A/N: Some responses before I start:

purtyinpink71121: Well, I guess I shouldn't have wrote 'long,' since it wasn't, like…loonngg…but not short, either. Sorry if I'm getting you confused. And, throughout the mansion it has openings instead of doors. Except in the dungeons, they have bars. Hope that that answers your questions.

Dancegirlem24: Thank you, here's the chap.

vegetarians will rule the Earth: You're welcome, and thanks.

WolfbainKohaku: lol, I'm glad you're happy! 'Cause then I'm happy :-)

Jessica01: Wow, does she really? Lucky!

Chaos023: Thank you, and I hope you like the chapter!


Chapter Thirteen

"I wish there was someplace we could stop and rest at," Harry said, starting to feel woozy.

"Me too," Sirius agreed, stopping to lean against a rail by the road.

"I can't believe we're in the middle of nowhere," Harry complained, sucking in a breath of the crisp, blue air.

"It's not nowhere," Sirius said. "We have to be somewhere. It's just that'someplace' is…deserted."

"I'd laugh if we were in somewhere in America," Harry said numbly.

"I wouldn't," Sirius replied, frowning.

"I was joking," Harry informed Sirius. "At least, I hope we're not somewhere in America."

"Come on," Sirius said, standing up straight. "We should keep going, just in case there's someplace down the road—"

"You said that twenty minutes ago," Harry said, sighing.

"You never know," Sirius said. "Come on, kiddo." Harry sighed again, letting Sirius help him up to his feet (at least, one of them.)

"Malfoy picked a good place to hold us," Harry said, wiping the sweat that the blazing sun had caused off of his forehead. "It's deserted, I'll give him that. No one would ever think to look for us here."

"Which is exactly why we need to keep looking for a place…anyplace," Sirius said. "For a while, anyway. Because like you said: nobody would look for us here." They walked in silence, the only sound to be heard was their heavy breathing.

"I'm hallucinating," Harry moaned out of the blue.

"Well, you aren't the only one hallucinating, then," Sirius said, not taking his eyes off of the place that Harry was looking at. "Because I see it, too." As if saying something might make the house fade away, Harry stayed quiet until they reached the home.

"Isn't this our luck?" Sirius said, frowning. "Nobody's in there."

"No wonder," Harry responded. "Whoever lived here must've left months ago. Years, even."

"Just our luck," Sirius muttered.

"Ain'tcher lucky day?" An unkempt man appeared behind the screen of the door. He raised his eyebrows at Harry's swollen foot. "Why don't yah come inside, here? Looks like yah haven't had a goodnights sleep in a while." He held the door open, inviting Sirius and Harry in. "So, what brings you folks down 'ere?"

"This and that," Sirius said briefly.

"Beautiful day out for almost nighttime, eh?" The man asked. "Sun's still shinin' as if it ain't gotta care. Should be goin' down soon, though. Been out for an awful long time already, and it's still goin' strong."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, finding the cool air that was inside of the home feel nice against his hot skin. "Can't believe how hot it is, still."

"Aye," the man agreed. "Still wonderin' what you're doin' down 'ere, though. This part 'ere is pretty much deserted except for myself."

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Well, we're in Wisconsin," the man replied. "You two looked shocked. Not from around 'ere?" He didn't stop to let Sirius or Harry say something, but continued on. "I ain't from around Wisconsin, either. Been living here for a while now, though. I'm thinkin' of movin' back to where my relatives live. Ain't much to do around this part, I'm still tryin' to figure out why I decided to live here in the first place."

"Wisconsin," Sirius said under his breath, looking flabbergasted.

"I coulda lived anywhere, really," the man continued on, ignoring Sirius completely. "I guess at tha' time I wanted some peace and quiet, and this part 'ere seemed like the perfect place. Now I'm gettin' a bit tired of the quietness, really."

"We're in Wisconsin," Sirius said, still looking flabbergasted.

"Where are you folks from, exactly?" The man asked.

"South Gloucestershire," Sirius said in the same awed voice. The man whistled.

"South Gloucestershire! That in South West England, ain't it? Traveled some way, you have."

"Can we stay here for the night?" Harry asked suddenly. "Just for the night." The man observed them before answering.

"Look pretty tired and worn out, you two do." He paused, eyeing Harry's foot. "Aye, I suppose you two can stay the night. I got extra rooms." He paused again before continuing. "How're you s'pose to go back to South West England? Yah ain't gotta car or nuttin'."

Sirius and Harry exchanged glances. "On foot?" Harry offered.

"You don't mean on that foot?" The man said, looking at Harry's foot again in surprise. "How're you two gunna poss'bly walk all the way back to South West England? You two are crazy, you are. Nah, I'll get yah hooked up somehow," the man said.

Sirius looked relieved, as did Harry. "Thanks."

"No problem," the man said. "If yah will follow me, I'll show yah where yah can stay, and I'll give yah some ice fer that foot," he said to Harry. "Yah should go to the doctor for that, yah should." He showed Sirius and Harry to the guest rooms. "I'll make some phone calls fer yah while yah rest up, and if yah need anythin' don't hes'tate to ask. 'Specially you," he said to Harry. "I'll be back with the ice."

"Wisconsin," Harry said when the man left, feeling that it was his turn to be astonished. Sirius sat down on the bed by Harry. "We're in Wisconsin."

"Don't worry," Sirius said, kissing the top of Harry's unruly hair. "We'll be back in no time. Just rest."

"I got the ice," the man said, coming back into the room with a bag of ice. "Just put that on yer foot, it'll help the swelling. I ain't no doctor, so that's the best I can do." He passed the bag to Harry. "My name's Charlie by the way," he told them, giving them a grin goodnight before exiting the room again.

"G'night," Harry muttered, feeling for the first time relaxed and comfortable.

-

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, and I'll be posting the next chapter soon.