Summary: George takes Hermione to Walt Disney World for their three year anniversary. AU-ish & fluff & stuff.
Author's Note/Disclaimer: I've really been feeling my Disney Pandora station lately. Characters are JKR's. Music is Disney's. Set in 2014 because of the Festival of Fantasy parade. And away we go, it's a festival of fantasy!
"Oh, George! The view is absolutely breathtaking!" Hermione exclaimed, looking out their resort room window at Cinderella Castle. She spun around from the window and smiled at her boyfriend.
George smiled back, running a hand through his fiery red hair and replied, "It was really no big deal. Verity told me about this place and I thought it'd be fun if we made a pit stop here before heading home and started to act like adults again."
Hermione laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She grabbed the blue folder from their pile of paperwork from the resort, and started to list off they things that they should do once they got to the Magic Kingdom park, "There's, of course, the three mountains, and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Oh! And I've been told that there's a new parade that we can't miss! How long are we here again?"
"Four days," George replied, amused at his girlfriend's excitement. He swore he hadn't seen her this excited since he had asked her to move in only a few short months ago. And even so, this was a different kind of excitement, like she was about to turn into a child and start running around Disney World aimlessly. The couple had been on a two week trip to San Francisco to look at a location for a new joke shop, which was tiring and stressful for both of them. George thought a trip to what Verity called 'The happiest place on earth' would be much needed for the young couple.
Growing up in the wizarding world, George knew nothing about this theme park or even the Disney name. He had never seen a Mickey Mouse logo or heard of Cinderella. But when he brought the Disney name up after Verity's suggestion, there was a light in Hermione's eyes that flashed a childish glint. He knew that he wanted to take her on this special trip before they had to head back to England.
Hermione's squeal from the bathroom brought George back to the present. He walked over to the bathroom and saw that Hermione seemed to be squealing at a framed pop art picture of the castle that they had the view of. He rolled his eyes, understanding that he had no personal attachment to this Disney place, unlike Hermione. Wrapping his arms around his girlfriend, he asked, "Did you want to stand here and stare at a picture, or go see the real thing?" Hermione's eyes got wide with a frenzy George had never seen before. She unwrapped his arms from around her waist and went back into their studio to find appropriate park attire.
While Hermione was on her quest to find an outfit that would defy the Central Florida humidity, George stepped out onto the balcony to assess the weather. It was a late September morning, and the weather was much different than San Francisco's foggy, damp chill and England's crisp autumn breeze. Instead of changing into a pair of shorts, like any other person would, he cast a simple cooling charm on the pair of jeans he was wearing. Stepping back inside, he noticed that Hermione had changed from her sweatpants and tank top to a yellow sundress and canvas slip ons.
"George? Are you ready?" Hermione asked, as she fasted her yellow magical bracelet-thing to her wrist. (Allegedly, Verity told him that if he did something with the computer and a website, their entire trip would be on the magical bracelet. He was absolutely helpless with the technology, so he ended up paying Verity a day's overtime to help him plan this trip instead of work the shop.) George nodded, and fastened his orange magical bracelet on his wrist.
Hand-in-hand, the couple exited their resort and walked across the pathway that led them to the front of Disney's Magic Kingdom. After Hermione's purse was thoroughly searched by a security guard, they approached a smiling employee - no, cast member, so said Hermione - who instructed them to touch their 'MagicBand' and the couple was granted park access. Before they stepped under the train station, Hermione looked up at a plaque that read, "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." Hermione squealed and grabbed George's hand, and with an excited squeeze, they entered Main Street USA.
For a place made by and for Muggles, it was pretty impressive, George had to admit. There was so much activity going on, that George had no idea where to start. Merlin, I was not prepared for this, George thought.
"Where did you want to start?" George asked Hermione, hoping that she would just make the decisions for the rest of the day. He did, in fact, plan the general idea of the trip. Just not the minute details.
Hermione pulled out the purple map that she had been looking at in the resort and, after a quick glance, she replied, "Let's start in the back, and work our way back up to the front, just in time for the parade at 3 o'clock."
Hermione took George's hand and led him to the back of the park to a land called 'Frontierland.' After waiting in half hour queues for some silly rides that could've used a little sprucing up with magic, Hermione declared that she was hungry. The couple had made their way through Frontierland, Liberty Square, and were about halfway through Fantasyland when she made that declaration. Checking his watch, it was half-past eleven in the morning. Where was the time going? George pointed out a little kiosk across from that Mine Train Seven Cooler Roaster... or something like that, where they could grab food to go. There was still plenty of time before their dining reservation that Verity had so graciously set up for George.
After their quick lunch, they made their way through the rest of Fantasyland and into Tomorrowland, skipping over a few things here or there - like those spinning tea cups and that 90 minute queue for the Mine Train. Hermione suggested taking a break and riding something called a People Mover. George couldn't have been more thankful. He hadn't realized all of the walking they'd be doing, plus the 35 degree (ahem, 95 degrees Fahrenheit, FYI) weather with 90% humidity, but he was thankful for the cooling charm. The couple cozied up on the slow-moving ride, that took them through a brief overview of the rides in Tomorrowland. Space Mountain sounded quite interesting and intense, while Carousel of Progress sounded boring. Of course, Hermione felt the complete opposite and was looking forward to Carousel of Progress the most.
Hermione laughed at their disagreement and said, "I'll ride Space Mountain and not scream like a banshee if you can get through Carousel of Progress without a yawn."
George smirked and kissed the top of her head, "Deal."
George checked the time on his watch before they waited in the 45 minute queue for Space Mountain - one o'clock in the afternoon. For some reason, this parade that Hermione kept talking about was incredibly important to her. So George had made it his mission this early afternoon to make sure they would have enough time to get a fantastic spot for the parade. His goal was to get her back on Main Street USA by two-thirty, and maybe grab her a coffee and cupcake from the bakery they had passed on their way in.
Hermione had not kept her end of the deal. Although her banshee scream was mixed in with laughter, and she seemed to have enjoyed Space Mountain, she still left George with his good ear ringing. They were able to get right onto Carousel of Progress, and George found the attraction mildly interesting. He was mostly interested in how the characters ages barely changed and the dog stayed alive, even though they were going through about four decades of Muggle technology. By the end of the attraction, George was convinced that this Walt Disney character was a wizard. And Hermione was humming that atrociously catchy song that was sure to stay in their heads the rest of the afternoon.
It was half-past two. George led Hermione out of Tomorrowland, and back onto Main Street USA. There was a spot open near the ice cream shop, where Hermione would have a great view.
"Would you like anything from the bakery, love?" George asked.
"And iced coffee would be lovely, thank you," Hermione said, clearly in a daze from their adventure so far. Stopping had caught up with her, and she was flooded with the excitement she had before they had left their resort. Cheeks flushed, she was visibly shaking from excitement.
"Stay here, and I'll be right back with your coffee," George said, trying to make eye contact with Hermione, who was somewhere else entirely. Hermione shook her head, breaking whatever daze she was in, and nodded her head with a grin.
When George came back, two iced coffees in hand, he saw that Hermione was sitting on the curb of the sidewalk chatting animatedly with a young girl in a pink princess dress.
"It's your first time to Disney World?!" Hermione exclaimed to the young girl, "Oh my it been everything you dreamed of and more?"
The young girl nodded, and showed Hermione a book with scribbles in it. Noticing his presence, Hermione looked up and smiled at George before returning to the girl. "Oh my! And you even got Queen Elsa's autograph! Did you get to play with Sven?"
The girl laughed, "No, Elsa said he was too smelly for the princess room."
Hermione laughed with the girl, "Well, I'm sure Queen Elsa was right! I'd imagine he'd be quite smelly." Just then, a trumpet sounded and an announcement about the parade started, along with some music. Hermione gave the little girl a quick wink and stood back up. George handed her the coffee, and they set all of their attention to the dancers rounding the front of the castle.
George was thoroughly impressed. Between the music, the dancing, the costumes, and the overall feeling of this parade, he could see why Hermione had been looking forward to it. Standing behind Hermione, he watched her sway along to the music and sing along to the lyrics that she knew. He didn't think it was possible, but he was sure he just fell deeper in love with his girlfriend. This was the most carefree he had ever seen her, and he finally realized why Disney World felt so special to him - because Hermione loved it. George could do without the silly rides and mind-numbing catchy songs (it's a small world after all...), but watching Hermione light up at the music, the attractions, and throw all of her stress away...it was worth it.
"Away we go, it's a festival of fantasy / beauty and majesty, shining magically / dreams that glow, wondrous dazzling brilliantly / away we go, it's a festival of fantasy!" The music faded away as the parade disappeared behind a shop. Hermione spun around and threw her arms around George's neck. "That was absolutely wonderful! It was everything I dreamed of and more!" Hermione exclaimed, giving George a kiss on the lips, "Thank you, thank you so much for this trip. I love you." She kissed him once more, and then dropped her arms to her side, grabbing both of George's hands.
"For you, anything," George replied, kissing her nose.
Hermione smiled, wrinkled her nose, and stuck her tongue out at George. "What would you like to do next?"
George shrugged, "Erm, I really don't know what's next. What haven't we done?"
Hermione pulled out her map, "There's always Adventureland, and we could try the Seven Dwarves Mine Train queue again, if you don't mind waiting." She put the map back in her purse and looked up at George, biting her bottom lip.
"If you keep that up, I'll wait the rest of the evening with you in the queue, love," George said. And he meant it.
Hermione giggled, and dragged him off towards Adventureland, where they split a Dole Whip and rode the Jungle Cruise - an awfully corny boat ride with fantastic puns George was sure to use later. After experiencing a few more attractions, including another go on Big Thunder Mountain - their first ride of that morning, they trekked back up through Fantasyland until they reached the Seven Dwarves Mine Train queue. It was still about 90 minutes long, but they were determined to ride it. After all, they only had three more days left, and three more parks to go.
"Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work we go!" Hermione sang out as they exited the ride.
George smiled and rolled his eyes. He was never to going to understand these songs that Hermione had so clearly grown up with. But he didn't have to understand it to know that this was always going to be a part of Hermione. George slipped into a short daydream as they made their way through Fantasyland and into Storybook Circus to get the treats Hermione was dying to get earlier that day. The daydream was mostly about the couple taking their future children to this place, so they could grow up with the wonder and magic that Hermione had grown up with. And, according to Hermione, there was another park in California! Wait, did he just daydream about their future children? Head over heels, deeply in love.
"Two candy flosses, please!" Hermione pipped up to the confused cashier, "Oh," Hermione blushed and looked at the menu again, "I'm sorry - two cotton candies please!" The cashier handed two colorful, sugar-spun clouds in bags to George as Hermione paid. She was so much better with foreign Muggle currency than he was.
When they exited the shop, they sat down on a brick wall, enjoying their sugary treat. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder, happily swinging her feet that didn't touch the ground. "Today has just been -" Hermione started.
"- magical?" George finished, looking down at Hermione. She looked up at him and smiled. With a nod in agreement, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When they finished their treat, George checked his watch. A quarter-past six. Time was flying by and in less than two hours, was their dining reservation.
George cleared his throat, "Hey 'Mione, did you want to head back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner, or did you want to play in the park some more?" Hermione's chocolate brown eyes looked at his sky blue ones, conflicted. "We could always come back to the park after dinner, love," he reminded her. The park was to stay open for something called 'extra magic hours.' Seriously, this Walt Disney...a wizard. No one else would use the word 'magic' so much.
Slowly, the couple made their way back to the front of the park, and continued their walk to their resort. Their proximity to this park was incredible. And apparently their view during dinner would also be incredible.
Back at the resort, Hermione took a quick shower, while George scourgified their clothes from the day. Florida had been a lot more humid than they had been prepared for, but that's what magic was for. George heard Hermione shut off the water, so he quickly changed into dark blue jeans and a dark blue button down, that he left untucked. Emerging from the bathroom, Hermione wore a light orange dress and her hair was up in a purposefully messy bun. George walked a few steps closer to Hermione, picked her up, and spun her around. "You look absolutely breathtaking," he said.
Hermione blushed and replied, "You don't look so bad yourself."
"Shall we?" George said, offering Hermione his arm. She gracefully took it, and they walked over to a different section of their resort.
After following the signs to their check in, a hostess took the couple up to the fifteenth floor of their resort to a rooftop restaurant. Their table was covered in Mickey Mouse-shaped confetti that the hostessed called 'pixie dust' for their anniversary celebration. That term made Hermione giddy again and she snuggled closer to George in their booth. They were in the back corner booth of the restaurant, right next to a glass door that led them to a balcony overlooking the castle and the park they had spent the entire day playing in.
During dinner, the couple shared a bottle of white wine, from a winery in California that they had recently spent a day in on an off day in San Francisco. Hermione ordered the Florida Snapper dish, while George ordered the Cast Iron-Seared Bison. Their waiter offered them the dessert menu, which George politely declined. The fireworks from the Magic Kingdom were about to start, and George knew Hermione didn't want to miss them.
Stepping out of their booth, George offered Hermione his hand, and they walked out to the balcony to enjoy the firework spectacular. During a quiet moment in the show, George glanced over and nudged Hermione's shoulder with his own.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." She smirked at him, amused by the sudden awkwardness.
George coughed awkwardly and fidgeted with something in his hand, "Hermione, there aren't even words to describe how much I love you, but I'm willing to spend the rest of my life trying... will you marry me?" He present a white gold band with a solitaire round diamond. Hermione let out an audible gasp, attracting the attention of those around them. She blushed, and exclaimed, "Oh George. Yes, yes! Absolutely yes. It's beautiful!" He slipped the ring on her left finger and those around them applauded politely. George put his around around Hermione and pulled her into a deep kiss.
'We'll make a wish and do as dreamers do / And all our wishes will come true."
Author's Note: The end. I seriously considered writing a chapter for each Disney park, but I loved the ending so much, that I'm 90% sure I won't do it. I've been on such a GeorgexHermione kick lately, so I thought I'd produce my own little drabble that's been floating around in my head.
