Author's Note - Hermione and Alice's turn to have a heart to heart later... much later in the night... well, it doesn't get very far, but we have to save some conversations for later, right?

Chapter eighteen.

Hermione and Alice had snuck back into their dorm when the moon had just reached its pinnacle. Well, they went back after Alice had discovered Harry's vindictiveness, promptly blew a hole through the wall next to it and conjured a round window with black swirling leading throughout it, completely out of place next to the tall imposing hospital windows, but lending a warmth to the place, like an odd piece of art.

As the two girls climbed under the blankets they were giggling as they reminised various events, mainly when Hermione had (rather hypocritically) stopped Alice from sneaking into the boys room to open all the windows, pointing out that Draco, as her cousin, really shouldn't be submitted to the same punishment.

Even when she had pouted and her large golden eyes were round and looking at her pleadingly as she said she'd put a warming charm over him, Hermione had remained firm.

Secretly, she would have loved for Alice to do that, but someone had to be responsible, and as it looked like Alice was far from that, the task had fallen to her.

Also, she had marvelled at the similarities between the cousins; Alice had the same lean, muscular form as Draco, yet had the soft curves of a woman. Hermione wondered if it was a Malfoy descendant thing that their eyes reflected their hair; Draco's eyes were a molten silver and his hair a shining white blonde, whereas Alice's green eyes were so light they looked golden and her bright warm sunshine hair was in stark contrast to Draco's.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, jolted from her musings by Alice's shy voice.

"Oh, I'd just asked if we could open the window…I am really not used to having no wind in a room, be it open window or a fan… I know a spell that'll keep the cool out and make it warm…" Alice asked hopefully. Hermione sighed, she'd taken one look at the puppy eyes and had folded, "Okay…"

How could an older girl make her feel like she was the mother? Hermione just concluded that Alice had a very special personality and prayed to Circe that she wouldn't meet anyone else like her, or she'd lose her reputation and gain one as a push over.

Suddenly a warm breeze drifted over Hermione's face and left a faint smell of sand and honeysuckles… She breathed deeply and sighed, Alice must've enchanted it to smell like Australia too. She looked up from her pillow as she hadn't heard the girl get into the bed next to her only to see her sitting silently by the window, staring at the stars.

"…Alice?"

"All the constellations are so different…at home, I knew them all, I knew where I was if I could see the stars…here…I can't."

Hermione frowned, she suddenly realised that although she had boasted about being the brightest witch of her generation, she really didn't know much about other cultures and their magic…Not to mention their holidays, what they celebrated, even what their standing point on the world is.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"What's Australia like?"

Alice turned her head at her and smiled before getting up and wandering over to her bed and getting under the covers.

"Depending on where you are, it's usually…hot. Immensely hot. One witch I knew who came from Cairns…' Alice took one look at Hermione's blank face and quickly elaborated, 'You know how Australia has that pointy bit on it's east part? That's Queensland, and near the top is Cairns, it's the nearest point between the Rainforest and the reef. Anyway, she used to tell me that the people there would joke that they only had two seasons; Wet and Wetter. With heat all the way around!" She looked shrewdly at the huddled Brittan, "Well, hot for you, the wet season is their equivalent for your winter, it gets rather cold for them, about 20 degrees Celsius and they're running for their jumpers!" Hermione visibly blanched at the thought of wearing jumpers during that sort of heat.

"And of course, the funniest part of Australia isn't the animals, it's the tourists! Do you know I've had some Americans ask me if they could borrow my kangaroo to get to their hotel so they could get the full Australian experience! My kangaroo! Can you believe that? Kangaroos are the most vicious-"

Hermione snored and Alice rose an eyebrow before grumbling to herself,

"It's not my fault its 10 in the morning in Australia now."