AN: I've been out of fanfiction for a couple of years, recently rediscovered my love for reading it and want to write some again. This story has brewed in my head in one form or another for a while, so we'll see what comes of it.
The Burrow was never quite the same after the end of the war, the laughter not quite as full and the smiles not as big. The war had changed so many things but hope remained. The wizarding world began to rebuild.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to school after the war, finishing their 7th year with Ginny. It was hard, as all of Hogwarts brought memories back, both good and bad. But now, after graduating, they all felt the pull of a new adventure. One, that would start in all places, the Arthur Weasley's workshop.
"Now, what are the four strokes in the four stroke cycle?" Arthur asked looking down at mechanics text book.
Hermione's hand immediately shot into the air, excited to be in another school like setting.
"Hermione, for the last time, you don't need to raise your hand, we are all learning together!" Arthur exclaimed, exasperated that he had to remind her of this fact nearly every time they had one of these lessons.
"Intake, Compression, Power, Exhaust" Hermione rattled off, slightly peeved that Arthur found it necessary to go against years of conditioning at both muggle school and Hogwarts.
"Better yet, suck, push, bang, blow" Ron joked, with elicited more than a little laughter from both Ginny and Harry.
Arthur could only sigh, they were going to need to take this much more seriously if they planned to complete their planned trip. They needed to learn so much if they were to have any semblance of a good time
"I can't believe I haven't asked before now, but how did you end up with Sirius' motorbike?" Harry asked Arthur as the wrapped up the lesson for the day, the heat of late summer beating down upon them.
Arthur could hardly hold back his grin, "After the night we removed you from the Dursley's, the motorbike ended up in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, Perkins may have "misplaced" before it was able to be inventoried"
They looked upon the motorbike, which would be Harry's steed for the trip, a Scarlet and Gold 1972 Triumph T120, with a large dog taking place of the traditional fender flag. It seemed rather intimidating, but after spending most of the summer tinkering with the bike and learning how to ride and maintain the twin cylinder engine, Harry felt almost as comfortable on the Triumph as he did his broom.
Looking down the line of bikes, Harry could only smile, a better group of motorbikes could be found in front of any cafe in London, but they were theirs.
Ron had found a 1968 Norton Commando that had been made into what the muggles called a "Chopper", it's long frame fit his lanky body better than most British bikes, painted bright orange, with crossed cannon decals on either side of the tank, Ron supported his favorite team, the Chudley Cannons, to an almost embarrassing degree.
Ginny choose a 1970 BSA B44 "Shooting Star". Loving the nimbleness of the single cylinder bike, she had it painted her favorite shade of green, with a seat the same color, though much neater, than Harry's hair.
Hermione was the least bold in her choice, opting for a 1965 Royal Enfield 500. Fitted with buckhorn bars, the bike reminded her of sitting at a school desk. It was sporting the original tan paint, almost like a sand or light wood color.
Each bike had been painstakingly gone through by the group, using old repair manuals Hermione had been able to find, they could almost a small shop with the knowledge the had gained in the process, as they soon discovered upon seeing the Harry's Triumph leak oil for the first time, Hermione had spent countless hours researching charms to make the bikes more reliable, but Harry insisted they do this the proper muggle way.
Looking out into the Weasley orchard, Harry saw the front straight of little dirt track they had made, during all the research, they had come across an American Muggle movie called "On Any Sunday" needless to say, Harry, Ginny, and Ron were all hooked on the idea of dirt track racing and spent a lot of time learning to ride around that course, always trying to best each other's records, fastest lap, highest speed obtained, fastest speed around the corner, the competitions went on and on. A cushioning charm on both the track and it's run off protected both the rider and the bike, especially useful while they still worked out the delicate dance that is riding a motorbike.
Hermione had rode the track many times as well, though at a much more relaxed pace then her friends, much like her experience with broomsticks in her first year it didn't come together right away, but with enough persistence she was able to ride the bike competently.
For the first time since the war, the four friends felt nothing but excitement and joy, they spent countless nights pouring over maps of the United States, marking off places they wanted to visit. The had to be careful, the fastest way to traverse the United States was by the interstate highway system, with sustained speeds the would push the bikes past their limits, back roads would be the only way to travel.
Originally Harry and Ron had planned the trip for the two of them, figuring it would be a last hurrah before they would settle down, get jobs, and go on with their lives. It only took about an hour or so of planning to realize they wouldn't have survived as as long as they did without Hermione, so they recruited her.
Ginny was never one to willingly miss out on an adventure however, so after one pleading look, she was included in the planning.
Harry had initially, and mistakenly, assumed, the Ginny would want to ride on the pillion of Triumph, the verbal lashing he received would hammer home the point once and for all, that she was not a helpless little girl.
Hermione on the other hand wasn't quite as sure, Ron offered her a spot on his Norton, but knowing Ron as she did, she felt much safer with the idea of being in control of a bike.
Mr. Weasley was beyond supportive, breaking out his Whitworth Spanner set to assist in every aspect of preparing the bikes, Mrs. Weasley, was much less supportive, "accidently" leaving papers open to stories of horrific motorbike accidents before breakfast as often as possible.
Harry felt bad for the woman who was his mother in all but blood, she constantly fretted over her children, especially after losing Fred, but Harry felt a pull, like this was something he had to do.
So the group set a plan, arrive in New York City, ride down the east coast, turning north into the midwest, and then across the California, they would have their wands, but would only use magic when absolutely necessary, stealth camping as much as possible, and seeing America the right way, by motorcycle.