Many hours and several cart-fulls later Harry and Hermione were outside a muggle ice-cream parlor enjoying a mountain of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice-cream, when the most sickening voice either of them had ever heard rang through the streets.
"Well isn't that just the cutest thing! Potty and Mudblood out for a day on the town. You know I always said that you and Weasel were made for each other Granger. You know dirt with dirt. But I suppose you two are just as good." Harry and Hermione had both suddenly lost their appetites.
"Malfoy if you ever, and I mean ever, use that name to refer to Hermione again I will personally see to it that you- well lets just say it won't be very comfortable for a while. And don't you ever call her dirt again... oh yeah, and Ron too." Harry looked like all he wanted to do right now was murder Malfoy with his bare hands.
"I'd like to see you try Potter!" Malfoy looked on the verge of laughing.
"Look around you. There's nobody around right now. No teachers, no goons, not even any muggles. I really don't think you want to see me try." Malfoy opened his mouth to say something then looked around and clearly thought better of it, for he closed it rather quickly. Harry smiled up at him and Malfoy walked away in the other direction, a little faster than normal, trying to drown out the laughter that echoed in the deserted streets.
"Ha Ha! Did you see his face?!?!" Harry choked out clutching his ribs.
"Hu Ho! Yeah!" Hermione looked as if she were about to fall out of her chair and was making so much noise that Harry was sure her parents would be able to hear it. Harry on the other hand was laughing so hard he was making no noise whatsoever. In fact the only sign that he was laughing was the look on his face and the fact that he was shaking uncontrollably. They were just about to pay the bill and leave when something crashed into what was left of the half eaten dessert they had been sharing seconds earlier splattering them with soupy ice-cream.
"AHHHHH!" Screamed Hermione. She calmed down considerably when a small white head peeked out of the chocolaty mess that now lay in front of them. "Hedwig!" She said peering into the small black eyes of the snowy white owl. "You scared us!" She looked over at Harry who was giving her a look over the table and blushed. "Well... me anyway." Harry laughed at this.
"Well anyway Hedwig hurry and give us what you have, help yourself to what you're sitting in and leave quickly before anyone sees you." The white owl extended her leg for Harry to take the parchment and nibbled at the ice cream when Harry had taken it. She looked at Harry in disgust. "Sorry girl, it's all I have." So Hedwig left and from the looks of it was a little upset that she had brought the letter all the way to Harry without a treat for her efforts.
"She looks a little upset." Hermione commented watching her fly away.
"She'll be okay." Harry wasn't in the least worried. "Let's see what this says... Oh its for you." Harry replied opening the letter.
"Who's it from?" Hermione questioned.
"Umm... your mum."
"Oh thanks." Harry handed her the letter. "Lets see it says...
Hermione-
Good Morning! You know it would've been nice to say that to your face. Well, no matter I do hope you're having a good time wherever you are. Anyway your Hogwarts letters came while you were out so I decided to send them along with Hedwig in case you were anywhere near Diagon Alley. Oh yes and your friend Ronald called. Nice boy but you simply must teach him how to use a phone! He nearly blew my ear off. Almost gave me a heart attack! He said he'd be going to Diagon Alley today around four and for you to meet him there if you could. Well see you soon!
Mum
You know this is going to sound weird but I completely forgot about Ron!" Hermione confided finishing the letter.
"No it doesn't because I forgot all about him too." Harry looked at Hermione. "Well we'd better get going if we want to catch Ron. It's already" He looked at his watch. "3:30."
"Okay lets go." When they got to Diagon Alley they waited outside the Leaky Cauldron for Ron to arrive.
"Harry! Hermione!" They'd know that voice anywhere.
"RON!" Hermione screeched, throwing herself on him in an exact replica of what she had done to Harry the first time she had seen him.
"Uhh... Hermione... you're choking me!" Ron spluttered out.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Hermione jumped off him and started dusting him off.
"Wow Hermione! What happened to you?" Ron exclaimed.
"You like it?" Hermione asked self-consciously.
"Yeah Hermione! You look Hot!" Ron laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Harry or I fell for you!" Harry and Hermione looked at each other and quickly looked away. Harry felt like strangling Ron. He and Hermione had been having a great time and had even forgotten about the night before and Ron came and messed it up in two seconds making them feel very uncomfortable again. Ron seemed to notice their discomphort. "Oh come on I was just kidding. Harry and I aren't going to fall for you. You're our best friend! Right Harry?" Ron looked at Harry.
"Right." Harry replied half-heartedly.
"Hermione!" Harry turned around it was Ginny, the youngest of the Weasleys.
"Ginny!" Hermione replied in turn. They hugged each other. Hermione and Ginny had become very good friends since the Quidditch World Cup in their fourth year.
"Hi Harry!" Ginny turned to him and gave him a hug too. She had given up on all hope of him becoming her boyfriend last year and was acting much more normal around him.
"Hey Gin!" Harry said. "You wanna join us?"
"Sure!" And with that the four of them set off up the Cobblestone Street.
"Well isn't that just the cutest thing! Potty and Mudblood out for a day on the town. You know I always said that you and Weasel were made for each other Granger. You know dirt with dirt. But I suppose you two are just as good." Harry and Hermione had both suddenly lost their appetites.
"Malfoy if you ever, and I mean ever, use that name to refer to Hermione again I will personally see to it that you- well lets just say it won't be very comfortable for a while. And don't you ever call her dirt again... oh yeah, and Ron too." Harry looked like all he wanted to do right now was murder Malfoy with his bare hands.
"I'd like to see you try Potter!" Malfoy looked on the verge of laughing.
"Look around you. There's nobody around right now. No teachers, no goons, not even any muggles. I really don't think you want to see me try." Malfoy opened his mouth to say something then looked around and clearly thought better of it, for he closed it rather quickly. Harry smiled up at him and Malfoy walked away in the other direction, a little faster than normal, trying to drown out the laughter that echoed in the deserted streets.
"Ha Ha! Did you see his face?!?!" Harry choked out clutching his ribs.
"Hu Ho! Yeah!" Hermione looked as if she were about to fall out of her chair and was making so much noise that Harry was sure her parents would be able to hear it. Harry on the other hand was laughing so hard he was making no noise whatsoever. In fact the only sign that he was laughing was the look on his face and the fact that he was shaking uncontrollably. They were just about to pay the bill and leave when something crashed into what was left of the half eaten dessert they had been sharing seconds earlier splattering them with soupy ice-cream.
"AHHHHH!" Screamed Hermione. She calmed down considerably when a small white head peeked out of the chocolaty mess that now lay in front of them. "Hedwig!" She said peering into the small black eyes of the snowy white owl. "You scared us!" She looked over at Harry who was giving her a look over the table and blushed. "Well... me anyway." Harry laughed at this.
"Well anyway Hedwig hurry and give us what you have, help yourself to what you're sitting in and leave quickly before anyone sees you." The white owl extended her leg for Harry to take the parchment and nibbled at the ice cream when Harry had taken it. She looked at Harry in disgust. "Sorry girl, it's all I have." So Hedwig left and from the looks of it was a little upset that she had brought the letter all the way to Harry without a treat for her efforts.
"She looks a little upset." Hermione commented watching her fly away.
"She'll be okay." Harry wasn't in the least worried. "Let's see what this says... Oh its for you." Harry replied opening the letter.
"Who's it from?" Hermione questioned.
"Umm... your mum."
"Oh thanks." Harry handed her the letter. "Lets see it says...
Hermione-
Good Morning! You know it would've been nice to say that to your face. Well, no matter I do hope you're having a good time wherever you are. Anyway your Hogwarts letters came while you were out so I decided to send them along with Hedwig in case you were anywhere near Diagon Alley. Oh yes and your friend Ronald called. Nice boy but you simply must teach him how to use a phone! He nearly blew my ear off. Almost gave me a heart attack! He said he'd be going to Diagon Alley today around four and for you to meet him there if you could. Well see you soon!
Mum
You know this is going to sound weird but I completely forgot about Ron!" Hermione confided finishing the letter.
"No it doesn't because I forgot all about him too." Harry looked at Hermione. "Well we'd better get going if we want to catch Ron. It's already" He looked at his watch. "3:30."
"Okay lets go." When they got to Diagon Alley they waited outside the Leaky Cauldron for Ron to arrive.
"Harry! Hermione!" They'd know that voice anywhere.
"RON!" Hermione screeched, throwing herself on him in an exact replica of what she had done to Harry the first time she had seen him.
"Uhh... Hermione... you're choking me!" Ron spluttered out.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Hermione jumped off him and started dusting him off.
"Wow Hermione! What happened to you?" Ron exclaimed.
"You like it?" Hermione asked self-consciously.
"Yeah Hermione! You look Hot!" Ron laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Harry or I fell for you!" Harry and Hermione looked at each other and quickly looked away. Harry felt like strangling Ron. He and Hermione had been having a great time and had even forgotten about the night before and Ron came and messed it up in two seconds making them feel very uncomfortable again. Ron seemed to notice their discomphort. "Oh come on I was just kidding. Harry and I aren't going to fall for you. You're our best friend! Right Harry?" Ron looked at Harry.
"Right." Harry replied half-heartedly.
"Hermione!" Harry turned around it was Ginny, the youngest of the Weasleys.
"Ginny!" Hermione replied in turn. They hugged each other. Hermione and Ginny had become very good friends since the Quidditch World Cup in their fourth year.
"Hi Harry!" Ginny turned to him and gave him a hug too. She had given up on all hope of him becoming her boyfriend last year and was acting much more normal around him.
"Hey Gin!" Harry said. "You wanna join us?"
"Sure!" And with that the four of them set off up the Cobblestone Street.