DISCLAIMER:  It's obviously not mine, seeing as this is so entirely different than OotP that it's not even funny!  At least I didn't kill off Sirius!!  And never would!  *Sobs uncontrollably…again*

A/N:  Fanfiction.net is down, and it's making me sad!!  *Cries*  Now, I have to practise my stupid Clarinet…gr…  Well, my lessons teacher will be happy, seeing as I've actually practised this summer, and I can play through an entire sheet of music without stopping.   Well, an embouchure is kinda lost when you don't play for like two months, and before that is so sick and has broken fingers that they couldn't play for three months and then only played for like two in between.  Not that many of you understood that.  ITP's are mine, as well as the creature that was in the previous chapters.

Chapter Twelve:  Getting to America

            Harry woke up to the angry shouting monologue of Snape.  He heard very long strings of swearwords, very few of which he knew, and Snape never used the same one twice after four minutes of yelling.  The only thing other than the swearing that he could make out was, "that woman" and "yanks", both of which were repeated often, and between long strings of curses.  Harry wondered how many of them were illegal, and could be performed with a wand.

            "Er, 'moring," Harry said with a nervous, sleepy grin.

            Snape looked surprised at the voice other than his own.  "Harry, that—woman," he spat the word out as if it were poison, "have drug us back into Yankee land, apparently she talked with one of her friends at the FBMI, and they recognised me."

            Harry decided to play dumb, "FBMI?" he asked as stupidly as he could without smiling.

            "Federal Bureau of Magical Investigations, in America."

            "Oh," Harry answered, turning to the wall with a fake yawn, as if he were still tired and Snape's cursing had woken him up early, causing him to really yawn.  Harry stayed facing the wall as Snape swore under his breath.

            "Get up!  Agent Harrison," he began with obvious distaste to Aeria's best friend, "has asked us to be there at 11:00, it's nearly 10:15, lets get you dressed and attempt to tame your hair."

            Harry groaned, not for lack of sleep, which he had quite enough, if not more of, but for the comment about taming his hair.  "It won't do anything," Harry complained, "trust me, I've tried it tons of times before."

            "Well, we'll try again.  Get dressed.  I'll be in the other room," Snape answered.  Harry dared not to challenge him, seeing the mood he was in.

            Harry changed into his Hogwarts robes, it was a few minutes before Snape came out, fully dressed in Muggle clothing.  He had on black trousers and a solid black T-Shirt.  "Muggle clothing, Harry.  And have you no other robes?"

            "No need for them," Harry answered quietly.  "I'll change into Muggle clothing, where's the bathroom?"

            "Right, well, you should shower anyway.  The shampoo and soap is all in the shower, be quick!"  Harry grabbed the nicest pair of Dudley's old khaki trousers, and a nice red button-up shirt, and Snape showed Harry a door he had not seen before, perhaps it was because there was a bookshelf blocking his view of the door.

            Harry took a look in the mirror.  His hair was flaked with pieces of dirt, and his face looked as if someone had tried to brush off a large amount that had covered his face, most likely from his fall.  He took off his shirt, he was, as he had been all his life, rather skinny, and his ribs stood out more than his stomach.  He took off his trousers and boxers and put them in a pile with his shirt.

            He turned on the water of the shower, which was already set much hotter than Harry liked.  He turned the temperature down until he was comfortable, and he let the water run over his grimy body, and closed his eyes.  He reluctantly opened them and searched for the shampoo, Harry opened it, expecting to have to plug his nose against 'essence of Snape', but it smelled of lavender.  Harry massaged his hair with the lavender shampoo, and then quickly scrubbed his body with the bar of soap.

            Harry stepped out of the shower and realised that there were no towels.  "Professor Snape!" Harry called through the closed door.  "There are no towels!"

            "Open the drawer to the far right, in there are rectangular shaped washcloths.  Use an Engorgement Charm," he called as if it were the simplest thing on earth. 

Harry opened the drawer, and realised that he had left his wand outside the of the bathroom.  "Er, Professor Snape, my wand is in my robes pocket!"  Harry didn't hear a reply, but after about thirty seconds, he heard a knock on the door.  Harry stood behind the door and opened it just enough to grab his wand. "Thanks," he said quietly, shutting the door.

He pointed his wand at the black rectangle, "Engorgio!" he said.  He repeated the process with another towel and stood on it, wiping up the water that was dripping off of him.  He wiped off his body, and then his hair, which was already starting to stick up.  He pulled on a new pair of boxers and Dudley's old trousers, and tightened the belt as far as it could go, which was still a bit too loose, but Harry was used to it.  He buttoned up the shirt and walked out of the bathroom.  "What do you want me to do with my dirty clothes and the towels?" Harry asked.

"Leave them, the house elves will take care of them," Snape answered, bottling a potion and putting a cooling charm on the bottle.  He turned around and met Harry with a look between amusement and anger.  "What are you doing in those clothes?  Have you none that fit?"  Harry mumbled something, looking at the floor.  "Sorry didn't catch that," Snape prompted.

"There Dudley, my cousin's, old clothes.  The Dursley's never buy me any of my own clothes, so I get his old clothes.  I never saw a need to really buy myself a new wardrobe," Harry answered, still not looking up.

"Would you like to go clothes shopping here or in America?" Snape asked.

Harry looked up at Snape with a look of utter confusion.  "We'll have to stop by Gringotts to withdraw my money," Harry said, "whatever's easiest, I guess."

"I've got money.  I'll just convert it into the American dollar when we get there," Snape answered.  Harry continued to stare confusedly.  Snape was buying him his own clothes?!  That was more than his own relatives would do.

"I'll tell that woman that we won't be able to make it on time and to inform her friend." Snape said angrily.  Harry smiled nervously.  Snape went over to the fireplace, threw the powder in, and shouted a few unkind things at Aeria.  He came out looking angrier than before.  "She's going to go there as well, to visit her friend.  "Come here, lets work on your hair."  Harry nodded, and walked towards the angry Snape.  Snape rubbed some of the potion he had made earlier into Snape's hair, and combed it down, while using a charm from the end of his wand to dry his hair.  Harry looked in a mirror at the boy with straight hair.  Harry blinked, trying to convince himself that it was a reflection, and the impossible of taming his hair had succeeded.

"Ready to go?" Snape asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered, running his hands through his straightened hair.

They flooed from Snape's office to the American Embassy.  Snape led Harry down a corridor and into a room.  He knocked.  "Passport, for Harry Potter."  A wizard stepped out from the office.

"Is it really?" he said with an American accent.  "Well, Mr. Potter, I'm glad your deciding to visit my homeland.  What state you headed to?"

"D.C." Snape answered, before Harry could make an idiot of himself.

"Ah, the capital.  You can call me Kyle.  Kyle Murphy."

"Mr. Murphy, we are in a bit of a hurry, could we speed this up a bit?"

"Yes, yes, right this way.  We'll take your picture first, now these are Muggle pictures, so don't be worried when it doesn't move."  Harry nodded, and followed him to a room where they took a picture.  Harry answered several questions, was fingerprinted, and then after approval, Harry had a passport to America.

"Mr. Potter?" Kyle asked nervously.  "Would you mind signing a copy of your picture for me?"  Kyle handed Harry a pen, that he reluctantly took.

"No, Harry, we don't have the time," Snape said sharply, slightly slapping Harry on the arm with the pen.  Harry smiled apologetically, and followed Snape out of the office.

They exited the corridor, and instead of leaving, they went down another.  "Muggle passport, Harry," Snape explained, Harry now realised that he had a packet of papers with him.

They went into a waiting room, Snape signed in at the desk, and sat down on a chair next to Harry.  "Muggles do things a bit differently," whispered, answering Harry's unspoken question.  Harry nodded and sat in silence until, "Snape, Harry," was called.  Harry followed Snape into the office behind the waiting area.  Snape showed the Muggle, Terry Cook, the packet of papers, and Harry had his picture taken once again, except this time he wasn't asked to sign a copy, only the passport. 

Snape led them to the elevator and they went down one level, and then they went down a stairwell.  There was a door that led to a room full of what looked like pods, going from a small size that could probably fit only two people to large ones that looked it could fit up to about twenty.  They flashed their Wizarding passports to the man who led them to one of the smaller pods.  Harry and Severus took seats opposite each other.

"ITP's or International Transport Pods, Harry," Snape began to explain, "much like Apparition, but it transports the entire pod to a designated arrival station.  It's highly advanced magic, and so far we only use it between countries, seeing as it's absolutely dreadful to floo that long, and only adults can use Apparition, and very few of them have international Apparition Licenses."

"Oh," Harry said, nodding.  The pod began to glow a slight blue colour, then warmed up to red, and finally was white, and with a 'POP' they were in another country.  The doors to the pod opened, and they once again had to show their passports.  Snape took Harry's out of his hand, and once they were up another flight of stairs, similar to the ones in Britain, and into an elevator, Snape magically changed the date on Harry's passport.  "Now, it seems that we were here legally during the time you were in the hospital," Snape explained.  Harry fought hard not to laugh.


A/N:  I had planned for more stuff in this chapter, but it was going to be too long and out of proportion, so, I'm sorry!  It's gets slightly more exciting in the next chapter.  Would you believe I thought that they'd be in Washington D.C. and out and about in the last chapter?  Argh!  I can't post because the power is out.  Oh, well, I guess I should wait until tomorrow morning anyway, because then more people see the story on the little list thingy, which means more readers and more reviews!


Much deserved reviewer thanx—


Anora—Snape had to lie somehow, and since my best friend is Mormon and I go to her church, the day before we were talking about the Priesthood, and so that kind of inspired that part.  I know, sometimes things like that stick out in your mind, and that's okay.  I'm glad you stayed up to read, and I hope that you continue reading my story.  I hope that startling you, was startling in a good way.  Your name is the same as one of the voices in my head…I'll, uh, never say that again, if you don't want me to.


Corgi—You of course reviewed twice, seeing as I'm two chapters behind.  Thankyou, my invention, which of course, you know.  Make that you reviewed thrice since I answered them.  You win the award for most reviews!!  I love you, and thanks for your ideas.  You are a brill inspiration!


ShadowRomantic—Thankyou.


Katykat1010—Well, Snape doesn't seem like the Yankee-loving type now does he?  Or are you from Maine?  Can't really remember which I said…  I have nothing against people of Maine, I've never been there, but, it had to take place somewhere and Maine happened to be the place on my mind (I had just seen Dreamcatcher and was trying to find the book, and I love Insomnia (Stephen King))  I'm sorry, he loves you…deep down….very deep down…deeply and passionately.  (deeply and passionately is my copywrighted phrase, and it's fun to go up to random strange people and tell them that you love them deeply and passionately, so, if someone does that to you…it could be me, dun dun dun!)


kat-tak—Thankyou!


UnkownCatstar—Whoops…I'm a ding-dong.  I think I may have fixed it.


Stephanie, Harry/Mione's child—Thankyou.  Just one question…Harry and Hermione????  And isn't 'Mione what Ron calls Hermione?  Or, is that just one of Ginny and my fics that we're not posting, but has that?  Sorry, I still love you.


Mikee—Break up the conversations it might be easier to read?  Totally did not understand that, but it's okay…I'm sorry, sometimes I get a bit thick-headed.  Not to mention I've practically forgot what happened…  Your answer to the girls was in the last chapter, thanks the FBMI is my own, but I'm sure other brilliant people have come up with it, and I've seen FBM, and I guess you'll just have to see about that question…that's for next chapter.    Yeah, the creature I had to make up, since I don't have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  Yes, they were more open than they meant to be, but I still have to talk them into telling me their 'skeletons' are, to write them in, or listen in on one of their conversations, and repeat that.  You just gave me a good idea on how to start the next chapter though!  You are my official idea person, well, you and Corgi!  Oh, yes, and the Houses thing was yours, gotta thank you for that was well.


Moni—Thankyou!


froot_loop—Err…whoopsie.  I saw the movie before reading the books, because that's how I got hooked on HP, I was babysitting.  So my mental image is wrong, as is almost everyone else's thanks for pointing that out for me though, because it may help me with other stuff.


anon—Thankyou!  Yet another voice from my head.  WHO'S PUBLISHING MY VOICES ON A PEN NAME LIST?!