In spite of her nervousness over leaving Harry and Draco behind, Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched Ginny board the plane. The youngest Weasley's face was lit up like a child's at Christmas as she eagerly examined everything from the overhead luggage racks to the pattern on the seats, and Hermione had to remind her – albeit gently, so as not to spoil her fun – to keep her voice down.
"This is all perfectly ordinary to Muggles," Hermione said as she pointed out their seats. "They'll think something's off if you keep going on like that."
"I do sound a bit like Dad, don't I?" Ginny replied with a sheepish grin. Mr. Weasley worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department at the Ministry of Magic and had a large collection of odds and ends – batteries, broken televisions, plugs, even an old Ford Anglia – in his garage, all of which he tinkered with and exclaimed over on a regular basis.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Hermione said, patting Ginny's arm. "I happen to think your dad is wonderful. Now, do you want the window seat?" Ginny perked up instantly.
"Absolutely!" she said. Then she frowned and added, "Are you sure you don't? It's awfully rude of me to just take it from you." Hermione laughed.
"Gin, it's fine – I've been on one of these before, remember? And I know I like Quidditch and all, but aeroplanes go much, much higher than broomsticks, and I'm definitely not a fan of that extra height. The middle seat is just fine for me, thanks." Tonks accepted the aisle seat without complaint – her long legs appreciated the extra space to stretch out, even if the difference was miniscule – and the girls stored their luggage overhead before settling down to wait for takeoff. Ginny let out a little squeak of excitement when her seatbelt clicked into place, and Hermione offered each of them a piece of chewing gum to help with the changing pressure. The flight crew welcomed them aboard and explained the safety regulations, and then they were off, speeding down the runway and leaving British soil behind. Ginny pressed her nose to the glass of the little window and watched with wide-eyed wonder as greater London grew steadily smaller and eventually disappeared.
"Now what?" she asked. Hermione laughed.
"We sit," she said. "Sit, and wait, and maybe get some sleep. They'll probably serve food, since it's at least a six-hour flight."
"Six hours?" Ginny's eyes widened for the thousandth time since they'd reached the airport. "Merlin, Muggles are slow!"
"And yet we're still traveling four or five times faster than even a Firebolt can go," Hermione said with an amused smile. "You brought a book, didn't you? Why don't you read for a bit until they serve dinner?" On Hermione's other side, Tonks was already absorbed in a magazine.
"I've got a few more of these, if you'd rather," she offered, holding hers out so they could see. At first glance, it looked like a Muggle news magazine, but when the girls looked closely, they could tell it was actually a cleverly glamoured issue of Witch Weekly.
"Since when do you read that?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Well, the recipes don't do me any good, since I'm rubbish in the kitchen, but I always like to take a look at the rest of it." Tonks wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You never know when you might need a few good tricks up your sleeve."
"Tonks!" Tonks shrugged unashamedly.
"What? You both have boyfriends – never underestimate the power of feminine charm."
Ginny and Hermione burst out laughing – Tonks was such a klutzy tomboy that they just couldn't associate her with anything overly 'feminine'. They'd been unsuccessful in convincing her to buy even one sundress for this trip – when they suggested something for a nice dinner out, Tonks had come back with lightweight slacks and a blouse, and they'd had to accept that that was the best they were going to get from her before admitting defeat.
"Oh, it's true and you know it," Tonks muttered with a roguish grin. She was looking oddly normal at the moment, her typically pink hair a shade of dark brown, wearing jeans and well-worn trainers. Her purple t-shirt bore the Weird Sisters' logo, but as Muggles wore plenty of strange things themselves, it hadn't been given so much as a second glance. A simple silver bracelet bearing her initials, a gift from her parents, hung on her wrist – Tonks was rarely overly sentimental, but this bracelet was an exception, and she rarely took it off.
Hermione toyed with her own bracelet as Ginny accepted a magazine and began to page through it. The bracelet, a joint Christmas present from Harry and Draco in their fourth year, had three tiny charms – as Harry had promised, the book and broomstick had changed once they'd all mastered the Patronus Charm, so now the bracelet had a Kneazle, a mongoose, and a wolf. There were also protective spells worked into the metal – Hermione didn't know what they were or what they did, but it was still one of her most treasured possessions. Smiling slightly at the memory of receiving it – and of that evening's Yule Ball, after which she and Draco had shared their first kiss – Hermione settled back into her seat with a favorite book.
Ginny was far less enamored of Muggle transportation by the time they reached Boston, and Hermione didn't blame her – they were all tired, sore, and stiff from the long flight, the food had left a lot to be desired, and though it was barely night in their new location, it was already the wee hours of the morning back home. The girls slowly trudged off the plane and through passport control. Thanks to Undetectable Extension and Weightlessness charms, they didn't have any luggage besides their carry-on bags, and so they immediately began searching for their ride. Finally, they found a lone dark-haired woman standing by the wall with a small sign reading 'Hermione and friends'.
"Aunt Diane," Hermione greeted, coming forward to wrap her arms around the woman.
"Oh, it's so good to see you, Hermione. I'm so sorry to hear about your parents – if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know."
"Thank you," Hermione said gratefully. Diane wasn't actually Hermione's aunt, but they treated each other like family. Originally from the States but having moved to Britain for university, Diane had taken Helen under her wing when she'd found the younger woman crying in the halls of their apartment building during Helen's first year of dental school. Helen was a bright student, eager to please, but she didn't have many friends, and the stress had finally gotten to her. Diane, who was already out of school and worked in a local library, had brought the distressed girl inside, fixed her a cup of tea, and encouraged her to let it all out. They'd been inseparable ever since – Diane was the maid of honor at Helen and Bob's wedding, and she doted on Hermione as if she were her own. There was no question to whom Hermione owed her love of reading, either, as Diane's specialty was children's literature. Eventually, however, Diane had grown homesick for the United States and had moved back when Hermione was small, though they still corresponded regularly. Hermione knew that her parents' death would have affected Diane almost as much as it had affected herself, and her presence was a great comfort.
"Aunt Diane, I'd like you to meet my friends, Ginny and Tonks," she said, presenting each of them in turn. The girls murmured their own greetings and offered their hands, which Diane warmly shook.
"Welcome to Boston – any friend of Hermione's is a friend of mine," she said. "Now, I'm betting you're all tired after your trip, so let's get you settled – we can save the stories for tomorrow."
Their final destination was just a short drive from the airport, and they were soon pulling into the drive of a modest Colonial home. Diane lived alone but had visitors often, and as such her two guest rooms were more than equipped for their needs. After being reassured by Hermione that everything was fine, Diane left the girls to their own devices, and it wasn't long before they were snuggled in bed, the soft chirping of crickets lulling them to sleep.
Aunt Diane had a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs waiting when they woke up, and it was during this meal that she broached the subject of their stay.
"Your mother said something about visiting Salem – something connected to your own school?" she said. Ginny and Tonks froze, unsure of how to proceed, but Hermione merely nodded. The Statute of Secrecy was important, but Muggle-borns also had the right to tell their families the truth, and as far as Hermione was concerned, Diane was family. At the very least, she felt she owed Diane the truth about her longtime friends' deaths.
"About that," Hermione said, twirling a bit of pancake in her maple syrup. She chewed and swallowed thoughtfully, mulling over her words. "There's something I need to tell you." Ginny and Tonks' heads shot up, and Hermione shook her head reassuringly.
"She's family," she insisted. The other two nodded in acceptance and understanding and went back to their breakfasts, keeping one ear on the conversation.
"There's something I need to tell you," Hermione repeated. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Aunt Diane…I'm a witch."
Hermione expected some sort of reaction – a cry of disbelief, maybe, or raised eyebrows at the very least – but Diane merely smiled softly.
"You…you believe me?" Hermione asked in shock. Diane chuckled.
"Hermione, honey, I'm a children's librarian – when you've read as many books as I have, at least a part of you starts to believe that anything is possible," she said. "Besides, I always knew there was something special about you."
"I…wow," Hermione said. "That was…easier than I thought." She laughed nervously. "I'm sorry to say I can't actually show you any magic – we'd have the American Ministry on our backs before we could even blink – but it's true. That boarding school I've been attending for the last five years? I'm learning magic there, and it's wonderful."
"And there's another magic school in Salem?" Diane guessed.
"Yes – the Salem Witches' Institute. We think they might be able to help us find something we're looking for, something that once belonged to one of the founders of our school."
"And do you two go to Hermione's school as well?" Diane asked, turning to Ginny and Tonks.
"I actually finished school several years ago, but Ginny's in the year below Hermione," Tonks replied with a nod.
"But see, there's…well, there's a terrible war going on in the Wizarding world right now," Hermione explained. "There's a group of people who believe that Muggle-borns – people with non-magic parents, people like me – don't belong, and they're not above torturing and killing to get what they want. It's how…it's how Mum and Dad died; I'm best friends with the boy who's sort of the leader of the opposition, and they targeted us." Her description of Harry was a bit loose, but Hermione didn't feel like getting into an explanation of prophecies and the like.
"Oh, Hermione," Diane said, sympathy in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. You really think there's something that can help you here?"
"Yes," Hermione said firmly. "This object – well, it's one of a set, you see, and they're enchanted to help protect our school. If we can get them all together again, it will be a huge help."
"I honestly don't know what I can do to help, but you're welcome to stay as long as you need to," Diane said.
"Thank you, really," Hermione replied with a small smile. "We're still waiting to hear from Salem – I contacted them before we left England, but it could be a day or two before we get a response. You might not be able to help with our search, but perhaps you could show us around Boston? This is our first trip to the States, and we'd like to make the most of it."
"Of course," Diane agreed at once. "Boston is a wonderful city – I'd love to share it with you."
After breakfast, the four women made their way into the city via what Diane called 'the T' – Boston's version of the Underground, although Hermione thought it was much slower, and the trains were quite warm due to the rapidly rising temperatures outside; as far north as it was, Boston could get very hot in the summertime. For the rest of the day, they took in all that Muggle Boston had to offer. They explored the Public Garden, which had boats shaped like swans lazily cruising the waterways, and little statues of ducklings that Diane said were modeled after a famous American children's book. They enjoyed the many species of fish, penguins, sharks, and even a giant turtle at the New England Aquarium, and Diane treated them all to cups of thick, creamy clam chowder from the stalls at Quincy Market. Ginny in particular took an immediate liking to the stuff and went back for seconds, much to everyone else's amusement. After they ate, they wandered back down to the water by the aquarium and watched the many boats come in, and by the time they returned to Diane's home for the night, they were exhausted but pleased with all they'd seen.
"There's still quite a bit more to see," Diane said as they sat down to dinner. "If you're up for it, we'll have to walk the Freedom Trail tomorrow."
"What's that?" Ginny asked interestedly.
"You'll see," Diane replied with a smile.
There was an owl waiting for Hermione the next morning – the people at Salem had agreed to speak with them and requested that they meet their guides the following afternoon.
"Aunt Diane, do you know where this is?" Hermione asked, showing Diane the meeting location given in the note.
"That's near Harvard," she said. "I'll write up directions for you – it shouldn't be too difficult to find."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
Their second day was spent walking the Freedom Trail, a two-and-a-half-mile tour of important historical sites throughout Boston. As Ginny and Tonks had both had little to no exposure to Muggle history and Hermione had only studied it in primary school, all three were fascinated by the tour and enjoyed it very much, though their protesting feet could have done without the trek up Bunker Hill. England, of course, had sites that were far older than those on the Freedom Trail, and their status as both foreigners and witches meant they didn't have much of a connection to what they were seeing, but it was still fun to learn a little more about their current host city. After a nap and a quick shower, the girls dressed up and joined Diane for dinner at her favorite seafood restaurant, eagerly sampling the local favorites of lobster, cod, and more clam chowder.
They spent the better part of the following morning going over what they wanted to say in Salem, and then Diane drove them to the closest T stop.
"Good luck!" she called as they disappeared into the station. As they didn't know how long their trip would take, the girls had brought their bags with them and hadn't arranged a meeting time or place with Diane, but thanks to Tonks' Apparition license, they'd be able to return to her home at any time. They clambered down the stairs, swiped their tickets, and hopped on the next available train, eventually disembarking at Harvard Square.
A/N: So now the girls are in Boston - yay! We'll be alternating POVs for the next few chapters (since, as I said in my last A/N, they all take place at the same time) - next chapter we'll go to Godric's Hollow. I have 5 of the 6 chapters relating to their trips written (I've written over 14,000 words since Monday), so expect another update soon!
Hermione's Aunt Diane is a tribute to my own 'Aunt Diane', who, in addition to my mom, definitely gets the credit for my love of reading. Truly wonderful woman.
Thank you to everyone who has followed/faved/reviewed/read so far!
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)