Chapter 2- Different, Yet the Same
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Ron and Hermione had been walking along the stretch of highway for about an hour. Ron smiled grimly. Hermione had been right; it might take them another hour to reach the town, but they would do it well before night fell. Hermione had withdrawn into herself. Ron knew that it bothered her that she didn't know why they were here.
It was another few minutes before Ron chose to break the silence that had fallen between them, "So, what are we going to do? When we get to this town? We don't have any muggle money; it's not like we can spend the night in one of those muggle hotels."
Hermione looked up at him and replied, "First thing is first, we find out where we are. I've narrowed it down a bit, but we need to figure out where the closest wizarding area is. I've done some reading on it; there are a number of them in the US, just because the country is so big. It wouldn't make sense to portkey to New York if we're closer to Boston."
Here, Ron interrupted her, "Portkey? Why not just apparate?"
She just rolled her eyes, "I've never been to the US, Ronald, have you? I'd rather not make a bad situation worse by splinching myself. In any case, after we've firmed up where and when we are-"
"When!?" Ron exclaimed, looking alarmed.
Hermione was nonplussed, "Yes, Ronald, when. I think that we just crossed time zones, but I can't be sure, can I? I don't even know what's actually happened. So, after that, we'll need to make some calls...you know, to my parents and to Harry and Ginny. That's the easy bit. Muggle police are usually pretty good about that sort of thing to lost hikers and whatnot…which reminds me," with an insistent flick of Hermione's wand, their clothes transformed into hiking gear. She then picked up a pair of stones and turned them into packs, quickly filling the water bottles that hung off the sides. Pursing her lips, she tried to remember if she'd forgotten anything. Nodding, she quickly transfigured a pair of leaves into slim wand holsters that they could hide under their clothes. She handed a pack and a holster to Ron who secured them quickly.
Hermione nodded her approval, "Good. Now, you'll have to let me do the talking. On the phone as well. I'm going to have to be a bit…creative about how I tell Harry and Ginny what happened. I'd rather not have to Confund a room full of muggles. After we get to a wizarding town, things will be easier."
Ron agreed with her and they walked the rest of the way to town in silence.
…
When Ron and Hermione finally crossed the town line into Storybrooke they both stopped for a moment and looked at one another with trepidation. They had just passed through something…and it was odd. It was not magic, at least not as Ron and Hermione understood it. It was not controlled as the magic they knew- it was far wilder, almost feral. This magic seemed to have a life of its own; it was as if the walls of magic had just grown from the trees, rather than being mapped and planted by a wizard.
"Were those wards?" asked Ron, befuddled.
"I don't know," Hermione responded, beginning to chew her lip again, "I don't think so. If they were, they weren't much good, were they?"
"There can't be a wizarding village out here…can there?"
Hermione shook her head forcefully, "I don't think so. Americans and Canadians tend to keep their wizarding communities hidden in larger cities, like we do with Diagon Alley. There are exceptions, of course, as you move out to less populated bits of the country, but I really don't think we're that far out."
"But, then, what-"
"I don't know, Ron," Hermione whispered. She was exhausted, confused and rather upset, "I think that we should just stick to the plan and portkey out of here as soon as we can…I don't like the feel of this place," she shuddered.
Ron nodded, they made the last stretch of their journey into town and walked down the main road, trying their best to look a bit worn out, but still chipper, like hikers who had wandered off the trail for a few hours. Hermione saw a newsstand and walked up to it casually, picking up a paper. Just as she'd suspected. They had not traveled in time, thankfully. She wouldn't have to worry when she called Harry and Ginny…although they must be in a right state by now.
"Excuse me," she said, giving a toothy smile to the man running the stand, "My husband and I seem to have gotten a bit lost. We started hiking around the state line, and we really have no idea where we are."
She attributed his look of surprise to her own exhaustion and an over-active imagination, "Maine. Storybrooke, Maine," he replied.
"Thank you so very much, that helps a lot," she replied, her smile still wide and bright. She nodded to Ron as they continued to walk down the street.
Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Walking towards them on the other side of the sidewalk were two people, a man and a woman. The man walked with a cane and was of middling height; not so tall as Ron, but by no means short. The woman was about as tall as he was in heels- she looked like she might be a head shorter without them. The woman was quite pretty, with long, glossy brown curls and creamy skin. Hermione thought that she would have looked even better if she were less caked in makeup. The man was a bit older, more distinguished looking; in his late thirties or early forties if Hermione had to take a stab at it. He had longish hair that was just beginning to gray; you could still see that it had once been a rather magnificent golden brown. The shade caused Hermione to involuntarily run a hand through her own mass of bushy curls. Her mouth hung open and her eyes went wide.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered under his breath.
"Oh my," Hermione murmured, as a hand rose to her mouth in shock.
Meanwhile, the man's shoulder clipped Hermione as he continued on his was with the woman; he grunted, annoyed, turning to grumble a perfunctory apology.
"My apologi-" his eyebrows hitched slightly and he cut himself off.
Hermione was curious. She knew that was no trick of her imagination. Was it possible that he recognized her? No, that was impossible. This man was younger than she'd ever remembered her father being.
The man who so resembled her father started again, "Forgive me, but I don't recognize you. Are you from out of town, perchance?"
Again, that wide, toothy grin, "We're not, actually. My husband and I, we were hiking near the state line and got a bit lost, you see. I understand we're in Maine? Is there a phone we could use somewhere?"
He smiled; a brittle facsimile of a smile that Hermione found disturbing to see on her father's face. She barely held back a shudder.
"Of course, Missus…"
"It's 'Miss' actually. Miss Granger," she could feel Ron rolling his eyes.
"Of course. Miss Granger," that same, unnatural smile…the same effort to not shudder, "And your husband is…"
"Ron," Ron chimed in, extending a hand, "Ron Weasley."
The man who so unsettled Hermione took Ron's hand and shook it briefly, "I am Mr. Gold."
"And I'm Lacey," interjected the woman next to him. Hermione found it hard to connect this woman with her mother. Her mother was a woman with a rapier wit and a passion for learning. Not some…bar slag.
"Now," said Mr. Gold in what Hermione assumed was meant to be taken as a friendly tone, "I can take you to the sheriff's station, if you'd like? You can place the calls you need to from there."
Hermione beamed, "Thank you. That would be lovely."
"Right this way, then," he said, gesturing with the hand not atop his cane, "Not to be rude but you don't sound as if you're from around here."
"Nor do you," she returned, lightly, "We're from the UK, taking a bit of a holiday."
"Ah," he replied, "Well, here we are. Please, let me escort you in."
Hermione could think of no reason to turn him away. Gold opened the door and gestured for Ron and Hermione to go first. The sheriff's office was small, run only by a small blonde woman at a desk, doing a bit of paperwork.
"Yes?" she said turning around, looking bemused when she saw them. Ron and Hermione risked a quick look at one another. There was something off about this town.
Hermione stepped forward, "Hello," she said, getting sick of repeating the story, "My husband and I were hiking around the state line when we got a bit lost. This is the first town we've run into. Can we place some calls?"
"Of-of course," the blonde responded, sharing a significant look with Gold that was not missed by the pair of wizards, "Oh, I'm being rude, I should introduce myself- I'm Emma Swann, the sheriff of Storybrooke."
Both Ron and Hermione shook her hand in turn, introducing themselves.
"I'll place the calls, darling," said Hermione, kissing Ron on the cheek. She quickly dialed Harry and Ginny, thankful that the pair kept a telephone in their home for emergency.
"Hello?" she said when she heard the phone pick up, her voice calculatedly cheerful.
"Hermione!?" screamed Ginny on the other end of the line, "What's going on? Rose and Hugo came over saying that you had gone to Saint Mungo's, but when we firecalled, they said-"
She cut Ginny off quickly, "Oh, yes, you know that Ron and I went on this little hiking holiday in the US…well, we got off the trail a bit and long story short we're now in Storybrooke, Maine."
Ginny was quiet for a while, "Very clever, Hermione. So, I take it you're talking near muggles?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," she replied, still careful to keep her voice light.
Ginny let out a bark of a laugh, "Oh, Hermione Granger, you should have been a Slytherin."
Hermione laughed as well, "Not on your life!"
"So, do you know what's going on yet?" asked Ginny.
"No. We'll get a better map and see if that helps," she responded.
"So, a book, then?" replied Ginny wryly.
"Yes. Maybe several. Could you watch the children for a few more days? This has thrown us off quite a bit."
"Of course, Hermione. What's family for?"
"Great, Ginny. Give the kids a hug and a kiss from us. We'll be back as soon as we can," Hermione hung up the phone and dialed again, intent upon speaking to her parents. The phone rang a few times before her father picked up.
"Hello?" he rasped into the receiver.
"Dad, it's me," she said, "Go have a drink of water or something, you sound terrible."
He chuckled, "I'm fine, Hermione. How's your family? Ron, Rose and Hugo?"
She smiled softly, "They're wonderful, Dad, thanks."
"Ginny called. Did they release you already?"
She took a deep breath, "No, Dad. Ron and I actually got a bit lost. We detoured to a town in Maine called Storybrooke."
There was silence on the other end of the line, "Dad?" she said.
"I wish that I could tell you, but I can't."
Hermione tried her hardest not to look worried, although she knew that Ron would see, "Tell me what, Dad?"
"I can't tell you. You have to find out on your own. Just know that I love you so, so much. So does your mother. "
"I know that, Dad."
He almost sounded pained, "Just promise me that you'll remember it. Sometimes it might be…hard."
"Okay, Dad."
"I can't say anymore. I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too, Daddy," she whispered.
She hung up the phone.
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A/N- Please review!
