Chapter Two
Hermione passed her mum on the stairs.
“Have fun dear,” was all she said, leaving Hermione to greet Ron on her own.
Hermione paused before entering the living room, gathered up her bravery, then confidently strode inside.
Ron was standing next to the fireplace, smiling shyly at her.
“Hi
Ron,” she said.
“Hello,”
he said, blushing for no apparent reason.
Honestly, thought Hermione.
That is so cute. I hope he never grows out of that. She walked
up to him and gave him a long hug.
“Are
you all ready?” he asked.
"Yes,
I hope so. What are we doing?"
Ron
smiled, "You'll see."
He
stepped over to the fireplace and threw in some Floo Powder.
“Hadrian's
Wall” he said, stepping aside. “After you.”
Hermione
was wide-eyed. Hadrian’s Wall? The old Roman ruin between England and
Scotland? Now the sweet shop really seemed like a normal place for a date.
I didn’t see this one coming, she thought somewhat gladly. I
wonder what he is up to? She eagerly grabbed his hand and they entered
the fireplace.
The
world rushed around them until they stepped out into a deserted living
room.
“Ron,”
said Hermione, looking around. “Is this a bed and breakfast?”
Ron
chuckled. “Yes, we are at Carrsgate East in Hexham. The wizard couple
that owns it makes a killing I’m told. But this isn’t our date. This is
just our way to the wall.
“So
we are having our date at Hadrian’s Wall?” she asked.
“Nope,”
said Ron.
She
playfully made a face at him. “Are you ever going to tell me what’s going
on?”
He
took her other hand. “No, I’m going to show you. Let’s go.”
And
he led her out the door.
It
was a gorgeous day. The sun shone over the rolling green landscape. Hadrian’s
Wall was nearby. They could see it’s stone remains trailing along into
the distance, reaching 15 feet tall in some spots.
Hermione
eyed Ron's bag. "Are we having a picnic?" she asked.
Ron laughed, "This is driving you nutters, isn't it."
She smiled widely. "Okay, fine. I'm not going to try and guess anything.
As far as I know, we are going to go stand next to an old wall."
"Would you mind?" teased Ron.
"No," she said softly. "I'd still love it."
Ron blushed.
They climbed up towards the wall, eventually reaching a taller section.
"We're here," said Ron.
Hermione looked around. "Where?"
Ron smiled. "I didn't think I'd have you going for this long,"
he said gleefully. "Don't you remember how you first reached Diagon
Alley?"
Her eyes widened. "Of course! We went through a wall!" She looked
sideways at him. "If I weren't so distracted I would have figured
that out by now."
"Distracted, huh?" grinned Ron.
"You know it," she replied. "Where are we going? I didn't
know there was a wizarding community around here."
"Well, there isn't," said Ron. "It's more like a hidden
vacation spot."
He went up the wall, took out his wand, and tapped the wall in an odd
sequence. The walls opened and Hermione stepped through.
She gasped.
They were standing on an island made from dark, red rocks. Water stretched
out all around them, dotted with other islands. Sea creatures played in
the water, no, she sniffed, the ocean. In the far horizon she could see
volcanoes spurting lava. The sky looked like a sunset, even though it
was afternoon. It was beautiful.
"Welcome to the Iapetus Ocean," said Ron, looking pleased with
himself.
"It's gorgeous," she exclaimed.
"Way behind us is England. And that lump way in the horizon there
is Scotland. This ocean used to be between them, but it disappeared way
back when the continents collided," explained Ron, "The wizards
decided to revive it, with enhancements of course."
Hermione turned to him, "Why Ron, you sounded almost like an encyclopedia
just now. I'm so impressed"
A look of mock horror crossed his face. "Oh no! You're rubbing off
on me!" She playfully pushed him. He laughed and turned her to her
left.
"Want to go on a little cruise?" he asked.
Her
eyes landed on a boat. It didn't resemble any Muggle or Wizard boat she
had ever seen. It looked a bit like a small trireme, she recalled from
her history books. It was long and curved up at one end. The other end
narrowed into a sharp point, looking almost like a needle-nose shark.
But instead of three rows of oars, it had three rows of miniature waterfalls
- each row gushing out a different colored water, sparkling blue, green,
then gold, eventually mixing into a beautiful sea hue. The boat itself
looked like it was made from some sort of wooden ivory. There was a mast
for the sail, but there was no sail in sight. Hermione laughed when she
saw the boat's name etched in its side.
"The
Sugar Quill," she exclaimed.
Ron
laughed. "Good clue?"
Hermione
smiled up at him and gave him a kiss. "Yes! Let's go now!"
Ron
reeled a little and watched her run towards the boat. This is going
to be even better than I figured, he thought, and then ran to join
her.
