A/N: Hey, whatsup! Another day, another chapter... another review from you? I hope, and I bid you adieu!
Disclaimer: Boys are posessions. Harry, he's a posession. But not mine. He's all JK's...
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Brooklyn," Hermione squinted her eyes at the road sign. "Has anyone ever heard of Brooklyn?"
"Yes!" Ron's eyes lit up. After Harry had relented from his strict all-Muggle vacation rules for a moment, Cho had performed an all-healing curse that not only sobered Ron up, it also healed most of his acne. "A girl in 6th year had on a shirt in the common room once; it said 'Brooklyn Boxing Club'!"
Draco arched his perfectly-curved eyebrow. "She only had a shirt on once?"
Ron scowled, but Harry thought on. "I've heard of Brooklyn," Harry said. "It's a pretty common city, I've heard of it. I think Uncle Vernon has a brother there, Wallace, I think..."
"Excellent!" Ginny chirped. "Maybe he can help us!"
"Were you born yesterday?" Ron nudged his younger sister, annoyed as brothers tend to get. "The Dursleys hate Harry!"
"Does he even know that you're a wizard?" Hermione chimed in, looking doubtful. "I mean, that oughtta spook him."
"I've got a good feeling," Harry admitted, revving the gas and speeding up just a bit. "For one thing, Vernon hates his brother. But about the wizarding... I don't know."
"It's worth a try," Draco sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Watch it!" Hermione hissed as he brushed her side.
Harry didn't know that Herm could be so abrasive, but he did know she had a thing against Draco. It had been hard for Harry to come to terms with the changes in Draco, but he did understand that Draco had been extremely harsh to Hermione especially, with her Muggle parents and all.
"I don't know where he lives, though," Harry frowned. He could sense Cho raising her hand to swat him again and he ducked forward, trusting his instincts. Sure enough, Cho's hand was frozen in place as he turned to her. "Oh, what now?"
"If you insist on using Muggle resources only," she exclaimed smugly, "then I advise you consult a phone book."
"A... phone... book?" Ginny was obviously confused with the term.
"Of course!" Harry actually hit his own head, feeling rather dumb. "Uh, Gin, it's, like, uh... a listing, yeah, of all the telephone numbers and addresses of the people who live there."
"Oh, okay," Ginny blushed and looked away.
Harry slowed the car and they drove slowly along the curb of 70th street until Cho spotted a payphone booth. Harry crawled out, languid from sitting down in the car for hours, and flipped through the book. Donaldson... Dorough... Dottie... Dree... Dross... Dulane... ah, Dursley! Harry grew excited as he traced his finger down the page and found "Dursley, Wallace J." A quick glance to the near right listed his number as 555-6162 and his address at 913 84th Street.
Harry returned to the car with the page ripped out. "Do you think we should call first?"
"No!" Cho insisted, snapping bubble gum on her tongue. "He might not let us come!"
"Yeah, but it's rude!" Hermione whined, her annoyance with Draco building up and bursting on the others. "I may be oblivious to hotel keys but I do know a lot about the Muggle world! It is very rude to show up at the doorstep. My mother always said--"
"Oh, put a block in it!" Draco snapped.
"Says you!" Hermione shot back, then slumped when she realized how pathetic her come-back had been. She sat quietly, extremely irritated.
"Listen," Cho said, "let's just go. It's only fourteen blocks over, we might as well give it a shot."
This seemed sensible to Harry, so he stepped on the gas. The car went a few yards, sputtered, and stopped abruptly. "Oh no!" Harry groaned.
"What?" Draco leaned in.
"We're out of gas!" Harry sunk into his seat, defeated. "Gasoline, it makes the car run."
Draco shrugged. "Well, it's only fourteen blocks." They shrunk the Vette, not knowing any gasoline spells (who would know they'd ever need one) and Draco pocketed it.
"Yeah, only fourteen blocks!" Hermione muttered fifteen minutes later as they skulked along 84th street. Her feet ached mercilessly, her sneakers were filthy, and her mentality--shot.
"Hey, I'm not the one who grew up in Muggle Land!" Draco mumbled. "You should've known, not me!"
"Whatever!" Hermione screeched and walked faster until she caught up with Harry. He had done many a laborious chore at the Dursleys' and wasn't easily tired, but even he was panting a little.
"Here it is," he announced, catching his breath. "913 84th Street." The apartment-looking home was on top of 912, with an outdoor staircase leading up to its eroded green front door. The six panted up the stairs, clutching the railings for support. The wizarding life had made them all lazy. Harry hesitated before rapping on the green door, but let his knuckles tap gently.
They all waited for a minute before they heard footsteps coming. Harry's mouth went dry. The lock turned. The door creaked. Harry blinked.
A young, handsome man stood in the doorway. He had dark hair like Vernon but much more of it. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and had narrow but kind brown eyes. He wore an unbuttoned pale blue work shirt with an untied tie (sounds funny!) hanging loosely around his neck. His khaki trousers were obviously too long for his legs and were wrinkled at the bottom. He stood there for a minute, peering down at Harry and his friends. Harry was six feet, Draco was 6' 1" and Ron was 5'11", but this man towered over them. "Um, can I help you?" His voice was surprisingly deep.
Harry was startled for a moment by his intimidating appearance, but quickly regained his voice. "Are--are you Wallace Dursley?"
"Uh-huh, and you are...?" The guy looked bored and curious at the same time; it was quite a site to see.
"Um, Harry Potter, sir." Harry's eyes darted around nervously. "Are you, uh, Vernon Dursley's brother?"
Wallace made a face. "Must you remind me? What now? Vernie's in more debt, is that it?"
Harry laughed out loud at hearing his crude uncle called "Vernie." "Actually, no," Harry smiled. He liked the guy. "I'm Vernon Dursley's nephew. Harry Potter."
"Oh yeah," Wallace's face broke into a lazy grin. "The notorious Harry. The little I've heard from the lump, it's always about 'that dastardly nephew of his'. I figure you can't be that bad." Wallace motioned to Harry's entourage. "And they would be...?"
"Oh, my friends: Ron..." Ron made a gawky sort of smile. "...Ginny..." She blushed, and stepped back a little. "...Hermione..." She gave a pursed smile and sighed, still aggravated. "...Cho..." Cho grinned in an almost obstreperous fashion. "...and Draco." Draco forced a smirk on his pallid lips. Wallace nodded in acknowledgement.
An awkward moment passed. "Oh, come in, come in," Wally blinked and ushered the six teens into his small home. They passed through a dimly-lit hallway with photographs lining the walls.
"Wow!" Ginny breathed, admiring a photograph. "This landscape is beautiful! Did you take this?"
"Yeah," Wallace shrugged, like it was nothing. "I'm a photographer for the Journal."
"Who's journal?" Ron frowned; Hermione elbowed him hard, and he shutup.
"So, what brings you to Brooklyn, Henry?"
"Harry," the abashed wizard corrected. "Anyway, my friends and I just graduated, um, high school and we were taking a road trip and found ourselves here."
"High school?" Again, Ron received an elbow to the ribs.
"Yeah, well, we were hoping you could help us on our way," Hermione stepped up to Wallace. "Mr. Dursley, we--"
"Call me Wally," the young man replied, plopping onto a stool as they reached the cramped kitchen. "Just not Dursley."
"Okay, Wally," Hermione continued. "We were going to go to Disney Land in California and we were hoping you might have a road map we could use."
"Nah... sorry," Wally yawned, running his fingers through his dark hair. "But, if you kids want to stay here for a while, I'm for it. After all, I'd love to get to know a fellow member of the 'Vernon-Hates-Me' fanclub," he chuckled.
"That'd be great!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. He turned to the other members of the trip. "Oh, sorry. Is that okay with you guys?"
"I don't want to sleep in the car tonight, if that's what you mean," Draco smirked. "Yeah, it'd be cool." Everyone seemed to agree.
"I can't offer you lots of space," Wally admitted, "but I'd love to have you." He led them down another hallway ("It looks like the corridors of Hogwarts," Cho whispered to Ginny) into a medium-sized, dingy but creative-looking room. There were two queen beds that looked like they hadn't been used in a while. "I used to have roommates, but they married," Wally said. "I'll haul the pull-out sofa in and you can all sleep in here together, is that okay?"
"Yeah, thank you." Harry was very appreciable of his uncle's brother's hospitality. He had never thought a Dursley could be humane, let alone hospitable. Wonders never cease to exist, he chuckled to himself. He grinned mischievously. "I call the pull-out couch!"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A/N: Yay! Ok, I am overwhelmed with your reviews! I am sooo grateful, thank you a million times over and over! I always mention my reviewers, and I am so excited to mention you all!
Bunny Lee--I will see Crossroads soon, thanks for the review. I'm not sure I'm gonna go w/ H/H though, maybe... I am keeping my options open but very soon I will have to decide.
Shadowcat--It is "Graduation (Friends Forever)" by Vitamin C. Yes, it's an amazing song; never fails to make me cry.
ShockoLatt--Sry if the main idea is too much, but I hope it's a lot different than others. How can they all be the same? I'm glad you like it though.
Slytherin Mudblood--Glad u thought it was that funny! Don't be so posessive of Draco, there's plenty of him to go around *winkwink*
Kerry Childs--Ah, I'm glad you found it touching, really. I don't know what you mean is short, the ch or the song, but thank you so much!
Chrissie Ch2--I didn't think that was too relevant so I didn't bother w/ that, but I'm sure she'd want to stay with them. Thanks!
Chrissie Ch4--glad ya think so! And thx for reviewing again!
Sassinak Ch4--Wow thanks a lot! Yeah, there will prob be one couple, and I like D/G and D/Hr too. Yeah, congrats on gold!
Sassinak Ch3--Hey, that's good- maybe they will go to Canada! I don't think they'll actually go to Disney, too lame, I think... I just wanted a reason to get them to U.S. and my Brooklyn!! LOL Oh, and I do know the Canada anthem... (Oh Canada... brotherland... shed our grace on thee... something like that) I did a project on Canada a couple years ago, and I went there a few times when I lived in New York. LOL, very funny review! Ty!
Athena--Thanks lots! I'm a D/Hr supporter, trust me, and I might make it that. How does JK not see this? LOL, and ty...
kim--there's a law that u cant read anything but h/h... i am afraid that if i dont it will kill u but its a risk im willing to take... we'll c, we'll c
Bunny Lee--LOL, yes he is! Here's your ch!
meggiesweet12--Thanks, I will read your story tonight. I'm sure it's great.
Crimson Angel--thanks soooo much! lol, rat race was hilarious... whered u get that harmonica? thats hitler's harmonica!
All Mighty Terrestrial--Yeah, so did I... they're a funny/rowdy bunch
Markairian--LOL, I see you feel strongly. I am leaning toward D/Hr not H/Hr but who knows? I am writing this day by day, not knowing what's coming...lol... I'm not keen on H/Cho but I think it's not bad.
Alright, well, I'm outie... see ya, prob l8r tonight 2 check my reviews or 2morrow for a new ch... a lazy saturday does that to me... well, adios...
...and i'm out...
Disclaimer: Boys are posessions. Harry, he's a posession. But not mine. He's all JK's...
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Brooklyn," Hermione squinted her eyes at the road sign. "Has anyone ever heard of Brooklyn?"
"Yes!" Ron's eyes lit up. After Harry had relented from his strict all-Muggle vacation rules for a moment, Cho had performed an all-healing curse that not only sobered Ron up, it also healed most of his acne. "A girl in 6th year had on a shirt in the common room once; it said 'Brooklyn Boxing Club'!"
Draco arched his perfectly-curved eyebrow. "She only had a shirt on once?"
Ron scowled, but Harry thought on. "I've heard of Brooklyn," Harry said. "It's a pretty common city, I've heard of it. I think Uncle Vernon has a brother there, Wallace, I think..."
"Excellent!" Ginny chirped. "Maybe he can help us!"
"Were you born yesterday?" Ron nudged his younger sister, annoyed as brothers tend to get. "The Dursleys hate Harry!"
"Does he even know that you're a wizard?" Hermione chimed in, looking doubtful. "I mean, that oughtta spook him."
"I've got a good feeling," Harry admitted, revving the gas and speeding up just a bit. "For one thing, Vernon hates his brother. But about the wizarding... I don't know."
"It's worth a try," Draco sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Watch it!" Hermione hissed as he brushed her side.
Harry didn't know that Herm could be so abrasive, but he did know she had a thing against Draco. It had been hard for Harry to come to terms with the changes in Draco, but he did understand that Draco had been extremely harsh to Hermione especially, with her Muggle parents and all.
"I don't know where he lives, though," Harry frowned. He could sense Cho raising her hand to swat him again and he ducked forward, trusting his instincts. Sure enough, Cho's hand was frozen in place as he turned to her. "Oh, what now?"
"If you insist on using Muggle resources only," she exclaimed smugly, "then I advise you consult a phone book."
"A... phone... book?" Ginny was obviously confused with the term.
"Of course!" Harry actually hit his own head, feeling rather dumb. "Uh, Gin, it's, like, uh... a listing, yeah, of all the telephone numbers and addresses of the people who live there."
"Oh, okay," Ginny blushed and looked away.
Harry slowed the car and they drove slowly along the curb of 70th street until Cho spotted a payphone booth. Harry crawled out, languid from sitting down in the car for hours, and flipped through the book. Donaldson... Dorough... Dottie... Dree... Dross... Dulane... ah, Dursley! Harry grew excited as he traced his finger down the page and found "Dursley, Wallace J." A quick glance to the near right listed his number as 555-6162 and his address at 913 84th Street.
Harry returned to the car with the page ripped out. "Do you think we should call first?"
"No!" Cho insisted, snapping bubble gum on her tongue. "He might not let us come!"
"Yeah, but it's rude!" Hermione whined, her annoyance with Draco building up and bursting on the others. "I may be oblivious to hotel keys but I do know a lot about the Muggle world! It is very rude to show up at the doorstep. My mother always said--"
"Oh, put a block in it!" Draco snapped.
"Says you!" Hermione shot back, then slumped when she realized how pathetic her come-back had been. She sat quietly, extremely irritated.
"Listen," Cho said, "let's just go. It's only fourteen blocks over, we might as well give it a shot."
This seemed sensible to Harry, so he stepped on the gas. The car went a few yards, sputtered, and stopped abruptly. "Oh no!" Harry groaned.
"What?" Draco leaned in.
"We're out of gas!" Harry sunk into his seat, defeated. "Gasoline, it makes the car run."
Draco shrugged. "Well, it's only fourteen blocks." They shrunk the Vette, not knowing any gasoline spells (who would know they'd ever need one) and Draco pocketed it.
"Yeah, only fourteen blocks!" Hermione muttered fifteen minutes later as they skulked along 84th street. Her feet ached mercilessly, her sneakers were filthy, and her mentality--shot.
"Hey, I'm not the one who grew up in Muggle Land!" Draco mumbled. "You should've known, not me!"
"Whatever!" Hermione screeched and walked faster until she caught up with Harry. He had done many a laborious chore at the Dursleys' and wasn't easily tired, but even he was panting a little.
"Here it is," he announced, catching his breath. "913 84th Street." The apartment-looking home was on top of 912, with an outdoor staircase leading up to its eroded green front door. The six panted up the stairs, clutching the railings for support. The wizarding life had made them all lazy. Harry hesitated before rapping on the green door, but let his knuckles tap gently.
They all waited for a minute before they heard footsteps coming. Harry's mouth went dry. The lock turned. The door creaked. Harry blinked.
A young, handsome man stood in the doorway. He had dark hair like Vernon but much more of it. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and had narrow but kind brown eyes. He wore an unbuttoned pale blue work shirt with an untied tie (sounds funny!) hanging loosely around his neck. His khaki trousers were obviously too long for his legs and were wrinkled at the bottom. He stood there for a minute, peering down at Harry and his friends. Harry was six feet, Draco was 6' 1" and Ron was 5'11", but this man towered over them. "Um, can I help you?" His voice was surprisingly deep.
Harry was startled for a moment by his intimidating appearance, but quickly regained his voice. "Are--are you Wallace Dursley?"
"Uh-huh, and you are...?" The guy looked bored and curious at the same time; it was quite a site to see.
"Um, Harry Potter, sir." Harry's eyes darted around nervously. "Are you, uh, Vernon Dursley's brother?"
Wallace made a face. "Must you remind me? What now? Vernie's in more debt, is that it?"
Harry laughed out loud at hearing his crude uncle called "Vernie." "Actually, no," Harry smiled. He liked the guy. "I'm Vernon Dursley's nephew. Harry Potter."
"Oh yeah," Wallace's face broke into a lazy grin. "The notorious Harry. The little I've heard from the lump, it's always about 'that dastardly nephew of his'. I figure you can't be that bad." Wallace motioned to Harry's entourage. "And they would be...?"
"Oh, my friends: Ron..." Ron made a gawky sort of smile. "...Ginny..." She blushed, and stepped back a little. "...Hermione..." She gave a pursed smile and sighed, still aggravated. "...Cho..." Cho grinned in an almost obstreperous fashion. "...and Draco." Draco forced a smirk on his pallid lips. Wallace nodded in acknowledgement.
An awkward moment passed. "Oh, come in, come in," Wally blinked and ushered the six teens into his small home. They passed through a dimly-lit hallway with photographs lining the walls.
"Wow!" Ginny breathed, admiring a photograph. "This landscape is beautiful! Did you take this?"
"Yeah," Wallace shrugged, like it was nothing. "I'm a photographer for the Journal."
"Who's journal?" Ron frowned; Hermione elbowed him hard, and he shutup.
"So, what brings you to Brooklyn, Henry?"
"Harry," the abashed wizard corrected. "Anyway, my friends and I just graduated, um, high school and we were taking a road trip and found ourselves here."
"High school?" Again, Ron received an elbow to the ribs.
"Yeah, well, we were hoping you could help us on our way," Hermione stepped up to Wallace. "Mr. Dursley, we--"
"Call me Wally," the young man replied, plopping onto a stool as they reached the cramped kitchen. "Just not Dursley."
"Okay, Wally," Hermione continued. "We were going to go to Disney Land in California and we were hoping you might have a road map we could use."
"Nah... sorry," Wally yawned, running his fingers through his dark hair. "But, if you kids want to stay here for a while, I'm for it. After all, I'd love to get to know a fellow member of the 'Vernon-Hates-Me' fanclub," he chuckled.
"That'd be great!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. He turned to the other members of the trip. "Oh, sorry. Is that okay with you guys?"
"I don't want to sleep in the car tonight, if that's what you mean," Draco smirked. "Yeah, it'd be cool." Everyone seemed to agree.
"I can't offer you lots of space," Wally admitted, "but I'd love to have you." He led them down another hallway ("It looks like the corridors of Hogwarts," Cho whispered to Ginny) into a medium-sized, dingy but creative-looking room. There were two queen beds that looked like they hadn't been used in a while. "I used to have roommates, but they married," Wally said. "I'll haul the pull-out sofa in and you can all sleep in here together, is that okay?"
"Yeah, thank you." Harry was very appreciable of his uncle's brother's hospitality. He had never thought a Dursley could be humane, let alone hospitable. Wonders never cease to exist, he chuckled to himself. He grinned mischievously. "I call the pull-out couch!"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A/N: Yay! Ok, I am overwhelmed with your reviews! I am sooo grateful, thank you a million times over and over! I always mention my reviewers, and I am so excited to mention you all!
Bunny Lee--I will see Crossroads soon, thanks for the review. I'm not sure I'm gonna go w/ H/H though, maybe... I am keeping my options open but very soon I will have to decide.
Shadowcat--It is "Graduation (Friends Forever)" by Vitamin C. Yes, it's an amazing song; never fails to make me cry.
ShockoLatt--Sry if the main idea is too much, but I hope it's a lot different than others. How can they all be the same? I'm glad you like it though.
Slytherin Mudblood--Glad u thought it was that funny! Don't be so posessive of Draco, there's plenty of him to go around *winkwink*
Kerry Childs--Ah, I'm glad you found it touching, really. I don't know what you mean is short, the ch or the song, but thank you so much!
Chrissie Ch2--I didn't think that was too relevant so I didn't bother w/ that, but I'm sure she'd want to stay with them. Thanks!
Chrissie Ch4--glad ya think so! And thx for reviewing again!
Sassinak Ch4--Wow thanks a lot! Yeah, there will prob be one couple, and I like D/G and D/Hr too. Yeah, congrats on gold!
Sassinak Ch3--Hey, that's good- maybe they will go to Canada! I don't think they'll actually go to Disney, too lame, I think... I just wanted a reason to get them to U.S. and my Brooklyn!! LOL Oh, and I do know the Canada anthem... (Oh Canada... brotherland... shed our grace on thee... something like that) I did a project on Canada a couple years ago, and I went there a few times when I lived in New York. LOL, very funny review! Ty!
Athena--Thanks lots! I'm a D/Hr supporter, trust me, and I might make it that. How does JK not see this? LOL, and ty...
kim--there's a law that u cant read anything but h/h... i am afraid that if i dont it will kill u but its a risk im willing to take... we'll c, we'll c
Bunny Lee--LOL, yes he is! Here's your ch!
meggiesweet12--Thanks, I will read your story tonight. I'm sure it's great.
Crimson Angel--thanks soooo much! lol, rat race was hilarious... whered u get that harmonica? thats hitler's harmonica!
All Mighty Terrestrial--Yeah, so did I... they're a funny/rowdy bunch
Markairian--LOL, I see you feel strongly. I am leaning toward D/Hr not H/Hr but who knows? I am writing this day by day, not knowing what's coming...lol... I'm not keen on H/Cho but I think it's not bad.
Alright, well, I'm outie... see ya, prob l8r tonight 2 check my reviews or 2morrow for a new ch... a lazy saturday does that to me... well, adios...
...and i'm out...