A/N: I make no claims on the Potterverse, nor do I have any experience with hiking through France, so this chapter is much shorter than it probably deserves.
dérive - (n.) "drift"; a spontaneous journey on which the subtle aesthetic contours of the landscape and architecture subconsciously attract and move the traveler, encountering an entirely new and authentic experience [french]
Due in large part to his upbringing, Harry Potter was woefully lacking in wordly experience. While others took it upon themselves to teach him some of the ways of the world, Gabrielle Delacour presented her savior with a choice: she could show him the beauty of countryside, or she could give him an extensive crash course on astronomy so that he wouldn't look uninformed in front of the non-magical population. Given that even wizarding astronomy couldn't make Harry interested in having classes on the stars, he jumped at the chance to see what the world looked like outside of the strictures that had been forced upon him in his early years.
Of course, he would still be learning about the stars, but with a bit more direct observation and less book reading. "Just the nature of hiking", he was told. It was about this point that he realized Gabrielle's 'choice' had been anything but, though he considered hiking alongside his attractive blonde travel guide a fair price to pay for his knowledge.
Hiking as a wizard was less difficult than hiking as a Muggle (weightless backpacks and the ability to apparate past obstacles tends to help), but Harry had vetoed hiking through the mountainous portions of southern France. "I've never hiked anywhere in my life, but I'm pretty sure mountains aren't exactly on the beginner's list," was his reasoning, and though she let out a grandiose sigh, Gabrielle relented. 'Perhaps next year', she thought.
Her plan called for them to begin in Paris, head generally south, make a quick side trip to Bordeaux ("you must try the wine, Harry, that is half the fun of visiting France!"), before finishing up in Toulouse. Since there was no gallivanting Dark Lord about, nor any real reason to rush back to Britain, Gabrielle had conservatively budgeted an entire month for their excursion. That would give them plenty of time to stay a while longer in the places she hoped Harry would come to love, while also letting people have some idea when to expect them back.
Given that Harry's prior hiking/camping experience had been the Horcrux Hunt, he was always going to enjoy this more. Nature's beauty held a great appeal for him; having spent most of his life in a city, he had only seen the full night sky at Hogwarts, and even then, gazing at the stars was not something he embarked on for pleasure. Quiet meals and conversations under the stars became the norm for their trip, and Harry discovered that simply following the countryside wherever it took them was just as much fun as following Gabrielle's planned route.
By the time they reached Toulouse, Harry was sorry that their journey was nearing its end. While he wouldn't admit it to Gabrielle, he was even sorry that they hadn't tried to go through the mountains. A final meal was enjoyed by the pair, and a heartfelt embrace accompanied by whispers of "we'll have to do this again sometime" put a bright smile on both friends' faces. It would be nice to get back to Britain, Harry realized, but he might have to take journeys like this with more of his friends in the future.
"Some things you just need to experience for yourself, you know?"