Chapter 1 Departure

Hermione followed a bouncing Molly Potter down the staircase to the heart of Potter Place, the oversized farmhouse kitchen. Just like the kitchen at the Burrow, where Harry had first experienced a loving family environment, this room provided a warm feeling, despite its size. Molly was still carrying on a one-sided conversation, telling Auntie Hermie about all the wonders they would soon see in the Land of Mickey Mouse.

”Hermione, good, I’m glad you’re up,” greeted Ginny. “We need you to charm those marbles for Molly. Harry will take Nibbles to the Burrow before we take off for London.” Nibbles was Molly’s beloved pet rat, and Molly had thrown a full-blown temper tantrum when she was told that Nibbles could not visit Disney World with the family.

“Nibbles wants to meet Mickey Mouse!” she had wailed. In the end, Hermione had saved the day. After a thorough discussion of why pets could not visit Disney World, Hermione had offered to charm two glass marbles, which would act in a similar way to the mirrors Sirius had once shared with Harry. One marble would be placed in Nibbles’ cage. The other marble would travel with Molly. Whenever the child missed her pet, she could pull the marble out of her pocket and peek at him, safe in his cage at the Burrow. This solution appeared to satisfy Molly; she liked the idea of her own little window into Grandma’s.

Hermione helped herself to a large mug of steaming hot, black coffee from a pot on the stove before joining the family at the table. Harry grinned at Hermione. “Are you ready for this?” he questioned.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Hermione teased in return.

“Dad, how long will it take to fly to Florida?” asked Evan.

”About twelve hours. We have to fly across the Atlantic,” responded Harry.

“Why do we have to take a stupid plane?” James groaned. “I want to fly my broom.” Both boys had inherited their parents' love of flying.

“Believe me, James,” Harry smiled indulgently. “You’d be wishing for a dry, safe plane after an hour or two of flying over an ocean on a broom. Besides, you know how Auntie Hermie feels about flying.” Everyone but Hermione joined in on the laugh.

“Go ahead and laugh, we all have our own talents, and I never claimed that mine included riding a broom,” Hermione quipped.

“Speaking of your talents, if you’d charm Nibbles’ marbles, I’ll be off to the Burrow. I’ve already loaded everyone’s luggage in the car. If you girls get everyone loaded, I’ll be back in a flash,” Harry stated.

Hermione took Molly aside after breakfast and placed the charm on her two glass marbles. They placed one strategically in Nibbles’ cage, and Molly tucked the other in her pocket. Still, it was a tearful Molly that took the cage to her father.

“Cheer up, Molly.” Harry knelt down and spoke solemnly to his daughter.

Hermione loved the way Harry respected his children’s feelings. He would never belittle Molly’s attachment to her pet. “You know Grandma will take excellent care of Nibbles for you.”

The child nodded and gave the cage a quick hug. “I’ll say hello to Mickey for you. Be a good boy for Grandma,” Molly ordered. Then she was off, her attention elsewhere, as her pet was forgotten in the excitement of leaving.

“I’ll put the wards in place after you’ve left, Harry. We’ll get everyone loaded, and you can meet us at the car.” Since this trip involved crossing the Atlantic, the Potters had chosen to secure their home in a different way than they normally did. The wards Ginny was about to put in place would alert Arthur Weasley if anyone but a Potter passed through them. Should this occur, Arthur’s wand would glow red, alerting him to a possible intrusion at Potter Place.

Once Harry was off and the wards were set, Ginny, Hermione and the children went outside to load up the family vehicle, a Ford Focus, for the drive to London. Like Arthur in years past with the Anglia, the inside was magically enlarged to comfortably fit the family and their luggage. With a vague smile on her face, Hermione enjoyed a pleasant reverie back to those earlier years.