Chapter 2: Girls Day Out
"Did you want to go shopping with me today while your dad goes in to the office?" Her mum asked as she arrived for breakfast. "I thought you could call Ginny and see if she wanted to come as well. I'm guessing you want some new clothes to show off for this boy that is coming to visit next week."
"Sure, let me floo Ginny and see if she wants to come. She mentioned that she wanted to go shopping in muggle London with me," Hermione said with a smile and hurried off to floo the burrow. Ginny was excited and said she would be there in an hour or so since she had to go Gringotts. "Ginny will be here in an hour she just had to exchange her wizard money."
The three women were off for the mall. Hermione was almost excited to shop just watching how happy Ginny was, and she knew her mum loved shopping. "We need cool clothes to wear to the dance club!" Ginny told Mrs. Granger. "And when Hermione makes Head Girl she doesn't have to wear school uniform if she doesn't want to."
"Don't sound so confidant that I'll get it Ginny, Hannah or one of the other girls might get it instead." Hermione said trying not to get her hopes up. She had always hoped to be head girl and now that the summer was here she knew there was nothing she could do but wait.
"They'd be crazy not to pick you with all your achievements and grades." Her mum said as she steered the girls into Harrods. "Now let's go find some new clothes for you two."
Ginny got sidetracked by the sundresses and was mesmerized by all the patterns and styles. "These dresses are great! So much fun and easy to wear!" She pulled quite a few out to try on. She knew what size she was thanks to their shopping for Tonks wedding. "Oh, Hermione, look at this one, it's great. I bet Gabrielle would love it." It was a black and white dress, mostly white with black print of the different points of interest in Paris. It was a halter neckline that buttoned up the front with red rose shaped buttons and had a red ribbon belt tie.
They each ended up with 3 dresses and they bought the Paris dress in Ginny's size but with the intent to give it to Gabrielle, who could resize it magically. They then headed over to the lingerie section, much to Hermione's embarrassment. "You're a woman now my Mia, you need to dress like one. It is time I introduce you to the wonders of proper undergarments. You too little miss Ginny." Mrs. Granger said ushering the girls around and picking things out. They had the sales lady help measure them to ensure proper fit and left the area with a bag each, full of things that would make the boys stutter and turn red. "Now just because you have pretty under things does not mean you get to show them to anyone other than your female roommates or mother. I don't think you want me to have to mention how boys' minds work."
"Nope, I have 6 brothers. I know better than to even mention I have these or they would lock me away in a nunnery." Ginny said as they laughed and headed to find the girls casual clothes and 'club' clothes. "I need a few pairs of jeans for sure." Ginny told them when they were deciding what clothes were still needed.
"Yeah, me too, plus I need some things to wear in the lab. I'll need dark colors that won't show potions' stains. I can charm them as well, but I don't want to have to wear a skirt while brewing, or at least a short one like our uniforms." Hermione added.
"You should look at some black slacks or jeans then sweetheart. If you can charm them then all you need to worry about is how comfortable they are and if you like how they look," her mom said with a smile as she pulled a pair of black hipster cargo pants from a rack. They found quite a few pairs of neat pants that would work well for school.
"I don't know about this," Hermione said nervously. "It shows a lot more than I'm used to." She was in a pair of fitted black slacks and fitted black button up top. They really accentuated her curves and made her look older.
"You look great Hermione! You'll nock them dead in that and it's practical. The boys might think you're channeling Snape with how much black you're buying, but hey if you look that good in it then I say go for it!" Ginny told her friend.
"I think I understand why he wears so much black now," Hermione commented. "It still doesn't account for why he wears nothing but black, but for potions class I can understand." Hermione ended up with 5 different pairs of black pants, and 3 pairs of dark blue jeans along with 6 different dark colored shirts (3 black, 1 deep forest green, 1 deep blood red, 1 deep purple). Her mum also made her pick up some flirty tops to wear in other classes and normal fun jeans. They also bought her some long skirts to complete the casual wear.
"On to club clothes!" Ginny said excited. Hermione and her mum just laughed at how exuberant the red head was. "I want to get some stuff that will make Harry's heart stop."
"Mum is it ok if we keep on shopping?" Hermione asked knowing how much money they had already spent. Her parents had plenty of money but she never expected her mum to let her get a whole new wardrobe.
"Hun, you need the clothes. You always hated shopping before and haven't had anything you really liked in a while. I'm glad you finally care about your appearance, at least a little bit. Now come on there is this new boutique I saw last week that has all the latest in cute club clothes." Mrs. Granger told the girls as they stopped of at the car to get rid of the bags they were carrying before heading to the new boutique.
"This place is great!" Ginny said excitedly as she hurried in and started pulling stuff down to try on. It was no surprise when the first thing in her hand was a black and purple plaid skirt with matching purple corset top. Mrs. Granger was a lot of fun to shop with; she had the perfect eye for putting together outfits. They were in the store for two hours and had a mound of stuff they wanted to buy. "Now comes the hard part, I have to decide which ones I really want," Ginny fake pouted while counting her remaining money to see how many of the outfits she could afford. They laughed while they decided which ones were essential and which ones they could live without.
Ginny had narrowed it down to the 5 outfits she liked best and was debating between buying the 6th and the pair of boots she had seen in Diagon Alley that morning. "They were awesome boots Hermione. They were black that laced up all the way to almost your knee with silver details and a wand holster. Plus they had built in cushion and repelling charms and you can change them to silver or brown." She was holding her last outfit lovingly as she told about the boots and Hermione laughed.
"Those boots sound like a much better purchase to me," Mrs. Granger added. "Why don't we put this on hold and we'll go to Diagon Alley and look at the boots. If you decide you want the outfit we can come back and get it. I think Hermione needs a new pair of boots as well, what do you say?" Ginny grinned and hugged Mrs. Granger while Hermione laughed and handed her stuff to her mum to buy so she could go to the bathroom. Ginny hurried and paid for her stuff so she could go to before they headed to Diagon Alley.
They drove to the Leaky Caldron and hurried through the barrier. Hermione was always impressed with how well her parents handled Diagon Alley. She thought it would be overwhelming to them but they just treated it like any other shopping area. "Hey girls!" Mrs. Granger called out, "They're putting out new robes in Madame Malkins, want to go look quick?"
They hurried into the store to see the new display of robes. "Hello Miss Weasley, Miss Granger," Madame Malkin said hurrying over to help the minister's daughter and closest friends of Harry Potter.
"Hello Madame Malkin, this is my mum," Hermione said introducing them. "We saw the new display and though we'd stop in."
"I'm glad you did dears, I ordered a special over robe thinking especially of you Miss Weasley." Madame Malkin ran off to the back room to bring out the robe.
Hermione's mum raised her eyebrow in question of the preferential treatment. "Now that Mr. Weasley is Minister of Magic people treat her a little different. Plus we are both friends with Harry and he likes to spend money on his friends." Hermione said with a chuckle.
"Here you go dear, what do you think of this one?" Madame Malkin asked showing Ginny an iridescent deep purple over robe. It was a lot like a cloak but more light weight. It would be perfect to wear out before they went to the club. It was lined in deep purple satin and the outer side was iridescent purple crushed velvet. Ginny was in awe of the robe, it was exactly to her tastes.
"Oh, it's perfect," Ginny said in hushed tones like someone would take it away from her if she was too loud. Madame Malkin helped her to try it on so she could see how it looked.
Hermione and her mum smiled at each other knowing Ginny wasn't going to be buying her new boots now that she saw the robe. "It's perfect for you Ginny." Mrs. Granger said as she browsed through the new arrivals. "Oh, Hermione here is one a lot like it but in black and silver. You should try this one on." The robe was nearly identical to Ginny's in fabric and texture except for the color. The lining was silver satin and the outside was a shimmery black that looked like the shimmers were silver. Hermione loved it the minute she saw it and hurried to try it on.
"If your hair was just a little bit darker you would look positively regal," Madame Malkin told Hermione making the girls laugh and Mrs. Granger look at her funny. They looked at the rest of the shipment but there was nothing else special in it, just normal robes. "These were the only two robes like this I ordered. I almost didn't order the silver one, not knowing if anyone would buy it. I'm so glad I did, you two look perfect in them. You'll be the only ones in England with them!"
Madame Malkin packed up the robes and the girls paid for them and shrunk them to put in their purses. "Let's go look at those boots, even if I can't get them yet you should see them!" Ginny said pulling them down to the cobblers. "See, aren't they great!" Ginny said as the two sat down to try on the boots.
Hermione love the idea of the wand sheath in the boot. "These will be perfect for the club, plus then we'd have someplace to stick our wands. I hate the idea of having my wand so far away at the club. I always feel safest with it on me." Ginny nodded her agreement before taking the boots off lovingly and putting them back. "We'll have to come back when we get our Hogwarts stuff and see if we can get them then." Hermione may have loved the boots but she wouldn't buy a pair unless her friend could have them too. They would both go without. "We can try and fashion a wand sheath for our current boots until then."
"Yeah, lets go get an ice cream before we go." Ginny said.
"You girls go ahead; it's just across the way. I'm going to look for a new pair of boots for your father. He is always so hard on his shoes; maybe a pair of dragon hide will last longer." Mrs. Granger said and the girls hurried across to get their ice cream. "Could you charge both of these to the Granger vault number 549," She asked the salesman. "If you wouldn't mind shrinking them for me as well, I want them to be a surprise for the girls." She then put the small boots in her pocket and hurried over to eat with the girls.
"Thanks for bringing me along with you, this was a great day," Ginny said hugging both Granger women. "I'll see you at the wedding Hermione. I'm leaving tomorrow with Charlie for a few days so I'll be back on Wednesday. If you or Tonks decides to have a hens night let me know. Charlie is on the floo if you need anything else wedding related." Ginny apparated home after getting her bags from the car.
"Thanks mum that was a great day!" Hermione said smiling at her mum and giving her a hug. "Want to help me put it all away and then I can help make dinner?"
"Sure hun, and then we have to decide when you're going to visit your grandparents." Her mum said as they headed up to Hermione's room.
"I love nana and pop but I get so nervous that I'm going to say something wrong when I'm around them." Hermione told her mum.
"Oh my Mia," Her mum said using her pet name for Hermione. "They'll just think its some new slang term or something. As long as you don't use magic or show off your wand everything will be fine."
"Why can't we tell them about magic?" Hermione asked again, it was a long standing argument. "They are my only other family; I don't like lying to them. What about when I get married, are they not going to be there for that too?"
"No, I promise they will be at your wedding as long as you promise not to be getting married any time soon." Her mum told her with a smile.
"People get married young in the wizarding world," she told her mum. "I'd guess that Ginny and Harry will get married as soon as she finishes school. Gabrielle and Draco are already intended for each other and will definitely marry once she is of age or if her sister approves once they're done with school. By the time I'm ready to fall in love all the guy will be taken."
"Nonsense, there are plenty of eligible men out there. I've even seen a few at that school of yours. You'll meet a boy at university or even after that. Look at your friend Tonks, she's almost 30 and is marring a man who is 37! You'll find the perfect man, you just have to wait and let destiny take its course." Mrs. Granger said, she looked at the floor while talking and Hermione could tell there was something bothering her.
"What's wrong mum, I promise I'm not going to run off and marry the first wizard I fall in love with. If I had I'd be a Weasley already," She tried to joke. "Don't be worried about Oliver either. We haven't even started to date yet really. He's just visiting while we have the chance. He can't visit at headquarters because it's protected and he's not in the Order so this is our only time to get to know each other, other than Quidditch games and going out with the group."
"That's not it hun," her mum said pulling her into a hug. "You're just growing up so fast. I didn't think I'd need to have this talk with you for a while longer, but I see it's time. I want you to know that I love you and that I trust you to make the right decisions for your body and your mind, but as a mother I'm worried about your body. I know this is a big thing to ask and I want you to think about it before answering. I was hoping you would promise to remain a virgin until you're married."
"Mum, you know that I'd never do anything to get my body into trouble in that way right," Hermione asked wondering what exactly her mum was afraid of.
"I know you wouldn't get pregnant dear, you're too smart for that. I just want you to save yourself for the perfect man. Making love is the most intimate and amazing experience and I know you'll be glad you waited if you do. Most girls think they are in love quite a few times before they get married, some are even engaged before they realize they are not. I don't want you hurt because you gave yourself to some guy and realized later he wasn't the one for you." Her mother told her with a smile. "I also read a book that I found in that bookstore in Diagon Alley. It said that witches who are not bound to the man they mate with loose a little bit of their magic to that man. I know how much your magic means to you and I don't want to see it tainted. If you wait until marriage then you don't have to worry at all since the binding magic merges your powers somewhat anyway."
Hermione knew she shouldn't be surprised that her mother had fully researched the topic before bringing it up with her. She got her studious nature from her mum and her determination from her dad, even though they both are amazingly intelligent. "I promise I'll think it over and give you the answer soon." Hermione told her as they headed down to make dinner. She liked cooking a lot better now that she could hurry things along with magic.
Ginny got home and hurried in to show her mum and Susan what she bought. "I got all kinds of cool stuff to wear out and the most amazing robe that Madame Malkin ordered in special thinking I would like it." She pulled the robe out of her purse and enlarged it for them and then emptied her shopping bags. She reached to dump out her bag from the boutique and saw there was another bag inside it. She opened the other bag and saw the 3 outfits she had put back to save money with a note from Mrs. Granger telling her to enjoy! Ginny was shocked that she would have done that for her and made a mental note to send off a thank you to her before she left with Charlie.
"Those are some great outfits!" Susan said admiring the collection. "I wish my mum would let me shop in muggle London. She is so prejudiced it makes me sick. She won't even let me think about muggle stuff. She's from an old pureblood family and still thinks like they did. My dad is much cooler though!"
"Hermione bought all kinds of new clothes to wear at school. If she gets made head girl she's going to knock them dead with her new look. We got a bunch of cool stuff to wear to the club and I even got some jeans." Ginny said as she started organizing her clothes.
"What's in this bag dear?" Her mum asked and Ginny turned red. It was the bag of the lingerie items.
"Mrs. Granger insisted that since we are grown up now that we needed real under things. She had the sales lady show us how to pick proper items in the right sizes and fits for our body." Ginny said trying not to blush again. "Don't worry though; she also gave us the speech of making sure we don't show any of it to boys."
"Well I must say that muggle lingerie looks much more comfortable and cute than the wizarding equivalent." Mrs. Weasley said inspecting the contents of the bag. "I might just have to have Mrs. Granger take me out shopping too!" This caused all three girls to laugh.
"Do you think she'll give you the same talk?" Ginny squeaked out through her laughter. They just laughed harder. Susan was surprised with how well the two got along. She realized now why the Weasleys were all so nice, they were raised in a house full of love and laughter.
"You two can finish playing with all your new clothes Ginny. I'm going to go get supper started." Mrs. Weasley said and left them to play fashion show with the new items.