Author's Note: Well, here is Chapter 5, and the Australia chapters shall begin here. At least the next 4 chapters after this one will be Australia, and maybe 1 (or 2?) more. I'm really not sure. Anywho, here it is; all reviews are always appreciated.
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Friday, May 29, 1998 - 11:19 AM
***********Grimmauld Place***********
The lone figure of Ronald Weasley appeared outside the door of Grimmauld Place with the loud, distinct crack of his Apparation. Ron stumbled as he landed, but quickly regained his footing, and rang the newly installed doorbell. Ron waited for several moments, but when neither Kreacher, Harry, nor Hermione answered the door, he pushed on the handle and the door slowly opened, revealing the entrance hallway. Ron walked into the silent house, looking around for any sign of his best friend or girlfriend. Ron walked through the hallway and down into the kitchen, but no Hermione or Harry.
Ron continued his search, climbing up the multiple layers of stairs, calling out for his friends at the beginning of each floor. However, Hermione and Harry were nowhere to be found in Grimmauld Place. After making one sweep of the house, the sad truth hit Ron: Harry and Hermione had already left for Australia. However, Ron frantically searched the upper floors of Grimmauld two more times, calling out for Harry and Hermione continuously, trying to find them.
After searching throughout Grimmauld for over thirty minutes, Ron finally walked backed down to the entrance hallway on the main floor. Looking around the entrance hallway one last time, Ron lowered his head and closed his eyes, depressed that the two had left. "Sorry," he mumbled lowly to the empty house, and walked out the door.
***********Sydney, Australia ***********
Friday, May 29, 1998 - 7:00 AM (Local Time)
Harry and Hermione appeared in a small, hidden alley, both clutching their magically shrunken suitcases and a dark brown clothespin. Both teens stumbled on impact, Hermione actually falling to the ground from the very rough trip. Harry, still holding the clothespin in his left hand, reached out his right hand. Hermione took Harry's hand in hers, and allowed Harry to pull her up to her feet. Once both were on their feet, Harry dropped the clothespin to the trashy pavement below. The clothespin was Harry and Hermione's Ministry provided portkey for their trip, the portkey now defunct and the clothespin just a piece of rubbish. Hermione had asked the Ministry for a portkey for the trip, and Kingsley Shacklebolt swiftly made sure the two received said portkey right away. While traveling from England to Australia via portkey was bumpy and somewhat tiring, it was much safer and easier than Apparating there. Apparating a long distance would've required much more energy and skill, and also increased the chance of splinching oneself; Harry was definitely happy to arrive in Australia in one piece, that was certain.
Before Hermione and Harry even took a step out of the alley and towards the road in town, Harry took out his wand and pointed it at his shrunken suitcase.
"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Hermione suddenly.
"I'm just restoring my suitcase to the right size," he said, "it'd look really weird walking into a hotel lobby with either a miniature suitcase or none at all."
"Well, that is true," Hermione told him, "but we're not going to a hotel just yet."
Harry looked at her, both confused and irritated. "Hermione, I know you want to find your parents, and trust me, I do too, but I've been up for twelve hours now. It's ten at night back home, and to be frank, I'm zonked."
Hermione laughed at Harry, the look he gave her was too funny looking not to. "Yes, Harry, it is ten back home," she said simply, still smirking at him. "But do you know what time it is here, in Australia?"
"Err," he stammered, not knowing for sure the time difference between London and Sydney.
"It's seven in the morning," she told him in that trademark Hermione tone, the voice that let people know Hermione was the smartest witch of her age. "Hotels aren't going to let us check in at seven in the morning; we won't be able to check in until the afternoon."
Harry groaned. He was quite tired, and was looking forward to napping until the early afternoon. "Oh hush," Hermione told him in a playful tone. "I'm sure ickle Harry will be able to stay awake for another seven hours until he can kip off."
Hermione stuck her tongue out at Harry, and Harry simply laughed, shaking his head and smiling all the while. "Well, if I have to stay awake until the afternoon," he retorted in the same playful tone, "can we at least get poor me some caffeine?"
"Yes," Hermione answered him, rolling her eyes while still smiling at him. "I'm sure that there's a café in town somewhere. We'll go sit there and talk a while. But first, give me your suitcase, Harry."
Harry did as Hermione told him, and she quickly placed both his and her shrunken suitcases into her purse. The two then walked out of the alley, walking right into the heart of Sydney. Harry and Hermione both stopped walking, taking a moment to examine their surroundings and just look around in awe. However, the two quickly started walking moments later as a mass of people were walking in their direction, about to collide with the teens. Harry and Hermione walked around Sydney for a while, making small talk about Australia and the beauty of the place before finally finding a café on the corner of two streets.
The two entered the café, and as they walked towards the register to order, Harry placed his hand on Hermione's left arm, stopping her in her place. "What is it, Harry?" she asked him, unsure as to why he stopped him.
"I don't have any Muggle money," he told her lowly, embarrassed. He had packed and left for Australia so quickly, that he never went to Gringotts to transfer his Galleons to Australian dollars.
Hermione smiled at him. "I guess it's a good thing that I came prepared then," she said, winking at him. "Don't worry, Harry, you can pay me back or treat me to something some other time," she told him as Harry opened his mouth, knowing that he was going to say something along those lines.
"Alright?" Hermione asked him, smiling warmly. Harry nodded his head, and the two walked the rest of the way up to the register. Once there, Hermione ordered hot tea for the two of them, a bagel for Harry, and a muffin for herself. Once they got their order, the two sat down at a small table in the corner of the café, and made casual conversation while they ate their food. Eventually, they got onto one of the topics that they both knew would come up eventually: Hermione and Ron's row.
"…I tried to tell him that I wanted him to come with us, you know," Hermione told him after Harry brought the topic of their row up. "Ugh! He's just so stubborn sometimes, Harry! All he heard was that you and I were going to Australia, and didn't bother to listen to anything else I was saying. He makes it impossible to talk with sometimes."
Harry took a sip of his tea, and then responded. "That's how Ron always is with you and me though, Hermione. He's always had the fear that you and I would end up together," Harry finished, avoiding eye contact with Hermione as he did.
"Yeah, well if I'm someone who he supposedly values so much, he's got a weird way of showing it, what by picking Quidditch over me," Hermione snapped, her temper rising.
Harry placed his hand over Hermione's, giving it a squeeze of comfort. "Ron was a git. No one in their right mind would've chosen Quidditch over you."
Hermione smiled at him, and then closed her eyes and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm here in Australia; I'm going to get my parents back and make a holiday out of it all the while. Ron made his choice, and I made mine," she finished in a whisper, looking directly at him.
Harry returned Hermione's stare, and couldn't wonder if there was a double entendre in what she said. The thought made him think of their near-kiss at Hogwarts days ago, and decided to bring the topic up again. "Hermione," he began in a soft whisper, "there's something I want to talk to you about. At Hogwarts," he started to say, only for Hermione to cut him off.
"Don't," she said quickly, almost pleadingly. "All that happened was we got caught in the heat of a moment. What happened between us, no, what almost but never happened between us was nothing. An old flame reignited briefly, and that was it."
Hermione looked away from him, but Hermione's response only made Harry want to question her further. An old flame reignited? Harry had no idea what she meant by that, and judging by her look, Hermione didn't mean to say it either.
"What do you," Harry started to say, only for Hermione to swiftly rise from her chair, as if she couldn't hear Harry trying to say something.
"Come on, Harry," Hermione said quickly. "We still have a few hours before we can check into a hotel, so until then, let's enjoy Australia."
Without another word, Hermione started to walk out of the café, leaving Harry to follow her.
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Hermione's idea of enjoying Australia was first to research (or better described as quadruple checking) the address of Wendell and Monica Wilkins. According to Hermione's (expert) research, her parents lived in Cronulla, a suburb in southern Sydney. Harry and Hermione both knew that she knew to a tee where her parents were staying in Australia, however, Harry assumed Hermione was simply re-checking to kill time. However, for Miss Granger, it was also to let the tension diffuse between the two.
Somewhere in her mind, logic told Hermione Granger that spending quality time, in Australia, with Harry Potter could create some sexual moments between the two longtime best friends. Hermione could not deny that she found Harry to be a handsome man, and had always had a crush on him as a girl. Sure, she moved on to Ron in her sixth year, but Harry always had someplace special in her heart. Now with the war over, that special place was starting to beg for attention it seemed. Being alone with Harry in a beautiful place like Australia was sure to only make that place in her heart crave even more attention. Hermione did not know if she could avoid satisfying that attention, but she could at least attempt to prolong it. Avoiding any risqué situation would help prolong it, and there was simply nothing risqué in this research. However, if there was one thing that Hermione Granger loved, it was a challenge. The challenge to prove to herself she could shut out old feelings for Harry was a challenge Miss Granger would not, and could not, be able to resist throughout their stay in Australia.
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After spending well over an hour check multiple phonebooks throughout Sydney, and even calling the Wendell/Granger home - and hanging up as soon as she heard her mother's voice on the answering machine - the two went on to a new event: swimming in the ocean.
"Hermione, you do realize that it's not warm at all this time in Australia, right?" he asked her.
However, this was Hermione Granger, folks. If she's asked a question, she has an answer, but not just any answer. Her answer would let it be known she was right, and all was well. "We're wizards and witches, Harry," she told him simply. "We can simply apply a Heating Charm to the water, and we're fine. This is our holiday too, remember? Let's enjoy it."
There was no arguing with Hermione Granger on that topic. She won, case closed. The teens, after taking a quick train ride from the heartland of Sydney to Cronulla, the suburb of Sydney that was home to Monica and Wendell Wilkins, walked leisurely to Eloura Beach, a section of Cronulla Beach on the northeastern side. They found public restrooms by the beach, and after getting his own (re-enlarged) suitcase, Harry headed off to the Bloke's room, while Hermione the Sheila's. Harry came out of the washroom first, wearing a simple white t-shirt and black mesh shorts. He didn't expect to go swimming while in Australia, so he didn't pack a swimsuit. Hermione came out just a few moments later, and was dressed in just a yellow tank top and short dark blue jean shorts. Harry thought she looked very attractive, but little did he know what was still to come.
The two made their way down to the beach, and once there, Hermione set out two towels for them. "Ready, Harry?" she asked him. Not really knowing what she meant, he nodded his head anyways. Hermione then squatted down by the towel, and pulled out her wand from underneath it. She then walked down to the water, Harry following her. She squatted down next to the water, much like she did with the towel moments prior, and tapped the cold water with her wand, muttering the incantation for the Heating Charm. Harry, who walked into the cold ankle-deep water with Hermione, immediately felt the water's temperature increase to a much more comfortable level.
"I've never tried a Heating Charm on a large amount of water like this, so I'm not sure how far my Heating Charm will expand. If we stray too far away from this general area of the ocean, we'll feel that extreme temperature change again, only this time, it'll be hot to very cold," Hermione told him in that know-it-all tone of hers, the tone that Harry and her friends adored, but the same tone that everyone else hated.
The teens walked back to their towels on the empty beach, and Hermione restored her wand underneath her towel. "Well, shall we?" Hermione asked him, standing back up to her feet. Harry nodded his head, and Hermione unbuttoned her jean shorts, sliding them down her legs and kicking them off. Harry took the hint, and removed his glasses and his shirt, while Hermione placed her hands at the hem of her tank top, yanking the top up and over her head.
Harry was in awe. Never in his life had Harry Potter looked at Hermione Granger the way he was now. Hermione had never shown herself to Harry in this light, but now, for the second time ever, Harry Potter saw Hermione Granger for what she truly was: a beautiful woman.
Harry had noticed Hermione Granger was a female at the Yule Ball three and a half years ago, but not until now did he notice the woman in front of him. She wore a white bikini, and while it was not scandalous by any means, it showed Hermione's gorgeous body. The top was tied at her back and behind her neck, and registered as proof that Hermione Granger, the nosy bookworm, had breasts. They were not large, but they were not small either. They fit her perfectly. Hermione's stomach was shown to Harry, and it wasn't the perfect tight and flat stomach of a model, but it didn't need to be. Like her breasts, her stomach, with the slightest bump to it, fit her. He noticed her legs, legs that seemed never ending. She had long legs, running from her feet and ending at the core of her, a spot Harry couldn't help but stare at for several moments. Wearing just the white bikini bottom, Harry couldn't help notice what Hermione's bottom only covered. And for the first time in his life, Harry coveted that hidden and secret part of Hermione's body. Harry desperately wanted Hermione to turn around, so he could covet more of her: her back, the back of her legs… her backside. Looking at Hermione, right now, Harry wanted it all.
However, there in was the problem. With Hermione showing her figure to Harry, he coveted and stared… at great length. It was obvious he was staring, and Hermione knew it. Unable to hold back an ear-to-ear grin and smirk, Hermione asked him, "Do you see something you like, Potter?"
Harry's eyes quickly jumped up to Hermione's face, her words snapping him out of his reverie.
Hermione continued to smirk at him as Harry tried, and failed, to answer her question with any actual words. Hermione did not think of herself as an attractive person, but watching Harry ogle her made her feel gorgeous, and dare she say it, sexy; Harry's fixation with her body gave her a sense of power and control, and oh how Hermione loved it. However, she knew Harry wasn't the only one who stared. While Harry did not notice Hermione checking him out - she was much more discreet than he was - Hermione gave Harry's body a quick glance. She noticed his sturdy shoulders, his defined chest and abdomen muscles, the trail of hair running from his belly button and into his shorts… she noticed that Harry Potter, for lack of better words, was hot. She was lucky, and more importantly, thankful, that Harry did not notice her staring. Instead of feeling embarrassed, she got that feeling of power.
After struggling for several moments to string together coherent words and sentences, Harry finally was able to regain some cognitive functioning. "Uh, wow… Hermione… you look…" he stammered, still trying to find the words to describe her right now. "You look great."
"Thank you, Harry," she replied, her face starting to redden in embarrassment. His words, while simple and by no means suave, still affected her, and Hermione started to feel herself losing control of her power she currently held over Harry. Wanting to get away from this situation, Hermione quickly said, "Let's hurry up and go swimming already."
And with that said, Hermione took off, running into the water several meters before diving under the water. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry followed into the ocean after her, sprinting along the sand before jumping chest first into the water.
Harry and Hermione spent the next hour swimming in the ocean, simply enjoying each others company. While tension was evident at first, the longer the teens spent in the water, the cozier and more comfortable they became with each other. By the end of the hour, Harry and Hermione had spent most of their time playfully splashing each other, grabbing each other by their arms and/or around their waist, and dunking each other into the water. The teens had several moments of awkwardness, the most noteworthy when Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist from behind, attempting to dunk her into the water, only for Hermione to stiffen her body, wrapping her ankles around Harry's calves. The move ended up pushing her body back into Harry's, her arse digging into his crotch. Harry looked at Hermione, who turned her face towards him, but before anything could happen, a wave crashed into them from behind, knocking the two of them underwater. When Harry and Hermione came out from under the water, they were separated and laughing hysterically. They brushed the incident off as playful banter, and nothing was going to happen, although both Harry and Hermione silently wished something would have.
However, despite the moments of flirtation and fluff, their escapade in the ocean ended rather abruptly. After yet another dunk into the water by Harry, Hermione gave chase to Harry throughout the ocean. As Harry fled from the mock-angry Hermione, Harry ended up treading past the region of Hermione's Heating Charm, and his body suddenly tensed up from the extremely cold water. Shivers slid down his spine as he yelled out, "Bloody hell!"
Harry quickly jumped back into the section of the sea contained by Hermione's Heating Charm, but the jolt of freezing water was enough to end Harry's time in the water. After telling Hermione it was getting late, the two exited the ocean, grabbed their towels, and headed back up the beach to the washrooms.
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***********The Rydges Hotel, Cronulla, Australia***********
After changing back into their clothes, Harry and Hermione found the hotel Hermione planned to make a reservation at, The Rydges Hotel. However, despite having killed time at the café, researching, and swimming in the ocean, it was still slightly before 3 PM, so when the two went to make a reservation, they were told the only rooms the staff had cleaned and ready were standard queen rooms. Just needing to get a room, they made the reservation, and were led to their room. Once in the room, Harry and Hermione explored the room quickly, taking in its surroundings: the room had only one bed, a small couch, a television, two plush chairs, a balcony, and a washroom that had just a shower, toilet, and sink.
Not wanting to waste much time, Harry and Hermione each took a shower, changed their clothes, and ordered in dinner from room service. After the quick dinner, the two left the hotel, Hermione in utter glee to be going to see her parents once again. Hermione was able to get a taxi for the teens, and after giving the driver the address of the Wilkins household, the driver took off. It was not a long drive to Hermione's parents' house, roughly between fifteen and twenty minutes. Silence was the conversation in the cab, as Hermione was too nervous and excited to keep a conversation going more than two minutes. She just sat next to the window, staring out at the houses in the area, anxiously tapping her fingers into her palms and her lap, the rest of her body fidgeting intermittently.
Finally, the cab made a left turn into a small development of houses. After driving past two small streets in the development, the taxi made a right turn onto Stewart Drive, and stopped at the fourth house on the left. Harry, having received some Muggle money from Hermione, paid the driver, as Hermione had already opened her door and jumped out, taking in the surroundings of the Wilkins house. After Harry exited the taxi, the cab driver sped away, and Harry took his place beside Hermione, examining the house.
The home was a small two-story house, but looked very comfortable for just two people. There were several plants in front of the home, separated by the concrete walkway and steps that led to the front door. The house was painted white with red trim for the windows and door, and Hermione seemingly loved the home, in awe by its presence. Maybe it was just her glee to be near her parents, but to Harry, it was a nice home too. As Harry continued to take in the house and its "homey" feel, Hermione couldn't wait anymore, taking off at a brisk walk to the front door. Hermione quickly knocked on the door, no longer able to hold back her grin.
After a several second pause that gave Harry enough time to join Hermione on the top step, the red door opened, and Mrs. Granger, alias Mrs. Monica Wilkins, stepped into view. She smiled at the two teens, but had a puzzled look to her face. "Hello," she said warmly, "can I help you with something?"
"Mum!" Hermione exclaimed loudly and then immediately jumped at her mother, hugging her tightly. However, Mrs. Wilkins did not return the hug, instead looking incredibly confused at why this stranger was embracing her.
"Uh, Hermione," Harry said cautiously, pulling on her sleeve all the while. Hermione buried her head in her mother's collar, holding on for dear life, Mrs. Wilkins continuing to look confused, and now slightly worried about this person's mental sanity.
Hermione finally released her hug, and stepped back, tears in her eyes at the sight of her mother again. Her mother looked even more worried now, taking a step away from Hermione, and nervously looking over her shoulder.
Mrs. Wilkins continued to look worried at the situation at hand, and Hermione finally came to the realization Mrs. Wilkins came to as soon as the strange girl embraced her. The False Memory Charm hadn't been removed, so Hermione was not "her" daughter. The Wilkins family had no daughter. "Mum, it's me! It's Hermione!"
However, Mrs. Wilkins knew no Hermione, and still looked worried by this girl. "Um, I'm sorry, but I don't know a Hermione."
Hermione was devastated. She took one long, hard look at her mother, staring deep into her eyes, almost as if she was trying to make her remember who she was. However, there was no recognition in her mother's eyes, and Hermione broke the stare, tears now freely flowing from her eyes. Frustrated and hurt, Hermione turned on her heel and sprinted down Stewart Drive, turning the way the taxi cab initially came, and out of sight within a minute. Harry was tempted to run after her, but didn't want to leave the Wilkins family in the confused state they would be in if he did leave.
"Sorry about that, ma'am," Harry told her, now trying to think of a story to tell her, and deciding just to stick to the truth. "We've been traveling Australia, looking for her parents, you see. You, uh, you look like her mother, and she got excited since she hasn't seen her mother in almost a full year."
Mrs. Wilkins nodded her head and smiled sadly, calm returning to her. "Oh dear, that's just dreadful," she said somberly. "Will you let your girlfriend know that I hope she finds her parents?"
Harry opened his mouth to tell her Hermione wasn't his girlfriend, but for some reason, found himself not doing so. "I'll be sure to tell her. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Wilkins. Have a good night." Harry then turned on his heel and started walking down the street, finding a good place to Disapparate back to the hotel, believing that Hermione probably went back there. As he left, Mrs. Wilkins watched him leave, the sad smile still on her face, while wondering all the while how the teen knew her surname; she didn't recall telling the two her surname during their mysterious and all-around awkward meeting.
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***********The Rydges Hotel, Cronulla, Australia***********
After finding a location hidden enough to Disapparate back to the hotel, Harry appeared back in their hotel room, landing from his Apparation right behind the couch. Harry regained his bearings, and after taking a quick look around the room, he saw her.
Hermione was curled up under the blankets on the bed, crying into the pillow. As Harry looked at her, he was hit hard in the stomach with the memory of when he, Hermione, and Ron were camping while on the hunt for Horcruxes. Ron had just abandoned the two of them, and Hermione was crying in her bed after searching the woods for the absent Ron. Then, Harry let Hermione be and she had no one to comfort her. This second time around, and Harry could not resist the temptation and need to be there for her.
"Hermione," Harry said softly as he walked over to the bed, climbing onto it. "Hermione, it's okay. We can still remove your parents' memory charm."
Hermione lifted her face out of the pillow, and looked at Harry through puffy, tear-stained eyes. She was a mess. "I know Harry, but they were my parents. I was staring right at my mom, and she didn't even recognize me! I couldn't bear to be there anymore; I'm so sorry for taking off."
Hermione tried to speak further, but Harry scooted up closer to her, and covered her mouth with his left hand. With his right thumb, he wiped the tears falling from her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Hermione. We can go back tomorrow, remove the charm, and they'll see you again. Everything's going to be alright, okay?"
Having finished wiping the falling tears, Harry stroked Hermione's hair with his now free right hand, while Hermione scooted in closer to him, burying her face into his chest. "Thank you, Harry," she said simply and softly.
Harry continued to stroke her hair, letting Hermione cry on him. He whispered, "I'm here for you, always remember that. Whatever you want or need me to do, I'll do it."
Hermione brought her face out from Harry's chest, and looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity in them. She smiled at him, albeit a sad smile, it was a smile nevertheless. She broke eye contact a few seconds later, and turned on her side, so her back was against his chest. She took Harry's right arm, and cradled it to her torso. "Just stay here, Harry. Please just stay here," she finished in a whisper, pleading with him.
Harry said nothing in reply, but obliged to Hermione's plead. He inched forward slightly, closing the space between the two of them, and tightened the hold Hermione had on his arm, bringing her as close as possible to him. He laid there with Hermione, for how long he did not know, but Hermione eventually fell asleep, still cradling his arm. Harry raised his torso slightly, so he could look over her back and shoulder, and down at her face. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and something else. Harry wasn't sure what it was at first, but then realized what he saw when he looked down at Hermione. He saw beauty. Earlier today, when he looked at her in her bikini, what he saw then was out of lust; she looked gorgeous and sexy then. Now, this was the real definition of beauty. The realization made Harry smile, and he laid his upper body back down on the bed, and closed his eyes, preparing to drift off into sleep as well, still holding Hermione to him.
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