"Hermione, You Obliviated Your Parents!" by jenny b
Summary: The war is over, the battles have been won. Hermione, Ron and Harry are settling down into a world without Voldemort, and for once in their lives, everything is going smoothly.

Until they travel to Australia to find Hermione's parents. As experienced as they are, nothing could prepare them for this - kangaroos, the scorching sun, a Wizarding community completely different from theirs, and one little problem no one was expecting ...
Categories: Post-Hogwarts Characters: None
Warnings: Mild Profanity
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 3 Completed: No Word count: 9094 Read: 10953 Published: 10/25/08 Updated: 05/08/09
Story Notes:
The plot bunny for this was adopted from Merlin_Helz on the boards, so thank you for the wonderful idea, dearie. ^_^ And Joanna thought up the awesome title, so kudos to her for that. :)

1. Chapter One: Now We're Back To The Beginning by jenny b

2. Chapter Two: It's Been Far Too Long Since You Went Away by jenny b

3. Chapter Three: So Close, Still We’ve Got So Far by jenny b

Chapter One: Now We're Back To The Beginning by jenny b
Author's Notes:
Thank you to my darling beta, Joanna/lucilla_pauie. The title of this chapter are lyrics from Regina Spektor's "The Call". Gorgeous song. :)
Chapter One: Now We’re Back To The Beginning

The second of June, 1998. It was exactly one month after the final battle.

Hermione stared at the calendar, trying to gather her thoughts. So much had changed since Voldemort’s downfall – it was hard to believe that it had been so short a time. The Wizarding world had revolutionised itself in just a few weeks, and making more progress than it had in the past decade. It helped quite a lot that Kingsley was now Minister of Magic, and implementing most of the changes. Hogwarts had been rebuilt quicker than anyone had expected, and the students were due back next week to finish off their interrupted term.

Her mind went back to that last night at Hogwarts. She didn’t think she could ever forget it. The cold voice of Voldemort still sent a shiver down her spine … the terrified screams of the students had haunted her nightmares. The people who had been lost – a tear leaked out the corner of her eye as it hit her once more that she would never see her friends again. Remus, Tonks, Fred, Moody, Dobby ... all of them had been lost for the greater cause.

‘Hermione?’ a familiar voice called uncertainly. ‘Are you in here?’

She heard footsteps behind her, and then Ron bent down and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Morning,’ he said, smiling down at his girlfriend with a fond look on his face. However, his expression immediately changed to one of worry as he noticed the tears now streaming down her face. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘One month,’ she whispered, still staring at the calendar. Ron realised instantly what she meant, and he made a strange gulping noise. He wordlessly put his arm around Hermione’s shoulders, trying to comfort her and at the same time repress his misery.

Harry entered the basement kitchen a few minutes later, and seeing them standing there, proceeded to sit down and eat his breakfast without saying a word. He already knew. Even Kreacher was silent, making as little noise as possible as he cleaned the kitchen, occasionally shooting worried glances towards his master.

After a few minutes, Ron and Hermione joined Harry at breakfast. The three of them had moved back into Grimmauld Place after the war – once it had been ascertained that it was finally safe. They were planning on staying there for a while, except Hermione, who was going back to Hogwarts in September to do her seventh and final year. Despite her attempts to persuade them otherwise, the boys were not going to finish school. They could manage perfectly well without their final year, Hermione knew, but she shuddered at the thought of not having full qualifications.

It was an unusually quiet morning at 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry disappeared into the library not long after breakfast. He was researching his family history, trying to trace it back to Ignotus Peverell, which was a time-consuming task. The library in the Black house was mostly useless, but there were some good family history books in there. James Potter’s family were Purebloods, after all.

Ron and Hermione whiled away the morning in the drawing room, talking quietly and staring out over Grimmauld Place. Hermione stretched out along the couch with her head resting on Ron’s lap, while he played with her hair absentmindedly. One good thing that had come out of the war was their newfound relationship.

They had always loved each other – that was fairly obvious – but being together was so much different. Sure, they still bickered and quarrelled like they always had, to the extent where it drove Harry mad to be living in the same house, but now there was that new thought that skipped into Hermione’s head whenever she saw him – he loves me.

‘We should go and see Mum today,’ Ron murmured. ‘She probably misses us. Ginny, too.’

Hermione smiled. Ginny had kicked up a storm when the three of them had moved into Sirius’ house together. She had wanted so badly to come with them, but Mrs Weasley had forbidden it. As much as she adored and trusted Harry, she wasn’t about to let her sixteen year old daughter move in with her boyfriend. She had long ago given up on trying to keep Ron at home. Ginny had been staying at the Burrow until Hogwarts was restored. It was just like summer, she told them, but much more morbid.

‘Good idea,’ Hermione said, closing her eyes and letting the sun’s rays hit her face. ‘Are Bill and Fleur still there?’

‘For another week, I think,’ Ron replied. ‘Why?’

‘I need to talk to Bill,’ Hermione said, thinking over her plans. She hadn’t told them yet – it was just another commitment to add to their growing list. The door creaked open, and Harry entered and sat down on the lounge opposite. He leaned forward and joined in their conversation.

‘What about?’ he asked. Hermione sat up, so as to not make it awkward for Harry – she and Ron tried their hardest not to be too open about their relationship in front of him. There were some things that you just didn’t want to see your best friends do.

‘Money,’ she admitted. They stared at her blankly, and she sighed. ‘I’m going to Australia. I have to find my parents.’

There was a pause as this sank in. ‘That’s great, Hermione!’ Ron said, squeezing her hand.

‘When are we going?’ Harry asked, now grinning broadly at the idea of leaving Britain and it’s war-torn state.

Neither of the two boys really knew her parents – they had only met a few times – but they seemed excited enough anyway.

‘We? I’m going by myself,’ Hermione said, frowning slightly. There was no point to them going too – they had to stay here and deal with the aftermath of the war. The press were still going wild, and the Ministry needed them to be the face for the public, the reassurance that everything was finally all right.

‘And deprive us of a free holiday? Not likely,’ Ron said, unworried. ‘Why do you need to go by yourself? Something might happen.’

Hermione smiled at this. ‘The war’s over, Ron,’ she said. ‘And you two have to stay here – Kingsley or someone might need you.’

‘Well, they can find someone else,’ Harry said. ‘It’s about time we got a break. And what better place to do this but Australia?’

‘It’s not going to be a holiday,’ she replied, having resigned to the fact that they were coming, whether she liked it or not. ‘We have to find my parents.’

‘We will.’ Ron grinned. ‘But surely we could do a bit of sightseeing along the way. I’ve always wanted to go to Australia.’

They both looked at Hermione eagerly, and she sighed. She couldn’t not take them, she supposed. Not after all that they had been through together – it had made them closer than ever. She didn’t know how long it would take her to find her parents, after all, and she might need them.

* * *

‘But why do all three of you need to go?’ Mrs Weasley asked, biting her lip anxiously. ‘How long will you be away? What if something happens? How will we find out? What if–’

‘Mum!’ Ron said loudly. ‘We’re going to be fine. It’s just Australia. There isn’t a Voldemort anymore, remember.’

Mrs Weasley cringed automatically at the name, and then giggled a little at her own silliness. ‘I suppose,’ she said weakly. ‘But make sure you take Pigwidgeon, and if anything happens, send him back, and we’ll come get you.’

‘Would Pigwidgeon be able to manage the journey, though? It’s pretty far,’ Hermione said. Although Pig was perhaps the most eager-to-please owl she had ever seen, he had his limits.

‘Well, I’ve been meaning to get a new owl,’ Harry suddenly said. His voice was casual, but Hermione could hear the effort he put behind it. ‘So I’ll get one before we leave, and take it with us.’

A pang hit Hermione as his voice cracked at the end of this. She squeezed his hand as everyone fell silent, feeling for the loss of Hedwig. They stayed like this for a moment before Harry finally spoke, his voice normal again.

‘So how are we going to get to Australia?’ he asked Hermione. ‘Is there any magical transport to take us halfway across the world?’

‘I did some research on it,’ she said, opening a notebook. ‘There isn’t anything except for Apparition and Portkeys.’ Harry and Ron looked doubtful. ‘I know what you’re going to say, and I agree. I don’t have enough faith in my Apparating skills to go that far. We could go by Portkey, but it would be too much work to ask the Australian Ministry of Magic to organise one for us. You have to fill out all these forms, and it could take months.’

‘So how will we get there, then?’ Ron asked. Hermione grinned at him, flipping to another section in her notebook.

‘We fly.’

‘By brooms?’ Ron asked worriedly. ‘I don’t know, Hermione. It would be really risky – you don’t even know how to fly. And we’d have to go so far ...’

She laughed. ‘Not by brooms. By aeroplane.’

Harry nodded, understanding immediately, but Ron just looked confused. ‘Aeroplane?’ he asked. ‘Aren’t they those giant flying metal things?’

Harry chucked. ‘I’ll leave the explaining to you,’ he said to Hermione, before leaving the room, presumably to go find Ginny. Mrs Weasley followed him, looking worried at the mention of giant flying metal things.

‘Yes, Ron,’ Hermione said, sitting down on the worn couch. ‘They’re Muggle – which means they run on gas and motors, not magic. I don’t know exactly how they work – I’m not an engineer – but they’re completely safe, so don’t worry.’

He joined her on the couch. ‘How long will it take us to get to Australia from here?’ he asked.

She shrugged. ‘A day, maybe more. The only problem is the flight tickets – they’re fairly expensive. I have a bit of Muggle money in a bank that Mum and Dad had saved for me – but it’s not enough to get one ticket, let alone three.’ She tactfully didn’t mention that Ron’s family wouldn’t be able to afford it, either.

‘So what are we going to do?’ Ron asked.

‘I’ll pay,’ Harry said, leaning over the back of the couch. He had returned to the room to catch the end of the conversation. Hermione sighed in relief – she had been planning on asking him, but at least now she could save herself the embarrassment. Ron went red.

‘We can find the money another way,’ he mumbled. ‘You don’t have to pay for us all ...’

‘I can, and I will,’ he said with a tone of finality. ‘Ron, where’s Ginny? I haven’t seen her all afternoon.’

‘I think Mrs Weasley said she went up to visit Luna,’ Hermione said. Ron scowled as Harry’s face lit up and he headed out the front door of the Burrow. He looked so annoyed that Hermione laughed, and pushed Ron’s shoulder lightly. ‘You need to get over yourself. They’re not going to break up just because you don’t approve.’

Ron sighed. ‘I know. And it’s not that I don’t approve – I’d rather it be Harry than anyone else. But you’d think that they could at least tone it down a little – it’s sickening, seeing your little sister and your best friend like that.’

‘Ron, they’re not that bad. Harry tries to keep it private.’ Hermione suppressed a smile. Ginny, on the other hand, did everything she could to infuriate Ron. It was rather amusing to watch Ginny kiss Harry when she knew Ron was watching – and even more amusing to watch Ron’s expression.

‘The other day, Harry was telling me how much he loves her,’ Ron admitted, staring out the door where Harry had disappeared. Hermione laughed and moved over to snuggle into his arms.

‘Leave them alone, Ron. They wouldn’t be so bad if you don’t react so badly. How would you feel if every time you touched me, Harry glared at you?’

‘I wouldn’t care,’ Ron said. Hermione looked at him disbelievingly. ‘Fine. I’ll try to be nicer.’ He said this with such a surly tone that Hermione laughed again, and craned her neck to kiss him on the nose.

‘I love you,’ she said, putting her head back on his chest. He rested his chin on her head, wrapping his arms around her.

‘I love you, too.’

They settled into a comfortable silence, watching out the front window as Harry climbed up the hill that led to the Lovegoods’ place. It was peaceful, being here, and not having to worry about anything except the price of plane tickets and how long it would take until Ron finally had enough of his best friend and little sister.

Hopefully their expedition to Australia would go just as well.
Chapter Two: It's Been Far Too Long Since You Went Away by jenny b
Author's Notes:
Sorry about the long wait - I did NaNo, so I did absolutely no fanfic in November. *hides* The title for this chapter is lyrics from the very aptly named "The Airplane Song" by Scouting For Girls. Thanks goes to Joanna, of course, for being such a wonderful beta. :)
Chapter Two: It’s Been Far Too Long Since You Went Away

The next few weeks were a flurry of activity as Hermione, Ron and Harry prepared to fly halfway across the world. There was a lot to be organised – passports, plane tickets, permits for them to practice magic in a different country, and the most important thing of all – how they would actually find Wendell and Monica Wilkins.

All Hermione had to go by were their names, and the country they were in. She had no idea whereabouts in Australia they were, or if they had continued to work as dentists, or decided to do something else. It had been just over a year since she had sent them away – and as she had learnt, a lot can happen in a year. She had some vague ideas about how she would find them, but it was going to be difficult.

Barely three days after they had decided on their course of action, Hermione took the boys to get passports. She already had one, from various trips to France with her parents over the years. Ron had travelled overseas before, but by magical means, so he didn’t have one.

Ron was fascinated by the photograph on his. He had seen Muggle pictures before, but he couldn’t get over the idea that it was him this time, standing there absolutely still. He stared at it that night, flicking it occasionally and tipping it every which way, trying to see if it would move.

‘It looks like a mug shot,’ Harry said jokingly, leaning over Ron’s shoulder to look at it. Hermione laughed, glancing up from the letter she was writing.

‘No one’s passport photo ever looks good,’ she said. Ron scowled.

‘I’ll have you know I look very handsome,’ he said haughtily. ‘And what’s a mug shot anyway?’

Hermione smiled, turning back to her letter as Harry attempted to explain to him the ins and outs of the Muggle criminal system. The letter was addressed to the International Board of Magical Co-operation, applying for their permits to use magic whilst in Australia. The Ministry had to verify that the three of them were trusted citizens before letting them perform magic in another country. It was a little silly, Hermione thought, because if anyone could be trusted, it was them.

She had booked their plane tickets already – Harry had gone to get his gold exchanged for Muggle money the previous day. Hermione had gone along, biting her lip anxiously as he withdrew an enormous amount from his vault. She hadn’t wanted Harry to pay, really, but there was no other way. And he refused to listen to her protests, insisting it was nothing. Which, to him, it was – the amount they needed barely touched his fortune. Still, she was determined to pay him back one day.

She had tactfully found something else for Ron to do while they were in the bank, because he would have been even more embarrassed than she was at letting Harry pay for their trip. She had gone later to pay for their tickets – they were flying out in two weeks time. It was a little sooner than she would have liked, but the other option was to wait three months. They had only gotten in so soon because of a cancellation.

Harry yawned loudly. He had given up trying to explain what mug shots were to Ron, and stood up, glancing at the clock. It was just past ten. ‘I’m going to bed,’ he said. ‘Big day tomorrow.’ When the other two looked at him questioningly, he shrugged. ‘Kingsley wants to meet with me. Oh, I can deliver the letter in person, if you like,’ he said, nodding at the parchment Hermione was just sealing. ‘You never know, maybe it’ll go through faster if they realise it’s for us.’

Ron snorted with laughter, obviously doubting Harry’s pull in the Ministry, and Hermione handed the letter to him. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Have a good night.’

‘You too,’ he said, his voice drifting back down the staircase as he climbed up to his bedroom. Hermione moved her quill and ink aside and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. She still had so much to organise before they left. She needed to find a Muggle library in the next few days, and use a computer to try to track down her parents. It would have been easier if they were magical – a few spells would have found them. Since they were Muggle, however, she had to find them the Muggle way.

It was unbelievably stressful, trying to arrange so much in just a few weeks. Perhaps she should have waited three months before flying out. Even as she thought it, she knew she wouldn’t. It wasn’t just that she needed to bring her parents back to their old life – it was that she missed them horribly. After everything that had happened, all Hermione wanted was to see them again – to have them hug her and tell her that it was going to be okay, that she had done the right thing. Mr and Mrs Weasley had been lovely, but it wasn’t the same as her own parents.

‘Are you okay?’ Ron asked, getting up from his lounge and crossing the room quickly. Hermione looked up, and then realised that she was crying. She wiped at her face angrily. It was so silly of her to cry over this, when she was going to see her parents in just a few weeks anyway.

‘I’m fine,’ she said, taking a deep breath and busying herself cleaning up the table she had been using to write her letters. Ron caught her hands, holding them tightly in his own as he sat down next to her.

‘Don’t cry,’ he said, scrutinising her with wide, worried eyes. ‘It’ll be okay. We’ll find them.’

‘I know,’ Hermione whispered, looking down at her lap. ‘It’s just – I – what if we don’t? I don’t know. I’m being stupid.’ Another tear rolled down her cheek, and Ron tentatively pulled her into a hug.

‘You’re not,’ he said, as Hermione leant into his shoulder, taking deep, shaky breaths. ‘You’ll find them, Hermione. You’re not the cleverest witch in Britain for nothing.’

After a few minutes, she regained her composure, and sat up straight. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said thickly, wiping at her eyes and smoothing down her bushy hair. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have –’

Ron put his hand over her mouth, abruptly cutting her off. ‘Don’t apologise,’ he said. ‘You have every right to be worried.’ She nodded mutely, and he chuckled. Removing his hand, he leant over and kissed her softly, his mouth lingering on hers. A shiver went up Hermione’s spine, but then he gently let go of her waist and stood up.

‘We should get to bed,’ he said, stretching. ‘It’s late.’ He kissed her once more on the forehead, and walked slowly over to the staircase. Hermione followed him, flicking her wand behind her as they climbed the stairs. The room behind them plunged into darkness.

* * *

‘What is that?’ Ron breathed under his breath, as Hermione led him into the foyer of the library. She shot him a sharp look; they had talked about this. He was in Muggle London now, meaning he couldn’t reveal his ignorance of unmagical objects. The solid metal doors of the lift must have confused him – he was used to the old-fashioned ones of the Ministry.

‘A lift,’ she muttered back. ‘Like ours. Now be quiet.’ She smiled at the old man next to them, who was also waiting for the elevator to reach their floor. Thankfully, he seemed to be partly deaf, and hadn’t heard their exchange.

She knew it had been a mistake taking Ron to the library. If he didn’t break the International Statute of Secrecy, then he was at least going to scare a few Muggles. But Ron had refused to be left at Grimmauld Place while she and Harry went out, and he had wanted to see a computer more than he had wanted to visit his family.

Once they got upstairs, Hermione used her library card to book an hour on a computer. Her card hadn’t been used for almost ten years, so the librarian gave her a funny look as she showed them to a computer. Ron gazed around him in wonder.

‘Don’t touch,’ Hermione whispered as he reached for the computer. She wished fervently that they hadn’t had to do this in public, but it wasn’t as if she knew anyone with a computer. She would have liked to go home to use her parents’, but she was pretty sure they would have sold the house. She hadn’t been there since they left, so she had no idea.

They sat down on the swivel chairs, Ron still looking around with interest at the people using the other computers next to them. Hermione gave him a sharp look, switching theirs on. She wasn’t an expert at using computers, but she knew enough to get by. She loaded the internet, deciding to start with the obvious – dental practices. Of course, there were hundreds in Australia, and thousands of dentists. She clicked around a few websites fruitlessly, looking for something that might aid her search.

‘Wouldn’t there be a national database of all the dentists in Australia?’ Ron asked, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was doing. ‘Or maybe one for each county.’

‘State,’ she corrected him. ‘They have states in Australia. But that’s a good idea.’

After several more minutes of searching, she came across the website for the Australian Dental Association. It had a bit of information about practicing dentistry in Australia, and she made note of the fact that her parents would have been able to work straight away, being residents of Britain. Then she found the phone number for the association. She looked at Ron, amazed. ‘You’re a genius,’ she said. He shrugged.

‘No need to sound so surprised. So if there is, will they be able to tell you if Wendell and Monica Wilkins are working as dentists in Australia?’

‘I think so,’ she said slowly, reading the information on the screen. It seemed you had to be registered with the association to work as a dentist. ‘Pass me a pen and paper, will you? I have a phone call to make.’

Twenty minutes later, they were back outside, blinking in the bright light after the dullness of the library. Hermione had copied down the phone number, and was hoping that they would be able to tell her if her parents were working in Australia. This was a long shot – there was no guarantee they would be, but it was the best lead she had.

Now, though, there was the problem of finding a phone to call overseas. In the end, she and Ron decided to use a phone box – it was going to cost her a fortune in Muggle money, but there was no other option. They went to the bank and withdrew a heap of her savings in coins, and then proceeded to the phone box down the road.

‘So, how do we do this?’ Ron asked, picking up the receiver and looking at it dubiously. Hermione made a tutting noise and took it away from him, putting a bunch of coins into the slot and dialling the number for the international operator.

‘I’ll do it,’ she said, putting the phone to her ear and waiting as the automaton connected her through to Australia. She dialled in the number, and listened to it ring. Ron chuckled.

‘Breathe, Hermione,’ he said, and she let out the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. Then the other end picked up.

‘Australian Dental Association, Sharon speaking,’ a woman’s voice said with an accent that was clearly Australian. Hermione smiled; it all seemed so much more real now.

‘Um, hello. My name’s Hermione Granger. I’m looking for my ... parents,’ she said. They had decided it would be easiest just to tell the truth. If they questioned her last name, she could always say she was married. ‘They moved to Australia from England last year, and I’m having some trouble getting in touch with them. They’re dentists, you see, so I thought maybe you could look them up on your database and tell me if they’re working in Australia. And where they are, perhaps.’

‘Of course I can, love,’ Sharon said cheerfully. Hermione sighed with relief. She had wondered vaguely if that would be considered confidential information, but apparently not. ‘Hold on, I’ll put you through to someone who can help you.’ There was a pause, and then a clicking noise. ‘There you go, dear. Good luck!’

‘Thanks,’ Hermione said, and then there was another click, and a man’s voice spoke up.

‘Hello, I’m Darren,’ he said. ‘Now, you’re looking for your parents?’

‘Yes,’ Hermione said, giving Ron’s hand a squeeze. He squeezed it back, looking at her worriedly. He had no idea what was happening on the other end of the line, so Hermione gave him a bright smile. ‘Their names are Wendell and Monica Wilkins.’

‘Okay,’ he said, and she heard the noise of someone typing in the background. ‘Now, what state do they live in?’

‘Er, I don’t actually know,’ Hermione said ashamedly. He chuckled.

‘That’s no problem. If you’ll just hold on one sec ...’ There were some more typing noises, and Hermione held her breath again, interlacing her fingers with Ron’s, as he gave her an excited look. ‘Here we are,’ Darren said finally. ‘I have three Monica Wilkins, unfortunately, and two Wendell Wilkins. However, there’s one dental practice where both of them are working. I presume that would be it?’

‘Yes!’ Hermione cried. ‘Oh, thank you so much! May I have the address?’

He gave it to her, and Hermione wrote it down on the piece of paper that contained the phone number. Adelaide, South Australia. Quite a way from Sydney, which was where they were flying to. But what did it matter? She had an address now, a place where her parents would be.

She bade Darren goodbye, after thanking him profusely. She hung up the phone, and several unused coins clattered out of the slot. Ron grinned at her. ‘That was easy,’ he said. Hermione beamed and threw her arms around his neck. Ron hugged her back, laughing.

‘I’m going to see them again!’ Hermione cried with delight. All her worries seemed to have evaporated once they had an address. All she had to do now was go to them, reverse the memory charm, and then she could bring her parents home, getting a holiday all in the same deal. It was so simple.

* * *

However, when they arrived back at Grimmauld Place that afternoon, Harry had some news for them. He had just returned from his meeting with the Minister of Magic, who had requested a favour of them.

‘Well, in the Wizarding World, news travels fast,’ Harry began, sitting down at the kitchen table. ‘The Australian Ministry of Magic have found out that we’re planning a trip to Australia, and he wants to meet with us personally.’

‘Why?’ Ron asked, utterly bemused. Hermione laughed, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.

‘Don’t be dense, Ron. Britain isn’t the only country who has heard of Voldemort, you know. We may not be as famous there as we are here, but they still know who we are.’

‘Kingsley said he’ll want to congratulate us,’ Harry added, as Ron’s expression cleared up and he went a shade of pink instead. It was still new for him, being so well-known. Harry was used to it, having spent his whole life in the spotlight, and Hermione had managed to adjust without too much trouble, but Ron was having difficulties.

‘Well, that’s fine,’ Hermione said, unconcerned. It was to be expected, really. Harry hesitated, and she frowned, sitting down opposite him. ‘What?’

‘He also wants us to make a speech in front of the Australian Wizarding school,’ he said, glancing quickly between Hermione and Ron to see how they would take it. ‘You know, tell them what we’ve done, and inspire them or something. I said I’d have to ask you two first.’

Ron scowled. ‘Make a speech? In front of an entire bloody school? Not likely,’ he said, sitting down next to Hermione.

‘Why not?’ she asked him. ‘It can’t be that difficult, surely. You’ve made speeches before, Ron.’

‘Not in front of Australians, though,’ he groaned, slumping his head down onto the table.

‘What’s wrong with Australians?’ Harry asked, amused. Ron shrugged, muttering something inaudible. Hermione rolled her eyes.

‘Stop being so immature, Ronald,’ she said. ‘It’ll be an amazing opportunity, to see how a school on the other side of the world operates. I wonder if it’s anything like Hogwarts? I wonder if they’ll let us look around at the classes and things ...’ she trailed off, deep in thought. Harry grinned.

‘Come on, Ron,’ he said. ‘It’ll be a piece of cake.’

Ron sighed, lifting his head off the table. ‘Fine,’ he grumbled. ‘Tell Kingsley we’ll do it.’

Hermione grinned. ‘Cheer up,’ she told her boyfriend. ‘It’ll be fun. Don’t tell me you’re not looking forward to meeting some Aussies.’ With that, she grinned at them both and headed upstairs to start penning her speech.
Chapter Three: So Close, Still We’ve Got So Far by jenny b
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took so long! I've had dreadful writer's block for the past few months. I'll try to finish the next one much quicker, so don't worry. The lyrics in the chapter title are from a Gyroscope song, which is fabulously titled 'Australia'. ^_^ Thank you to my dear beta Joanna once more, with her record-breaking turnaround times. Reviews are wonderful, I love to hear your opinions on the fic.
Chapter Three: So Close, Still We’ve Got So Far


It was a dreary, rainy day when the three teenagers left Britain. Hermione tried not to take it as a bad sign, but her stomach clenched every time she glanced out a window, thinking of the task ahead. It had been terrifyingly easy so far, and she knew her luck would have to run out soon.

The boys were unbothered by both the weather and her worries, and seemed perfectly at ease all morning. They were laughing and joking as Hermione double-checked their luggage, reciting all the jokes they could remember about Australia and the people who lived there.

‘Oh, be quiet, won’t you?’ Hermione finally snapped after the fifth joke about kangaroos. Harry and Ron shut up immediately, exchanging a glance that did not go unnoticed by Hermione. She sighed, trying to calm herself. She shouldn’t take her worries out on them. It wasn’t fair. Taking out her wand, she busied herself closing all the suitcases one final time.

There was silence as they each picked up their luggage and prepared to Apparate to a deserted car park down the road from Heathrow Airport. They had checked it out earlier that week, after deciding that it would be too much trouble to try to take a bus there.

‘Remember, it’s a holiday,’ Ron whispered in her ear just before they set out. ‘Try to relax. We’ll find them.’

She nodded mutely, and pulled out her wand. After performing a difficult spell to send the luggage there ahead of them, the three of them joined hands and turned on the spot. They appeared in the car park some ways away from the airport. Like they had expected, there was no person or car in sight. Hermione stowed her wand away in her luggage. They were travelling as Muggles now. There were anti-detection charms on all the magical objects in their luggage, so they wouldn’t show up as something strange when they went through the x-ray machines.

Neither Harry nor Ron had travelled by plane before, and so it was an entirely new experience as they stepped into the bustling airport, looking around them in wonder. Hermione suppressed a grin as Ron’s mouth dropped open when he noticed the luggage carousel.

‘What is that?’ he asked, pointing. A passer-by gave him a strange look, and Hermione grabbed his arm, laughing.

‘Ron! You have to act like a Muggle!’ she whispered.

Ron looked slightly disgruntled, but from then on resorted to just staring at things with a look of awe on his face, occasionally shaking his head in bewilderment at things Harry and Hermione took for granted, even though they had been completely immersed in magic for the past eight or so years.

They made it through the security checks without any trouble. Ron managed to restrain himself from asking about the metal detector, and the three of them headed towards the gate, boarding passes in hand. Hermione mentally ran through everything in her bag once more, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything vitally important.

As they sat down to wait, Hermione took a piece of crumpled, scribbled-on paper out of her pocket. It was the speech they were to read at the Australian Institute of Magic, which she had been writing and revising all week. Ron rolled his eyes. Both he and Harry were being annoyingly nonchalant about their speech, which frustrated her to no end. They didn’t seem to understand how much of an impact they had had on the Wizarding world, both in Britain and overseas. Even in a place as far off as Australia.

Harry read over her shoulder for a little while, and then he stood up and wandered over to stare out the window at the grey skies of England, which they probably wouldn’t see for a while. Hermione hadn’t booked return tickets – she didn’t know how long they would be away for.

She watched him closely as he ran a hand over his perpetually messy hair, trying and failing to flatten it. He hadn’t been exactly happy over the past few weeks. They had gone to buy Harry a new owl last week – she was a large tawny, with the same large brown eyes as Hedwig. She was lovely, and very friendly, but could never really replace her predecessor. Harry had called her Pixie, something neither she nor Ron had understood. But it suited her.

Pixie was at the Weasleys, and they were going to send her on in a few days, since it was impossible to take her on the plane. Hermione hoped she was up to journeying halfway around the world. It was no mean feat for an owl.

There was a call over the loudspeaker, shaking Hermione from her reverie. It was time to board the plane. She stood, picking up her carry-on and clutching her boarding pass. Ron grabbed her hand as they made their way towards the gate, looking rather worried. She bit back a grin.

Harry joined them, and they relinquished their passes to a flight attendant, passing through the makeshift tunnel onto the plane. They were flying direct to Sydney, saving them the trouble of going through another dull wait at an airport in a different country. It was a twenty-hour flight already; one Hermione was not looking forward to.

Another beaming blonde flight attendant ushered them towards their seats. Ron was still squeezing her hand tightly, looking around at the inside of the plane. He opened his mouth before she could stop him, and looked at the attendant in disbelief.

‘You’re kidding, right?’ he said. ‘There’s no way this thing could fly.’ Hermione gave him a sharp glare, but the young woman just laughed, not finding the question odd at all.

‘A first-time flyer?’ she asked as they finally found their seats and slid into them. Ron had taken the window seat, and he tapped the tiny window suspiciously.

‘Wellw22;’ he began, but Hermione stepped down hard on his foot before he said anything about broomsticks. ‘Oh, yeah. First time.’

The attendant smiled at him. ‘It’s completely, safe, sir, so there’s no need to worry,’ she said, before turning her attention to someone a few rows down. Ron gave a small nod, giving Hermione a worried glance. He wasn’t reassured at all. Even Harry seemed a little jumpy; Hermione kept forgetting that neither of them had been on an aeroplane before.

‘Muggles are insane,’ Ron said, and Hermione glared at him. She had warned him repeatedly not to reveal themselves whilst in the company of Muggles – although she doubted it would get them into any trouble, it would be an embarrassing situation she’d rather avoid if someone overheard them.

As the flight attendants started reciting the safety instructions, Hermione settled back in her chair and took a deep breath. Despite having flown before, she wasn’t particularly fond of it. It just didn’t seem safe.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Harry said quietly, turning his head away from the life jacket demonstration to look at her. ‘We’re going to find your parents.’

Hermione let out a small giggle. ‘I’m actually not worrying about that right now,’ she said, and gestured at the plane around them. ‘I just don’t like flying.’

Harry laughed, and then looked back at the flight attendant, who was now telling them about the movies available on the flight over. ‘It’s been years since I’ve seen a movie,’ he said, inspecting the small television on the back of the seat in front of him. Hermione nodded in agreement.

‘The last time I saw one was just before my parents left,’ she said. Turning to Ron, she pointed the television out. ‘You should watch something. Trust me, they’re great.’

A half hour later they were up in the air, leaving Britain for the unknown. It was strange to think that soon they would be halfway around the world, thousands of miles away from everything they knew. Hermione glanced at the boys, trying to see if they felt the same, but both were already fascinated by their movies.

Smiling, she took out her speech again. Hermione hated public speaking, but she knew this was necessary. Kingsley had told her that the Ministry of Magic rarely had contact with witches and wizards in other countries; the only thing they really came together for was Quidditch. She knew he was hoping that this could be the start of a new connection between Britain and Australia.

It excited her, actually. Hermione wanted to go to work in the Ministry once all this was over, and she would love to work with other countries. Especially the schools, she mused. It would be interesting to see if they could somehow bring Hogwarts and the Australian Institute of Magic together – giving them penpals or maybe even exchange students.

Harry and Ron couldn’t care less about the speech, or even meeting the Australian Minister of Magic, which infuriated her. It was vital that they make a good impression; they were representing the entirety of the magical population of Britain, after all. Sometimes she thought they didn’t fully comprehend just what defeating Voldemort had done for the Wizarding World.

With a small sigh, she set about editing her speech. It was almost done – she wanted to have it ready by the time they arrived in Australia. Their itinerary had already been arranged. After arriving in Sydney airport, they would be met by a Ministry official and taken to their lodgings – the Australian Ministry had insisted that the three teenagers would be hosted at no expense. Hermione was glad for it; it saved having to borrow money again. She cringed at the thought of how she would repay Harry already for the plane tickets.

Although Hermione dearly wanted to find her parents, they would have to deal with the Australian Ministry first. They needed to meet all sorts of important people, including the Minister himself, and for a few days they would be hard at work relaying messages from the British Ministry and attending important luncheons and trying to be diplomatic. Her head swirled at the thought, but it was necessary, she knew that.

As soon as they could get away, a portkey would be arranged for them to get to Adelaide, and find her parents. Hermione reassuringly touched the crumpled piece of paper in her pocket with the address – she’d had it on her ever since the phone call to Australia. Not that she needed it, since she’d memorised it long ago, but it helped to reassure her. Her parents were safe, and alive, and she would be seeing them in less than a week.

Then she would un-obliviate them – she’d been practicing the charm for months – and everything could go back to how it once was. She’d give them time to recover and arrange their affairs in Australia before they headed back home, and in the meantime Harry and Ron could do the sightseeing they were so eager for, as well as visit the Australian Institute of Magic.

Hermione was looking forward to her world returning to normal. Well, it could hardly be normal – nothing could ever be normal again, not after all that they had lost. But they could recover the ordinary way of life they’d had before Voldemort. Her parents could go back home, she’d return to Hogwarts in September to complete her seventh year (so that wasn’t entirely usual, since Harry and Ron wouldn’t be there, but she was looking forward to spending the year with Ginny), and life would go on.

Settling back as far as she could in the cramped aeroplane seats, Hermione closed her eyes and prepared for the long journey.

* * *

Twenty hours later, they stepped off the aeroplane into a different world.

Exhausted, bedraggled and cranky at Ron for snoring and keeping her awake for a fair part of the journey, Hermione couldn’t help but be awed by the fact that they were finally in Australia. It was cold, was her first impression. Much colder than she’d expected for Australia, which was supposedly the land of blue skies and sandy beaches. She reminded herself that it did get cold, too, and they’d gone from the middle of summer in Britain to the middle of winter over in Australia. Lucky she’d remembered to take a jacket in her carry-on luggage.

It was past eleven at night in Australia, but the time difference meant it felt like it was mid-afternoon. It was a strange feeling. There were spells that could fix jetlag, Hermione knew, but they would have to wait until they were away from the prying Muggle eyes before she could put them into use.

She followed the crowd of people off their plane, heading for the baggage collection area, where she supposed the person picking them up would be waiting. Harry and Ron ambled along behind her, half-dead. None of them had gotten much sleep over the past twenty hours, and it was taking its toll.

They picked up their bags and went through Customs, which was a slow and tedious process. Despite having a number of magical objects in their luggage, they passed through undetected due to the charms Hermione had placed on them earlier. She felt a little bad about deceiving the Muggles, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, Harry had insisted on bringing his brand new Firebolt II that Kingsley had presented him with, once he heard that the original had been destroyed. The Muggles could hardly let that one slide by.

Once they were out in the airport lobby, Hermione looked around, attempting to spot anyone who looked like a wizard. They were usually dressed in such an odd assortment of Muggle clothes that it was easy to spot them, but she couldn’t see anyone. Frustrated, she began to move her way through the crowds, hoping that they would recognise her instead.

‘Er, Hermione?’ Ron said from behind her. She turned, and saw a group of five people approaching with broad grins on their faces. There were two women and three men, all dressed impeccably in jeans and shirts. In fact, she would have dismissed them as Muggles if it weren’t for the sign bearing her, Ron and Harry’s names.

‘Hey!’ the woman at the front of the group said, beaming at them and reaching out to shake their hands. She seemed so nice, so genuine, that Hermione couldn’t help but smile back. ‘We’re from the Ministry, here to collect you. I can’t tell you what an honour it is to meet you. We’ve heard so much about your endeavours, even all the way on the other side of the world.’ She gave a high-pitched laugh that betrayed her nervousness, and it was then that Hermione realised just how well-known they would be in Australia. The number of the people sent to collect them, the excitement of the Ministry when they had been informed they were to visited by Harry Potter and his friends, it all overwhelmed her.

Harry looked at Hermione, and she shrugged. Turning to the woman, he opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, her voice ringing out in the clear Australian accent that Hermione adored. ‘I’m Janet Miles, Head of International Affairs at the Ministry. This is David Hewn, my deputy; Julie Cossack, Britain’s ambassador; and Martin Sims and John Kluske, two of the Ministry’s security guards,’ she rattled off, pointing to each of them in turn. Harry, Ron and Hermione did nothing but nod at them, still overwhelmed by the scale of their reception and the vivacity with which it was being conducted.

‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Harry said finally, managing a smile. ‘We weren’t expecting such a warm welcome, but it looks like we were mistaken. I’m Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.’ Hermione thought introducing them was a little pointless, because they clearly knew who they were, but she didn’t say anything.

‘Oh, you’re so British!’ Janet cried, clapping her hands together. ‘Well, it’s simply wonderful to meet you, Harry. May I call you Harry? And Ron and Hermione, of course. Oh, I do adore your jacket!’ she said all of a sudden, turning to Hermione and admiring the denim jacket she had thrown on when she got off the plane. ‘It’s so cute!’

‘Er, thank you,’ Hermione said, slightly taken aback by the woman’s forwardness. It was still so surreal, being in an entirely different country surrounded by Australians who seemed to know all about them.

‘Janet, don’t you think we should probably get them to the car?’ the ambassador for Britain said, smiling wanly at the three teenagers. ‘They’ve had a long day, and probably want to go to bed.’ She had a slight trace of a British accent, which was somehow comforting to Hermione.

‘Oh, of course! I’m so sorry, dears. I tend to get a little over-excited sometimes. John, Marty, could you please grab their bags?’ Janet asked, and then turned and led the procession out into the car park of Sydney airport. Hermione blinked as she got her first view of the city, with all the bright lights and modern, towering buildings. She noted the famous Opera House in the distance.

The air was still and calm, but Hermione shivered in the sudden cold. Ron, noticing, glanced towards her. He pulled at his jacket with a wordless question, but she shook her head. It wasn’t cold enough to need another coat. To compensate, Ron put his arm around her shoulders as they walked. Smiling to herself, Hermione leaned into his warmth until they reached the Ministry’s cars.

She, Harry and Ron slid into the backseat of the first car, and Janet and David got into the front. While the car was warming up, Janet turned in the passenger seat to face them. ‘I take it none of you have been to Australia before?’ she asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement. The three of them shook their heads.

‘I’ve been to Egypt,’ Ron suggested uncertainly. Hermione grinned, leaning her head on his shoulder. Trust Ron to not know where Egypt was in comparison to Australia.

‘Egypt? I’ve always wanted to go there,’ Janet said. ‘But oh, you’ll love Australia, trust me. If you’d like, we can arrange a small tour for you, so you can see a bit of everything before you leave. I know you have your business to attend to, but by Apparating, it wouldn’t take you longer than a week. What do you think?’

Harry glanced at Hermione, who shrugged and waited for him to answer. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘It depends what happens. Thank you for the offer, though, Ms Miles.’

‘Please, call me Janet,’ she said with a wave of her hand. ‘But okay. If you decide you do want to do it, just contact me and I’ll get it organised straightaway. I’m sure no one will object to Harry Potter wanting to do a little sightseeing.’

They were driving through the city now, going at a speed much faster than any of the Muggles around them. Janet continued babbling on, and Hermione tuned out after a while, leaning against Ron and staring out the window at Sydney.

Before she knew it, they had pulled up outside of a very posh-looking hotel. They got out of the car, and after insisting to Martin and John that they could carry their own luggage to their room, the three of them bid goodnight to their welcoming committee and went into the lobby of the hotel.

It was empty, apart from the middle-aged woman manning the reception desk. They crossed the room over to her, and she looked up with a smile. ‘Um, hi,’ Harry said. ‘I’m Harry P–’

‘Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger,’ she finished, still beaming at them. ‘It’s quite an honour to meet you. You’ve done great things for the Wizarding World.’

The three of them looked at each other, not quite knowing what to say. ‘Er–’ Hermione began, before the woman cut her off again.

‘It’s perfectly okay,’ she said, laughing as she opened a drawer and pulled out a key. ‘The Ministry thought it would be better to have you stay at a hotel run by some of us, and that’s me. My husband and I bought it two years ago, and we get a fair few wizards and witches through here. If you need to do any shopping, then just call for one of the staff and they’ll show you through to Jindarem, which goes off the back of our hotel. I’d imagine you have something similar in London, but I can’t be sure.’ Without waiting for them to answer, she continued. ‘Anyway, it’s a pleasure to have you staying here. I don’t think we’ve ever had such distinguished guests.

‘I’m Helen, by the way,’ she said, and handed them a key. ‘Would you like me to show you to your room?’

‘I think we’ll be right, thanks,’ Hermione said, taking the key from her with a smile.

‘Sure. It’s level three, fourth door down. Room number 32.’ She stifled a yawn. ‘Excuse me. I don’t know about you three, but I’m exhausted. I’ve been waiting here especially for you. We don’t usually take guests after nine, but of course we made an exception.’

‘Well, we can manage from here,’ Hermione replied. ‘Thank you, Helen. Have a lovely night,’ she said, and they picked up their luggage.

‘You too,’ Helen said, starting to pack up behind the reception desk. Hermione led the boys into the lift, and they went up to the third storey, to room 32.

‘Australians are mad,’ Ron said as they finally got inside, dropping their bags and collapsing onto the lounge. ‘They’re all so … excitable.’

‘I think they’re nice,’ Harry said, unzipping his Muggle suitcase and pulling out his wand. ‘Finally. It feels so strange not having it on me.’

Hermione nodded in agreement, pulling hers out of her bag, along with a book of charms. She would need her sleep tonight, so she set about looking for something to cure their jetlag. Five minutes later their body clocks had all reset to Australian time, and they were ready for bed, it being almost midnight.

When Hermione finally rested her head on her pillow, Ron’s arm around her waist (Harry had subtly let them take the main bedroom), a peaceful feeling came over her. So far they’d had nothing but friendliness – everyone seemed more than willing to accommodate them. All they had was a few days of meeting dignitaries, and then she could see her parents again. Everything was falling into place.
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