2 August 1991, Friday
The next morning started almost the same. Once again, he had breakfast with Selma. This time, she waited for Harry and then ate her breakfast along with him. Harry was glad that she didn't interrogate him some more. Still, as she was eating much less than him, she finished first.
"What are you going to do today?" she asked, after clearing the table of the remains of her breakfast.
"I'm not sure. I'm meeting my cousin for lunch, so I can't spend the whole day on anything. I may go shopping for some clothes, as I don't think I have enough. Can you recommend some shops?"
"I can do better than that – I can accompany you and help you, but I thought you had no money. How come you can suddenly shop for clothing?"
Harry shrugged. "My cousin took me as his responsibility. He's paying for my stay here and he gave me some money. He can't take me in, though. He said he has no room for an additional bed, but I think that his girlfriend lives with him."
Although he wasn't sure about the details, he'd heard that this could be a useful argument.
She smirked. "Well, in that case, he certainly can't let you join them. You're still too young for that."
Harry wasn't sure what she really meant, but let it pass.
They left for shopping soon. The weather was a bit gloomy, with an overcast sky and some occasional drizzles, but it didn't affect their mood. Harry was glad that Selma brought an umbrella, though, as he had none – another item to add to his shopping list.
Walking so close to each other, sharing an umbrella, he noticed that Selma was just about his height, which surprised him. Most of the girls in his class were taller than him, and this one was almost four years older. He expected her to also be taller. Thinking a bit about it, he realized that her parents seemed to also be quite short. Whatever the cause, he found it comforting that she didn't tower over him.
The shops were just opening, this early in the morning, yet Selma had a clear destination in her mind. By the time they reached that small street which was lined with clothing shops of all kinds, all the shops were already open. Selma proved to be a good guide, directing him to shops appropriate for his needs, showing him the best deals and checking the fitting of what he tried. She seemed to enjoy this, and Harry appreciated her help more than he could say. A few days earlier, when shopping with Hagrid, it had been just like grocery shopping, in a way, despite buying fine clothes. This time, he was also enjoying himself.
All too soon, it was midday. Harry was worried about meeting Bill on time. "I can take your stuff back to your room," Selma suggested. "You can go on and meet your cousin."
He smiled thankfully. He felt like he owed her for her help, yet he didn't know how to repay. Well, he had more than three weeks to think of that…
Bill was already waiting in front of Gringotts. Harry was glad that nobody noticed him, with his head hidden by the hood, under the umbrella. He still remembered the reactions during that first visit to Diagon Alley. Bill wasted no time. "Let's see what we can find in the bookshop," he said, leading Harry to Flourish and Blotts.
The rainy weather seemed to keep the customers away, which was fine for Harry. "Let's see… You need something about customs, maybe some etiquette, a bit of recent history and politics… Oh, and some Quidditch, of course."
As they were looking for the appropriate books, Bill also told Harry about some of the things he needed to pay attention to in the books. They didn't notice at first, but a certain girl seemed to follow them, listening attentively to all that was said and taking the same books that Bill recommended. Eventually, she approached them.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't refrain from overhearing what you said. I've only found out I was a witch a few weeks ago, and I also need to learn about the world I'm going into. Do you mind if I join you?"
Bill looked at Harry, who shrugged. "Well, Miss…"
"Granger. Hermione Granger," the girl said, blushing slightly.
"Well, Miss Granger, I don't mind. This is something I believe all muggle-raised should be taught before going to Hogwarts, yet nobody seems to care. I'm Bill Weasley, and this is Harry Potter, my young cousin."
Hermione's eyes opened wide. "Harry Potter? The one who vanquished the darkest Dark Lord ever? I've read about you in several books already! It's an honour to meet you."
Harry felt that this was not going the right way. "I was just a baby. I don't think I did anything. Whatever happened there was certainly not my doing. Nice to meet you, Miss Granger."
"Well, of course, it wasn't your doing, come to think of that. It was probably some protection, put on you by your parents, and possibly enhanced by your own magic. I'm really excited to go to Hogwarts and learn everything about magic. Aren't you?"
Her hero worship vanished just as soon as it had appeared. Harry liked her better this way, enthusiastic about learning, about finding she had magic, just as he felt. "Well, I'm also eager to learn, and the relatives with whom I stayed until lately have never told me I was a wizard. I only found out about it when I got my letter."
"Do you mind if we read these books together?"
Harry had to smile at her enthusiasm. "I don't mind, but where can we do it? I currently stay in a small room at a cheap hotel. It's not really suitable for having guests."
She gave it a thought. "I live out of London, which may also pose a problem. We may go to the lobby of a large hotel, though, and stay there. They don't normally mind, as long as you don't bother their guests."
"We still need to have lunch. Do you want to join us?" Bill intervened.
"Sure! My parents gave me enough money for lunch." She then frowned. "It's muggle money, though."
Bill laughed. "We can afford to invite you. Don't worry about that."
She gave it a thought and then nodded reluctantly. "I shouldn't take presents from strangers, but as Harry is a kind of celebrity, it should be alright."
Bill paid for the books, letting Hermione pay for her own purchases, and then led them to a side street, where several small tables were set in a small shop. "I believe you'll like it here," he smiled at the children.
Neither of them could make heads or tails of the menu, so they let Bill order for them. "Would you like some soup with noodles?"
Both nodded. He also ordered some salad and a hamburger with chips for each. Harry didn't know why Bill thought this was so special.
They got the soup first. As Harry took the spoon to eat, he noticed that the noodles were animal-shaped and they all moved, trying to escape the spoon. When he finally ate the noodles, they wiggled in his mouth and tickled it. Hermione seemed even more surprised, as she didn't expect her food to act that way. She first had a look of horror on her face. Then, after understanding these were just enchanted noodles, she smiled and enjoyed her meal, laughing at the tickling. Harry found her laughter very nice.
Bill excused himself after lunch. "I need to return to my work. There's a lot to prepare before going on an expedition. Harry, I'll let you know if we can meet again before I leave."
He shook hands with both children and left. Hermione looked pensively at Harry for a short while. "He's not really your cousin, is he?"
Harry didn't want to confirm her suspicion, so he evaded the question. "Let's find someplace to read. I don't want to stay here, as I don't want people's attention."
Hermione could understand that and they quickly left Diagon Alley. It took them a bit longer to find a suitable lobby, where they could sit at the corner and study their books. They got comfortable, sitting side by side and put a book in front of them, ready to start reading.
"You still haven't answered my question," Hermione reminded him.
"What was it?" he tried to evade.
"I said that Bill is not really your cousin, is he?"
"Why would you say that?" He still didn't want to confirm her suspicion.
"Well, he's a redhead – you are not; he's very tall – you're not. Besides, according to the books, you have no living relatives, and he's certainly alive. He also seems to have recently known you, as I could sense some awe in him when he spoke of you. That's not the way cousins behave."
Harry had to smile at her acute perception. "Well, he's not. I grew up with my magic-hating relatives who treated me awfully. Now, that I found I could afford to leave them, I stay at a hotel until school starts. I needed an adult to rent that room for me and Gringotts helped me by sending Bill. He then offered to help me learn a bit about the magical world until school starts. We should still keep this a secret, as I don't want to be forced back to my relatives – they don't want it either – and I'm not sure whom I can trust."
"You can trust me! I won't tell anybody!" she said firmly.
"Fine," he smiled at her. "Let's see what we can find in here…"
They spent a few hours reading selected chapters from several books. Only their grumbling stomachs made them stop.
"I think I should go home now," Hermione said apologetically.
"That's alright. I also need to get some dinner and I promised to meet someone after dinner." He hesitated for a moment. "Can we meet again?"
"Sure! I can come tomorrow and meet you here if you want, or we can go somewhere else." Hermione seemed just as eager to meet him again. It took them a bit to set up the time and the place, but they parted contentedly. Harry was surprised when Hermione hugged him shortly before going her way.
–..–
Harry was still a bit pensive when he arrived at the hotel, after stopping for dinner at a small restaurant. He barely had time to put his new books aside when he heard a knock on the door.
"I was getting worried. Have you lost your way?" Selma asked as he opened the door for her.
"Oh, I met somebody at the book store and we became friends, as we're going to attend the same school."
"Well, it's nice to have a friend when you go to a place you don't yet know," she agreed. "I had nobody when my family moved here. I was quite lonely for most of my first year in London."
"You have some friends now, don't you?"
"Sure I have, but not as close as my friends in the small town we lived in before. I do have a boyfriend, though." Selma sounded proud of that.
They spent about an hour just talking. Harry found that Selma felt quite lonely during the summer vacation, as most of her friends went on vacations out of town, while she had to stay and help her parents with their hotel. Luckily, her boyfriend stayed in London for most of the summer vacation. "Actually, he's taking me on a date a bit later. We're probably going to see a movie together."
Harry wished he had somebody to spend his time with. Could that girl, Hermione, become the friend he longed so much to have?
That night, after he got into bed, he thought about the two girls he'd spent some time with. Both were quite brave, to initiate any kind of friendship with him. He thought that Hermione was prettier, despite her slightly too-large front teeth. He was still thinking of her when he fell asleep.