Chapter 4: Mr. Paddleport

"Here we are, guys. Paddleport Beach," said Mr. Weasley, looking around and smelling the salt air. "This is the only all wizard beach in Britain. Mr. Paddleport founded this beach over five years ago."

"Umm…Mr. Weasley, do you mean over fifty years ago?" asked Hermione.

"No. Five years ago. The beach is a recent development. It took a long time to find a beach big enough and for enough out of the way so the muggles wouldn't find it. And, speak of the devil, here's Nathaniel Paddleport now. How are you Nathan?" Mr. Weasley asked a young wizard about Bill's age. He was tall, good-looking, and very tan. His crystal clear blue eyes and sandy-blond hair took Hermione's and Ginny's breath away.

"Not bad, Arthur. Not bad," replied Nathan holding his hand out for Mr. Weasley to shake. The grasped hands and pulled each other into a brotherly-like hug.

"Nathan worked at the Ministry before he found the beach," Mr. Weasley told Hermione, Harry, and the rest of the Weasleys. "Magical Games and Sports Department, wasn't it?"

"That's right," said Nathan nodding. I organized quidditch matches between England and the other countries. I miss it, but I make more money now than I ever would have at the ministry," he said with a laugh. "I was next in line to be the head of the department after Ludo. It was a pain to have to give that up, but I have more fun now.

"Good grief, Arthur! Are all these children yours?" asked Nathan, indicating Hermione, Harry, and the rest of the Weasleys.

"Only the red-heads. This," Mr. Weasley said, indicating Mrs. Weasley, "is my lovely wife, Molly."

"How do you do, Mr. Paddleport?" said Mrs. Weasley politely.

"Please, call me Nathan. All of you call me Nathan."

Mr. Weasley went around naming all the Weasleys. "This is Bill, Charlies, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny." Everyone said "Hi," except for Ginny who gave a sort of strangled gasp as Nathan turned his eyes toward her. "This," said Mr. Weasley, now indicating Hermione, "is Hermione, a friend of Ron's. And this is Harry, another friend of Ron's."

"Harry," said Nathan in a stunned voice. His eyes traveled from Harry's face to his forehead where a thin lightening bolt-shaped scar was visible underneath his hair. "Harry Potter?"

"Erm…yeah," said Harry, uncomfortably. He was used to this by now, of course, but he still didn't like being looked at like he was on display at a museum.

Luckily Nathan's eyes did not linger. He was soon asking where they were all staying. When Mr. Weasley told him they were staying in a nearby hotel Nathan responded, "Nonsense, Arthur. You and your family and friends will stay with me in my summer home."

"Oh no," said Mrs. Weasley. "We couldn't."

"I'd offer you my winter home, but it's under construction at the moment. Come on, let's get your stuff in the house."

"This is very kind of you, Nathan," said Mrs. Weasley.

"It's no trouble at all."

As the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry walked along the beach, Nathan pointed out everything of importance, or not of importance as the case may be. "That dock was the first dock built here. That bush is the bush I crawled through when I found this place. That boulder, well, there's nothing important about the boulder. I just think it looks neat."

"It kind of looks like a broomstick if you tilt you head to the left," said Harry.

"I bet if Professor Trawlany was here," said Ron so only Harry and Hermione could hear, "she would say it looked like the Grim." Harry and Hermione laughed, and Fred and George, who over heard, smiled.

"Here we are. This is my summer home," said Nathan, grinning at their astonished faces. "It's not much, but it's home."

"It's huge," gasped Ron. "It's the biggest house I've ever seen. But, what's going on next door?"

"I've already told you. I'm having construction done on my winter home. Come along then," said Nathan cheerily, ignoring Ron's confused look.

The group trouped through the doorway into the less than magnificent hall. The walls were bare and gray. The little furniture that was there was small and also gray. It took Hermione a minute or two to realize that the gray was not paint. It was, in fact, years of dust. You couldn't see the face of the small clock on the dwarfish table for all the dust.

Suddenly, Nathan looked as though he had swallowed a big glass of polyjuice potion. "No one's been here since it was built when I first found the beach," he explained. "I'm sure we can get all this cleaned up though."

"Why has no one been here?" asked Hermione. "It seems like a very regal house."

"Well," said Nathan, "it gets a little lonely when you're here by yourself." His cheeks turned a distinct shade of pink.