Title: Just an American Girl and British Boy Love Story

Part Four of the Silent Song Series.

Author: PLS

Date: May 23, 2003

Rating: PG

Summery: Response to a challenge on HarryXSnapeML- Alternate Timeline/ Albus didn't stop Grindelwald, he joined him. How has that impacted the Wizarding world?

Quote for the section: A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one. --    Mae West (1892-1980)

Notes: I suppose I should explain the basis of my organization of this thing, you see it all starts with the challenge requirements that you see in the summery. The challenge fascinated me and I couldn't leave it alone, I also wanted something totally new and inventive in every way. So I started to engineer a whole new way to create something like this. I wanted to make it a bunch of shorts that could stand on their own but could also be read as a novel if you so wished. I am terribly fond of short stories and I wanted to show that factor.

Ratings may vary on each thing, I'll try to keep it within reason and if a more explicit bit should come about I'll let you know where it is. Too many good stories get kicked off of ff.net and I don't want to risk anything like that. I love the opportunity it offers me too much to risk getting thrown out. 

Each section will be accompanied by a quote that I either find fitting or I think is just too funny, author's notes will be rare. I'll try to remember to keep dating everything, so everyone will have a rough idea how long it took me to get started on each thing. I date on the day I start to type, so don't be surprised if there is a date that seems like it's wrong.

As Anon said "Screw Canon!" and on with the story, by the way I do love the reviews and I will not try to justify anything you don't like or clarify anything you don't understand (unless I email you privately, which is rare, but does happen.)

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Dear Moony,

I still think your nickname needs some explaining, bub. I totally think this whole deal with the rest of the world is messed up. I mean, why can't folks just exist like my family does? From your description we are what you call a "pure-blood" family yet my dad has this cool job at the college teaching Greek myths and my mom runs her "New Age" shop downtown and we use all the same technology that the Muggles do.

I love the way we live, magic can't do some of the things that the Muggles do. Take fireworks for example, there is no way in heck that any spell we come up with will match the wonder of a Fourth of July display here in Pittsburgh at least, not to mention Sky-blast nights here during baseball season! You should come and see it, the wild things that they do are amazing. I'm not even going to try to explain it to you.

Come and stay for a bit, I'll put you up and show you around. You'd love to see Mom's shop, it is so fun to see the mix of magic and Muggle. Here we have seers who are pure Muggle (can't do one bit of wand work) and other folks like that. They use Astrology, simple Potions, and Old Norse Runes like we do and I met one guy who did Arithmancy! She loves to train the Muggles in Divination and stuff like that. It is really making the researchers look into the genetics and nature vs. nurture issues. Mom is saying that some things in magic are things that should be taught to everyone, Dad says that anyone could learn to cast a spell, just like anyone could learn to do advanced Calculus, but that maybe learning isn't enough and being born with a gift for something is the key. What do you think?

Anyhow, have you seen the sports news lately? The Pirates are doing awful at home, last night was an embarrassment, the Cardinals won six to zero! I can't understand how such a loss could happen. Naturally I betted on the Cardinals. With the way the year has been going the Pirates had no chance unless they had a miracle. I don't really follow any other sports here, not even Quodpot which is my brother's favorite. I don't understand how an exploding ball makes for a good sport.

I'm sorry the letter isn't longer but I want to get this out soon and I have class in fifteen. I mean the whole invite thing, I would really like you to come and spend a weekend or something. Please consider it.

Sincerely,

Ismaela Rylie

"Ah, done." She said smiling. Ismaela slipped the freshly printed letter into a small envelope. "Chepi! I got something for you to do!" she called out from her desk. A large dark colored owl flew in through an open window and  landed on the cluttered desk as Ismaela folded the envelope in half and grabbed a bit of string. The horned owl hooted and stuck out its leg. The woman rolled the letter around its leg and tied it on securely.

"Chepi, this needs to go to Moony. If you can't find him please give it to Tom Riddle, whoever he is, and Riddle will get it to Moony. Hang around for an answer. Are you up to the long trip?" she asked the last bit with a smile. Chepi was a very proud Great Horned Owl and gave a loud hoot to prove he was up to anything that the woman could dish out. He then took off.

Ismaela smiled as she watched him fly away from the suburbs of Pittsburgh. She then turned to her clock, she was late! Running to the door of her apartment she grabbed her backpack filled with notebooks, spell books, and other necessities of a junior in college. She locked her door and apperated to the campus downtown. She was almost late to a lecture on Art History, she knew that this one was important and would cover a lot of stuff  she would need for the exam. Art History wasn't her favorite class though, she just needed it to get her Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education. She was hoping to become a fourth or fifth grade teacher and she just needed a few more credits.

Running in she found a seat in the center of the room and pulled out her notebook and tape recorder. She then took out her water bottle and took a few sips. Her thoughts turned back to the letter and Moony, she still had no clue what his first name was. He was called Moony by his friends and Lupin by everyone else, at least that was true a year ago when he was in New York and they met. She almost turned religious and started to pray that he would come and visit her. He was so clueless about the American way of life and Muggles in general; it was adorable. Sure he was slightly older, it was only fifteen years and with magical longevity it was like a drop in the bucket.

"Still dreaming of Mister Right?" whispered the person who sat next to the witch. Ismaela looked over to see her best friend Tabby sitting next to her.

"Nope, he's probably Mister Wrong, but honestly when has that stopped me?" quipped Ismaela with a slightly bitter smile. She had a history of bad boyfriends and Tabby had already found her love in Lenny, a geeky but cute psych student who was graduating and getting his doctorate this year.

"Oh cheer up. The right one will come, but don't worry about the whole thing. Romance and sex is so not the point of love, it's about the understanding and the mystery." Said the redheaded Muggle woman with a smile.

"You can't get any more mysterious than Moony Lupin. All I know is that he is a Brit, loves to travel, is a James Bond character, and hates to bore me with details about his life which wouldn't be boring at all for me. I don't even know his first name!" she shouted. The entire class turned and looked at her, Ismaela started to blush and said a rushed apology. Tabby laughed quietly.

"Okay, he sounds fun. Is he that guy who you kind of dated when we went to Manhattan for Spring Break when we were sophomores?" Asked Tabby.

"Yeah. I just invited him to come stay here a bit again. He said in his last letter he was coming to the US for a bit this month. I hope he can stop by, he'd love the fireworks." Ismaela had gotten a dreamy glazed look again.

"In both senses?" joked Tabby.

"Oh, shut up." Snapped the awoken Ismaela. They both started to take notes on the Greeks and how they contributed to art. It was rather dull and Ismaela was glad when it was over. Tabby let her pack up her things and then whisked her away to the nearest Starbucks for a little chat about love, guys, and lattés.

Once they were settled and tasted the coffee art Tabby plunged into the conversation.

"So, James Bond?" she asked, "A wizard Bond? Fill me in on all of the details that you tried to leave out before." Ismaela swallowed her bite of cinnamon roll.

"Okay, he is a spy for Dumbledore, the leader of the Legion of Fire." Said the witch and she took a sip of her cappuccino.

"They are part of the group working to mix magic and Muggle, right?" asked Tabby.

"Yup. Well, he was in New York last year doing something in the UN, he still won't tell me. We write, in fact Chepi is off taking a letter to him right now. He says he's coming to Washington DC this month, sometime near Father's Day." Ismaela said.

"So will your mom like him?" asked Tabby.

"Mom?" asked Ismaela, "Mom will love Moony. I mean he is like the nicest guy a girl could find, he acts like a total gentleman."

"Well then, it's settled!" exclaimed the brightly smiling Tabby at the now very confused Ismaela. " Lenny and I are going to help you get your man!"