Banished: Chapter 42
May. 12th, 2007 03:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zephyr_macabeeA quiet interlude.
Roughly at the time Albus was arriving in Sedona, Remus and Severus were unpacking in their condo at Ka’anapali beach on Maui. They had already made quick inspections of satellite laboratories in Brazil and Samoa. This was to be their last stop and the Headmistress had insisted that they take some vacation time while they were here. The condo was courtesy of a Muggle-born graduate student. Her family owned the unit and had intended to spend the Christmas holidays there, but a last-minute change of plans sent them skiing in Colorado and left the condo available.
“It is ocean-front, fully-furnished, with a kitchen and two bedrooms”. Margaret had listed off its attributes to Remus and Severus. “Ka’anapali is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and there is excellent snorkeling just down the beach from your condo, at Black Rock. After you finish your inspection of the laboratory on Kaho’olawe, I want you to spend a few days just relaxing. Remus can transform with the werewolves at the lab and you can come back afterwards.”
Everyone had been very careful not to tell Severus that Albus was coming. They would never get him to leave if he knew. Remus had held his breath until they Port keyed out on the 26th. The laboratory inspections had gone very smoothly. The investigators and the research subjects were eager to try out the new Wolfsbane variants during the January full moon.
Severus wandered through the condo as Remus read the welcome letter that had been left on the table in the entryway. To a Muggle it would appear to be just a standard greeting with rules on the use of the condo. In the hands of a magical person however, additional information became visible.
You may apparate directly from the condo. Concealed apparition arrival points are available throughout Maui and inter-island apparition is also possible for those with adequate magical power. Do not attempt inter-island apparition if you cannot consistently apparate at least 50 miles over land. Port key terminals are available on all the Hawaiian Islands for inter-island and Mainland travel. On Maui, terminals are located in Lahaina and Kahalui. Maui is a very popular destination for both Magical and Muggle tourists from around the world. Please refrain from visible displays of magic in public areas.
Thank you.
“Remus, come and see!” Severus was out on the lanai, which overlooked the channel between Maui and Molokai. Remus stepped outside and was bathed in the warm, humid, sweetly-scented air.
“Look out at the water.”
Remus saw spouts of steam, then a huge, dark grey head lifted from the water, looked around and sank back down.
“That’s a whale!”
“Yes, the guide book says that the humpback whales come here to give birth from November to May. You don’t need to go out on a boat to whale-watch; you can see plenty of activity right from the beach.”
Remus smiled at Severus’ excitement. He hoped he could advance their relationship a little now that they were away from the Institute and alone together. Although he felt they had established a solid friendship over the past 3 months, Severus still was maddeningly oblivious to overtures of a romantic nature.
“We are not due to meet the laboratory supervisor until tomorrow. We have the whole day to relax, Severus. What would you like to do?”
“I want to take a walk on the beach and then go swimming.”
“That sounds good to me. There is an activity booth for the condo down by the pool. The brochure says we can borrow snorkels, fins and masks there, if you want to snorkel at Black Rock like Margaret suggested.”
They changed into swimming trunks, T shirts and flip flops. Sunglasses, floppy hats and a dousing in sun block potion and they were good to go. At the front of the condo complex they found a paved pathway which stretched the entire length of the beach.
“Let’s walk down to the end of the pathway then back on the sand.”
They admired the lush plantings, artifacts and sculptures that fronted each hotel and condo complex along the pathway. They passed a cluster of restaurants and shops and decided to find their dinner there. After walking over a mile, they reached a park that marked the end of the path. They watched a canoeing club return from a training session, surfing in on a wave. Turning back, they stepped out onto the wide, golden sands of the beach. The waves lapped up on shore and drew back, hissing through the sand. Severus walked down to test the water. It was remarkably warm. He called Remus down and they waded in until the water was to their knees. Severus hugged himself and stared out to sea. He could not believe that this was real. Remus came up behind him and put his hand on Severus’ shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
“It is so beautiful; I never thought I would ever see anything like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I expected to die in Azkaban when I rejected the Dark Lord. Then Albus gave me a choice, but I ended up trading one form of servitude for another. Now I expect to die as a spy, killed by one side or the other, when the Dark Lord rises again.”
“What if Granny’s poultice works? You won’t be able to go back with your Dark Mark gone; Voldemort would know in an instant.”
“I don’t know. The idea of being free is too difficult for me to grasp. Besides, Albus will just find another way to use me.”
“Well, just for today, let’s pretend we are both free, me of the moon and you of your two masters. We’re just a couple of tourists on the beach.”
Severus nodded, “Just for today.”
They resumed their stroll up the beach.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/17376.html
“It is ocean-front, fully-furnished, with a kitchen and two bedrooms”. Margaret had listed off its attributes to Remus and Severus. “Ka’anapali is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and there is excellent snorkeling just down the beach from your condo, at Black Rock. After you finish your inspection of the laboratory on Kaho’olawe, I want you to spend a few days just relaxing. Remus can transform with the werewolves at the lab and you can come back afterwards.”
Everyone had been very careful not to tell Severus that Albus was coming. They would never get him to leave if he knew. Remus had held his breath until they Port keyed out on the 26th. The laboratory inspections had gone very smoothly. The investigators and the research subjects were eager to try out the new Wolfsbane variants during the January full moon.
Severus wandered through the condo as Remus read the welcome letter that had been left on the table in the entryway. To a Muggle it would appear to be just a standard greeting with rules on the use of the condo. In the hands of a magical person however, additional information became visible.
You may apparate directly from the condo. Concealed apparition arrival points are available throughout Maui and inter-island apparition is also possible for those with adequate magical power. Do not attempt inter-island apparition if you cannot consistently apparate at least 50 miles over land. Port key terminals are available on all the Hawaiian Islands for inter-island and Mainland travel. On Maui, terminals are located in Lahaina and Kahalui. Maui is a very popular destination for both Magical and Muggle tourists from around the world. Please refrain from visible displays of magic in public areas.
Thank you.
“Remus, come and see!” Severus was out on the lanai, which overlooked the channel between Maui and Molokai. Remus stepped outside and was bathed in the warm, humid, sweetly-scented air.
“Look out at the water.”
Remus saw spouts of steam, then a huge, dark grey head lifted from the water, looked around and sank back down.
“That’s a whale!”
“Yes, the guide book says that the humpback whales come here to give birth from November to May. You don’t need to go out on a boat to whale-watch; you can see plenty of activity right from the beach.”
Remus smiled at Severus’ excitement. He hoped he could advance their relationship a little now that they were away from the Institute and alone together. Although he felt they had established a solid friendship over the past 3 months, Severus still was maddeningly oblivious to overtures of a romantic nature.
“We are not due to meet the laboratory supervisor until tomorrow. We have the whole day to relax, Severus. What would you like to do?”
“I want to take a walk on the beach and then go swimming.”
“That sounds good to me. There is an activity booth for the condo down by the pool. The brochure says we can borrow snorkels, fins and masks there, if you want to snorkel at Black Rock like Margaret suggested.”
They changed into swimming trunks, T shirts and flip flops. Sunglasses, floppy hats and a dousing in sun block potion and they were good to go. At the front of the condo complex they found a paved pathway which stretched the entire length of the beach.
“Let’s walk down to the end of the pathway then back on the sand.”
They admired the lush plantings, artifacts and sculptures that fronted each hotel and condo complex along the pathway. They passed a cluster of restaurants and shops and decided to find their dinner there. After walking over a mile, they reached a park that marked the end of the path. They watched a canoeing club return from a training session, surfing in on a wave. Turning back, they stepped out onto the wide, golden sands of the beach. The waves lapped up on shore and drew back, hissing through the sand. Severus walked down to test the water. It was remarkably warm. He called Remus down and they waded in until the water was to their knees. Severus hugged himself and stared out to sea. He could not believe that this was real. Remus came up behind him and put his hand on Severus’ shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
“It is so beautiful; I never thought I would ever see anything like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I expected to die in Azkaban when I rejected the Dark Lord. Then Albus gave me a choice, but I ended up trading one form of servitude for another. Now I expect to die as a spy, killed by one side or the other, when the Dark Lord rises again.”
“What if Granny’s poultice works? You won’t be able to go back with your Dark Mark gone; Voldemort would know in an instant.”
“I don’t know. The idea of being free is too difficult for me to grasp. Besides, Albus will just find another way to use me.”
“Well, just for today, let’s pretend we are both free, me of the moon and you of your two masters. We’re just a couple of tourists on the beach.”
Severus nodded, “Just for today.”
They resumed their stroll up the beach.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/17376.html
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-13 01:11 pm (UTC)Ah, now that's nice.
BTW: I love whales.
I'm assuming, from the details, that this is somewhere you've been.
He hoped he could advance their relationship a little now that they were away from the Institute and alone together
Ha! Good luck, Remus! You're going to need it. The man is just so oblivious!
Besides, Albus will just find another way to use me.”
Unfortunately, all too probably!
Nice interlude. I wonder how SS will react when he hears what he's missed. :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-13 04:14 pm (UTC)Margaret will see that Severus only hears a censored version of AD's visit. We don't want him upset, after all.