Disclaimer: Once again, none of this belongs to me, except the plot. dangit. Dontcha hate when that happens?
Across the pond
An old, slightly customized, Triumph motorcycle roared through the open countryside, flying over the highway. Sitting astride the black machine was a young man with shoulder-length jet black hair, wearing a black leather jacket, round mirrored sunglasses, a helmet, and a pair of black boots. He also wore an expression that, to the casual observer, would look like that of a man at peace with himself, at least when riding. He enjoyed the freedom his godfather's old motorbike gave him. It was probably the closest that most people could ever come to flying. There was nothing around him except open air and, sometimes, other drivers.
Harry Potter had arrived at Boston's Logan International Airport a few days ago, apparently with no baggage, except for a small carry-on with a few books, his passport, and a portable CD player, to pass the time on the flight. He was looking forward to seeing what this country had to offer. Hermione had recommended a laundry list of places he 'simply had to' visit while he was here. He knew he would miss his friends, the people he now considered family, while he was here. He had to get away from there though, to forget some of the memories from the past few years. Failing that, he needed to at least try to sort some of them out. Too many people gone, too many things he'd had to do, that he didn't want to think about right now.
After taking a cab ride to a Holiday Inn close to the airport, he paid for his room for the next two nights in cash, and took the lift up to his room. He ordered a light dinner from room service, then soaked for a while in the tub while reading a muggle novel. He enjoyed fantasy novels the most, although it was often funny to see how wrong some of the authors got the facts regarding magic. The ones he enjoyed the most were Tolkien's Middle-Earth books, and Piers Anthony's Xanth series. The plots in the Lord of the Rings books were intricately complex and easy to lose yourself in. The Xanth books, on the other hand, were simply a lot of fun to read. The humor and puns in them would also be very familiar to anybody acquainted with the Weasley twins. After his soak, he headed over to the large bed and sprawled out, not even bothering with the covers, where he slept for the next sixteen hours.
The next day, Harry headed down to the small resturaunt just off the lobby of the hotel for a decadently large meal. Once he was done eating, he turned in his room key and walked outside. Looking around for an out of the way spot, he strolled around to the rear of the building. With the course clear, he removed from his pocket what appeared to be a small toy motorcycle. He placed it on the ground, and with a quick look around, withdrew his wand from his jacket and restored the shrunken bike to it's normal size. He looked it over, making sure everything was in order. His eyes lingered over the small golden winged ball painted on the side of the gas tank. This was the only modification he had made to the machine. Otherwise, he had left the motorbike as it was, in a tribute to Sirius Black, his godfather. He missed Sirius fiercely. There was barely a day that went by that Harry didn't think of him. One of his most cherished memories was of the night he had found out the truth about Sirius, and when he had been asked if he would like to live with Sirius during the holidays, rather than having to go back to the Dursleys. It was a bittersweet memory now. with everything that had happened, but, it was still enough to conjure an entire herd of Patronus stags.
Tucking his wand back into his jacket, Harry pulled the helmet from one of the saddlebags on the bike, and pulled it on. One thing he was grateful for was that the helmet covered up the distinctive lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He wasn't ashamed of it, but it did tend to attract a bit more attention than he was generally comfortable with. Starting up the big cycle he headed out into traffic.
After driving around Boston for a good part of the day, he pulled off the street into an alleyway, and used his wand to add a magical compass between the normal guages between the handlebars, telling it he needed to find a bar called the Bull and Finch. Although this bar was known to the muggle world as the place that the TV show 'Cheers' was based on, it was also one of the entrances to the wizarding portion of Boston.
According to The Wizard's Guide To The Americas (supplied by Hermione, naturally), Boston's Wizarding quarter was one of the largest in the States, with only New York's being larger, and the one in New Orleans as the only one older. Harry needed to stop here so he could go to the Owl Post office to send a message back to everybody back home, to let them know he had arrived safely. He also thought it would be a good idea to stop at the Boston branch of Gringott's to make a small withdrawl.
Finding himself at the Bull & Finch, he drove around to the alleyway behind the bar. Dismounting, he removed his helmet and stowed it back in the saddlebag. Harry stepped back, and with a quick look around, shrunk the Triumph back to pocket size. After putting the bike in his pocket, he walked around to the front of the bar and went in. Harry took a look around, thinking about how little this place resembled the Three Broomsticks in appearance, while seeming to be almost the same in atmosphere. It was a friendly, homey type of place.
According to Hermione, the entrance was in the billiards room in the back of the bar, in the corner. The cue sticks in the rack on the wall were all slightly warped, and in case someone had brought their own cue, the tabletop had a crack running down the middle of it. Once a muggle had been back here, they generally didn't come back again. That suited the witches and wizards who used this entrance right down to the ground. Harry walked over to the corner, and tapped his wand against the wall, watching the bricks rearrange themselves so he could pass through.
Harry ran his fingers through his black hair, trying to ensure that his bangs would fall down over his scar, and stepped through into Liberty Lane. As he walked along the wizarding street, he saw similarities to what he was familiar with from Diagon Alley, as well as distinct differences. Here, people didn't seem quite as attached to what he knew as traditional wizard's robes. There was a lot more muggle clothing on this street than what he had expected. Most of the robes seemed to be worn by older people or those who were obviously from abroad. The shops were similar to what he knew, yet not quite the same. Instead of Quality Quidditch Supplies, he saw Quadpot Central. Honeyduke's was there, but so was a competitor, Merlin's Candies.
He headed first for the Owl Post, to send messages home. Next, he headed for Gringott's, to make a withdrawl. He knew he would need both muggle and wizarding money for this trip. As much as he got along well with the goblins who ran the bank, he was glad to get back outside on the street.
One thing that seemed to be almost exactly the same though, was a shop at one end of the street with a luridly colored flashing sign. It had small fireworks constantly exploding around the perimeter of the sign, designed to either entice people to enter immediately, or run screaming into the night. This shop, of course, was the Boston location of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Harry shook his head as he approached the doorway, thinking, "What other store would have a sign like that..."
Looking around the store, he saw a lot of things that were very familiar to him, having seen some of them in school as early as his fifth year. There were Canary Creams, Trick Wands, Vanishing Hats, and a whole selection of Skiving Snackboxes. He remembered all too well the demonstrations in the Gryffindor common room of the Puking Pastilles. As he was looking over some of the newer items, chuckling to himself, he sensed somebody approaching him from behind. As he turned to greet the clerk, he caught sight of something in the corner that made him vow to himself that he was going to talk to Remus when he returned to England, about finding a way to prank the twins. A display in the corner of the store nearest the register held a rack of Genuine Look Like Harry Potter costume kits. Oh yes, the twins were going to be in a lot of pain when he and Remus got done with them. Harry stalked to the front of the store, straight past the clerk, mumbling under his breath, "Gred and Forge are going to be in so much pain..."
The clerk, a pretty young girl, heard him say this, and turned to him with a concerned look. "May I ask why you're threatening the founders of this company, sir?" Then she did a double-take, as she realized something further. "How do you know their nicknames for each other?"
Harry reached the front of the store and picked up one of the kits. She looked at him, and then saw what he was picking up, noticing the resemblance between the man before her and what he held in his hand. Harry asked her name.
"Libby, sir." She had what could only be described as a deer in the headlights look. Libby hesitantly came closer. I ask you a question?"
Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. "Go ahead..." he said warily.
"Are you who I think you are? Are you Harry Potter?"
"Yes I am. I didn't think too many people over here would know who I am. From what I understand, the war with Voldemort wasn't all that big of a news story over here."
"Actually, anybody who works at Weasleys know who you are, sir. You see, Gred and Forge employ mostly family in nearly all of their stores. Almost everybody who works in one of them is a cousin, though some are as far as fourth-cousins. In fact, if you could come in the back for a moment, there's something that may interest you."
His interest piqued, Harry followed Libby to the back room. She turned to him and pointed to a door in the back of the stockroom and said, "Apparently, you already know the password to this room. Excuse me, while I go back out there. I need to keep an eye on the store." As she walked out, Libby turned back for a moment. "They said it has something to do with a map."
After watching her close the door to the front, Harry turned back to the door in the back. The password had him stumped for all of five seconds. He tapped the door with his wand, saying. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As soon as he finished saying this, the door opened, showing him a small furnished room. A note was on a coffee table, in the middle of the room. Harry picked up the note and started reading.
Harry,
How ya doin, mate? Congratulations on finding our little secret for you. This was
a little something we did while the war was still raging. In each location of WWW,
there's a little room in the back of the stockroom, designed especially to be opened
by only you, or one of the two of us. This is so that you have a place to stay. no
matter where you are, as long as there's a WWW location in the area. By the way,
those disguise kits that no doubt incensed you are being removed as you read
this. They were only intended as something to get your attention, so that the clerk
could show you this. I'm telling you this in the hopes that you won't decide to have
Remus prank us upon your return. The room has it's own outside entrance, so you
don't have to worry about exiting through the store in the middle of the night, should
you need to do so. After you read this, take a look at the mirror next to the door.
Gred and Forge
Harry turned to the mirror and said "Gred and Forge." Mists swirled within it for a moment, then two identical faces appeared in the mirror, both topped with a shock of orange hair. "Harry! Where are you?" chorused the two voices.
Harry replied, "Boston. Do you really think you won't get pranked somehow when I return, after seeing those disguise kits?"
"Well, we could hope. Especially once we explain that those kits are spelled so that you and the employees are the only ones who can see them. Didn't we explains that in the note, Gred?"
"Maybe not, Forge, maybe not." Fred hung his head for a moment, trying to use puppy-dog eyes to look innocent, and failing miserably. Then the moment passed. "So Harry, how ya doin, mate? Having a good trip? And by the way, when are you going to get your arse back here for a snogging session with our little sister?"
"Yeah, Harry, she's been missing you something fierce! Oh look, Gred! Harry looks so cute in that shade of red. Especially around the cheeks like that."
"Ok you two. I was starting to rethink the whole prank idea, but now I'm squarely back on track. Watch your backs when I get back." Harry said with a grin. "Seriously, though, I appreciate this. I mean the room. It's brilliant, and will definitely be a help. Is there a Weasley's in New York? That'll be my next stop, after I take off tomorrow."
"Yeah there is, Harry. Our newest location, actually, with the largest private room of the lot. When you get there, ask for Reggie, and tell him who you are. He'll take care of everything." The other twin nodded along with the one talking (Harry was too tired at the moment to try and tell the difference between them).
"When you get there, give us a yell over the mirror, and let us know how it turned out. That's the only one we haven't had a chance to visit yet."
Harry nodded and said "Guys, I'm going to get going for the night, so I can get some rest. Talk to you later."
"Night, Harry!"
The next morning, Harry woke up well before the sunrise, to get an early start. He had discovered when he was still in school that, much to his surprise, sunrise was his favorite part of the day. He loved watching the sun coming over the horizon, slowly at first, then bursting out, flooding the sky with every imaginable shade of red, orange, and yellow. It was especially enjoyable from the old Triumph. When the sun burst over the horizon, he could almost imagine he was back on his trusty Firebolt, flying through the air, chasing the snitch. Flying was when he felt the most free. One of the first things he was going to do when he returned home, would be to get back in the air.
As he moved down the interstate, just enjoying the drive, he noticed things along the way that reminded him of some of the people back home. Pulling off for breakfast at one point, he passed a beautiful old building that turned out to be one of the oldest libraries in the country. He was almost glad Hermione wasn't along, as he'd probably lose her for the rest of the day. Of course, the sporting goods store next door probably would have trapped Ron the same way. After lunch, he headed back to the freeway. Driving along, he realized that the person he was starting to think about more than anyone else was Ginny. He started thinking about how much he wanted to have her see all of this with him. Her face was in his mind, and her voice at the back of his mind, the more he thought about her. She had become a true friend during his last few years in school, especially after Ron and Hermione had realized their feelings for each other, long after the rest of the school had figured it out. Harry was still amazed at how deep their attachment ran. He could only hope to find that kind of love with a special woman of his own. The longer he drove that day, the more he thought about Ginny, and what his feelings seemed to be for her.
When he arrived in New York, he performed the same spell on the compass, this time pointing him towards a house of ill repute, named Lady Sally's. He had heard of it from Bill Weasley, who said that it not only served as a portal to the wizarding part of New York, but the place was a legend in it's own right. It was supposed to be one of the few places around where magic and muggle mingled freely. Apparently, The Lady, as they called her was something special in her own right, and the people she employed were the best in the world, at quite a few things. She apparently refused to employ anyone who didn't believe in, and love themselves, first. Not a conceited type of self-love, but an acceptance of yourself as a person, faults and all, no matter what the world's picture of you might be. That sounded like the kind of place that was worth taking a look at, no matter what the nature of the business might be.
Harry found his way to Lady Sally's late in the day, parking on a side street. Ensuring that nobody was around, he shrunk his cycle, and put it away. Walking around to the front, he knocked on the door. A very pretty girl, with long red hair and green eyes opened the door. He said "Hi. My name is Harry Potter. I was told about this place by Bill Weasley." She smiled and said "The Lady will be with you in a moment. Would you like to wait for her at the bar?" He nodded, and she led him through the door into one of the most impressive rooms he had ever seen. Only the Great Hall at Hogwarts could match it. As he settled on one of the tall chairs at the bar, he looked around. He was sure that he'd never seen a more diverse group in his life, except possibly at the Quidditch World Cup, a few years earlier. There was a couple over to one side of the room smoking cigars, and blowing smoke rings that couldn't be created without magic. The man took a deep draw on his cigar, and created what looked for all the world like a Hungarian Horntail dragon. The woman took an equally deep draw, and Harry nearly fainted dead away when he saw that what she created was the very image of him, riding his Firebolt, flying around, teasing the dragon, and finally stealing an egg from it.
As he turned back to the bar to order a drink, he was startled to realize that he actually saw Butterbeer back there. He ordered one, and as he sipped it, enjoying the taste and the unique sensations it brought, he heard a throaty voice addressing him. "Harry Potter?" He turned around to answer, and saw one of the most beautiful ladies he had ever met. "Lady Sally?", sticking his hand out to shake hers. 'Lady' was probably the most perfect word to describe her. She was an inch or two taller than Ginny, with almost the same impossible shade of red to her hair. She was slender, yet buxom, and had the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. She saw that he reacted to her, but nowhere near what she experienced from most men. She knew that his reaction was simply to her beauty, but with nothing of his soul in it. She laughed ruefully and said, "You have got it bad. Lucky girl. Does she have any idea how much you love her? Do you, for that matter?" He blushed a bit, which only added to her amusement. "No, I don't think you do know yet."
Harry shook his head, wondering how it was that people who he'd never met before could know him so well, probably better than he even knew himself. Then again, this kind of thing had been happening to him ever since he'd gotten his first Hogwarts letter. In fact, it had become something of a running joke. He shrugged. "I may not yet know how deep my feelings run, but I think I've finally figured out who she is. Took me long enough." he added with a chuckle.
She laughed with him for a moment, then asked, "So you know Bill Weasley? He's a lovely boy. Very smart and charming. Doesn't hurt that he's absolutely gorgeous. Of course, he'd almost have to be to attract a woman who's half-Veela." The last was added with a small look sideways, almost a smirk.
When Harry heard this, he relaxed. Only someone intimately familiar with the wizarding world would know what a Veela was, and what the implications of that were. Lady Sally laughed again on seeing this, and told him "When you finish that, I'll show you how to get through to The Street. I imagine there are a few things that need doing, and people you need to see. Or was that the other way around?" Harry was halfway through a drink of his Butterbeer, and almost choked when she said this. He recovered quickly, and flashed a smirk ay her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled back and told him "Hasn't anybody told you that's not fair with eyes like yours?" He blushed a bit more and surrendered.
He knew he was in the presence of a mistress of the language. There was no way he'd win a battle of the wits with her.
After he finished his drink, she led him to what appeared to be a simple door in the back of the building. She said, "This is where I leave you. Just a piece of advice, if you don't mind. Don't wait too long to tell her how you feel. I can see in your eyes how much you've seen in your short life. Believe it or not, we did get the news of the war here, so I know perfectly well who you are, Harry, and I know what you were able to do. In case nobody else has bothered to tell you, you saved the damn world! Something I happen to know a bit about, darling. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Never forget that. If there's anybody who deserves some happiness out of life, it's you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed his arm, and said, "Now go, before I decide to keep you for myself."
With that, he turned to the doorway, and with a quiet Alohamora, stepped through onto The Street.