House: Hufflepuff
Position: Muggle Studies
Standard
Prompt: [Location] 'favourite place in the world'
Word Count: 1450
Molly Prewett had been dating Arthur Weasley for two whole school terms now, so she should have known that any outing with him would not go to plan. Almost every time they had been on a date together since they had first started courting, something had gone awry.
For example: during one night's tryst, Arthur kept Molly away from the Gryffindor Tower for so long that it was almost dawn by the time they'd tried to get back into the common room. The Fat Lady had given them a massive telling off, and when Apollyon Pringle had come along to find out who was causing such a racket, he had given them two nights worth of detention for breaking curfew.
But still, when Arthur had written to Molly asking if he could show her one of his favourite places in the world, she knew she had to agree. Since arriving back home for the summer break, she had missed her boyfriend dearly. Heck, she would have spent a thousand more nights in detention if it meant getting more time with him.
Of course, anyone else would have booked a table at a Muggle restaurant or suggested a coffee shop as a spot to meet up, but not Arthur Weasley. Instead, he'd Apparated them to the Welsh coast.
"How is this place your favourite?" She enquired as she slipped off her plimsolls. She hated it when sand got trapped in them. They were in a secluded spot of the cove, and Molly wondered if they could just stay there for the day, but knowing her boyfriend, she knew the answer before she even asked it.
"My parents used to bring me here on holiday. There's a magical village not far from here. The beach is full of Muggles!"
Once their toes were wriggling freely in the sand, Arthur took Molly's hand and eagerly led her around the corner and onto the main beach area. The place was teeming with families—every spot was taken up with sun umbrellas and towels, buckets and spades. Molly couldn't think of anywhere worse to be.
Still, it had been nice to get her feet into the Bristol Channel. They walked along the shoreline, dancing in and out of the waves as they crashed on the sand, talking about what they might do once they finished school the following year. War was looming over them, but with the hot summer sun beating down on their skin, they couldn't help but feel optimistic.
"Look, Molly. What do you think that is?" Arthur was pointing up the beach towards a wooden skeleton, just peeking out the mouth of a cave.
"It's just a boat, love," she sighed.
"But a Muggle boat!"
Molly tried to resist, but his eyes had already lit up. "Go on then, let's go and look."
Suddenly, she could see why this was one of Arthur's favourite places. He loved Muggles and their ridiculous gadgets, and the sea probably threw out many a Muggle treasure. She followed him up the sand reluctantly and watched on fondly as he bent down to examine the structure.
The boat went further into the cave than they expected. By the time Arthur had finally decided he'd seen enough, their surroundings had turned dark. They both risked lighting their wands so that they could find the path back to the safety of the beach, but when they finally got there, they found their way blocked by an invisible force.
"Well, that's weird!" Arthur exclaimed, letting go of Molly's hand to scratch his head.
Molly tried her best not to panic. Her knowledge of magical shields was pretty basic, not having much reason to study them past the usual charms they'd learnt during their Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.
After further examination, they could see no start nor end to the barrier.
"Are we stuck here, Arthur?" Molly frowned.
"For now, yes. But let's not worry too much. Dumbledore says that magic can be found in the most unusual of places without any rhyme or reason. All it takes is the changing of the tide to trigger an event that sets off a charm, and then all of a sudden, you're being transported to the other side of the country." He chuckled, more to himself. "Shall we build a fire?"
Reluctantly, she started to help Arthur to dismantle the old rowing board. She didn't want to be stuck here, but it wasn't as if they knew any counter charms since they didn't even know what magic had them stuck here in the first place. She had to admit; they were probably trapped here until the cave decided to let them go again.
With some magical help, they set a substantial fire. Molly, at least, felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she watched the flame licked at the remains of the boat, especially as it was the reason they were in this predicament in the first place.
The good weather had disappeared with the last of the daylight, and the wind had started to pick up, howling violently around the walls of the cave. Molly shivered, despite the heat of the fire.
"Are you cold, love?"
"A little. The fire helps, though." She tried to remain brave and stoic as she drew her cardigan tighter around her body. She cursed the fact she'd chosen a thin vest and a high-waisted denim skirt for their date. Luckily, she'd at least chosen sturdy sneakers over sandals, so at least she wasn't at risk of losing toes to frostbite.
"Well, luckily, I managed to get my hands on a Scouting handbook about camping at the start of the summer. Funny things Scouts are—they like to spend all of their time outside doing trivial things like identifying birds, collecting moss and camping. The book suggested that the best way to survive the cold, should you find yourself in a predicament like ours, is to share body heat."
Molly raised her eyebrows as she watched her boyfriend scoot around the fire to get closer to her. "Well, that's convenient."
"It sure is!" He pulled his jumper over his head and used his wand to transfigure it into a blanket. "But let's try this first."
Arthur was sitting so close to her now, she could feel his thigh pressed against her own. Molly smiled as he draped the blanket over her shoulders then left his arm wrapped firmly around her. Although they were no strangers to being close, having spent many of their hours together snogging in quiet corners of the castle, this act felt strangely more intimate than what they were usually used to.
"Thank you," she sighed happily, tilting her head to look at him.
"How's that? Are you warming up a little now?"
"It's starting to feel a little bit better, although I'm not sure whether it's the blanket or you that's helping." Molly rested her head against his shoulder.
"Good." He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head, filling her with a different warmth. "I promise you'll always stay cosy with me, Molly Prewett."
They sat in silence for a while, and Molly stared thoughtfully into the fire before finally speaking up again. "Why do you love Muggles so much, Arthur?"
"Well, they're just amazing, aren't they?" he breathed. "They survive, sometimes in such medieval circumstances, without magic, but yet they live their lives quite normally. It's outstanding how they learn to get by.
"Take coming to this beach—they know they'll spend the next few weeks finding sand everywhere without being able to banish it, yet they still turn up, just for an hour or so of relaxation. That's pretty remarkable, don't you think?"
"I guess." Molly wasn't quite sure she'd been persuaded, but she would gladly entertain him and his thoughts if it made him happy.
"Do you know what else Muggles do to keep warm?"
"What's that, dear?" Molly closed her eyes so she could fully appreciate the warmth his body (and the blanket and the fire) was providing.
"Skin on skin contact. See! It's amazing what Muggles can come up with to help them survive in an emergency."
"Well, if we're still cold in an hour or so, I might let you give it a try." She smiled to herself, not needing to open her eyes to know his ears were burning bright pink at her suggestion.
"Really? Blimey! This was an excellent idea for a date after all," Arthur chuckled, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head again. "Now, if only those Scouts suggested a way to find food in a deserted cave on the Welsh coast."