Chapter 1: Ideas
Neville and Luna had settled down in Bristol after getting back together at the Highclere conference. Luna felt that the couple needed a break before Neville started work as the Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. They were relaxing after a long day in the office one Monday evening in January. Their thoughts turned to holidays.
"I think it's about time we escaped from this country for a while." said Luna, "We haven't left England since we both came back here from Norway and started work. That's about three years now. We really do need a different holiday."
"That's a good idea." said Neville, "What kind of holiday had you in mind?"
"Something quite exotic," suggested Luna, "But I don't want it to be too stressful."
"What about a cruise?" suggested Neville.
"What!?" said Luna, somewhat startled at Neville's suggestion.
"I really enjoyed that trip up and down the Norwegian coast," said Neville, "Our bedroom moved with us and we didn't have to repack every morning."
"I see your point." said Luna, "Would we have to fly anywhere?"
"Not if we sail from a British port." said Neville, "Some cruises sail from Avonmouth. That's not far away."
"I can see you've been looking into this." observed Luna, "Had you anywhere particular in mind?"
"I would like to go somewhere warmer than Norway," said Neville, "Anyway, are you still worried about flying?"
"No, I'm not," said Luna, "But it would be less stressful if we could just go to a British port and board the ship. We wouldn't have all that fuss and bother getting through airports, and there would be less restrictions on luggage."
"You're almost thinking like a muggle." remarked Neville, "Anyway, if they are in agreement, we could invite our friends,"
"Who had you in mind?" asked Luna.
"Sid and Cassie of course." said Neville, "I think they need a break as well. We'll mention it when they come round for dinner on Thursday evening."
"That's a good idea," said Luna, "We can discuss it with them then and see how they feel."
"We're both moving permanently to Scotland in September." said Neville, "It would be a nice way of spending some time with them before we say goodbye. After all, they did bring us back together again after we had 'lost' each other. Also, despite their muggle status, they are our closest friends."
"Before you call them muggles," said Luna, "Don't forget that Cassie is at least three eighths magical, possibly even half-blood."
"That's a good point." said Neville, "But for Cassie's reassurances and the 'good feeling' she said she had about the conference, I would have stayed away and we wouldn't have got back together."
"Would you have married Cassie?" asked Luna.
"I think I would have," said Neville, "If I had convinced myself I was never going to see you again. She's a wonderful human being, so like you in so many ways, but she would have been 'second best' because she wasn't you. Did you feel the same way about Sid when you were with him."
"If we hadn't gone to that conference," said Luna, "I would have pursued the relationship to its conclusion. Yes, I would have married him. I sensed he needed someone who could shine a bright light into his dark world. He'd lost his ideal girl and was caught in a downward spiral of depression when we literally ran into each other. Also, I needed someone solid and reliable - even 'ordinary' to help me keep my feet on the ground. At the time, Sid seemed to be that person."
"How did he feel about the conference?" asked Neville.
"He was really looking forward to it," said Luna, "I think that was because I had given him a hint that he might meet Cassie again. I just had this feeling. Until the beginning of April, I was dreading it, because I would meet you with your new companion."
"What happened at the beginning of April?" asked Neville.
"I had one of my 'prophetic' dreams." said Luna, "In it, I saw you with a girlfriend who looked just like the photos of Cassie Sid had showed me."
"Did you tell him?" asked Neville.
"Not directly." said Luna, "I just hinted that I thought he would have a 'nice surprise'. He put two and two together and guessed that your conference partner would be his Cassie. After the dream, I was looking forward to the conference. He was like a dog with two tails!"
"Do you believe in fate?" asked Neville.
"Yes, I do." said Luna, "Even more so after the period leading up to that conference. I truly believe that I am destined to spend my life with you, and that Sid and Cassie are a couple made in heaven. They seem to have been created for each other - as we are."
"Anyway, we'll broach the subject of holidays with them on Thursday evening." said Neville, "Then we can decide what kind of cruise we want."
After this discussion, Neville and Luna were both convinced that their next holiday would be a cruise. Both of them had thoroughly enjoyed their expedition by ship from Bergen to Kirkenes and back and liked the concept of their 'hotel' travelling with them from port to port. Both of them were comfortable with the idea that this year's holiday would be a cruise. No decision had been made about where they would sail. That could wait until they had discussed the possibilities with Sid and Cassie over dinner on Thursday evening.
"I'll drop into a travel agent tomorrow lunchtime and pick up a couple of brochures." said Luna, "Then we'll have some idea what we're talking about."
"Good idea." said Neville, "We can have a quick look through them tomorrow evening."
"Don't forget I'll be doing some of the preparation for the dinner." said Luna, "So you'll be doing most of the looking. After all, the cruise was your suggestion."
"We won't know what Sid and Cassie's thoughts are until we meet them," said Neville, "But I suppose I'll have to second guess what their preferences would be. I think you're better at that."
"I know." said Luna, "I suggest you look out some possibilities. Then we can discuss them later in the evening after I've done my cooking. Anyway, it's getting late, so I think it's time for bed. We've got a long day tomorrow."
That terminated any further discussion about holidays for the evening, as once they were in bed, Neville and Luna were more concerned with each other's physical and emotional needs to the exclusion of anything else.
oOo
At lunchtime the following day, as she had promised, Luna visited the Broadmead branch of Thomas Cook and came back to the office with four cruising brochures in her capacious handbag.
That evening, once Luna had done the advance cooking for the following night's dinner, Neville and Luna had a first look through the brochures. Their first impression was that there were at least three types of cruise. Some were just an excuse to do nothing but soak up the sun, while doing nothing very much, while others offered visits and shore excursions to interesting places. Their decision to go somewhere warmer than Norway caused them to reject Hurtigruten's Antarctic expedition, however much Luna would like to see the larger species of penguins.
"Why are you so fascinated by King and emperor penguins?" asked Neville.
"They are birds that fly under the water." said Luna, "Also, the king penguins walk incredible distances on tiny legs. They're almost as unbelievable as the fantastic creatures I study. Anyway, going to see them would mean going somewhere even colder than Kirkenes. I don't think our friends would enjoy that."
"That's true." said Neville, "I do know that Cassie loves the sunshine. Not long after we met, she persuaded me to spend a fortnight with her at a naturist resort in the Canary Islands. Once I got used to being naked, I enjoyed it, but I would have liked a holiday with more visits to interesting places."
"You didn't tell me about that one." said Luna, "How did that come about?"
"Some years previously," said Neville, "Cassie had a misunderstanding with Sid and they broke up. She was so depressed that her folks felt she needed a complete break. They took her to this place in the Canaries, but didn't tell her everything about it until they had checked in to the resort."
"Why not?" asked Luna.
"They knew she would refuse to go if they told her she would have to strip completely naked on the beach." said Neville, "But by the end of the holiday, she didn't want to come back home. By that time, she really enjoyed being naked. She took me there to see if I liked it."
"And did you?" asked Luna.
"I did after a couple of days." said Neville, "However, Cassie did say that she would have preferred a holiday with more time outside the resort seeing interesting places. We spent most of our time between the hotel and the beach."
"I think Sid feels the same." said Luna, "On the day following my prophetic dream about the conference, he took me to the Gower. We did spend some time on the beach at Oxwich Bay. He wanted to make it a 'happy' place again. However, he was more interested in explaining the geology of the place."
"Sid's interested in geology?" asked Neville.
"He seems to be interested in all sorts of science subjects." said Luna, "For instance, when I said I loved starlight, he said immediately that Exmoor was a 'dark sky' park, and that we should go there on a clear night. Astronomy fascinates him. What about Cassie? Is she interested in science?"
"Yes, she is interested in geology and astronomy," said Neville, "But she is more interested in people and the way they interact with each other. That enthrals her. I suppose that's because she spent so much time in and out of a psychiatric clinic."
Gradually, the couple came to the conclusion that the type of cruise that might be acceptable to Sid and Cassie would be the one that Neville and Luna would choose in any case. Obviously, they would still have to put this proposition to their friends, but they now felt that the task was now going to be easier. The only question left was 'Where in the world would they go?'. By this time, the evening was drawing on, so Neville and Luna decided to sleep on it and see how they felt in the morning. Once they were in bed, Luna couldn't resist the temptation to have a playful dig at Neville about his Canary Islands holiday with Cassie.
"I suppose," began Luna, "Spending hours and hours with a naked Cassie was a bonus."
"It was," said Neville, "But that doesn't matter when I'm about to spent about eight hours with a naked Luna."
As he said this, he embraced Luna, removed her nightdress and cuddled her slender naked body, totally enjoying its contours.
"I suppose I asked for that!" said a chuckling Luna, "I love you when you're this playful."
"I know!" said Neville.
The couple spent the next half hour or so exploring each other before giving in to total intimacy. After which they slept naked, enfolded in each other's gentle arms.