Chapter 3 Arrival

Finally, the plane’s arrival was imminent. The children had awoken just before land became visible through the clouds upon their descent to Florida. Evan had swapped seats with his father and was watching out of the window, fascinated, as the tiny images of homes, roadways and cars became larger and larger.

“This is just like magic!” Evan whispered in awe.

Hermione smiled as she thought about how different her seven-year-old self’s frame of reference to the word ‘magic’ had been from Evan’s.

It was a relatively smooth process getting through customs. The adults had carefully stored their wands up their sleeves in specially designed wand pockets and were careful to not carry any items which might set off alarms, resulting in closer scrutiny.

After acquiring a rental car, they braved the American highway for the short drive to Disney World.

“It feels so odd, driving on the wrong side of the road,” remarked Harry. “It’s a bit like trying to use my wand with my left hand.”

“Dad, why do they call Disney World the ‘Magic Kingdom’ when its not part of the Wizarding world?” asked James.

“Well, for Muggles magic has a different meaning than it does for us,” explained Harry. “You know that Muggles don’t believe magic is real. When they describe something they think is a fantasy, or make believe, they say it is like magic. Also, when they have a really special experience, something really out of the ordinary, they might call it magical. For most Muggles, Disney World is just like that.”

“I was just thinking about this when we were landing and Evan said it was like magic. If Muggle passengers had heard him, they wouldn’t have thought it an odd thing to say, yet I knew that Evan meant it was like other magical experiences he has had, maybe like flying his broom. Your father and I grew up in Muggle households, and magic meant something very different for us as children than it does for us today,” Hermione added.

Just then Molly erupted with, “Look, look, it’s Mickey Mouse!” as Disney billboards began to appear. From that point on, the children were consumed with excitement as they discussed what they already knew of the theme parks.

Everyone whom Harry had spoken to about their trip had advised them to stay on site at one of the Disney hotels. This provided many benefits and would make life easier during their stay. They had chosen the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Lodge was built on the edge of an enormous wildlife reserve full of exotic African animals. Their suite included a balcony with a view that made them feel like they were looking out across the African Savannah. The suite was very well appointed and designed in an African motif. Harry and Ginny had the master bedroom with a private bathroom and balcony. Hermione shared the other bedroom with Molly. It too had a private bathroom. The boys would camp out in the main living area, which included a sofa sleeper and had the largest balcony facing the reserve. On this first day, they would not venture into any of the theme parks.

“We need to adjust to the new time zone and figure out where things are,’” Ginny had told the protesting children. However, once they saw the hotel and got a view of the fantastic pool area, they decided they could live with the adults’ scheduling idea.

After they unpacked and had a light lunch from room service, the Potters got ready to head to the pool.

“I can’t wait to try the slide,” exclaimed James. Due to Harry’s own lack of swimming instruction while living with the Dursleys, Harry had made sure that his own children learned to swim as early as possible.

“Do you want to join us, ‘Mione?” Harry had inquired.

“No, you lot go ahead. I want to explore some shops,” Hermione had replied.

Once the Potters had gone, Hermione freshened up and headed down to the main lobby. As she walked through a covered walkway toward the lobby, Hermione admired the riotous colours of plants in the grounds around her. The main lobby itself opened up with several stories overhead. The attention to detail in every part of the architecture was phenomenal. The majority of the workers were from one African nation or another. Many were students. With their brightly coloured uniforms and the sights, sounds and smells in the lobby, Hermione felt transported to the Dark Continent in a way that was not unlike magic. She spent some time browsing in various shops and reading the menus outside restaurants.

After some time had passed, Hermione decided to return to their suite. While heading down one particularly long corridor, she heard a voice that made her stop short. She knew that voice. She would never forget that voice. Even now, she felt a thrill of fear as she heard the unmistakable voice of Professor Snape.

Hermione determined that the voice was emanating from a guest room where the door was cracked open. As she crept closer, the door slammed shut. She almost went up and pressed her ear to the door before she collected her thoughts. What was she doing? She couldn’t go eavesdropping at another guest’s hotel room door. Plus, the more she considered it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Professor Snape at Disney World? The mere thought was crazy.

The last she had heard, Professor Snape had moved to Paris after the War. She occasionally saw signs of his research in the patents office. It must have been some other man with a deep, silky baritone behind that door. She must be more tired from the journey than she had realized. Her feet began to move again, and she proceeded back toward her room with a determined pace.