Chapter 3
I was highly relieved once my shoes touched the sand. It had been nearly fourty-five minutes since I had gotten onto the broomstick of a Malfoy. He waited until I got off, and walked away.
Well, that was wierd. He didn't attack me or anything. I looked into more detail the island. It was amazing. I was standing in front of the main building refered to Administration. The building was a simple hut, similar to those of Hagrid's but larger in width.
I walked around and found many campers chatting away with others, and some already flying around above us. I felt akward. All the students already had friends they knew or just met. Even Malfoy was already hanging out with a group of guys. They seem to be much bigger and scarier than him.
I stood there, off to the side of what seems to be the center of the island. There were many palm trees surrounding us, and many smaller huts scattered around. On the other side of the island was the Quidditch pitch, where the practices and games were held.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw someone walking towards me. I turned to face the person. She was the girl I saw from the beach. I smiled. She returned the smile.
The girl was younger, and barely shorter than me. She had bleached hair that swifted easily around her. She had dimples on both side of her cheeks, clearly showing when she smiled. Her eyes were green with a slight blue around them.
"Hello," I greeted her.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Jane."
"Hermione Granger," I replied. I was nervous. I've seen her lift off, and she seemed really good. I'm just a beginner. Not even. I stink. "So... How old are you?"
"Just turned fifteen." She answered. I nodded approvingly.
"I'm seventeen." It showed that we were both nervous. I guess I was too old to hang out with her, but she wasn't that young. I mean, I hang out with Ginny a lot and she's younger than me. I was actually really curious about her Quidditch experience. "So, how long have you been playing, you know, Quidditch?"
"I dunno. I guess around, erm," she pondered for a while. "Maybe seven years, eight. I don't know actually. What about you?"
I was silent for a moment, embarassed of what my answer was. "Actually, I've never played before." I admitted. She looked at me confused; probably thinking why am I even here. I sighed. "It's for school."
"Oh, why?"
"Erm, it's complicated. I'd rather not really talk about it," I said, which was true. The story was long and boring.
"Oh, well okay then." She sounded dissapointed when I told her. I looked around, and so did she. Many people had left the area, and she figured they'd gone into the Great Hut, the cafeteria. She arrived half an hour before I did, and pretty much explored the whole island already, though that's not saying much.
We, too, headed for the Great Hut. We chatted randomly about stuff like school, candy, music, etc. It turns out she is a half blood; mom is a muggle while the dad is a wizard. I opened the door leading into the Great Hut, and to my surprise, it was rather small. I guess I shouldn't have expected much since it is just camp, with only seventy people at most.
We found an empty round table off to the right, and sat ourselves down. The table was simple; dark wood polished to the extreme. As soon as we sat, food appeared on the table. My mouth widened. Jane just smiled happily to me. There was roast chicken with a slice of lemon onto the side, a plate of salad in the middle of the table, two cups of chocolate pudding for us, apples, and beverages. I recieved a coke, my favorite drink, and she got a pink lemonade. I guess that's her favorite. Well, at least the Great Hut is exceeding expectations.
I chewed my food, while trying to attempt a conversation with Jane. We giggled when food came spitting out of her mouth as she tried to speak. She lived with two sisters and three brothers. Her brothers play quidditch, but all made their way to being a professional soccer player for Britain. She told me how they'd do some magic if they're close to losing. We laughed as she told of their 'success'. Her sister was different than her. They are obsessed with everything that included boys, shopping, fashion, gossip..,boys.
I started talking about my life. Somehow I had managed to not mention Harry in any of our conversation, but I did change his name into Howard. I told her of all our adventures, and my likeness towards books, and other random things.
My ears twitched. I looked around me, and noticed Malfoy sitting with his new friends. They seem to be really into their conversation, but Malfoy just seemed to sit there, arms crossed on his chest, ignoring his surroundings. What's gotten into him? He's usually gloating about his accomplishment.
My eyes went back towards my food, and I finished whatever was left. Soon enough, Jane and I went to our assigned dormitory huts and just hung out there. It wasn't much, just four bunk beds leaning against the wall in a row. There was space towards the left where two black couches were set on top of a wooven brown rug.
We sat down and tried to relax.
"So, see any cute guys yet?" She asked, playful curiousity filling her face. I chuckled. Truthfully, I didn't really notice the guys.
"I don't know. Why? What about you?"
She blushed, and said, "Yea, actually. His name is Tony, and he goes to my school. He's a year older than me and I don't think he even knows who I am."
I looked at her, dumbfounded. I've felt that way towards Ron, but he did know I was there, just not emotionally. Arg, he made me so mad when he didn't ask me to the Yule Ball. I was so relieved when Viktor asked me though. Although he isn't Ron, he was genuinely nice to me.
"I know what you mean." She frowned, and so did I. I guess we're just not lucky with guys, I thought.
"What happened with you?" She asked.
I summarized my situation with Ron, and Viktor Krum, which she listened to with awe. It seems that Viktor is Jane's quidditch idol. I blushed when I heard how envious she was of me. Now that I think about it, my life is almost perfect, isn't it? I have great loving parents, two of the bestest friends anyone could have, a pen pal who admires me truly, grades that anyone would kill for, and adventures that is invaluable. The only thing wrong is my bushy hair, my lack of aura that keep guys from noticing me, and Ron.
"Maybe, this summer would make use bloom into the wonderful ladies that we are," she said. I smiled. I was two years older than her, and this year, I definitely need to bloom. Maybe.
"You're right. Let's set some goals," I said finally. It's just like me to think rationally and analytically. "Alright, so -'Goals to Bloom this Summer.'" I took a parchment and pen laying on a nearby counter, and wrote those words on the top center. I looked at her. "What should the first be?"
"Hmm, how about always looking our best?" She advised. I nodded in agreement. "I think the second should be," I thought for a moment. What should it be? "Getting a date, maybe?"
"Yea, that's a given." She joked. We gave a few giggles before procceding.
"Alright. The third. A boyfriend." I said finally. Jane nodded her head violently.
Now, the list:
Goals for the Summer Bloom:
1. Always look good.
2. Get an official date.
3. Get an official boyfriend.
Signed- Hermione Granger, Jane Locksmith.
We signed it with red ink, which was supposed to symbolize blood. Hey, it was her idea. She's kinda weird like that.
Other students started to come into the hut, number 19. This turned out to be the only girl hut in all the island. Interesting. Three girls seemed to be the girly-girl type; Lauryn, Cattie, and Josephine. Each had long blonde hair similar to each other. Their height was also roughly the same. If seen from far away, they could easily be mistaken as being triplets. The fourth girl had short black hair. The front was shaggy and beautiful. She didn't seem to be the preppy girl, but the rebel sort of person.
Jane posted the goals above her pillow on the wall. She took the top bunk bed on the farthest right, and I took the bed right below her. It seems she's my best friend for the summer. I smiled, happy to have a friend, and at the first day at that.