CHAPTER 3: The Journey Unfolds
As Harry gazed around at his new surroundings, he found Hermione's house as normal as his. Ron, on the other hand, was awed by much (especially the television). "How do all those bloody Muggles fit in that little box?" Ron was completely perplexed. The other 3 burst out laughing at his amazement. "I promise to explain it to you someday," Harry said with a smile. "Honestly Ron, you should've taken Muggle Studies instead of Divination," Hermione added with a laugh. "Oh, enough with it already," Ron snapped. It sounded as though the mere mention of school would ruin his entire vacation. By now, Harry and Ron were unpacked and nicely settled in. For dinner, they ate on the back porch. There, Ron explained to them what Fred and George needed to do in Scotland. "Well, those two have been really keen on the idea of opening Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Ron began. "They've been doing tons of traveling in that Muggle car, going all over Europe looking at other joke shops, and advertising their merchandise that they've created. I guess they're using the excuse of vacationing with us so Mum won't get suspicious. They don't plan on telling her anything until they open up shop. "I don't blame them for not telling your mom," Hermione added. "She would definitely destroy all that they made. It would've been a pity too, because they've spent so much time developing their stuff." The evening ended peacefully, with other conversations about their summer so far. Sara talked about her tour of England, and about how she's always wanted to go. "Really, it's like a dream come true being able to live here. The best part is your guys' accents," Sara laughed. "I've always wanted to sound like that; I love it when you people talk." "It's so good that Sara fits in with us," Hermione said, flashing a grin at Sara. This was very true, of course (you know Hermione, she knows a lot). Sara was very keen-witted and had an outstanding sense of humor. She loved adventure, and was not afraid to get in trouble along the way. After they watched the sun sink below the trees, they went inside to prepare for bed and the trip the next morning. All four were up by sunrise, as they were all too excited to sleep any longer. After they finished breakfast, there was really nothing left to do but sit around and watch the clock until it was time to leave. When that time finally came around (which took much too long in their minds), they set off for the airport. At the airport, they checked in their luggage and found the waiting area for their plane. They sat by the window and watched the planes take off. "What's the matter Ron?" Sara asked suddenly. Ron was being quite fidgety and looked very pale-faced. "I think I know," Harry said, jumping into the conversation. "Ron's nervous about flying. Listen Ron, a plane's nothing but a huge flying car that gets us to where we want to be faster." Ron's fidgeting ceased, but he still looked rather pale and slightly shaken. "Hey Ron," Hermione said soothingly, as she rested her hand on top of Ron's tense one. "Everything will be just fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll sit next to you on the plane." Hermione felt Ron's hand relax, and saw his face turn from white to a shade of pink as he nodded slightly. "...All right then," he said, flushing even more. Sara and Harry's eyes met briefly, but they both quickly looked away so they wouldn't burst into laughter. Suddenly, Harry's stomach jolted. 'This means I'll be sitting with Sara!' Harry thought to himself. His mind raced, immediately filling with questions. 'What will I say? How am I supposed to act? Do I look all right?' He felt that he needed hours to think this over, but unfortunately for him, time started flying. Before he knew it, they were boarding the plane. Their seats were near the front of the plane, so they found them quickly and sat. They remained respectfully quiet as the stewardesses demonstrated the usage of safety equipment. "In case the plane was to crash, you can use your seat as..." Ron's arm tensed again, gripping his arm rest harder than was necessary. 'I didn't know that these things could crash!' Ron thought wildly. This made flying even worse than he thought. "Calm down Ron," Hermione whispered in Ron's ear, making him jump slightly and flush. "We're not going to crash; just enjoy the ride". Even with Hermione's extra comfort, it looked as though Ron wouldn't fully calm down until the plane landed in Scotland. Hermione buckled her seat belt, and then helped Ron with his (as he still didn't understand the concept (or point) for them). Hermione kept her hand clenched tightly in Ron's as the plane gathered speed and took off. The plane leveled after a couple minutes of climbing, and Hermione finally felt Ron's hand relax. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. In the seats behind Ron and Hermione, Sara sat jamming to her CD she was listening to, Harry watching her intently. She looked up momentarily, and caught Harry's gaze, (even though he quickly tried to avert his gaze). She turned her CD player off and put it back in her bag. "What? Don't you like it?" Sara asked. A sly smile crept across her face, letting Harry know that she was only kidding. "Uh, no, that's not it," Harry replied sheepishly. 'Why can't I say anything?' Harry thought wildly. He was driving himself crazy. His biggest opportunity to flirt with the girl he's wanted more than any other, and he was tongue-tied, completely dumb-struck. 'Damn it!' Harry thought. "Something wrong Harry?" Sara's melodic voice slashed through Harry's thoughts. "No, sorry, just thinking. I guess I've got a lot on my mind." "Well, why don't you relieve yourself and tell me your troubles?" Harry would've gaped at her if he wasn't so lost in his thoughts. All he really wanted to do was confess the desire he had for her that was burning throughout his body. Instead, he spoke of the only other thoughts that lurked in his brain. "Well," he began, "I really don't know where to start. My summer's been really crummy so far. The only thing that's been keeping me going is the trip." Sara considered Harry for a moment. She knew this wasn't the truth, but she didn't know what was. She smiled at Harry reassuringly. "This will be a fun trip, so who cares about what's already been? The past is the past, and we've got the whole future awaiting!!" "I guess you're right," Harry said, after thinking over what Sara had told him. "I don't want to hang on to the past. It's not something I enjoyed." After their conversation, Harry took to gazing out the window, while Sara settled into her seat and nodded off into a light sleep. Harry, hearing Sara's heavier breathing, turned to look. Just looking at her, Harry wanted to melt. Before him, an angel slept. All he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and hold her for the rest of eternity. 'If only I had the balls to tell her what she means to me' Harry thought sadly. He was so absorbed by the sleeping beauty, that he didn't hear the stewardess. "Excuse me sir," the stewardess said, tapping Harry on the shoulder to get his attention. He quickly looked up, flushing in embarrassment. "Would you please wake up your friend?" she asked, her eyes flashing in Sara's direction. It was lunch time on the plane, and the stewardesses were passing out the meal trays. Harry looked from the stewardess to Sara. 'I'm just gonna grit my teeth and do it.' he thought to himself, as he gently shook Sara's shoulder. Sara was instantly awake at Harry's touch. She sat up and looked at him with curiosity. "What's up Harry?" Sara asked. Harry pointed at the stewardess, and managed to mumble "lunch". "Oh! Thanks for waking me Harry!" Obviously, she had no idea how hard of a task waking her up was to Harry. They ate in silence, until Ron turned to look behind his seat. "Hey you two, you've been pretty quiet so far. What's going on?" Ron shot a grin at Harry, who in return frowned at his friend. Ron's grin disappeared quickly. "Uh, ok. Isn't this plane thing cool?" "Wow, Ron, what made you change your mind about flying all of a sudden?" Harry asked. Ron's whole perspective of flying had changed when they had leveled off. "Well, like Herm said, it's just a huge indoor broomstick!" The others laughed, while Hermione, who had turned around, blushed. "It was the only way to calm him down. People were beginning to stare," Hermione whispered to Sara and Harry. As the plane progressed across the sky, Sara, Harry and Hermione had fallen asleep. Ron remained awake, avidly watching the beautiful, dream- like cloud formations. 'Flying isn't so bad," he thought to himself. As soon as he had thought that, the plane began to shake. "Attention passengers," a voice called out of no where. "We will be experiencing some turbulence as we descend and start to land. Please fasten your seat belts. Thank you, and thank you for choosing European Airlines." Ron freaked as the plane continued to shake. "Hermione, what's going on?" Ron asked as he shook her awake. "Huh, what? What's wrong Ron?" Hermione rubbed her eyes sleepily, and felt the turbulence. "That's nothing Ron, just turbulence. It's common on planes." "But what's wrong? Why is the plane shaking?" "It's only doing that because of how high up we are. That means we're there then!!" Hermione squealed excitedly. She turned around and poked Harry and Sara awake. Their spirits soared as the plane landed and they got off. Ron looked ready to kiss the ground. He was happy to be safe on land again. The group found their luggage quickly, and looked around. The airline was a busy place. Many people were rushing around, looking for their luggage, or finding the right plane. "What a great trip this is going to be," Hermione said, beaming as they stepped out of the airport and into the Scotland sun.
As Harry gazed around at his new surroundings, he found Hermione's house as normal as his. Ron, on the other hand, was awed by much (especially the television). "How do all those bloody Muggles fit in that little box?" Ron was completely perplexed. The other 3 burst out laughing at his amazement. "I promise to explain it to you someday," Harry said with a smile. "Honestly Ron, you should've taken Muggle Studies instead of Divination," Hermione added with a laugh. "Oh, enough with it already," Ron snapped. It sounded as though the mere mention of school would ruin his entire vacation. By now, Harry and Ron were unpacked and nicely settled in. For dinner, they ate on the back porch. There, Ron explained to them what Fred and George needed to do in Scotland. "Well, those two have been really keen on the idea of opening Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Ron began. "They've been doing tons of traveling in that Muggle car, going all over Europe looking at other joke shops, and advertising their merchandise that they've created. I guess they're using the excuse of vacationing with us so Mum won't get suspicious. They don't plan on telling her anything until they open up shop. "I don't blame them for not telling your mom," Hermione added. "She would definitely destroy all that they made. It would've been a pity too, because they've spent so much time developing their stuff." The evening ended peacefully, with other conversations about their summer so far. Sara talked about her tour of England, and about how she's always wanted to go. "Really, it's like a dream come true being able to live here. The best part is your guys' accents," Sara laughed. "I've always wanted to sound like that; I love it when you people talk." "It's so good that Sara fits in with us," Hermione said, flashing a grin at Sara. This was very true, of course (you know Hermione, she knows a lot). Sara was very keen-witted and had an outstanding sense of humor. She loved adventure, and was not afraid to get in trouble along the way. After they watched the sun sink below the trees, they went inside to prepare for bed and the trip the next morning. All four were up by sunrise, as they were all too excited to sleep any longer. After they finished breakfast, there was really nothing left to do but sit around and watch the clock until it was time to leave. When that time finally came around (which took much too long in their minds), they set off for the airport. At the airport, they checked in their luggage and found the waiting area for their plane. They sat by the window and watched the planes take off. "What's the matter Ron?" Sara asked suddenly. Ron was being quite fidgety and looked very pale-faced. "I think I know," Harry said, jumping into the conversation. "Ron's nervous about flying. Listen Ron, a plane's nothing but a huge flying car that gets us to where we want to be faster." Ron's fidgeting ceased, but he still looked rather pale and slightly shaken. "Hey Ron," Hermione said soothingly, as she rested her hand on top of Ron's tense one. "Everything will be just fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll sit next to you on the plane." Hermione felt Ron's hand relax, and saw his face turn from white to a shade of pink as he nodded slightly. "...All right then," he said, flushing even more. Sara and Harry's eyes met briefly, but they both quickly looked away so they wouldn't burst into laughter. Suddenly, Harry's stomach jolted. 'This means I'll be sitting with Sara!' Harry thought to himself. His mind raced, immediately filling with questions. 'What will I say? How am I supposed to act? Do I look all right?' He felt that he needed hours to think this over, but unfortunately for him, time started flying. Before he knew it, they were boarding the plane. Their seats were near the front of the plane, so they found them quickly and sat. They remained respectfully quiet as the stewardesses demonstrated the usage of safety equipment. "In case the plane was to crash, you can use your seat as..." Ron's arm tensed again, gripping his arm rest harder than was necessary. 'I didn't know that these things could crash!' Ron thought wildly. This made flying even worse than he thought. "Calm down Ron," Hermione whispered in Ron's ear, making him jump slightly and flush. "We're not going to crash; just enjoy the ride". Even with Hermione's extra comfort, it looked as though Ron wouldn't fully calm down until the plane landed in Scotland. Hermione buckled her seat belt, and then helped Ron with his (as he still didn't understand the concept (or point) for them). Hermione kept her hand clenched tightly in Ron's as the plane gathered speed and took off. The plane leveled after a couple minutes of climbing, and Hermione finally felt Ron's hand relax. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. In the seats behind Ron and Hermione, Sara sat jamming to her CD she was listening to, Harry watching her intently. She looked up momentarily, and caught Harry's gaze, (even though he quickly tried to avert his gaze). She turned her CD player off and put it back in her bag. "What? Don't you like it?" Sara asked. A sly smile crept across her face, letting Harry know that she was only kidding. "Uh, no, that's not it," Harry replied sheepishly. 'Why can't I say anything?' Harry thought wildly. He was driving himself crazy. His biggest opportunity to flirt with the girl he's wanted more than any other, and he was tongue-tied, completely dumb-struck. 'Damn it!' Harry thought. "Something wrong Harry?" Sara's melodic voice slashed through Harry's thoughts. "No, sorry, just thinking. I guess I've got a lot on my mind." "Well, why don't you relieve yourself and tell me your troubles?" Harry would've gaped at her if he wasn't so lost in his thoughts. All he really wanted to do was confess the desire he had for her that was burning throughout his body. Instead, he spoke of the only other thoughts that lurked in his brain. "Well," he began, "I really don't know where to start. My summer's been really crummy so far. The only thing that's been keeping me going is the trip." Sara considered Harry for a moment. She knew this wasn't the truth, but she didn't know what was. She smiled at Harry reassuringly. "This will be a fun trip, so who cares about what's already been? The past is the past, and we've got the whole future awaiting!!" "I guess you're right," Harry said, after thinking over what Sara had told him. "I don't want to hang on to the past. It's not something I enjoyed." After their conversation, Harry took to gazing out the window, while Sara settled into her seat and nodded off into a light sleep. Harry, hearing Sara's heavier breathing, turned to look. Just looking at her, Harry wanted to melt. Before him, an angel slept. All he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and hold her for the rest of eternity. 'If only I had the balls to tell her what she means to me' Harry thought sadly. He was so absorbed by the sleeping beauty, that he didn't hear the stewardess. "Excuse me sir," the stewardess said, tapping Harry on the shoulder to get his attention. He quickly looked up, flushing in embarrassment. "Would you please wake up your friend?" she asked, her eyes flashing in Sara's direction. It was lunch time on the plane, and the stewardesses were passing out the meal trays. Harry looked from the stewardess to Sara. 'I'm just gonna grit my teeth and do it.' he thought to himself, as he gently shook Sara's shoulder. Sara was instantly awake at Harry's touch. She sat up and looked at him with curiosity. "What's up Harry?" Sara asked. Harry pointed at the stewardess, and managed to mumble "lunch". "Oh! Thanks for waking me Harry!" Obviously, she had no idea how hard of a task waking her up was to Harry. They ate in silence, until Ron turned to look behind his seat. "Hey you two, you've been pretty quiet so far. What's going on?" Ron shot a grin at Harry, who in return frowned at his friend. Ron's grin disappeared quickly. "Uh, ok. Isn't this plane thing cool?" "Wow, Ron, what made you change your mind about flying all of a sudden?" Harry asked. Ron's whole perspective of flying had changed when they had leveled off. "Well, like Herm said, it's just a huge indoor broomstick!" The others laughed, while Hermione, who had turned around, blushed. "It was the only way to calm him down. People were beginning to stare," Hermione whispered to Sara and Harry. As the plane progressed across the sky, Sara, Harry and Hermione had fallen asleep. Ron remained awake, avidly watching the beautiful, dream- like cloud formations. 'Flying isn't so bad," he thought to himself. As soon as he had thought that, the plane began to shake. "Attention passengers," a voice called out of no where. "We will be experiencing some turbulence as we descend and start to land. Please fasten your seat belts. Thank you, and thank you for choosing European Airlines." Ron freaked as the plane continued to shake. "Hermione, what's going on?" Ron asked as he shook her awake. "Huh, what? What's wrong Ron?" Hermione rubbed her eyes sleepily, and felt the turbulence. "That's nothing Ron, just turbulence. It's common on planes." "But what's wrong? Why is the plane shaking?" "It's only doing that because of how high up we are. That means we're there then!!" Hermione squealed excitedly. She turned around and poked Harry and Sara awake. Their spirits soared as the plane landed and they got off. Ron looked ready to kiss the ground. He was happy to be safe on land again. The group found their luggage quickly, and looked around. The airline was a busy place. Many people were rushing around, looking for their luggage, or finding the right plane. "What a great trip this is going to be," Hermione said, beaming as they stepped out of the airport and into the Scotland sun.