Harry and Hermione - Chapter 4 - Goodbye Sydney
Before they left Sydney Harry had received a note from Ginny to say that she missed him and hoped he and Hermione were having a good time. He had been hoping for a longer letter but he sent her some postcards and a list of things they had seen and experienced so far in the great city. He didn't ask about Ron specifically but he did send his genuine warmest wishes to her family and hoped that would do.
Canberra was a very different place to Sydney, sort of exciting, if you can imagine a city designed and built by men for men, even all the place and street names are male names. Hermione made a cutting comment about women being treated worse than house elves here, but she found the administration straight forward enough. The people were friendly and helpful enough and where they really felt they could not compromise someone's privacy Hermione simply magically copied the and reviewed on her laptop at the nearest coffee shop.
The method Hermione employed was simple although somewhat laborious. She showed Harry how to search the various lists and cross reference the points of interest and where several points of interest coincided, she would follow it up herself. Harry had learned to walk in flip flops, 'thongs' Aussies called them, and was at this very moment wearing board shorts and a tee shirt, drinking flat whites at a trendy cafe in the sunshine, in Canberra, Australia! So happy was he, that it was actually a pleasure to look through all the lists Hermione passed to him. Of course he would have done it anyway!
"Here, look at this." said Hermione turning her screen towards him so that he could read, and then she proceeded to read it to him anyway.
"Two years ago two Wilkins emigrated to Adelaide from London and one is a dentist - the woman. He is listed as retired."
"Well certainly fits our criteria," said Harry, "How many Wilkins is that now who have applied for a work visa in the given time frame?"
"More than you think, I've ruled out a few due to conflicts of age data. But I think this couple, another couple who are listed as educators and another couple who haven't applied for work visa and appear to be holidaying only. Those three are the top candidates and I vote we chase these up before possibly wasting our time getting sunburnt and developing a caffeine addiction."
Harry looked down at his arms, pleased that although one would be hard pressed to call his colour a tan - he was no longer white as a plaster board. He grinned, he was certain to find more sun in Adelaide or anywhere else in 'the sunburnt country.'
"What's the plan?" he asked, tipping back the last dregs of his coffee and getting ready to follow Hermione out of the cafe.
"Geographically speaking we check out the Sydney couple while we are here, move south to see the Melbourne couple and then westward to see Wilkins, that I think are most likely to be my mum and dad."
"Ideal." says Harry, happy just to be in the sun. He had never been this relaxed before, ever.
"Are you just going to agree with everything I say, Harry?" says Hermione a little testily.
"Only when you are right, I promise to arc up the moment I think you are going wrong, ok."
Hermione eyed him suspiciously. Harry looked happy. Actually happy. There had been happy moments in the past, sure, end of exams, Quidditch wins, when he had been with Cho briefly, when he had been with Sirius, with Ginny possibly even more briefly. But now he seemed different somehow, I mean the same person, the same dependable, loving Harry.
"How do you feel, Harry?" she asked, eyeing him keenly.
His hand reached for his scar but stopped halfway there, He felt fine. Better than fine, actually.
"Excellent. Really, really excellent. Why do you ask?" Shooting her a quizzical look.
"Well, you look as though you feel excellent." Hermione swatted away a piece of his jet black hair hair that had fallen onto his face.
"What are you doing?" A strange look appeared on Hermione's face, she gave him a piercing sort of look, mumbled what he thought sounded like a sorry and then marched forward in the direction of their hotel. Harry wondered if he needed a haircut and scrambled after her.
The Sydney Wilkins are in Randwick, a suburb south east of the city, as educators one worked at a nearby University Campus. Hermione realised she only needed to she didn't actually need to go to the Wilkins' home to see whether or not they were her parents. A quick look at Mrs Wilkins from the back of a crowded lecture theatre would be enough to confirm that she either was or was not Hermione's mother. So the next day, after missing understanding the directions to the bus stop and failing to flag down a taxi, Harry and Hermione disapparate directly onto the campus.
While Harry asked a student where he could find a coffee, Hermione began asking students in which direction the dentistry lectures would be. She shot Harry an exasperated look when he appeared out of nowhere holding two take away coffee cups.
"Its market research, Hermione, alright? Or call it blending in with the local habitat." He tried to smooth her ruffled feathers before taking a sip from his cup. Hermione realised that she was feeling a little anxious having possibly found her mother and decided to dial down the disapproval.
"Sorry, Harry, I'm a bit nervous or something. Thanks for the coffee, but perhaps I should stick to tea, for next time, alright?"
"Tea it is. I know you are anxious about finding your parents, but we are here now, we are on the scent. We have never failed a mission yet and Hermione…"
"What?"
"We are together!" He grabbed her hand and began leading her in the direction indicated by a student who had a friend who took dentistry classes. Hermione stared at the back of Harry's head - he did seem changed, not for the worse, or even the better - just different. Certainly very chipper.
They entered a building and found a directory board by the staircase. There were names of lecturers with the number of their offices, Hermione had hoped for confronting less one to one. But Harry, who had met Mr and Mrs Granger several times and remembered them well, offered to knock, give some excuse and see her face. Still holding Hermione's hand, Harry took the stairs, two at a time until he reached the third floor, they snuck unnecessarily along the wide corridor reading out the names to whom the offices belonged. There were so many.
Finally, around a corner and just passed a little kitchenette Harry saw it "Karen Wilkins - Senior Fellow Dentistry". He reached up to knock but paused when Hermione stamped her foot and shook her head enthusiastically, she jerked her thumb in the direction they had come and backed up around the corner, peering back at him surreptitiously. It was all Harry could do not to burst out laughing - both of them would make terrible spies, she was over cautious and he was about to knock on Professor Wilkins' door before he had even thought of an excuse.
He knew upon entry that it wasn't Mrs Granger, but she recognised his accent and feeling a little homesick she wanted to know where he was from and how long he had been in the country. He saw a photograph on her desk of her partner Chris who clearly was not Mr Granger - it appears that this Ms Wlikins is not married to a he, but a she! Power to you thought Harry as he disentangled himself from the conversation and made his excuses.
"Definitely not," He told Hermione, when he got back around the corner.
"Are you sure, perhaps I had better take a look?" Hermione was never satisfied unless she had done the thing herself, which Harry knew full well.
"Knock your self out" he told her, "but unless you dad had had sex reassignment surgery, Hermione - that is not your mother!"
"She is gay?"
"Gay!"
"Now, I saw a sushi bar…" began Harry.
"Harry, will you please take this seriously?" pleaded Hermione.
"Hermione. What is it about my behaviour, that suggests to you that I am not serious, in fact perfectly committed to you and helping you find your parents?"
Hermione though for a moment, Harry is right. His demeanor is a little changed, he is less serious, more relaxed than she had ever seen him. But he was here. And he was here in a different way than Ron would have been here, had he come. Ron would have shown no personal interest, she would have done all the work herself and he would have followed her around moaning about being hungry, whinging about every step in the plan and wanting to go home.
Conversely, Harry had shown enthusiasm for learning about Australia, he had wanted to know her plan, he had looked through the lists with her, in fact there is nothing he wouldn't do for - and she knew that. She knew that because he had always taken the time to demonstrate that ever since they had become friends. Harry was always asking her how she was, how she felt. Now that she thought about Ron had never asked her that, even when he was more or less professing his love for her. And why was Hermione suddenly comparing Ron to Harry?
"You are perfectly right, Harry. I seem to have got myself in the habit of being disapproving, frowny. I don't blame you for being resentful about it, it's a bit annoying to me as well."
"I wouldn't say resentful, exactly. But we are free, Hermione, finally free. We don't have to live constrained lives that emerge as a consequence of you know who, of being thrust from one life or death situation to another. We can be whoever we want!" And there he was, smiling joyfully again, still the same old Harry but sort of new, somehow.
"Is that what has happened to you?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged,
"I don't know, I feel happier, I feel free. I hope you can too." and once more, he was holding her hand.
Later that night over a delicious bowl of noodles at a street market Hermione and Harry discussed the next step in their plan, moving on to Melbourne to check out the Holidaying Wilkins' and see whether they could be the real Mr and Mrs Granger.
Halfway through their dinner, Harry noticed Hermione checking out his seafood, "Swap?" he offered.
"Really?" said Hermione, feeling as though she really should not deprive him of his dinner, but really wanting it all the same. Ron would never have offered her a bite, let alone a swap! Again with the comparisons. "Thanks Harry," she said, clutching at a prawn with her chopsticks.
"I like chicken too," he said.
"Have you heard from Ginny?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"I've sent her two cards since we've been in Sydney but I haven't heard back. The note I got when we were in Canberra was quite short. I hope she is ok." He explained.
"Me too," said Hermione, deep in thought.
Harry asked Hermione if she wouldn't mind catching the train to Melbourne, it was a twelve hour journey, but it reminded him of the Hogwarts Express and he was feeling a little sentimental. When he put it like that, how could she say no? Of course, it was not as pleasant as the Hogwarts Express, no closed off compartment to themselves, people getting on and off at various stops, children getting bored and running up and down the aisles.
"Well," said Harry upon arrival, "No one can say that we didn't try!" still in a cheery attitude, Hermoine felt like hugging him, but that was not part of their friendship repertoire really. Hugs at the start and end of term, certainly, after a great Quidditch win, sure, but just because she was glad to see him so happy. Hmmm. something is suspect. Hermione was beginning to think she may have developed romantic feelings for her best friend. And the boyfriend of her close friend Ginny Weasley.