Weasleys In America
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction featuring characters in the Harry Potter series of books. I am not affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., Scholastic, or any other large corporation with marketing or licensing rights to the Harry Potter universe.
~~
A week away from dragons! For Charlie Weasley, it meant no odd burns, venomous bites, or deep scratches on various body parts. It meant being able to smell fresh and clean all day, and it meant seeing something than the tail of a dragon.
For his first weeklong vacation in two years, he decided to travel across the ocean to America, to explore the Muggle relics that he had always heard about from his father. Charlie didn't know what kind of adventure he'd get into, but he was sure that it would be less dangerous than the Chinese Fireball.
Charlie decided to do it the Muggle way. He bought an airplane ticket and rented a hotel room for the entire vacation. He was worried about using Muggle money, but between Harry, Hermione, and his own brother Bill, he was convinced that he could survive for a week.
Flying in a plane was a wonder in itself. He knew that none of the Muggles he was sitting with could imagine flying brooms, much less know the difference between a Clean Sweep Seven and a Cloudscraper 500, the broom he owned. For Muggles, this was the finest way to travel, and Charlie had to admit it was rather nice. Bill had warned him that not every Muggle he met would be as kind as Harry or Hermione, and he knew from Harry's discussions about the Dursleys that it was true. He was expecting angry people all around him, but he was pleasantly surprised. Friendly, pretty girls offered him pretzels and his choice of beverage (he had been told by Hermione to try a fizzy one called Sprite) and he was able to sit in a padded chair, which was actually much preferable to riding a thin, hard broom. He missed the wind in his hair and the fresh air in his nostrils, but it was definitely an interesting adventure already.
When he landed at the airport, he grabbed his small duffel from the overhead compartment and started looking for the way out. He looked for a taxi and gave the driver the name of his hotel. During his ride, he looked around. New York City was, in many respects, a lot like London, except the Muggles drove on the wrong side of the street. Charlie chuckled a bit, and then continued to gaze in awe of the city around him.
When Charlie stepped out of the taxi, he paid the cab driver and walked into the hotel. It was gleaming with polished marble and gold leaf, mahogany furniture, and crystal chandeliers. It was beautiful, but it reminded him of Gringotts' Bank, only cleaner.
Charlie made it up to his room and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could use a little magic to help him tidy up. He uttered a few incantations and his clothes hung themselves up. He sat on the bed and thought hard about how to work the "lecktric bulbs" and "fellyvision".
"Lumos" he said – nothing. His dad didn't mention how to operate these! He was about to give up hope, then noticed a switch on the wall. Maybe this had something to do with it? He moved the switch up and suddenly, the room flooded with light. He clapped his hands in excitement.
"Boy, Dad would positively die from happiness!" he laughed.
The next object to tackle was that fellyvision. It was a big, black box, and to Charlie, it looked rather scary. He walked up to it and looked for a switch, then he began to poke at it with his wand. He saw a few buttons near the bottom, and he bent down to read them.
"Power, channel, and volume," he read aloud. "I suppose I'll try Power first…"
He pressed the button and the fellyvision turned on. Charlie jumped back in fright. He frantically searched for the Volume button, and pressed the minus sign repeatedly. The volume lowered, and Charlie began to search the Channel buttons. When he pressed it, he found that there were different scenes – Harry called them "programs" – with each change of channel. He kept going up until he found a weather channel.
It was going to be a lovely day in New York City, with the highs in the low to mid 80's Fahrenheit. Charlie did some quick math in his head and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. The t-shirt was green and had the logo of the Belfast Giants, a Quidditch team, on it. He was finally ready to make his way into the Muggle world.
Charlie did every touristy thing possible during his week in New York. He caught a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, but fell asleep before the fifth inning. He had his picture taken in Times Square and he visited Central Park, but there was only one place left to go, and he saved it for his last full day in the States.
He had always heard of the Statue of Liberty. For Muggles, it was the gateway to freedom, the welcoming, friendly face of a new world; but for those in the American Wizarding community, the Statue of Liberty meant an end to a persecution that started in Salem in the early part of the nation's history. When the giant statue was built, it fulfilled a prophecy by Temperence Hewson, great-niece of famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney: The Grand Lady stands to welcome all/The Muggle and the Witch/United as one.
The very year the Statue of Liberty was built, the Conference of North American Witchcraft was started, which gave a voice to mistreated witches and wizards throughout America, and soon became a symbol of independence to all witches worldwide.
Charlie was excited to see this icon of freedom for himself, and when he stepped onto Liberty Island, he wept for joy. During the war against the Dark Lord, he had regained an appreciation for the freedom he had, and a deep gratitude for the many brave souls who fought for it. As he looked out upon the New World from the tiara of the Grand Lady, he saw a city where Muggles and wizards lived together in relative harmony, and it was beautiful. Hidden in the arms of America, Charlie Weasley never felt more proud to be a wizard.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction featuring characters in the Harry Potter series of books. I am not affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., Scholastic, or any other large corporation with marketing or licensing rights to the Harry Potter universe.
~~
A week away from dragons! For Charlie Weasley, it meant no odd burns, venomous bites, or deep scratches on various body parts. It meant being able to smell fresh and clean all day, and it meant seeing something than the tail of a dragon.
For his first weeklong vacation in two years, he decided to travel across the ocean to America, to explore the Muggle relics that he had always heard about from his father. Charlie didn't know what kind of adventure he'd get into, but he was sure that it would be less dangerous than the Chinese Fireball.
Charlie decided to do it the Muggle way. He bought an airplane ticket and rented a hotel room for the entire vacation. He was worried about using Muggle money, but between Harry, Hermione, and his own brother Bill, he was convinced that he could survive for a week.
Flying in a plane was a wonder in itself. He knew that none of the Muggles he was sitting with could imagine flying brooms, much less know the difference between a Clean Sweep Seven and a Cloudscraper 500, the broom he owned. For Muggles, this was the finest way to travel, and Charlie had to admit it was rather nice. Bill had warned him that not every Muggle he met would be as kind as Harry or Hermione, and he knew from Harry's discussions about the Dursleys that it was true. He was expecting angry people all around him, but he was pleasantly surprised. Friendly, pretty girls offered him pretzels and his choice of beverage (he had been told by Hermione to try a fizzy one called Sprite) and he was able to sit in a padded chair, which was actually much preferable to riding a thin, hard broom. He missed the wind in his hair and the fresh air in his nostrils, but it was definitely an interesting adventure already.
When he landed at the airport, he grabbed his small duffel from the overhead compartment and started looking for the way out. He looked for a taxi and gave the driver the name of his hotel. During his ride, he looked around. New York City was, in many respects, a lot like London, except the Muggles drove on the wrong side of the street. Charlie chuckled a bit, and then continued to gaze in awe of the city around him.
When Charlie stepped out of the taxi, he paid the cab driver and walked into the hotel. It was gleaming with polished marble and gold leaf, mahogany furniture, and crystal chandeliers. It was beautiful, but it reminded him of Gringotts' Bank, only cleaner.
Charlie made it up to his room and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could use a little magic to help him tidy up. He uttered a few incantations and his clothes hung themselves up. He sat on the bed and thought hard about how to work the "lecktric bulbs" and "fellyvision".
"Lumos" he said – nothing. His dad didn't mention how to operate these! He was about to give up hope, then noticed a switch on the wall. Maybe this had something to do with it? He moved the switch up and suddenly, the room flooded with light. He clapped his hands in excitement.
"Boy, Dad would positively die from happiness!" he laughed.
The next object to tackle was that fellyvision. It was a big, black box, and to Charlie, it looked rather scary. He walked up to it and looked for a switch, then he began to poke at it with his wand. He saw a few buttons near the bottom, and he bent down to read them.
"Power, channel, and volume," he read aloud. "I suppose I'll try Power first…"
He pressed the button and the fellyvision turned on. Charlie jumped back in fright. He frantically searched for the Volume button, and pressed the minus sign repeatedly. The volume lowered, and Charlie began to search the Channel buttons. When he pressed it, he found that there were different scenes – Harry called them "programs" – with each change of channel. He kept going up until he found a weather channel.
It was going to be a lovely day in New York City, with the highs in the low to mid 80's Fahrenheit. Charlie did some quick math in his head and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. The t-shirt was green and had the logo of the Belfast Giants, a Quidditch team, on it. He was finally ready to make his way into the Muggle world.
Charlie did every touristy thing possible during his week in New York. He caught a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, but fell asleep before the fifth inning. He had his picture taken in Times Square and he visited Central Park, but there was only one place left to go, and he saved it for his last full day in the States.
He had always heard of the Statue of Liberty. For Muggles, it was the gateway to freedom, the welcoming, friendly face of a new world; but for those in the American Wizarding community, the Statue of Liberty meant an end to a persecution that started in Salem in the early part of the nation's history. When the giant statue was built, it fulfilled a prophecy by Temperence Hewson, great-niece of famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney: The Grand Lady stands to welcome all/The Muggle and the Witch/United as one.
The very year the Statue of Liberty was built, the Conference of North American Witchcraft was started, which gave a voice to mistreated witches and wizards throughout America, and soon became a symbol of independence to all witches worldwide.
Charlie was excited to see this icon of freedom for himself, and when he stepped onto Liberty Island, he wept for joy. During the war against the Dark Lord, he had regained an appreciation for the freedom he had, and a deep gratitude for the many brave souls who fought for it. As he looked out upon the New World from the tiara of the Grand Lady, he saw a city where Muggles and wizards lived together in relative harmony, and it was beautiful. Hidden in the arms of America, Charlie Weasley never felt more proud to be a wizard.