prime meridian
“So, Mr. Weasley is jealous of that big athlete?” Queenie whispered to Harry, but her “whisper” was amplified by the spaciousness of the museum.
Ron's face flushed red. "What—I didn't—"
"Alright, buddy, you're just jealous." Harry glanced quickly at Hermione, stopping his pointless arguing. "It started the night of the Christmas Ball, remember?"
"..." It was quite clear, or rather, vivid in his mind, about how he sat at the dinner table watching his best friend dance with a foreigner all night.
Ron finally shut up, but Hermione's expression didn't improve; in fact, she became even angrier as she recalled the scene at the ball.
Hmm, I'm curious about what happened at the Christmas ball that Harry mentioned, but this is clearly not the right time to ask.
Queenie took Hermione's arm. "Harry and I were just on our way to the gift shop. Since we've run into each other, why don't we go together?"
Hermione's brows relaxed slightly. "Perfect—but I don't want to interrupt your date?"
“Of course not.” Queenie smiled slyly. “Do you think I would be embarrassed to kiss Harry just because you’re here? But you’ve reminded me that Harry might be embarrassed. So, when I want to kiss him, remember to turn away.”
“Oh Queenie, I really like you.” Hermione’s face lit up completely. “You can call me Hermione.”
"Of course, you call me Queenie, otherwise wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"
Harry, “…” This sounded familiar. Had he heard it just this morning?
The two girls walked intimately toward the gift shop. Ron covered his mouth and whispered to Harry, "Your girlfriend is something else. She's even better at winning Hermione's heart than an Omega, I mean a Potions Omega."
"Queenie is lovable, what, are you jealous again?"
"...I must emphasize that I'm not jealous of Krum! I'm just worried that Hermione will be deceived by him! He's so famous, how could he lack girlfriends? Compared to him, Hermione is much more naive!"
"Okay, if you insist on saying that."
The next two people were added to the itinerary as usual. The boys were responsible for carrying the small gift bags, and the four of them walked through the corridor to the Queen's House.
The most famous feature of the Queen's House is undoubtedly the Tulip Staircase. Blue railings and white steps spiral and alternate, culminating in a circular skylight with radiating window frames extending outwards from the center, resembling the meridians of the Earth viewed from above the poles. The combination of the spiral staircase and skylight also resembles a giant eye, creating a striking visual impact for those standing at the bottom.
Ron rubbed his eyes. "I feel like this staircase is even more dizzying than Hogwarts'."
Harry, “…!”
Hermione, “…!”
Hermione reacted quickly and loudly recounted the legend of the Tulip Stairs, "Did you know? This is also the famous location for the 'ghost photo,' which I remember was said to show a body wrapped in a shroud on the stairs after the photo was developed."
Ron gasped. "What? Ghosts? Doesn't that make it even more like Hogwarts?!" He said, turning back to look at the paintings on the wall he had just passed, trying to find any trace of movement in the images. He now suspected that there was magic here too, which was not impossible.
“Hogwarts?” Queenie heard this. “So you’re all Lockhart fans?”
"Who?" Hermione's voice snapped.
“Giddon Lockhart.” Queenie recalled the contents of several books she had already read. “In Lockhart’s world, Hogwarts is a magical school in England, filled with many magical creatures… or rather, they exist?”
Harry said dryly, "Yes, dear, we're all Lockhart fans." He tore out the pages in the book that introduced Lockhart, but the content couldn't be changed.
Hermione's expression was contorted. Ever since she learned Lockhart's true colors in her second year, she couldn't accept the fact that she had actually been a fan of his. She had been so infatuated back then! Like she had lost her mind!
To distract Queenie, Harry pulled her aside to take pictures, and Ron took the opportunity to tug at Hermione's sleeve, saying, "Sorry, I'll be careful not to mention anything related to magic again."
"You were supposed to do it anyway—"
"But as you know, I'm too careless, and it's too difficult for me to be thorough in everything."
Hermione inhaled, her temper flaring up again.
"So you have to watch me. Queenie is in Harry's hands. You can't just let two stupid boys hang out together without any protection. May—God? God knows what else I can say."
To ensure Harry's relationship goes smoothly, she has to keep an eye on Ron, since it was she who volunteered to follow him.
"Ahem—and what I said before, um, I'm sorry."
"……It doesn't matter."
The Queen's House has a restaurant, and after strolling around, the group had a nice afternoon tea. However, Ron's appetite greatly diminished the elegance of the afternoon tea. In addition to the traditional three-tiered tower, they ordered two sandwiches and three muffins—all of which ended up in Ron's stomach.
Queenie wanted to ask how he was going to eat dinner, but looking at Harry and Hermione's nonchalant expressions, she figured that this amount of food was probably normal for him; he was indeed quite muscular.
Next, we'll head to the observatory. There's a small hill to climb along the way, and the higher we go, the more crowded it gets. The Prime Meridian attracts tourists from all over the world like a magnet; it's the starting point of all meridians on Earth and the boundary between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
When you actually stand beside the world-famous Prime Meridian, a feeling of traveling through time washes over you.
Hermione immediately launched into a long explanation of latitude and longitude, leaving Ron listening in a daze, unconsciously stuffing a peeled orange into his mouth.
The Prime Meridian is inlaid in marble and extends straight out of Meridian Palace. Many iconic place names are engraved on both sides of the copper line. Harry looked through them and thought, "Great. I haven't been anywhere except London. There are some place names I can't even pronounce. In fact, the farthest place I've ever been is Hogwarts."
Queenie leaned closer to him. "I've only traveled to a few nearby European countries. I'm sure you've been to countless places. At least I haven't been to Egypt."
"..." Actually, no. He had obviously visited far fewer countries and cities than Queenie, even though he had listed many experiences for himself in his logbook. "It was just a stopover. You know, our company only ships cargo. Even if we stop along the way, it's just for rest and resupply. At most, we just wander around the area."
She understood, just like her mother, who often flew around the world on business trips. It sounded like a good job, like being able to travel everywhere, but in reality, it was just going back and forth between airports and hotels in different places.
Queenie took Harry's hand and led him to the familiar spot where she had her tattoo. "Paris is a wonderful place, rich in history and art. We can go there together sometime. Rome is just as romantic as Paris. Have you seen 'Roman Holiday'? We can rent a motorbike in the Spanish Steps and ride along the route from the movie. New York, the capital of freedom, is pretty good too, isn't it? But it's too far; I haven't been yet. Oh, and Berlin—"
Queenie is sharing her cherished memories with him.
Harry listened attentively, still thinking unconsciously that he wished he could share the real Hogwarts with Queenie someday. No one could help but love Hogwarts, and Queenie would surely love it too.
But there's no rush, we have to take it one step at a time, right?
Harry looked down at the Prime Meridian, on either side of which he and Queenie stood. A bunch of romantic and cheesy thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end he just gently kissed the corner of her lips.
One day, he would take Queenie to Hogwarts, to the Astronomy Tower, the Quidditch pitch, the Owl House, the Room of Requirement, the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest… all the places he knew.
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