The New Zealand Experience

Chapter 2 - Telling the Weasleys

The next day, Harry got off the Knight Bus outside the Leaky Cauldron and quickly entered the dirty pub. Once inside, he looked around and spotted Hermione sitting at a table in the corner. He hurried over to her and sat down.

"Hey Harry, isn't this just great?" Hermione asked him excitedly.

"Yeah, but where are the Weasleys?" Harry questioned.

"Oh, they aren't arriving for another 15 minutes." Hermione replied. "So, we have a bit of time to prepare what to tell them. How do you think we should break the news?"

"I think we should just sit them down and tell them straight off. Don't try to make an excuse, just say you entered them in a competition and they won."

"You think they'll accept it?"

"I hope so," Harry said enthusiastically.

Just then their talk was interrupted by the fire across the room glowing green. As they turned to look, Ron came tumbling out, but he managed to stay on his feet. He looked around confused until he saw them, and his face lit up with a huge grin.

"I managed to convince mum to be a bit early," Ron told them as he joined the group. He walked towards Hermione, but then seemed to change his mind and he sat beside Harry, opposite Hermione.

The fire glowed again as Ginny arrived, and she also came over to join them. As he watched her Harry noticed that she seemed to have changed. She seemed a lot more grown up and mature than he remembered. He wasn't sure when this had happened as he hadn't really been paying much attention to her the year before. Harry felt a strange feeling and he couldn't explain what it was.

"Hello,!" Ginny greeted them happily as she sat beside Hermione. "What's been happening?"

"You'll find out soon enough," was Hermione's cryptic reply.

The fire continued to glow green as both Mrs. Weasley and then Mr. Weasley arrived. They joined the group where they explained that the others were busy and were unable to come.

Hermione looked at Harry with what Harry thought was a very nervous expression. He just nodded his head as encouragement for her.

"The reason I have organised this meeting is that I have some very important news to share with you all,..." she started. Harry noticed that Ron had frozen and now looked terrified. Harry was amazed at how obvious it was the Ron liked Hermione, yet he would not admit it. Hermione continued, "During the Christmas holidays, I entered you all into a competition. This competition had a main prize of two weeks skiing in Wanaka, New Zealand. You have won."

The reactions of the Weasleys were priceless. Mrs. Weasley gasped and grabbed Hermione in a tight hug. Mr. Weasley just sat there looking stunned. Ginny had a huge smile on her face, which Harry noticed made her look very pretty, but why should he be thinking that? Wasn't she just his friends little sister?

Ron looked extremely confused and asked, "What is skiing?"

"Oh Ron," Hermione laughed at him, "it's a muggle sport. It's done on snow."

"What? Like snowball fights?" asked the still confused Ron.

"No silly, more like sledding."

"When is it that we go?" Ginny interrupted.

"Well, seeing as the Southern Hemisphere has the opposite seasons to us, and the fact that we have already been booked, next week." Hermione told them all.

"Next week?" Mrs. Weasley broke in. "But we can't afford anything like that."

"Its okay, everything is paid for as part of the prize. All you have to do is get some muggle passports from the ministry and pack." Hermione replied happily.

"Muggle passports? Why do we need those?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"The prize is from a muggle competition. We will be travelling by plane." Hermione explained to the very excited Mr. Weasley.

"We get to travel the muggle way! This will be great." Mr. Weasley remarked.

"So you will go?" Harry inquired.

"We can hardly turn down such an offer." Mr. Weasley explained quickly, before Mrs. Weasley could say anything.

"What about you two?" Ron queried, looking at Hermione and Harry.

"We have already booked. We are travelling with you and staying at the same lodge," Hermione explained, hoping no questions would be asked about the cost.

"So what do we need? Apart from the passports?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"Just your clothes, warm ones, and anything else you want to take. As part of the prize the cost of all the gear you will need is covered," Hermione replied.

"Also try to look muggle and leave wizard things behind, as we will have to be muggles," Harry added.

"What day are we going?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Next Wednesday, we have to be at Heathrow Airport at 9 am, two hours before the flight leaves." Hermione explained. "They have to check us and our luggage in. We also have to go through things like Customs and security checks. Luckily, we can look at the shops they have there or go to a cafe while we wait."

"Sounds very interesting," Mr. Weasley stated.

Harry looked at Ginny while Hermione continued to explain about airports to Mr. Weasley. He was surprised once again at how pretty she had become. A stray lock of hair fell across her face and Harry found himself wanting to reach out to replace it. Ginny suddenly looked up and caught him looking at her. She smiled and Harry quickly looked away, knowing that he was blushing furiously. He thought, "Why do I have this sudden interest in her. It not as if she is a super model, but I'm sure I have never seen anyone as great as her." Then he remembered what she had said on the train, I've chosen Dean. "So she has got over me. I was to slow and now I have to suffer the consequences. Maybe its for the best, I am the prime target of a Dark Lord after all."

Hermione was now explaining about how the air traffic control uses radios to communicate with the pilots in the planes. Harry listened in for a while, as he had never been to an airport either and wondered how such a large place kept going. Then he remembered that he needed to convert his money, so he excused himself and headed off to Gringotts.

Just as he was opening the archway to Diagon Alley, Ginny came out of the pub and joined him.

"I thought you might like some company," she told him honestly.

"Yeah, I suppose I do," Harry replied, although not mentioning that he preferred her company over anyone else at the moment.

They walked down Diagon Alley together and entered the bank. Harry went over to the nearest free goblin and requested to take some money out. Another goblin appeared, and led them to a cart for the ride to his vault.

When they arrived at his vault, Harry tried to quickly gather a large amount of his gold Galleons while blocking the vault from view of the cart. He knew that the Weasleys were not very well off, and he didn't like showing off his fortune. His efforts were wasted though, as Ginny walked up behind him and looked in.

"Wow Harry! I didn't know you were this rich," said Ginny, amazed at the towers of coins inside his vault.

"Yeah, well, I inherited it from my parents," Harry replied gloomily.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry," Ginny told him comfortingly as they walked back to the cart.

"It's okay."

Once back up at the main lobby Harry once again approached a goblin and had his money converted into pounds.

"I guess I'm going to have to get it changed again when we get to New Zealand," Harry explained. "I hope it will be enough."

They walked back to the Leaky Cauldron in silence. Harry was glad that he could be near Ginny without her blushing or knocking things over, but to him it just seemed like another sign that she really was over him.

As they entered the pub they found Hermione now explaining about the electronic boards that show arrivals and departures from the airports.

"How did it go?" Mrs. Weasley asked them as they sat down.

"A lot easier than I expected," Harry said. "So how are we all getting to the airport? Are we going to meet there?"

"My parents are going to come pick you up Harry," Hermione explained to him. "I'm not sure about the Weasleys?"

"I'm sure we can get Ministry cars or take the Knight bus," Mr. Weasley told them.

"Okay. We'll meet you near the entrance then."

"Well, if that's all sorted we better get going," Mr. Weasley said. His excitement about the trip still evident on his face.

"Okay, see you all next week," Harry told them as he watched them leave by Floo. Turning to Hermione he asked her, "Where can I buy some ski clothing? I don't think that anything I have will be suitable."

"It will probably be easiest to get some from over there." Hermione told him. "I need to get some new clothes too."

"Sounds good. So you'll pick me up on Wednesday?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we will be there about 7:30. Make sure you warn the Dursleys," she cautioned him. "And don't forget your homework!"

"Thanks again Hermione, this will be brilliant. Bye!" Harry called to her as she got into her parents car. Then he turned and stuck out his wand to signal the Knight Bus for his ride back to the Dursleys.