It' short, but I really wanted to get one out between exams. Yes, it's that time of year, final exams are knocking on my doors and I'll be home from Uni in three weeks! Crazy, right? Now I've never taken the ferry, but I've heard about the time amount and I can only assume that there's a toller at the gates. Cheers!
It was a short ferry ride, it only took two and half-hours or about to take the Fishguard- Rosslare ferry across, but Hermione was happy when she stepped off the boat. Jin grinned merrily and clapped her on the shoulder.
"Is my miss not suited for boating?"
She shook her head grandly, "Not at all. I hate boats. All boats. Hate them." His grin widened and they finished their walk down the dock to the dry land station. Heading to the car park another car was waiting. Hermione stopped walking when she saw the car. "Jin, who's driving that?"
"You are deary."
Her eyes bulged.
"I cannot! I haven't a license or anything."
"And so we'll not get caught now shall we?" He unlocked the car from the passenger side and turned to her. "Come on now, I know that you know how to drive."
"I do, but the rules strictly say-"
"We can handle this, come on now. Don't make a scene and we can drive out of here all peaceful and wonderful like."
She sighed, but went along with it. Going over to the driver's side she got in and reached for the keys he was holding. Starting the ignition she pulled out and gave the ticket to the toller when it was needed.
They entered N25 and Jin wouldn't stop talking.
"Jin, please. We're entering a traffic circle," she paused to check the traffic coming on the right, "And I'm a new driver and would appreciate some quiet right now." He sighed and directed her through the traffic circles and the ones coming up.
On the first circle she took the second exit onto Cliff Rd/N25, at the second she took the first exit and stayed on N25 heading towards Cork. She was happy when she came to the third traffic circle and was able to get onto N25 proper easily enough. After Jin gave her the money for the tolls they were off and she breathed a sight of relief.
Once on the motorway proper Jin was riding her to go faster and faster.
"Jin if you don't stop I'll pull over- I swear it! The speed limit is 100 kilometers an hour and I'm not exceeding it. Do you want to get caught?" He sunk back into his seat dejected and she sighed in relief.
"Where exactly are we going anyway? All you've had me do is go towards Cork and stay on the blasted road. Now I've been driving for a bit over a hour half and I want answers." He grinned.
"We're going to Inchydoney."
"Jin that's nearly a four hour drive!"
"Yeah, yeah, Lass, just keep driving and we'll be there before you know it."
She groaned a little and resigned herself to a long drive. It wasn't as though she didn't like Inchydoney; it was just that it was such a long drive! But still, the beaches were nice this time of year.
He had directed her off the main roads in Inchydoney and sent them down winding dirt roads. She came to a stop at a street sign, "Wind Way?" She turned to Jin, "How charming and inventive of you." He flashed her a cheery smile and she pulled forward and continued down the road.
At the end of the road was a small shack of a house made out of whitewashed clay and a thatched room and was guarded by a low stone fence. The overhangs above the doors and windows were filled with sea roses and Hermione thought it was all together very charming. Pulling the car to a stop they got out and Jin came around the car to sling his arm around her shoulders.
"This is where I live, Lass, and this is where we'll live for the next few weeks." He smiled down at her, "Would you like to see the inside?" She smiled and nodded.
After Jin had grabbed her trunk from the boot, the two went inside and immediately entered a small foyer. The foyer had two doors, one of each side and one led to a loo and the other to a small sitting room. The designs were very minimalistic, but she enjoyed them. Once she had been shown them Jin led her back out to the foyer and down through the opening at the far end that was adjacent to the front door. They entered into the small kitchen and she blanched slightly. On either end of the kitchen there were two decent sized lofts for sleeping. She turned to Jin.
"Is this what you meant when you said that we would be sleeping separately?"
He grinned sheepishly and floated up to one of the lofts.
"Looksy," He pulled a curtain across the loft completely concealing it. "Complete privacy."
She frowned further. "I don't know, Jin. I mean. This is just rather uncomfortable for me…"
Jin came back down and hugged her tightly.
"Alright, Lass. I'll sleep somewhere else."
"But Jin."
"No buts, I know that you're trying to be nice about all this, but I know you're not comfortable." She opened her mouth to protest, "Ah." She opened her mouth again and again Jin wouldn't let her, "Ah." She made a frustrated sound.
"Enough of that and let's see the rest of the house."
He showed her where the fridge in its place under the counter and where the disposal was. Her favorite feature was actually the sky light, a part of her wondered if that was how Jin exited and entered most days.
Jin took Hermione's hand and led her back out of the house and around the side. The cottage was perched on a little hill overlooking the beach.
"But I thought all the coast line was taken up by the hotels."
"Not this section, Love. It's ours."
And this was how life was for the first month of the vacation, peaceful. For their six-month anniversary Jin surprised her with a beautiful bouquet of the most perfect roses she had ever seen.
It was at the beginning of the second month that she was exploring while Jin was out and she came across the door to the entrance of the cellar underneath a rug. After moving the rug she painstakingly lifted the heavy trap door and coughed as dust floated up. Climbing down the stairs she felt around until she found an oil lamp. Feeding some of her magic through her hands she lit the wick and watched as the lamp sprung to life. Carrying it with her she used the lamp to inspect the room. It was filled with old books, most suffering from red rot and a lot barely bit of paper bound together.
Picking up one of the less damaged tomes she inspected the words, but couldn't make out what it said. Using a spell she had devised back in her second year to read books of other languages, Hermione watched as the words slowly morphed in her sight into English.
For the rest of the day she read and read, filling her head with knowledge of wind magic. Finally upon hearing the front door clatter open she hastily closed her book and blew out the lamp. Clambering up the ladder she came face to face with Jin.
"I'd rather not have you being down there anymore."
She scooted herself out and stood up. Dusting off her clothes she turned to him.
"And why not?"
"That's dangerous things down there, things I don't want to see you messing with and getting hurt."
"I'm a big girl Jin, I know how to be careful."
"Do you now?" He grinned at her and willed the wind to close the door and cover it with the rug. "I seem to remember a time when I discovered you more than half dead in the snow."
"That was different."
"I don't frankly giving a flying rats ass."
She glared at him and turned away. She didn't speak to him for the rest of the day or the next. It took all of her willpower not to go down to the cellar again, though she desperately wanted to.
Finally on the third night since the incident Hermione was laying on her side facing the wall of the loft. She didn't hear Jin move the curtain aside, though she definitely felt him climb in with her.
"I thought you weren't going to come in here after I've gone to bed."
"I thought we were going to vacation together, and here you've been angrier than I've ever seen you."
She chose not to respond to his comment. His hand slowly stroked through her hair.
"Do you really want to learn?"
She turned to him, "Of course I do."
"And you'll only do things under my watch, and not try anything without old Jin there?"
She hesitated.
"I want to learn so that way when the war happens I can help."
He grinned down at her.
"I'm not some fool, and I pride myself in that. I know that when the battles start up you'll be there on the forefront, there's nothing I can do to stop that, and it would be an insult to you if I tried. So, I suppose it would only be for the best if I taught you how to defend yourself to the best of your abilities."
She smiled at him in surprise and scouted towards him.
"You mean it?"
"You mean to keep me in the loop on everything, and be safe?"
"Of course."
"Then I mean it."
And for the first time in their relationship, after just over six months of dating Jin and Hermione slept together in the same bed.
I was really upset that somebody thought that they were moving too fast and I really feel that they are not. I feel that they are moving appropriately, I mean she's staying with him rather than staying by herself all summer and they've only just now slept in the same bed, and not even in a romantic sense. Sooo. They aren't.