A/N: I just wanted to take this time to thank whoever nominated me in Beyond the Book Fanfiction Nook's Summer Awards for Favorite New Author and Favorite Fluff for my story, A Thin Line Between Desire and Ruin (exclusive to Ao3). Head over to Facebook and check out all of the amazing authors and stories that were nominated and vote for your favorites!
Huge thanks for HeartOfAspen for offering to be my alpha! Big plans have been made for his story and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.
Chapter 6 — Arrival in Mykonos
Hermione pushed her sunglasses onto her face as she stepped out of the airport and into the hot sun of Athens. Her parents had insisted on taking an aeroplane, not comfortable with any form of magical transportation. Neither Harry nor Hermione protested their decision as their experience the previous year with a portkey had left them feeling sick to their stomachs.
"Taxi!" her father called from behind her. A taxi pulled up, and they piled in after shoving their luggage into the trunk.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"Piraeus, Port Gate E7 is where we need to go. As close as you can get us," her father replied.
The driver nodded and took off. The driving was too fast for Hermione's taste as she wasn't able to enjoy the beauty of Athens. The city was almost blurred as they sped by. Maybe close to the end of their trip, Hermione could convince her parents to spend a few days here, exploring the city.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived in Piraeus as close to Port Gate E7 as they could get. Hermione's father paid the fare as Hermione, her mother, and Harry carried their luggage to the ferry. They flashed their tickets and boarded. Though the long four-hour ride was going to be a pain, Hermione came prepared. She had packed every book on Magical Mykonos she could find, disguising them as their muggle counterparts. Hermione had brought several for Harry as well. They needed to read up as much as possible on the history of the Sirens living in the water on the magical side of Mykonos. Diving into the water without some knowledge of them could result in them being captured or their deaths. Not something Hermione was willing to risk.
"Here," Hermione said, dumping several books onto Harry's lap.
He lifted his shades up and gazed at the books on his lap before looking at Hermione, a look of confusion on his face.
"What is this?"
"Research," Hermione replied.
"We haven't been here an hour, and we are already doing research? We can't spend the entire holiday doing this Hermione, we need to relax." He pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes and spread out his arms, leaning back against the soft seat.
"I know," she said. Looking in her parents' direction, she lowered her voice. "But I would rather figure out this situation first. I won't be able to enjoy the holiday much with this looming over my head."
Harry nodded and picked up the book on top, burying his head in it. Hermione didn't need to voice her pleasure. The ferry hadn't left yet, and he was taking what she said seriously.
Hours later and about two books later each, they arrived at their destination — Mykonos. Known in the muggle world for tourism and vibrant nightlife, it seemed quiet as they made landfall. Perhaps it was the hour of their arrival—too early for locals to be out partying and too late for tourists to be out roaming the city. As they made their way to the hotel, Hermione let her mind drift to the Greek mythology surrounding the city.
Mykonos was named after its first ruler, who was supposedly the son or grandson of the god, Apollo. The island is also said to have been the location of a battle between Zeus and Titans. According to myth, the large boulders she spotted alongside the road were the petrified testicles of the giants. Hermione shook her head dispelling the thoughts of giants and their supposed boulder testicles. She was more interested in the magical side of Mykonos rather than Greek mythology and the reason she convinced her parents to holiday here—the Sirens in the water off of the coast.
Through her research, she learned Sirens were the earliest recorded race of merpeople, and they originated here, in Greece. According to the portrait in the Prefects bath at Hogwarts, Sirens were beautiful due to the warm water they lived in. She checked mythology on Sirens in muggle history, but she found it to be extremely unreliable, almost fairytale like. Hermione doubted they sang songs to lure mariners to them. The logical side of her refused to believe there was truth in Greek mythology written by muggles. Though she needed to remind herself that myths usually had a basis in facts. Hopefully spending time in the library would help her and Harry find information they could rely on and figure out the truth.
Cyclades Greece: Magical Municipal Library of Mykonos sounded dreamy, in her standards anyway. Maybe Harry would appreciate the beauty of it as well, knowing the only magical library he had ever been to resided within Hogwarts itself.
She was drawn out of her thoughts as they arrived at their hotel. The colourful, several story building sat on a beach. It was perfect for their research, especially if they decided to venture into the deep waters looking for the Sirens.
The Grangers and Harry spent the early hours of the evening resting and took a walk on the beach at sunset. Hermione's parents walked ahead hand in hand, giving Harry and Hermione time to themselves.
Hermione looked off into the sunset, enjoying the beauty of Mykonos. The sky was full of vibrant hues of red, orange, and pink. A stark contrast from the bright blue it possessed when they arrived. Her favourite thing about the beach was that the rising and setting of the sun seemed much more beautiful than it did in England. She was hoping they figured out her mermaid situation right away so she could enjoy this time with her family and Harry before they had to go troping back to Britain. It was the perfect time to figure out why Harry kissed her all those months ago. And maybe room for a repeat.
Harry grasped her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.
"Just thinking about...everything," she admitted, looking down at their hands.
"I don't think your mind ever rests, you know. I hope we find time on this holiday where you don't have to think or worry about anything."
Hermione snorted. "Peace is hard to come by if your name is Hermione Granger."
"I'm sorry. I know part of that is because you're my friend. I bring extra stress to your life because of the situations I am put in."
"Don't be sorry, Harry," Hermione said, squeezing his hand in comfort. "I would choose to be your friend all over again."
He laughed. "Thanks, Hermione. I don't know if I could say that about myself if I were you."
Hermione didn't know what to say but leaned into Harry and continued walking, enjoying the feel of sand in between her toes.
Finally, Harry broke the silence. "What is your plan for here? I mean, do you have a schedule for our time here?"
"Not exactly. I want to spend some time in the magical library and maybe go into the ocean to meet the sirens?"
Harry's eyes widened, and his lips tightened into a thin line.
"You can't be serious," He choked out.
Hermione bit her lip and nodded. "Isn't what you said we might have to do? I feel like it's the only way I will get any straight answers. I need to go straight to the source."
Harry frowned. "Wouldn't going straight to the source mean going into the Black Lake to meet the merpeople who bit you? How does meeting the Sirens in a different part of the world help you?"
"Harry! You gave me the idea, and now you're saying it isn't a good idea?"
Harry grimaced guiltily. "It just seems more dangerous than I originally thought."
"Harry, please. You can't possibly know that after only a few hours here. Besides, it isn't any more dangerous than everything you or I have been through while at Hogwarts is it?"
"I suppose not."
"Sirens were the first recorded race of merpeople. If they know anything about this," she said pulling down the neck of her shirt to reveal the bite, "or other merpeople, it's them."
Hermione paused and added, "And why not use all the resources at our disposal?"
"I don't think you should go down there alone, that's all," Harry admitted.
"Worried about me?" Hermione teased.
Her smile faded when Harry didn't laugh. "Yeah, I am, Hermione. We know virtually nothing about them. And in Scotland, one of these types of creatures bit you for absolutely no reason."
"Harry, stop," Hermione said, pulling on his arm as he tried to pull away and walk in front of her. "I wasn't planning on going alone, okay? I want you to come with me though I don't know how yet."
Harry looked at her for a moment. "Can we start at the library and then figure out this later? Once we do more research, I might feel more comfortable about going into the ocean to meet these merpeople."
Hermione nodded and not another word was said as they finished their walk and headed back to their hotel room as the sun disappeared below the horizon.
The next day, Hermione slipped on a simple pair of white shorts with a light blue tank top, white canvas shoes, and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. Her parents had allowed her and Harry to share a room as long as they promised to sleep in their own beds. Their separation had lasted about four hours when Hermione had woken to find Harry in the midst of a nightmare, shouting Cedric's name. Thinking on her feet and not able to use magic, she climbed into his bed and wrapped her arms around his chest, whispering words of consolation she knew he probably couldn't hear, but hoped would calm him.
Almost immediately, his breathing calmed down, and he had turned in her arms, burrowing his face into her neck. Scared to move not wanting to wake him up or to trigger another nightmare, Hermione fell asleep with him in her arms.
Now, she was searching the lobby for Harry having woken up completely alone. She found him almost immediately, his untidy black hair sticking up in all directions. Across from him sat her parents as they conversed over the oddest assortment of English and Greek breakfast items.
"Hermione, darling, there you are," her mother said, standing to kiss her on the cheek. "We were starting to worry."
Hermione huffed as she took the empty seat in between her father and Harry. "You worried about me? You left me upstairs while in a strange city without saying where you were going."
Harry reached over and grabbed her hand. "Hey, don't blame them. You were sleeping and looked peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."
"Awh, see darling, he was just looking out for you."
Hermione felt guilty when they both put the situation like that, but plastered a smile on her face for her mother's sake. "Of course, mother, I shouldn't have gotten worked up about it. It was just a little scary to wake up and realise all three of you were gone."
The conversation then turned back to more mundane things, Hermione zoning most of it out as she slowly chewed the piece of toast she had reluctantly put on her plate. If it were up to her, she would entirely skip breakfast in favour of immediately going to the library, but it would be a massive hint to her parents that something was wrong. She would do anything in her power to keep them protected from what was happening in the wizarding world, especially if the potential dangers revolved around her and Harry.
Hermione snapped out of her reverie when her mother tapped her on the shoulder. "Hermione, dear whatever is the matter? You seem out of it."
She batted her mother's hand away. "I'm fine mum, just thinking about what I want to do while we are here."
Hermione's mum clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh yes, we were talking to Harry about the plans for your time here. You two go off and enjoy yourselves, and your father and I will find something to do."
"But—"
"No buts darling," Katherine said as both her parents pushed back from the table and stood. "Such a young couple should enjoy themselves without their parents constantly overshadowing them. Just be sure to check back in with us occasionally."
Hermione's father was now almost dragging her mum out of the restaurant. She yelled a final, "Ta, ta," before disappearing.
"So," Hermione said, turning back to Harry who was lounging back in his chair finishing off his second cup of Earl Grey.
Harry raised his eyebrows, and she smirked. "A couple now are we?"
Harry laughed. "I had to get them off our backs. They were talking about exploring the city and visiting some museums this morning before spending the day on the beach. There is no way we were going to be able to explore the library if I hadn't told them we had plans. And on top of—"
"Harry," Hermione said, interrupting him. "You don't need to explain yourself, really."
"Really?"
"Really." She laughed. "You already kissed me, remember? It's fine."
Harry turned bright red at the mention of the kiss and coughed. "Right," he said.
Hermione bit off a few more pieces of toast before declaring she was done. After grabbing a few things from their room, they headed out of the hotel, their sights set on spending the day in a magical library.
Less than thirty minutes later, Harry and Hermione found themselves outside the Magical Municipal Library of Mykonos. For lack of a better word, it was magnificent. Dated back to the 12 century the library was one of the oldest buildings in the magical part of the city. Dawning large pillars, it looked as if it belonged in Ancient Greece. She had to remind herself it probably was around at that age, preserved by magic to stand the test of time.
They walked in and were immediately accosted by the witch behind the desk. "May I help you?"
"We want to spend the day here and have a look around," Hermione told the witch.
"Do you have identification?"
Hermione looked at Harry, and he shrugged. "No," Hermione replied turning back to the witch.
"Do you have a letter of recommendation?"
"No," Hermione replied again.
"I'm sorry, I cannot allow you entry." The witch then turned her focus back to her desk, in a dismissive gesture, the papers seemingly more important than the two of them.
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and began to pull her out, but she stopped and pulled herself out of Harry's grip and made her way back up to the desk.
"Excuse me," Hermione said with the utmost politeness despite losing her patience.
The witch huffed and looked up at her. "How may I help you miss?"
"We are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looking to do some research over our summer holiday. Is there no way you can let us in?"
"I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do unless you have magical identification proving your magical status or a letter of recommendation from a member."
"Okay, thank you," Hermione said, accepting defeat. "Let's go, Harry."
"Hermione, wait one second." He turned to the lady behind the desk. "Could you tell us if any of the Hogwarts professors are members here?"
The witch reached below her desk and pulled out a large ledger. She flipped through it, so carelessly Hermione thought the pages would rip, before coming to a stop. "The only professor at Hogwarts that is a member here and can give a recommendation is Severus Snape."
Hermione sucked in air. There was no way Professor Snape would give them a letter of recommendation to get into the library.
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Harry said.
The witch nodded and turned back once more to her work. They both turned and hurried out of the library. As soon as they reached the steps, Hermione sat down and flung her face into her hands.
Harry sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. "We'll figure something out."
"How, Harry? Professor Snape hates us. There is no way he will spend his precious time writing us a letter of recommendation to enter this library."
"What makes you sure of that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Hermione you are the best student in the year, receiving top marks in every class including potions. How could he say no?" Harry asked, pulling her closer.
"You think he would?"
"Well, we will never know if we don't try. Let's go back to the hotel and pen Snape a letter. We might have to wait a few days, and that will give us enough time to explore the city and see if there are any other resources we can tap into."
"I love you, you know?" Hermione said as she stood up and offered her hand to Harry.
Harry grabbed it and pulled himself up. He smiled at her and grinned. "I know."
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