With a quick flick of his wand, Harry wrapped up her gift and put it complacently into his jacket pocket and with a quick ruffle to his hair he stopped to view his appearance in the mirror before opening the door.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” came a voice from the entrance hall.
“Oh, thanks. I’d forget my head.” replied Harry with a smile while picking up his wand once more and putting it inside his jacket. “Are you sure you don’t want to come, Luna would really like it if you could attend.”
“I’m sorry Harry.” replied Remus with a slight shake to his head. “It’s a full moon tonight; it would be silly to risk it.”
Harry gave him a small understanding nod before turning back towards the door. “Are you sure that you don’t want to travel by Floo it would be a lot quicker!”
Harry grimaced. “Forget it, I’d rather eat a flobberworm!” he shot back sardonically. And as Harry closed the door and presented himself to the early spring breeze, he heard Remus chuckle unto himself as he walked back into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.
It didn’t take long for the Knight bus to arrive and as Stan Shunpike droned in his usual dreary tone a ‘Hello Mr Potter, what a lovely spring day it is today,’ Harry just made his way as quick as he could to an empty seat at the back of the bus, and immediately gripped himself to the long pole in front, praying that the bus would get him to Ottery St. Catchpole in record time.
-
“Ron, will you hurry up! Just how long do you need to get ready for Merlins sake!!”
“Hermione, for your information I like to present myself in an orderly and smart manner when one attends a joyous occasion.”
Hermione burst out laughing. “Yeah, well I need to sort out my hair and you have been in the bathroom for ages!” she mocked while pushing him aside.
“Oh great, in the time it will take you to sort that mess out we will miss the party altogether!”
Hermione scowled as she trudged past Ron and slammed the Bathroom door shut in his face.
Ron rolled his eyes, “Women!” Then continued to bang on the door with his fist, “Well you better hurry up Granger, we haven’t got all day!”
Ron had spent the last few days at Hermione’s parents house, it had been a real eye opener at first, spending quality time with a muggle family, something that his Father could only dream of doing, and Arthur had given him a list of questions to ask Mr and Mrs Granger and gave him strict instructions to report everything back to him upon his return.
Something that Ron hadn’t anticipated though was the normality of family life, it wasn’t much different from that of his own upbringing, except things were harder and he actually had to do the washing up using his hands instead of watching Molly flick a wand, but it made him realise that things should not always be taken for granted and he enjoyed the experience, but felt that two days was enough for hard graft and couldn’t wait to get back home and practice some quidditch in the garden.
Hermione finally came down the staircase, her hair tied up with a few ringlets flowing down her shoulders, and with a smart pair of black trousers and a pink halter neck top, Ron couldn’t help but gape at her appearance. He was used to seeing her in jeans and tracksuit jackets, and he drank in her beauty everyday, but today she shone and upon noting his expression, Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking hold of his arm while he escorted her to the car waiting for them outside, which was to drive them to Luna’s house, just ten minutes away from Ron’s own.
“Thanks Dad for doing this.” said Hermione as she got into the car with Ron sitting beside her, whom immediately thought back to the time when he and Harry were twelve and took the flying Ford Anglia on a small trip to Hogwarts all those years ago, We were only kids then, Ron thought silently into himself and suddenly felt excited that he was going to see Harry again today – albeit if it was at his Girlfriend’s sixteenth birthday party. Oh how times really do change. |