The plane that Hermione, Ron and Harry were travelling on was almost arriving in Singapore for a quick stop, but the redhead hadn't woken up yet. Hermione was already worried about this, and watched her boyfriend intently and suspiciously, as if he were sleeping on a tightrope.
– Did we do wrong in giving that tranquilliser?
– I can't say. In fact, he usually sleeps a lot, but now I'm also in doubt – replied Harry, also looking at his friend.
– But he's been sleeping for more than fifteen hours. It's worrying. Harry, take my backpack, please – asked Hermione, and the boy quickly stood up to take the girl's backpack. He was already wondering what she would do, which was confirmed as soon as he handed it to her. Hermione discreetly took her wand and brought her own face closer to Ron's face, as if she were going to kiss him, at the same time as she pointed the wand at the redhead's face, and whispered a spell.
– Enervate.
Immediately, Ron woke up with a start, turning his face sharply, causing him to bump into his girlfriend's face.
- What?...
– Oh, Ron. My nose... – Hermione muttered, hiding her wand and placing her other hand on her face. Rony, who soon realised where he was, apologised a thousand times for what had happened.
– I'm sorry Mione, I'm sorry. I have not seen...
– Okay, okay. See if I got hurt. Are you bleeding?
– Ah... No. No problem – replied the redhead, with Harry confirming with a shake of his head. The girl sighed in relief, handing over the backpack so Harry could put it away again.
– Wow, aren't we there yet? – Ron remembered, turning from Harry to Hermione.
– No. In a little while the plane will land in Singapore and then we'll go straight to Sydney – the girl replied. - You are hungry? Haven't eaten anything yet...
– Yeah, now that you ask, I think I'm really hungry.
– Here. I have some cereal bars. They'll be serving us lunch in a bit – said Hermione, handing him the bars. Ron made a strange face when the girl said "lunch", but she didn't say anything. He had certainly never thought about flying the muggle way, let alone eating on a plane, the journey of which would take more than a day.
– Hmm, huh... These trips really take a long time... – said Ron, chewing a piece of cereal. Hermione nodded, looking more calmly at the redhead, seeing that he was completely fine, while Harry sat down better in the armchair.
– Well, now I think I'm the one who's going to take a nap...
– But, Harry, lunch...
– Oh, I'm not hungry. Seriously – the boy hurried when he saw Hermione's inquisitive look. – I ate too much for breakfast...
– Did you have breakfast? – Ron was interested, still with pieces of cereal in his mouth.
– Yes, but you were sleeping so peacefully that we didn't disturb you. You didn't even snore...
– Ha, ha, funny...
Hermione left the two friends joking about the trip and went back to her romance book which, at the moment, seemed to her the only thing worth doing in that place. Occupying her mind so as not to think about her parents was the best thing she wanted to do at that time.
From inside the airport it was possible to see that Sydney was dawning with a radiant sun. Among the passengers going from one side to the other, a group of tourists dressed in loose, light-colored clothes listened attentively to a guide, who told them the tourist routes through the parks where the kangaroos lived and that they would pass through. Most were Asian, you could tell by their faces, perhaps from China, and some of them looked like Spaniards and Italians. They were unaware that a woman was watching them curiously, while her husband was in charge of picking up the two suitcases they were carrying.
– There you go, darling. Let's go?
– Oh, yes, Wendell. Come on – replied the woman, with a smile.
She passed her right arm through her husband's left and followed him towards the exit, still watching the group of tourists.
– Look how funny, soon we'll be tourists.
- And truth. – replied Mr Wilkins, smiling at his wife. – I think it will take me a while to get used to the idea. Sudden vacations do this...
The two laughed at the relaxed atmosphere of the moment and, smiling, continued making plans to the airport entrance hall. As Mr Wilkins didn't know anything about the city, he would depend on the taxi driver to get him to the right place. When they arrived at the taxi platform, he noticed that there weren't many at that time.
– Wow, let's see who's going to take us – said the husband, looking from one side of the place to the other.
The two saw a taxi that seemed reliable to Mr. Wilkins, but, before they got close, another car, a sedan, made a manoeuvre, stopping very close to them.
- Hey, friend. Need to go downtown? – asked the sedan taxi driver. Mr. Wilkins looked at him, then at the other taxi he wanted and then at his wife, who also found it strange that the sedan was stopping, but said nothing, implying that it could be one or the other.
– Er, maybe... – replied the man, undecidedly, turning to the taxi driver – We need to go to Pyrmont Bay, let's take a ship... A cruise.
– Just tell me which port and we will magically arrive...
Mr Wilkins, who thought there was nothing dangerous about that taxi driver, looked again at his wife, who shrugged her shoulders indicating "let's take a chance", and ended up accepting the proposal. The satisfied taxi driver quickly got out of the car and placed the couple's luggage in the trunk, while the two sat in the passenger seats. It didn't take long for the taxi driver to return and put the car on the avenue, which seemed to be moving slowly at that time.
– How long do you think we will arrive at the port? – Mr Wilkins asked interestedly.
– Oh, don't worry. When you least expect it, it will be delivered – replied the taxi driver with a careless wink and a yellow smile.
And that, then, was the last time the Wilkins couple were seen in public.
A few hours later, another plane was approaching that airport for another landing - the last one before arriving in Canberra - but Hermione, Ron and Harry could no longer hide their tiredness from the trip - Ron was more nervous than tired when he found out that the plane would make another landing. Almost in Singapore he had another attack when the plane took off. But, thanks to his girlfriend, the boy made a lot of progress in remaining confident that everything would work out, even if he was shaking a little.
– Oh, oh. Are you sure we're not going to go down now, Mione? – he asked, trying to make it a plea.
– Of course, Ron. It is in Canberra that we will get off. Stay strong, we're almost there.
The boy was not at all excited to hear that and looked at Harry, who returned a smile to him with a tired sigh, indicating that he was also eager to get off the plane.
Once again, Ron needed his willpower, and the support of Hermione and Harry, not to be nervous when the plane landed and, moments later, took off from Sydney. Meanwhile he promised himself not to do this type of trip again. It didn't take long and the plane was already landing in Canberra, much to Rony's relief. Hermione, who was already as tired from the trip as she was from her boyfriend's nagging, was also breathing deeply as she walked down the stairs to the airport tarmac.
– Oh, what a relief. We finally got off that plane. – smiled the girl, turning to Ron and Harry.
"Don't tell me…" whispered Ron.
– It's true, Mione... – said Harry, finding it strange that an elderly man was kneeling to kiss the ground near them. – I didn't expect such a tiring trip.
– It's just because it was further from our house – the girl replied simply and the two friends looked at each other, almost wondering if she was okay in the head. – And you, because this was your first plane trip...
"First and last, I hope," grumbled Ron.
- Do not say that. How do you expect us to come back?
- What? To go back? - the redhead was exasperated. - Does it have to be by plane?
Hermione just gave the boy a serious look, and Harry made a strange face.
- Let's go. We still have a long way to go.
The three boys went in the same direction as the other passengers. As they only carried backpacks with the minimum amount of belongings they needed, they wouldn't have to look for luggage like others.
– Oh, I'm dying to take a shower, have some tea...
– So let's look for a hotel? – Harry wanted to know, while Ron tried to say yes to his friend's idea.
– No. Let's go straight to look for my parents. If everything goes well, we will be with them by the end of the afternoon.
Ron smiled at Harry, approving of the attempt, and shrugged, still following his girlfriend. Harry frowned a little showing that he remembered something that seemed important to the trip.
– Mione, it's not for nothing, but do you know how to get to your parents?
– I know – replied the girl, as if this were just a walk in the park.
- As you know? – Rony wanted to know, who was also interested in the subject.
- How do I know?
– Yes – the two friends replied together. Hermione remembered that she hadn't told anyone about this, looked to the sides and pulled them further away from the other passengers passing by.
– Come here – she said in a low voice, as they walked. – You know why I didn't tell you before, don't you?
"Of course," said Harry, with Ron confirming it. – Your reasons are more than fair – "that's right", the redhead repeated.
– Well then. The day I bewitched my parents, I also bewitched a picture frame with some kind of pointing spell.
– Pointing spell? - asked Ron.
– It's... It's a spell that tells you what happens somewhere.
– I've never heard of him – replied the redhead, crossing his arms.
– It's because almost no one uses it. There are a lot of spells that schools don't teach. It's very difficult to do...
- And then? – interrupted Harry, who wanted to get back to the subject.
– That's why I decorated this photo frame with their favourite photo. Every time they said the address of where they were living, it would appear written on this parchment – I said, taking out a slightly crumpled parchment from my backpack – that I had left at Rony's house.
– Did you leave it at my house? But... What if someone found him? - asked Ron.
– Nothing would come of it. I put a protection spell on it, like a password, so that if anyone other than me tried to read it, it would catch fire.
– But then even you wouldn't be able to find your parents… – said Harry.
– Well, it was a risk. Better than other people finding them. It is not? In that case, then yes, I would have to go to the ministry to look for them.
- It makes sense. - said Ron.
– But I left it well hidden, in a place I doubt anyone would go near – said Hermione, showing a satisfied smile.
- Where? asked Ron.
– Under your bed, where your vampire with sarapintosis would lie.
– Oh, don't even tell me. I don't even want to know what my mother did to clean that bed.
- Let's go then? We still have a lot to do – asked Hermione, and they both replied "let's go", looking more excited.
The three accompanied the other passengers for the disembarkation procedures, in the place reserved for the English. Rony didn't think it was great to be searched again, but he thought it was funny when they stamped his passport. But after a few minutes, they were together again, this time leaving the entrance hall to look for a taxi. Hermione looked at the parchment so much that she seemed to want to memorise the addresses written on it.
– Apparently they said where they lived while standing in front of the photo frame nine times, only two addresses.
– Is this good or bad? asked Ron, looking like he didn't understand.
- I don't know. I just hope they're there when we arrive.
– Look, Hermione. That one seems to be free – Harry pointed to a taxi belonging to a bearded, pot-bellied man, but with a friendly face. The three went to the car, Hermione indicated where they should go and they quickly got into the taxi.
In a few seconds they were leaving the airport where, on the way out, an old pickup truck hit the taxi, almost causing an accident. The taxi driver, who until then seemed to be in a good mood, said a swear word so ugly and, at the same time, funny that the three boys had to stop themselves from laughing. But when the taxi started moving again, Hermione didn't fail to notice that the driver of the truck was staring at them. Soon after, she thought that she must already be paranoid, and put any idea out of her head by paying attention to Harry and Ron, who were talking to the driver about some of Australia's curiosities.