hot.  However, he did have nice hair, he decided.  His red hair fell much smoother that Harry's, and it framed his face in a very nice way.  Speaking about great red hair…

            Ginny brushed out her mane, and thought to herself that it didn't look so silly after all.  It went well with her forest green bikini.  She too was pale, but that can be expected.  They only just arrived in California, and her skin tone was more of the burnable type.  She didn't really tan easily. Ginny was thin, but not scrawny.  She had enough on top to fill out her bikini, but not too much that she felt like she was hanging out.  In fact, she thought, as she turned to look at her rearview, I look hot…

            Hermione too, looked hot.  Although, when you are wearing a bikini, it's hard not to get noticed.    Hermione, however, was not as confident in her look as Ginny was.  Her bikini was blue.  She was tanner that the rest of them, but her hair was still that bushy brown color.  She needed to get in the ocean badly.  When your hair dries with the sun and the salt in it, over time, you get really nice natural highlights.  I need some of those badly, she thought.  I want to be blonder.  Hermione was thin also, though she had broader, more muscular shoulders than Ginny.  She also had more on top than Ginny, but still, it wasn't falling out.  Hermione however, kept noticing things like her un- highlighted hair, and her big shoulders, and her wide thighs, though she was just imagining those.

All four of them emerged from their changing rooms.  They kept their eyes down, until they were outside the house and onto the sandy shore.  They were surrounded by people on the crowded beach.  People of all different sizes, wearing all sorts of bathing suits, just waiting to be checked out, but the four of them were focused on each other.

"Wow, we need tans."  Said Harry, everyone laugh in agreement, and the tense mood broke.  They all pretended to watch the ocean, but they were really interested in stealing glances at each other.  Hogwarts robes had never left so much exposed.

            Harry pretended to be interested in a seagull that had flown behind Ginny, but let's face it; Harry couldn't t care less about the seagull.  It's just a dumb pooping machine anyway.  But how could he have never noticed Ginny before.  I mean, he knew she was nice and funny, but he had never really checked her out before.  What was it about her particular shade of pale skin that didn't make her look out of place on the beach?   Her absence of color almost was refreshing to look at.  After staring at Ginny for while, Harry realized that the seagull had long since flown away, and he immediately began to watch a body boarder do an excellent 360 turn.

            Ginny had noticed Harry watching her.  Sh ewasn't stupid.  She knew she looked pretty good.  What was puzzling was that Harry had seemed to be watching her like he had never seen her before. Does this mean that he… No she thought.  I don't even care anyway. It's not like the famous Harry would actually…Stop it! Ginny snapped out if it again.  She didn't want to go down that road again; but then why was he looking at her?  Hermione looked better.  Ginny looked over at Hermione and noticed that she and Ron were having another argument.  Those two!  Don't they understand each other yet?  Its been, what, six years.  Get it on already!

"Whoa, Hermione, where'd those come from?" Ron blurted.

"Ron!  I can't believe you!" Hermione shrieked, as she moved her arms to cover her chest, (she was also wearing a bikini top, just to clarify, they aren't in Europe, and you have to wear tops at most public beaches in California.)

"What? Hogwarts robes really don't give you much to look at, so I'd never really noticed before." Ron was feeling stupider by the second.  How he have been so dumb.  You should never comment on a woman's body while she's in a bikini.  She's stressed enough as it is without trying to understand what he meant.

"Yeah, well Hogwarts robes cover you up pretty well, too.  But I guess that's an easy task; there really isn't that much muscle to cover." Hermione was confused now too, but angry still. 

"Are you calling me scrawny?"

"Scrawny.  That's a good word."
"Ouch, Hermione.  That was a low blow.  I thought mine could at least be taken as a compliment, I mean, you do have nice, you know, nice, uhh.." 

"That's it. I'm putting on a shirt."  Hermione spun around to go back inside, but Ginny stopped her.  She knew, or at least, had accurately guessed, that Hermione liked Ron.  She also knew her brother, and knew that Ron was horribly shy about expressing his feelings. 

"Hermione, he really didn't mean to offend you.  He really likes you, you know." Ginny whispered.

"He likes me or he likes my body."

"He'd never seen it before now.  But I'd say now he likes both."  

"Really?"

"Yeah, just give him another chance.  Besides, don't you want to see what he says once you get wet?"  Ginny said, hoping to get Hermione to laugh a little.  It worked.

"Girl, you crack me up." Hermione was smiling again.

Charlie emerged from house just then to join them on the sand.  "Follow me guys, the surf camp is down on 21st street.  This beach is 18th.  But there short blocks, and we can walk on the hard sand.  It's easier than trying to move through the soft sand.  Your feet get stuck."

They all walked down the beach, Hermione and Ginny giggling a few paces behind them.  They were making it obvious to Ron and Harry that they were checking out the surfer guys.  "Whoa, I've never a board so big!"

When they got to the camp, a tall, thin man with black hair and blue eyes moved fomr under an umbrella to greet them.

"Hello, I'm Silas.   I run the camp.  What are your names?"

"Ron Weasley"

"Ginny Weasly"

"Ah, I should've guessed that you two were related!  You both have such striking hair!" Silas said, to the pleasure of Ginny and Ron.  Usually they got flak for having red hair.  It identified them as being Weasleys.  But here, nobody knew them.  And it really was  a nice color; especially in the sun.

"I'm Hermione Granger"

"Harry Potter"

Silas reacted very slightly to Harry's name, or had Harry just imagined it.  Harry usually always had people doing double takes hen he introduced himself.  Maybe he had just been expecting Silas to do one.  Besides, Silas was about as muggle as they come.

'Alright, we'll start you on the long boards today, No not those, the foam ones.  You guys don't get fiberglass until you can stand up!"

As they got boards from the pile, Charlie waved goodbye and went back in the direction of his house.

"Now, before you can get in the water, you got to practice the pop up on land.  So lie down on your boards and move you arms like you are swimming.  Good, this is called paddling.  You need to do this you ever make it out past your waist."

Harry felt so embarrassed as he lay his stomach down on the board.  He had fought Voldemort!  HE didn't need to pretend paddle in the sand. 

"Good.  Now your paddling, paddling, paddling, you caught the wave, now twist your feet underneath you and stand up!"

They all tried.  Hermione feel over.  Ginny got up perfectly, Ron and Harry took to slow.

"No, you guys have to really pop!" Silas shouted.  There were other students at the camp as well, but we are not focusing on them right now.

After Silas was reasonably satisfied with their poppage.  He let them tie the leashes onto their feet.

"Remember, you want it go on whatever foot is your back foot when you stand up."

Then he turned them loose into the water.