As Harry followed the sounds of Adam and Lieutenant Holman as they walked toward the group that was gathered on the beach, he wondered how he had been talked into going down the gangplank so easily when moments before he was panicking at the idea.
Lieutenant Holman made it seem easy, he realized.
Tony, following the two men, occasionally turned to make comments about the terrain that (mostly) helped Harry navigate it. It wasn't as tricky as the trail down the mountainside to the HMS Eden had been—or maybe I'm getting better at this… Harry allowed. The ground was different under his feet—in the mountains it had been hard and sandy with lots of loose rocks and then small clumps of spiky plants that made squishy mounds. Here the earth was soft and spongy—each step released fragrant cut grass aromas.
Every once in a while, when the wind shifted direction from the ocean to the land, he was overwhelmed by the scents of dense vegetation. He'd never smelled anything like it before. It was so hot and humid, Harry was certain he was going to melt. His clothes were sticking to him and he felt as though he was way overdressed in his baggy T-shirt, trousers, socks, and shoes. And the wind carried the sound of birds and other animals (monkeys maybe?). Harry remembered the trip to the zoo where, right before everything went to hell in a handbasket, he had listened to an interactive display that had recorded the sounds of the jungle—and here it was… even more cacophonous in real life…
Is this real life or just someone's memory of real life? He wondered.
Soon, they were walking in sand. At first, it was hard and compacted, then it was loose and Harry was sinking deep into it with each step. He felt he had slowed to a sloth's pace and that he was losing ground.
"Harry," Tony said close by.
Harry jumped. He had been so intent on navigating the sand that he hadn't noticed that Tony had stopped.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," Tony apologized. "It seems like you're struggling in the sand. I just thought you could use a… some help."
"Yeah, that'd be great. The sand is hard to walk in."
It sounded like they were getting close to the group of people on the beach and the squealing children. He could hear them splashing in the water now. He reached out and found Tony's back and they started walking again.
"This place is so amazing. I've never been to a jungle before and I guess this is a jungle—there are gigantic trees and vines and leaves and they are all so deeply green. I don't think I've ever seen green like this. I mean, wow. And the ocean is so blue. I've been to the ocean before, but it was grey and misty and cold. And there are parrots and other colorful birds flying everywhere."
Harry could feel Tony twisting around as he was taking it all in, then he started, "Wait! Did you see that? I think that was a monkey!"
Harry heard a chattering noise that pretty much confirmed it.
"It just ran out onto the beach and grabbed something and then darted right back!" Tony exclaimed. "Wicked! Wait until I tell Graham! He's not going to believe it!"
"Who's Graham?"
"My brother. He loves the monkeys at the zoo. The people here are covered in mud… like, not like they are dirty, but they are wearing it like we wear clothes. And they have these strange little straw hats that are decorated with shells and stuff," Tony described as they approached the group of people.
Harry could hear Adam and Lieutenant Holman's conversation coming to a standstill. He wished was close enough to hear more of what they were saying because, from the snatches he did hear, it sounded pretty fascinating.
It's kind of like talking to a ghost, Harry realized.
And then an image rose before his head, that of Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets and how he had started to become more solid as Ginny faded. Harry shivered though the sun was beating down on him relentlessly and the air was heavy with humidity and heat despite the cooling breeze brought in over the water. He wondered what kind of magic had to be used to make a painting this realistic.
Was it dark magic? What makes something dark magic? Is that why most of the other paintings by this artist had been destroyed? Why she had to flee England? What would make a memory solid enough that you can hold it and feel the texture of their clothing beneath your fingers? He wondered.
When he had been in the memories of Tom Riddle's diary, he didn't think about reaching out and touching anything… he had just watched it like a movie… one that he could see and hear as if it were surrounding him, but he remembered feeling the floor under his feet. He tried to remember what it felt like.
Did it change depending on where I was… in Professor Dippet's office or down in the dungeons? He couldn't remember. He had been so focused on what he was seeing and hearing, he hadn't thought to touch anything else.
Tony stopped, jarring Harry out of his memories. Harry could tell that they were on the outside edge of a group of people who were watching something that was going on in the water. The children were running back and forth excitedly—shaking maracas?—splashing water and throwing up wet sand with their feet as they raced around. Along with their shrieks, they were talking excitedly and one repeated phrase kept popping out among the other words that were incomprehensible to Harry, "Mami Wata! Mami Wata!"
"Man, they are going to drown Mei with all those beads. She's not going to be able to swim with them on," Tony exclaimed, though he didn't seem that concerned, more amazed.
"Oh, I was wondering what that sound was," Harry said.
"The children are giving offerings to the water spirit, Mami Wata," Lieutenant Holman supplied, just to the right of Harry.
"They think that Mei is a water spirit?" Harry wondered.
"Mr. Ceesay has described the young pupil who arrived with your group as appearing to be a mermaid. Is her name Mei?" Lieutenant Holman asked.
"Yes, Mei Lee. I don't think she likes to be called a mermaid, but that's probably an accurate description," Harry explained. "She is part Jiāorén."
"Oh, from the Canton Empire?" Lieutenant Holman asked.
"Er, I don't know, sir," Harry responded.
"Perhaps you'll have an opportunity to introduce me to this intriguing friend of yours?" Lieutenant Holman requested.
"Sure? When she comes out of the water?" Harry responded tentatively. He wasn't so keen about getting pulled into the ocean again. Though given how hot he was, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Especially if it was his decision this time.
I could take my shoes off first so I don't have to spend half a day walking around in wet shoes, he thought.
"Oh, is she going to come out of the water? What form does she take out of water?" asked Lieutenant Holman curiously.
Harry thought that he was taking the news of one of their group sporting a fishtail very generously for a muggle. A nineteenth-century muggle at that.
Shoot, it was a huge surprise for me and I've encountered a lot of magical creatures in my two years in the wixen world. Ah, he silently cringed at the thought. Mei would hate being called a "magical creature."
"She stays the same, I'm pretty sure," Harry responded.
"Oh, it must be hard to get around on land with a fishtail," replied Lieutenant Holman.
"Yes, she uses a wheelchair," replied Harry, wondering if Healer Jordan had brought it down to the beach.
Maybe Mei was just going to stay in the water for this part of the… what is this? Harry wondered what it was that they were doing.
Healer Jordan had come over at that moment.
"Harry, Lieutenant Holman—I'm so glad you both have made it down to the beach. Thank you so much!" she greeted them. "Tony and Adam, thank you so much for your help with the descent down the gangplank!"
She clapped her hands together, "Lieutenant Holman, are we ready to proceed?"
"Yes, yes, of course! I'm ready when you are."
"Greetings fellow travelers," Healer Jordan greeted the group with her amplified voice.
"If you could please turn your attention this way, our special guest, Lieutenant James Holman, is ready to address you."
A hushed silence descended on the group. The children, though, didn't seem to notice… likely because they didn't understand the language. They continued to carry on their running, shrieking, and exclamations about Mami Wata.
Someone touched Harry on his arm and he realized it must be Gemma. He put his hand on hers in response, smiling in her direction.
She took his hand in hers and began writing, "Y-O-U" space "O-K-?"
He nodded in response, and inclined his head toward Lieutenant Holman, hoping that she understood that he was looking forward to hearing what the Lieutenant was going to say. Then it occurred to him—how was Gemma going to understand what Lieutenant Holman was saying? He wasn't wixen… he couldn't cast the Scribunt loqui spell. His brow knitted with concern.
Gemma drew a question mark in his palm.
Harry whispered so as not to interrupt Lieutenant Holman who was beginning to address them, "Can you understand him?"
She tapped twice on his hand. Healer Jordan must have done something so that Gemma wouldn't be left out. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good."
"My esteemed friends. You must allow me to bestow upon you my eternal gratitude for your endurance in traveling such a great distance to meet with me. I am so honored to have this opportunity to speak with you about my experiences and travels and to share some of them with you. I am greatly indebted to Healer Jordan for brokering this exchange across centuries and continents. While I know that the understanding is that you are here to learn from me, the complex truth is that I'm here to learn from you… "
Lieutenant Holman's voice had also been magically amplified.
Harry was momentarily distracted by a swarm of mosquitos that had descended upon the group when the breeze had stopped. He slapped at his arms hoping to squash the ones that were feeding upon him.
Little vampires!
Harry heard Healer Jordan who wasn't too far from them muttering something that sounded like an incantation and the breeze picked up again and the swarm was pushed away.
Lieutenant Holman was recounting his journey to Siberia… it seemed so far away and so different from where they were now. Gemma had placed his hand again on his arm and he felt grounded and reassured. It was hard to believe that yesterday morning he had felt so utterly alone on Privet Drive, and now here he was half a world away surrounded by friends he'd just met.