Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As soon as she returned to work, Hermione put in for vacation the following week. It was quickly approved, not that she was surprised at this point. She presumed that Ron had told his father that Hermione needed a vacation, and he had worked with her boss to ensure she could get the time off. She then spent her breaks trying to decide where it was she wanted to go, sorting through dozens of brochures as she learned about the various wizarding resorts. While she had normally let Ron handle all the travel arrangements in the past, this time she wanted to select a suitably remote and romantic location. Something he tended not to take into account when picking a destination.

She had considered just choosing a Muggle resort, but she knew that Ron would not feel comfortable there, and truthfully, she had grown used to living in the magical world.

By the time Thursday arrived, she still had not settled on a place, and she knew she had to make decision unless she wanted to just randomly Apparate places – something that would require her choosing a location with a lot of wizarding destinations, not something she wanted to do. Besides, she wanted some place isolated and not crowded.

During her lunch break she flipped through the brochures she had gotten from the travel agent, making two piles. After ruling out more than half of the places, she once again sorted through the brochures until she had narrowed it down to three choices: Mediterranean France, the Bahamas and Egypt. Unable to really decide which one would be better than the other, tired of her indecision, she tore three strips off a piece of parchment and wrote the location of each on one strip before folding them all up exactly the same way. She then took her empty mug, put the strips in and shook it up before selecting one.

She was excited as she unfolded the piece of parchment. On it was her vacation destination, and she could return to the travel agent in just a few moments to book her travel and tell Ron about it tonight. On the parchment was 'Bahamas'. This one had the appeal of being on a private island owned by the resort. She wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Muggles or a lot of other wizarding tourists like she would have in France or Egypt.

Turning to her office mate, she said, "Phil, I'm going to call it a day."

"Sure thing," he replied. "Have a good evening."

"Thanks. You too," she replied as she left. She had a spring in her step as she walked to the lift. She saw Arthur there when the doors opened. "Good afternoon!" she said cheerfully.

"Nice to see you looking so chipper – and you aren't even on vacation yet."

The both laughed at his comment. "I think it's just the idea of actually taking a vacation that's making me happy. I might just float away when I get there."

"So where have you decided on? Ron told me you were having trouble narrowing the choices down."

"I was, but I ended up just choosing someplace I liked at random."

"And that would be...?" he prompted.

She thought about telling him, but then she determined that she owed it to Ron to tell him first. "I'll send a postcard when I get there." She smiled. "I'd like to tell Ron first."

"Perfectly understandable. I do hope you will have a good time," he told her when the doors opened on the main floor.

"I'm sure I will," she replied before the doors closed. She then queued up to Disapparate, eager to finalize her travel plans. She knew that Floo travel or a Portkey would be involved. She was not sure which was worse. That would be the hardest decision for her to make. Perhaps she should keep with the random decision making and flip a coin for it.

When she walked in the door, Rose Monroe, the travel agent, greeted her brightly, "Mrs. Weasley! Have you finally made your decision?"

Hermione took the seat across from Rose's desk. "Indeed I have," she said smartly as she placed the brochure on the desk.

Rose smiled brightly. "Ah! Wonderful choice. I've been there myself and it is a wonderful place. Let me see to your reservation." Rose went over to a small fireplace located at chest level – clearly designed for Floo communication.

Hermione flipped through the brochure once more while she waited for Rose's head to return. After a few minutes, Rose pulled her head out of the fire and looked over at Hermione, her bright smile gone. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is I can get you a wonderful discount on the rate, but you will have to wait until Monday to depart. They don't have any availabilities this weekend."

Hermione thought about her other two finalists, but since she had left the office, she had had her heart set on this resort. "Monday will be fine," she finally replied and Rose's head popped back into the fire.

When Rose emerged this time, she had a piece of parchment in her hand. Reaching across the desk, she handed it to Hermione, who took it and began perusing it. "That is your confirmation. It's an all inclusive, food and tours are covered, so there won't be any need for Galleons when you get there unless you plan doing some shopping."

Hermione smiled brightly. "Thank you."

Rose pulled a form out of her drawer and grabbed her quill. "I presume you would like to pay for this with a transfer from Gringotts?"

Hermione tried not to twitch at the mention of the bank and all it implied. "Yes, please," she replied as pleasantly as she could. After a few moments, Rose passed her a document. Hermione read it over, filled in the pertinent information and signed it. Once it was signed, Rose cast a binding charm on it that would keep anyone from altering the document.

"That's it! Enjoy your vacation," Rose said cheerfully as she offered Hermione her hand.

"I hope to and thank you for helping with this," she replied as she rose to her feet.

"My pleasure."

Hermione tucked the reservation into her pocket and headed for home. She had hoped to have two weekends with Ron, but one was better than none. And this would give her plenty of time to pack and to do any shopping for clothes she would need in such a warm environment since her wardrobe was geared for cooler British weather.

When Monday finally arrived, Hermione could not be happier. The weekend had seemed especially tense, and she could not understand why. Yes, they had planned on going away and that plan had changed abruptly, but that shouldn't have been enough to account for the tension between the two of them. She had the feeling that Ron had something he wanted to tell her, but for some reason he did not seem comfortable doing so at home.

She had lessened the tension a bit by going out to purchase a few new outfits. Well, it had not exactly lessened the tension, but she had removed herself from the situation and was able to relax a few hours while she was away.

Ron had left for work that morning as though everything was normal, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving, which surprised Hermione. For some reason she had expected him to be apprehensive about her spending the week alone at the resort, or at the very least apologetic that he could not be there with her, but he had acted like it was no different than them being separated for the work day.

Due to the time difference, her Floo time was not until late afternoon. Her bag was sitting by the fireplace, and she was attempting to read a book while checking the clock every couple of minutes, willing time to pass a little more quickly.

Finally her Floo time arrived, and she took hold of her bag. After throwing a pinch of Floo powder into the fire, she said quite clearly, "Merlin's Cove, Bahamas," before walking into the green flames and feeling the extreme disorientation of a long Floo journey. She still was undecided whether this was worse than a Portkey.

Moments later she stepped out of an opulent fireplace that even though it was in the tropics, looked like it belonged there. Once she overcame the dizziness, she noticed the lobby of the hotel was even more magnificent than it had looked in the brochure. It truly was a tropical paradise. She only wished that Ron had arrived with her.

A house-elf was almost immediately at her side, and she jumped slightly. She should not have been surprised the resort utilized house elves. "Miss, Eppel will be taking your bag," it said subserviently.

She could feel herself getting riled up thinking of house-elf equality, and she forced herself to remember that she was on vacation and any crusade for house-elf equality could wait. "Of course," she finally replied simply and handed the house elf her bag. It immediately disappeared with a pop.

When she walked up to the front desk a friendly wizard dressed in light-weight linen robes greeted her. "Good morning, Mrs. Weasley. I hope that your journey was pleasant."

"As pleasant as Floo travel ever is," she replied honestly, still a bit overwhelmed by the resort.

"It is rather disorienting Flooing over long distances," he replied sympathetically before sliding a key onto the desk. "You are in Bungalow Fourteen; Eppel can guide you," he offered.

"I think I'd like to find it on my own, thank you," she replied, deciding she could at least minimize her use of house-elves.

If he was surprised by her request, he did not show it and smiled pleasantly. "Of course. You proceed out that door," he pointed off to her right, "and follow the signs. In your room you will find your luggage and a schedule of activities offered. Everything is included, though there are several activities where we do ask you make a reservation as they can be quite popular. Directions on how to do so are in the pamphlet. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. We are here to ensure you have a pleasant stay."

"Thank you," she replied pleasantly. As she walked outside, she was struck by how different the weather was here compared to London. She was definitely overdressed. Her first order of business would be change into more appropriate attire and then take a look at what the resort had to offer. She was strongly leaning towards taking a book down to the beach, but she might change her mind.

It did not take Hermione long to settle into her room. Again it seemed as though the brochure did not do it justice. There was a sitting area with a sofa and two chairs surrounding a coffee table, a small dining area for two, and in the bedroom a very large bed, naturally all in the tropical style. The palm trees on the duvet even swayed as though in a gentle breeze. A sea breeze ruffled the gauzy white curtains and brought the seductive scent of the sea air into the room. Outside was a lushly landscaped veranda with two chairs and a table. She knew that Ron was busy with work, but she really wished they could be enjoying this moment together. In that case, she probably would have decided that there was no need to leave the room immediately.

Continuing her exploration of the bungalow, she was in awe of the bath, which had a number of taps to rival those in the Prefect's bathroom, and the tub was definitely large enough for two. She thought that would be the perfect way for her and Ron to end their first day together. But that was not until Friday, so she pushed Ron's absence from her mind and focused on unpacking. Hopefully he would enjoy it here, and they could come back at a time when they could both get the week off from work.

Once she had finished unpacking, she perused the activity list. She saw many interesting activities and was pleased to notice that several of them were also offered on the weekend when she and Ron could enjoy them together. Looking at all there was to do only made her miss him more. She decided the best thing to do to relax was lounge at the beach and enjoy a good book so she could take her mind off being alone. She would take a better look at the brochure after she had had some time to unwind and then choose some activities she would enjoy on her own.

After changing into her swimsuit and pulling her wrap around her waist, she left the bungalow for the beach.

The beach was spacious enough that she noticed the paired lounge chairs were placed far enough apart to afford each person or couple some privacy. The sand was pristine white and cool enough to the touch that she presumed magic was being used to keep it comfortable for the guests. Times like these she really loved magic. She could remember being miserable as a child at the beach in Majorca, complaining to her parents about the sand being too hot and the water too cold. She selected a chair a short ways from where she entered the beach, reasoning that one chair was just as good as the next.

As soon as she settled into her seat, a house-elf popped next to her. "Can, Eppel be getting Miss anything to drink or eat?" the elf asked obsequiously.

For a moment she thought of sending him away, but she reasoned that she was on vacation and the house-elves here were obviously well treated, all wearing dazzlingly cleaned and pressed tea towels and so eager to help, so she could put aside her concerns for house-elf equality for a week. "Oh, I don't know, something fruity and tropical. You decide."

The elf got a very troubled look on his face and wrung his hands nervously. "Please, Miss, Eppel is needing to know what item you want. Eppel is not qualified to make a decision for a witch."

She closed her eyes and slowly counted. By the time she got to ten, she thought she had a solution. "I'll have the sixth drink on the menu," she said.

"But Miss doesn't know what it is," the house-elf protested.

"That's alright," she replied. "I like surprises." She generally did not, but in this case, she knew it was likely to get the elf to acquiesce to her request.

After a few very long seconds, Eppel bowed his head. "Yes, Miss. Eppel will return presently," he replied before popping away.

She contemplated opening her book, but she knew that it would only be a few seconds before he returned with her drink, so she just stared out at the water, watching the waves crash on the shore, reflecting on how soothing that process was.

As expected Eppel returned very quickly. The drink was a little frillier than she had expected, but it did look sufficiently tropical.

"If Miss is not liking the drink, Eppel will bring a new one," the elf said, clearly still nervous about the idea that she had not requested a specific drink.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Eppel. Thank you," she replied politely.

Eppel squeaked and blushed in embarrassment before popping away. She knew that house-elves were not used to being thanked. Just because she was on vacation and had decided not to question the use of house-elves did not mean that she would not remain polite to them. Carefully she took a sip of the drink, evaluating it. It was curiously light and refreshing, and she thought she might have to order a second one.

Now that she was alone, she settled into her chair and opened her book. This was one of the few times in her life where she had allowed herself to just read a book that was fiction. Ginny had lent her this one and Hermione was interested to see what sort of book Ginny had recommended. Based on the cover, she thought it was likely some sort of romance novel with a clichéd plot, but that was exactly what she needed to relax.

It did not take long for Hermione to become caught up in the heroine's plight, and she completely lost track of time. She would have been content to sit on the beach reading for the rest of the afternoon, but she was disturbed from her fantasy world.

"My goodness! Mrs. Weasley, is that you?" asked a stunned voice from in front of her.