Disclaimer all characters, settings, etc, are the copyright of JK Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing

The Return

Chapter 7

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Arrival in Wales

The following morning Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna, were all up early to discuss how to find 'Merlin'. They decided that enquiries would be made at the ministry by Ron, while Hermione was to search in the ministry library. Luna would visit Hogwarts to see if anything was known by any of the professor's there. Harry meanwhile would have to stay at the Burrow.

"And keep your hands in your pockets, I would hate to be summoned here in the middle of using the loo," Ron said as they all ate another of Mrs Weasley's filling breakfast's. By eight thirty Harry and Ron's mum were the only one's left in the kitchen.

Harry offered to help with the clearing of the breakfast dishes, but as the plates totally disappeared without a trace as Harry pointed at them, Mrs Weasley suggested that he go and sit and read the morning paper.

Harry glanced through the Daily Prophet, only to find that it was still full of rumours about his return. One of them suggested that he had returned because there was some great evil about to befall the Wizarding world. Another suggested that Harry was in actual fact Merlin in disguise and was in fact immortal. Chuckling at these silly rumours he threw the paper to one side, feeling a little bored he decided to take a walk around the garden. He was just about to tell Mrs Weasley where he was going to go, when he had a thought "Ghost's," he said out loud.

"What's that Harry dear?" Mrs Weasley asked from the doorway.

"Ghosts, if I was a Muggle trying to keep away other Muggles, I would make them think the place was haunted. I mean look at the shrieking shack, even the Hogwarts ghost's stayed away from there."

"What a brilliant idea," said Mrs Weasley "I'll send Pigwidgeon to Hermione, ask her to check it out, I'll also tell Luna to ask the Hogwarts ghost's if they have heard anything."

Needless to say nothing in the Wizarding world seemed to help them in their search for an answer, and as Hermione pointed out Merlin has been gone near to a thousand years so there were few if any clues left. After a few days of fruitlessly searching all the archives they could the four of them decided it was time to travel to the only place they had any clue about. Ron wanted to know once more where Dobby had said they should go.

"Some where around Snowdonia, we'll have to get hold of some maps and we will have to see if we can find a place to set up as a base to work from," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Ron volunteered to fetch the maps. Luna said she would find out if there was a wizard hotel or guest house. Harry went off to Gringotts to get enough cash, both Muggle and Wizard to last for a few weeks. He had an idea this could take a long time, having spoken to Griphook his Goblin advisor, Harry left the bank with a port key to his family home that was just on the out skirts of the Snowdonia national park.

By evening they had everything ready, it being too late in the day to start their new adventure they decided to get an early night and set out very early the next day. Hermione had found a small bed and breakfast place that they could stay at while they checked out the area; Harry decided they could stay there a few days to give them a chance to check if the Potter home was in a usable condition. The bed and breakfast was owned by a witch called Mrs Connor; thanks to Hermione's letters she was expecting them sometime before lunch. Slowly Harry learned to do his talking without waving his arms about to emphasise some points and less accidental magic was happening around them

They were all up early the following morning, Mrs Weasley saw to it that they had a rather filling breakfast before they left so while she did the cooking, the two couples laid a map of North Wales on to the table and started to search for the village they were to stay at. Fifteen minutes later it was Hermione, who being better with Muggle things like maps found the tiny place they were looking for.

They all studied carefully where they were going, memorizing the co-ordinates, and a visual picture of the area terrain. Hugging Mrs Weasley in turn they all said their farewells and walked to the Burrow boundary where one by one they disappeared.

They reappeared with various pops and cracks of sound in a very small secluded valley close to a little river that was about a quarter mile from the nearest road.

Harry checked that everyone was ok and then they headed for the road. They had just reached the first hedge when a deep pleasant voice called to them in Welsh. Harry not expecting to hear anyone so far from the road stuttered a mumbling reply that they did not speak Welsh.

"That's ok with me then," said the tuneful voice. Harry tried to see over the hedge to where it was coming from when just to his left the hedge parted and a man of around forty beckoned them through, "come on, come on, if my wife sees me do this to the hedge she will have a fit," they all piled through looking a little ungainly with their huge backpacks still on there arms.

"So nice day don't you think? Oh yes my name is Hugh by the way," offered the rugged looking Welshman as he held out his hand to them.

Hermione was the first one to recover her composure "Er- hello Hugh, my name is Hermione; this is, Harry, Ron and Luna." She said as she shook his large calloused hand.

"You're a wizard then?" Ron said stating the obvious as usual, "I thought at first we had been rumbled by a Muggle."

The Welsh wizard was looking at Harry then he put his hand to his forehead, "Well bless my soul, Mr Potter. Welcome to Wales Mr Potter and thank you. Oh and who ever was last should learn to appear a little quieter."

Ron's ears turned deep red as Harry shook hands with the stranger.

Harry looked a little surprised; he wasn't often thanked by strangers, especially as he did not remember doing anything. "Could you point us in the right direction for a Mrs Conner at…?" Harry struggled to read the Welsh address.

"Gwen Connor, surely you are not thinking of staying there are you?" Hugh asked slightly shocked for reasons as yet unknown to Harry and friends.

"Yes we booked yesterday, but only for a night with the option of more if we need them, why?" asked Hermione

All that Hugh said in reply was "Oh my, oh dear me, and you seem so nice."

Harry pursued his request for directions "We would be very grateful sir if you could help us."

Hugh rubbed his chin, "Well I'll tell you how to get there but you wont like it, I know you wont, tell you what though seeing as you are Mr Potter, if you should decide you don't want to stay there I have a barn that has been converted into a sort of hostel. We don't use it yet so there are plenty of beds you are welcome to stay there."

"That's very kind of you Hugh, but I am sure that we will be ok," Luna told him in a dreamy far away sort of voice.

"Yes well, just the same if you should have a change of mind, just pop out side and say Pont Tye, ok."

"Ok," Ron said, "We'll do that, Pont Tye."

They all shook hands with Hugh and thanked him for his help. Thanks to Hugh's directions they found Mrs Connor's house easily. Hermione having made the arrangements rang the door bell. It was an ominous clanging sort of bell; they had to wait a while before the door opened. On the step stood an old woman who looked as though she had just fallen from a formal Victorian portrait painting.

"Yes?" she said in a high sort of squeaky voice.

"The Potter party," Hermione said a little nervously, for the woman standing in front of her was a spitting image of the Weasleys great aunt Tessie.

"Ah yes, the potter party. Well we have a few rules you should know," she said coldly in her squeaky voice as though talking to a servant.

"Breakfast six am till six five am! Rooms to be vacated at seven am.

No food in the rooms!

No music allowed or other loud noises such as laughing.

Rooms to be cleaned by six thirty am!

At Night! The main doors are locked at eight forty-five pm!

Lights out nine pm!

No wet shoes, umbrellas, wet coats, or animals. You may go now and return at seven thirty pm sharp, entry not allowed a minute earlier; you get a bed and tea and toast in the morning goodbye for now." She shut the door and left four very bewildered young people standing on the door step wondering what had just happened.

The four friends looked at each other then in unison they said, "Pont Tye." Moments later they found themselves standing on a small stone bridge. A large stone farmhouse stood just a few yards away to their right.

"That was a little quicker than I expected," said Hugh as he walked around a barn toward them.

"I think you may have been right about us changing our minds," Ron chuckled "what a dragon, even great aunt Tessie's not that bad."

Hugh was merrily chuckling away as he gave them a tour of his farm, he took them up to the barn where they stowed there bags, then he invited them over to the main house to meet his wife and to share in a meal.

"I must ask you not to use magic or talk about the wizard community around the wife, she doesn't know about us," Hugh said.

Hermione was curious "Do you mind if I ask why, Hugh?" she said sheepishly.

"Seventeen years we have been married and she has no idea I am a wizard," Hugh smiled "she said something first day I met her and I decided to live as a Muggle so I could be with her, but sometimes it's nice to meet other wizards and chat a little."

They had a pleasant time with Hugh and his wife Mya enjoying a nice meal and several mugs of tea. After the meal Hugh told them they were free to roam around the farm so long as they remembered to close all the gates on entering and leaving. Harry and Ron decided they would do just that while the girls decided they would like to stay and chat with Mya who was an extremely friendly sort of person. So the boys disappeared some where into the fields while Hugh went back to his work.

The women had been chatting for a few minutes when both Hermione and Luna got up to admire the view from the window. A view of rolling fields and hills and just off in the near distance stood mount Snowdon.

It was while they were standing at the window Hermione who had always been the most observant of the group noticed a cup glide from the table.

She spun around to see Mya with a look of shock on her face; she was moving the cup toward the sink with a rather large wooden spoon.

"Luna she's one of us," Hermione exclaimed.

Luna turned "Who is?"

It was a strange scene Luna turned to look at, Hermione with her mouth wide open, Mya looking shocked and a cup just sitting in the air between them.

"What do you mean one of us?" Mya eventually said.

Luna took out her wand and completed the task Mya had stopped half way.

"Are you really witches?" Mya asked disbelief in her trembling voice.

Hermione suddenly sat down in fits of laughter, the other two women wondering what had been so funny.

Finally calming down Hermione said to Mya, "I think you should brace your self, now what was it you said to Hugh that first day you met?"

"We were watching one of those Muggle conjurers and Hugh scoffed at it, asked if I believe in all that rubbish, well I wanted to get to know him better so I said no I don't believe in magicians, why?"

"And you been keeping secret all these years that you are a witch," Hermione said.

"Well once I got to know Hugh and he asked me to marry him, well," Mya said.

"Luna what would Harry say about a Muggle magician, if he saw one?" Hermione asked

"He'd laugh at them Hermione, and so would I, can you imagine Harry Potter being impressed by one of them, I don't think so," Luna chuckled at the idea.

"Harry Potter, you mean the Harry Potter. Harry Potter was in my house?" Mya was struggling to workout just what was happening while Hermione and Luna were finding it amusing.

"Tell me Mya what would you say if your husband was a wizard like mine," Hermione asked.

"Say! I'd be happy but I don't know what I would say, I wouldn't have to do so much work, it would be bliss to just use my wand, which you may have noticed I hid in the love spoon, men don't like that sort of thing so its safe there," Mya had just finished saying when they heard the men come in to the kitchen.

"Tea gents?" said Luna as she pulled out her wand and a pot of tea and cups appeared.

Hugh was spluttering and Mya was gasping, Luna turned to Mya "You can pour and use your spoon."

"Hugh can you pass the biscuits over and use that stick," Luna said pointing at Hugh's walking stick.

"What the heck is going on here?" Ron said, "you know we were asked not to use magic."

"Do be quiet Ron," Hermione scolded, Harry just stood looking bewildered by what was going on.

Luna spoke again "Come on Hugh, Mya's already seen some magic; this is so funny if only you two could see your selves."

Hugh and Mya looked at each other; each looked as shocked as the other.

"Come on both together on three Hugh the biscuits Mya the tea, one……two…..three," nothing happened for a few seconds then Hugh said "oh what the heck." and he waved his stick and the biscuits floated to the table.

Mya sank into a chair and started crying, Hermione rushed to her put her arm around her, while Hugh looked terrified "What is it Mya why are you crying?" Hermione wanted to know.

"We can have children, I'm only thirty-six we still have plenty of time," she hugged Hermione as though she was a life saver.

Hugh had gone from looking terrified to looking totally baffled, Mya looked at him and smiled she waved her spoon and the tea was poured into the cups.