Chapter 13

Harry awoke at 5:00 the next morning. He was so excited. He had never been included on a holiday before. The Dursleys hadn't gone that many places when he was younger, and had invariably palmed him off with Aunt Marge or Mrs. Figg when they had gone places. They had never thought to include him as a member of their family.

As such, he had never been to an airport, and he certainly had never held an airline ticket in his hand – Let alone an airline ticket that had his name printed on it. Hermione could sense his excitement as they carried their bags out to the cab. Emma had purchased matching duffle bags for Harry and Hermione a few days before. They had shrunk most of their clothing and books as well as charmed the bags so they only weighed a few pounds each. Hermione charmed the titles of the books to appear to be ordinary school books in the event that they were inspected at customs. Tonks agreed to meet them at the gate at Heathrow airport. She and Jamie Church would be staying with the Grangers in Nice. Tonks agreed to fly on the airliner with them. Church would apparate and meet them at the rented villa later that afternoon.

Harry had become somewhat embarrassed over the extent of his wealth. He had offered several times to pay for the entire trip. Dan refused, as they had invited him to stay as their guest, but allowed him to at least cover the costs associated with the bodyguards. Both men felt that they hadn't done enough, but a compromise had been struck.

Once in the back of the big cab, Tonks cast a silencing charm over them and said, "Give me your wands. I won't be searched at security." She was wearing a gray businesswoman's suit and had a pageboy length blonde cut

"Why not?" asked Hermione.

"I'd flash them my badge. Ultimately, I work for Her Majesty in the British Secret Service. I'm on protective detail."

"But?" asked Harry.

"We have our own budgets and the Minister takes care of 99 percent of the issues, but we're all Brits."

"Makes sense," quipped Dan. "Everybody pays taxes."

Tonks continued, "Harry, this isn't about Dumbledore or the Order. The Minister of Magic has decided that I need to travel with the four of you to the beaches of Nice for three weeks for your own protection. If I need to, I'll do my part."

Hermione and Emma had smirks on their faces, but Harry was nonplused.

She concluded, saying, "Jamie would do the same if needed."

Hermione looked at Harry, and realized that the conversation had two meanings. She whispered something to Tonks, and the smile left her face. Tonks said, "I'm sure that you'll have a great time and enjoy the scenery. It's a lovely place. Nothing bad will happen, and no one knows that you're there."

Harry had a faraway look on his face. They were in a war, and he was going on three weeks R & R, but the war wouldn't stop while they were gone.

The cabbie let them off at Heathrow. Harry was amazed. It was huge! Dan and Emma led the way as Harry gawked in amazement. They got to the ticket counter to check their bags. The agent asked Harry where he was going.

"With them," was all he could stammer out.

"Passport."

"Yes. I have one."

The ticket agent smiled indulgently, "May I see it please?"

Slightly embarrassed, Harry replied, "Here you go."

"How many bags?"

"Sorry. One bag." Hermione had rehearsed all of this with him a few days ago.

"Here is your baggage claim ticket. Thank you Mr. Potter. Enjoy your flight." She handed Harry his ticket, baggage claim and his passport back. Harry watched in amazement as his bag zoomed down the conveyor belt.

"Cheers."

Hermione took his hand. "You'll have so much fun, Harry."

"I'm having a fun time right now," he replied, smiling at his best friend. "How many times have you been here?"

"A few. Mum and Dad took me someplace almost every winter and summer holiday. I wish that you had been able to come with," she said, squeezing his hand.

"I like going places with you. This is fun." They all walked to the gate and sat down by the window. Harry was amazed at the number of jets and how big they were up close. He watched with interest as they backed away from the gates and wheeled down the taxieway. Dan explained that amazingly, a jetliner can take off with a greater maximum weight than would be safe to land with.

Tonks had been to the airport once before, but had never been on an airliner either. She sat by Harry and the others watching out the windows spellbound as the jets took off and landed.

The gate agent called for pre-boarding and Dan and Emma got up. Dan said, "We're in 1A and B. Hermione and Harry are in 1C and D. Tonks you are in 2D."

Seeing the blank look on their faces, Emma said, "We're in the first row. Harry, you have the seat by the window on the left side as you walk in. Hermione will be next to you in the isle seat. Tonks, you will be in the second row right behind Harry. Let's get on now."

"Thank you," Tonks and Harry said together. As they were walking down the jetway, Tonks tripped and stumbled into Harry and Hermione. "Sorry," she whispered, as Emma quietly sniggered.

They found their very comfortable seats and were amazed as the flight attendant asked them what they'd like to drink. "Orange juice for us, please," replied Hermione. "How high have you flown?" whispered Hermione to Harry as they were started rolling down the runway.

"I suppose a thousand feet or so," replied Harry.

"You're going to love this, Harry," she said, squeezing his hand. True to her word, the jetliner lifted off, and Harry's gaze was fixed to the window. Harry soon realized that there is a big difference in the view between one thousand and twenty thousand feet.

During the short flight, the only word to come out of either his or Tonk's mouth was, "Wow!" All too soon, the jetliner was positioned to land. As they were getting off, Harry told the flight attendant, "That was brilliant! Thanks for the ride."

They found their luggage at the carousal and cleared customs. Harry was amazed to learn that Hermione and Emma both spoke perfect French. They went to the hire car booth and soon were on their way. The villa was about two miles from the beaches in a quieter area. It was a five bedroom, tan, stucco home. In the back was a rectangular pool, a shaded porch outdoor eating area and was fenced in for privacy. The country kitchen had a large rectangular scrubbed wood table. Four of the bedrooms and a bathroom were upstairs while the other bedroom and bath was on the main level. Each had a large window and a lovely view.

Harry and Hermione chose rooms at one end of the hall, the Grangers and Tonks chose the rooms at the other. In the middle were the stairs and the bathroom. Church was in the room on the first floor.

After settling in, Tonks gave the teens their wands back. Hermione wore hers in her wrist holder, as did Harry. It wasn't apparent where Tonks had kept hers as she was wearing shorts and a sleeveless top. They drove to the beach area, parked and walked along the promenade until they found an outdoor café for lunch. Jamie, Hermione and her mum ordered bouillabaisse, a sort of fish soup while Tonks, Dan and Harry ordered burgers and crisps. The food was very good.

Afterward they continued walking along the Promenade, a sort of wide sidewalk at the edge of the beach break. Stretching several miles, it offered a view of the beach, people watching, and the sights and sounds of the area. Dan and Emma were first, Harry and Hermione walked along next, holding hands, while Tonks and Church followed, eyes carefully watching people as they walked along.

Harry was mesmerized by the sights of the ocean, the sound of the surf, sea gulls flying and the beach itself. There were hundreds of sunbathers on blankets along the pebble beach or in the warm water. Girls were wearing bikinis, or… Harry nearly stumbled. "See something interesting, Harry?" Tonks asked, smiling at him.

Regaining some semblance of composure, Harry began looking at the shops on the other side of the walkway. Hermione squeezed his hand, knowing that his heart belonged to her. She whispered in his ear, "Don't be embarrassed Harry. The ocean and the beach are very interesting. People watching is a lot of fun."

Harry stammered, "But those girls didn't have…"

"I know," she smiled. "That's the local custom for the young women."

"But…"

"Have a look, Harry."

"But…"

She squeezed his hand and said, "They won't bite Harry. Besides if we go to the beach tomorrow, I wouldn't want you to pass out from embarrassment or anything."

"But…"

"They're not all topless, Harry. People can wear what they're comfortable with." She squeezed his hand again. "The world's an interesting place, Harry. I'm glad to be here, with you."

"Me too," he replied, squeezing her hand back.

They walked to the end of the promenade, then they went inward, looking past hundreds of inviting shops, pubs, sidewalk, cafes, and restaurants. Signs along the way advertised day tours of castles, fishing excursions, golf, whale watching, scuba diving lessons, beach rentals and the like.

Harry remembered hearing the Dursleys come back from weekend holidays to Brighton or other beach areas in Britain and imagined them to be similar. They had never included him. He realized that it probably hadn't been the money; they just hadn't wanted to include him in anything.

"Harry? Are you OK?" asked Hermione, squeezing his hand again.

"I was just wondering about some of the holiday trips that the Dursleys went on over the years."

"Don't give it a thought," replied Hermione, sensing his mood. "I'll go with you on as many holiday trips to as many places as you could ever want. I love you, Harry Potter," she said a bit louder than she might have intended. Emma and Tonks were smiling.

"Me too."

After dinner, and a bit of shopping for beverages and snacks, they drove back to the villa. Harry helped Dan carry in the bags of beer, wine, cokes, fruit, crisps, coffee and snacks that they had purchased. They sat outside and watched the sun set behind the hills. It had been a great day.

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Jamie and Tonks had agreed to split their shifts beginning at 10:00 and rotate them midway through the three-week holiday. Technically they were assigned to guard Harry. Currently only Bones, Hammer, and Dumbledore knew their exact whereabouts. In the event that they needed to be contacted, they each carried mobile telephones. There was also a mobile telephone at Grimmauld Place. They all had the telephone numbers for Amelia and Hammer pre-programmed if they needed to quickly contact them.

Jamie asked Tonks to take the afternoon shift. She knew that the Grangers would probably spend a lot of time on the beach, and preferred to work during the late evenings. Besides with Tonks' morph abilities, she would fit in better on the beaches with the teens.

At 10:30 the Doctors excused themselves and went to bed. Tonks had left to go check on things in London. Jamie was happily sitting outside enjoying the evening air, leaving Hermione and Harry alone sitting on the very comfortable couch.

Hermione snuggled up to Harry, unbuttoned several buttons on her top, took one of his hands and gently placed it just below her left breast. Harry was about as nervous as a young man could be. He could feel her heart beat, and knew that his own must be pounding.

Harry wasn't the sort of person who would ever take something that hadn't been given to him. As a result, he was extremely cautious. Hermione knew this and loved him for it. She turned slightly. Harry didn't move his hand and she positioned herself so that his immobile hand has touching the bottom of her left breast. She took his hand, in hers and offered him a bit of encouragement, and whispered, "Please hold me, Harry."

Harry might be shy and unassuming, but he was eager to comply with her request. Hermione was surprised – For having done as much work around the garden as he had done, Harry had soft hands and a gentle touch. Rather than grab her like an orange. Harry held her softly, and if he were cradling a priceless treasure in his hands. In his mind, that was exactly what he was doing.

She kissed his ear, and whispered, "I love you, Harry. Thanks for being a wonderful person to me."

Harry was speechless. He had been invited to hold an angel in his arms and was currently holding the softest, most precious object that he could imagine, and the love of his life was thanking him.

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Dumbledore wasn't happy. Despite his best advice, Hermione had insisted on having a large birthday gathering for Harry. He was all but certain that word must have slipped out where the Grangers lived, that Harry had been staying there for the summer, or that the Grangers were on holiday in Nice. He didn't begrudge Harry from living his life, but the more active he was, the harder it was to keep him safe.

Then Harry had made a full frontal inquiry regarding the death of Severus. He had told Harry more than he had wanted to, more than Harry needed to know, more than he wanted to have to explain to Amelia or the new Director, Hammer.

He had done what he could to protect Alastor, but was concerned that the entire affair could unravel and cause the ministry to lose focus of the rapidly growing threat of Riddle.

He was certain that Riddle would learn where to find Harry and launch a full assault on the Grangers the week before school began. Unfortunately he had been specifically prohibited from providing the sort of protection that he was certain that Harry would need.

He would have to think of something.

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A/N

If Bones concluded that Dumbledore had prior knowledge of Snape's attack at the Grangers, would she go after him?

Volans' story Honks is a fun read. 2749592