Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 02 : A Bit Of All Right
by I Got Tired of Waiting
Part IV : Resolution
Chapter Thirty Nine : 'Ano 'Ai
16 July 2003
Severus stood in the middle of the sitting room, looking around to see if he'd missed anything. His bag, larger than he normally carried when travelling, lay ready at his feet. He'd followed Poppy's instructions to bring nothing magical with him (except his wand, of course), so the bulk was inevitable. He fidgeted with the high mandarin collar, buttoned to the top of the woven silk shirt he wore, feeling rather odd without his robes. While she'd assured him their destination would be warm, she'd been cagy as to its location and so he still had no idea where "that place" was.
Harry left the bed chamber, hefting his own rather large bag, which he set down next to Severus'. "Wow, you look good," he said, noting the flax coloured, long-sleeved shirt tucked into loose, pleated black trousers over no-heel black leather boots. While the clothes fitted Severus exceptionally well and hung perfectly, his shiny hair drew Harry's attention most. Severus had kept it long but on Madame Pomfrey's instructions had tied it back with a thin strip of black leather into a low-lying ponytail. The swept-back hair revealed the pale sharp angles and planes of his face, lending it an austere grace in repose; without the concealing strands in the way, the long hawk-like nose accented his face rather than dominated it.
"I feel naked," Severus groused, pulling a piece of parchment out of an envelope he had tucked into a pocket of his bag.
"I'd like to feel you naked," Harry muttered hungrily. "Well, what does Poppy say we have to do now?"
Severus quickly scanned the handwritten lines trying to ignore his response to Harry's words--the last few weeks had been difficult for him as well. He handed it to Harry with an exasperated sigh after only reading half through. "Her notes make little sense to me. Perhaps you would understand them better since this seems to be instructions to us on Muggle travel. She intimates they use something called a 'plane', but that can't be right--perhaps she meant train?" he asked hopefully.
Harry read it through and then started chuckling. "Oh yes, they use planes all right. Aeroplanes. Very noisy, smelly flying machines, I might add. I remember going to see an air show for Dudley's birthday when I was quite small. And of course, one can see them flying overhead all the time, although I've never been in one." Severus nodded, now knowing of what Harry was describing. He'd seen them before, but from far away, very high up from where they normally flew their brooms.
Reading further, Harry asked, "There's another envelope?" When Severus pointed to the thick packet sticking out of his bag, Harry added, "We're supposed to open it now. It contains passports, a Muggle credit card drawn on a Gringotts account, a Portkey, and some Muggle cash."
Bending down, Severus pulled the bulky leather envelope out of the bag and they went to the dining table to lay out the contents. Indeed, everything was as described--a blue piece of something Harry called plastic with raised numbers and his name, Severus Snape, in raised block letters, two small booklets with gold lettering, and five thick bundles of American paper currency in different denominations. Harry picked up his passport, grimaced at his Muggle picture, and then exclaimed, "Hello! They've already been stamped for entry into the United States: New York, Los Angeles, and Honolulu." They looked at each other and said at the same time, "Hawaii?"
Harry continued reading. "She says there's a two-dollar bill in the money. It's the Portkey to the airport. When we arrive, we are to go to the Pacific Air counter and 'check-in' for our 'E-Tickets' under each of our names." He looked at Severus. "I think I've been away too long from the Muggles--I don't know what half of this means either, but I guess we're about to find out. According to this," he tapped the foolscap with his finger, "we need to leave in five minutes. Oh, and she says to hide our wands as pens. We can carry them safely that way."
Severus immediately turned his into a quill. Harry made a face, saying, "A pen, Sev, not a quill. Like this." Suiting actions to words he cast an illusion charm turning his wand into a silver fountain pen which he handed over. Severus raised a brow but said nothing, studying the pen to get a feel for its form. He changed his quill into something identical but gold. Handing the other pen back to Harry, he pocketed his own.
Harry finished the list of instructions saying, "She says we'll be met at our final destination upon arrival, and after that we're on our own but not to worry, so is everyone else--we shouldn't stand out." He snorted, "Easy for her to say. She also mentions something about tipping and not to forget to do it lavishly?"
"She did indicate she'd been where we're going before, so I am willing to take her words at face value until proven otherwise." He looked perplexed. "I am assuming tipping is the same for the Muggles as it is for us." Severus was still sceptical but almost willing to try anything once, if only to escape. Despite his stoic appearance, he was eager to leave.
Severus placed the envelope back into a side pocket and fastened it securely. He wasn't certain he trusted the Muggle latch, but given he had been told not to use magic except in the direst of emergencies, he didn't see where he had much of a choice. They each picked up their bags and, holding the ends of the two-dollar bill Severus had pulled out of the wad of cash in the envelope, they both felt the hook-in-the-belly sensation as the Portkey took them at the appointed time.
Bright colors and glimpses of open water flashed beneath them. After an exceedingly long transport time, they eventually appeared in a men's toilet room in a very large stall with rails on the wall near the water closet. They stumbled slightly on landing and Severus took a few moments to orient and rid himself of the temporary dizziness. Given Harry's dazed expression, he could only assume Harry was as distressed by the transfer as he'd been.
Harry cautiously poked his head out the door once he'd figured out the catch and, seeing no one in the room, he stepped out with Severus following. They quickly left the wash room and found themselves in a grubby outdoor area with a long counter spanning from one end to another of an extensive sheltered pavilion, which bore the name "Commuter Terminal" in bright yellow letters on the fascia of the roof. It was warm, cloudy, and there was an unpleasant chemical smell about the place. "Must be the aeroplanes she was talking about," Severus muttered, breathing in the thick moist air.
The long counter, upon closer examination, was broken by open slots which seemed to belong to different concerns of aeroplanes. Looking down the line of names like Moloka'i Air and Mahalo Skies, Severus spotted the sign saying "Pacific Air" first and they headed over to the appropriate section of counter where a petite, brown-skinned girl stood, her long hair held back by something fuzzy. "Aloha," she said, smiling. "Welcome to Pacific Air. Do you have reservations?" At Harry's and Severus' cautious nods she said, "I'll need your names and a picture ID for each of you."
Harry and Severus looked at each other. They retrieved the passports from their bags. Severus handed his to her first saying, "Severus Snape. I believe there is an 'E-Ticket' waiting for me?"
"Oh, you must be exhausted," she said, looking at the passport. "It's such a long flight from London. How long have you been in the air?"
Harry spoke up, covering for him, "Oh, we lost track of the time, but I think it took forever."
She laughed appreciatively, plucking a long paper card out of a noisy machine, "I can believe that. Here you are Mr. Snape," she said handing him something she called a "Boarding Pass". "Your plane leaves in 20 minutes and you'll need to go through security, yet again. You will also need to carry your bags with you. All luggage is stowed by the pilot. Sorry 'bout that."
"It's no problem, I assure you, we're inured to it by now," he said in his clipped accent. "I'll wait for you over there, Harry," he said pointing to an open area a few feet off.
Harry went through the same thing Severus had, the only difference being the girl noted how "handsome" Severus was. Harry took the hint and kindly told her they were 'together'; she pouted and said, "All the cute ones are Mahu."
"She thinks you're cute," Harry said, eyeing his arse as he joined Severus.
"You must be joking," Severus said straightening, visibly appalled anyone would think him 'cute'. He looked back at the girl at the counter. She winked and smiled. He gave her a tepid smile in return and turned quickly away, shuddering.
The trip through security went smoothly. They did as they were told, showed what they were asked to show, and didn't argue, even when Severus' bag was searched by the armed guard. There were some raised brows at the envelope of cash. Harry set off the metal detector when he failed to remove his belt, but the local security men were pretty easy-going about it, although they were watched as carefully as everyone else.
They entered a long room with rows of seats fixed to the floor. One wall was made of glass and they could see the small planes sitting out on the smooth concrete, waiting for their passengers. One in particular, white with red marking, had a man in a plain uniform, with a clipboard in hand, walking around his machine, looking at his list and making marks on the white paper in front of him. The plane was incredibly tiny. Severus turned to Harry and asked, "Muggles don't actually fly in those do they?"
While the words were spoken quietly, Harry quickly looked around to see if they'd been overheard. "Shhh, Severus. We're supposed to blend in."
Severus followed Harry's eyes sweeping across the room. He quietly said, "Harry, we are not only the palest people in this room, we are quite easily the tallest. 'Standing out' seems rather inevitable to me."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I feel like Gulliver," he said, eyeing all the mixed races in the waiting room.
Severus laughed as he neatly rolled up his sleeves to mid-forearm. "Aren't you hot?" he asked Harry pointedly, looking at his long-sleeve shirt jacketed over a navy vest, faded blue jeans, and trainers.
"Not yet, but the day is young." He was about to add something more when the pilot they'd seen checking over his plane was at their side.
"Mr. Snape? Mr. Potter?" When they both turned to face him, he nodded his head and held out his hand, "Hi there. I'm Pete Drew, your pilot."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Severus said, taking and shaking the man's hand. His grip was dry and firm; Severus took heart from it. Harry followed suit.
"It says here from your travel agent, a Mrs. Pomfrey, that neither one of you has ever flown in a plane this small and that you wanted the scenic trip. That right?"
'Whatever was she thinking of? We've never flown in any plane.' Severus thought as he said, "Er, I suppose so--what exactly is the 'scenic route'?"
Pete laughed at their discomfort. "We'll be flying by the mountains on our way in. Don't want to spoil the surprise but that side of the island is absolutely breathtaking. None of the bigger commercial 'liners can get close--has to be one of these babies," he pointed to the small airplane, "to get up close and personal."
Harry was excited. "That sounds just fine," he said, checking to make sure Severus was all right with it as well. Seeing his nod, he asked, "Where are the other passengers?"
"You're it. The plane only seats four, plus the pilot. Is this all your luggage?" They nodded, bemused; it had seemed quite a lot to them. He hefted both bags easily and said, "Let's go, then. We have a small window they'll let us take off. Have to let the big birds fly, you know."
'No, we don't know, but I suspect we're about to find out,' Severus thought as they closely followed the pilot out on the tarmac as he called it. When they got to the stairs, Pete eyed them, saying, "Neither one of you will unbalance us, so sit where you want and buckle up. I'll just stow your bags."
Harry was already up the stairs and bent over in the cabin, choosing a seat by the window in front of the wing. Severus chose the seat immediately opposite him behind the pilot. They watched Pete lift a lid over the port engine behind them and store Severus' bag in the cavity there. He closed and locked it and went around to the other side and stowed Harry's in a similar place on the other engine. While they were waiting for him, they both eyed the foreign array of instruments on the dashboard of the plane.
Entering the plane and turning, Pete quickly pulled up the stairs, which turned out to be the door. With the twist of a long lever, it locked. "Ready?" When both nodded, he began what he called a "pre-flight spiel" which consisted of helping them with their seat belts and showing them where the life preservers were. He chuckled at their nervousness and Severus reckoned that if they had a water landing, there probably wouldn't be enough of them left over to warrant their use.
Pete slid awkwardly into his seat, a protuberance with a lit map, recently added, making it difficult for him to sit down normally. He pulled a thick set of hard earmuffs off a peg set into the dash. He immediately began to speak softly to someone named Tom, and Severus quickly realised that somehow he really was holding a conversation. While he watched Pete's hands flip up rows of switches, Severus was amused by his sotto voce comment about the 'odd ducks' (which he assumed meant them) and that while the younger one was overtly excited, the older one he wouldn't play five card stud with. Whatever that was.
He started the engines, their loud vibrations rattling throughout the small Cessna Chief (as he told them while the propellers started) and after that, all conversation ceased, impossible over the roar of the engines. A lengthy trip down a series of roads took them to a long runway and with much bumping, yawing, and swaying the little plane was airborne. During the taxi they both discovered what he meant by "the big birds"; huge planes, capable of taking hundreds of passengers, were standing wingtip to wingtip along the outside of other long, low buildings off in the distance.
Born of volcanoes, the city of Honolulu lay below them, breathtaking in its magnitude. Severus had seen London several times from the smoggy air before, but it in no way prepared him for the sight out the small window. The crowding of the tiny close houses crawling up the sides of the mountains and creeping fingers of high-rise buildings insinuated in verdant valleys, seen through the clear air, spoke of the vast number of people living in such a small place. They soon left the city with its crescent of pale man-made beaches and tall glass hotels behind. Over the open ocean, the turquoise water was so clear they could see the bottom, where shallow, the depths measured by how dark blue the water was.
The plane ride was fairly stable. They'd hit an air pocket every now and again where the tiny craft would seem to fall out from under them and then right itself, but they'd both flown on brooms; the sensations were not all that different, although it was rather unnerving flying within the confines of the plane and not out in the open air. They eagerly looked out the windows. An island could be seen in the distance, two of them actually, the sky clearer over the ocean than from where they'd left. After flying for more than an hour over open water and in and through some small clouds, they were soon gliding over the tip of the first island, which from the air looked like a figure eight on its side. The plane dropped incrementally until they were skimming the northern coast sightly above the cliffs. There seemed to be fewer people here compared to Honolulu.
Pete was right--the view was astonishing--what he could see of it, that is, through the windows on the other side of the plane. Severus chanced it and moved to Harry's side right behind him. When the wing tipped down slightly, Pete noted the shift in weight and made the necessary adjustments to even them back out.
Deep clefted mountains coloured in impossible greens were broken by large and small waterfalls cascading down their near-vertical sides ending in pools where tiny figures could be seen swimming. A narrow two-lane road hugged the undulating cliffs; the numerous switch-backs looked treacherous, but a line of cars braved the twists and turns. At odd intervals, black sand beaches would open in wide bays along the coast, their purity marred at times by tents scattered across the sand and bathers clogged the waters.
They rounded the edge of the island, banking south where the cliffs broke to reveal wide expanses of pasture lands nestled at the feet of the mountains as they receded into the interior of the island. The foothills were dotted here and there with clumps of animals that on closer inspection were revealed as cattle and horses. The wild coast they continued to fly over opened into one single narrow beach nestled among the rocks lining the small cove, the shingle a dark black--volcanic rock pounded by millions of years of violent surf. "Not a place to swim, then." Harry said out loud to Severus around the edge of the seat.
Banking further south, the plane started its descent and, all too soon, the flight was over. They made a rather bumpy landing and taxied near a small building. As they came to a stop, Severus noted their plane was the largest in the field, although there were several strange looking machines with their wide propellers on the top and a few craft further off even smaller than the one in which they'd travelled; Severus surmised they were private as a couple of them did not look like they could carry more than the pilot and a single passenger. Pete turned off the engines; the silence was deafening.
"That was a bit of all right," Harry exclaimed. Pete smiled and opened the door to the plane, dropping the stairs as he did so.
"Welcome to Hana, Maui," he said as he climbed down the stairs.
Harry and Severus exchanged a quizzical glance. "Maui?" Harry mouthed, his brows raised.
Severus shrugged, he'd vaguely heard of it before, one of those exotic facts learned in Muggle geography as a child; he'd not paid it much attention when young, and the name teased his memories in much the same manner as knowing the capital city was Honolulu.
Almost two hours after they'd left Honolulu, they unfastened their belts and stiffly debarked behind Pete. Severus stretched and arched his back while Harry collected their bags from the pilot. Humid but not too warm, he decided the air carried a moist softness to it not felt on O'ahu. "Well flown. Our thanks to you for a splendid flight," Severus said to Pete, taking his bag from Harry. "The view was everything you said it would be."
"Our aim is to please. Glad you enjoyed it. There's a car waiting to take you to the hotel over there," he said pointing to a bright red vehicle parked near the building off to the side. "I hope you enjoy your stay; there's no place finer than Hana." He had his clipboard out again and shook hands with both before turning back to his plane intent on his list. He waited until they left him to raise the luggage compartment lid on the back of the fuselage near the rear rudder. Almost instantly several minuscule owls and brown bats dipped out of nowhere and picked up the letters and packages within. Almost as quickly they were gone. It happened so fast no one noticed. He smiled and checked another item off his list.
Halfway across the tarmac, Harry stopped and took off his outer shirt revealing a vest with "The Weird Sisters" emblazoned across the front. Usually it flashed, but he'd spelled it to stay still. He stuffed the long sleeve shirt in his bag, and the two of them set off again towards the car. It was ancient; neither had seen one like it before. At their approach, the driver, a husky older man, climbed out of the open front seat and greeted them. "Mr. Snape? Mr. Potter?" When they both nodded, he continued, "Aloha and welcome to Hana, Maui. I'm Kimo and I'll be driving you to the hotel. Where are your bags?"
Leaning over to Harry, Severus said quietly, "There seems to be some confusion about our bags," he chuckled wryly, "Evidently, we did not bring enough."
Harry nodded, a small smile playing on his lips as he said to Kimo, "This is it."
If Kimo was surprised, he hid it well. "What kind of car is this?" Harry asked, running his hand over the glossy surface.
"It's a 1937 Packard. We use it to transport our guests to and from the airport and out to Hamoa Beach. She's a beauty, ya?" He ran his hand possessively along the hood, polishing the glossy surface where Harry's hand had briefly rested with a soft chamois until it gleamed.
"Oh, yes, a right beauty," Severus said, his sarcasm luckily lost on the older man. He was about to remark it looked more like a small lorry than a car, when Harry caught his eye and gave him one of his 'don't even think about it' glances. Severus resisted the urge to say it anyway, but instead climbed into the spacious car when Kimo held the door open for them.
On the relatively short drive, Harry leaned over the front seat and asked Kimo, "How far are we from Hana?" He'd seen no town, only a few scattered dilapidated houses set back into the foliage of the mountain vegetation.
Kimo laughed in an easy manner and regarded Harry from the rear-view mirror, his eyes crinkling. "You're already in it. Hana isn't really a town. It's a place." His eyes back on the smooth, narrow road, Kimo swept his arm wide out of the open side of the car, continuing, "From the airport to the bay and way up into the mountains; the whole thing is Hana."
Bemused, Severus followed the movement of his arm and realised Kimo was talking about a fairly large 'place' indeed.
Slowing, the old car turned right off of the main road. They drove between two lava rock columns marking the entrance to a stone driveway and rounded a circular drop-off point. As Kimo got out and opened the door for them, they eyed the long, low single story building built of white stone and light coloured wood to their right. While they stepped out of the car, he pulled their bags out of the boot and set them to the side near the front desk to their left, which was housed in a separate structure from the main body of the hotel. A reflecting pool in front of them stood calm between the two.
Severus handed him a bill, which, judging from the smile lighting his face, was probably too big, but they had plenty of them, so it didn't much matter. "Thank you sir. I hope you enjoy your stay."
Giving them a sketchy bow, he climbed back in the driver's seat and, shifting the car smoothly into gear, drove off, leaving Harry and Severus in another world.
'Ano 'ai.
Ancient word meaning aloha or 'welcome'; a warm salutation, still used.