Friday 1st July 2016
I can't believe it, tomorrow me and Gin and the kids are going on holiday, as muggles. I finally convinced her to try out going on an Aeroplane. To Malta! 2 weeks! The kids seem excited, James the bugger, keeps telling Al and Lily the various different ways planes can spectacularly fail. He's discovered the phrase "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly" (I blame Elon Musk) and has convinced Al that it happens at least once a week. We really need to get him more interested in the muggle news or the Internet as if he had even a passing knowledge of their side of the world, he'd know what utter rubbish his brother is feeding him. Lily, bless, just looked James dead in the eye and told him "that's ok, I'm sitting next to Daddy on the plane". Is wrong to have favourite kids?
So tomorrow! It's an early start for the Potters, we've got a portkey set to take us to St. Albans City railway station at 0630 so we can catch the train to Luton Airport Parkway, no messing around here we're going 'full muggle' on this holiday experience.
I don't know how I convinced Ginny, as let's face it, I could have got the DMT to give me a portkey straight to Malta for a few extra Galleons, but we've both been a bit worried about Al refusing to show an interest in the muggle world and we're hoping showing a good old muggle time will pique his interest slightly.
So, dear diary, I may as well use you to get tomorrows plan straight in my head before I turn in for the night.
Me: (Hope so)
Wifey: Check (as of 2100 anyway)
James Potter: Check
Albus (don't call me that dad) Potter: Check
Lily Potter: Check
So, the family hasn't disappeared anywhere yet, or again (bloody magic), we're all packed. Well I say we, me and Gin both have a suitcase full of summer clothes each, our wands and obviously our money. I'm beginning to wish I didn't introduce her to the joys of Vasa or Mooster-card as Arthur calls them, but I can't really complain, technically for our first 5 years of marriage she earnt more than me.
Lily did a good job on her case (with mums help of course) and the boys assure me they have more than just one pair of underwear and a T-shirt in their backpacks. Oh Merlin! Backpacks, the amount of arguments I had to have with them about backpacks, "But dad why can't we just use our school trunks? They've got a featherlight charms on them" and my personal favourite "You want us to carry our own clothes like house elf's? Does that mean we're free of you?". Yea, James got a talking to from Angry Daddy for that one, the little gobshite, I don't know where he gets it from.
What's next? Passports! The DMT's new muggle Passport service to the rescue here, Ginny still had a valid one from when she was playing with the Harpies, but me and the kids have never had passports before. Well I've never needed one before have I? If I have to go abroad for work I just apparate there, no Customs and Excise for me! Ok that's a Galleon in the "Harry is egotistical" jar.
Anyway, Simmons, a friend of mine at the DMT had us in and out in no time. I like the new photo charm they're using on our passports; the pictures move like normal, but if a muggle is inspecting the passport, they freeze and act like a normal photograph. No one's the wiser. We have Hermione to thank for that particular charm. Nice bit of magic that.
Our hotel looks nice, from the website, 5 star, only the best for … ok ok another Galleon in the jar. But the photos from their website look nice. The Palace Hotel, Sliema. Trip Advisor seems to show mainly positive reviews, it has a pool and a bar on the roof! And the views look very nice, especially at night when everything is lit up.
From the Malta Airport website, we can get a taxi from the airport to our hotel for 20 euros, that seemed reasonable and Ginny wasn't really thrilled with the idea of me renting a car for the 2 weeks. I believe something like "You're bad enough on the streets of Potters Bar, I'm not having you lose on some foreign roads you don't know", sometimes I wonder why I love her. You know what diary, I'm taking a Galleon out of the jar for that. Wives.
So, I think that's everything, I think I'm going to call it a night now. Tomorrow is going to a long, exciting day. Till next time.