Chapter 2: Traveling Terrors

Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter. But I do own this really cool shirt that I bought last weekend. And the paperclip I picked up off the floor in Algebra...FEAR THE PAPERCLIP!!!!!

"So, boy, when do you go back to that crackpot school of yours?" Uncle Vernon asked from behind the heaping plate of food. He shoved the food into his mouth as if it would disappear at any given moment. Although one might think Vernon ate quickly, compared to his son, Dudley, he was moving as fast as my Grandmother on a Sunday afternoon.

"Well, technically, the school is run by the ministry, and conducted by Professor Dumbledore. So therefore, it's not 'my' school," Harry said, somewhat annoyed with his Uncle's condescending term for his school, as he scrubbed the limited remains of his incredibly obese cousin's dinner off of his plate. After nearly two months with his Uncle and cousin, Harry was at the end of his rope. Lately he had found himself snapping more often and using Mad-Eye's threat to the point that it had lost its effect, leaving Harry with no way to escape Vernon's rage.

"You ungrateful boy, I will not tolerate back talk under the roof that I so graciouslyput over your head!" Vernon shouted, his face turning a darker shade of red with every word he yelled. "Get to your room! If I see your face before Friday you won't see straight for a week!"

"Yes Uncle Vernon," Harry said submissively. Vernon apparently had not realized that Harry could not cook nor clean for him if he was quarantined to his room for a week. It would be an amusing week for Harry, Uncle Vernon and Dudley trying to cook and clean without any assistance. Odds are, no hired hand would stay with the sexist, short-tempered, ill-mannered jerk for more than two hours.

The black haired boy slowly walked up the stairs, purposefully dragging his feet with every step he took. Harry hoped Uncle Vernon would interpret his slow pace as depression brought on by his punishment. On the inside, Harry was skipping up the stairs singing nasty and vulgar songs about people who lacked the ability to think he had learned from Peeves. Many songs about people similar to Uncle Vernon had been written and sung during Professor Umbridge's rule as headmistress. He slammed the door to his room closed, shoving a chair under the knob. One could never be sure what insane thing a Dursley might do if it had not eaten in more than three hours.

Harry looked around the room that was to be his home for the next week. Actually, for his last week here for the remainder of the year this would be the only room he had to see. Much to his displeasure, his conscience kept drawing his eyes to the unfinished potions essay that decorated his desk. With a sigh, he pulled a quill out of his desk drawer and dipped its tip in the ink. As he placed the quill tip to the parchment, ready to create the next sentence of made up junk about whatever this essay was supposed to be about; the roar of an engine filled his ears.

He slowly pulled his wand out of the knothole on the right side of his desk; holding it by his side, he slowly crept towards the window. As he drew closer to the glass panel, a light shone through the curtains. Harry ducked down under the window and held his breath, praying it was just his imagination or that it would go away soon.

Suddenly, a tapping sound reverberated from the glass above him. He glanced up to the window above and saw a hand pressed up against the glass. Taking a deep breath, Harry held out his wand and prepared to stun the psycho who was at his window.

"Hey mate, grab your trunk and come on! Mum got permission from Dumbledore! You can stay with us for the last week of summer. Hey Harry, are you in there?" a familiar voice called through the glass barrier.

"Ron? Is that you mate?" Harry asked, excitement bubbling in his stomach. He slowly stood up and pealed back the curtains that blocked his view of his friend.

"No, it's the Easter Bunny here to bring you an egg. Of course it's me! Who else would have a flying motorcycle?" Ron asked, revving up the engine of the most likely illegal item to prove his point.

"Where the bloody hell did you get a motorcycle?" Harry questioned as he shoved his limited belongings into a large trunk. "And how are you going to carry this on the motorcycle with me on the back?"

"Oh, that's simple," said Ron speaking to Harry as if he was a five-year-old, "Just shrink the thing and put it in your pocket."

"And how do I do that?" Harry asked.

Ron took out his wand and pointed it directly at Harry's trunk. He cleared his throat and, waving his wand quickly to the right, he whispered "Minimut."

Nothing happened.

"Do you mean minimus?" Harry asked, with a wave of his wand. His trunk instantly shrunk to the size of a matchbox.

"Yeah, that'd be the one," Ron said, looking slightly embarrassed, with his face turning redder by the second. "Where's Hedwig?"

"I sent her to your house with a letter. I assume she'll meet us there," Harry said, climbing onto the oversized, roaring, flying, outdated motorcycle.

"Where did you say you got this thing, again," Harry asked as the bike sputtered as his weight was added. His confidence in the bike sunk as it plummeted two feet closer to the ground.

"Don't worry Harry, I just have to hit the right button," Ron said, eyeing the controls nervously.

"You do know what button that is, right?" Harry asked, wishing someone else was driving this contraption.

"Of course I do!" Ron said turning, un-turning and re-turning a few knobs up near the handle bars, resulting in the motorcycle jerking, jumping and spinning in the air.

Harry felt as if he might hurl at any given time if Ron did not figure out what the heck he was doing. He was seriously considering getting out his broom and flying to the Weasley's by himself. Unfortunately he didn't know how to get to the Weasley's house without Ron's directions.

Ron finally managed to hit the right button and turn the right knob in the correct order and the bike roared to life, taking off into the sky. Harry decided to be glad they had gotten started and worry about Ron's ability to land (or lack there of) later.

As they reached their coasting height and speed, Harry asked Ron once again where he got the motorcycle.

"Oh, this is Sirius's old one my dad fixed it up." Ron said casually.

"Oh," Harry said, his mood darkening with the mention of his deceased godfather.

There was a long uncomfortable silence for the following few moments before Ron quietly whispered an apology, "Sorry, I didn't think. So, did you hear about the American exchange students?'

"Yes, not much other than they exist and their coming." Harry said, glad to be on a more neutral topic.

"I got Percy to tell me some of the details. Apparently they are coming over to show that Americans and Europeans can work together in peace, but get this, they are all girls! I wonder if one's part veela…" Ron ended whimsically

"Do veelas even live in America?" Harry questioned.

"Of course, during the American Revolution many veelas went to the Americas to spite England. It's said that all Americans are at least 1/24th veela. Probably why they are all so slutty." Ron said with a mischievous grin.

"Well, isn't that wonderful Ron. Four stunningly beautiful girls from a foreign country for you to chase around, we all know that you're the ladies man for the veela. We all remember what happened last time, did you even get a single word out without stuttering?" Harry asked.

"Don't tell me you're not looking forward to four wonderfully new girls who won't even know your name?" Ron asked.

"How could anybody not have heard of Voldemort and what he did to me and my family?" Harry asked in shock.

"You know Americans, dumb as a stick and couldn't care less about our problems," Ron said nonchalantly.

"Well what about the whole going to America thing? And why aren't they all coming here?" Harry asked eager for more information.

"Well, the ministry will tell you that it's because Hogwarts isn't big enough but in reality they couldn't get more than ten volunteers and only four of them were qualified to come."

"Oh, wonderful. Look, wasn't that your house?"

"Yeah, we have been circling for a while, I'm working on figuring out the landing gears. So, we're all going to America because they're campus is bloody huge and they have about half of the wizards that Hogwarts does, they believe in home schooling over there. Ou Ou, I think I land with this button!"

The motor cycle abruptly stopped and plummeted straight towards the roof of the Weasley's house. Harry and Ron screamed for their lives, their voices making sounds that should not be possible for boys of their age. Mr. Weasley dashed out the front door, held out his wand and shouted something Harry and Ron could not hear over their shrieks of terror.

The motorcycle smoothly decreased in speed moved to the left and lightly touched down to the ground. Mrs. Weasley sprinted to the boys and enveloped them in a large hug. After kissing both of them on the forehead, she stepped back and began to scream.

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING RON? CHARLIE AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE THE BROOMS IN THE AFTERNOON DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU NEARLY DIED? TAKING THE BLOODY BIKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BLOODY NIGHT, WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!"

"I didn't want the muggles to see us…" Ron said in a small voice cowering behind Harry. "And besides, Charlie was busy…"

"Doing what?" Mrs. Weasley asked, both arms crossed over chest foot tapping wildly.

"Well, he met this girl last night at a club while with Bill and…uh…they…hit it off."

"HE DID WHAT? HOW DO YOU KNOW? WERE YOU WITH HIM? WHERE IS HE?" Mrs. Weasley ranted, storming off to find her two eldest sons.

Ron sighed with relief, glad that he had managed to reflect his mother's rage on someone else. Harry suddenly whispered into Ron's ear, "You do realize that your older brothers are going to kill you, right?"

"Oh, didn't think about that," Ron said paling a few shades. "We should probably go now."

A/N: We planned for alot more to happen in this chapter, but it got too long and we decided to post it now. Sorry for the massive wait. With our school and work scheduals' it's hard for us to get together and work. Our massive amount of A.D.D doesn't help much either. Well, we need to goworkon the next chapter!