Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Move along, now. Nothing to see here. Anybody got a donut? A glazed maybe? Nobody?!? ::grumble grumble::
A/N: Thanks again, to everybody who's been reviewing. I hope all of you continue to enjoy it. Just a couple of quick comments, before I get on with the story. At the end of chapter 14, I wanted to make it clear where they were going, but without the 'gory details.' I just didn't think those details were appropriate. While I have seen fics that treated it in a fairly tasteful way, I wasn't sure how easily I would be able to walk that line, myself. In short, I chickened out. Oh well... By the way, we will be returning to Ron and Hermione before too long, just not in this chapter.
Stahchild: I'm glad that you agree with me on how he would handle that part of Harry's character. Charity is going to figure in here at some point. I've figured out how I'll do it, just not when.
Byron245: Thanks for the compliment on the pun. The only one I can truly claim is the one at the end. The rest were...ummm...borrowed from a thread in the humor folder at the Callahan's site on Delphi that's under the link in my profile. I think I've captured the spirit of the place fairly well. For anyone who would like to see more of Cal's, check out the book Callahan's Chronicals. That's not a mis-spelling. The title is a pun in itself.
GiGiFanFic: Thank you, milady. ::bows deeply:: I am glad that my small efforts here intrigue you. Curiously enough, my wife seems to think I'm the romantic sort, as well. Most of the time, at any rate. ::cheeky grin:: Whoda thunk it?
Drakensis: Thanks for the alert. I had been up entirely too long when I uploaded it.
OK. Done babbling. Now, on with the story.
Back on the Road:
The big Triumph roared down the highway, easily passing most other vehicles. Harry had even more incentive to drive safely, than he ever had in his life. His girlfriend, Ginny, was on the seat behind him, with her arms wrapped around him. They had been able to dispense with the helmets, once Ginny had come up with the idea of casting bubblehead charms around themselves, along with one for repelling insects. As for safety, he had spent a night reading the book he had picked up for Arthur, about how to more safely enchant vehicles. He had come across some very useful spells that would ensure that they wouldn't have to worry about injuries, if something should happen. Even with his Quidditch-trained reflexes, there was always a possibility of something going wrong. As Mad-Eye Moody had always said, "Constant Vigilance."
They had been traveling for two weeks now, and had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The couple had made their way to the sea coast, and spent a few days there. Two days were spent just sitting on the beach, watching the surf crash on the shore. It had been very relaxing, and left them with a feeling of serenity, which lasted right up until they reached the interstate highway again. They had decided they wanted to head west for a while, to see at least one more wizarding community, before they had to head back, so Ginny could start her coursework at St Mungos, and Harry could start on a project he had started planning. He would have to talk to Arthur when he got back to England. He had two very important things to ask him about.
Just now, they were cruising along the top portion of Indiana, about to cross over into Illinois. Once they were in Chicago, they started following the signs to go across the state line into Wisconsin. Harry had been slightly surprised to find that a city the size of Chicago didn't have a wizarding quarter. According to the Wizard's Guide to the Americas, there had been, at one time, but it had dwindled to almost nothing, following a huge battle in 1871. Apparently, a wizard named O'Leary, who had the animagus form of a Black Angus bull, had feuded with another wizard, Thropton, and the ensuing conflagration had killed over three hundred people, and destroyed the entire central part of the city. The muggle city government, though they created a masterful cover-up, had since ensured that magical folk were no longer welcome in the city. It wasn't that there were no wizards or witches there, just that there weren't many. They also had to work much harder at concealing themselves there.
That was why Harry was intent upon making sure they got across the state line before nightfall. They stopped at a highway Oasis once, about a hundred miles from the line, for fuel and a quick meal, then were underway again. An hour and a half later, they had crossed over into Wisconsin, and started looking for a place to spend the night. They settled on a Days Inn, right off the highway. It was close, fairly inexpensive, and looked to be a decent place to spend the night.
Harry went inside and paid for the room, taking the room key back to where Ginny was waiting for him. He placed an imperturbability charm over the bike, and they went inside to find their room. It was fairly spacious, with a large comfortable bed and a large telly on the dresser. He took the trunk from his pocket and enlarged it, to allow his girlfriend to get some nightclothes. While she was in the loo, changing, he turned the television on and started going through the channels. With his muggle upbringing, he had, of course, had some experience with TV. However, with the restrictions that had been placed on him as a child, he had never had much of a chance to enjoy it.
When Ginny emerged a few moments later, it was to find Harry laying back on the bed, his face in his hands, and shoulders shaking. She was alarmed, and ran to him, asking, "Harry! What's wrong?" She was even more surprised when he removed his hands, and she saw he was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"Don't...ever let...Ron...see this!" He was pointing at the television. As she looked up, she saw what had sent him into such gales of laughter. There, on the screen, was a cooking show. In the lower right corner of the screen were the words "FoodTV".
When she saw this, she couldn't help herself either, and laughed helplessly. Every time she started to calm down, she could picture the look of rapture her brother would have over something like this, and it would start her off again.
Later, the two of them were laying against each other, Ginny's head pillowed on Harry's chest, with his arm wrapped around her tenderly. They were watching what Harry called a movie. It was a romantic one, about a murdered man who came back to protect the woman he loved. It wasn't exactly the most realistic depiction of ghosts, but it was a very sweet story. They enjoyed it, and she had even caught Harry wiping a tear away at the end of the story. She teased him gently about it for a few minutes but was secretly delighted at seeing this romantic side of him. It was just a little thing, a bit mundane if truth be known, but it showed how much he was willing to reveal to her. She knew that, a year ago, she never would have seen even this. He would have supressed such an urge with everything at his disposal. He really was different now. She knew she would enjoy finding all the little things that made him different from the Harry of a year ago.
The next morning, they had decided to get the ever-faithful Wizard's Guide out again, to see what it had to say about the wizarding quarter of Milwaukee, which was where they were headed next. According to the book, Festivalstadt (German for 'festival city') was one of the oldest wizarding areas in the country, after the ones on the east coast. They, after all, had been settled long before. It was very strong in German influence, as that was largely who had settled the area to begin with. Apparently, a lot of wizards and witches had left their homeland when it became apparent to them that only titled landowners would have a chance of advancement, during the Confederation period. There were entirely too many decrees returning the region to a more feudalistic type of government. As the wizards who had emigrated had no titles or anything else that would allow them anything but a type of serf status, they had struck out on their own. This had started around 1820, and by the time statehood was recognized for Wisconsin in 1848, magic had firmly entrenched itself within the state, especially Milwaukee.
As Harry was reading up on where they were headed to, Ginny looked idly through his trunk, coming on the stack of pictures from The Street. She flipped through them, enjoying a glimpse of a wizarding area she had never seen. The only wizarding communities she had ever visited before were Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. While home to her, as well as quite interesting places, they had not offered much diversity. That was one of the reasons she was enjoying this trip so much, apart from spending time with the man she loved. She had the same thought Harry had, when she saw the pictures of the local delivery area at the Owl Post office. She saw that photo, with all the small Scopes owl fluttering madly around, and broke into a fit of giggling. Harry looked up to find out what had amused her so, and saw the pile of pictures on the bed beside her.
"Going through my things again, are we? Stealing socks isn't enought for you now, eh?" he said with a grin. He sat down next to her, to see which picture it was. "I had to take that one. I think I'll enlarge it when we get back, to replace some of the Cannons posters for Ron. What do you think?"
"I think you'd better be far away when he sees it. If nothing else, to escape the screams. He gets frustrated enough with Pig. Can you imagine his face when he sees him multiplied by a thousand?"
Harry grinned evily. "And why do you think I took that one?" They both laughed at that.
Shortly, Ginny came to the last few photos in the stack. They were the pictures of the jewelry shop, and the couple he had seen there. "So who are they? Anyone we know?" After a while, she got him to tell the story of the couple he had seen in the shop, and what he had arranged. At first, he had tried to pass it off as nothing more than the shop where he had gotten her pendant, and that the couple had just happened to be there at the time. Finally, she managed to drag every last detail out of him. When she had, she knew that the couple the other two had reminded him of had been her parents. At this realization, she had thrown her arms around him like she would never let go. Her head on his shoulder, she asked, "You wonder why I love you so much? Merlin, Harry! How could I not?" She thought to herself, "Good job those contraceptive spells are good for a month. They're going to get a real workout tonight."
A while later, they had everything packed up and had checked out of the hotel. After a quick breakfast at a nearby resturaunt, they were back on the highway, reveling in the feel of the wind through their hair. It was incredibly freeing to be out there, with nothing that had to be done, no responsibilities except to each other, and no timetable to follow. They both wished that it could be this way forever, though they were both starting to miss their home. When they rode into Milwaukee, Harry stopped for a few moments at a service station, so he could have the magical compass on the bike orient him towards where he wanted to go. It was time to go find the wizarding quarter here. A little while later, they pulled off the highway, and turned toward an area known as Old World Third Street. It was a part of the city that had been renovated a few years ago, to try to bring more tourism money into the city. It was actually quite attractive, a pleasing mix of old and new. The entrance to Festivalstadt was down an alleyway not far from a resturaunt named Mader's. They pulled into the alley and climbed off the bike. He took a quick look around, shrunk the bike, and put it in his pocket. As they neared the wall at the rear of the alley, he distinguished an aura that seemed to define a doorway. He took his wand out and tapped what would be the center of that door saying quietly, Alohamora. As he did this, the bricks shifted and rearranged themselves, to allow the two of them to pass through. They had entered Festivalstadt.
As Harry and Ginny walked down the street, he pointed out some of the similarities and differences between what they were used to at home, and what they found here. Most of what they saw was familiar to Harry by now, having seen most of it in the other two wizarding communities he had already visited in the states. The main difference they noted was the mode of dress they saw here. There was more of a mix of muggle and wizard fashions to be seen in this place. They saw punk fashions, biker dress, normal wizard robes, and business suits, sometimes in the same queue.
The couple explored the shops up and down the streets, finding all sorts of little out of the way places to browse. They found used book stores, metalworkers, jewelry shops, and curio shops, as well as most of the places they were familiar with. They did a little souvenir shopping, as they both wanted to make sure they didn't forget anybody at home.
During their wanderings they had found that there was a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes located here. Neither was very surprised, as the Twins' ambition wasn't exactly subtle. They had set out to be bigger and better than Zonko's, and they definitely had more locations already. Harry and Ginny each gave the other a wry look, and walked in the door, to take a look around. There was a huge display of fireworks in one corner, and a large candy counter across from it. As they perused what the fertile minds of Ginny's brothers had devised now, they were approached by a short man, with just a fringe of the trademark Weasley red hair. "Is there something I can help you find? Would you like a sample of one of our choice chocolates?"
The couple grinned as one, and Ginny said, "Thank you, but no. I'm quite aware of what these candies will do to anyone who eats them. I remember all too well, watching the testing stages. Poor Neville." She said with a shake of her head.
As she spoke, the man did a double-take, hearing her british accent, and realizing who the red hair on her head must make her. His eyes lit up. "Excuse me, but would you, by any chance, be Ginevra Weasley?" He really did look quite excited at the prospect.
With a very slight frown of exasperation, she replied, "No. I'm Ginny Weasley. Only a very few people call me Ginevra. What's your name?"
"Sorry. I'm Jason Addams. I guess I'd be about a fourth cousin to you or something." He turned to the man with her. "That would make you Harry Potter." He held out his hand to both of them, in turn, to shake. "I'm very pleased to meet both of you. The Twins told me you two were traveling the States. How are you enjoying it so far?"
Harry said, "It's been great so far. We've really enjoyed ourselves. It's amazing how open everything is here. So much open space."
The three of them chatted a bit, while he showed them around the store. There were all sorts of new things in here. Ginny giggled a bit over something she saw on a rack in the rear of the store. It had a lable that said, "Teddy-Mantula The perfect prank for the child that just won't leave you alone." Apparently, as soon as you said the words bedtime story, a spell was activated that would, at random intervals, changed it from a cute teddy bear, to a stuffed acromantula, complete with eight legs and fangs. She wondered idly if it came with a certificate for counseling.
After they finished looking around the store, Jason took them toward the back room. Ginny wondered why he would take them back here, until she saw a large painting of the Twins. As she shook her head at their egos, he said, "I'll just leave you to it, then. Let me or my staff know if you need anything." He then started toward the front of the store. She looked back at Harry expectantly, as he didn't seem surprised by this.
With a grin, he took his wand from his jacket and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As he finished speaking, the painting swung inward, revealing an apartment. He led his girlfriend in, and started looking around. It seemed to be much the same as the one in New York. He explained, "The Twins set up apartments in all of their shops, so that we, them or I, would have a place to stay, anytime we were in a city where one of their shops are located. Dobby keeps them all stocked with the kinds of food I like." As he finished saying this, he heard a pop behind him, and felt something wrap itself around his legs, just above the knees.
"Mister Harry Potter, Sir! Dobby is so happy to see his Harry Potter!" After Harry had disentangled himself from the exuberant house-elf, Dobby had seen who was with him. "Is this Harry Potter's Weezy? It is so good to see you both!"
"Ginny, you remember Dobby, don't you?"
"Of course, Harry. How could I forget our midnight excursions to the kitchens? It was the only way I could get you to eat anything at times." She gave him a poke as she said this. "So how are you, Dobby? Everything going alright at Hogwarts?"
"Everything is great at Hogwarts, Miss Weezy! Even Winky is doing good now! She is finally realizing that being free is a good thing. She is wearing most interesting clothes now."
Harry had to stifle a laugh at this, knowing what kind of clothes Dobby was fond of. The possibilities made the mind reel. He said, "Dobby, it's been great to see you. but, ummm...my Weezy and I would like some privacy, if you don't mind."
The little house-elf blushed and said, "Dobby is so sorry! Dobby didn't mean to disturb." He headed for the wall, evidently with the intention of beating his head against it. Harry grabbed him by the back of the colorful shirt he wore.
"What have I told you about punishing yourself, Dobby?"
"That I am not to do it." was the slightly sullen reply.
"That's right, Dobby. You are never to punish yourself in my presence, or out of it, for that matter. Remember?"
"Yes, Dobby remembers that Mister Harry Potter will not allow Dobby to punish himself. Harry Potter is the greatest wizard of all."
"If you say so, Dobby. But, as I was saying about privacy?" He raised an eyebrow at the elf.
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will go now. Goodbye, Harry Potter!" As soon as Harry waved goodbye, there was a pop, and the house-elf was gone.
"Whew! Gotta love him, but sometimes..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head.
Ginny chuckled at this. "He does get to be just a bit much at times, doesn't he?"
"Yeah. Just like Snape's potions. Best if taken in as small portions as possible." With this, he showed her around the apartment. It had the same layout as the slightly larger one he had last stayed in. He took the trunk out, and restored it to normal size, and laid his jacket over it, keeping his wand out, as he led her back to the sitting room. "Let's have a talk with the Twins, why don't we?"
"The Twins? I don't see a fireplace anywhere around here."
"No need." As they returned to the sitting room, he tapped the large mirror on the wall, saying, "Gred and Forge."
A moment later, they saw one of her brothers looking back at them. "Oi! George! Get back here! It's Harry! And you'll never guess who else."
The other twin came running into view. "Gin-Gin! Awww...Don't they look just adorable together, Fred?"
"Absolutely precious, George!" Both twins made their expressions more serious. "Harry, there's something we need to ask you, when it comes to our darling sister."
"Erm...What's that?" Harry was made a bit nervous by the sudden change.
They both fixed him with a pointed look. "What the hell took you so bloody long?" Both faces now broke into grins.
"Honestly, we thought we would have to lock the two of you in a room somewhere with no clothes for a week or so, to get you to see her."
"Really, mate. Believe me, we had no desire to have to see either of you naked, but it was getting close to time for drastic measures."
"The only thing that stopped us was being at the wrong end of Gin-Gin there. You know what her favorite hex is."
"No kidding. We really didn't want to have to deal with our own bogeys attacking us. She's done that to us quite enough already."
Harry had to laugh at the image this gave. Though the idea of him and Ginny alone in a room with no clothes did have some appeal. He was enjoying watching his girlfriend going back and forth with her brothers. They chatted awhile about other things, getting caught up on the news from home. He heard about how practices were going for Ron with the Chudley Cannons, and how they might now have a chance at winning a few games this season. Harry and Ginny both looked forward to seeing Ron play professionally. Just before signing off, the Twins passed along the other news about Ron and Hermione. They were stunned. Who would have thought it?
Harry made dinner for the two of them, and they decided to relax in the sitting room for a while. Harry told Ginny that the big mirror was also a wizard's telly, and they watched a spirited game of Quadpot. She watched in shock, all the while muttering under her breath, "Nutters, the lot of them. Simply barking."
After the game, Harry cleaned up the dinner things, while Ginny got ready for bed.
It was, once again, a very good night.