Hermione had scarcely put two feet inside her house when her dad and mum cornered her.
"Who was that?" Her mother asked, not even waiting a second longer.
"Uhm that was Dani. We m..."
"Dani? But I swear I saw a girl"
"She is a girl mum. You just spell her name with an I. And how would you know that? Mum you always said you'd never spy on me" Hermione accused her mother.
Emma was caught out but non the less she wasn't going to admit that now.
"I was not spying. It's called coincidence. I was just at that exact time closing the drapes."
Her husband, Daniel, shook his head at his wife. She's in so much trouble he thought.
"Really mum?"
"Who is this Dani with an I then?" Why is it the first time we hear of her?"
Hermione took a deep calming breath.
"As I was trying to say. Dani is my new friend. We met at the park the other day. She's actually really cool and sh..."
"Is she also magical?"
"No. She goes to my old muggle school here. And no I didn't tell her I'm a witch"
"What is her motives then?"
"Motives? Mum it's not..."
"Hermione I'm not going to stand by again and watch someone pretend to be your friend just to humiliate you."
"Mum she isn't like..."
Again Hermione got interrupted.
"I will show her what humiliation is. Hermione! Are you scared of her? Did she threaten you or blackmailing you? Nobody blackmails my little girl." Emma went of on a tirade
Hermione had no idea where her mother got this line of thinking.
Honestly neither did Daniel
"Mum!" Hermione shouted.
Her mum stopped her tirade.
"Listen to me."
As soon as she made sure her mum was fully listening she went ahead.
"Dani isn't like the other's. She's different. She hasn't made fun of me since we met and she seems to like hanging out with me. There was never a moment where I detected anything mean from her. She really wants to be my friend for real. I've only met her two days ago but she's amazing and she makes me laugh all the time. It feels like I can be myself around her and she wouldn't judge or laugh at me."
The whole room fell silent momentarily.
Her dad was the first to speak and break the silence.
"Are you sure she's just a friend then honey?" Her dad joked.
"Dad!" Hermione was mortified but her face was on fire.
This made the two grown ups laugh out loud and suddenly Emma was enveloping Hermione and crying.
"Mum? Why...why are you crying. Did I say something wrong?"
"No honey. I'm sorry. This is happy tears. I'm so happy you made a friend. One that wants to be you're friend actually. And one that doesn't have red hair"
It is no secret that the Granger parents have no liking towards Ron Weasley, Hermione's other friend.
They find him very obnoxious and rude. Especially towards their daughter.
Hermione could only laugh at that, knowing how her mum feels.
"When can we meet this Dani sweetheart?" Daniel asks.
"Oh uhm" Hermione had not thought of that.
"We have to meet her. It's not even a question"
"Well I don't. Uhm I'll ask her okay?"
"Excellent. Maybe we could cook that delicious sour cream fish of your mums and we could make a salad and baked pudding to go with it." Her mum rambled excitedly to her husband.
Daniel saw the horrified look on his daughters face and decided to calm his wife down. He didn't want to scare this Dani girl away.
"Honey. I think it would be better if when she comes over that we just stick to some simple pizza and drinks. And not bombard her with sour cream fish. She might even be allergic to fish."
Her mum seems to deflate somewhat but once seeing the look on her daughters face knew she must have been over enthusiastic on it.
"Your right. Sorry honey. I get carried away sometimes"
"It's okay mum." She smiles.
"Our daughter has a friend!" Emma squealed again.
Both dad and daughter burst out into laughter.
A COUPLE OF STREETS AWAY AT DANI'S HOUSE
Dani had just entered her own home and kicked of her sneakers near the door when she heard cursing coming from the living room.
"Sammy? Are you on that dating site again?" She called through the house.
"Men are absolute idiots! Trolls! I tell you" Samantha groaned as she pushed the laptop off of her.
She eyed Dani as her younger sister fell onto the sofa next to her.
"Where've you been the whole day?"
"At the park" Dani answered as she opened one eye to peek at Samantha. "Who is the idiot guy this time?"
"An idiot from Philly."
"And what did he do? Or what didn't he do?"
"He wants me to move back to America, move in with him, cook for him and send you off to boarding school"
"Your right. He is an idiot."
"I can think of much better words for that man"
"Why don't you date a little closer to you?"
"What? You mean here in London?"
"Yeah. That guy with the purple mickey mouse shoes at you're work."
"Shaun?"
"That's it! I saw how he looks at you sometimes when I come over. He's practically drooling himself. And he gets this really big doofy smile on his face after you talk to him."
"But he's Shaun and his..."
"Really cute and totally into you Sam. C'mon what do you have to lose?"
Samantha seems to think hard about it.
"Okay. You're right on one thing. Shaun is extremely cute and he's got that boyish smile. And I have to admit that he's hair makes my knees..."
"Whoa there sis. I honestly do not want to hear what some guys hair does to my sister. Its kinda disturbing you know"
Samantha just laughs.
"But seriously though, talk to him, ask him to hang out, AFTER work this time"
"I'll think about it"
"You better do something rather than think otherwise your going to end up like some old batty woman with 55cats and watching re runs of Grey's Anatomy"
"Ha ha very funny Dani. Don't speak so fast because it might just happen to you"
"Then at least I'll have someone to switch the DVD's and bring me food"
"I have no idea where you come from" Sam laughs while shaking her head.
"That's the million dollar question isn't it" Dani grins.
"Your so interested in my love life. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"When are you going to meet someone? Or at least make a friend here. It actually worries me"
Dani stays quiet a while.
"I made a friend" she says softly.
"You did? How? When? Why am I hearing this only now?"
"Because it only happened like yesterday and I haven't seen you properly until tonight."
"Okay. Sooo. Who is it?"
"Hermione" Dani says with a smile on her lips.
She really loves that name.
"Hermione hey?" Sam saw the smile and the dreamy look that she was sure Dani hadn't even notice she got.
"Yeah. But she doesn't go to school here. She lives here, a couple of streets away, but she goes to a private boarding school somewhere else so she's only home for holidays"
"We are actually hanging out tomorrow again. So I might need to borrow some money from you" Dani says/asks innocently.
"Yeah. That money that I'm promised back but never see again?"
"I pay it back in love"
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you." Sam quips.
She looks a moment at her little sis then decides to ask the hard question.
"Dani... Does she know?"
This causes Dani to fully open her eyes.
"No she doesn't"
