Pike's Peak
Harry had a great time at Disney World, however word got back to the magical governor of MACUSA and Harry found himself in New York City. He thought London was amazing, and it was but New York City, well it was breathtaking. The buildings were as tall as mountains as far as he was concerned and he liked it well enough. He met with governor Kellogg and was publicly thanked over the magical television network Wiz-Vision. Then he was given a suite at the Plaza, and when it was found he had paid for Disney World they gave him spending money for the rest of his summer travels.
Harry toured New York City, went up to the top of the Empire State Building and liked that. Then on a special night he went up to the top of the Twin Towers and, with several spells that kept him from prying eyes took out his broom and flew off and down between them and back up whooping in joy. A few others were allowed to do this as this was allowed once a month. He saw lady Liberty and went to the nations capital and stood on the very steps that a great man had stood and delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" Harry had always loved Dr. King. He then took a very long flight over the continent and landed in Colorado Springs.
"Just how big is this nation?" Harry asked.
"Roughly three thousand miles across from the Pacific to the Atlantic." Severus responded, "we are halfway there more or less."
"I can see why the Yanks compare our lovely island to one of their states." Harry said.
"One of the larger ones though," Sirius said, "The whole of the British island is still bigger than Germany."
"Good to know, now I want to see how tall Pikes peak is."
"Not before you finish your potions for high altitude, you will not like it up there." Severus warned the teen.
The altitude normally would effect a magical but a daily potion would take care of that and make the air one got last. However one needed one potion a day for each mile of altitude one went up. So that was why Harry had taken one more as they took the tram up to the top of Pikes Peak. It was well worth it as he was able to stay up there for as long as he wanted, and this was one day of the year that only magicals were allowed. Which meant there were a lot of mages up here. Harry was having the time of his life when he saw Mrs. Malfoy and Draco walking around, and with them? Dudley, Harry stared, what was his cousin doing with the Malfoys? Dudley saw him and walked up grinning.
"Hey Harry, how are you?" He asked.
"Good, what are you doing up here?" Harry asked.
"Well I found out something, you see those ward things damped down on my magic." Dudley said. "I made the headmaster swear to secrecy and all and well I have magic and a wand."
"Brilliant, but why are you with the Malfoys?" Harry asked.
"He is brilliant for a muggleborn." Draco said. "The headmaster asked if I truly wanted to make a difference and well, I am. I am paying for Dudley to learn and well I want to be friends with you."
"So you bribe me by what having tutors teach my cousin?" Harry asked.
"Well yes, the headmaster wanted to teach him but I insisted." Draco replied. "I don't want t be like my father."
"Okay, but you have to be nice to Ron and Hermione, they are my best friends." Harry said.
"Very well, the feud was between my father and his father anyway, okay, Pax and all that." Draco said and both shook hands.
Severus was not sure what to think on this, it was a good thing, and Draco was decent after getting a major shake up on how the world should work. He had changed and was far nicer, though he knew the boy would be a major player on the business world stage. He liked seeing Harry and Draco get along now that Draco had changed for the better. Still he had a feeling that Harry and Draco along with others could rule the world.
"So what have you been doing?" Draco asked Harry.
"I went to Disney World and visited New York City, the governor thanked me and all and then to the national capital and then here."
"Disney World, how droll." Draco said, "then again I have been many times."
"Draco remember your manners." Mrs. Malfoy said walking up.
Harry thought her beautiful, she was in high fashion for a magical woman. She was wearing a silk gown, it had a green bodice with long sleeves over a butter yellow shirt, a long green underskirt with full skirts and an over skirt that draped over the ankle length under skirt to just below the knees and was bunched and scooped very nicely. She had on butter yellow boots and her honey blond hair was piled on her head under a butter yellow hat with a green ribbon. She had a purple parasol and Harry found the whole look enchanting as did Severus who was impressed with Narcissa Malfoy.
"My dear Mrs. Malfoy you look lovely today." Harry said taking the offered hand gently and kissing it, "there is only one who is lovelier than you?"
"Would that be Miss Sue Li?" Mrs. Malfoy asked.
"The very one." Harry replied.
"Yes, the Li family, I do buy my silk and such from them, this gown is from their stock, a good family, and a good match."
"I will wed for love, money does not matter." Harry said.
"I am glad, I married for business." Narcissa said, "though I did love him in the end."
"I want to marry for love." Draco said.
"You should, Andromeda was the smart one to do so. Bellatrix, well she always was strange even as a child, I never wanted to play with her."
Harry wished Sirius was still with them, but he had to head back to England as he was still the magical mage and had work to do. He saw Dudley had taken out his wand and had turned a boulder into a badger, a rather sleepy badger at that. He turned it back and turned to grin at Dumbledore who smiled at him. Harry was glad things had changed and that Dudley had magic, who knew the wards would have kept him from ever showing that he did before then again his parents would never have let him go to Hogwarts.
Later Harry was in the magical part of Denver, that is to say he was under downtown Denver in Lead Alley, a large space with at least five thousand magical living a thousand feet under the city. No-maj wondered why they kept getting lost even with the maps. Harry was here because, well he was not sure until he saw a certain store, one that looked like the one Fred and George had opened up in Diagon Alley. He went in and saw American workers, and no, there were Fred and George here clad in purple suits with blue vests and identical grins.
"This is bold." Harry said.
"It is, and Percy, well, dear Percy is going to run it." Ron said walking up, "Penny broke up with him in a rather alarming way and now he just wants a new start."
"Never mention her in my presence again." Percy said walking up clad like his brothers, "the suits were my idea, Fred and George, well the focus should be on the store not the staff as much."
"Good to see you, you look well." Harry said.
"I am, I like it here, I will run this store while Fred and George run the one in Diagon Alley."
"I like it but why here?" Harry asked "its thousands of miles from the east coast of this nation."
"Well, that would be because of my family." Cho Change said walking up, clad in a silk gown of green and cream "they saw what Fred and George were doing in Diagon Alley, felt that their newly vacated building here from former tenants needed good renters and there you are."
"How are you doing?" Harry asked Cho.
"Well enough, Percy has been a dear."
"Well you have been very good to me." Percy said, "after, well that is over and well I must thank you."
"Well you are nice and she was not."
Harry did not want to pry and all questions about what had happened were gone as Hermione came out of the shop to see Harry. Grinning she ran up and hugged her brother and stood back. She was clad in a beautiful silk gown of bright blue with long sleeves and full skirts to her ankles. Her mother and father behind her, her father in an expensive three piece suit and her mother in a red silk gown in the same style as Hermione. Fashion in magical America could be mistaken for Steampunk and helped the people here blend in.
"Did you get the silk from Li's Emporium?" Cho asked Hermione.
"We did and mum made them." Hermione replied.
"I made these, surprised Hermione, then again she deserves it. The silk is so easy to work with on a machine."
"They are stunning." Cho said, "Hermione you are beautiful and this dress suits you perfectly."
"Thank you!" Hermione said beaming, "you are lovely yourself, the green and cream goes so well on you."
"Thank you!" Cho said.
In that moment they were friends and to Harry's surprise who should appear right behind them but Luna Lovegood? She was clad in a silver gown that suited her and it was clear someone was spoiling her and it was not just Sue. The way that Cho was acting showed it was her. Good, Luna needed as many friends as she could get and Cho refused to let anyone bully Luna, she had become a great defender of her and was now a friend. Luna was still Luna but everyone loved her quarky ways, at least those that were willing to see her for her. Hermione, Cho and Luna headed out, first to the bookstore and then to do shopping and talk girls stuff.
Severus was eyeing the Grangers warily. He knew what a dentist was and knew he probably needed to go to one. It was very clear that Dumbledore did, teeth could not be mended like bones and so damaged teeth were vanished, or where until dentists could show that they could repair them. Sure teeth could be shrunk but it was not clear if damage could be done because of that. The Grangers had X-rayed Hermione's teeth when she got back after her fourth year and made her do extra fluoride rinses to make sure her teeth were still strong and healthy.
"I do not want braces." Severus said to Juliet Granger. "Not at all."
"Well I would like to get a look at your teeth, just to see if they are healthy, if so you could go with your teeth looking the way they do. I can tell you take care of them from here so I am sure you don't need much work."
"I thought dentists were all about braces and white teeth?" Severus replied.
"Well here in America sure." Robert Granger replied, "but healthy teeth is far more important. It is why we have taken care of the headmaster's teeth for a long time."
"They have, you don't think I would still have all my teeth if I did not go to a dentist?" Dumbledore said popping a lemon drop in his mouth. "I have had fillings and crowns done."
Harry was having a great summer, and being here with those who cared about him made him feel good. Ron drug him off to go to a restaurant called Casa Bonita in the muggle world. The food was bland but not bad, it was two steps above food Harry got in primary school. It was all you could eat and the floor show was great, there was a fun diving show to watch and a cave to explore and games to play. They came back to the alley a few hours later having caught up over the few weeks they had not seen each other. Harry loved his life and was happy things were turning out.
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So yes, Pikes Peak is amazing, but if one is to visit, give yourself a few days to adjust to being at roughly a mile high in Colorado Springs or Denver before you tackle Pikes Peak. It is over 14,000 feet (4267.2 meters) high and you will feel it big time. Casa Bonita, ah yes how I love and hate this restaurant. I will go, I must go and yet the food is terrible and the floor show cheezy but in a good way. I think someone put a spell on that place or something because one does find ones' self going back over and over again even when not taking out of town guests.
Anyway Do review please.