The Boy Who Lived awoke with a start as thunder crashed outside. As he lay back against his pillows, his dream already seemed far and fuzzy. He remembered that he'd been snogging someone, but the 'who' slithered out of his grasp before he could draw it to the fore. A hot palm scrubbed at his face in annoyance. He rarely had these types of dreams, and it was even rarer that he remembered who they were about. Groaning in frustration, he sat up on his bed. Crookshanks meowed from the foot of the mussed blankets and stretched languidly.
Taking a note from the cat, Harry stretched his body, groaning again as he received several satisfying pops for his effort. When he'd stretched all he could, he stood from the bed and began to dress. It was still pouring rain, as it had been since late yesterday afternoon, so he forewent his workout clothes and dressed in black slacks and a lavender shirt Violet had chosen. He vaguely recalled the shop assistant agreeing that it was a surprisingly good color on him, but he hadn't worn it yet this summer. The only reason he chose it now was because he wanted to look good for his visit to Gringotts. The Grangers had decided that they would go today to buy his and Hermione's school things, had already scheduled the day to close their practice. More specifically, they had agreed to take Harry and Hermione to Diagon Alley and make themselves scarce so as not to embarrass the adult witch and wizard.
Padding downstairs, his feet freezing, Harry paused in the front hall. Had this spot somehow featured in his dream? He couldn't be sure, but he thought it might have. With a shrug, he continued on to the kitchen and saw that everyone else was already awake. Hermione smiled in greeting over her coffee as her parents discussed some business in the Muggle newspaper. As had become routine, Harry walked over to the cupboard and pulled down his usual mug, filling it with coffee that he immediately cooled to drinking temperature.
"Good morning, Harry," Violet said, noticing him as she turned from the stove.
Harry smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Granger."
The woman 'tsked' good-naturedly. "A whole summer of this 'Missus' business. I don't think you ever slipped even once."
Harry chuckled. "No, ma'am."
Violet looked playfully affronted. "Oh, it's 'ma'am' now, is it? I will have you know that I am not old enough to be considered a 'ma'am' just yet."
"If you ask the First Years, Hermione's old enough to be a ma'am," Harry said pointedly.
Hermione groaned. "Yes, they seem to think so. And it is really annoying."
Harry grinned as he sipped his coffee. "Maybe if you didn't boss them so much."
Hermione tossed a small piece of toast at him, which he immediately tossed back. Jack chuckled.
"Now we're reduced to food fights? What have we come to?"
Harry and Hermione both chuckled appreciatively, but left off the toast as Violet came to the table with plates of breakfast. Harry discovered he was actually hungry and began to eat as soon as everyone had their plates and were seated. He paused as he caught Hermione making a face at him, and he made one back. They both giggled under the watchful eyes of her parents.
"Adults in the Wizarding World, are you?" Violet asked with false primness. "Perhaps a bit too young, I think."
Harry chuckled, poking his eggs. "No one ever accused the Ministry of Magic of being smart."
"Besides, it's only that way because we reach our majority in our seventeenth year," Hermione said with real primness. "You remember, Harry got really sick the day before his birthday. I hit my majority while we were at school last term, and it made me bedridden most of the day."
"Yes, I think you explained that before," Violet said. "Anyway, did you make sure you know where the key is to that vault we set up for you at Greenblotts?"
Hermione nodded. "It's Gringotts, and I never really lost the key. It was just…temporarily misplaced."
Violet nodded with a knowing smile. "Yes, Gringotts." Harry froze as she turned to him. "Harry, do you need any help getting your school things?"
"Uh, no, thank you, Mrs. Granger," He said apologetically. "My parents and godfather have provided well for me."
Luck was on his side as Violet nodded and returned to her breakfast. Unfortunately, Jack did not seem as easily convinced. The look in his eye as he watched Harry across the table said he planned to give him some money anyway. Harry had come to know and hate this look. Obviously, he planned to refuse. Even if this wasn't one of those occasions Hermione had mentioned were an exception, he would still refuse. It wasn't right, morally, to take money from anyone in the Wizarding World when he was more than taken care of financially. Over the summer it had been different, since he'd had no access to his vaults and was more broke than Ron Weasley, but in the Wizarding World he was reasonably wealthy. And Snape had all-but said that moral dilemmas were an acceptable exception.
-Break-
"Damn, your dad is pushy," Harry said angrily, pushing the fifty pound note he'd been given into Hermione's hands. "Put it in your vault, I don't want it. Hell, if I thought you'd accept I'd give you all the money I have left that your parents have given me this summer."
"Well, I wouldn't accept, so don't," Hermione said, putting the money in her pocket. "I am sorry about my dad. I should've mentioned that he doesn't like to be told 'no' when he's trying to give to others. It's one of his few failings."
"Kind of a big one that you might've mentioned sooner," Harry growled as they walked into the alley behind The Leaky Cauldron. He tapped the necessary bricks and they waited for the gateway to open completely.
"I said I was sorry," Hermione said sulkily.
Harry sighed and looked at her. "I know, and I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'll meet you at Fortescue's for lunch?" They'd agreed to shop separately, since Harry didn't know how long the bank would take.
Hermione brightened slightly and nodded. "You have yourself a date, Mister Potter. Come on. We've both got to go to Gringotts first." They linked arms and walked into Diagon Alley, which was thankfully dry and sunny.