Chapter 2: Shopping Encounters

Ron had never been to a muggle shopping mall. So when he went to Graffton Shopping center he was a little over taken by it all. Not to mention the strange stairs that moved upward and downward without the use of magic. People going in and out of a compartment that went up and down also without the use of magic. He had never seen something like that in his life. It astounded him.

There were stores everywhere you went… up, down, sideways, across… everywhere you would look there would be some sort of store. This was Hermoine's heaven.

"Whoa… are you sure there are enough shops in this bloody place?" Ron commented.

"More then enough if you ask me." Harry replied

To which Hermione replied, "If you ask me there is barley enough shoe stores, look at this," she says while pointing to a map. "There are only 3 shoe shops, how am I supposed to find the perfect shoes if there are only 3 stores?"

"Good thing that I wasn't asking you." Ron muttered.

"How about we tour the mall and go into the stores as we go along. That way we can see everything." Harry interrupted before the fight could become anything more.

"I don't think its possible for us to see everything no matter what we do. Look at this place, its HUGE!!!" Ron added.

"Why don't we just start at the right and work our way around and then go upstairs for lunch, then afterwards check the other half." Hermione suggested.

"Why right and not left?." Ron voiced out.

"To the right is Simpsons," at the look Ron gave her she answered, "a shoe store. We might as well get through the things we would want to get through first."

"Well, okay then, as long as we don't have to go up those moving stairs I will be fine, I always hated them in Hogwarts… How do they move if they don't have magic anyways?"

"Electricity, my dear Watson, electricity." Harry replied.

Ron used the smile and nod technique that made it seem like he understands but didn't really.

As they were walking towards the shoe store Ron thought he saw someone familiar but the shape quickly disappeared so he figured it must have been something of his imagination since nothing here could possibly be familiar.

"ONWARDS" Hermione dragged Ron and Harry to Simpsons to search for her perfect pair of shoes.

Fred and George were both in the same shock as Ron was when they saw the mall… but they looked at it at a whole other way. They checked it out in a way only the Weasley twins would understand.

"Do you have any idea what we can do with a place like this?"

"I am already ahead of you." And so he was, about to do something, remarkably interesting ….

As Ron and Harry were walking out of Simpsons with Hermiones Bags in their hands, they heard screaming coming from those electric stairs.

Hermione ran out of the Store quickly and stared in horror at the people on the officially screwed escalators. They can see the escalators jerking up and down like it couldn't figure out which direction it is supposed to go.

People who were on the bottom of the escalators were getting knocked off of it and bumping into other people who were near it. Also on the top of the escalators people were getting kicked off and falling onto other people, while the people in the middle were just trying to hang on for their lives. Everyone was screaming for help in fear.

"Is that some kind of ride? Like those things at those park type places where everyone gets scared on purpose?" Ron asked ignorantly.

"Nah-uh." Harry answered in shock.

"So, it's not supposed to happen?"
"Nope…" Hermione answered.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Ron asked.

Harry was the first one to see a blur of red on the top floor. Followed by a strange brown blur… with things looking like dolls attacking…

"What was that?!" Harry points to the top floor.

"I don't think I want to know," Ron replied, "Maybe we should get out of here, I don't think I like these muggle malls anymore."

"Okay, this is definitely not supposed to happen, I think we should split up, I will figure out the escalators since I probably am the only one here that had read MMMT."

"MMMT?"

"Magnificent Muggle Modern Technology, it was part of my muggle studies in the third year before I dropped it."

"Okay fine, lets split."
"How are we going to get up there in this mess?"
"There are some back stairs over to the right over there, by the women's bathroom."

"So, we aren't going up those … things?" Ron asked pointing at the escalators.

"No bloody way."

"Just making sure."

"All right then, lets go."

Since it was Hermione's job to check out the technical aspect of the escalators she had to actually find where the actual room for the electronics of the escalators was… now, normally it wouldn't be a problem but, she couldn't use magic. Minor details….

She ran up to one of the security guards and asked him where it was and if he knew anyone who could fix it…. But all he was able to do was stare at the escalators in shock and point to where a door that was right under the escalators. She took the hint and weaved in and out of the crowed that was starting to increase by the second.

She looked at the door that was the entrance and was shocked to find that it was already open… she found that highly suspicious and realizes who ever messed up with the escalators could be inside…… she opened the door slowly, pulled out her wand and walked in very quietly, only to find a man…….

A man with a very long, and when she says long, she means it, a very long braid with different types of tools at his side.

She points her wand at the man, "Freeze or I will shot."

Harry was leading Ron towards the bathroom but suddenly stopped…

"What's the problem Harry?

"Girls"
"We know that they are a problem, but what's the problem NOW…

Harry points to the girls who were just hanging around right by the stairs, it seemed that there were 100's of them. There were all hugging and kissing each other… RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY!!!! The stairs were crowded, and it was even worse with them all there…

"I am NOT going in there…" Ron looked honestly scared.

"Oh come on, their just girls, nothing to be afraid of."

Ron and Harry continued cautiously towards the girls. Some of the girls start whispering and looking over to them… Ron carefully smiles and waves. One of the girls start squealing…

"Are you sure this is safe?" Ron whispers to Harry.

"I sure hope so," Harry answered.

One of the girls suddenly comes up to Ron…

"Excuse me, a friend of mine was wondering what your name is." The girl in question waves shyly, seems to be the one who was squealing earlier.

Ron clears his throat, "Ron, why?"

The one is question squeals again. Ron backs up a bit.

"We have to get through Ron it's the only way," Harry whispers.

"Well, she wanted to talk to you, but she is just to shy."

"Oh well, we don't really have enough time sooo…." Ron grabed Harry and starts running up the stairs quickly.

"HEY WAIT!!!"

"Why did you do that?" Harry asked as soon as the reached the top of the stairs.

"Because I saw this happen to one of my brothers before, these type of girls are really scary, are they following us?"
"Why would they follow us?"

At that they could hear the clomping of their healed shoes running up the stairs.

"WAIT WE WANNA TALK TO YOU!!!"

"RUN AWAY!!!"

Harry couldn't help it but get a Monty Python Flashback. So they ran for their lives going through people and avoid the killer girls while still trying to hold onto Hermione's bags.

"How the hell are they running in those bloody shoes?!"
"Remind me to ask Hermione, she must know with how many shoes she has!"

They continued running and they just couldn't lose the girls. They took a left near Debenhams, a middle aged department store, and suddenly came to a REALLY crowded food court…

"Why do Muggles always need a place to eat?"
"Beats me…"
"The girls will beat you if we don't run fast enough"

"They aren't chasing me, they are chasing you,"

"Oh Gee, so its my fault that they are chasing us,"
"Of course, I am not the one who grabbed me and started running, am I?"

"You couldn't have grabbed yourself,"

"You know what I mean…."

"Australian Beer is better," some random Australian guy had replayed to what someonehad said. Then miraculously all of the psychotic girls started to crowd around the Australian guy and asking him questions like where he is from (like they didn't know already) and how long he has been here, and other such questions that annoy the hell out of people.

"Wow"

"You sound disappointed…." They were interrupted by another horde of something totally different. A horde of mannequins were chasing scared people all around. Then Harry spotted them, he should have guessed, two red heads, Fred and George, were trying to stop their creations, at least that is what it looked like… or they were running away from a very scary brown haired man holding a gun… he assumed the latter.

Well, its finally here. Sorry about all the bloody wait. It must have annoyed the hell out of you guys. Well, do the usual R&R. This chapter is the second thing I have ever finished. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you are wondering why it took so long let me just say one thing… School. School in another language. That's it. I know its no real excuse but I finally got some time to finish it so here it is. My only finished story is under my name. Sivy. So, go read it if you like Gundam Wing. It's a little angsty song fic. I like lots.

Sivy