Author Notes: So, I dug and dug and dug... but I decided to do something practical. When we get later into the chapter, there will be dialog that seems broken or unsound. That is because the magical items they will use will help translate the speech. I broke it up on purpose. To give it the texture of translations. So, think of it as a poorly subbed anime. The translations are close to what the language would translate into without the eloquence of English written the way it's intended. I hope you get my drift when you read it!
Remus didn't enjoy the element of being in a flying tin can above the ground several thousands of feet. He missed his son beyond belief and wished that she wanted the window seat. Hermione was sleeping. Her head drooped to the side in the darkened cabin. The snoozing man next to her had talked for some time in the early evening, and the witch exchanged topics wildly.
The stranger seemed amused by them, and Remus recalled the cringe-worthy conversation. "Are you taking your father to Africa?" He asked her.
Hermione just laughed and took Remus's hand. "No, this is my dearest friend. I wanted to bring him on an adventure."
The man took a measure of the silent werewolf with intrigue before running fingers over his breast pocket and handing Hermione a card. "In case you need anything while you're out here. I run a business out of Johannesburg. You seem to be just out of school by the look of you, but there's trouble usually outside of the city."
Hermione took the card with a polite nod. "I've been out of school some time. My youthful appearance is a bit deceiving. Remus and I have been raising his son for the last six years."
The stranger snorted and raised his plastic cup full of liquor. "To friends like you."
Hermione took Remus's hand to her lips and smirked over at him. "He makes it easy to care for. Teddy is such a joy," she said as her eyes caressed Remus.
"Well, with your sure-stepped guidance, he misses his mother far less than he could have," Remus grumbled before clearing his throat.
"Ran off on you?" The man asked.
Remus shook his head as he pursed his lips. "No, widowed."
"That's too bad, mate. Must be easier with such a lovely young woman around to help." There was a challenge to his tone that Remus ignored.
The conversation lulled back to usual topics, but that was the worst of it. The bitter delivery of his disregard to their friendship. This stranger just looked at them and immediately assumed he was a cradle robber. The father question was most certainly a jab.
Even as she rested against his shoulder, he felt the icy pricks of judgment. He couldn't fathom how it must feel to be Hermione on that end — having to clarify that he wasn't her father. Remus exhaled and shook his head before glancing out at the starry sky. Why did he even agree to this?
"Moony, how's the baby?" Hermione murmured in her sleep.
Remus turned his face enough to smile at the small witch. "Just fine," he whispered and nosed her forehead.
How many times did she fall asleep with a book in her lap and her face planted on his shoulder? They would find space in the sitting room to read and listen for Teddy when he was a child. This little witch would always half asleep inquire about his son as he sat as her pillow. Remus would always be extraordinarily curious as to what she dreamt about that caused her to rewind back to that time.
He closed his eyes and recalled memories that were far more treasured than he would admit.
The plane landed them in Johanessburg, but that wasn't their last stop for the early morning. They ended up having to rush off to the embassy to announce their arrival. The building seemed like a small rundown place on the outskirts of Johannesburg, but when Hermione knocked on a yellow plank of wood at the entrance, the floor opened, and steps descended to a golden door.
The South African Tribal Branch was beautiful- Remus couldn't help but stare at the large columns with color and images dancing on them in gold. Hermione was beaming back at him with a glint in her eyes that Remus had seen only when she was sharing a great book. This meant more to her than he realized. It lightened his mood substantially as they marched toward a cloth covered doorway.
Someone asked a question, and Hermione poked her head inside.
"Arno," she said.
There was shouting inside, and Hermione led Remus through the soft barrier. On the other side was a man dressed in yellow and he swang his large hand around with a bright grin while speaking in another language. Hermione took an object off the desk that looked like an odd bug or earring and placed it into Remus's ear. She repeated the action with another one, a pink one, and suddenly the foreign language being spoken was as clear as day English.
"Hermione, you're back! We're so happy to see the witch who brings water!" Arno exclaimed and offered them a chair.
They both sat down and she cleared her throat. "Yes, I brought a friend this time," Hermione sighed and patted Remus's shoulder.
The man smirked and wagged a finger at Remus. "She spoke fondly of you, Wolfman. It is a bountiful pleasure to meet you," Arno declared and reached for Remus's hand.
Remus nodded as they shook hands, and he hemmed. "I couldn't tell her no when she asked me to come."
"We are more than happy to have you in our lands. What will you be seeing?" Arno questioned as he tilted his head.
"Do you know the whereabouts of Luan as of now?" Hermione questioned.
Arno exhaled and twirled a finger in the air. "He might be at Ruaha, there is a tribe out there before the rain," he noted but grimaced. "I hope you are not decided on finding him. That's many days to walk."
Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "We have time. Did my minister send over the paperwork I needed?"
"Yes, he did. You shall meet your guide in the place of your portkey arrival," he responded with a motion of agreement.
"Where are we going?" Remus asked with an arched eyebrow.
"I have someone I want you to meet, but the tribe doesn't like strangers coming without a guide," Hermione answered.
Arno cleared his throat and pointed at the door next to him. "Your attire is waiting, and the portkey will be at the same place as last time. You have twenty minutes until it's active."
"We need to change?" Remus asked.
"You don't if you don't want to. I'm a witch, the rules are different out here," Hermione grumbled as she stood up.
Arno rocked his head with a pout. "You need to obey the tribes, lioness."
"I know, Arno. I shall always abide by the rules of the land," Hermione spoke and ducked through the door, leaving them.
"Why does she have to change?" Remus questioned with a scowl.
"She is unmarriage, as you say? One of one? What is the word?"
"Single?"
Arno gasped with a smile and nodded. "Yes, and so she must wear clothing to show she's unaltered."
"But she isn't alone. I'm with her."
"I don't make rules, wolfman. I only supply knowledge of them. This is so warriors and wizards alike know she must be protected. Magic is different on this land, Remus Lupin. There is wild magic and dark magic and fire magic and rain magic. This will show our warriors who she is and why she is here."
"But they won't attempt to do anything with her if she's advertising she's not married?" Remus asked with his brows still taut.
Arno laughed and shook in his chair. "No, she is safe from them. She would need to pass the rites of magic before ever being considered by a wizard out here. Witches need to be accepted by a tribe to bare right to their husbands."
The door opened, and Hermione walked out. The dress she now wore was a simple green dress but adorned with embroidered symbols in all sorts of colors. Her hair was wrapped in complementing fabrics, and her sleeves ran down her arms, revealing her wrists in large openings. Remus stood up- he was in shock of her differences when donning such attire.
"Beautiful, Hermione," Arno said with a grin.
Hermione glanced down with a pinched smile as she cleared her throat. "Do I seem the part, Arno?"
"Yes, yes, a healer you are," he said with a nod.
"Healer?" Remus finally found his tongue.
"Yes, I promised to help Luan with a task," Hermione sighed and straightened her form. "We should probably head out before afternoon. We can watch the elephants bathing in the river if we make it," she voiced and met his eyes once again.
"Let the magics of the land heal your souls," Arno announced as Hermione reached for Remus.
"And may your days be filled with water and joy," Hermione replied before they bid him farewell.
Remus still felt awkward by all the changes as they exited the ministry branch. They walked for some time before reaching an abandoned lot, and Hermione turned to him. "Do you trust me?" she asked.
"With my life, Hermione," Remus answered.
"Good, then please let the guide do the talking? He might say things against me that aren't going to be pretty. You might hear things you don't like, but I need you to trust me. I can handle this, Moony. Your words will bear far more weight than mine, so don't say something out of anger," Hermione warned him with a pinched brow.
"Why go through all of this if you're not going to be welcome?"
Hermione waved him off and smiled. "It's not that I won't be welcome. Witches have less voice out here than they do in Britain. You're escorting me so you will have to apply appropriate protocol with my life. I'm trusting you. You are my companion."
"And if they make an unsound action toward you?" His lips were thin and stressed.
"Then you have every right to defend my honor," she paused and gestured to her attire. "This is an announcement of my skills and uses. This is what matters most and will be looked at over my words. Just remember that nothing anyone says can change what my station is. I earned the right through my tour last month to be able to wear it."
Remus reached out and touched her cheek. "You're so much more than that, Hermione. Don't forget what it is to be you."
Hermione stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before kneeling to retrieve the portkey. They didn't say another word as he gripped it, and they were tossed into the next part of their adventure.
They landed in a barren landscape in front of them as they dropped the colored stone. Hermione situated her headdress and exhaled as she rubbed her tanned fingers together. Remus dusted off his maroon buttoned shirt and resituated his bag. They both had undetectable extendable charms on their luggage, making each of their bags substantially easier to carry.
He felt awkward standing with her in his standard garb while she wore something far more regional. The werewolf fussed over his sleeves as Hermione pulled out a mirror, flashing it in the sunlight. The ground shook, and Remus glanced around but didn't see anything remarkable. It grew, and the werewolf glanced over at Hermione, who was fixing her dress.
"You best be prepared, they're loud," Hermione warned and covered her ears.
Remus replicated her act, and soon with the pop of imagery, a heard of… centaurs? Yes, despite their stripes, a heard of centaurs, possibly six or seven were galloping up to them. When they slowed, one of them trotted up and cheered. "Hermione! The witch with magic water!" he exclaimed and reached for her hand.
Hermione bowed deeply and giggled. "Thusalu, I'm so happy to see you again."
These centaurs were far shorter than the ones in the forbidden forest. Their human-ish flesh was dark and covered in golden circles, but their rear, animal portions, were striped like a zebra. Remus watched the exchange as the centaurs behind Thusalu all bowed and waved a hand before them.
"Healer witch," they murmured before standing straight.
Hermione gestured toward Remus and smiled. "This is my companion and most esteemed friend, Remus Lupin. He's the one I told you about."
"You're the man who is wolf as well? We have heard of your kind but never met," Thusalu spoke with a deep nod.
Remus approached, and the centaur offered his hand, they shook promptly, and Remus curled his lips before speaking. "I am a werewolf, yes. Not something usually seen as a curiosity."
The centaurs behind this leader of theirs all murmured, their eyebrows rose in what could only be seen as surprising.
"Many years ago, when the world was new, your kind and ours roamed this land. Now the jackals cry, but no light is given to the men left as dogs. They forever seek the ones they love for eternity," Thusalu explained with a tilt to his head.
"I hadn't a clue that Lycanthropy was a large portion of your history out here," Remus confessed as he wiped his brow with his arm.
Thusalu bent toward the werewolf and pressed a dark finger to his chest. "You're heart, the heart of a man, that is what saves you from the wolf."
"Thusalu, where is Bathuni? He was supposed to meet us at the key," Hermione asked as the centaur rose to his full height.
The centaur cast a hand in the west. "He was stalled at the huts. A child has woken with sleep sweats."
"Oh, thank you. I suppose we'll have to enter without his assistance," Hermione sighed.
Thusalu bowed with deep measure again and nodded. "Until we meet again, Hermione. Let the grass guide your feet, and your heart stays full of song."
Hermione bent her form and pressed her hands together. "Thank you for your greeting. May the sky bring you fresh waters and your hooves never dull."
The centaurs started shouting, and it sounded similar to the braying of zebras as they turned and galloped off, disappearing in a quick flash. Remus straightened his shirt as the witch turned to him. "What did you think? Aren't they spectacular beings?"
"You worked with them during your last tour?" Remus questioned.
Hermione grinned and rocked her head. "Yes, Thusalu is the chief's son; they roam from the bottom of the Serengeti to inside Kenya. Their ability to camouflage comes from the embossed tattoos they're given when they pass their rites. I was the first British witch that was allowed to travel with them and learn about their tribe."
"You're remarkable," Remus sighed with a grin.
Hermione stepped toward him and flattened his shirt against his chest before patting him. "I actually believe it coming from you."
He skated his thumb along her cheekbone and exhaled. "You should believe it regardless, Hermione. The world is at your fingertips."
Hermione glanced down at the dirt below them, taking in the detail of her sandals. "Remus, you have to understand," she paused before staring up at him. "This world, here, it's not as potent as ours. There's freedom here, and you will have the ability to bite into it."
His cheeks bloomed with color as her eyes held such power within them. He wasn't quite sure what she was suggesting, but there was something sensual and animalistic about how she addressed it. Was she waiting for him to say anything? He couldn't tell.
"Greetings!" A booming voice interrupted their embrace.
Hermione tore from the werewolf and looked to their side to see a man raising a staff. "Bathuni!" she exclaimed and skipped over to him.
"Lioness with the roar to bring rain!" He called back and opened his arms to receive her.
She jumped to him, and they hugged, him lifting her from the ground. "Bathuni! Oh, Merlin, I thought I was going to have to teach Remus the greeting in an hour!"
Remus walked over and scratched at where his collar was resting on his neck. Their greeting was so friendly- something spurred inside him. This, stranger, he was young, probably closer to her age. He was actually expecting someone who wasn't- well, wasn't young. He shelved that thought with bitter regard.
The man dressed in red and green laughed while shaking his head, causing the beads on around his ears to shiver. "No, Hermione. I vowed to find you and find you I did."
"How's the child?"
"Oh, sore is the day he was born. Crying like a baby. The brew will work, but only a short time," Bathuni huffed and waved his staff in the air.
Hermione turned and waved Remus over to them. "This is my companion, Remus. Remus, this is our guide, Bathuni. He was my guide last month."
Bathuni eyed the pale man and tilted his head before sneering at Hermione. "You did not say he was handsome. The women will be clamoring!"
Hermione elbowed the man and snorted. "You just mind your wives. Don't you be offering my friend up to any of them either."
Remus crossed his arms and scowled. "Offering me up? Is that a joke, Hermione?"
Bathuni barked out laughter and held out his hand to the werewolf. "You're a troubled man, yes? I can see you don't believe a word we say!"
Remus took his hand and cleared his throat. "It is quite a tease I'm sure," he huffed and managed a smile as they shook hands.
Bathuni turned as they released their grip and marched ahead of them. "Welcome to Africa, Remus Lupin. The world's heart," he announced as they walked toward small huts in the distance.
"He wasn't serious, was he?" Remus hissed at Hermione as they fell into step behind Bathuni.
Hermione smirked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "You're quite the oddity out here, Moony. You have what they call primal magic. I'm sure Bathuni will tell you the myths later."
Her hand was swinging next to his, and he snagged it, lacing his fingers between hers. "Thank you for sharing this world with me, Hermione. I don't understand the meaning of it yet, but I am appreciative of your love."
Hermione lifted his fingers to her mouth, and she kissed his knuckles. "Of course, Moony. You'll see soon, I'm positive."
They finished their trek over the plains to the small village. A place where, Remus, may not be fully prepared to plunge into- well, he hoped that she was right. It would show up in due time of its meaning.
