Chapter 10: Small World
Hermione woke up early that day. She sat up and tried her best to focus on the dream which was fading away from her memory. The harder she tried the more of it she forgot, until all that remained was a room which she found very familiar. It was wide and very spacious. Something told her she's been there before.
After giving up on trying to remember her dream, Hermione got up and left for the bathroom.
After brushing her teeth and having a quick shower, Hermione was in a fantastic mood; She didn't have a nightmare that night, and it already felt like a good day.
Since Harry has been making breakfast for them ever since they arrived, Hermione decided to make some scrambled eggs. She was just heating up the frying pan when Harry entered the kitchen. To her surprise, he was already dressed.
"You're up early," he said as his face changed to a worried one, "did you have a nightmare?"
Hermione smiled, "No, everything is fine. I just got up early and decided to make us breakfast."
Harry looked relieved as he came up next to her and placed his hand just above the frying pan to check the heat. "I'll help you."
Hermione was shocked at how well they worked together in the kitchen. It was so seamless and quick. They would exchange smiles as they passed each other, doing separate things. Eventually, breakfast was ready and they sat down to eat.
"So, when are we getting your parents?" Harry asked.
Hermione felt her face go red, as she remembered last night. Emma decided that instead of meeting up, Hermione and Harry should spend some time alone and do something fun together. She believes it's the only way for them to realise the 'elephant in the room'.
Hermione didn't know what that meant, but she didn't argue. She was actually excited about spending an entire day just with Harry. It also made her nervous.
"Hermione, you there?" Harry laughed.
Hermione shook her head and turned her eyes back to Harry, "Yes, sorry. Uh, mum said she wanted to spend the day alone with dad. It's just going to be us two for the day." She answered, waiting for Harry's reaction.
Harry grinned, "What do you want to do?"
"I don't really know…"
They sat for a while, both thinking about possible ideas.
"We could go to Diurnal Passage" She suggested.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"It's like an Australian Diagon Alley."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "They have their own wizard centre?"
Hermione laughed, "Of crouse they do, Harry. What, did you think England was the only place with Wizards?" she asked.
Harry chuckled, "I guess I never really thought about it."
"So, do you want to go there?"
Harry nodded, "Sounds fun. Maybe I could buy a new broom while we're there."
They apparated into a small alleyway. Hermione could already hear the crowds walking through the high street nearby. It reminded her of the time when she took Harry to dine o'clock. "This is it." She turned to Harry, their faces were millimetres apart. She could feel his breath on her cheeks, it made her shiver.
"How did you apparate in here?" he asked.
"I've been here before. Once my parents were safe, I decided to come here and buy any books we could find useful." She explained.
Harry smiled, "always prepared"
Hermione felt glad that the alleyway was dark; her blushing would be all too obvious. She took hold of Harry's hand and led him into the high street. Harry did not look very enthusiastic. Hermione figured he didn't really want to be recognised by anyone. She knew it was one of the reasons he left England with her.
After the battle ended, The Prophet was swarming Hogwarts, searching for The Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort. Everyone wanted an interview. Professor McGonagall understood Harry's need for privacy, and she didn't allow a single soul to get near him. She answered all the questions they gave, as did the Order. Hermione knew very well that there will come a time for Harry to answer questions and visit important people around the world to receive thanks and rewards. She hoped that Harry will not have to be alone during those times. He wanted to live a normal life so desperately, but it wasn't possible, not yet.
She navigated through the street full of magical shops until they reached the shop she was looking for.
"Flourish and Blotts?" Harry asked, clearly surprised.
"They operate around the world, Harry." She told him, smiling. "Just like Gringotts and many other stores."
"Wait, does this mean we could just go Gringotts here?" Harry asked.
Hermione shook her head, "No. Your vault and name has been registered in the British Gringotts. You would have to open a vault and register in order to have an account here."
They entered the bookstore and Hermione was instantly charmed by the sight and scent. The smell of fresh parchment was overwhelming the room, she looked around to see endless rows of bookshelves filled with tomes. It didn't come close the Hogwarts library, but it was good enough.
"Hermione heaven" Harry muttered and smiled at her.
She couldn't help but giggle in the silent library. She heard footsteps in the distance and saw a tall, blonde woman emerge from one of the bookshelves. To Hermione's surprise, it was a young girl, probably close to her their age. She was very pretty. She looked angry at first until her eyes flew to Harry. First, they landed on his scar, then his glasses, then the rest of him.
"Good morning." She said, not taking her gaze from Harry.
Hermione could feel Harry's arm tense up as his grip on her hand became tight. He feared she might have recognised him.
The young woman snapped herself into focus and approached them, "Welcome to Flourish and Blotts. How may I help you?" she asked, her voice was incredibly seductive. It made Hermione's blood boil. Her eyes did not return to Hermione even for a second. They remained on Harry even when she started talking.
"We don't need any help. We just came to have a look around." Said Hermione, unable to hide the irritation in her voice. She didn't know why the woman's behaviour made her so infuriated.
The owner's eyes finally rotated to Hermione, then shot to Hermione's hand, clutched by Harry's. She gave Hermione a frown and then turned back to Harry.
"Call me if you need me." She gave Harry a wink and made her way to the counter.
Tramp, thought Hermione, giving Harry's hand a squeeze. She tried to relax herself and turned to Harry, "I won't be long." She told him. Come to think of it, now she didn't want to be in the bookshop at all.
She paced around the bookshelves with Harry and picked out all the tomes she wanted to read. She was able to compose a short list of books she wanted to buy before leaving back to Hogwarts. A lot of them were books about repeating a school year and NEWTs. Hermione wasn't exactly repeating a year as she didn't have a chance to have a seventh year, to begin with. But she knew the books would come in handy.
After about an hour, she returned to the counter with an armful of books. Harry was still in the Quidditch row, flicking through a tome. She tried to pay as quickly as possible and shoved the books in her handbag.
"How did you snatch him?" The girl asked.
Hermione turned her gaze to Harry then back to her, "What do you mean?"
The librarian smiled towards Harry, "He's one in a million. And I see the way he looks at you, he didn't even dare to glance at me properly. You're lucky he's yours. If he was mine, a bookstore wouldn't be the only place I'd let him explore." She purred.
Hermione couldn't help but give a small smile, though it faded quickly as she remembered, Harry isn't mine.
As they made their way to the exit, the owner's voice reached them, "Come back soon." She called out, "We have a lot more to offer."
Hermione turned to see the young woman giving her a smirk. She will most certainly never come back, not with Harry at least.
They exited out into the busy street and Hermione turned to face Harry. "I'm sorry about that."
Harry looked at her in surprise, "Sorry for what?"
Hermione looked back towards the shop, "I know you're not a fan of shopping, especially for books. And that librarian didn't help either." She muttered.
Harry smiled at her, "You didn't take half as long as you usually do. And I don't know what you're talking about."
"That girl couldn't keep her eyes off you." Said Hermione.
To her surprise, Harry chuckled, "I'm not a fan of long-distance relationships."
Hermione didn't know why, but his words cheered her up a lot. Good, she said to herself.
"So, where to now?" Harry asked.
Hermione gave a long sigh, then smiled up at him, "I guess we could go to the broom store…" She began but was cut off when her hand was taken by Harry's.
He led her through the street and stopped in front of a large, orange building. It had large windows on both sides which displayed brooms and other Quidditch gear.
"This was the first thing I saw when we stepped into this street." He laughed and pulled her inside the store with him.
This was a lot different to Flourish and Blotts; the place was booming with excited voices and people could be found everywhere, looking at different broom models.
Hermione was eyeing the new brooms section when her gaze stopped at a familiar model. She glanced down at the sign which read 'THE FIREBOLT'.
"Harry, there's your one." She pointed at the broom. But Harry didn't respond, he was staring ahead towards the middle of the store.
Hermione followed his gaze and then she saw it. In the centre of the shop, was a separated model, it was lit up and fenced so that no one could touch it. The golden sign below it read 'FIREBOLT SUPREME'.
"I need it," Harry muttered, and made his way to the counter.
"Hello there laddy, how may I be of service?" Said the store owner. His eyes shot straight up to Harry's scar. "Wait a minute, do I know you from somewhere?"
"How much for the new Firebolt Supreme?" Harry asked.
The owner's eyes shot towards the broom in the centre of his store. "Mate, I don't know if you can afford it." The man chuckled.
"How much?" Harry asked.
The owner's face turned rather serious as he looked back at Harry again. "500 Galleons." He said, "exactly double of the original Firebolt."
Harry's eyes shot towards Hermione. She gave him a worried look, "Harry… that's a lot of money…" she began, but after looking at him for a while, she knew it was up to Harry. Afterall, he was probably the richest wizard his age. She fished in her handbag before pulling out a large pouch. She handed it to Harry who dropped it on the counter.
The owner pulled his wand and pointed it at the pouch. He muttered something and flicked his wand as coins started to fly out of the pouch and neatly lined over his counter. Soon, the pouch started to shrink and tightened as its contents were being emptied.
"I take back what I said." The owner muttered to Harry. He flicked at the stacked galleons on his table as they floated behind the counter. Now his eyes were focused hard on Harry. He was clearly trying his best to recognise him.
"Would you like to mark the broom?" He asked Harry.
"Mark the broom?" Harry asked.
"You know… like put your name on it or something." The owner suggested.
Harry gave it some thought, "Sure, I'd like my name etched on the broom's handle."
"Very well." The owner nodded. He paced from the counter and moved towards the broom. He flicked at the fence which opened as he approached. He slipped a glove over his hand and took the broom back to the counter.
He pointed a wand at the handle and turned to Harry, "Name please…"
Harry cleared his throat quickly, "Harry Potter" he muttered.
The owner's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Harry. "No way…" he croaked.
"Excuse me, sir." Hermione stepped up next to Harry, "We wouldn't like to bring too much attention to ourselves. There's enough of it as it is." She gave a weak smile as she looked around to see people staring at them. A young wizard just came in a purchased the best broom in the store. Big deal.
The owner shook his head and turned to the broom, he etched the name 'Harry Potter' slowly into the handle, leaving a beautiful silver tag. He pulled back and slipped his wand away, looking back at Harry with a smile, "Harry Potter in my store…"
Harry smiled awkwardly and took hold of the Firebolt Supreme, admiring the broom. "That will be all. Thank you." He turned to Hermione who opened her handbag wider and allowed for Harry to carefully slip the broom inside along with the pouch of money which was now much smaller.
"Thank you, Mister Potter." The owner smiled and leaned closer, "Do you think I could have an autograph by any chance? I'd love to hang it up on my wall." He gave a nervous snicker.
"Sure, why not," Harry answered.
The owner slipped a piece of parchment from his counter and passed Harry a black quill.
Harry took the quill and signed his name across the page.
"Thank you so much." The owner smiled and turned back to Harry, "And thank you for saving all of us." He whispered.
Harry gave a nervous smile and turned to leave the store. They were about to leave when a familiar voice echoed towards them.
"Harry!"
They turned around to see Katie Bell smiling at them both. Before they could react, Katie was giving them a rib-crushing hug. "What are you doing here?" She asked, shocked to be seeing them.
"We could ask you the same question." Harry laughed as he glanced around the store, clearly happy to see no attention came to them.
"I'm on vacation with my parents, and you know how much I love Quidditch; I had to check this place out." She snickered. "I'm so happy to see both of you."
"I still can't believe we've met you here. Small world I guess." Hermione laughed.
"Tell me about it…" Katie sighed. "Hey, any chance we could meet sometime? I'd love to talk to you both."
Hermione glanced at Harry, "Sure, we could meet up later today…" she suggested.
"Great! I'll bring my parents too, they're dying to meet you, Harry!" She told him, then turned back to Hermione, "Where's Ron?"
Hermione could feel the pressure build up in her chest, "He didn't come with us. It's just me and Harry. We came to Australia to get my parents." She explained.
Katie gave them both a puzzled stare, then smiled again, "You could bring them too if you want. We could have dinner or something." She suggested.
Hermione knew it was her mistake to agree on meeting Katie without asking Harry first. She was not going to make that mistake twice. "Harry, would you like to go dinner with Katie?" she asked.
Harry smiled, "Sounds fun. As long as I get to choose. I'm dying to have Chinese again."
Hermione laughed and turned to Katie, "We could come by your place… where are you staying?"
"A hotel nearby… what about you?" Katie asked.
"We're staying at a beach in Brisbane."
Katie's smiled, "That's perfect. Me, mum and dad were actually planning on going there tomorrow. We're leaving in two days back to England and wanted to see as many attractions as possible before leaving. Brisbane was going to be last since we'll be taking the floo from there. We could meet up and go to a restaurant together… But that would be tomorrow. Could you still make it?" Katie asked.
Hermione looked at Harry who nodded, "Sounds good. Where should we meet?"
Katie thought for a while, "We were planning on seeing that Art Gallery in South Brisbane…" She told them.
Hermione smiled, "That's not too far from us. We could meet you there. What time?"
"About three o'clock," she said.
"We'll be there." Harry smiled.
Katie gave them both a quick glance and hugged them. "Great. I'll see you there. I still can't believe I met the two of you."
"Not just you," Hermione added. "See you tomorrow."
Katie waved at them both before walking over to admire the Nimbus models.
Harry and Hermione left the store and looked back at each other.
"That was…"
"Unexpected"
They both laughed and Hermione started to lead them back to the alleyway. Once they reached their destination Harry reached for her arm.
"Could we fly back?" He asked, eyeing Hermione's bag.
"Don't even think about it," Hermione said.
"Come on, Hermione. Please…" Harry pleaded.
"No!"
"Pretty please…" He whistled in her ear.
She didn't want to admit, but it was working on her. She knew Harry was excited about the broom, and his puppy eyes were starting to melt her.
"Okay, fine!" She shrieked, then Harry's arms flew around her waist.
"Thank you!" He gasped and pulled back staring at her bag in anticipation.
Hermione sighed, but couldn't help her red face, as she pulled the broom carefully out from her bag.
Harry took it in his hands and admired it for a while. He looked like a little boy who was just given his most desired birthday gift, "Hermione… this is the fastest broom in the—"
"There is no way we're going to test out its speed." She stopped him. "We're going to fly nice and slow. The only reason I'm letting you fly is because I know how much you love it. But if you so much as try to speed up, I will hex you." She informed him.
Harry knew there was no point in arguing. He would try the speed out later. "Yes, ma'am." He teased.
Hermione took out her wand, "I'm going to throw a Disillusionment Charm on us, it's not permanent and I'm not very good at them, so you're gonna have to get above the clouds quickly." She explained.
Harry nodded and waited for her to throw the spell.
"Visibilis Videre" Hermione whispered as they both soaked into the background.
Hermione looked down to see herself completely gone. She looked ahead where Harry stood.
"What about the broom?" Harry's voice came.
"They are protected from spells, it won't work. But I don't think anyone will notice, it's not very easy to spot. We're lucky it's cloudy today."
Hermione saw the broom float down to the floor.
"Up!" said Harry's as the broom flew back up.
"Why did you have to do that?" Hermione asked.
"It's a way of introducing yourself to the broom." He answered.
Hermione rolled her eyes, forgetting he couldn't see her.
"You know, we should have thrown this spell once we were seated." Harry chuckled.
"Well, I'm sorry I didn't think about every little thing!" Hermione gasped. She could hear Harry conceal his laughter.
"Right, you should sit at the front." He told her.
Hermione stretched her arms out to the broom and walked up slowly until she felt Harry's arm.
"Yep, that's me." He snickered.
"HA HA… very funny." Hermione muttered as she pulled herself over the broom, though she didn't sit like he was sitting. It was sideways, with both of her legs hanging on one side so that she could hold onto Harry with both arms. she jumped slightly, as she felt Harry's arm wrap around her midsection. It made her skin crawl with excitement and nerves. "Harry… please be slow. You know I'm scared of heights."
"Don't worry. You're safe with me." He assured her.
Before she could say another word, they shot up into the air. Hermione screamed as she felt her insides twist. She looked down to see the Earth falling away, buildings becoming small. Then it was all covered by clouds.
It was terrifying. She could feel the gravity pulling her down into the broom. As they levelled out, she noticed the spell was gone and they were both visible again. The moment they stopped moving, her arms tightened around Harry's neck. She was gripping hard to him.
"I hate you." She said.
"Hermione, the spell vanished before we even properly lifted off, I didn't want to land again, so I had to get us above the clouds as fast as I could. I'm sorry."
She knew Harry was being honest, as she pulled her face away to meet his. Her arms not daring to let go of his neck. "Just… please get us there in one piece."
Harry laughed as he manoeuvred just below the clouds to locate the beach. "I forgot how good this felt. And look at this broom! It's pulling both us, yet it's just as fast as my old Firebolt and I haven't even pushed it yet." He said in awe.
"And you will not push it. I just want to be back on the ground at home." She said.
"As you wish." He said and smiled.
"Harry NO!—Arghhhhh!"
The broom shot forward, pushing Hermione back into Harry's chest. She buried her face in his neck and tightened her grip.
"Come on Hermione, tell me this isn't fun." He laughed and held her tight with his arm, keeping the other one on the handle.
"I'm going to kill you!" She cried into his chest.
Harry laughed and shot forwards, which was followed by Hermione's scream.
When they stopped again, Hermione pulled away to see herself staring at the beach in the distance, The sun was now directly above them, which set beautiful gleam of sunlight across the ocean. She looked over at Harry who was smiling at her.
"This is a view worth dying for." He said, gazing into her eyes. He then cleared his throat and blinked towards the ocean. "Cast your spell, and I'll land us down."
Hermione broke her gaze from him. She couldn't help but wonder at his words. Was he talking about the sky? He wasn't looking at it when he said it… She flicked her wand and they were invisible once again. She gripped at his neck, ready for the incoming speed, but nothing happened.
"Harry?" She asked.
"I want you to fly us down." He answered.
"What? No, I'm terrible at flying."
"Well, in that case… I guess we're staying here forever." He laughed.
Hermione sighed, before taking her hands from Harry's neck. She shifted her right leg over to the other side and sat properly. Then she placed both hands on the handle. She was about to push on the broom when she felt both of Harry's arms wrap around her waist, making her shiver. She felt his chin rest on her shoulder. Somewhere deep down inside, a fire of courage lit up. She wanted to make him proud.
She pushed the broom down and they shot towards the ground.
"WHOA!" Came Harry's voice.
She could feel adrenaline burst through her. It made her entire body shake. She pushed harder on the broom, making the ground come quicker.
"Hermione…"
The beach was coming up close now, she could already make out their cabin.
"Hermione… slow down a bit."
She pushed even harder, making the ground shoot towards them at an incredible speed.
"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted.
Before they reached the ground, she pulled hard on the handle, making them level out and speed forward. They came to a complete stop almost instantly which pushed them both forward as they fell off the broom, into the sand.
She landed on the beach, Harry falling right next to her. They were both breathing hard from the rush when Harry sat up and turned to her.
"What even was that?" He asked, shocked. Hermione could see the grin on his lips.
Hermione sat up and turned to him, "The Wronski Feint, of course!" She said.
They both burst into laughter, as they collapsed into each other's arms. They stayed like that for a long time, trying to stop laughing.
"Did I ever say how brilliant you are?" Harry asked, gazing at her, smiling.
"Only a couple hundred times…" She chuckled, lost in his emerald eyes. Her gaze shot down to his lips. She had a desperate urge fill her head. A burning sensation was forming in her chest. Then she snapped awake and pulled herself away almost instantly.
Harry turned away from her gaze as he looked down at his hands, which were wrapped around her hips only seconds ago. He stood up and took hold of his broom. He reached out his other hand to help her get up.
She took it and stood up. "Well, that was fun."
Harry smiled, "Could I get that in writing?"
Hermione laughed, "Oh, shut up."
They started making their way to the cabin.
"So, I'm pretty sure you're dying to try out your new broom more. After lunch, you could fly around over the ocean, and I could sit out at the beach. I have a couple of interesting books I want to read."
Harry nodded, "Sounds good. I won't be long. Besides, I've been dying to hang out on the beach. We could even swim if the water isn't too cold." He suggested.
"Just promise to not go too far, Harry." She turned to him.
Harry gave her a reassuring smile, "I won't."
"Thank you. And after that, we could go for some dinner."
"Chinese?" Harry asked.
"Chinese" She laughed.
