Shock
Saturday morning of the same week. Harry and Hermione were walking down the Diagon Alley. People are lesser today. Maybe because of the threatening dark clouds casting over the alley.
"I don't know why it's raining these days," said Hermione looking above at the dark clouds. "It's summer, isn't it?"
"Well, it's quite normal for me, you know. You see, in the water cycle, the water evaporates because of the heat of the sunshine and those evaporated water will turn back to water through the so-called condensation and will fall back down to earth… Since it's summer, there's more heat and so more water are evaporated."
"I know that, Harry," said Hermione in an As-A-Matter-of-Fact tone. "Since second grade, in fact. And what you've said is half true. The explanation about the water cycle is kinda true but it doesn't mean that if it's hotter, the more water will evaporate. You see, the odd changing of our weather is due to too much pollution in our mother earth."
"Pollution? How did pollution became connected with our daily weather?" asked Harry.
Hermione sighed impatiently. "Because, Harry−"
"Okay, enough of that… here we are."
Harry and Hermione were standing in front of a school supplies shop. The same shop where they've both bought their school supplies when they're still in school. They reached for the door and went inside.
"I didn't expect that I'll be buying here again once I leave school," said Harry.
"Oh, come on, Harry! You don't think you'll be able to work without writing! An auror needs it even during their training!" said Hermione.
Afterwards, the two came out of the shop with paper bags full of new sets of quills and rolls of parchments.
"Where are we going next?" asked Harry as they strode past an ice cream parlor.
"Let's go and buy some new robes. My first job wouldn't be perfect without them," said Hermione excitedly.
"What are you planning, to be the girl version of Lockhart?"
"Shut up!"
"Don't forget to buy some forget-me-not-colored robes, okay?"
When the two stepped out of the Robes Shop after an hour, their hands are fuller of paper bags than earlier, especially on Hermione's.
"See? You did like it. You even bought," said Hermione.
"Yeah, good point," said Harry sarcastically. "I just bought one. How many are yours? A dozen?"
"Hey, don't be too exaggerated! I only bought eleven!"
"Oh, eleven! A dozen minus one! You surely made a lot of difference."
"Let's just eat, shall we?"
The two went inside a restaurant just some blocks away from 108 PUB. This restaurant was far too formal compared to 108 PUB. Inside the restaurant was even far compared to any formal restaurant that Harry has seen before. There are waiters and waitresses in uniforms of black and white holding something (probably a menu) under their left arm and their right ones are with a white cloth hanging steadily on them. Each table was covered with a white table cloth and some chairs to match its color were surrounding it. On the table were a candle and some colorful flowers surrounding it as a centerpiece. Its wall was painted with white and its edges with lilac. Behind the counter at the left, was the name of the restaurant formally written.
Saturdays
- Changes Everyday -
"We're surely at the right day," said Harry.
"No, actually, the name changes everyday depending on the day of the week. Tomorrow, that writing will be changed into Sundays and so as all the things that has its name printed on it," explained Hermione.
Harry just nodded and they both reached for a table for two at the corner. Just as thy sat down, the candle magically lit and the flowers bloomed more widely. A waitress reached them and gave each of them a menu. She took a set of small parchments bind together to look like a notebook and no-ink need quill that has a length half the normal quill. "May I take your orders, ma'am, sir?"
"Ah, yes, please. Uhm, I want a lasagna with drumsticks − this one, yeah − and a mashed potato," ordered Hermione.
"Yours, sir?" asked the waitress turning to Harry.
"Uhm… I would like this combo meal − yes, this one − bake macaroni, a slice of anchovy pizza, three mojo potatoes and a macaroni salad," ordered Harry.
"Any drinks?"
"Iced tea," said Hermione.
"They got muggle drinks?" asked Harry.
"You just ordered some muggle food, of course they got muggle drinks," said Hermione.
Harry nodded and checked the list of beverages on the menu and said, "Green apple."
When the waitress was already finished writing their orders down, he pulled the piece of parchment off the bind and let go of it, but instead of dropping to the carpet floor, it flew to a window where Harry reckons the kitchen must be. The waitress pocketed the notebook-like thing and the quill and got the menus back from Harry and Hermione and walked away quietly.
Harry looked around. A very few witches and wizards, who all looked decent and formal, were occupying the restaurant. He turned back to Hermione who is looking with full of interest at the centerpiece. Just before he could say a word, a sound of a rolling tray came and reached them. The waitress who took their orders earlier was back with their orders on the rolling tray. She stopped at the side of Harry's and Hermione's table and placed their orders one by one carefully on the table. When she was finished, she gave a polite bow to Harry and Hermione and again, walked away quietly.
"Wow, that sure is fast," said Harry with amazement.
"Well, Harry, that's what magic can do. It can do impossible things," said Hermione as if it was Harry's first time to step on the Wizarding World.
The two of them started to eat.
"So how's Ron?" asked Harry. "Did he make any contacts with you?"
"Please, Harry, don't spoil the rest of my day," said Hermione taking a spoon of lasagna inside her mouth.
"Sorry−"
Hermione swallowed. "When are you going to buy your cousin his school supplies for Hogwarts?"
"Mark? Maybe next week when the school letter arrives."
"How old is he gain?"
"Thirteen. Can't wait to graduate and make Dudley pay for beating him."
Hermione gave a worried look. "That sounds fascinating, Harry. But, you could get Mark into trouble if you let him do that."
"I'm not making him to − he wants it. And that's why he leaves with me, Hermione. He'll not do it until he leaves the school. I'll make sure of that."
Hermione just nodded reluctantly. "How're you related again?"
"My grandfather, my mum's father, has a brother − my mum's uncle − that got some children − I really don't know how many they are − and one of them married a witch − a bit of a shock when he found out, you know − and they had a son. That's Mark Evans."
"Oh, I see… Do you want to taste this mashed potato? They're really good, you know." Hermione is holding a spoon of mashed potato up in front of Harry's mouth. "Come on, try it."
Harry leaned forward, opened his mouth and took the mashed potato with Hermione's still holding the spoon. "It's delightful, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah," said Harry wiping his mouth with a tissue. "Here, taste my macaroni salad." Harry dug a spoon-full of the salad and offered it to Hermione. Hermione accepted it without realizing that it's too full for her mouth. So, she almost choked when she realized it (too late, though, cause it's already inside her mouth). Harry, on the other hand, didn't take the spoon out of Hermione's mouth but Hermione used this to hide her coughing from Harry.
Harry, on the other hand, was mesmerized by Hermione's eyes again, so he didn't notice the struggle that Hermione's currently doing. Harry just popped back to reality when he heard a Crack! beside him that made Harry jumped.
"Any problem, sir, ma'am?" a waiter who just apparated beside them
"No, nothing," said Harry who turned to the waiter and still haven't notice what's happening to Hermione.
"Are you sure, sir?" asked the waiter who is now looking questioningly to Harry and rolled his eyes to Hermione.
Harry finally turned to Hermione. "Of course − Hermione?" he said as he pulled the spoon he's holding out of Hermione's mouth that made her coughing obvious. She kept coughing with her mouth close tightly.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" the waiter muttered. He pointed his wand to Hermione's cheek and muttered something that Harry didn't bother to understand. With a purple flash of light from the waiter's wand, Hermione's mouth became bulk-less. The macaroni salad inside her mouth disappeared.
"Er − thanks… Er… You may go now," Harry told the waiter who disapparated with a small crack immediately. "Are you alright, Hermione? Uhm − here's a tissue−"
"No, Harry, thanks," said Hermione quietly, though Harry was sure that there's no sound of anger in her voice.
Harry looked at Hermione and realized that she's blushing and can't look at him directly. Hermione started acting strange, and so did Harry when he noticed it. They went back on their eating silently and both of them still avoiding even a glance from each other. Then−
Cling!
Hermione has pushed her fork accidentally and bowed to get it. But−
"I'll get it," said Harry bowing his head to get the fork. But, Hermione didn't listen so they both reached for it and their skins touched. Faster than a blink of an eye, they removed their hands away from each other and gave each other a questioning look. They both tried to say something but they both ended up with their mouths hanging half-opened.
With the fork still lying on the floor, they both sat back straight.
"What was that?" Hermione asked herself.
"Was it a little electric shock?" Harry thought.
"Am I starting to−" but before Hermione could finish what she's thinking, she felt her stomach roll upside down. She felt sick.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" asked Harry at last breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I just need to go to the lavatory," said Hermione as she stood up and ran towards the comfort room.
Moments later, Hermione came back still looking sick. "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Harry as Hermione sat back down.
"Yeah, I'm al−" said Hermione, but before she could say it completely, she stopped and began to look extremely sick than ever. She immediately grabbed a tissue from the table and put it on her mouth. Then, she coughed hard onto it. After coughing, she clenched it tightly with her fist and dropped it down to the floor and, before Harry could lean over to see it, Hermione performed a vanishing spell to the tissue and it immediately vanished.
"Let's go home?" said Hermione and Harry noticed that her lips are trembling.