Disclaimer: Still not mine, dammit. Argh. Again, thank you to Ms Rowling and Spider for the wonderful playgrounds we all enjoy so much.
Letters from home:
Harry stepped through the door at the back of Lady Sally's, and took in the site of The Street, as the New York city wizarding community was known. He was struck again by both the similarities and differences from this place and what he knew back home. The first order of business was to find the local Owl Post. He found it in short order, as it was probably the biggest building in sight. The Owl Post office was a huge building, easily stretching six blocks or more. Harry went in, and sought out the building directory, to find the International Mail section. He quickly found that it was in Area 12B, and set out to find it. As he strode down the wide hallways, Harry found himself marvelling at the sheer variety, not to mention the huge amount of mail, that this place could handle. There was every type of owl imaginable, as well as ravens, eagles, hawks, bluebirds, cardinals, and even a roc, evidently for large cargo deliveries. He shook his head, trying not to imagine what kinds of treats would be needed for a roc after a delivery, when he considered that those mammoth creatures could have a wingspan equal to a small passenger jet. The young wizard passed by the local delivery terminal, and laughed to himself to see a room the size of the Burrow, filled with nothing but Scopes owls. A room full of birds like Pig. That would be enough to give Ron nightmares for weeks.
Harry found Area 12B, and walked in, only to be accosted almost immediately by three separate owls. The first was a very familiar snowy owl, that landed immediately on her master's outstretched arm and held out her leg, to allow him to untie the letters there. As he did so, he greeted her with a fond voice, ruffling her feathers. "Hedwig! How are you, girl? I've missed you." She then moved up to his shoulder and gave him an affectionate nip on the ear, letting him that she had missed him too. The next owl was a very dignified one, that almost looked like it was wearing a tweed suit, complete with bowtie. It was obvious that this owl took his job very seriously. Harry knew the owl to be Hermes, the owl that once belonged to Percy Weasley. He had somehow found himself looking to Ron, after Percy died. He took the letter that was on the leg of that owl, gave him a scratch, to receive an affectionate nip on the finger, as he flew up to roost on Harry's other shoulder. The third owl was an eagle owl, colored a severe gray. It roosted on his arm long enough to allow Harry to untie a very offial looking letter on heavy parchment. As soon as it was untied the owl took flight immediately, to roost on one of the many perches near the top of the cavernous room. Harry walked to one side of the room and bought some owl treats from a machine there, giving some to each of the two owls with him. He then went to find a place where he could sit down to see who the letters were from, and read them in peace.
Harry thought he may as well get the official letter out of the way first, just to see what they wanted. He could then enjoy the letters from his friends with a clear concsience. As he opened the Ministry letter, he recieved a surprise. It was from Arthur Weasley.
Harry Potter,
It is with great pleasure that the British Ministry of Magic informs you that you have been awarded
the Order of Merlin, First Class. Along with this award comes a monetary compensation of fifty
thousand Galleons. While we are aware that you, in fact, do not have a need for this amount of
compensation, it was thought that you might take some small consolation in the fact that this amount
represents ninety-nine percent of the personal fortune of one Cornelius Fudge, former (and we do
mean former) Minister of Magic. What you do with this money is completely up to you. We do beg
you to consider accepting it, as it would revert to his heirs, otherwise. We feel that this would not be
a good thing, as most of his heirs are of the Family Black, and you know the prevailing sentiments
considering that particular bunch. Also, along with this honor comes one other. You have been
awarded a very senior seat on the Wizengamot. It is, in point of fact, only second to that of Albus
Dumbledore. He is, as you are aware, the Supreme Mugwump of that august group. We will
understand if you do not feel ready to take your place among them immediately, as it is a great
responsibility. Please be assured, though, that it will be waiting when you are ready.
On a more personal note, Harry, I just want to say congratulations and thank you. After we lost
Percy, our greatest fear was that we would wake up one morning to find that more of our children
would be lost in the struggle. Molly and I will always be grateful to you, for everything you've done
in watching out for our family. We both know that there were opportunities you could have taken
that might (and I stress the word might) have ended everything earlier, but that surely would have
resulted in much heavier losses for our side. Included in those losses could have been at least
one of our children. This may sound a bit selfish, but we much prefer to have our family intact.
I'd better wrap this up now, as Molly has dinner waiting for me, and you know what she's like when
we're late for one of her wonderful meals. Have a good trip, and we hope to see you home soon.
Arthur Weasley,
Acting Minister of Magic
Harry smiled as he put that letter back into it's envelope. Fudge's fortune, eh? The disposition of that would take a bit of thought. He had a few ideas as to how that money would be used, but that was for the future. He thought to himself that Arthur wouldn't be the 'Acting' Minister for long. Rather, Harry thought that it was likely that the position would soon become a permanent one. He turned to the next letter, to see who it was from. His name was written on the envelope in a very pretty script, in bright red ink. He knew it had to be from Ginny.
Harry,
I hope your trip's going well, so far. Have you seen any interesting sights? I've always wanted to travel
over there. It's always sounded wonderful, all that open space to stretch out in. Don't get me wrong.
I love England, but it just isn't so open, spread out, and diverse. It just sounds an absolutely brilliant
place to travel!
I hope you don't mind my using Hedwig to send my letter, but she was looking so lonely,without you.
She really did miss you. We all do, Harry. That brings me to the real purpose of my letter.
I know that the past few years have been harder than anybody should ever have to bear, even for
those who didn't have the literal weight of the world on our shoulders. The rest of us (your real family,
not those Dursley people) were here mainly to support you. You were the one who had the real job to
do. I know that you had to do some things you really hated in the past few years, things that you felt
left you tainted in some way. Sweet Merlin! I don't think I've ever seen anybody with a bigger burden
of undeserved guilt than you had, and probably still have. As to that, I have a mantra that I would like
you to repeat for me. It goes like this: "It's not my fault, and I have nothing to feel guilty about." I want
you, everytime you start to feel guilty for everything that has gone on over the past few years, to say
that mantra five times. Hopefully, by saying it enough, you'll actually start to realize the truth in it.
If you don't I will know, and I know you don't want to be on the wrong end of a Bat-Bogey Hex. Right?
Please write back soon, as I want to know how the trip's going.
Love to you,
Gin
ps I talked to the twins last night, and you wouldn't believe some of the things they've been
contemplating as far as pranks to be pulled on those awful Dursley people. I think it's
actually inspired a whole new line of products. A frightening prospect, with those two.
Harry sat for a few moments, thinking over the fact that Ginny could manage to get him to accept her saying things he would never listen to from anybody else. She had a way of cutting straight through to the heart of a matter, and not caring what the person she was talking to thought about it. At the same time, she also made it clear how much she cared about him, which quite effectively removed the barb from any comments she made. This started him wondering again about his feelings for her, and if he'd have a chance to have a relationship with her. That was something he he really wanted to find out.
Shaking his head over the thought of what pranks the Twins would come up with for his ersatz former family, Harry almost started to feel sorry for them. Again, only almost. Those people had a lot to account for. They probably didn't realize just how many powerful people were more than annoyed with them, over their treatment of him as a child. He had a feeling they would start to find out, and fairly soon, now that the war was over, and there was a lot more free time to be had. Opening the next letter, he saw that it was a joint one, from Ron and Hermione.
Harry,
I hope this finds you well, and that you're enjoying your trip. It's been very busy around here lately.
You simply wouldn't believe the number of investigations that have been started, trying to determine
who was actually following Voldemort, who was under Imperius, and all the rest of it. It's actually been
quite fascinating.
Mione, Harry doesn't want to know all that stuff right now! That's what 'getting away from
everything' means. Sheesh! So how are ya, mate? Having a good time? I hope so. I know
I would be. Had a chance to watch a Quadpot game yet? From what they say, the players
have got to be a right bunch of nutters. Exploding quaffles? Sounds like somebody who
decided to play with Gred and Forge when they're in a grouchy mood. And they do this on
Purpose? Nutters, the lot of em.
Anyway, Harry, have you seen any of the historical sites over there? I wish we could have joined you
on this trip. I would love to have a chance to see some of the really old places they have there. They're
just stuffed with history. I could just lose myself in the libraries and museums they have there. Of
course, the history doesn't stretch back nearly as far as it does here, but it would be exciting to see it
from a different point of view.
Boooooring. Yawn. Ouch! Stop that Mione! So how's Sirius' old bike running? How'd the
paint job turn out? I didn't get to see that before you left.
If you get a chance, could you take pictures of some of the wizarding communities over there? I'd
really love to see what they look like. Some of the muggle historical sites as well, if you could.
Those kinds of things are just so interesting, and would make a good reminder of your trip, as well.
Good idea, that! If you get a chance to see a game over there, get some pictures of that, too.
That would be bloody brilliant! OUCH! Hermione!
Well, watch your language, Ron. Anyway, Harry, we have packing to do. Ron is getting ready to
leave for tryouts for the Cannons, tomorrow. Hurry home, Harry. We love and miss you.
Yeah, we do miss ya mate. Get your arse back here, so you can watch me with the Cannons!
Love from,
Hermione
And Ron
That letter had him laughing out loud, slightly startling both of the owls with him. He soothed both of them, while thinking that letter from the couple captured their essence. As he read it, he could almost hear the two of them bickering back and forth. Ron had told him a few months ago just why he always started fights with Hermione. It was because he enjoyed it, pure and simple. Especially now that they were an official couple. Ron had confided in Harry that he really enjoyed starting big rows with her, as they would have to make up later. Of course, the bigger the row, the better the make-up sessions. Well, he'd always known that Ron was the master strategist in the group, having lost all too many chess games to Ron over the years. Talk about thinking your moves out in advance. He shook his head again in amusement, and opened the next letter, this time from Molly Weasley.
Harry dear,
I hope you're keeping well, and getting your rest while you're traveling. Are you getting enough to eat?
I do know that you aren't exactly the thin little boy you were when we first met you on the platform at
King's Cross, but I do so worry about you. I will always consider you as another of my sons. I hope you
know that, and that it doesn't bother you. To be honest, I always knew you'd never had the mothering
that any child needs, but I never realized the extent of what those people had done to you. Every time
I think about it, it just makes my blood boil! I'm sorry dear. Tell me to shut up anytime now.
I don't know if you've had all the news yet, so I'll just pass a few things along. You've probably heard
by now that Arthur has been made Acting Minister of Magic. They have just been working him to death
lately. All the investigations that have been going on and such. On top of all of that, he still has to find
a replacement for himself as head of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. So, he's still doing that job, as well.
It's starting to sound as if they will be taking the 'Acting' part of his job title away soon. Just as long as
he finds a replacement for his old job soon.
Remus Lupin seems to spending quite a bit of time with with Nymphadora Tonks lately. They seem to
get on very well. She also seems to be doing much better with the coordination issues she's had for
so much of her life. It seems that, when she was a child, one of her aunts (a Black of course...Sirius was
truly the exception in that family) had put a hex on her that just lingered all this time. Apparently, it was
some sort of Dark Magic. Not much of a surprise, there. I really do hope that everything works out well for
the two of them.
Speaking of Remus, he seems to spending a lot of time talking to the Twins. Those two worry me, they
really do. I'm almost afraid to ask what they've come up with next. I'm just glad their business has
become such a success. And yes, Harry, I do know who their initial investor was. Thank you. I was so
worried about what they were going to do after school.
In case you didn't know yet, Ron is trying out for the Cannons, tomorrow. He's fairly nervous about it.
Ridiculous, if you ask me. Of course they'll take him! Honestly. He's only one of the most talented
players Hogwarts ever had. Of course, I may be a bit biased, but I was told that by Rolanda Hooch,
your old coach. She also couldn't say enough about you, dear. Best Seeker since my own sons were
in Gryffindor, she says. She just raves about you, to this day. Of course, I think the other reason he's
been so nervous lately is that he's going to pop the question to Hermione. He hasn't said anything,
of course, but it seems so obvious when you see them together. Of course, just like you, she's already
considered family, but this would make it official.
Ginny has been accepted into the Advance Healer Training Program at St Mungos. She'll be in the next
training class, which looks like it should start in about six months. She's very excited about this. I think
she will be very good at it, and should go very far. She's always been the most caring, loving person
you could care to know. Again, I may be a bit biased, but that's my right. She is my baby girl after all.
I know she's been worried about you taking this trip. She realizes that it's something you need to do, but
she does want to make sure you don't still blame yourself for all the bad in the world. She really does
care for you. Apart from family, you were one of the few who stood by her, after that awful diary business
in her first year. It was the friendship you showed her, despite the obvious crush she had on you, that
helped pull her through all of that. Again, thank you.
Have I mentioned to you lately how proud I am that you consider our family yours? I really am. And that's
not because you happen to have been known as The Boy Who Lived. It's down to the fact that you have
always been one of the nicest and most caring people we've ever had the good luck to know. We have
always felt honored to know you, just as Harry. The rest of it never entered into the way we felt about you.
We knew it was there, of course. Anybody in our world who knew your name knew all of that was there,
and knew that, somehow, it would all come down to you. Those of us who really knew you also knew that
there was nobody else who we'd really trust to be able to handle what you would eventually have to do.
I'm sorry that you had to be the one to do it, but proud that you were able to. Does that make sense, dear?
Well, Harry, I'd better wrap this up for now, as Arthur will be home soon. I think tonight I'll tell him we're
going to the Three Broomsticks for dinner. We haven't been in a long time, and I think I'd quite like to
do a little shopping in Hogsmeade, as well. Stay safe, dear.
Love,
Molly
Harry wiped a tear from the corner of his eye after reading this letter. He couldn't believe that Molly had said all of that about him. He had never considered himself anything more special than anyone else. He saw himself as just doing what he needed to, to get from one day to the next. Of course, he cared deeply about the people in his life, and would do anything he had to, to take care of them, and woe to anybody who threatened one of them. He reread the paragraph about Ginny, wondering if Molly was trying to say what he thought she was. He was quite aware that she hadn't approved of the boys Ginny had dated while in school. Like most parents, she simply felt that no boy could ever be good enough for her baby girl. Could it be that Molly was trying to get the two of them together? He really looked forward to having a chance to find out Ginny's feelings, as he was starting to feel fairly sure of what his were. Merlin help him, he thought he was starting to fall for her.
Harry opened the last letter, this one from Remus.
Harry,
You left for your trip before I had a chance to say goodbye. I hope you have a lot of fun. I bet you're
having a good time over there. The States are a good place to cut loose and have some fun. Just
do me a favor, and be careful over there. For one thing, it's eay to get lost on some of the back roads
out in the country. I know. Believe me. I've done it. Remind me sometime to tell you about the trip
that SIrius and I took to the states with your father. I can actually tell you about it, now that you're over
the age of majority. But, that's a tale for another time. Maybe one night over a bottle of Firewhiskey,
after you get back.
Things around here have been quite interesting, lately. The day you left, I started getting owls from
the Twins. Now that they know I'm the last surviving Marauder, they've made me a consultant for
WWW. They've also been picking my brain for information about the muggle world, as they know
that, after you and Hermione, I've had probably the closest ties to it. That's what happens when you
spend most of your life not really part of one world, and not part of the other, either. Luckily, the fact
that Arthur has been busy repealing all of those draconian anti-halfbreed laws has made a huge
difference. Albus has hired me back as DADA professor. Maybe I can end the curse on the position,
eh? Dora (Tonks) seems to think I'll be very good at it. I don't think I did too bad of a job when I taught
you and your friends. Well, time will tell.
Speaking of Tonks, I have some news. You're the first one to know it. I've asked her to marry me, and
she accepted. To be honest, I'm still sitting here with a stunned-bunny look on my face. I can't believe
she said yes. Wow. I'd like you to be my Best Man. If you accept (please?). Dora will ask Ginny to be
the Maid of Honor. Please let me know, ok?
Before I go, I just need to pass along one piece of advice, concerning that old motorbike. Don't, for
any reason, believe the gas guage. It never worked right. I still say that Sirius left it that way on purpose.
He was wierd that way. What am I saying? He was wierd in a lot of ways. I still miss that goofy mutt, just
like I know you do.
Stay safe,
Remus
Wotcher Harry!
Just thought I'd add a quick note onto the end of Moony's letter. I hope you're having a good trip.
It sounds like fun, from what little Remus has told me. I may have to borrow a set of those
extendable ears from the Twins, when he tells you about that trip. Harry, it would mean a lot to
both of us if you would be his Best Man. It just wouldn't be the same, otherwise. If he's a kind
of uncle to you, would that make me Auntie Tonks? Interesting thought there, eh? Hope to see
you soon.
Have fun!
Tonks
ps just because he gets away with it, don't think you can call me anything but Tonks.
Harry sat amazed, pondering the recent turn of events with Remus and Tonks. He made a note to himself to be sure to ward the living room when he had that discussion with Remus. Tonks would probably never let Remus out of her sight again, if she heard the kind of details Harry suspected he would hear. Tucking the letters away safely in a pocket in his leather jacket, he stood and asked the owls if they would like to stay the night with him. When they both flew back to his shoulders, he took this as a sign of assent. "Well, let's go find the New York branch of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. I want to settle in for the night, and I have some letters to write."
Harry stepped back out to The Street, to do just that.