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.