3 - Sorrento Bound
The spring sunlight piercing through the curtains woke Hermione. For a second, in that stage between sleep and wake, she did not know where she was, and panicked. She wasn't in her dorm room - the photo poster of the waterfall in Zimbabwe was not on the wall next to her, the room was painted in a frosted vanilla cream, instead of powder blue. The tick of the alarm clock on the table next to her bed was louder and deeper than her own clock. And then she realised where she was, and her heartbeat resumed its normal pace.
Sitting up, she noticed Cho stirring in the bed next to her, her ebony hair spread out like a raven's feather fan on the crisp white pillow. Both Ron and Harry were still asleep.
Hermione's heart swelled. Ron looked so angelic when he was asleep; he looked like a little boy, not a tall, strong fifteen-year-old adolescent. I love him, she thought to herself.
She looked back to Cho. "Morning!" she whispered, feeling a little shy at talking to a girl a year above her.
Cho grinned back. "Excited?" she asked, running her fingers through the thick dark mane of hair.
"Very!" replied Hermione emphatically.
The shrill ring of the alarm clock pierced through their conversation. Hermione slammed her hand down on the snooze button, and then turned the clock off.
"Time to wake up, boys!" sang out Cho, and grinned mischievously at Hermione. Both girls had the same idea simultaneously; they leapt out of bed, and ran across the room. Cho dashed to Harry's bed, and Hermione to Ron's, and they both whipped the duvets off the beds.
*
All the people going on the trip were assembled in the Great Hall, their canvas bags and suitcases at their feet. A wave of excited chatter ran through the group; they had no idea what to expect. Professor Peacock had told them barely anything about the trip. Many people were complaining about having to get up so early, and they were all wondering why Professor Peacock had not turned up yet. It wasn't like her not to be on time.
She finally appeared, and did a quick count of heads, to check everyone was there. Then she addressed the group. "As you know, I want you all to experience a new culture, new foods, new people, new places. I want you all to be polite to the people of Italy, to follow instructions, and to be vigilant of danger." Hermione noticed Professor Peacock glance in Harry's direction.
The professor continued. "That applies for the travelling too. We shall be flying by a wizarding plane: Butterfly Airlines. The Hogwarts Express will get us to the airport. I will have more information for you once we've boarded the plane. Now please, follow me."
A few hours later, they got off the Hogwarts Express, and entered the airport. This was a new experience for Harry, he gazed around at the huge expanse; there were shops all around the outside, proclaiming duty free goods for sale, people were bustling around, looking anxiously at the huge electronic timetables, high up on the walls. Harry felt very small suddenly - but he was the only one. Even Ron had been on a plane before, when he and his family had visited Egypt a few years previously. Hermione had been on a Muggle plane many times, when she and her parents had gone on holiday each year. But she was busy telling everyone how different an experience it would be to travel by a wizard airline.
They all had to wait several hours at the airport, because the plane had been delayed. Harry noticed Hermione's ironic smile, and heard her say, "Well one thing never changes!"
Harry didn't quite know what she meant by that, and so ignored it.
They were heading over to the duty free shops, when Ron caught sight of a stall with brightly colored wrappers and objects on it, about 50 yards away.
"Sweets!" he cried, and they all zoomed over to have a look. Everyone wanted to buy snacks for the journey.
Ginny was handing over a Sickle for a large bag of fizzy cola cubes, when the short, plump woman behind the counter said, "As you're all buying things, you can have a free fortune cookie each!" And she reached behind the counter, and pulled out a plain wicker basket that was lined with Indian taffeta. It contained several silver packets, and Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, the twins and Lee all took one carefully out.
They walked away, clutching paper bags full of sweets, and sat down to unwrap the cookies.
"Let's all break them in half at the same time!" suggested Fred.
"1, 2, 3…. BREAK!" half-shouted George. There was a snapping sound, as everyone broke their cookie in half.
"You shall make some personal changes!" cried Ginny, sounding intrigued.
"Mine's 'You shall find a new love'", said both Hermione and Harry together. They looked sheepishly at each other, and everyone made ooh noises, and giggled.
"They always say that, it's such a cliché," said Ron quickly. Hermione glanced at him, then looked away.
*
They finally boarded the plane, a few hours later. The seats were in rows of four, so Hermione, Ron, Harry and Cho sat in one row, with Lee, Ginny, Fred and George in the one behind them.
Professor Peacock had had to go on a search for Cho, and finally found her laden down with perfume from the duty-free shops. This delayed the flight even more.
At first, Hermione twisted around in her seat, to listen to the Weasley twin's stories, and then she read the in-flight magazine. She was just making sure she knew the emergency procedure, when Ron said: "This is going to a trip of a lifetime. I'm so glad I'm sharing it with you."
Hermione's eyes swam. She quickly buried her face in Ron's shoulder to hide her tears. Ron lifted her chin, and kissed her softly on the lips. Hermione kissed him back. She calculated that they had been a couple for 3 months now. That was a fairly long time for a first boyfriend, she knew, although of course Harry and Cho had been going out for almost a year.
Later, Ron and Harry went off to explore the plane. Typical boys, thought Hermione. She sighed deeply, and looked out of the small window next to her. It was amazing flying over the clouds, no matter how many times she went in a plane; she was always in awe. She turned back, and noticed Cho slipping off her headphones to her Walkman. Cho had always slightly scared Hermione - she was a year older, she was always the height of fashion, and had so much self-confidence. Today Cho was wearing a fitted designer top and a short pencil skirt, with a split up one side, that showed off her legs. Cho stood up, and shifted down two seats, to sit next to Hermione.
"Hi!" Hermione had not meant her voice to quaver slightly, but it did.
Cho did not bother to return the greeting. "So! How's it going with Ron?" Cho said this in what was obviously meant to be a best-friend type voice, but Hermione saw through it. "You're worth better than him you know."
Hermione opened her mouth, but could not think what to say. She stared at Cho's pistachio green necklace, frowning.
"Has he asked you to…you know? Me and Harry are, this holiday."
Hermione gazed blankly at her, feeling a twinge of embarrassment for not understanding.
Cho put an arm around Hermione. "He's a boy," she said simply. "You'll find out." And with that, she gracefully unfolded her long legs, stood up, and set off towards the refreshment buffet cart, and the end of the plane.
Hermione gazed after her. For all her wisdom, Hermione was quite naïve when it came to boys. But she thought she might know what Cho had been talking about. Later, when Harry and Ron returned, she had been doing some thinking.
"Hi Ron!" she said, and pulled him to her. She saw him grin in surprise before she shut her eyes, and kissed him passionately. It was a long kiss, and Hermione only drew a breath before repeating it. Hermione thought, That'll show Cho. She's not the only one who can be forward. Hermione felt herself forgetting where she was, immersing herself in the kiss. Suddenly, Ron drew away, and she saw him blushing. Hermione looked up to see Professor Peacock standing by their row.
"I've just been going round to everyone to tell them this; though in light of what I just saw, I'm not sure this applies!" she spoke sternly, but Hermione saw laughter glittering in the Professor's eyes. "Anyway, when we get to the hotel, there will be rooms to hold three, four, or five people. Now, we're not at school, and you're all old enough to be sensible. As it is none of my business anyway, if you wish to share a room with boys and girls together, you may. And also, while we are on this trip, none of the Professor nonsense, I want you to called me Ms. Peacock, ok? And Hermione, if I could have a word?"
Hermione felt her pulse race. Was she in trouble? She followed the Professor, sorry Ms. Peacock to where she was sitting in the plane, and sat down next to her.
Hermione saw Ms. Peacock take a deep breath. "Hermione, I saw you and Ron…I know you're a clever, sensible girl, and if you want to share a room in Sorrento with him, that's fine. But you're only fifteen, and I know how easy it is to get carried away…" Ms. Peacock was speaking so frankly, Hermione felt a coral blush creeping up her face, and the heat around her cheeks.
"I'm embarrassing you, so I'll stop. But please, Hermione, don't rush into things, there's plenty of time for that later, you know."
Somehow, Hermione managed to walk back to her seat. When Ron asked what Ms. Peacock had wanted, she simply said she'd tell him later, hoping he would forget.
A few hours after they had boarded the plane, the plane reached Rome, and came in to land. Everyone collected their bags from the luggage belt, and were then put on a coach for an exhausting 5-hour drive to Sorrento. Hermione sat next to Ginny, and they both felt travel-sick, so barely talked for all the journey.
As the coach swung round the tight corners of the Italian roads, Hermione started to feel better, and she craned out of the window with interest. The roads were lined with small shops, and trees that had bright oranges nestled between the verdant leaves, were dotted on every corner. Real orange trees! thought Hermione. This is incredible!
The coach turned another corner, and what Hermione saw made her head spin. They were up on a cliff face, with a sheer drop down onto a beach below. The sand was palest gold, and the sea sparkled in the evening light. There was no fence to stop the coach hurtling over the edge. The Italian couch driver's driving had not been as careful as it could have been, either. She looked at Ginny, who had obviously noticed the drop as well; her face was ashen white.
A few minutes later, they turned off the cliff-edge road, and Ms Peacock stood up at the front of the coach, and announced that they were now heading down Sorrento's main road. It was a sweet, provincial street, with shops along each side; many, Hermione decided at a glance, were purely for tourists. The coach took a sharp turn up a steep road, and suddenly they could all see their hotel. It was a large, grand looking building, and was several stories high. Hermione had stayed at hotels in England before; they had never looked like this one.
It was painted in typical Italian style, a pale terracotta. Each window had shutters, and most windows had a small wrought-iron balcony. Everyone piled off the coach, and grabbed their bags, and dragged them to the main door.
Once inside, Ms. Peacock instructed them to leave their bags in the foyer, and sit down in the hotel's lounge. Hermione watched her speak in rapid Italian to the hotel's owner, who had come out to greet them. Harry leaned over, and whispered to her, "Apparently, she's brought kids here before, from other schools, but on the same Classics trip."
Soon, Ms Peacock was allocating rooms, and in no time at all, Harry, Cho, Ron and Hermione had secured the key to number 309. The Weasley twins, Ginny and Lee Jordan got the room next to them.
Hermione glanced around the lounge. Ginny was sitting on her own, looking as though she might cry. Hermione followed her gaze, and there was Lee Jordan talking to a Hufflepuff girl in his year. Hermione searched her memory, and dragged up a name. She was called Celia Moonline, and was very tall, slim and had long blonde hair. She was very attractive. Hermione looked back at Ginny. She was dressed in an old-fashioned twin-set, a blue top and white cardigan with matching blue buttons. Her skirt was childish; it was knee-length and flared out. It was patterned with pink flowers. Ginny's russet colored hair was pulled back in a chocolate brown ribbon. Ginny could be pretty, Hermione could see that, but she did not make the most of herself. She looked younger than the three years that separated her and Lee. Hermione wondered how they had ever got together in the first place. She was about to go over to Ginny, when Ms. Peacock called out that all the rooms had been allocated, and they could take their luggage up now.
The lucky quickest people rushed to the lift, but everyone else had to lug their heavy bags up the many flights of stairs.
"Here's 309!" called Harry; and Hermione, Cho and Ron followed him. The room was not huge, but it was attractive. The on-suite bathroom was explored, and then they all started to unpack their bags. Hermione took out her two good evening dresses, and walked over to the wardrobe to hang them up, only to discover that Cho had hung all of her clothes up, leaving no room for anything else. Hermione considered asking Cho to put some of her clothes in the chest of drawers, like everyone else had, but decided it was better to not provoke a fight.
Hermione suddenly felt overwhelming tiredness, and flopped down on her bed. She curled under the duvet, and fell straight to sleep.
It seemed no time at all, that she heard Ron's muffled voice calling her, and then his hand shaking her shoulder. Blearily, Hermione opened one eye.
"What?" she sighed crossly.
"Ms. Peacock just came round to say that it's dinner in 5 minutes, we have to go down now. "
"Oh God," said Hermione, shaking herself awake. She fell to the floor, and rummaged through her clothes. Without thinking, she reached to pull off her tee-shirt, and stopped, embarrassed. Ron had not noticed, and had gone into the bathroom. This was going to be a problem, thought Hermione. I never thought about changing in front of him. She pulled off her clothes at lightning speed, and slipped on a short black satin skirt and a tailored shirt that hugged her figure.
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down the stairs to the dining room, a large spacious room that looked typically Italian. They chose a table, and sat down. Soon Ginny arrived, and sat next to Hermione, and then the Weasley twins came with Lee.
"Where on earth is Cho?" asked Harry angrily. Everyone shook their heads. No-one had seen her since they arrived.
The waiters came round with the first course, pasta with a cream sauce. They had nearly finished when Cho flounced in, and sat down at the table. Hermione noticed the usually immaculate makeup had been smudged, and Cho's clothes looked rumpled. Hermione had her suspicions, but kept them to herself.
After the main course (lamb and vegetables) they had Italian lemon cake, which no-body liked, as it was so bitter.
"I thought we'd be having pizza!" whined Ron, and Hermione felt a flicker of annoyance.
That night, Hermione changed into her nightdress in the bathroom, and when she came out, she saw the door to the balcony was open, and Harry was sitting outside, in the dark. She nearly went over, but sensed he wanted to be left alone. Hermione fell asleep with mixed emotions, excitement about the next day, when they would visit Pompeii, and worry about Harry.