A Day at the Beach

After so many years of Hogwarts traditions, Harry thought it was understandable that the staff would gravitate to a table of their own, while the teens chose another. Harry and Hermione headed for the six of their friends who had made it down to breakfast before them. They were soon joined by the missing couple.

The teens had agreed amongst themselves that shorts and t-shirts would be their standard wear for the proposed day on the beach. None of them were quite prepared for how shorts and a t-shirt would look on Millie though. She walked in with Ron's arm around her waist and stopped all conversation. Her t-shirt stretched over her shoulders, and also over Millie's ample assets, before tapering in at the waist. Her shorts looked extremely good on her too, Ron's smile clearly showing he approved. Millie was starting to get embarrassed at their reaction - or lack of one - when Susan cut the silence with a heartfelt plea.

"Millie, you look amazing! It's official, Hogwarts robes are the most unflattering garments in the word. Hermione, whatever uniform you decide on for the Institute, it has to be different from those."

Ron gave Millie a glance, that was all it needed to say 'told you so'. She sat down beside Ron, still blushing. "I've always felt like a freak because my shoulders are so wide. Getting robes to fit them meant they hung like a sack down the rest of my body. I wouldn't dare dress like this in public at home."

A rather smug Ron sat beside his girlfriend, trying not to laugh at his gob-smacked brothers who were seeing Millie in a new light. Hermione though soon had him smiling for an entirely different reason.

"You're amongst friends here, Millie, so don't worry about it. Harry and I had to transfigure our clothes for today, neither of us had time to go home and collect anything. That's why we'll be going clothes shopping soon. Normally I would wear my bikini to the beach but have no idea of wizarding fashions - other than those horrible Hogwarts robes."

Looking around the table, and seeing that no one - apart from Harry - had understood that, Hannah asked the question. "Hermione, what's a bikini?"

"Think matching bra and pants that you wear to swim. Don't wizards and witches swim? Oh, do you skinny-dip?"

While still all hot and flustered at the though of seeing Millie dressed like that, Ron then asked what skinny-dip meant.

"It means swimming in the skin you were born with - and nothing else. Nude."

"Oh yes, that sounds like fun."

Luna's comment, and her genuine excitement at the idea, almost choked Neville - he was eating a piece of fruit at the time. Since Ron appeared to have gone to visit his happy place, Millie was redder than had previously been thought humanly possible, the two Hufflepuff witches were still in shock from discovering what a bikini was and he was afraid of what Luna would jump in with as an answer, George gave Hermione the information she was looking for.

"If we went swimming at the stream, we would all be dressed similar to this. If mum wasn't there, we might be really adventurous and take our shirts off."

Fred added more. "Mum would always find out though. With the red hair, we don't exactly tan. If she didn't cast the sunscreen charm on us, we would quickly burn from the sun."

"Oh, I didn't know there was a charm for that, saves having to buy the tan oil. I think we'll be in shorts and t-shirts for most of the holidays, but we also need to buy some swimwear. We didn't even have uniforms on our list of things to do, good call, Susan. After spending some time here, would you want to sit down and we could talk about designing it?"

That suggestion received four big yeses from the girls, kicking their excitement toward this new school up another notch.

They were disturbed by Dobby, popping next to Harry. "Dobby is sorry but healer is wanting to talk with Harry Potter. Healer wants to know how Miss Weasley got darkest magic healer has ever seen."

Not wanting to dump their friends again, Hermione agreed to take them down to the beach. Fred and George joined Harry in following the little elf to where their sister was being cared for. Still feeling she had let her lions down, Minerva included herself in the group too.

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