A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Aller guten Dinge sind drei

Chapter 46: Third time is the charm

“I know that we agreed on a simple dinner, but I couldn’t find anywhere that would accommodate a fugitive, of sorts,” Remus chuckled as he held his arm out for Hermione to hold on to.

Hermione’s eyes widened, and her lips pressed together in confusion. The night had barely begun and already she was filling with regret.

“What in the name of Merlin do you mean, Remus?”

“Trust me. I’ll get us there safely. Destination, determination and deliberation.”

Hermione opened her mouth ready to argue that she could neither determine nor deliberate when she didn’t actually know the destination; however she thought better of it. If this were going to be a pleasant evening, she would have to bite her tongue when it came to the small details.

“Right,” Remus’ voice came out of her reverie. “Ready to go in three…two…one!”

Hermione felt a pinch from her navel before the crushing void enveloped her and her date. She could feel every internal organ being squeezed and the pressure was already giving her a headache.

Fortunately, it was over in a moment and the cool December air was soon helping to restore her equilibrium.

A long, country road was winding before them, with almost oil painting perfection. The trees were waving away the last of their autumnal leaves in what remained of the afternoon light.

“I was hoping we would get here a little earlier in the afternoon,” said Remus, putting his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. “I know the light’s getting dim, but do you recognise this place?”

Hermione squinted her eyes as she turned her head to the side.

“No, not yet anyway. Should I know it?”

Remus gave a single nod of his head.

“Maybe you will in a minute or two…we’ll need to go this way…” he replied, gently holding onto Hermione’s elbow to lead her down the path and towards an old gate that was creaking slightly in the breeze.

Hermione was left utterly bewildered as she blindly followed on, the light diminishing further as they dodged the odd tree root. It was colder here, although Hermione was still not sure where ‘here’ was exactly. At least Remus had a smile on his face.

All of a sudden they came across a clearing, and it was as if Hermione’s memory had been unlocked once more. The fallen log was in the correct place, complete with vines running across it. The field was bare of flowers, but Hermione only had to close her eyes to envision the moment the Room of Requirement had transformed into this place many months before.

Even in the beginnings of winter, it took her breath away.

He remembered it too. He didn’t say as much, but it was obvious that he took notice the first time; otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered to bring her back.

In the fading light, Hermione could just about make out a picnic basket and blanket sitting underneath the boughs of a distant tree. She felt Remus take her hand in his, guiding her over towards it, careful not to let her trip or fall on the uneven surface of the grass.

With several short and sharp jabs of his wand, the entire scene had been lit up with dozens of small candles. Paper lanterns had been strung across the tree braches, marking out their territory.

Hermione did not notice that Remus had let go of her hand until he was offering her a glass of champagne.

“Care for a drink? I charmed the lanterns to give off some heat so we don’t freeze to death when the sun goes down completely.”

Hermione shrugged off her coat and placed it on the edge of the picnic blanket before accepting the glass.

“You really did think of everything…” Hermione’s voice trailed off in a mixture of amusement and awe.

“Yep,” grinned Remus, making himself comfortable on the blanket, and indication for Hermione to do the same. “Only this time, it’s real.”

I don’t know how many of you actually read this, but I feel as if I owe you an explanation for the time I’ve been away. It has been months and I apologise for that, but here is my reason.

 

Back in May my grandfather was diagnosed with an aggressive and terminal form of cancer. For the short period of time he was unwell, I became one of his carers doing everything from helping him around the house to giving him injections of medication. It consumed a huge amount of my time and energy. By the beginning of July, he had deteriorated quite seriously and passed away. When this happened, I was a week into a new job and feeling quite stressed on top of the grief I was feeling. Writing took a back seat until quite recently, hence the lack of updates.

I hope to get back into some kind of routine, but as always, I refuse to make a promise I might not be able to keep.

 

Life is certainly getting better for me right now, and I would like to give you some new reading material ASAP, so stay tuned for more :)