Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own these characters or the world in which I'm writing them.
H
...
Duke pulled the compass away before Hermione's finger reached the sharp point. "Maybe we should call it a night and get a fresh start in the morning," he suggested.
Hermione had half a mind to refuse. These were her parents she was looking for and now that she was this close, she couldn't imagine waiting another minute. She softened her resolve when she noticed how shadowed Duke's eyes were. He had made that comment earlier in the day that she wasn't getting enough sleep, but it didn't hit her until just then that if he was hearing her turn her book pages, he must be awake at night too.
"Well, I guess I am just running on adrenaline now," she conceded.
Duke nodded. "I could share some Dreamless Sleep potion with you. Wait here." He left the room and returned quickly with a shiny flask. Hermione accepted the flask from his outstretched hand and took a deep swig. As she passed it back, she noticed a monogram etched into the metal on the back side. DM.
"Duke?"" She already felt herself feeling drowsy.
"Hmm?" he intoned back, but her thoughts were starting to slow to a dream-like rhythm and she couldn't get her question out. Duke lead her over to the bed and pushed her gently so she sat on the edge of the mattress. "Good night, Hermione," was the last thing she heard before she fell heavy onto the pillow and slumber overtook her.
...
In the light of the morning, Hermione awoke feeling rejuvenated. She couldn't hear any movement from Duke's room next door, so she stole away to pick up some breakfast at the nearest café. By the time she was back, she could hear rustling from behind Duke's door. She knocked and the rustling paused, then started up again in a rush. After a minute, the door opened to Duke with dripping wet hair and a shirt only half buttoned, a bath towel hanging from his hand.
"Sorry," Hermione felt heat on her cheeks and averted her eyes. "I picked up breakfast. I was checking if you were ready to head out."
"Nearly," he yawned and rubbed his hair with the towel and then went to hang it in the bathroom. Hermione stood awkwardly on the other side of the threshold, unsure if she should enter. Duke peeked around the door of the bathroom.
"What, are you a vampire? Come in, then," he called.
Hermione chuckled softly and stepped through the doorway. She took a seat at the desk chair and looked around. Duke's room was a mirror image of her own. The headboard of his bed butted up against the wall opposite her and she knew the bed she slept in was just on the other side of that wall. The idea that she had slept so close to him without realizing sent an excited shiver down her spine. Duke finally emerged again and perched on the desk to eat the breakfast Hermione brought. Since she had already eaten while she waited, she sat and watched him eat. He was going far too slow for her liking.
"Honestly!" she huffed when she couldn't take it any longer. "I waited all night because of you, can we get a move on?"
"Don't act like you're not thankful for a good night's rest," he guffawed and swallowed his last bite. "You definitely look better for it." She looked at him sideways and he added, "You look like you feel better, I mean."
Duke crossed the room and grabbed the compass out from the drawer of his bedside table. He brought it back to Hermione and she perked up immediately. "Now where were we," she said. She lifted her finger, imagined the happy faces of her parents, and hissed sharply as she pricked herself. A few drops of her blood fell onto the compass, funneling into the circular groove. Slowly the blood ran the length of the groove. Once the ring was closed, the pointer spun around and stopped abruptly.
"Which direction is it?" Duke asked.
"Southeast," Hermione replied without needing to check. "That's the way to Australia from here, I already know that's where they are. Our train and boat tickets are eligible for rain checks so we can just continue as originally intended."
Duke grimaced. "Can we perhaps make a change of plans? That last train ride wasn't too comfortable and the more I think, the more I'd like to avoid boat travel. I've never been much of a fan."
"Well, I've used a good bit of my savings on those tickets..." she hesitated.
"I'll take care of the money. Don't say no, it would really be a favor to me, I swear," he pleaded. Hermione sighed back at him and agreed.
"Oh, alright!"
Duke smiled and busied himself with packing the last of his belongings. While Hermione watched, a thought struck her. When the Durmstrang students visited Hogwarts they had come on a ship, hadn't they? How could he have gone to a school for seven years and not be used to travelling by ship? As she pondered, another confusion surfaced. She remembered the flask.
"Duke, what's your last name?"
Duke froze. "Why do you ask?"
"I just remembered that you've never told me. I saw the initials on your flask last night." After she spoke Duke began moving again, but his back was to her.
"Minks."
"Duke Minks." Hermione racked her brain trying to remember if she ever read anything about a Minks family before. She didn't have much time to digest the knowledge though as Duke quickly changed the subject.
"All set, let's head out."
...
Hermione's feet hit the ground first, but the momentum of her fall sent her rolling to the ground. She looked behind her as Duke graciously rode the Portkey magic to a soft landing. He looked amused as he extended his arm down to help her up.
"I've never travelled that far by Portkey," she explained. She tried to look nonchalant but her stomach still had the telltale fish hook feeling that always came along with Portkeys. Duke only shrugged. Hermione brushed dirt off her clothes and looked at her surroundings. Australian air even tasted sweet, she thought. It was winter here, but the chill was starting to give way to hints of spring. The long sleeves of her shirt didn't feel so restricting anymore. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that must mean it's September already.
Hermione observed the sun already at it's pinnacle in the sky. They had probably lost five hours with the time zone shift. "Come on, let's not waste daylight."
The pair set off following the compass needle. Without a better magical option, they walked through fields, trudged down lonely roads, and several hours later, even Hermione began to lament their lack of broomsticks. If only she could tell how much further they had to trek! Almost on cue, the needle which had remained relatively steady for the trip so far started bouncing around. It jumped left. Then it jumped right.
"Oh no!" Hermione wailed. Her hope of finding her parents seemed to crash all around her. Duke watch the needle dance and furrowed his brow.
"Hermione, when you pricked yourself, did you imagine both of your parents or just one?"
"Both, of course!"
Duke stared off into the distance for a moment, oscillating his view between the arrow's dueling directions. "It's showing you both. Your mum and dad must not be together right now." Hermione's face fell with disappointment. How would she choose who to find first if she had to split them up?
Duke continued. "Think about it though. That's got to mean we're getting close. If the needle was steady before that means they were just in a general direction that way from us," Duke threw his arm toward the horizon, "and now it's narrowing down to specifics. We're close."
Hermione felt hope swell in her chest again. Duke was right. He had to be. "It makes sense," she admitted, "but how do I decide which way to follow?" Hermione closed her eyes and she could feel the compass pulse like a heartbeat. Eventually she sighed, defeated again. "It's like Buridan's ass."
"I'm sorry, Buridan's what?" Duke exclaimed.
"It's a Muggle thought experiment. A donkey who is starving has two identical bales of hay in front of him. One to the left and one to the right. And they are both the exact same distance away from the donkey. Since the hay bales are indistinguishable, the donkey dies of starvation. It's the peril of choice."
"Well that's bullocks and you're no ass," Duke retorted lifting his eyes to the sun which was starting to hang low in the sky. "Here's a thought: your spell only took away their memories of a life with you, not their life together, right? I'll bet that needle will find them together when night falls."
An uncontrollable smile grew across Hermione's face. "Brilliant! We only have to wait a bit longer for them to go home at night." They took advantage of their break time to make themselves comfortable on the ground. Hermione produced a picnic blanket from her bag and some drinks. She sat cross-legged facing the setting sun. Shadows slowly grew longer. The sky above them started to darken but the horizon lit up with fiery pinks and the last golden rays of the sun. It would almost be romantic if Duke wasn't sitting as far away from her as he could on the blanket. His proper posture was stiff as a board.
She was about to say something when he called her attention back to the compass in front of them. "Hermione, look. They must be home now." The needle was again pointing just one direction. Hermione popped up and spelled the blanked back into her bag so quickly that Duke was thrown off. He growled but followed her just as fast.
The landscape soon became hilly. They hiked up the largest bluff and looked over. A singular house stood in the middle of a beautiful expanse of land. A little further off, the ocean lapped against a coast of jagged cliffs. Hermione gasped. "That's where they are. I can feel it."
Duke grabbed her hand and took her as a side-along apparition to close the distance. Hermione landed more gracefully this time. The house was only a few strides in front of them now and Hermione closed the distance in seconds. The compass must have dropped from her hand because when she reached the door all she felt was sweat on her palms. The drum of her heart pounded in her ears. She was finally here. The last time she'd seen her parents was over a year ago. She had pictured this moment so many times during and since the war, but suddenly the real thing felt harder than her dreams. Duke came up beside her, compass in hand. He must have scooped it off the ground from wherever she dropped it. His presence restored Hermione's courage. She balled up her fist and rapped on the door three times.
"Coming!" A familiar feminine voice called from inside the house. The door opened and Hermione could feel her heart stop. The brunette woman in front of her smiled kindly. "Can I help you?"
A/N: Yay, parents have been found! Hope this chapter doesn't feel rushed, let me know what you think. Chapter twelve is already started so I should be able to stick to my quick updates for at least a little bit longer. See you all soon and thanks again for your comments, follows, favorites, and views!
