Hermione went into a makeshift tap-dance; listening to her shoes hit the mahogany floors, making a hollow, loud knock-to the complete annoyance of Ginny.
"Hermione." She grimaced, spinning around. "Can you-" she pointed to her own feet, which were clenched tightly together in demonstration.
She smiled at Ginny. Electrifying jolts of excitement were jumping through her nerves. Her feet stopped. The line moved forward. She sighed.
There looked to be- two more? - parties in front of them. The poor Warlock at the front desk was obviously overwhelmed.
It's not that bad waiting here, though. It's so beautiful.
Hermione looked out the invisible barrier between her and the ocean to watch the fish swim past in the deep blue endless depths. They had to be at least fifty meters from the surface, she thought, looking up. Then there was the small, silvery metallic birds flapping around this hall, passing right through the underwater walls.
The entire room-even ceiling- for the Australian Ministry was this ocean haven. Well, except for the floor. Hermione gave the wood a tap. Ginny groaned.
They had been in line for almost a half hour. Apparently their was an unregistered Animagis in the process of trying to enter the country when they had just arrived. Just our luck.
Harry and Ron were sitting behind her on one of the trunks, animating the pamphlets they had found on easels back in the fire room and making them fight. It was pretty funny that no one really noticed Harry. However, the witch behind him was inspecting him suspiciously as she watched.
"Next!" the stressed Australian worker shouted.
As the line moved forward, Hermione hovered the trunk- the boys still on it- and made it move forward a meter.
"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed, him and Harry holding fast to the metal handles. "Not too anxious, is she mate?" He asked Harry, who had almost fallen off.
"Next!" the wizard said sharply.
Hermione dashed up to Mrs. Weasley as she started talking to the elderly wizard.
"Yes- here she is- would we explain the entire predicament to you?" Mrs. Weasley said, looking a bit confused.
The grizzled old man looked forlorn at the prospect of another challenging customer. "Er- 'old on fo a secon there. Rodney! Come ere, assist these 'eople, will ya?"
A much younger wizard ran out suddenly from the seemingly ocean wall, carrying maybe a scroll to many. "Yeah, Larry- what was that?"
"Take 'em ova there, will you?" the aged wizard asked him, eyeing the ever growing line.
"Uh- Sure." Rodney answered, nodding towards Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. "Come this way, please."
He walked back over; right through the wall he had come out of, jerking his head for them to follow him.
"Waaay." Ginny giggled in Hermione's ear, imitating Rodney's accent.
"I think it's cute!" Hermione confessed to her as they got out of line and filed past Larry.
"What was that?" Ron asked, leaning over Hermione's shoulder.
"I don't like that scandalous laughter." Harry said sarcastically, as Mrs. Weasley walked right into the ocean.
Hermione took a deep breath and followed.
It was rather like walking through the platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross, she fancied as she found herself in a rather small office where Mrs. Weasley was sitting herself in a leather chair. She had just sat herself in a second chair when Ginny, Ron and Harry came through the maroon wallpaper.
"So." Rodney said to them when they had gotten settled. "I'd be Rodney, you see, and welcome to the Australian Ministray of Magic. Now, how can I help you?"
Hermione sat up in her seat.
"Well, I'm Hermione Granger, and for protection reasons I gave my Muggle parents a fake identity- and, well, I sent them to Australia."
Rodney raised his eyebrows.
"Which we're back now- from England, and we were- wondering if, maybe, you- you could help…us. Me." She rubbed her forehead. .
"Oh. Muggles, you say?" he asked her, suppressing a look of utmost bewilderment- and more strangely, glee. "Well, that might-er- be a rather jolly stoke of luck, you see, we have records of every Muggle who enters the country- security reasons, you see- so I'll probably be able to tell you where they entered the country, but I don't think I'll be able to tell you their exact location…" His voice wafted away, dirty blonde eyebrows bunched in thought.
"Well, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at Hermione, "That would be great, if you could get us that information."
"Absolutely." Rodney confirmed, standing up. "Only one more thing- what are their names- you parents, I mean, you see I need to look them up."
Hermione stammered, "Wendell and Monica Wilkins." She had checked last night to make sure that was correct.
"Great. I will be right back. Only a second, you see" And with that, he walked straight back out the wall.
"You see." Ron said quietly.
Hermione burst into a fit of nervous giggles, reaching behind her to give Ron a slap. How great was this? They might be back at the Burrow tomorrow. She couldn't wait to just give her mom a hug. And she would get to introduce her to Ron.
Minutes passed.
Okay, where was this guy?
She felt a foot hit her chair. And again. And again.
Hermione bent down, pretending to fix her shoe.
The foot hit her chair again. It was Ginny's she realized- She was pretty sure that Harry or Ron wouldn't be wearing red flip-flops.
But- wait- was that Harry's foot? Hermione smiled as she stood up again. I guess Harry and Ginny are back together. Or close enough to be comfortable playing footsie. Oh, Harry Potter playing footsie. The Media would have a field day.
"Hullo again!" Rodney had swept back through the wall, holding another scroll.
"Thanks so much-" Hermione started-
"No problem, no problem-"Rodney said, waving her off, reading the scroll. "Ah- here we go- Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins-noted that these were confirmed fake identities- came to Australia round August 2nd, only to leave the country on May 20th -" Hermione's heart sank deep into her gut. "But, you see, on June 10th, they returned, their boat arriving in-" he took out his wand, tapping the parchment- "Docklands, Victoria…" Hermione smiled- that was only a week or so ago- surely they were in the same area!
'We can actually get you a direct fire to an office in the Dockland Area, you see." Rodney offered, a bit hastily.
"I think that'd be a great idea- Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley said an encouraging voice.
"Yeah- thanks, so much!" She was ecstatic. "How much do we- er- owe you?"
"Two galleons." Rodney said, sitting up in his seat, his eyes brightening up, giving a strange little grin.
She didn't like him at all.
Hermione whispered, "Accio galleons" under her breath, and two of the coins had flown out of her purse before Mrs. Weasleys could even make a move for hers. She wasn't going to let the Weasleys waste their money on her responsibilities.
"Aright, then!" Rodney said happily, reaching for the golden coins. 'It's the third fire on your left once you enter the fire hall, you see. G'day then!"
They left the small office rather awkwardly.
"I didn't like the looks of him." Ron hissed, one of the trunks floating by him.
"Oh well, we're gone now." Mrs. Weasley replied, counting fires to make sure they entered the right one. "It'd be this one here. I'll go first- you follow, understand?"
"Yes, Mum." Ginny replied weakly.
Mrs. Weasley took a fleeting look around before stepping into the fire.
"Why is she so worried?" Ginny asked, absentmindedly.
I guess she is acting a bit strange, Hermione thought.
"Well, shall we?" Harry asked, giving Hermione a reassuring smile.
She looked at the turquoise fireplace, carved with ocean figures and creatures, the small clicks of the silver birds flying above her.
Hello, Australia.
They had arrived in a rather dull, plain office lobby. The grey tiles reflected the grey wallpaper most unfortunately, and if it wasn't for the bright robes the receptionist was wearing, Hermione would have thought she had gone colorblind.
In fact the receptionist was staring at them quite peculiarly. Were they going to get this everywhere they went?
"HARRY POTTER!" The young woman now screeched as Harry came through the emerald flames last, jumping from her dreary desk to clutch Harry tightly, shrieking as she went.
"I thought I saw undesirable number five and eight, but I didn't think YOU would actually would have come too- I mean- I did hear Harry Potter sightings on the radio- and I thought I might have to travel to New South Wales to see you- Oh my God it's HARRY POTTER!" she was jumping up and down, Harry evidently scared and traumatized, Ginny coldly eyeing the girl, whispering under her breath about the audacious tangerine robes she was sporting.
"Dear-" Mrs. Weasley said politely, trying to attract her attention. "If you don't mind- helping us- dear?"
The girl gave Harry a final squeeze before looking at Mrs. Weasley with a rapt expression.
"Help!" she squealed. "I'll do anything!"
She spun her head to look at Hermione, her large, messy dark brown bun coming undone in the process, her rectangular, blue framed glasses, squaring in her large, deep indigo eyes were unhinged and falling off- she's mad, Hermione thought.
"Hermione Grappler!" She shouted, shaking with excitement.
"Er- hello." Hermione said uncomfortably.
"The Weasleys, right?" She now asked Mrs. Weasley, who was had been trying to stammer greetings this entire time.
"Well yes, dear, you see we need housing arrangements- we're foreign, you see…"
"Amazing!" the girl hadn't seemed to hear her. She had to be Ginny's age, Hermione mused, sharing a bewildered glance with Ron. Harry still seemed to be in shock.
"I'm Tia, Tia Cate, and I can not freaking believe I'm with Harry Potter! And you guys too…" she added, almost as an afterthought. That seemed to shame her; she blushed and fussed with her blinding robes.
Almost like Luna, Hermione thought.
"…Hotels….?" Mrs. Weasley feebly suggested.
"Right!" Tia jumped up from her embarrassment, running back over to her grey desk and grabbed her wand, an unusually long one by Hermione's observations.
"PHYLLIS" the younger teen cried out, her wand pressed to her neck, the vibrations from her voice traveling echoing in the small lobby. "I'M OUT ON LUNCH."
She turned back to them, grinning.
"Who would like to stay at the Doxy-Day Inn?"
A/N: Okay, another pretty boring chapter, but I'm working on something more exciting as you read, hope it's not all that bad!