American Road Trip

Chapter 1: The Mirage

PG-13

Warnings: Yes, there are malexmale relationships, but no one should care. I would fit femslash in here if I could, and I can almost guarantee that it will be there, although I can't say they'll play a major role. If I have my way, though, you'll get a little Hermione/Lily. There are several sexual innuendos in this chapter, which is why the rating has been bumped up. Really, I think it should have a 'Shrek' rating, but others may not, so whatever. Also, Draco is OOC to the max, but I don't care…this is after Hogwarts, so why assume everyone is the same? Obviously war changes people, some for the better, others for the worse. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own Shrek or Phantom of the Opera. Love you lots.

Summary: The war with Voldemort is finally over, and the Hogwarts gang has finally graduated. The Gods were pleased with the turnout, and have granted many favors for the light side and punishments for the dark side. Somehow or another, Harry, Lily, Draco, Sirius, Hermione, Ron, Remus and James end up taking a road trip in America. What kinds of wacky things will happen to them?

-

The Plough was almost entirely too quiet. Harry, who was driving, knew to be overly cautious-what, with the current prankster passengers, and all-even though he could see that James and Hermione had switched places and both were now sleeping contentedly in their significant others' arms. At least, they were when he last checked in the rear-view mirror. He looked again and, sure enough, Hermione and Ron were tangled in each others' arms, as well as Lily and James Potter. Harry's heart constricted at the sight the couples made-no doubt Remus and Sirius were in the same position if they weren't busy doing other things that would get them arrested if the van was pulled over-and he quickly turned his attention back to the road.

"Hey, Draco?" questioned Harry. His only response was a slightly non-committed tone, but he took it as permission to continue, so he did. "Do you mind putting on a CD?" Draco shrugged, having learned about this muggle technology when he had signed up for Muggle Studies in his seventh year, and picked up the magically enhanced CD case the eight had compiled for this trip. He flipped through slowly, even though the boy next to him knew he had probably already picked out the CD to the exact song. Harry's eyes flicked between the road and Draco, careful to make sure he was watching the road most of the time.

Draco, after much careful deliberation, slid one of the silver disks into the slot made specifically for the muggle music-making device. After a moment's silence, the first strains of the piece came from the speakers, and Harry was almost surprised when he heard the familiar, "Past the point of no return…"

"Good choice…" murmured Harry before turning his attention completely on the road. Had he been more attentive to his passengers, he would have seen the blonde's eyes close while his lips mouthed along to the soundtrack in perfect synchronicity.

-

A quiet thirty minutes later found the group parked in front of an old, ratty motel-or, at least, that was the outward appearance. Inside, the wizards knew, was the grandest hotel of New York's wizarding world-The Mirage. One would have to be an idiot to scoff at the fairly generic name because the building would bar your entrance if you did.

The Mirage was an 'invitation only' hotel, and only the most famous wizards or wizards, or those from the most prominent wizarding families could get such invitations. Somehow or another, they had managed four rooms between the eight of them even though normal wizards could manage two-if that. The use of Harry Potter's name was very evident in getting them the rooms for their stay; if not for the 10 galleon per person per night plus the 200 galleon initial fee cost, the eight of them would have gladly stayed there more than the two nights that they were.

On their arrival, Draco took the task of waking up the four sleeping passengers on seats, leaving Harry to sort out his godfather and Remus. Had Harry not known exactly what those two did in their free time, he wouldn't be apprehensive. Taking a deep breath, he opened the trunk door only to find the two wizards completely clothed-a fact at which he breathed a sigh of relief. Remus was nestled snugly in between Sirius's legs, and he was reading to the darker haired boy from a leather-bound book. He stopped and looked up, though, when Harry opened the hatch.

"Are we there, Harry?" asked Sirius, the young face lighting up. "Not that I didn't enjoy the lamentations of the poor Oliver Twist, love, but my legs are asleep from being still for the past forever." Remus only laughed and climbed from the back seat, no more awkwardly than a cat, and laid the book on the piles of blankets.

"We are here," said Harry, "although it doesn't look like much from the outside…"

"Blimey, Harry! You didn't expect the most expensive, classy wizard hotel to look amazing on the outside, did you? It would have attracted a gaggle of muggles! No, Corrine knew what she was doing when she took over this thing, Harry, you can count on that," said Sirius, getting out of the back of The Plough with grace-less than Remus, but still there.

"How do you know the owner, Siri?" asked a curious Remus.

"Well, you see…or, rather…" Sirius fumbled, a half smile on his face, "my parents used to come here with me often, you know, give me my own room and the like-you know how they were, Remmy, they used to spoil me to influence me into not being friends with you guys, remember? Well, at the time, Corrine was only the…heiress to Mirage, but she hated it-probably still does-and so I caught her pouting once-in my pouting spot, mind you-and we were instant friends. We used to cause all sorts of mischief in their, but she liked me and trusted me-" Here, Sirius was cut off by James's snort.

"Trust you, mate? Who would trust you, you mangy mongrel?" he asked good-naturedly.

"That's hardly a point. The point is that Mirage trusts me to this day because she did, and still does, trust me," Sirius quipped, choosing to ignore that James had trusted him to let Peter be their secret keeper, a fact he would never forgive himself for.

"Did you stay there when you were….you know?" asked Harry, curious to find out any of the number of places his godfather had stayed when he was being tracked by the ministry.

"Unfortunately, I didn't think of it, and I knew that dear old Mirage wouldn't like an animal-even as sweet as Buckbeak-in her halls. Although, now that I think of it, they could use this place to test innocence-Mirage is an excellent judge of character, if I do say so myself," said Sirius, although he sounded slightly disheartened by talk of his runaway days. Sensing this, Remus leaned in and gave the man a tight hug, which Sirius took obvious delight in taking advantage of-feeling the poor boy up and making him squeak. "But enough of this talk! Let's see if it's just as I remember it, all right?" The group nodded in compliance, and the group made their way into the dilapidated magnificent hotel.

Upon their entrance, Sirius was immediately attacked by a bouncing ball of flamboyant girl who cried, "Siri!" as she jumped him.

"'Ello, Corrine, how are you?" he asked pleasantly, smiling widely. "I see you haven't changed a bit…although, you may want to get off before my mate has an aneurysm…or decides you'd make a tasty treat." Indeed, when they looked at Remus, the brown-haired boy looked ready to maim and was growling low in his throat. The girl only squealed and launched herself at poor Remus who, now, looked only shocked.

"You're so cute!" she squealed, clutching him tightly.

"Um, hey, Corrine…that counts both ways, love…" muttered Sirius, just loud enough for her to hear. She pouted, but climbed down from the werewolf while Remus smiled and mouthed a quick 'Thanks' at Sirius.

"I suppose I need to show you to your rooms, right? Or, I'll at least give you your keys." she shrugged, "Now, somehow, you have managed to get fours rooms between the eight of you. However you want to split that up, whatever. Room twelve is the only one that has two separate beds…have fun!" As she finished, she handed eight keys to Sirius and then proceeded to flounce off.

"Well…I suppose Red and old Prongs get a room…and me n Remmy have our own 'love nest,'" started Sirius-the group groaning at Sirius's term- "but I have no clue which one of you kids wants the single and who wants the double…"

"I get one of the beds in the double room," said Hermione, "seeing as I'm the only girl besides Lily, and she's rooming with Mr. Potter."

"I'm staying with 'Mione!" said Ron resolutely. Hermione giggled while Harry and Draco shared a look, and then shrugged.

"Well, now that that's settled, I suppose the only thing to do is to check out our rooms, get settled in and meet back here at eighteen hundred hours!" said Sirius, handing out all the keys but one, then hopping off, mate in tow, to what the others presumed was their room. Looking at each other quickly, the other three pairs headed off until the next meeting time.

-In the room of Lily and James Potter-

"Don't you feel just like we were kids again?" asked Lily excitedly as James slid his key into the lock of their suite. James glanced over at her exuberant smile and couldn't help smiling himself.

"Exactly like we were children. Without the fighting and the rejections, of course," said James, admiring the girl he loved. Lily had the chance to blush prettily before James swung the door and opened it to show off their splendid room. Lily squealed and immediately bounced-yes, this was no longer Prefect Lily-into the room, flinging herself onto a rather large, rather plush bed.

"Look at how gorgeous it is!" she exclaimed, taking in everything. James had to agree. The room was incredibly large-he couldn't fathom why they had chosen to go here first, as they would never be able to have such a luxurious space on there trip, at least for the most part-and even contained its own small kitchenette, for which Prongs was sure they would be eternally grateful.

The room, itself, was a mixture of reds and deep purples. The drapes fell elegantly-not like those insanely annoying ones in most muggle hotels that only half closed-and added a splash of purple to the otherwise red walls. Four wooden-James thought they were oak- chairs with beautifully rich purple seat covers surrounded a pleasantly elegant glass table. The floors were covered in a thick purple carpet and a red couch sat in a corner across from what James recognized as a muggle television. Laid out on top of the red and purple striped duvet and in between red and indigo pillows, though, was the most beautiful thing in the room.

"Not as gorgeous as you, Red," he said softly, truly taken by her beauty. Lily blushed once more and looked up at her husband.

"Well, Mr. Potter, why don't you show me how gorgeous I am?" she asked, an obvious invitation. Of course, it wasn't one that James could turn down lightly, and he proceeded to show her just how marvelous he thought she was, thankful for the late meet up time.

-Into the Love nest-

Remus clasped his lover's hand tightly as the black haired youth led him down a long corridor. He barely had time to admire the artwork on the walls, but he wasn't going to complain-not when he knew exactly what would happen when they got to their room. Remus smiled at the thought and grasped his mate's hand more tightly, feeling Sirius give him a squeeze in return.

Sirius stopped in front of an oak door that just yelled 'Sirius' to anyone who knew the man, and Remus smirked. Etched on the surface of the wood was his mate's name, obviously handiwork from the boy's younger years. Surprised as he was that it hadn't come off, Remus was almost certain that at least one spell was keeping it in place. Sirius only needed to twist the knob before the door opened to him-somehow or another recognizing his touch.

Although Sirius seemed indifferent, Remus couldn't help but be stunned when he walked into the room. Two of the walls in the room were a deep chocolate brown while the adjacent walls were a lighter brown and reminded Remus very much of chocolate mousse. The curtains across the windows fell in soft chocolate waterfalls, but were currently open showing a cheery view of an outdoor swimming pool. A canopy bed was the prominent feature of the room-something Remus knew they would be trying out later-and its tall, stained oak stood proudly while the mattress was covered in a comforter that matched the darker of the colors on the walls. Remus was almost in heaven.

"Is there any hot chocolate in here, by any chance, Siri?" he asked curiously. Sirius laughed before conjuring up two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, handing one to Remus.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you, Moony. You're always reading my mind," said Sirius before slurping his hot chocolate. He watched his better half do the same over the rim of his mug

"You still make the best hot chocolate, Pads," murmured Remus delightedly, quickly finishing off his mug and licking his lips. He set the cheery lime green (which clashed horribly with the room) onto a small wooden table. "What next?"

Sirius set his mug of hot chocolate down, looking predatorily at the man across from him. "Well…the full moon was only a few days ago…and we all know how you get…" Sirius said, noticing the way Remus suddenly looked excited. "So, if you'll kindly take off your shirt and climb into bed…" The werewolf was only too happy to comply, immediately stripping of his shirt and lying face down on the wondrous bed.

"I've missed this, Padfoot. Transformations were absolute Hell without you there-who cares if everyone thought that you'd killed off your best friend? No one gives back rubs like you, love," Remus murmured. Sirius took the opportunity to hop on the bed and straddle his partner.

"Don't worry, love, you'll have your pre-transformation shag and your post-transformation back rub every time from now on, if I have anything to say about it," he told the werewolf before putting his hand's on the boy's back and beginning to work his magic.

-The Double-bedded Room-

Ron was excited. Who wouldn't be excited spending the night with the girl of their dreams? Well, Sirius and Remus maybe, but other than that? No one, that's who. Immediately after getting their room key, Hermione had taken charge, strutting off with her (sexy) walk to the room. Ron did not care that they wouldn't be sharing the same bed. All he knew was that he could watch her sleep-something he hadn't been allowed to do at Hogwarts, and barely been able to do when she visited over the summer.

Hermione has similar thoughts. She may not have the slightly creepy, slightly stalkerish tendencies of Ron, but she still thought he was the most incredible, most handsome man she'd ever known. Even the men she read about in her romance novels had nothing on the fiery redhead that was currently following her. Stopping at room twelve, the brunette slipped the key into the lock, not even making sure if Ron had caught up to her yet-she had no doubt he had, so why worry-and gasped audibly when the door swung open.

Inside, the room was decorated to make one feel like they were in a tropical rainforest. The walls were enchanted with jungle-esque scenery. A bright toucan perched upon the branch of a tree lush with bright green leaves, and a gorgeous leopard made its way stealthily through the foliage. Two large, elegant beds were set up with a small nightstand in between them, and the carpeting was a thick as it was green. Feeling like a small child, Hermione bounded to a door on the side to see if the jungle motif carried over into the bathroom-and, boy did it ever.

Hermione's eyes widened, as her eyes fell on a spectacular waterfall that flowed into an enormous bathtub. The floor, even though it looked and felt incredibly like soil, left no dirt traces on her shoes. The pedestal sink stood proudly next to the toilet, but looking beautiful, even though no one usually thinks of a toilet as beautiful.

She heard Ron's gasp behind her and turned, looking at him, excitement evident in her eyes. "Isn't it breathtaking, Ron? Isn't it just…absolutely amazing? I could have never dreamed up anything this…wild!" she said, a bright smile on her face.

"Neither could I, Mione, neither could I…" he said in shock.

"I guess…we should get to unpacking, right?" she asked, almost shyly, grinning at him. He nodded, almost too enthusiastically, and headed out of the bathroom, going over and claiming the bed on the left as his own.

"Oh, and Ron?" she said, coming out after him.

"Yeah?"

"I get first dibs on the bathroom tonight."

"Oh, bugger!"

-The Lion and the Snake-

Draco and Harry walked in a companionable silence all the way to their room-room thirteen. Somehow, the room was actually three floors about Ron and Hermione's, but the two boys weren't complaining. They had come to an agreement in the middle of their sixth year, and were now incredibly good friends, so it was no problem for them to share a room, least of all a bed.

Reaching the door to their room, Draco jammed the key in the door, turning it then the knob. The door opened, and the room made them grin. The walls and ceiling were enchanted to work very much like Hogwart's Great Hall's ceiling, except they depicted outer space. The chamber was lit with torches and floating candles the let off an ethereal glow, and the bed was actually a large pit in the ground covered in black and silver linens, including pillows.

Draco smirked, looking at the bed and said, "Kinky." Harry laughed at this, grabbing a pillow from the hole and chucking it at the blond. It only took a second for him to react, and Draco calmly took off his shoes and jumped into what would be their bed. He grabbed a pillow and hurled it at the Boy-Who-Lived. Said Boy-Who-Would-Not-Die dodged the black pillow and stuck his tongue out at the blond.

"Don't stick that thing out unless you fully intend to use it, Mr. Potter," said Draco, staring the boy down. Harry had enough grace to blush before running over to a door well-hidden on a side wall and yanking it open with the silver knob between his fingers.

"Oi, Draco!" Harry called, looking at the room in awe. Draco hopped out of their bed, sauntering over to the room where Harry had disappeared. He entered and stared. The bathroom was fashioned to look like the inside of a space ship. Not one to admit weakness, he would never admit how fascinating he found space. A type of silver metal outlined windows that showed off space. A very large metallic tub sat, waiting for one of the two boys to bask in its obvious luxury. The floor was tiled-although Draco was sure that, very much the stone had been in his dorm at Hogwarts, the tile would be enchanted to keep warm-in black and red. The sink and toilet reminded him of a captain's chair and consol, making the boy grin. All Draco knew how to do was to gape.

"Isn't it perfect?" asked Harry moments later, emerging from behind a portion of wall that Draco has assumed was solid at first.

"What's in there?" he asked, curious.

"Only the biggest closet I've ever seen in my life." Draco grinned and walked through the enchanted wall and into…a closet that could, indeed rival his own. The racks and hangers might be empty, but the space was grand and well lit. Draco left the enclosure smiling.

"Time to unpack?" he asked, almost bouncy.

"You know, we don't really need to unpack…there has to be a pool somewhere around here, and it is only 3 PM…there's plenty of time to swim and get changed…" Draco grinned.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" asked Draco, grabbing his wand and heading out the door. Laughing, Harry followed him, making sure he had their key, and closed the door behind them.

tbc…

…….

This chapter contains around 3275 words over seven pages. I'm incredibly surprised. I don't normally write this much, but I couldn't stop this time! It was insane. I hope you enjoyed it and aren't laughing at me with my small amount of words. The next chapter will contain their swimming, dinner, that night, and, hopefully, the next day. I understand you cannot see everything that is amazing about New York in two days-especially if you laze about most of the first day-but there aren't that many days in the summer, so they've got to speed it up if they're going to make it to 48 states by the time they need to leave.

Could anyone recommend a good restaurant in New York? Otherwise, I'll just pick one that I think they'd go to-fun, right? I could really use the info…thanks in advance. Do know that I'll be looking up any restaurant for info on what they serve and what they cost and such, so I'll do my homework; I just want a name to make it that much easier.

Happy reading, and thanks to the four persons who reviewed-although one was rather rude. Many kisses and hugs!