CHAPTER8

Mr.Weasley, Ron and Harry were still waiting for her but as she approached Ron's father stood up and said, addressing them all, "I'll have to go now, duty calls, thought to let you know when Hermione will return", said Mr. Weasley smiling as he usually did, "Ron, you'll meet your mother and Ginny in front of Gringotts in 10 minutes and you'll all go shopping for your school supplies," he said glancing at his watch, "oh, got to run, have a nice day, children, and Hermione, maybe you'll see me during the week", he said with a wink and went through the door that let to the noisy streets of London.

"So…" said Hermione checking her reflection in a dusty mirror that hung on the wall and smiling obviously satisfied with it, "shall we move?"

Harry and Ron agreed and the three when through the door that led to the back yard of the pub. Hermione tapped the brick wall with her wand and slowly the bricks started to part and the view on constantly busy Diagon Alley opened for them. As they walked through the crowd, they recognized faces of their fellow Gryffindors and people from other houses. They saw Cho pass by and smile at them. Harry blushed but Hermione and Ron just nodded to her.

"Hey, Harry, I thought you two were through with each other…", said Hermione with a slight confusion on her face.

"Well…we were but she wrote me a letter this summer, saying that she was sorry and stuff and she asked if there was a hope of us becoming friends again…and maybe even more…", Harry answered blushing again as he said the last words.

"Harry!", exclaimed Ron

"That's what she wrote, that's not my words…"

"No, I mean how come you didn't tell us? How come we didn't know? We are your best friends after all", Ron said with a little amusement about the information he just heard from his friend.

"I-I-I guess it just slipped my mind", answered Harry not knowing what else to say.

"Slipped his mind", repeated Ron jokingly, "I hope no shocking news about you going out with somebody, Herm?", said Ron and Harry to his delight caught a note of hope and slight jealousy in his voice.

"No", said Hermione playfully, "Why do you ask? Wanna have a go with me? Tee hee… ", she added, giggled a little, watching Ron go pink.

"Me? …erm…what nonsense are you talking? We are friends, remember?" He said. He was not yet ready to ask Hermione to go out with him but he was displeased with him self for that as well.

"Of course we are", answered Hermione with a nice innocent smile playing on her lips.

By that time they reached Gringotts and saw Ron's mother, Ginny, Fred and George waiting for them.

"Hey, Harry, Hermione, thought we would pop up and look at you guys", said Fred, grinning goofily and then his face turned into a grimace of bitter sadness, "Oh, you have grown so much, you were such cute little babies, oh, how time flies," he sobbed jokingly into George's shoulder, who tried hard through laughing to get his brother off his shoulder.

"Oh, Fred, stop fooling around", said Mrs. Weasley not really meaning it because she laughed a moment before like all others.

"Oh, mother, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you, sob, sniff, boo-hoo-hoo," Fred continued.

Mrs. Weasley smacked him lightly on a shoulder and chuckled.

"Shall we go now? We are not far from 'Madam Malkin's', let us go there first and then we could go and buy quills and parchment".

They were shopping all afternoon. Apart from schoolbooks Hermione got her self a bagful of books on the money she was saving since the beginning of summer. Harry got a book too except it was about "Different types of brooms and how to handle them". And Ron got a set of new school robes, which (the fact that he got robes and not something else) suited him just fine and he seemed very happy now. Ginny had a set of different coloured inks from Fred and George; she was as delighted as her brother was. By the end of the afternoon all of them were exhausted. Fred and George went off to their joke shop and said that they will be seeing Hermione some time soon. Mrs. Weasley went off to buy thing she needed for the house and herself saying that she'll meet Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione later in the Leakey Cauldron.

The four last mentioned young people decided to get some ice cream from a café and sit outside and chat.

"Don't mean to be rude or something", Harry began, "but why can't we stay with you lot this summer", addressing Ron and Ginny.

"Oh, didn't Ron tell you", Ginny replied, "We are moving!"

"How could you not tell us, congratulations!" said Hermione excitedly, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, not really far from our place about 10 miles, the house is great", said Ron not really sharing Hermione's enthusiasm.

"You don't sound too excited about it", said Harry.

"Oh…just, well, I'll really miss the Burrow", said Ron with pity, "Like, I lived there all my life and stuff, it is not that easy to move away".

"It will be ok, Ron, really, don't worry", said Ginny trying to sound soothing, "I promise…"

At this moment they saw somebody approaching their table and that person wasn't really too welcome...