Of America

Foreword: This is set in the same universe as my other story, Love Lost and Found. It doesn't need to be read to enjoy this one, but there may be references to things that take place so I hope you do. If I ever get around to it, there is another story I want to write set before this one so some details may be fleshed out more in that story. This universe is as canon compliant as I can make it. Please enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Match

"Ginny Weasley scores another 10 points for England!" the announcer called over the roar of the crowd. "They lead Italy by a score of 130 to 40!"

It was the second match that England was playing in the Quidditch World Cup, hosted in the United States of America. The group matches were being played up and down the East Coast, with the final being held in New York City. This particular match was being played just outside of Boston as all of Group D's matches were. Along with England, the three other teams in this group were Italy, Japan, and Egypt. England had been upset with a beautiful snitch capture by the Egyptian seeker in the first match they played. Seeking was a weakness for the English. Their chasers and beaters however, were superb. They had only lost by 20 points and were still expected to make it out of the group stage as two teams from each group move on.

Harry Potter cheered his fiancé along with the other fans. This was the first time he had come across the pond to the US. His arrival had caused quite the stir in the press as even over here, he was famous. He had asked Ginny to marry him the previous summer, on the same day that Ron did the same for Hermione. The two had planned it out that way so neither girl would be jealous that one had been asked before the other. Harry and Ginny's wedding was coming up soon, only a couple of weeks from now. They had decided to do it in the fall, before the quidditch season got busy. They had initially planned to do it a week ago. However, Ginny being selected to play for England had scuttled that plan, so they had rescheduled it. The wedding would be held at the Burrow and would be kept relatively small. Most attendees would be family and friends, but Ginny's teammates from the Harpies and Harry's coworkers from the Auror department were also invited. The remaining members of the Order and the DA would be there as well as most professors at Hogwarts. The press was of course highly interested in the event, dubbing it the wedding of the century. They would be left wanting as only one member of the press would be there, and that was Luna's father.

Ron and Hermione had gotten married only a few months ago and were currently on their honeymoon. They had decided to go to Egypt to explore the wizarding world there as well as the pyramids and other ancient structures. Hermione was excited to visit the Library of Alexandria. The wizards who lived during the destruction of the original had rescued the extensive collection of knowledge. Ron wasn't particularly excited for that stop on their trip, but Harry knew he would do whatever would make his new wife happy.

Ron's work life was going very well. Soon after the last Death Eaters had been captured and sentenced, he had quit the Auror Department. The lifestyle required of Aurors just wasn't for him. The main reason he left was to help George with Weasley Wizard Wheezes, which was doing better than anyone had ever dreamed. It was no longer just a joke shop (although the original store still was). Once the Mirror Communicator had taken off, the two had decided to split the business. They bought another building in Diagon Alley and moved the more serious products there. These included the shield hats and cloaks and other products developed during the war. They were constantly coming up with new inventions like the wand holster that Harry currently wore. It was strapped to his forearm and his wand could be called to his hand with a simple flick of the wrist. Every Auror now owned one of these and there were even talks of just including it with the uniform. The uniform was another innovation of the Weasley's. They were made to have four forms that could be changed in an instant. The classic Auror robes, a plain set of wizard's robes, a muggle suit and a set of more casual muggle clothes (the last two had been Harry's ideas). The uniform also came standard with built in protection spells. These innovations had been wildly popular, particularly the Mirror Comm, had caused them to become rather wealthy. It was estimated that over ¾ of the wizarding population in England now owned one of the devices and international sales had been expanding rapidly. The world was a happier, better place with the Weasleys new inventions.

Hermione was also trying to make the wizarding community better. She had worked tirelessly for the rights of sentient magical creatures. It was slow going, but her movement was slowly gaining support. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had been reorganized and split fully in half. One half would regulate non sentient magical creatures called the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures. The other was named the Department for the Cooperation with Magical Peoples and was working with sentient magical creatures including house elves, centaurs, vampires and werewolves. Hermione was on the leading edge of the charge to win more rights for all of them. So far she had secured education for the children of vampires and werewolves at Hogwarts and was able to secure regular inspections of house elf working conditions. There was still a long way to go before Hermione would be satisfied, but it was a promising start.

The two of them, as well as the rest of the Weasley clan, would be coming to the US once the group round was over to watch Ginny play. Harry's adoptive family was constantly growing. Bill and Fleur already had two kids and they had recently announced they were expecting again. Percy and Audrey were expecting their first child over the winter. They had been married for just over a year at this point. George was currently going out with Angelina Johnson. It was the longest relationship he had ever had and the entire family was hopeful that the two would stay together. They were suited for each other and they both deserved happiness. The only one of the Weasley siblings who wasn't currently in a relationship was Charlie. He seemed content with his bachelor lifestyle in Romania. Everyone knew that the only relationship he cared about was with the dragons there.

In addition, many of Harry and Ginny's friends would be coming for a few matches. Neville had quit the Auror Department at the same time as Ron after finally capturing two of the Death Eaters who had driven his parents insane. He was now pursuing a career in herbology at a greenhouse located in Diagon Alley. The job suited him perfectly and he had quickly earned promotions. Professor Sprout had even invited him back to help in the Hogwarts gardens from time to time. He would be arriving at the same time as the Weasleys. Luna would be making a stop in New York on her world travels to see Ginny play as well. Since leaving Hogwarts, she had rarely been in England. The last time that Harry had seen her was at the turn of the century, almost two years ago. She was looking for rare and new magical creatures. Her travels had taken her to every continent except for Antarctica. Her letters were usually few and far between, but they were entertaining when they showed up.

Other classmates from Hogwarts would also be making an appearance. Everyone from the DA would be attending at least one match. The entire group would be meeting up for an evening as they had done every year since the war ended. Ginny's teammates would also be here to cheer on their fellow Harpy. The thought of the Harpies being unleashed on the US was enough to send shivers down Harry's spine. The fact that Ginny was one of the tame ones said much about how much trouble they got into when out on the town.

Harry was pulled from his musings by another loud roar of the crowd as the snitch had been spotted. Both seekers were chasing it rising through the air as they closed in on their quarry. Italy's seeker had the edge and was almost within range of making a catch. Before he could, a crack was heard and a bludger was pounded by one of England's beaters at the opposing seeker. The Italian took evasive action, rolling on his broom to avoid the hit. The maneuver had slowed his momentum and the English seeker used the moment to her advantage. Darting in front, she reached for the snitch, almost falling off her broom as the golden ball was caught in her fist.

The crowd roared it's approval as Harry did as well. It had been a short game by quidditch standards, lasting under an hour and a half. It had been an exciting quick paced match and Harry was relieved that it had been a quick match. Tomorrow was Ginny's rest day as the last match was in two days time. They had planned on spending the day exploring Boston if it was a short game. If the match had dragged on, Ginny would likely have been too tired to do much the following day.

"England has won the match," the announcer declared, "With a final score of 280 to 50. This means that the winner of the upcoming England vs. Japan match will move on with Egypt to the knockout stage. This match will be held here in two days time. Italy has been eliminated but will still play Egypt tomorrow. We hope you have enjoyed today's match."

The announcer began to rattle off all of the sponsors of the match and Harry tuned him out and turned his attention to the field. In the center of the pitch, Ginny and the rest of the England squad was celebrating their victory. Ginny had scored 50 points for England and had assisted on another 40. The entire squad had rebounded nicely from their first match defeat and looked to be ready for the next match.

People were beginning to filter towards the exits, eager to beat the rush heading to the apparition points. Harry was content to wait, he knew it would be a little while until Ginny was released by the team and would make it back to their hotel room.

Suddenly on the opposite side of the field, where the luxury boxes were located, a golden light erupted. Harry shielded his eyes from the blinding light. Just as quickly as it appeared, the light diminished for a second before an explosion ripped into that section of the stadium. A huge gout of golden flames leapt out into the open air of the stadium. People were knocked off their feet next to Harry, even with the entire quidditch pitch separating them from the blast.

In an instant, Harry was on his feet. Flicking his wrist, his wand appeared in his hand as his holster activated. Looking down to where Ginny was on the field, he saw that she and the rest of her squad were quickly being ushered off the field by security. Noting her safety, Harry apparated to nearby where the explosion occurred.

The area was in chaos, finely dressed wizards and witches were running from where the blast originated. Many had burns on exposed skin as well as scorched clothing. The ground was littered with debris. As Harry moved towards where the light had been, small fires burned throughout the area. This was not normal fire, as it burned with golden flames. Brandishing his wand, he used the Aguamenti charm to begin dousing the flames. Other people began to help put out some of the flames and eventually, all the fires were put out. Security was now arriving and beginning to clear and secure the area. After making sure that the area he had been putting out flames was clear, Harry briefly talked with the guards as they cordoned off the area. Seeing that the situation was under control, Harry made to leave the area. The flash of a camera made him stop as he was surrounded by a couple of reporters.

"Mr. Potter, do you have any information as to what happened here?"

"Mr. Potter, is this why you truly came to America, to stop these attacks?"

"Mr. Potter…"

The stream of questions was interrupted by the cracks of three people apparating into the area. Harry recognized the robes of a MACUSA Auror. They had apparently been called in to help with the situation.

"Hey, clear off all of you," one of the Aurors yelled. "This is a restricted area and I need all of you to step back."

The reporters quickly backed off, chased by two of the Aurors, leaving Harry alone with the final one. He was older than Harry, maybe late 20s, early 30s. He wore the American Auror uniform. He was tall, had a good few inches on Harry. He had a presence that made him stand out in a crowd.

"God damn press, can't leave us alone to do our jobs in peace," the Auror muttered.

"Trust me, I understand," Harry replied.

The Auror looked him up and down, his eyes catching on his scar for a few moments.

"Fuck, you're Harry Potter. Of course you'd understand. Were you caught up in the blast?"

"No, I came in afterwards to see if I could help rescue people or put out the flames. My seat was on the other side of the stadium."

"Well it's appreciated. Would you mind coming back to the office with me? My partners can handle things here and having witness testimony from a fellow Auror could be invaluable."

Harry nodded and after being told the address of the Auror Office, he apparated there. The office was near downtown Boston, in Faneuil Alley, the heart of the wizard world in Boston. It was a small office, simply an outpost as the headquarters were located in New York. Harry noted that there was enough space for maybe six Aurors, way smaller than his offices back in England. The majority of the room was open, each of the desks cordoned off by privacy screens. The back wall held two doors that led to offices. A door led off of each wall with one going to the holding cells. The other appeared to go into a break room of sorts.

"I know it's smaller than what you're used to, but it's not so bad. I'm Auror Bartlett, we can use my office."

The Auror sat behind his desk and took out a pen and paper. Harry sat across from him and began telling his story and what he saw from where he was. Just as he got to the part where he apparated to where the explosion had taken place, he felt the vibration of his Mirror Comm. He pulled it from his pocket and saw that Ginny was calling. He apologized to Auror Bartlett and answered the call. Ginny's face came into view and he noticed that she was still in the locker room, though she was changed out of her quidditch gear.

"Hey Gin, everything alright?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine," she replied quickly. "It's you I'm worried about. You weren't anywhere near the blast right? I didn't think so, but I wanted to call just to be sure. Where are you by the way?"

"I'm completely fine, I was never in danger."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at this. Harry winced in response as he remembered how quickly he had apparated to where the explosion had just happened. He knew he would likely get chewed out later for giving in to his 'noble streak' again.

"I'm at the Auror Office in Boston," Harry continued answering her second question. "They asked me to come in and give a statement of what I observed. It may help them as they investigate what exactly happened."

"This shouldn't take too long Ms. Weasley," Auror Bartlett interjected. "May I just say that you have been spectacular for England so far in this cup. I just wish you were on our team."

"Thank you," Ginny grinned as she replied. "You Yanks were robbed of that win versus Australia. The refs missed that blatching call."

"I see you've been watching our games."

"Research in case we come up against you."

Harry heard voices through the connection and Ginny looked away from her mirror and answered. After a few moments she turned back to Harry.

"All the players are being escorted back to their hotel rooms. I'll be waiting for you so don't take too long."

"I'll be there as soon as I can be," Harry replied.

Ginny gave Harry a wink and a heated look. It caused him to blush slightly. Ginny giggled at his reaction before the mirror shimmered and the connection ended. Harry resumed his story where he had left off and described in detail the golden flames that had been present all around the site of the explosion. Bartlett seemed intrigued, but not surprised by this. Harry could tell that he already knew something about this that he didn't. The golden fire was strange and Harry had never seen anything like it before.

As Harry wrapped up his story and began to make his way to his hotel where Ginny was waiting for him, the other two aurors apparated back into the office. As Auror Bartlett was shaking his hand, thanking him for the help, Harry overheard the other two talking as they walked towards the office.

"This is the third attack of this type in the last three months, and the sixth this year. This is getting ridiculous, it's a miracle no one has been killed."

"Maybe now the Auror office will be allowed to investigate these explosions."

The pair opened the door to the office Harry and Bartlett were in, freezing as they saw their faces. Bartlett looked angry and glared at his two partners. Harry was shocked at what he just heard. There had been five attacks prior to the one that occurred this evening. He had heard nothing about it and he kept his ear to the ground for things like this, even if it was international. The Auror department even had monthly briefings on major events around the world, and these attacks should've been on it.

"Both of you, get out," Auror Bartlett yelled. "We'll discuss this later. Get to work writing your observations."

The two aurors quickly backed out of the office and beat a hasty retreat to their desks. As the door closed behind them, Auror Bartlett let out a sigh.

"I don't suppose you're going to let that slide, are you?"

"No, I am not. Bloody hell! This was the sixth attack? What the hell has been going on here?"

"I don't like it any more than you do," Bartlett replied tiredly. "The attacks have been covered up heavily by the MACUSA. They were concerned that if news of the attacks leaked, the Quidditch World Cup would be canceled or moved. Especially after what happened last September in the muggle world. The government decided to keep investigations to a minimum and spread stories about how each of the attacks was simply an accident. International news wouldn't report on an accident, especially since there have been no casualties. The only reason my partners and I know about it is because one of the attacks took place in Boston. We were hamstrung every time we made any progress investigating what happened. I just hope that this is too big for them to cover up this time and we can finally begin investigating these attacks properly."

"That's great," Harry said sarcastically. "My friends and family are coming here to watch Ginny, and there are terrorist attacks going on. I know it's not your guy's fault. I've had my fair share of government interference."

"I wish we could do more. I've been pushing for it."

"If you don't mind, I'm gonna head out and see my fiancé."

"I understand. Thank you for coming in Mr. Potter, it's been my pleasure. Don't spread this around too much before something official comes up please. I don't want my guys to get in trouble."

Harry nodded affirmative before walking out of the office and disapparated to an alley near his hotel. As he walked inside he waved to the lady minding the check-in desk before he made his way to the elevator. Getting off on his floor, he walked down the hallway to his room (Ginny's as well so long as she didn't have a match the next day).

Opening the door, he saw Ginny sitting up in bed. Seeing him, she instantly smiled and got out of bed. She was already in her sleepwear, one of Harry's old shirts and a pair of shorts. She gave him a kiss and hugged him tightly.

"I can't believe that even on vacation, you still manage to find yourself in the middle of the action. That's supposed to be my job this week," Ginny teased playfully.

"It's what I'm best at apparently," Harry replied as he walked over to the window and looked out at the Boston skyline. "I had to help, and fortunately there were no deaths. I did see some people burned though."

"I'm just glad you weren't hurt," she said as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "I knew that you would try and go help people. It's one of the things I love about you."

Harry was silent for a few moments. He thought about the information he had learned at the Auror office. He debated telling Ginny, but this was her night, this stuff could wait until morning.

"Enough about that," he said. "Someone had an amazing game. You scored 50 points and assisted on four more tries! In international play, that's incredible!"

"Thank you love. It helps that I knew I would be coming back here tonight instead of the team hotel. It's so stuffy at that hotel."

"Is that the only reason?" Harry asked playfully.

"Hmmmm… I don't know, if I think hard, there might be another reason. After all, you know how I get after a good game of quidditch."

She winked at Harry and slowly walked towards their bed, taking off her sleep wear and revealing what was underneath.

"Well? Are you coming?"

Who was he to resist an invitation like that he thought as he walked towards his fiancé?

Author's Note: Here it is, the first chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoy. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready and it could be a while. Have a Happy New Year.