Book 3
Chapter 51 - Africa
GN
With another portkey in our hand, we landed in Uganda. Our trunks had a bottomless spell on it, alongside a feather light charm. I was glad for the shorts I was wearing because the temperature was way higher than in the UK. I saw Cedric wipe away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead already. We were standing in a little courtyard surrounded by a white stone building with rust-brown roof tiles. The windows were all open but you could see mosquito nets in front of every window. I smiled when I saw my old professor walk out the house and towards us.
"Gwen." He smiled broadly, his white teeth a big contrast against his dark skin. "How are you?" He asked pulling me in a quick hug.
"I'm good, how about you?" I asked pulling back.
"Very happy to see you here." He said before he turned to Cedric. "I'm Abo."
"Cedric." They shook hands with a smile.
"Brilliant! Let's go in, I just made us some lunch and then I'll show you were you'll be staying." He gestured us to follow him, and we walked inside the house. The moment we stepped in, we felt cool air run through the house, and I let out a breath of relief.
"Feels good, doesn't it."abbo chuckled when he heard me.
"Sorry, not used to the heat." I apologized and Cedric shot me a smirk.
"Some get used to it, some don't. We'll just have to wait and see." He said as he guided us through the house.
"Very reassuring." I chuckled. "This place is beautiful, Abo."
"Thank you. My father build it with my grandfather years ago, I just spruced it up a little the past two years." The house was light and had a beautiful, light brown tiled floor. On every stool, table or cupboard stood an ornament or figurine that presented Uganda or Africa.
"These are beautiful." I gasped at the wooden figures on a long table in front of a long window. "What do they represent?"
"Fertility."abbo added with a hint of a smirk. My eyes widened as I looked away from both men and hid my blush. Cedric placed his hand on my back and guided me further in the house, I didn't dare to look at him. We entered a large kitchen with an island in the middle where three plates were already waiting for us. "We are more fortunate than most of the people here." He said as he saw are astonished faces. "We try to give back to the smaller villages in the close neighbourhood as much as possible."
"I would like to see the villages."
"It would be an honour to show you around. We can do it tomorrow after you two settled." He turned to Cedric with a smile. "Where do your interests lie, Cedric?"
"Still choosing between two career options. Curse breaking or journalism." He answered as we sat down, and Abbo started to load our plates with some kind of chicken.
"Two very different paths." Abbo mused. "But you're young, you can try both of them out before you decide. And even then, you can always change. I think Gwen here wants to do it all. Alchemy and working with animals and magical creatures." He chuckled kindly.
"We are an indecisive lot, true." Cedric grinned. "This is amazing. What is it?" He asked as he pointed to his plate with his fork.
"Matoke. It's a chicken stew with seasoned bananas and vegetables."
"I would kill for the recipe."
"Don't need to kill anyone, Gwen." Abbo laughed. "I'll write you a copy later."
GN
After lunch, Abbo showed us to our room and let us settle in. The room was large but basic. A king-sized bed against the wall, covered with colourful blankets. Two cabinets to store our clothes and a chair in each corner of the room. I was putting my clothes in one of the cabinets when Cedric appeared behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissed my neck softly.
"The heat is getting to me."
"Why don't you lie down for a bit." I said as I turned in his arms, my arms going around his neck. "Then I'll go check on Abbo's lab."
"Or-" He started with a predatory grin. "You can lie down with me."
I leaned on my toes and kissed him. "No." I said as I pulled back, grinning at his pouting lips. "We don't want to get caught... again!"
"It was their own fault. They said they would be back after dinner, not in the afternoon."
"We were on the kitchen table!" I laughed. "Just glad it was Charlie who came in first and not Bash."
"Yeah, I wouldn't be standing here if it was your brother." His smile wide.
"No, you would not." I kissed the top of his nose. "Now, go to bed. I'll wake you in a few."
"If I can fall asleep without you."
"The heat can keep you company." I teased and stepped out of his arms. "Sleep, handsome."
"Go work your magic, gorgeous." He answered as he let himself fall on the bed.
GN
"Guinevere!" A small voice called for me. I had just enough time to turn and lean down when a little boy ran in my arms. His curly black hair falling over his dark eyes.
"Kai!" I smiled as I nuzzled by nose in his glorious hair. "Happy birthday, little one." I smiled as I pulled back. "How old did you get? Four? Five?"
"SIX!" He yelled with a grin from ear to ear as he held out his fingers.
"Six already? I can't believe it." I gasped and sat him down on the ground. I kneeled on one knee as I took in his features. "Hm, yes I can see the wrinkles forming already."
"That's not true!" He said, rubbing a finger over his brow.
"I have a surprise for you."
"A sparkling surprise?" His eyes turned wide when I nodded.
Abbo had taught us a translation spell so we could talk to the locals without the language barrier. They were all muggles and didn't have a clue about magic. So, I took one of the twins' fireworks out of my pocket and lit it. It was like one of the muggle fireworks on a stick they gave on birthdays. But this one didn't burn the skin or goes out after a few minutes, this one lasted hours. And the joy and happiness I saw in Kai's eyes made it all worth it. All of them were happy with the smallest of things, they didn't need shoes from expensive brands or the newest TV. I watched as Kai ran around, holding his sparkling stick proudly.
My eyes caught Cedric, who was sitting under a straw umbrella as he wrote in his book. We've been here for four months, and Cedric hasn't picked up his books about curse breaking but was writing. Writing about the villages and its villagers. Their customs, living habits, the lack of running water in some parts, everything. It was unexpected but he was a natural. He felt my gaze on him, and his eyes fluttered to mine. He shot me a wink before he turned his attention back to the book on his lap. Cedric was going to stay at the village all day, while I was waiting for my ride. I grew up with magical creatures but haven't seen much of animals and wildlife in the muggle world. So, for the last four months, I worked with Abbo on Alchemy two days a week, while the other three I spend observing the wildlife in Uganda. The weekends were just for Cedric and me, as we apparated through Africa.
I shifted my head towards the sun, basking it in with my eyes closed. And just like Abbo said, some get used to it, others don't. I fell in the former category, Cedric on the other hand... he tried to stay in the shadows, wherever he could find any, he always had a cooling charm set over him. I heard the wheels on the dirt road and opened my eyes to see the car drive up to me.
"Olla, Gwen."
"Not Spanish, Mukisa." I called back with a grin. Two men with dark skin were sitting in a dust covered land cruiser. Mukisa, the youngest, about twenty years old, had a buzz cut on the sides of his head, while on top of it long locks hung in every direction. Emmanual was his uncle, forty-years old, a buzz cut and a round friendly face. He was sitting at the driving wheel while Mukisa was hanging over the front window of the vehicle, grinning like an idiot.
"Come on, Gwen." Musika wined. "Let's go, before the poachers catch up to us."
"Coming!" I called. I looked over my shoulder as I made my way to the car, Cedric had a happy smile on his lips as he waved at me. I send him a kiss through the air before I hopped in the car next to Mukisa. "Let's roll."
"Isn't Cedric coming?" Emmanual asked as he was turning the car away from the village.
"He's writing a piece about the poachers we encountered last week, he's still shaken from it."
"A gun to the face will do that to you." Musika said with a shiver. Musika and I sat at the back of the car, so we could see the view from behind. We both had binoculars around our necks, while I had a camera hanging next to it. "We're going to try and find the mountain gorillas."
"Brilliant." I said as I took my notebook out of my shoulder bag and started to jot things down. "Tell me everything."
Musika grinned before he started to tell everything he knew about the gorillas. Nothing was too small not to know. I wanted to know about the food they ate, their habits, pregnancy time, everything. I have to say, living in Africa, among muggles mostly and observing the animals here, was quieter than our time in Romania. But it was exhilarating! I helped at the rescue centre whenever I could. I helped feed baby chimpanzees or gorilla, even a baby zebra.
Our whole agenda had been turned upside down. We were supposed to stay here for only two months, but neither of us wanted to leave. Abbo was gracious enough to let us stay longer, but we insisted we'd do our own keep. It was almost the new year, and we still didn't know if we would move on to our next destination, Australia. The thought of leaving was hard, not only for the animals and Cedric's inspiration but also for the friendships we had made. Did the war in the UK cross our minds? Of course, but there wasn't anything we could do. Being here, it felt like we made a difference. We made the villagers, who had almost nothing, happy with little trick or new clothes. We helped the animals that had been hunted or were the mother was killed. I secretly cast a spell on the poachers, frighten them enough not to come back. Using little magic was easier than I thought it would be, we still used it when no one was looking, but most of the day, our wands were tucked away safely. We visited the wizarding school in Uganda, Uagadou, that was hidden behind the mountains in western Uganda. The school was big, much bigger than Hogwarts. But seeing most of the wizarding population of Africa went there, it wasn't really a surprise. Cedric and I spend our nights cuddled together or sprawled out on the couch as we wrote in our notebooks, which was way easier than large parchments. Most of the nights, it was either on the other side of the couch, while my feet rested on his lap.
"Oh." I gasped when I saw a mother gorilla with a baby on her back, going through the trees. The three of us had been sitting behind a large tree for two hours, waiting for a gorilla to show up. But it wasn't just the mother and the baby, behind her was a whole tribe of them as they searched for food. I took my camera and started to take pictures of the tribe. While Musika filled in the notes for me, and Emmanual kept a look out for more dangerous animals. "Gods." I gasped again when I saw the large silverback peering at us.
"Don't move." Emmanual whispered. I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. You really think I was going to move when a large gorilla was watching us? Don't think so. The silverback sniffed the air, before he turned and the whole tribe disappeared in the bush.
"Amazing." Musika and I breathed in unison.
GN
"It was amazing." I smiled up at the star filled sky. Cedric and I were lying on padded blanket in the courtyard of Abbo's home. My head rested against his chest as I laid between his legs. Cedric was leaning on his hands as we looked at the stars. "I wish you could've seen it; it was like a dream."
"I'm just happy you got to see it. You can show me in a pensieve one day." He kissed the top of my head. "No poachers?"
"No poachers." I smiled. "How did your writing go?"
"Great. I finished the paper about the village and started to write about the poachers. I want you to read it. If you think it's good, I might send it to the paper."
"I would love to read your work. Are you sure?"
"I trust you more than anyone else." He nuzzled his nose in my hair. "I want you to be the first."
"It would be in honour." I leaned my head back to see his dark beautiful eyes. "These past months have been incredible." I said as I turned. I grinned as I pushed him down to the ground, me hovering over him. "Being here with you..."
"I know. I love you."
"I love you." I whispered and leaned down, kissing him passionately. My hands went in his hair, while his pulled me close by my waist. I moaned as his tongue slipped by my lips.
"Abbo?" He asked when I pulled back.
"Away for tonight." I grinned and tugged on his shirt. I sat up straight, and Cedric followed my move. His fingers grazed the hem of my shirt, sending shiver down my spine when his fingers touched my bare skin. A second later, my shirt lay on the ground next to us. Cedric was starting to push down my bra straps, but I pushed him away. "Your turn." I bit my lip as he discarded his shirt.