pottering | All This Time I Was Finding Myself

( At his question, Hermione looks up from the screen projected onto her arm and out the window in her room which faces the beach. Suddenly, Harry appears near a blue umbrella and Hermione can almost hear the pop in her head. )

Harry! There's Muggles! You can't just go Apparating around anymore!

( And yet, she's on her way out of the room all the same and she's grinning in spite of herself. She's not going to use magic in front of Muggles, but she's still absolutely going to meet up with her friend. )

[Details, Hermione, details, getting his friend into a hug is more important than a few Muggles who might wonder how he'd gotten outside so fast. Besides, no one here seems to ask questions about things like that. He has stories to tell her already, after only a few days, but those can wait. Right now she's a little piece of home that he hadn't realized he'd been missing.]

It's so bloody good to see you, I'm glad you're here. It seems weird to have missed you, it's only been a few days.

( Once she gets off the elevator, Hermione breaks out into a run, calling out apologies over her shoulder when she bumps into people as she goes. Maybe it's because she's feeling awkward about being in this place after everything; maybe it's just that she loves Harry — and Ron, and Ginny, and all of them — so much and she hadn't realized how much she'd been missing him even though it's only been a few days, but she doesn't slow down when she catches sight of him so much as she launches herself at him for a hug, squeezing him tightly. )

I know, I feel the same way.

( She gives a little hum as she gives him one more squeeze before stepping back and looking back at him. )

I'm so glad you're here, too, Harry.

( Hermione almost asks whether he thinks Ron will come, but quiets the question by reminding herself that Ron's family is still alive and knows who he is...and they've suffered a very deep loss. Ron probably won't take his invitation when his family needs him. They've got a twin to bury. Her expression falters at the thought. )

I have to tell you...I've found some people we know here...

( For the moment, she'll hold off on throwing out Professor Lupin and Sirius's names — and she'll never tell that Sirius was coming on to her — because she wants to wait to see how he reacts to the idea of them knowing others here before she actually names names. )

[He isn't going to let her go completely, keeping a hand on her shoulder, just to keep her there, especially with the way her expression shadows for a moment, but then he's grinning again.]

I know. Sirius is here. Can you—I mean—Sirius. He's barely older than me.

[And he's worked out, thanks to Harry's fumbling, that he dies, or that his name is never cleared, but Harry isn't going to think about that right now. They hadn't dwelled on it, Harry isn't going to dwell on it. He takes Hermione's hand and pulls her toward the enticing hem of the ocean.]

C'mon then. I've never gone paddling, always wanted to. Seems like a good time, yeah?

( Hermione smiles a little and no, it isn't lost on her that he's keeping his hand on her shoulder. She's okay with that; if she had to guess, it's because he's glad to see her and wants to make sure that she's really there and not going to disappear out from under his nose. To that end, she actually kind of likes feeling his hand there. It reassures her in the very same way. )

Sirius, yes. ...and Professor Lupin. Also barely older than us.

( She says it gently because, well, that's two of their allies and people who were both incredibly important to Harry; two very dead, important people to Harry who are young and decidedly not dead. It could be a lot to take in and she doesn't want to overwhelm him with an excitable tone when he's already got to wrap his head around the information. At least he's seen Sirius, so that should, she hopes, soften the blow. )

Could do, I haven't ever, either, actually.

( She's not quite sure how it'll work in an ocean without being treacherous, but she's not going to ask, because if it was too dangerous, they wouldn't offer it at the resort, would they? )

Professor Lupin's here too? Brilliant, that's, wow. It's weird to think, isn't it? Them being our age.

[Weird and sobering, considering Professor Lupin had only just died a few days ago.

Too sobering. They can't let the shadows of their world creep up on them in this one, that's why they're here, to get out from under those shadows for a little while.

The hand on her shoulder switches to her hand and Harry enthusiastically pulls her toward the shore, there's no time like the present, right? He pauses long enough to pull off his shoes and socks and roll up his jeans to his knees, but this is his first real time going wading in an ocean, the Dursleys had certainly never gone to a beach, and he hadn't had time at school between everything happening so much all the time.

He's surprised he hadn't already done this, but he'd clearly been waiting for Hermione and hadn't realized it.]

Race you in!

[It's hardly fair at all, considering he's already running down the beach when he says it.]

( Weirder than Harry probably realizes for Hermione, as they're both incredibly handsome men in their prime... )

Yeah, I've talked to him a bit. And Sirius briefly. I didn't tell them much. I don't want to break time; we're all here without time turners so...I don't know. I'm not sure how that all works, now...

( It's certainly something to tiptoe around, if you ask her, but knowing Harry, he'll dive right in and she doesn't suppose she can blame him for it. He was a lot closer to the men than she had been, after all.

And then Harry's dragging her along behind him toward the water and Hermione stumbles, letting out a yelp of surprise before catching herself. )

Harry!

( The exclamation is meant to sound indignant but instead it comes out sounding more amused than anything else. Because of course it does. All the same, she's right behind him and she'll probably never catch up so Hermione guesses Harry wins this one. He could use a win that doesn't end in death, for a chance, so she'll give him this one. Still, though, honestly... )

Slow down!

[It might be disturbing, on a few levels, to learn that his friend thinks his essentially-uncles are incredibly handsome at this stage in their lives, but that's a bridge they can blow up when they get to it. Right now he's blissfully oblivious, more focused on wading (running) in the shallows at the edge of the water, the way he'd always wanted to.

For the moment, he isn't going to think about converging timelines, or how much they should say to either Sirius or Remus, he's going to go wading.

And he's going to slow down just enough to turn around and lean over and splash a line of water in Hermione's direction with a bright grin.]

Sorry, what? Couldn't hear you, you're so far away!

( Hermione laughs and shakes her head as she pushes herself to run that much faster in an effort to catch up. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are no strangers to running, but this is the first time she can recall them both running to something pleasant rather than to a safe space from something awful.

It's liberating in a way she almost wishes it wouldn't be, because she can't stay forever. Of course she can't.

Harry's already reached the water before Hermione can get in and he's splashing at her as she finally reaches the shoreline. )

You're terrible, I was trying, you know!

( She's trying very hard to scold him but her expression of amusement easily gives her away. )

[It really does, and Harry splashes at her once more, not really aiming at all, before standing straight again, calf-deep in water warmed from the sun, toes digging into the sand that's both soft and gritty all at once.

The beach is almost blindingly white, the water out to sea slides through any number of impossibly jewel-like colors, and while there are a lot of people in view, it's surprisingly quiet right here at the edge of the water.]

This is brilliant. I never really...I didn't think I'd do this.

( Hermione stops near the shoreline and toes off her shoes before pulling off her socks and stuffing them in. She's already wearing shorts, so she wades in with him. Hermione isn't wearing a swimsuit, so her plan is just to kind of leave it at that, but she can't help smiling at how excited Harry is about it. )

It's really beautiful here...I've never seen anything like it.

( And she's been on holiday more than a few places with her parents...before everything. But still, nothing as nice as this place. )

Shame Ron couldn't come out, too, isn't it?

( But she gets it. Hermione assumes Ron got an invitation and simply ignored it because his family is grieving Fred right now and that's more important. He can come round later, if he wants, when he's ready. )

[He looks over, smile slipping a bit, because yeah, having Ron here would make things even better. He could introduce Ron to Sirius, to this Sirius, they'd get up to all sorts of mischief together, he's sure, and Ron needs a break as much as the two of them do, but...

But Ron has more at stake to keep him back home right now. They both know that. It'd be selfish to wish he'd leave his family right now, just to come spend more time with them. Hadn't they had enough of each other?

(No, they hadn't, they probably never will, not after everything.)

He still reaches for her hand to squeeze it, because they both miss him.]

He'd be bright red already. Peeling. Horrific.

( Hermione gives Harry's hand an appreciative squeeze in return. The sentiment of the gesture is by no means lost on her. He knows that she's missing Ron as much as he is, and he knows that she feels a bit terrible wishing that he could be here with them because he's got more important things to deal with right now, whereas Harry and Hermione haven't much left back home for them at the moment beyond a grieving period and then, she supposes, they'll all have to band together one more time to clean up Hogwarts so that someday, the school can take in more young witches and wizards so that they can become fully functioning adults in the new world created by the final fall of Voldemort.

In other words, as much as Ron could use a vacation, Harry and Hermione need one and there's nothing wrong with taking a breather before they have to head back to start the effort. Is there? )

No, you're right, it'd be a terrible sight. He'd be miserable.

( Her tone suggests dismissal but she still gives a fond smile and nods. They understand one another and it's easier to be playful than serious to this end. So perhaps it's time to change the subject and not wallow in missing their friend. He'll come when he can; Hermione has faith in that. )

I can't believe how warm this water is! I'd have thought it would be a little more chilly given it's...you know, an ocean...

[Harry looks out over the expanse of water, not a hint of a horizon.]

Dunno, is it? Isn't the Mediterranean pretty warm? We could be there.

[It's weird to think they don't really know where they are in the world. It might not even be the same world. King's Cross station, when he'd died, Dumbledore had said it was only in his head but still real, and this isn't in his head, he's almost sure, but it could still be a whole different place.

Does it really matter, though, if they're safe here? They don't need to run away from shadows, they can stand in the shallows and just enjoy being alive.

He tugs her hand and points at a distant rock outcropping.]

C'mon. I bet there's tide pools and things.

I think, yeah. I dunno that we're on Earth anymore though, Harry.

( She hasn't been here long, but what little she's seen, read, and heard suggests they probably aren't. Which, if she's honest, isn't a terrible thing, because if she's going to travel properly and not because she has to, she might as well go all out.

It's just such a beautiful place and even though she's feeling a bit guilty that Ron isn't with them, she can't help being a little more grateful still that she's been invited to a place like this when she needs it the most.

And then Harry's tugging on her hand again and Hermione huffs a laugh, but she doesn't pull back or argue. Instead, she follows him. )

Let's have a look then.

( Having never been to a proper beach, she can't help being a little excited to look around, after all. )

All This Time I Was Finding Myself

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