"Here it is!" the girl Tia said breathlessly in front of a dingy townhouse, the weather-worn bricks brown and crumbling. A fading sign sported "the Doxy Day In" in chipped blue paint.
"Oh." Mrs. Weasleys voice seemed rather let down.
Hermione looked around, nervous. Their Australian guide had convinced them it was okay to wear their robes in this part of the docks, but she still felt like she was standing out a little oddly.
"Not much, but the closest to the office and things. I used to waitress, before I got a desk job." Tia said quickly, her accent leaving Hermione puzzling over what she had said.
"Well, let's get checked in. We need to get looking for Mr. and Mrs. Wendell." Ginny said brightly.
Close enough, Hermione thought.
They approached the door, Ginny having to kick it a bit so it would open- the wood was so warped it seemed almost curved. Once they had gotten in, however, their surroundings were much different. It was a pub, the walls a deep burgundy but decorated with large wizarding photographs and memorabilia, a broomstick hanging from the walls every so often, an old butterbeer machine in the corner. It was fairly busy too; Hermione had to maneuver their trunks around a speeding waiter who had mugs of mead floating along behind her.
"Randy!" Tia shouted over the din to the bartender, who was plating chips in a basket.
"'Ello, Ms. Cate!" he cried back to her, waving wildly. "'Hoose your guests?"
Oh, no. Hermione thought, unable to warn her as she was pinned against the wall by the trunk she had been trying to keep out of the way.
"HARRY POTTER!" Tia now squealed, pointing to Harry who visibly winced.
The noise in the Inn tripled as parties sat up from their tables to rush over to Harry, knocking over chairs and small children, hugging, kissing, and patting him, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, who were stuck on his either side.
"Harry Potter! I know!" Tia s voice sounded from the cheers. "I was so surprised- I mean what the hell is Harry Potter doing in Australia?"
"Hermione!" Ron yelled after a minute or two, distracting her attention from the sight of Harry now being dog piled on.
She looked at him. He looked bored. Then he jerked his head toward a thin, metal spiral staircase in the-now deserted- corner of the pub. What did he want her to do with a staircase? He was pointing to a sign: Roof.
Oh.
She clambered over the trunk, avoiding the mob and a few tossed chairs, and reached Ron, who took her hand and raced her up the dizzying circles the stairs wound up into.
"Why-does-everyone-love-those-spiral-steps" he panted as she wrenched open a door at the top, allowing them to walk out onto the whitewashed roof.
"Wow." She said quietly as the wind, much stronger at the top of the three story townhouse, made her hair fly around her face, she loved it, it made her feel so free, so liberated…
"Quite a view we have, don't we?" Ron yelled, his voice faint from the roar of the wind.
She looked out to the docks, which explained the name Docklands, hundreds of Muggle steamers and cargo ships not only docked but sailing in and out of the bay.
"Why would my parents want to come here?" Hermione asked, confused. Sure, it was still pretty and everything, but so industrial- it didn't make sense.
"Ahh!" she shrieked as Ron came up behind her, sweeping her up and spinning around. Hermione put her hands up in the air, feeling the wind embrace her, she laughed, leaning down to Ron, hair in her face. He put her down, brushing the hair from her forehead, looking into her eyes, and then- she couldn't wait- she lunged her face up toward his, melting at the touch of his lips, warmth spreading through her body.
"I like Australia." His voice was gruff, but so soft…
BANG.
They broke apart, feeling the building shake underneath them.
Ron went to dash to the stairs- but no, she had a feeling…She ran to the wall, looking down upon the door to the Doxy-Day, and there, in tattered black, trying to break the door open with blasts from the wand was…
"RON!" she screamed- he looked frantic- she pointed to the two figures below her- he joined her as one of the figures got in the building- no, not now, not after all this-
"Stupefy!" Ron yelled, aiming at the remaining figure- he missed-
"STUPEFY!" Hermione screeched, her red jet of light hitting the- death eater? It had to be, it was wearing those dreadful masks- from above.
Now she was dashing down those stairs, Ron in front of her- she heard screams- "Glisseo!" she said, as the stairs became a slide and down, down they went into the pub, crashing at the base, green light flashed- she was physically thrown-by Ron? - She hit the ground hard, blinking stars crossed her vision- Ron was now in front of her, guarding her- people were behind her, against the wall, screaming-
Two Death Eaters now came through the door- didn't she just stupefy one of them? Was there another three?
They darted through the pub out to the back door- back door- they were Ron had already ran out behind them, red shooting out of his wand-
Where was Harry? Or Ginny? She pulled herself up, running out onto the back- it was a boardwalk, boats were ported to a dock that was jutting out- There was Harry, battling one of the Death Eaters on the end of the dock- She looked wildly around- there was Ron, with Ginny- she looked livid, screeching curses- Mrs. Weasley? She was down on the ground, her hand dipping into the water of the harbor.
Shit. Think. Harry roared out in pain, the Death Eater laughing cruelly, how could she help? Boat- Boat was next to them- "Wingardium Leviosa!" She yelled, sending the boat flying into the Death Eater, knocking him off his feet- did she hit Harry, too?
"AVAD-" she ducked, rolling around, there was the other Death Eater- there was three of them-
"Stupefy!" she yelled trying to aim her wand as best as she could as she ducked underneath a pile of life vests. It must have missed; purple flames shoot over her head-
"Want your mummy back, baby Mudblood?! Going to make me give them back to you?!"
What? "DURO!" she cried, jumping out behind her shelter, a sense of triumph filling her as she watched the Death Eater turn to stone- Worry clutched her heart- What had he said?
"HEMIONE!" Ginny yelled, Hermione's instincts took over- she waved her wand in an arch-
"PROTEGO!" She felt the air around her body harden; a spell crashed into it and shattered her shell-
"Stu-Stupefy!" yelled a new voice- Hermione turned- it was Tia- she was hanging out of a window- her jet of red distracting a Death Eater, the one who was aiming at her-
"STUPEFY!" Harry shouted with finality- the Death Eater fell back into the hole the boat Hermione had sent flying had made in the deck-
She closed her eyes, her heart pounding- deep breath. Calm down, Hermione.
"Mum!" Ron cried, running toward Mrs. Weasley, hovering her so half her body was lifted out of the water.
"Ron- Ron-" Ginny yelled, running after him- "It's okay- I accidentally hit her with a stunning spell- I missed Beefy…" she gestured to the large, stone Death Eater.
Harry was lifting the boat back in place, a soaking, stunned Death Eater behind him.
"Reparo." She helped him fix the dock again, hearing people rush out of the building.
"I'm calling the ministry!" That was Tia again, yelling from the second floor.
"How did they find us?" Harry said, walking across the newly repaired pier.
"I have no idea." She replied, her shock and fear reflected in his. "Harry- Harry, they said something about my parents…"
He looked even more alarmed.
They looked to Mrs. Weasley, who was sitting up, crying-
"I knew something like this would happen!" she sobbed into Ginny's shoulder- "It was too easy- H-How did they k-know?"
Cracks resounded in the air as official looking wizards- and a witch, Hermione thought, reformed on the waterfront, looking at the strange sight before them.
"What in Merlin's name happened here?" one breathed after an awkward silence.
Ron looked at Hermione with a grin.
"We get that a lot."