Chapter Five; Out to Lunch
Later on that afternoon after they were all done swimming, Harry and Ron agreed to take the older girls out to lunch. "I call shotgun!" Eve cried.
"Oh no you don't Ron gets to sit up front with me." Harry told her as he removed his keys from his back pocket and pushed the unlock button. "You sit in the back with the rest of the girls." He said as he grabbed ahold of the handle and pulled the door open.
"So I'm driving on the way back then right?" Ron questioned as he ducked his head and climbed inside.
"Sure if you want to." Harry said as he and the others climbed inside the van. Then they slammed the doors behind them before they buckled up and Harry placed the keys inside the ignition and turned on the engine.
"Don't forget to turn on the AC it's like a hundred degrees outside." Ginny said as Harry grinned at her through the rearview mirror and put his foot on the brake.
"No it's not." He told her as he pulled the van into reverse and started backing out of the parking lot. Tracey laughed before she turned to look out the window.
"We're used to it around here. All three of us have spent our whole entire lives here." She said.
"Do you ladies mind if I smoke in here?" Harry asked them as he finally pulled out of the parking lot and started driving down the road.
"No go ahead, you're the one who's treating us." Jessie told him as he put his foot on the brake again and stopped at a red light, but he barely had time to crack open the window and dig out his box of cigarettes before the light turned green again. Harry stepped on the gas pedal and steadied his grip on the wheel with one hand while dangling his cigarette out the window with the other hand. That's when suddenly Hermione turned her head over to look at Eve who was busy staring out the window.
"Are you alright? You haven't said much of anything since we left the beach." She pointed out.
"I think she's still thinking about that baby dolphin that we rescued." Ginny told her.
"She's Harry's little sister alright." Jessie said with a grin.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry questioned her before he pulled out onto the highway.
"Oh c'mon Harry, we all know,.. or at least most of us know how much you love animals and the story about you and Diamond." She told him.
"Who's Diamond?" Tracey asked her as Ginny turned to look at her.
"She was Harry's childhood friend. It's how he came to love dragons so much." She told her. "In fact he even works with them."
"You're joking." Sabrina said but Ginny quickly shook her head at her. "But I always thought that dragons were mean and scary." She said.
"Me too." Casey said.
"Yeah so did I, but then Harry went and proved us all wrong." Ron told them.
"So do you still see her then? Diamond I mean." Tracey said.
"No she died a long time ago." Harry told her while continuing to look back at her through the mirror. "I see other dragons though, and horses too." He said.
"I don't like horses." Casey said. "They make me really nervous."
"Tracey and I have taken horseback riding lessons before though." Sabrina began. "Casey just doesn't want to because she's afraid she's going to get hurt." She explained.
"There's always a chance that you could get hurt with anything you do. In fact I think it's more dangerous to ride a broom than a horse." Hermione told her. "But you still like riding your bicycle don't you?" she asked her but the little girl just simply shook her head at her.
"I don't know how. Mommy and Daddy never got a chance to teach me." She explained.
"Well, I do believe that there are bike rentals around here. Maybe I can teach you and then we all can go riding together." Hermione suggested.
"Really?" Casey questioned her with uncertainty as Hermione smiled and nodded at her.
"Yeah, sure." She told her.
"Thanks Hermione." Casey said.
"You're welcome Casey." Hermione told her.
...
Harry parked the van and then he and the rest of his family and friends headed towards the restaurant. He made sure that the van was locked before he handed the keys over to Ron who placed them deep inside his pocket. Sabrina and Tracey were still singing a song that they had heard on the radio by The Spell Sisters. Ginny rolled her eyes and muttered something angrily under her breath before Harry took ahold of her hand.
"What's up your butt?" Ron asked her.
"I think she's still upset that a band called The Dragonettes exist in America." Harry told him with a grin.
"They're a bunch of copycats that's why! I don't think that Aaron and the rest of the boys will be happy when they find out that four American girls tried to copy them!" she spat.
"Take it easy, you don't know that for sure." Harry told her while he grabbed ahold of the door handle and pulled it open for the other girls.
"Thanks Harry." Sabrina said.
"Yeah thanks Harry." Tracey told him.
"You're welcome girls." He said and waited for Eve and Casey to go inside before he, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Jessie followed along behind them. Ginny breathed a huge sigh of relief once they had gotten inside.
"Thank God, there's nothing like good old AC." She said as Hermione laughed and Harry smiled at her.
"I need to run to the bathroom really quick." Harry told her.
"Me too." Eve said.
"We'll be right back. I'm sure that we'll be able to find you guys if somebody comes to seat you." Harry told the others before he and Eve headed straight towards the restrooms together.
"So what kind of food do they make here?" Eve asked him as he shrugged at her.
"Just comfort food I imagine." He replied before they went their separate ways as he went into the men's room and she went into the ladies room.
….
Once their drinks and food was all ordered everyone took ahold of each other's hands and bowed their heads to pray. "Heavenly Father we'd just like to come before you right now Lord to bless this meal that we are about to receive. We also ask that you would bless everyone else here and watch over Sabrina, Tracey, and Casey and protect them with all the love and power that you have. In Jesus' name we pray, amen." Harry said.
"Amen." Everyone else echoed before they started to eat. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks but didn't bother saying anything while Ron silently looked over at Hermione.
"Alright that's it, what's going on here. Why is everyone so quiet?" Sabrina asked them as Harry took a deep breath and turned to look at her.
"Sabrina listen, we've been talking it over and we really think that you should come back with us." He told her.
"What? Why?" she asked him as Ron took a deep breath himself deciding that it was his turn to speak.
"Look the truth is that three young girls particularly witches shouldn't be running around by themselves. It's a very dangerous world and a lot of muggles or whatever you call them around here could take advantage of you and you could get hurt." He told her.
"So!? I don't think that that should be any of your business! I mean what do you want us to do go live in an orphanage or something?" she questioned him when suddenly everyone else grew silent before Harry spoke up.
"Please Sabrina, it's for your own good." He told her before she quickly rose to her feet.
"No! How could you!? I already told you I spent my entire life on this island with the rest of my family! I was born here and I'll die here just the same!" she snapped before she quickly ran towards the exit and disappeared. That's when suddenly everyone else just simply looked at each other.
"Well? Do you have a plan B?" Ron asked Harry as he and Hermione exchanged worried glances with each other.
To Be Continued…