Chapter 3: Departure

"I don't know why, but I am nervous", a pale figure whispered to his friend, his fingers awkwardly entangled.

The three friends were about to leave and visit Emilia, a muggle friend of Hermione who had invited them to a camping trip.

Harry let out a small laugh. "Oh Ron, we are just meeting Emilia. I trust Hermione when she tells us that she is nice"

"She is! And now get going or we will be late", Hermione demanded, one hand at Harry's and the other at Ron's back, pushing them through the front door.

It was a lovely evening. The last sunbeams were traveling along the cloudless sky, casting light with tints of orange on them. The house of Emilia's parents was not far away. When they strolled up to the end of the street and turned right, Hermione could already see their destination.

"Hermione, you better do the talking. I am sure that I would accidently uncover us after a few words", Ron suggested as they approached a small building surrounded by a wooden fence.

Harry was sure he saw Hermione rolling her eyes, but he was too focused on the sign that was mounted to the fence.

- BEWARE OF THE GNOMES! -

"You told us she was a muggle!" Ron called out when he read the sign.

"She is, what gave you the idea?", she asked him surprisingly.

Ron pointed with one finger to the sign, looking triumphant and thinking he had already baffled Hermione's announced prank.

She burst out in laughter, drawing attention from the pedestrians on the street. Harry couldn't avoid a heavy grin too, but felt bad to make fun of Ron for not knowing about muggle related things.

"WHAT?", he cried out, blushing in the deepest shade of red.

"He is already looking like one of them", Harry pointed out.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Ron's face now had a strong resemblance with a gnome's hat. Hermione was close to dying from laughter, when suddenly they heard a distant voice.

"Hermione, Hermione! Over here!"

Distracted from the fence, they hadn't noticed the figure lying on one of sun loungers close to the front door. She first waved and then stood up to greet them. Hermione pushed open the gate and met her halfway across the lawn with a tight hug.

"Oh Emilia, it's so nice to see you. We haven't talked in ages! You look so beautiful, I always knew I am be the wallflower and you the orchid"

"Hermione!" Emilia laughed cheerfully and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "I am so happy that you have come, and don't talk rubbish like that, I look like a rusty dustbin compared to you"

It took a few seconds until they finished embracing each other and then Hermione started to introduce the others.

"Emilia – this is Harry Potter, a friend from school", she began and pointed at him. Harry took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand awkwardly.

"Hi", Harry began.

"Don't be silly, Mr. Potter", Emilia said, pulling him in a close embrace.

Harry felt the heat rising to his face. There was doubt that Emilia was a beautiful woman. She was one feet smaller than him, had shoulder-length straight brown hair and an athletic figure. She was wearing blue hot pants and a red telly top, that emphasized her curves. When she had looked at Harry with her ocean blue eyes and a smile that people would kill for, he just couldn't look away.

"And this ginger over there is Ronald Weasley", Hermione continued, looking grinningly at Harry, whose eyes awkwardly followed Emilia for several steps. As Harry noticed that he got caught by Hermione, he shrugged and gave her the "Sorry, I couldn't help it" look.

"Hi, Ronald", said Emilia approaching him with her arms spread, ready to hug.

Ron must have felt like Harry, because when he opened his mouth his words didn't make much sense.
"Hey-ya, nobody calls me Ronald really. A stupid name my parents gave me. Just call me Ron, like Harry and Hermione. Of course if you want you can also use Ronald. Both are fine for me, I just eh - "

"Oh, I think then I will just call you Ron", Emilia responded smilingly.

Hermione had to bring her hand to her mouth to supress the giggles that would have further disgraced Ron in that situation.

They followed Emilia to a wooden garden table with two benches. Hermione sat down and Emilia let herself fall on the bench opposite to her.
Ron overtook Harry on their way and quickly sat down next to Emilia, giving her the most charming smile he was capable of. She smiled back, having a slightly confusing expression on her face.

"I am so glad that you guys are here. You can't imagine how happy I was when your mother called and said that you were interested in the trip", Emilia began. "All the others just begged off a week ago"

"Did something happen so that they couldn't go anymore?", Harry asked conversationally.

"Not really… The grandmother of one of my friends died, so she wants to stay for the funeral. Then were was this kind of chain reaction. People begged off because their friends couldn't come"

"Well – don't worry about that now Emilia, we will happily accompany you and we will surely not get out last minute", Hermione assured her.

"Thanks Hermione, I really appreciate that. Anyway, did Mrs. Granger already tell you something about the trip I have planned?"

The three friends nodded and Ron said, "She told us some parts of it. That you would like travel through central Europe for a few weeks with a – eh"
"- Camper", Hermione finished the sentence for him.

"Yes, with a camper"

Emilia grinned at them, having the feeling that they were just as excited about the trip as she was.

"Cool, then you basically know what you can expect. To be honest I didn't want to plan every step, so actually I thought we could just decide on the road where we want to stay. If we pass through a nice place we stay and if not, we just drive on. And since I am already eighteen I volunteer for the driving"

"Sounds lovely", Hermione said, although not really looking convinced. She wasn't quite sure if she would be that spontaneous. The perfectly structured study plan she had already developed for the upcoming year at Hogwarts didn't help to make her feel better either.

"We can all sleep in the camper, but I suggest that we take a tent with us too. Apart from that just the usual things"

They discussed several more topics, like what kind of food they would take and which activities they prefer. Harry and Ron would have loved to take their brooms with them, but Hermione didn't agree.

"You can't take them with you, we will basically spend all our time together with Emilia. Imagine someone would see you…", she had told them when they had discussed a day ago how to deal with the fact that Emilia was a muggle.

The three friends had agreed that they would try to completely stay away from magical things. Of course they had to take their wands and a few other items like the invisibility cloak.
Harry and Ron had also talked to Tonks and Lupin about the trip and surprisingly they had received the news rather joyfully. Apparently Voldemort was still trying to work undercover and there had been no rumours about him trying to infiltrate foreign government institutions.

The Order still insisted that they take the abovementioned things with them, regardless of the possibility that Emilia could find them somewhere.
"Security is the first priority for you", Lupin had told them. "We can still obliviate Emilia after you come back"

Hermione had looked disgustedly at him for that statement, and had sworn to herself that she would never allow that to happen.

"Okay, also – ehm – ", Emilia lowered her voice a bit, "my friends did already buy beer and some booze for the trip, so we could take it", looking at them with big questioningly eyes.

The friends looked a bit surprised. Harry had often seen Dudley and his gang drinking in the park and when Aunt Petunia had noticed a strong scent once, Dudley responded that everyone drinks from time to time at his age.

Hermione was sometimes invited to parties during the summer and therefor did also know about the drinking habits of muggle teenagers.
The student at Hogwarts didn't drink a lot though. Of course there were some cases of awful hangovers, induced by firewhisky and butterbeer but it was hard to buy this stuff at Hogsmeade and smuggle it past Filch. Only experienced rule breakers like Fred and George could do it.

"Yeah sure, some butterbeer would be nice", Ron responded enthusiastically, obviously trying to give Emilia the impression that he was a fun guy.

"What is butterbeer?", Emilia asked slightly confused. "They just bought some normal light beer"

"Oh, it's a sort of beer mix that people drink at our school", Harry said, helping his friend.

"They had the idea to put butter and ice cream in a bottle of beer. Sounds more disgusting than it actually tastes"

Emilia laughed hard and shook her head simultaneously. "It does indeed sound disgusting. I hope it wasn't one of you who came up the idea"

"No, don't worry", Hermione said with a faked smile. Then after looking at her watch she said, "Emilia, I told my parents we would be back at ten. We should go"

"Oh, what a shame. But we will have enough time to talk when we are on the trip"

They rose from the benches and Emilia gave everyone a hug.

"It was nice meeting you and thanks again for coming with me. See you on Monday then!"

"Thanks for taking us", they replied and strode towards the gate.

When they had walked a few meters along the street, Ron told Hermione conversationally, "She is nice, your friend"

"I am pretty sure I know why you think she is NICE", Hermione replied snappishly. "A few hours ago you had had the opinion that going on holidays with a muggle was a bad idea. Now you seem to fancy it - or rather HER"

Ron exchanged glances with Harry, not knowing what he had done wrong. Harry just shrugged but had an idea what might had upset Hermione.

"I – I don't fancy her. I mean she is pretty yes, but looks aren't everything"

"Well sometimes I am not sure if you really believe that"

They reached the entrance door of the Grangers a few minutes later. When they entered, Hermione didn't mind to tell her parents that they were back but headed straight towards her room.

Knock. Knock.

Hermione exhaled deeply and then said in a soft voice, "Come in".

Harry opened the door to the Granger's music room and entered silently.

"I heard you play", Harry told her in a similar quite voice. "I like it"

"Thanks, Harry. I haven't really played the piano for a long time, so no need for a fake compliment"

She smiled at him sitting on the piano chair while Harry was walking towards a couch in the corner.
"I wanted to talk to you – ehm – about today at Emilia"

Hermione sighed and took in a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell three more times until she spoke.
"What about it? I like her plan and we have discussed everything important"

"You know that I am not talking about the trip"

Realizing that she couldn't avoid the unpleasant topic, she got up slowly and let herself fall on the couch next to Harry, a hurt look in her brown eyes.
She felt Harry move a bit closer, their legs almost touching.

"It's about Ron, isn't it?"

A long moment passed until Hermione opened her mouth. "I am not sure. Maybe it is, maybe not"

"What an outstanding scientific analysis", Harry commented on Hermione's vague statement.

First Hermione looked almost angrily at him, but then they both started to laugh.

She punched his shoulder lightly, "Ah stop it, Harry Potter - you jerk"

"Outch – that actually hurt a bit"

"Are you going to cry now?"

"I am seriously considering it"

They shared another laugh and were suddenly sitting even closer to each other. Their legs touched and both enjoyed the warmth that emerged from the point of contact.

"Harry – do you think I am going to enjoy it?", Hermione asked, her eyes fixed on a point on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the trip. It is not the kind of holidays I would normally do. You know how I am. Planning things early, enjoying books and other boring stuff. When Emilia started talking about the alcohol some doubts came up. I don't want to be the boring girl who doesn't like any of the things you will be doing"

Harry seriously considered her words for a moment then shook his head.

"Listen Hermione – It doesn't matter whether you jump from a 20 meter cliff or stay in the camper reading a book. You shouldn't care too much about what other people say – well – of course I am the exception. You should always listen to my brilliant advice"

She rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth forming a smile.
"And we already agreed that we would do the trip. So there is no way out. It's going to be amazing, I promise"

"Well - if the 'Boy Who Lived' gives a promise, I should blindly trust it"

"Exactly!"

There were a few seconds of silence. Then Harry broke it.

"So everything is good now?", he asked, searching for her eyes.

When Harry found them, they stared each other for few seconds.

"Yes, everything is good. Thanks Harry"

The pleasant feeling of touching Harry's leg vanished quickly as he stood up and stretched out his hand to help up Hermione.
After they left the music room they said goodnight to each other. Harry slept on the couch and Ron had a small guest room for himself. A slight feeling of emptiness was spreading in her body when she ascended the stairs, trying to make no noise but the old wooden stairs creaking with every step she took.

Then she heard Harry call softly after her and stopped abruptly.

"Ehm – Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry about Ron and Emilia. He would be a fool to prefer her to you"

"Oh – that's very kind of you - ", she responded, searching for words.

"No problem! Good night then" he said, closing the door to the living room.

Silence fell over the corridor.

"Good night - Harry", Hermione whispered.

The next days went by fast. And so the last evening at the Granger's arrived.
Everyone was sitting in the living room, going through the list Hermione had written for them. She insisted that they double checked everything.

"One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi ..."

Hermione was bent over her travel bag searching eagerly for the abovementioned book.
"… I am sure I put it in my bag. I would never forget a book of such importance"

Ron looked seriously annoyed, sitting in an armchair near the fireplace listening to Hermione's overcautious preparations.
"There is no need to bring along this book Hermione, we won't be eating many fungi hopefully"

Hermione just shook her head and ignored him. Sometimes she couldn't tell if he was joking or just naïve.
She had asked Tonks this morning if she could cast an undetectable extension charm on her bag. Now that she could pack basically everything, the chaos inside grew exponentially with every item she put in.
"If I could just use my wand", Hermione thought when she threw a bikini to the side. Finally after a few more minutes she found what she was looking for.

"Ah there it is"

Harry smiled at her, ticking the item on the checklist.
"That's it Hermione. I can officially announce that we didn't forget anything. Assuming your list is complete of course"

"Oh no, let me have a look. I am not sure whether we should take 'A History of Magic' with us. It might be interesting if we meet wizards or witches from other countries'

"Hermioneeee – we agreed on living like muggles during the trip. You told me several times", Ron remarked irritably. "They won't know we can perform magic"

Hermione sighed, closed the zipper of her bag and let herself fall on the couch next to her parents.

"You will be fine, Hermione", Mr. Granger assured her. "But I would like you to take your wands. Of course I know that you are not allowed to do magic outside school but just in case. I would feel less worried"

"Of course we take them Dad. But we won't need to jinx anyone, we will be careful"

Hermione's parents still didn't know anything about concerning the rise of Lord Voldemort and that a bunch of wizards were guarding the house 24 hours a day.

The Order developed a plan to improve the security of the trip. They thought only the first miles were dangerous. If they managed to drive for several more, it would be rather unlikely that the Death Eaters suspected Harry to be in a muggle vehicle traveling around Europe.

A few members of the Order will cast disillusionment charms on themselves and follow the camper on brooms for an hour. If they can't see anything suspicious during that time they can be pretty sure that nobody noticed their departure.

Obviously it wasn't a bullet proof plan but Harry, Ron and Hermione thought it was good enough. Hermione first insisted on extra security, being concerned about what would happen to Emilia if some Death Eaters found them, but agreed after a few minutes of consulting with Harry and Ron.

After everything was ready, they went to bed early. Emilia would arrive early in the morning, to avoid crowded streets until their first stop.
Hermione lay in her bed thinking a lot about the next day. On the one hand she wanted to travel with her best friends, on the other she had the idea of calling Emilia, cancel the trip and stay in her bed all day. Slowly her thoughts disappeared and consciousness drifted towards a recovering and deep sleep.

"Get Up! Breakfast is ready"

A thin but tall guy with bright red hair was standing at Hermione's bed.

"Hm – what – just lemme sleep –", she dozily mumbled, turning on the other side to avoid looking at him.

"Hermione! We have to get breakfast, Emilia will be here in about half an hour"

First she didn't realize what Ron had just said, but then his words slowly entered her brain. She jumped up quickly, her silvery pyjama visible when the blanket slid of her body.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I will be downstairs in a few minutes"

"Alright! Coffee or Tea?"

"Coffee – definitely Coffee"

Ron smiled at her and went downstairs to join the others in the kitchen.

"Is she coming?" Mrs. Granger asked, standing in front of the coffee machine and putting in the filter.

"Yes, she will be here in a few minutes", Ron replied and added in a confused voice, "Today is a really special day. The first time I woke up Hermione and not the other way around"

They shared a laugh and everyone was convinced that Ron told the truth. Hermione entered the kitchen two minutes later and sat down at the table next to Harry.
They didn't say much during breakfast but when the clock showed 4:50 am, they got up and fetched their stuff. They sat down in the living room and waited.
Soon they heard a vehicle arrive, breaking the silence of the road at night. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other in disbelief.

"Are we really doing this?", Hermione nervously asked.

"I suppose… But we could ask Tonks to oblivate her and just get back to bed", Ron suggested rather ironically.

Hermione gave him a disgusted look, not noticing the sarcasm because of her nervousness.

"Are you coming, or what?", a voice near the door said.

Harry was already carrying his luggage, looking back at them with his eyebrows raised.

"Sure", Hermione replied and stood up too.

Then they heard Emilia's voice echoing through the house. Hermione's parents must have opened the front door.

"Yes mate, after you", Ron said to Harry, when they were all three standing in front of the living room door.

At the entrance door and found Emilia and Mrs. Granger talking eagerly.

"Yes we will be careful, Mrs. Granger, don't worry. No dodgy areas, and slow driving. My parents already told me everything that could go wrong or might happen to us. I am prepared and so are the others", Emilia said to her, blinking at the three friends when she saw them.

She gave everyone a familiar tight hug and helped Harry, Ron and Hermione to put their luggage in the camper. Then they went back to the door, to say goodbye to Hermione's parents.

"Please Hermione, give us a call from time to time, we would be less worried about you four", Mrs. Granger instructed her daughter, tears in her eyes. "I know we didn't spend a lot of time together, but I hope you enjoyed being at home nevertheless".

"Oh Mom, I always love being at home. How often do I have to say that? And it was your idea to ask Emilia by the way", she said, smiling at her parents, clearly touched by her mother's words.

"I know my dear, I know – Well then, safe travels and see you in a few weeks"

Hermione hugged her father and mother and the others said goodbye too.
Then they walked to the street and climbed in the camper. It took a few minutes before everyone was sitting comfortably and had their belts fastened.

"Excited?", Emilia finally asked.

"Oh yes", all three replied simultaneously.

Emilia turned on the ignition and started to the engine with a wide grin on her face.

"Well then - let's go!"

Note from the author: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading the third chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews you wrote :) I tried to format the text similar to other stories here on fanfic. I hope you are excited as I am what our four friends will be doing on their first day of the trip. Then see you in chapter four!