Warning: this chapter ends with heavy topics that some may find uncomfortable.
She was fine. She had to pretend she was fine or she was going to fall apart all over again. Hermione applied her makeup to cover up the splotchy redness that came from crying. She was glad that she had the thick liquid stuff. It was usually just for quinceañeras, but she needed it now. She glared at her face. She wished she would've asked someone how to change the shape. She wasn't a metamorphmagus, but she'd at least like to make herself look… not like herself.
She pointed her wand at her eye, trying for an illusion spell, but it stubbornly remained like a starry sky.
Sighing through her nose, she put on pink and purple eyeshadow with the blue mascara and pinned half her hair back with a clip she borrowed from her sister. She put on the blue dress with the white shirt and her chucks. She was fine. She hadn't been wallowing for three days, she was living her best life.
She was always living her best life. She was Herminia Lotulelei-Sanchez y Granger. She didn't let people get her down.
Hermione went downstairs to find Esperanza, Manuia, and Hana prepping food. Amalea was staying out of the way for the time being and showing Viktor how to play Super Mario Kart on her SNES.
"Good at Quidditch, terrible at racing!" Amalea cackled.
"Go easy on the lad, he just saw a telly for the first time yesterday," said Hermione.
"Well don't you look cute," said Amalea.
"Gonna go pick up your friends?" Manuia called.
"Yes, Papí. I'm gonna take the boat if that's okay."
"Yes, but wear your life vest," he said, stepping out to look at her. "I know you've got an otter form, but if you hit your head you won't be able to even think about transforming. The vest will keep you safe."
"Yes, Papí, but you don't have to threaten me with a knife."
He looked down at the chef's cleaver in his hand, which still had bits of cabbage stuck to it and looked sheepish.
"Sorry," he said. "Just, be safe."
"I will. I'll be back soon." She trotted down to the boat and put on the life vest before setting sail.
The rushing wind and the waves split by the front of the canoe drowned out her thoughts. Instead, she stared out at the open sea until Kilokilo came into view. Knowing what she did now, she could see how it once was the skull of a troll. She bet that if she went down deep enough, she'd find all the other bones. Covered in sand and picked apart clean by crabs and other marine life. The smaller digits like fingers and vertebrae were probably all worn down from time by now. Or maybe not, she didn't know how sturdy troll bones were.
She parked the boat in the temporary docking. It was free for two hours.
The air was bright with music from radios and boomboxes. The Ministry was making and distributing them now. A quick glance showed they were all in simple colors rather than the bold customizations that were offered before. As long as they worked well, she supposed it was just fine. She hoped Cedric was still receiving the money.
The market area was bustling with people as it always was from shoppers to tourists to kids out of school hanging out. She had to push through these crowds to get to the transportation platform where travelers came in from portkey. It was no less crowded.
Hermione sat down on a bench and brought out her book to read.
"Hi."
She glanced up to see a boy around her age. His friends were standing around nearby trying to look cool, though one was standing like a Macy's mannequin.
"My friend over there thinks you're cute," said the boy.
"So does my grandmother," she replied. "Is he gonna pinch my cheek and knit me a sweater?"
"Feisty." He laughed. "We're going to go to the nearest sandbar. Surf, hang out. Wanna come?"
"Thanks, but no thanks," she said. "I'm waiting for my friends."
"If they're as cute as you then they can come too," he said.
"Nia!"
She looked up and jumped to her feet seeing her friends approach. They literally saw each other a few days ago yet screamed like it had been three years.
"Aloha!" said Hermione. "May I offer you two complimentary leis?"
"Ooh! Thank you!" said Márcia, letting her put it over her head.
Bernice let her do the same.
"Welcome to Kilokilo," said Hermione. "Follow me, it's a bit of a maze to get down to the boat."
They passed the boys who gawked at Márcia's tail rather than try and get the girls to go watch them show off at a sandbar somewhere. She barely spared them a glance. Her friends turned their heads this way and that to take in the city. There were plenty of interesting people and beings that nobody really looked twice at them.
"How long is your mom letting you stay?" Hermione asked.
"Until the end of the month," said Márcia. "That was the earliest we could schedule for a portkey back home, but I don't mind. It just gives me time with my super lively friends!"
"Then you'll be here to experience the Multicultural Festival," said Hermione, gesturing to the flyers hanging around. "My sister will be performing with her hula school from Uluru. The festival is a lot of fun. And of course there will be a lot to do back home. I'll have to show you the town and all the No-Maj things to do."
They made it to the boat without too much trouble. Márcia and Bernice were no strangers to marketplaces and weren't swayed so easily by the vendors calling out for their wares.
"I think I could spend all day here," said Márcia. "It's so beautiful!"
"We'll have the chance," said Hermione.
The boat steered itself out of the tunnel.
"Will we have to go through town to get to your house?" asked Márcia.
"No, we live right on the beach."
"How did you get a beach house?" asked Bernice. "Is your family rich or something?"
"I don't know how they got the house," said Hermione. "They moved in a year after I disappeared, and as far as I know, my Papí was still working as a bartender and birthday clown. It's got magic around it, maybe we're squatting on some rich guy's land or my mom got lucky when the property went up for sale. It is close to a grove where magical plants grow and there's resorts around us. If haole tries to come too close to our house, they only see rocks too steep and slippery to climb. I'll have to ask."
"Oh… it's beautiful," Bernice whispered as they drew closer to the island.
"Isn't it?"
The canoe lurched as it hit the shore. Hermione climbed out and helped Bernice and Márcia out, laughing as they swayed unsteadily.
"Don't worry, you'll get your sea legs," she said.
"Wow…" Márcia ran her hands through the hot sand, sliding onto her belly and closing her eyes. "I like sand."
"Is there a well or do you have plumbing?" asked Bernice.
"We got plumbing, aircon, cable, and the best view on the island," said Hermione. "The sunsets are breathtaking."
Márcia inhaled deeply with her mouth open. "Something smells delicious!"
"We're making bao," said Hermione. "Come on. You can get settled, I'll give the tour, and everyone else will give the lesson in making dumplings. My mom's fried mandu is to die for. There's a dim sum place at Kilokilo that's really good too, but that's more if you have the money to spare. That there is the fire pit for smores and outdoor barbecues, the hammock I like to sleep in sometimes, and if you walk along the beach that way, you can get to town in a couple miles or you can take the road there along the mountains."
"Your house is beautiful," said Bernice.
As they walked up the ramp, Viktor opened the door.
"I saw you walking up," he said. "Do your friends need help with luggage?"
Bernice and Márcia froze and stared at him wide-eyed.
"Nah, we'll just use magic to get it upstairs. Have we started making anything yet?"
"Well, the mandu," said Viktor. "Hana taught me how to make it with help from Esperanza and Amalea, but we were going to start bao when you got back."
"Cool. We can snack on the mandu while we make the bao." Hermione stepped inside, Márcia and Bernice keeping close on her heels, still looking at Viktor in shock. "These are my friends, Bernice and Márcia."
"Yes, I remember you telling me about them in letters," said Viktor, nodding at the two of them. "Hello, I am Viktor."
"We know," Bernice whispered while Márcia wisely said, "Hah…"
"Come on guys, he's just a regular dude."
"Nia, how would you feel if you visited a friend and Selena answered the door?" Viktor asked, being more polite than he usually would at the star struck expressions.
"Well, I'd say, "Oh, my God, you're alive!'"
He chuckled, "Fair point."
"Márcia," said Esperanza. "It's good to see you again. Bernice, nice to meet you. The dough is ready."
Manuia held up a hand covered in dough. "Almost. Ey, ey! Shoes!"
Hermione toed hers off and set them in the tub by the door, Bernice did the same, though Márcia looked at her tail.
"I don't wear shoes," she said.
"Come on," said Hermione. "I'll show you where you're staying. Bernice, the room I show you will be yours while my mom is apprenticing you."
"I get a room?" she said, looking stunned. "I always heard that apprentices have to work second jobs for rent."
"I always felt that was stupid," said Hana. "We have more than enough room, but if you decide you want to get your own place that's alright, too."
"Hey Mom?" said Hermione. "How did we get this house?"
"Same way we got the restaurant," said Hana. "Won it in a game of MahJong."
Hermione was about to accept that, then paused. "You're joking."
"Yes," she said. "I was given this plot of land by the ministry for my potioneer work. I got permission to build a house so long as it didn't ruin any of the magical plants."
"Oh. Okay." Hermione led her friends upstairs.
She already set up a hammock in her room for Márcia to sleep in with Esperanza's help. The hammock was better for her spine.
"If you decide to maintain your apprenticeship you'll probably be allowed to redecorate," said Hermione. "But I hope it will do for now. We'll be sharing a bathroom. Márcia, I hope you don't mind bunking with me."
"Not at all. I love your room." Márcia picked up a snowglobe and shook it.
"Will Viktor Krum and Esperanza Sanchez be staying here the whole time?" asked Bernice.
"You can just call them Viktor and Esperanza," said Hermione. "And yeah. They're visiting for a couple weeks. Look, by the end of the evening you'll be over it. Besides, how can Viktor talk to you about the Romani Cultural Club if you can't get two words out?"
"He wants to talk about that?"
"Of course. I told him all about it and he said he wished he had something like that. Now, let's go make dumplings."
She led them back to the kitchen where everyone was setting up. The folding chairs were crowded around the table between the regular chairs and the table had bowls of filling and little balls of dough ready to be rolled out and filled. The bag of flour sat open in the center to keep hands and work spaces sticky-free. Amalea was already sitting down with her hair clipped back and an apron on while Viktor and Esperanza held things.
"Okay, that should do it," said Hana. "Esperanza, you can set those baskets down on this tray."
She did. "Now what do I hold?"
"I think that's it, you can hold whatever you want," said Manuia.
Esperanza grinned. "That's the best option I've been given all day!" She lifted Viktor off his feet and over her shoulder, making him laugh hysterically.
He spotted the others. "Hello."
"Having fun?" Hermione asked, suppressing her bitterness.
"Just in time," said Manuia. "Now, this here is an old family recipe. Not our family, but you know, some family's old recipe. Bao was Nia's favorite food and one of the few things I could get her to eat as a kid. The barbeque pork has been slow roasting for hours. Bern, Cia, you guys eat pork right?"
"If it's offered," said Márcia and Bernice nodded.
"Wash your hands, have a seat."
Hermione sat between her friends. Her parents and Amalea sat across from them so they could easily be seen. Esperanza knew what to do, but Hermione, Viktor, Márcia, and Bernice were completely clueless. Amalea was the best and was turning hers into little animals. The pork buns were made to look like pigs, the veggie like chicks, and the red bean to resemble cows. Hermione's turned out the worst out of all of them, but in her defense her hands were weak and she had a hard time eyeballing how much filling to put in.
"It just takes practice, Nia," said Hana, getting up so she could start steaming the baskets on the stove.
"I know there are a lot of us, but do we need so many?" asked Hermione.
"Well, we can always freeze 'em," said Manuia. "And then you can take out a couple at a time and warm them up in the skillet."
When the last dumplings were in the steamer, Hana and Manuia worked in tandem to make the rest of dinner, which had been prepped and kept fresh in the fridge. The rest were put on clean up duty so they wouldn't have the daunting task post dinner. As they did, they snacked on the mandu Hana had already fried which, thanks to charms, was still hot and crunchy as if they had just come out of the pan.
"These are amazing!" said Márcia, stuffing a sixth one into her mouth.
"Now that we're all here," said Manuia. "We'll have to make a visit to the restaurant for our traditional karaoke night."
"Nia told us about that," said Bernice. "Any songs we'll know?"
"I can bring home a copy of the song book for you to look through."
"I will be singing ABBA," said Esperanza. "Though I know what Viktor would sing."
He smiled. "I am your number one fan, my swan," he said and kissed her temple. "However, growing up I was told nobody wanted to hear me sing."
"It's karaoke, Viktor," said Hermione. "We're all terrible, it's just meant to be fun."
Amalea furrowed her brow. "You can sing, Nia."
"Not since I started breathing fire on the regular," she said and shrugged. "I'm more prideful of my dancing than my singing anyway."
Amalea thought for a moment. "I am, too."
"Been practicing?"
"Since I saw it."
"Not in the house!" Manuia scolded.
Amalea, who had already puffed her cheeks out, deflated them, smoke exiting from her nose. She coughed and waved it away. Hermione grinned, getting her a cup of water.
"My friends, will you want water, fizzy, or sweet tea?" she asked. "I will be having tea."
"Um… tea," said Bernice.
"I'll have tea, too," Márcia chimed.
Hermione had to take the glasses over to the table to fill them up and put together the drinks for everyone else, maneuvering around Amalea who was setting the table.
"Let's eat!" said Manuia. "Nia, put your video camera away."
"Yes, Papí." Hermione took it down from her shoulder and sat it in the living room so she wouldn't turn it back on.
Márcia and Bernice had quickly gotten over Viktor and Esperanza being famous and were chatting cheerfully with them by the time they made it to the red bean buns for dessert.
Once dinner was cleared away and the dishes were drying, they went outside to sit around the firepit and look at the stars while Manuia told them stories.
~o0o~
Esperanza had to go to Kilokilo to get her new hearing aids fitted and tested which, according to the letter, would take hours. She encouraged Viktor to go and see the town, so he tagged along with Hermione. Manuia and Hana were both working that day, but there would be time for all of them to spend time as a family in the coming days. Since they were going to be around No-Majs, Márcia had to put on her disguise. She charmed her pupils to appear rounded and wore long loose robes similar to a hanfu so that all she had to do was cast a concealing charm on her tail. They would just have to make sure that in a crowd she had someone watching out for her so it wouldn't get stepped on or tripped over.
They mostly wandered around since Hermione didn't have permission to use the car to take her friends to the sights farther from home. She just let it be an opportunity for Bernice and Márcia to grab pamphlets of things they wanted to check out while they flitted in and out of stores trying to decide if they wanted to brave the beach or tag onto a tourist group for a hike.
"Oh, look honey. A native."
Hermione groaned inwardly and turned away from the tourists snapping a photo of her and her sister from their rental jeep.
"Hey, do you know where the beach is?" the man asked.
She pointed up the street knowing full well that if they kept on this road they'd end up in the mountain roads.
"I am not straightening my hair again," she muttered. She had let Esperanza do it that morning and was regretting it with each passing minute.
"Nia unni, I'm feeling a bit dizzy," said Amalea, tapping the bum bag at her hip to indicate she needed to check her glucose levels.
"Do you want me to take you home or do you think resting at a place will help?"
Amalea hated being left out, as she often was.
"I think I just need a juice or something," she said. "Kai's working just on the corner."
"Is he? I thought he worked for Papí."
"Just on karaoke night for extra cash. Now he works at the treat shop because he can get more hours. He has to wear the dumbest uniform, it's so funny."
"Oh, I see, this was just a ploy to get me to buy you a treat," said Hermione, winking.
"You got me."
Hermione slung an arm around her, but let her lead the way.
"Excuse me, do you know where the beach is?" a lost tourist reading a map asked.
"There's a beach?" said Hermione.
Her friends giggled as they left the confused person behind. They entered the shop and Hermione immediately saw what her sister meant. The whole place was sailor themed. It was almost as tasteless as a Tiki Bar. Based on how clean and untarnished everything looked it was definitely new. Kai himself was in a uniform of a sailor hat, a sailor style shirt, but had thankfully been allowed the dignity of black slacks.
"Ahoy, there! How can I— oh, it's you."
"Ahoy!" said Amalea, saluting. "how's working life?"
He glowered at her. "How does it look?"
"Hard."
"What is snow cone?" Viktor asked, looking at the menu. "Is it real snow?"
Kai got the disgruntled look of someone who dealt with stupid questions on a daily basis until he got a good look at the guy who asked the stupid question. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Viktor Krum?!"
Viktor got the disgruntled look of being recognized in public. Amalea grinned and Hermione realized that she had selected this place specifically to embarrass Kai in front of a celebrity while also establishing that she was hanging out with said celebrity. Hermione decided to ignore this and looked up at the menu.
"What do you guys feel like having?" she asked. "A slushie sounds pretty good."
Márcia leaned on the counter so she could relax her spine and rested her chin in her hand. "Not sure. We don't really have this stuff back home and I never tried it at the restaurants." She looked at Kai who seemed to be in a staring match with Viktor. "What do you recommend?"
Kai turned his attention to her and got a look Hermione recognized well. She saw that same look on all of her guy friends' faces whenever they were faced with a pretty girl and got an insta-crush.
"Kai," said Hermione. "I'll give you a fiver if you pretend you don't know us and take our order."
He blinked. "What can I do with you—for you!"
"Smooth," said Amalea. "I'll take one of those juice thingies I like. I'll be right back."
She went to the bathroom so she could wash her hands and test her blood. Kai stared at the screen on his register, punching in their orders as they made them. Once paid, he went about putting it together. Hermione stuffed a fiver in the tip jar. The total seemed cheaper than it should have been and she was sure they got a discount. Though, due to it being because of Viktor or Márcia, or even Amalea, was unclear.
"So… how long you here this time, Nia?" Kai asked.
"About a month. Bernice is gonna be around a while longer since Mom is apprenticing her and Márcia will be going home after the Festival."
Amalea came out just as their orders were placed on the counter.
"All good?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, after my juice I should be okay."
They sat outside since it was a nice day.
"It's hard sitting up so straight," Márcia puffed, coiling her tail on the ground. She sipped the fruity slush she ordered and her pupils doubled in size. "Mmm!"
Kai came out of the front with a lunch bag in his hand.
"Can I sit with you?" he asked.
"Now who's the tagalong?" Amalea teased.
Kai stuck his tongue out and she laughed.
"Yeah, park it anywhere," said Hermione.
He went around the table and sat between her and Márcia.
"So… um… sorry to hear about everything," he said.
"About what?"
"You know… Cedric being a fugitive."
"Don't invoke his name," Viktor whispered.
Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes. "He's innocent!"
"Well, duh. The few papers that even reported on the incident said that. I mean, they were still required to put up Wanted posters, but anybody with half a brain knows he didn't do it. Remember, this is one of the more progressive areas for Magical Beings."
"Is it?" Márcia asked.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not perfect, but it's better than some other places." He looked at Hermione. "I thought he'd be hiding out here under a disguise."
She shook her head. "He broke up with me in May. I have no idea where he is."
"Oh… sorry." He rubbed his neck. "Well, hey, a bunch of us are getting together this weekend on the hidden beach. Half of them are magic and half no-maj, but they know what's up and the band is gonna be choice. You guys are welcome to come. Actually, me and a couple of my brahs are gonna hang out before then. Do you and your friends want to meet up?"
Hermione translated that. It seemed like this pre-party was meant to be a triple-date in order to get close to Márcia.
"I dunno," she said. "You guys up for that?"
"Parties are not my thing, but I think Esperanza would want to go," said Viktor.
"It'd be a good way to meet people," said Bernice. "Especially if I'll be moving here."
"I'd like to go," said Márcia. "To the party and before."
Kai grinned and checked his watch. "Uh-oh." He opened his lunch and quickly ate the contents. "I liked working for your dad better, Nia."
"Why don't you ask for your job back?"
"Can't. I'm only deejaying on karaoke night and he already gave my waiting job to Ms. Wu. She's full-time and her husband left her, and she's got a kid to support. My mom let them stay with us so they wouldn't be on the street. This job is fine until I go back to school."
"Oh, where do you go?" Márcia asked.
"Mahoutokoro," he said around his food. "Legacy student. Since I'm in my last year I can go home on the weekends. Keep this job, save some money for a gap year."
Márcia slurped down the rest of her drink and rattled the half-flavored ice. "Can I get another one of these? It's so good!"
"Sure! Right away." He jumped up and ran inside.
"Oh, you poor thing," said Amalea.
"You're so mean," said Hermione.
"He'd do the same to me."
~o0o~
It was nice spending time with friends and family. By the second week, Bernice was working just in the mornings, so they had plenty of time to check out the sights. It was weird going places with Viktor and Esperanza because Viktor would get hounded in the magical areas and Esperanza was getting approached by fans in the non-magic areas, but they made do. The couple of times it rained they went to the theater in town, which was showing a lot of the hits from that year. They saw the Craft (Hermione was able to pinpoint just how goth she wanted her Monday outfit to be), the Frighteners, which was pretty good (I mean come on Michael J. Fox), and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, which had mixed reviews in their circle. Viktor, Bernice, and Márcia agreed that they could let go of the use of the g-slur given that most people didn't know it was offensive (though surely a big company like Disney could have found out) and that the word would be commonly used in 1400s France.
Bernice liked that Esmeralda was a hero, strong-willed and clever and that the Romani weren't the bad guys, but still had issues with some of the lines and portrayals; Márcia liked seeing a Romani with brown skin and green eyes like herself, and Viktor just didn't care for it at all, reminded of how people assumed that his circus-side and Romani side were correlated.
"My parents met at Rose Festival," he muttered. "If I am ever asked to read a palm or make a love potion again I might scream. Besides… Frollo reminded me a bit of Karkaroff." He rubbed his arm and winced. "I can appreciate the music, but I do not think I would watch it again."
"That's fair," said Hermione. "I don't really understand why Quasimodo had pale skin and red hair when his mom was brown skinned and dark."
"He was probably abandoned and they adopted him," said Viktor. "Roma tend to adopt abandoned children and then those children are considered full-blooded Romani." He moved on. "How did your hearing aids work, my swan?"
She fiddled with them and cringed.
"They're okay," she said. "They kinda got feedback a few times and I think I was picking up the movie next door."
"No, that movie was just really loud," said Hermione. "There's some time before the pre-party, should we head back home and change?"
They agreed to that and apparated back, Hermione side-alonging with her sister.
"You gonna gate crash?" she asked.
"Mm, I don't think so," said Amalea. "I was gonna stay home and play some video games. Besides, a few people will end up on our beach anyway considering how close the hidden beach is to here."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I was thinking of filling the water guns."
"The hose would be more effective."
Manuia was working late, covering for a sick coworker, but Hana was home. She greeted her daughters and made plans with Amalea to order in pizza while Hermione was beginning to suspect this pre-party was just an elaborate scheme to ask out Márcia considering Kai had called the other day to ask about her, what her favorite color was, and what kind of food she liked to eat. There were also going to be two other guys with him, Jason and Andres, which seemed like a set up for her and Bernice. She said as much to her friends.
"What if Kai does ask you out?" Bernice asked Márcia.
"I'll turn him down gently," she said. "He's really cute, but I don't really want to start a relationship when I'm going home soon anyway. Besides, he'll change his mind once he realizes what I am. It's just nice to be flirted with."
"What if he likes you anyway?" Hermione asked.
"I'll turn him down gently."
"Fair enough. What about you Bern?"
"I'm not really into dating," she said. "Or relationships. I've tried before, but it doesn't do it for me."
Hermione nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty good at pushing the friends thing." She looked at herself in the mirror. "We all look cute, though."
"We always look cute," said Bernice. "And it'll be good to socialize and make some friends if I'm going to be living here."
"Are they picking us up or are we meeting them?" asked Márcia.
"Meeting," said Hermione. "We're going to the sushi place at the shopping center."
They went downstairs to find Viktor watching the Muppets with Amalea while he waited for the girls to be ready.
"Zaza, you ready?" Hermione asked.
"Just about."
"Nia, be honest," said Viktor. "Do I look silly?"
Esperanza had no doubt convinced him to try a new style to accommodate the warmer climate. Linen trousers, boat shoes, suspenders, a brightly patterned shirt, and a hat. Hermione knew he would never have chosen that for himself and would have played it safe, like he always did in everything but Quidditch.
"I think you look rather dapper," she said, truthfully.
"See?" said Esperanza, stepping out of the guest room. "You're hot, mi amor, embrace it."
She looked like a parrot with her brightly patterned, loose trousers, brown bustier, and the long silk coat she used to wear as part of her Castelobruxo uniform.
"You three look cute," she said.
"Don't we though?" said Hermione, striking a pose.
"You look lovely as always, my swan," said Viktor, embracing Esperanza.
The five of them apparated into town and walked the rest of the way to the shopping center. Hermione poked her head in the restaurant, but didn't see Kai, so they hung around outside. There was reflective paper fluttering around outside to keep seagulls away. Unfortunately, it also made Viktor antsy.
"It's okay, darling," said Esperanza.
"Don't like it," he muttered.
"Maybe you two should go inside," Hermione suggested.
"Ey! Nia!"
Kai walked up with two boys on either side of him.
"Márcia," he said. "Howzit?"
"I'm fine," she replied.
One of his friends cleared his throat.
"Oh, yeah, Bernice this is Jason, Nia this is Andres. Guys, this is Nia, Márcia, Bernice, Esperanza, and Viktor Krum."
"Howdy," said Hermione.
"Brah, you didn't say there'd be famous people here!" Jason whispered.
"Let's get a table," said Esperanza.
With Esperanza there, they had no trouble getting seating right away and the manager came by. Esperanza had taken to fame far more easily than Viktor and at this point Hermione wasn't complaining. Good seating, good service. The atmosphere was good too with a live band, though Hermione preferred the bands her Papí picked for his restaurant. This one seemed to deal exclusively in Elvis.
"Can we interest you in drinks?" asked the waitress.
"I'll have a water," said Hermione. "Mum knows when I've been drinking too many fizzies."
"I've never had sake," Viktor muttered looking at the drink menu. "I might try that."
"You can't, bomboncito," said Esperanza. "You're underage."
He stared at her like she grew two heads. "I am over eighteen."
"Yes, but the drinking age here is twenty-one."
He blinked. "But we are eating."
"Still twenty-one."
"I have been having wine with dinners since I was eight."
"Still twenty-one."
He stared at her a moment longer, blinked slowly, and shook his head, muttering in Bulgarian.
"We'll have water," said Esperanza, patting his hand.
"They probably would have served you anyway," said Jason.
"No, Tío wouldn't stand for it," she replied. "I won't either. I know what you're thinking."
They ended up ordering the sampler that had everything on the menu for them to split along with a couple stir fry bowls and appetizers.
"Are secrecy laws just more lax here or are people just that chill?" Hermione asked.
"I think it depends on where you go," said Kai. "I mean, you know, you don't want to cast spells and it gets kinda frustrating when M.A.C.U.S.A. and the E.A.M. fight over laws here."
"Especially when they dismantled the Polynesian Ministry," said Esperanza.
"Yeah, but in small areas it's kinda impossible to hide and the locals who know don't expect a catch all to the problems," he continued. "Wouldn't it be nice though to wave your wand and tell the million and one developers to 'hele pēlā!'?"
"Definitely."
The sushi came in a wooden boat.
"Dibs on the caterpillar," said Hermione.
"I love caterpillars!" said Márcia, grabbing one off the tray and popping it into her mouth. She chewed and furrowed her brow. "This isn't a caterpillar…"
"Yes it is," said Hermione, snagging the last two pieces. "Eel and avocado."
Márcia swallowed. "Oh! It's just a name?"
"Well they wouldn't serve us actual bugs." Kai laughed.
"What is a crab but a water bug?" said Hermione.
"I mean, it's good," said Márcia. "I just wasn't expecting the flavor."
"You do have a point," said Andres. "I mean, people eat whatever is available, right?"
"That's right," said Márcia.
Halfway through dinner, they fell into easy conversation. Hermione thought her "date" was funny and a cool guy. He was nice at least and she didn't mind conversation with him.
The check came around split eight ways.
"I've got yours," said Andres when Hermione went for her purse.
"Really? Well, thanks." She wasn't about to turn down a kindness. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't say it, right? "I'm excited about the party. I love dancing."
"And you're good at it too," said Bernice.
"I never know what to do with my arms," said Viktor.
"That's okay," said Esperanza. "You can just put them around me."
"You two are sickening," said Hermione, "and I mean that in a caring way."
"Is this tea bitter?" Esperanza sipped from her cup. "No. Must be you."
Despite her personal turmoil, Hermione grinned. She was happy that they were still going strong. They both deserved all the happiness in the world.
They were able to walk off the sushi, walking past Hermione's own house to get to the hidden beach. It was good to know home was so close if she got overstimulated. She could hear the band playing from there. They'd had to walk through one of the caves in order to get to the hidden beach. So then… it wasn't really a cave, it was a tunnel.
There was already a huge crowd of late secondary school and college age kids milling around. Plenty drinking out of red cups. Hermione hoped there were plenty of receptacles around the area. The band was in full swing.
"You wanna dance?" Andres asked.
"Duh!" She stuffed her sandals into her purse and started moving to the heavy bass.
Bernice stuck with her, making it very clear that she was uninterested in Jason, but he didn't seem hurt, going over to chat up a group of girls. Márcia wasn't too far, swaying to the music while Kai tried to flirt. He'd get over it. He barely knew her.
Hermione stopped paying attention and just danced until she was dizzy with the rush loud, viscera shaking music. She could dance forever and ever.
She finally focused on the crowd and everything slowed. Was that…? Blue hair… denim vest with studs. She pushed through the crowd towards the boy, the spell breaking on her. It couldn't be… She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Wrong signature, wrong eyes, skin was a darker brown.
"Oh, forgive me!" she shouted over the music. "I thought you were someone else."
He furrowed his brow and signed, "I'm Deaf."
"Wrong face," she replied, more confident in signing and hoped what she knew was close enough to ASL. "I thought you were friend. Sorry."
He grinned. "It's fine. You're pretty. Want to dance?"
She thought about it. She wasn't likely to run into him again, so she nodded. Just before she got back into her funky flow, Esperanza tapped her arm.
"We're going home," she signed. "Viktor is tired."
"Okay, I'll be home later. Anyone else?"
"I don't know."
Hermione waved her goodbye and after dancing a while longer figured maybe she should step off the floor to see if her friends were still there.
"I'm getting a drink," she said to her dance partner. "I'm tired."
"I'll be here," he replied, smiling.
She stepped off to the side where there were drinks and found that the water bottles and soda were gone, all that was left was the beer keg and that didn't appeal to her. So, she sat down to cool off, ignoring the couples making out while she looked for her friends. If they were gone, she might just head home herself.
"Hey." Andres plunked down next to her.
"Oh, good, I wasn't ditched," she joked.
"Where'd you run off to?" he asked.
"Oh, I thought I saw… an old friend," she said. "And, you know, dancing is dancing. Anybody else here?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it does." She peered through the lights and saw Márcia on the edge of the dance floor so her tail wouldn't be trod on. "Ah, there's one. I bet Bernice is there, too."
She felt something on her jaw and jerked away. "What are you doing?"
"Don't pretend you don't feel the chemistry," he said, leaning in to kiss her.
She leaned away. "I don't have to pretend. Look, this isn't a good time for me right now."
"It's always a good time."
"Andres, I'm serious," she said. "I don't want to snog anyone right now."
"Come on, no one is watching."
It was like being kissed by an octopus. Hermione shoved him back and punched him, which turned out to be a very horrible idea. The bones in her hand crunched and splintered, feeling as if she'd been hit by a sea urchin jinx.
Cradling her hand to her chest, she squeaked, in too much pain to properly scream.
"What are you doing?" Kai demanded.
She looked up at her friends and was shocked to find Kai glaring at her.
"Nia, your hand!" Márcia gasped.
"You crazy bitch!" Andres spat. "I was nice to you all evening, I bought you dinner. You flirted with me!"
"I was nice to you," Hermione croaked. "You buying me dinner was not payment to get into my knickers!"
Bernice and Márcia gasped and quickly got between them. Andres recovered and got to his feet.
"You tease!" he whirled around to Kai. "You said she was being all weepy and probably needed a good screw to get her mind off her ex."
"I didn't say that!" he squawked. "I mean… not like that. It was a joke, man!" He looked at Hermione. "It was supposed to be a joke! I didn't. I used that word you say, "snog" I thought it meant—"
"BACK OFF!" Márcia hissed while Bernice helped Hermione to her feet.
Hermione spat on the ground, her throat too tight to swallow. That was the wrong move. Andres drew his wand and pointed it at her. Before he could utter a hex or jinx, Márcia struck at him.
He looked at the puncture marks on his arm and at her.
"You're a freak," he slurred, stumbling back into Kai. "All of you!"
He fell back into the sand. Kai looked at Márcia in shock.
"What the hell are you?"
"Your worst nightmare," she hissed, her fangs retracting back into her palate. A bit of venom dribbled from her chin, but she didn't wipe it away, instead supporting Hermione's other side.
"Episkey," said Bernice, waving her wand over Hermione's hand.
It stayed stubbornly broken so Márcia tried with a spell in parseltongue.
"I don't understand. That one is the best spell."
"I j-j-just wan-want t-to go hom-m-me."
"Yeah, good idea. And I'll see if I can make a potion to help," said Bernice.
Hermione hiccupped and sniffled as they slowly made their way back to her house. She couldn't focus enough to apparate. Her hand throbbing and prickling. She looked down at it to make sure she didn't in fact have bones sticking out, but it was too dark to tell. Why didn't she leave with Esperanza and Viktor? All of it could have been avoided, but no. She decided to stay and dance.
Her tears and pain didn't let up even when the trio made it home.
The lights were on and Manuia jerked awake from dozing in his armchair.
"Hey, how was the… Nia?" He jumped to his feet and ran over to her. "Herminia, precious, what happened?"
"She got attacked," said Bernice, helping her sit down while Márcia went to the freezer to get ice for her hand.
Manuia stilled. "Who? Do you know?"
"One of Kai's friends," said Márcia. "Andres? We tried healing her hand, but our magic isn't doing anything. Not even my parselmouth spells. When we got between them, he was going to hurt her, so I bit him. My venom isn't that potent, he'll come to in an hour with a monster of a headache. Might be temporarily blind in one eye."
Manuia's nostrils flared. He stormed over to the phone and dialed, tapping his foot impatiently while the other line rang.
"Hey," he said shortly. "It's Manny. Tell your son to keep his fucking hands off my daughter. Mmhm. She just came from that party in tears with a broken hand. Oh, don't you give me that crap! You bet I'm going to tell the other parents with daughters what you're teaching him!"
"Ooh, if I ever see his stupid face again I'm gonna—" Márcia continued her thought in parseltongue.
Esperanza entered the room. "You kiss your mamá with that mouth? Also, what did I miss?"
Hermione didn't want to rehash it and just let Márcia and Bernice explain everything. Instead, she curled up on the couch, letting the ice pack rest in her hand. People fussed over her. Hana brought her a change of clothes from the laundry room, Esperanza and Viktor disappeared for about fifteen minutes, coming back with ice cream from the 24/7 convenience store and sizzling wands. Bernice made a potion that did absolutely nothing except make her not care that she was in pain.
"Is there anything else we can do for you, Nia?" asked Hana, brushing her hair back.
"No." She shrank into her animagus form and curled up into a ball, letting her animal senses dull her human ones.