Vanilla

Chapter 5: Paradise Found

The smell of salty sea air permeates every pore. Warm breezes move merrily along, lightly kissing every exposed surface, bringing with it small grains of sand. Wind chimes rattle, playing the seemingly random notes of some unknown melody. Bright sunshine beaming down, shimmering off the glass-like surface of the ocean, the blazing yellow and orange disk gracefully falling towards the edge of the Earth.

Is this paradise? Is this utopia? Or is is something else? Some small slice of heaven? Some picture-book definition of tranquility? If one were to look around, few words or thoughts would truly come to mind. All of them failing to accurately describe the scene before them.

Beautiful? Hardly. Much too mundane of a word. Beautiful describes people, places, things. The word is thrown about like disposable napkins. No, this place is not beautiful. Sure, is has beauty. But beautiful doesn't describe it with the proper tone, nor does it come close to encompassing the feeling.

Awesome? Yes. But the word is overused. What was once awesome: The Roman Coliseum, The Great Wall of China, The Statue of Liberty, is diminished, now depicting the everyday, the ordinary: a surfboard, a movie, a t-shirt. No; awesome has lost its edge, its true meaning.

Try to find one word, failure is certain. Try many words, failure is probable. No word invented nor phrase coined would do justice to this scene, this place. It must be lived, experienced, absorbed into ones soul.

Harry and Hermione were having the time of their lives. They had been in Perth, Australia, for three weeks. The weather had been perfect. Most of the days had been sunny and warm. The two teenagers had never experienced this kind of summer. Sure it was June and Hermione had spent some time abroad, but in the Southern Hemisphere, it was wintertime. But yet the weather was as good or better than the summers in Britain.

Harry had never been to the beach in his life. He had been living each day on this vacation as if it were his last. He took in the sights, sounds, and smells, committing as much as he could to memory. This experience he wanted to remember in detail, so that he could recall them at a moments notice.

Day after day, the young couple walked on the beach hand-in-hand, explored all the touristy areas, and relaxed in general. This was the first time since they had known each other that there was no great need, no great task, no overbearing weight hanging on them. They could just be themselves, be a normal, in love couple.

The time the two had spent together on their vacation had brought them closer together. They were amazed just how harmonious they were without having to worry about Death Eaters or a Dark Lord around every corner. They talked, laughed, and enjoyed each others company immensely.

With no set time-table as to when they would go back, the two of them settled into a routine while inhabiting their vacation home. After waking up and untangling themselves from each other, Harry would start to cook breakfast, usually eggs, bacon and sausage. Hermione would prepare the table, make toast and coffee, and would assist Harry in whatever way she could. They had decided that Harry was the expert in the kitchen between the two of them. After all the time he spent cooking for the Dursley's and spending multiple summers at the Burrow watching Molly Weasley, Harry was quite adapt around the kitchen.

In the afternoon, they would walk on the beach, swim in the ocean, stretch out on the beach and tan, or explore a new area of Perth. Harry particularly enjoyed all of the water sports available. He tried talking Hermione into surfing, but she steadfastly refused. So while he learned to surf, she went for the safer alternative: body boarding. They also enjoyed snorkeling and scuba diving. They were also planning on taking the opportunity to visit the Great Barrier Reef once they found Hermione's parents.