A/N: I would like all two of my loyal and loved readers to know that it is officially 12:30 am mountain time. I am eating cold pizza and warm milk, so you see how much I sacrifice to bring you a great story? Good. Now back to my little world. And by the way, I GOT A NEW BETA!!! YAY!!! So, lets all have a hearty round of applause for Nicole. This also means I shall be updating more frequently! Whoopeee!!!

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Chapter 4: The Red Dragon

"Well, umm...nice you meet you, Mr. Weasley." said Saria, feeling more confused by the second. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?"

"Well, I thought that would be obvious, Saria, I'm 'ere to bring you, safely, to 'Ogwarts."

"Oh, well, that's cool." she said as a wave of relief swept over her. "Erm, where is Hogwarts?"

"It's in England, but we won't be flying all-"

"Flying?" Saria cut him off, astonished.

"Yes, flying. 'Aven't you 'eard of witches broomsticks? Well, no matter, we are going to fly to my flat in New York for the next couple o' days and then we'll get to London."

"I'll take your bags, Miss!" chirped Doby happily.

"Oh, no, I'll do it..." protested Saria.

"This is what Dobby is paid for miss!" replied Doby happily.

"Well, okay then."

"I shall meet Mr. Weasley and Miss Saria at house then, yes master?"

"Doby, I told you to call me Ron, and yes, we shall meet you at the flat."

"Okay then, Mr. Ron. Goodbye!"

Doby bowed low to the ground, so his nose lightly brushed the grass. Then, he stood smiled and disappeared with a loud crack. Saria jumped with a small scream that the sound.

"Oh my god! Where did he go?" asked Saria, bewildered.

"'E disapparated to my flat."

"Just...just like that?" asked a bewildered Saria, blinking profusely.

"Mmhm."

"Why can't we do that? If I'm a witch I should be able to."

"Righ', you are a witch, but yer not properly trained. Tha's a very difficult skill to master, mos' trained wizards can't do it. Plus, you 'ave to pass a test saying you can do it safely."

"What is so hard about it?"

"Well, you might splinch yourself."

"Do what?"

"Only send 'alf o' yourself to where you are going."

"Oh, yuck."

"Yeah, so anyway, 'op on , I'll steer, all you 'ave to do is lean with me. C'mere. Okay, now swing yer leg over like this...good." Saria very uncertainly straddled the broom behind Ron. "Right, now hang on around my waist an we'll be off." Saria wrapped her arms around the muscular waist that sat steadily in front of her. "Ready? "Ere we go!"

Ron kicked his foot against the ground, launching them into the still, black night sky. At the same time, Saria felt like her whole body jumped up, but her stomach stayed behind. She felt a little light headed and giddy. They shot forward through the vine-like branches of the willow and into the clear Colorado air.

Saria smiled as the crisp air stung her face and froze her teeth. Somehow, this felt so right. Ron leaned back a little, pointing the broom handle toward to sky. The broom began to rise slowly and evenly. Ron laughed heartedly as Saria gasped at the sight of her town miniaturized beneath her.

"It's so pretty!"

"Yeah, I love the way muggle ligh's twinkle like that."

"Muggle?"

"Oh, yeah, tha' is wha' we, wizards tha' is, call people with no magical powers."

"Ah."

"Okay, get ready, we're turning right!"

"We're doing wha-AH!" Saria screamed as the broom jerked hard to the right, she felt like it actually felt out from underneath her. For a second, she had the strangest sensation that she was suspended in mid-air. She squeezed her legs together so that she could feel the wood of the broom handle underneath her, the skinny mass of wood pinched between her knees wasn't very reassuring. She squeezed her arms tighter around Ron's body, who gasped as he felt her tightening the death grip on his body.

"It's alrigh' ya know, i's only a small turn!"

"Ron, I don't think I like flying very much!"

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After what seemed like endless, jerky, freezing, awful hours later, Ron leaned forward and the broom pointed downward. Saria opened her eyes long enough to peek over his shoulder and see where they were heading.

Before her lay the largest mass of lights she had ever set eyes on. It seemed like it was all just one gigantic light someone had tried to use to light up the heavens. As the got closer to the city, Saria could make out tons of different lights, some reaching into the sky while others zoomed around on the ground far below them.

"Wow," Saria sighed, relieved that the jerky turning was finally over.

"Welcome to Manhattan." Ron said happily.

As the broom descended smoothly toward the city, Ron pulled out his wand.

"Hold still, I am going to perform an invisibility spell on you."

"Oh, okay..." Saria said uncertainly.

Ron pointed his wand over his shoulder and muttered something Saria couldn't hear. When Ron moved his wand away, Saria felt sort of liquid-like, like her body was trying to flow away from her. Looking down, she gasped in surprise. She was looking at where her knee should be, but all she saw were the steady lights of the city.

"Always a bit o' a shock the fir' time. Don' worry, you'll get used to it." said Ron, as his body disappeared slowly. Saria grabbed the reassuring, yet invisible cloth of Ron's cloak, just to make sure he was still there.

The lights steadily grew larger as they neared the city.

Ron leveled his broom and maneuvered his way over the busy streets of Manhattan. Soon the myriad of people began to thin, and the buildings became shorter. Less cars traveled the streets and somehow the city seemed dimmer.

Another shaky turn and they were on a very dark alleyway. Ahead of them, Saria could see a faint red light on one of the sides of the alleyway. As the neared it, Saria noticed her feet were brushing the ground. She smiled knowing the terrible ride would soon be over.

Very gently, Ron lowered the broom to the ground.

"Alrigh', swing off!"

As Saria swung her leg over the broom, she read the sign, "The Red Dragon" was printed in huge glowing letters, and below it was written "Bed and Breakfast." Suddenly Ron appeared in front of her. He pointed his wand at her and when she looked down she could see her body clearly again.

"Are we staying here?" asked Saria.

"No, we have to go through here to get into wizard Manhattan, it's kind of like a hotel that serves as a gateway. Once we're in, we'll go to my flat."

Saria looked more closely at the building. It reminded her of a side entrance to a bar, or a club. Just a plain door set into a solid brick wall with the sign hanging over it.

"It's prettier on the inside," Ron assured her before stepping up to the door and pulling it open. "Ladies first!" he said grinning.

Saria stepped into a large room with an impossibly high ceiling. Enchanted candles floated above her, bobbing up and down, making the light flicker in the room. She could see the check-in desk made of some sort of red wood directly in front of her, to her left there was a sitting parlor complete with a gigantic bookshelf and too her right there was a bar/restaurant area.

Next to the check-in desk was a hall way that Saria guessed lead to the guestrooms of the hotel.

"Hi Ron!" called a man from behind the desk.

"Oh, 'ey 'Enry! 'Ow's business going?" replied Ron, striding over to the desk.

A man stood there who was all and balding. What hair was left was dark brown and his eyes glittered green. He was rather beefy, but he seemed very friendly.

"Not too bad, not too bad at all! Who is the little lady with ya?"

"Oh, this is Saria DeThome, a future 'Ogwarts student."

"So, your trip went well?"

"With the exception of some flying trouble," he winked at Saria, "it went just fine."

"Heading back into town?"

"Yeah."

"Well, nice running into ya! Make sure you say bye before heading back to London."

"Will do 'Enry. C'mon Saria, right through here."

Saria waved at the man before she followed Ron down the hallway. The hallway resembled the rest of the hotel, oriental in style and made of beautiful red wood. A long carpet filled the floor and Saria noticed it was embroidered with dragons and what appeared to be Chinese symbols, both of which were weaving their way around Saria and Ron's feet.

"What are these symbols for?" Saria asked Ron.

"Oh those, they are supposed to bring you good luck, health, stuff like that."

"Cool."

Ron opened a door in the back of the hotel that lead into a small walled in area. Saria walked in after him and watched as he shut the door, which blended in perfectly with the rest of the wall.

"Is this it?" Saria asked in a voice that implied the man studying the wall before them was completely bonkers.

"Now wait just a second." replied Ron, as he produced his wand from somewhere in his robes. He studied the wall for another second, then he tapped his wand on the brick right above where the door into the hotel was. The brick shuddered a little and then the words: "May those who come, come with peace," engraved themselves into the brick.

Ron stepped away from the wall and pulled open the door. Saria was no longer looking into the comfortable interior of the Red Dragon; she was looking down a very empty city street.