2 Friend
A younger man stood up to talk. "As mentioned, there's a billboard near the entrance. Please have a look at it every time you come for a meal. Please note that you can get a sandwich from the kitchen at any time when meals are not being served, up to eleven at night. For those who are interested, we have a morning exercise at seven-thirty and an evening exercise at five. The showers are open from seven in the morning to midnight. There's no lifeguard on the beach, but there is an emergency button there, in case you need it. For those who are close to adulthood – please refrain from any public activity which is unsuitable for the eyes of the younger campers. That's all for now."
The woman stood up. "The infirmary is just the next cabin near this building. It carries a big red cross. Do come if you feel ill or if you get injured. Girls, you can also get your monthlies supplies there."
Harry noticed the girls at his side giggling. "What's so funny?"
Elsa answered. "Her supplies are so outdated, that even our mothers wouldn't use them."
"What kind of supplies," he wondered, "and what for?"
"Don't you know? Our monthlies? The period?"
He shook his head. Elsa sighed. "It looks like I'll have to teach you. Let's go to the library when this is over."
Another man was now addressing the group, talking about the different sports activities at the camp. Harry didn't pay him much attention, though. He kept thinking of what Elsa was going to teach him and felt some dread.
It was soon over, yet most of the children stayed near the house, since lunch was due in less than half an hour. Harry noticed that they divided themselves roughly according to age. Seven children – all boys – seemed younger than him. The others seemed older, yet none older than fifteen or sixteen, he was sure, just as the youngest was probably older than nine.
"Let's go to the library," Elsa urged him, reminding him of Hermione.
"Fine. Lead the way," he said.
The library was nothing like he knew from Hogwarts. It was neatly arranged by authors, for the fiction, or by subjects, for the non-fiction. Elsa seemed to know her way, taking a book titled, "Puberty in Boys and Girls" from the shelf and sitting at one of the tables. The book was full of drawings and even a few black-and-white photos. Harry had a glimpse at them while she was leafing through the book and blushed furiously.
"Well, here it is," she said, as she opened the book at a drawing of the female reproductive system. "Have you ever seen this?"
Harry shook his head, too embarrassed to talk.
"Well, let me explain. This is the womb, where eventually a child may grow..."
He felt like listening to Hermione. Although her voice was different and she had a slight French accent, the tone was the same. If ever Hermione explained these things to him, she would sound just like that, he was sure. Yet he couldn't really concentrate on what she said. Her scent – he wasn't sure if it was a perfume or just her soap or shampoo – filled his nostrils, making him acutely aware of her being a female. He had never felt that way near Hermione or near any other girl he knew. His body was also reacting in ways that embarrassed him and he tried his best to control it. Elsa noticed that he lacked concentration.
"Maybe you should read it leisurely in your cabin," she suggested.
"I'm not alone there," he protested.
"You can take it to the beach if you like. You'll have plenty of girls to compare to the drawings," she suggested with evident mischief.
"That may not be the best idea," he said. She smiled understandingly.
"I'll check the book out. You can read it in my cabin. My friends won't mind."
He agreed to that. Elsa checked out the book and put it in her handbag. They soon left the library to get lunch. While eating, Harry looked at Elsa some more. She was about his height, with a beautiful face and long blond hair that reached under her shoulders. She was still flat-chested, like most of his classmates, but the way her shirt clung to her body, he was sure she was already budding. He found it quite cute.
Although he thought he was subtle, Elsa noted the way he looked at her. She didn't mind, though, considering it a kind of compliment, especially since he only did it after having talked with her and getting to know her a bit. She actually scanned him too, only much more subtly, noticing his thin frame, his too-big clothes and the barely holding frame of his eyeglasses.
They stopped at the billboard on their way out. "Hey, they're going to show a film in half an hour. I wonder what it is," Elsa noted.
Harry shrugged. "Any film is fine with me." He didn't want to tell her it would be the first film he would ever watch.
"Oh, will you stay with me even if it is a romantic comedy?"
"Sure! Why not?"
They found the cinema hall easily. It was actually just a large room with about thirty chairs set in five rows. Elsa chose a seat in the middle row and Harry sat at her side. They still had some time to wait.
"How come you have a French accent?" Harry asked.
"Is it really so evident?" He only nodded.
She sighed. "Well, I'm French. Dad sends me to this camp to improve my English. He has business with Grunning, so they accept me."
"It isn't very strong, your accent, but it's still evident, and you speak perfectly well."
She smiled at Harry. "Well, thank you. Maybe you could help me correct my accent?"
"I can try. I'm not sure I can be of much help, though. I've never tried to teach anybody."
He was silent for a moment. "So, you go to school in France?"
"Yes. I'm in a boarding school. I like it very much. Where do you study?"
"I'm also in a boarding school. It is in a castle and looks like it came out of a legend. I really like it there." He didn't want to elaborate, fearing it would reveal too much. "Is this your first time here?"
"No, I've already been two summers here. That's how I became friends with my cabin mates. Their parents work at Grunning. It's your first time here, isn't it?"
"Yes. I live with my relatives and they are not very fond of me. I was quite surprised that they sent me here, actually. They kept me home during summer vacations until now."
"Why are you with your relatives? Where are your parents?"
Harry sighed and she apologized immediately. "I'm sorry. This is none of my business and you don't have to answer if you don't like to."
He smiled at her. "It's alright, really. My parents died when I was about a year old and my relatives took me in, but they never liked me. They sent me here just so that I won't be near them."
"Oh, that's awful! Did they give you that scar?"
Harry was suddenly very aware of his famous scar. "No. I probably got it when my parents died. I was lucky to stay alive with only that scar to remind me of that event."
"It must have been an awful accident," Elsa said.
"Luckily, I don't remember anything about it. I was too young to remember."
He wasn't sure how to change the topic. By now, several more seats were occupied and he didn't want everybody to hear about his life. Luckily, the lights dimmed and the film began. Elsa took his hand in hers. "Do you mind? I like having someone's hand in mine when there's something frightening or something romantic on screen," she said in a whisper.
He smiled at her. "That's alright," he whispered back.
The film proved to be a comedy adventure with a background of mild romance, probably chosen to appeal to all campers, although Harry counted only ten, besides Elsa and him. He enjoyed the film, though, laughing more than he ever remembered. Holding Elsa's hand was also nice, giving him a kind of fuzzy feeling that he really liked. He didn't even notice that Elsa moved closer to him and was actually pressed at his side by the end of the movie. He just felt content.
"We still have more than an hour until dinner. Would you like me to give you a tour of the camp?" Elsa offered.
"That could be nice," he agreed.
There wasn't much to tour, really, yet Harry enjoyed being shown everything, hearing about funny events and just being with a beautiful girl. She reminded him of Hermione more than once, in her enthusiasm, in her compassion, in the way she liked books. Despite looking quite different, he felt almost as comfortable in her company as if she was Hermione, not counting the accent.
"I like the beach best," she told him when they approached the lake. Its shores were quite rocky, except for a short stretch, where the lawn grew down to the waterline. "When the weather is nice, I spend most of my time here, reading, listening to music or just chatting with others."
"Don't you swim?"
"Oh, I do, occasionally, but I don't like it too much. Everybody here must know how to swim."
"I don't," he noted.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow morning they'll ask you to join the lessons. They won't make you a professional swimmer, you know, but you'll be able to stay afloat under most conditions."
It was already time for dinner when they left the lake. "We should put something warmer on," Elsa noted. "It gets quite cold in the evening." They stopped at their cabins. Harry took a warmish overcoat and went out. It took Elsa much longer, and when he saw her, he understood why. Instead of jeans and a t-shirt, she now wore a nice dress and a long overcoat. She also took another handbag.
"I left the book in my bedside drawer," she told him. He rather hoped she would forget all about it, really.
After eating lunch, Harry didn't expect much from dinner. Lunch was okay, but nothing more. He was actually wondering why Elsa didn't comment on it. He was nicely surprised by dinner, though. Although not as good as the one at Hogwarts, it was certainly tasty and nourishing and left him with a good feeling. He was glad that Elsa poured some lemonade into his glass, since he caught himself thinking of pumpkin juice. It wouldn't be right to even mention it in a muggle environment, he was sure.
"You can now visit my cabin and read a bit," Elsa said when they finished dinner.
"I thought I'd watch television for a while. I don't have many occasions for that."
Elsa looked suspicious. "Why is that?"
"We don't have television at school – they think it's not good for us – and my relatives want me unseen, so I stay in my room most of the time, with no television either." This was as close to the truth as he dared tell.
"Do you want me to stay with you?"
Harry was surprised by the question. He had barely met this girl. Why should she stay with him?
"I like your company, but I shouldn't hold you from spending time with your friends," he said honestly.
"You mean my cabin-mates? They are not real friends. We are friendly enough, I suppose, but they know each other since early childhood and I'm just an annex. They won't miss me."
Harry smiled at her. "Then, I'll enjoy watching television with you."
Elsa also smiled, taking his hand. Once again, it gave him a nice, fuzzy feeling. He didn't know what it meant, but he liked it.
There were several television rooms, with each showing a different station. Harry found one that seemed to show a program for teens and settled to watch it. Elsa sat at his side, leaning on him in a way he couldn't ignore. He lifted his arm and put it on her shoulder, letting her lean even closer. She seemed to like it.
\/\/\/
"I intend to take the morning exercise. Would you like to join me?" Harry asked when they were going back to the cabins.
Elsa looked at him. "Why do you need it. You certainly don't need to lose weight. You seem to be a bit too slim, actually."
"Oh, I don't need to lose weight, as you've noticed. I want to build my body so I can join one of my school's sports teams."
"What kind of teams do you have there?"
Harry thought fast. He couldn't tell the truth now, could he?
"Different ball games. I'm not sure which may be best for me. I may try some here to make up my mind, but I really like playing games."
"Fine, but I don't think I'd like to join the exercises. I don't like sweating although I don't mind some physical exercise once in a while."
Harry's disappointment was evident. "On second thought, maybe I should try it once, at least. I do tend to eat a bit more than I need during the summer," she added, making Harry smile.