Chapter 5. Welcome to New York.
DATE: 2008 MARCH 14
DAY And TIME: FRIDAY At 1:24 Pm
As The car was put into drive and the cab took off in a rush into the swirl of traffic. The fact that the little man hadn't even bothered to look for on-coming traffic had Harry scrambling to find his seatbelt.
The hotel that the little Indian taxi driver - Manish, according to the little plastic card that Harry's taken care to memorise so that he'd know the name of his potential killer, a likely outcome with the way the man seemed to ignore even the most basic of road rules - had taken him to was mediocre at best. Harry's definitely stayed in a lot worse places, though. It had its own bathroom, which was a plus, as well as a bed that was only marginally lumpy in places. The fact that the woman behind the counter when he checked in was Indian explained exactly why he'd been brought there.
Harry, though, wasn't overly concerned; he had no intention of staying there long.
And thus, he was out exploring the area, learning about this new city that he'd found himself in.
New York City, Harry quickly realised, was very aptly named. The 'City That Never Sleeps', was a hive of millions of people and cars, all hustling and bustling every which way in their important lives. In terms of people, it reminded him a lot of the largest cities that he'd experienced in India and China. But in terms of buildings, it was more comparable to Tokyo. Skyscrapers towered above him, each vying to be the biggest, the tallest, the most ostentatious.
The Empire State Building was clearly one of the most impressive, even if it was no longer the tallest. Oscorp Tower was another that stuck out against the skyline. The Chrysler Building was amazing. And then there were the older buildings, the ones built with more charm than glass, like the Baxter building.
As Harry wandered from street to street, he found that even more towers were planned for the mega city. The ground was still in the process of being cleared for one called Stark Tower. Idly, he wondered what distinctiveness it would bring to the New York skyline - would it be impressively tall or designed more artistically; would it be filled with glass windows or perhaps even a helicopter landing pad on the roof?
The further that he walked, the more that Harry was forced to dodge and weave his way through the crowds. It seemed that no matter which way he decided to go, it was always against the crowd. More times than he cared to count, he was bumped and jostled, sometimes even into poles or signs on the sidewalk.
Deciding that he'd had enough of fighting the crowds, Harry took the next right, sighing in relief as he found himself on a less populated street. Here, the buildings seemed slightly smaller, only standing between three and six stories tall. They also had a slightly older feel to them, as though the technological advances of the past decade or so had left them behind.
Even the very sight of these buildings felt more welcoming. Instead of concrete, steel and glass, almost all were made of old red brick. Here and there, if one cared to look closely enough, wood trim on some of the buildings enhanced the old-world feel.
Feeling some of the tension that had begun to build in his back and neck began to ease, Harry slowed his pace.
This.
This was an area that he felt comfortable in, a neighbourhood that he felt that he could settle in, at least for however long he decided to stay in North America, which, judging by how long he'd spent in the other continents, could easily be a year. But, then, he realized, if he had a base to come back to instead of simply wandering from place to place, that one year could very easily stretch to several. It wasn't as though he was in a hurry to get anywhere.
The smell of fresh bread hit his nostrils and he turned, following the urging of his growling stomach.
The bakery was small, with a counter near the back wall and several tables and chairs set just inside the door. A flash of movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention to the T.V. in the corner, the newscaster on the screen droning on about something that Harry had no idea about.
A chocolate scroll and cappuccino were quickly ordered and given to him. He paid without even looking back at the TV Screen.
However he left without even knowing what's on the News or at least not bothered to find out about it and being more focused on booking a Hotel for two or a night before buying his permanent place.
Time Skip
DATE: 2008 MARCH 14
Same day at FRIDAY in 3:23pm.
Sipping his cappuccino and munching on his chocolate scroll, Harry continued wandering the streets. He particularly loved the old world feel that the old red-brick buildings gave him. He wondered idly about that, especially when he realized that, no matter what country or continent he'd visited over the past four years, he'd naturally seemed to gravitate towards the oldest section of the city or town. But then, the more he thought about it, the more that it made sense.
When it came down to it, the first place that Harry had ever been happy to call home, the one place that he'd always felt most comfortable in more than the house he, Grandma Belen and Asyong Rented back in Quiapo Manila City, was Hogwarts. And if you wanted the old world feel, then Hogwarts was always bound to win. Diagon Alley, too, was an extension of that. Both were places where he began to come into his own. Especially the summer before his third year when he got to spend a number of weeks living in the Leaky Cauldron and exploring the Alley every day.
Whenever Harry found that he was starting to leave the old neighbourhood behind, he'd turn back, exploring a different street or even simply the opposite side of a street that he'd already been down.
It wasn't surprising then, when he found the place that seemed to instantly call to him.
The building was much like the ones around them - all red-brick and old wood and steel. Huge plate glass windows lined not only the front of the building, but were also set into the top third of the old oak door in wedges that formed a semi-circle, a small circular piece of glass set in the bottom centre of the glass as though it was the sun and the other pieces were its rays shining forth.
It was only three stories high, the highest level even having a small balcony set in the centre. To one side of it, a second building, made from the same materials, only twice as high, butted up against the one that had caught Harry's attention. On the other, across from the small alleyway, was a second building, much like its counterpart, six stories high and seeming to loom over the smaller, forgotten building.
And it was indeed forgotten.
An old, grubby for sale sign hung lopsidedly in one window of the building, catching Harry's attention.
As though drawn like a moth to a flame, Harry quickly found himself standing right up against one of the big glass windows. But even having cupped his hands around his face and leaning right in, he was hard-pressed to see anything inside - the windows were just that grubby and stained that they simply obscured everything from sight. The only thing that Harry could make out was a large, seemingly empty space that was completely devoid of light.
Stepping back, he looked up at the building again, this time a little more closely.
The outside looked to be in fairly good shape, but he assumed that that had more to do with the materials used in its construction than anything else. Deciding to investigate it further, he walked a few metres to the alley and turned it down.
The alley was filled with piles of rubbish and old boxes. A dumpster, completely overflowing, seemed to have been long forgotten here. Partway down the alley, Harry found a single old door with three padlocks on it that led back into the building. And a little further down, was a pair of doors that could only lead to a cellar.
He knew that he was being impulsive. Foolish, too, if he was willing to admit it to himself; but there was simply something about the old building.
Yes, he suspected that it needed a lot of work. But magic could do wonders. In some ways, it almost reminded him of himself. After the war, he'd been almost lost and in need of a lot of work to make him better. A tiny fraction of that he'd been able to accomplish in England, but it took leaving and travelling, experiencing new and different cultures for him to slowly heal and put himself back together again.
Maybe, just maybe, he reasoned, that's what this old building needed - a new lease on life and some good hard work to help it live again.
Rounding the building to the front again, Harry dug into one of the front pockets of his backpack to find the small notebook and pen that he kept there. In it, he carefully wrote down the name and number of the agency selling the building.
First thing first he needed a place to stay before he called in a real estate agent first thing in the morning tomorrow.
Now, all he had to do was find a phone.
Time Skip
After a few moments, Harry sighed as he turned away to get dressed for the day. He opted for a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It felt strange, even after over five years without them, to not reach for and don his glasses. Ever since he became the Master of Death after he had Reunited the Hallows it had completely removed the need for them.
One look outside told him the rain was still coming down and wasn't showing any sign of letting up. He would have preferred to wear his robes that repelled rain, but that wasn't an option, as he had to appear more muggle-ish. He didn't have a raincoat, and so grabbed and donned his normal jacket instead. His clothes made him appear respectively well off, but not super rich. At least that's how he hoped they made him appear.
He pocketed his keycard and made sure he had everything together before grabbing his bag and walking out. Thankfully, the woman who was spying on him didn't come out "coincidentally" at the same time, meaning she likely didn't have his room bugged. He wouldn't be surprised if she remedied that situation after he left.
Playing it safe, he kept his silence as he closed his hotel door and made his way out of the building.
The moment he stepped outside, the heavy rain greeted him, causing him to become instantly soaked. The streets weren't crowded, but people were walking quickly with umbrellas, clearly trying to limit their outside exposure as much as possible.
Harry silently threw his hood up and walked down the street, he was used to rain after living up in England for seven years, after all. His first priority was to find a place of his own, well after getting an umbrella, of course. Had he stayed in either the Philippines as a muggle with the Dela Cruz Family or gone back with his family to the Magical World in England, he could have easily gone with them to Grimmauld place. But He didn't have the courage to even stay that long with his family in that house or that world. Due to the fear he might have or the attention he will be given by the Daily Prophet. Nevertheless he was still not ready to go back due to having way too many memories regarding the War with both Voldemort and Peru-Ha.
As he arrived the first thing he thought of was to buy his own building to call a home after all he had money, enough money to last a lifetime. He even already had a plan for what to do with the rest of his money, well it really wasn't much of a plan, but it was enough for him for the time being.
Harry walked around, trying to navigate the city, understand its streets and traffic, and hopefully find a place he could call his home. After walking for some time, Harry paused as he looked at a building in front of him. It looked abandoned; it reminded him so much of home.
He looked around and noticed a "for-sale" sign on its front door, a phone number written upon it. Well, he'd need to buy a phone, then.
He wrote the noted address and area so that he could easily find his way back and walked down the street looking for a place that sold phones.
It didn't take him long to find an ATT store that sold various cell phones. He'd been shocked at how much more advanced the muggles were in this world compared to his own. Yes, this universe was about a decade later, but it shouldn't have made quite this much of a difference. Deciding that this store looked just fine for his purposes, Harry walked inside and lowered his hood.
"Welcome, are you a returning customer or a first-time shopper?" A store attendant greeted him.
"First time, I'm looking for a cell phone." Harry answered truthfully.
"Do you know what kind of phone you want?" The man asked.
"What is the best phone you've got on the market right now?" Harry replied.
"That depends. Are you into Apple or Android?"
"I guess Android. I'm more familiar with it."
"Then I would recommend the HTC One X. Do you know what kind of plan you want?"
"What kind of plans have you got?"
The attendant rattled off several different types of plans rapidly enough to make Harry's head spin. He paused, that was a lot of options.
"I guess a moderate plan would do." Harry said, outwardly calm.
"Well, all of the plans have unlimited voice, and we've got plans that are fifty or sixty dollars, depending on the data you want."
'Data.' Harry thought. I hadn't even considered that. " How much data does the average person use?" He asked.
The man looked at him for a moment and half-asked, "Never had a cell phone before?"
"No." Harry replied.
"Some people use up to six to eight gigs of data. Best to use Wi-Fi if you're going to use data."
"Okay, whichever of the two you recommend, then." Harry said slowly, the Wi-Fi thing was good to know and it wasn't like he couldn't afford the slightly more expensive plan. Thankfully, he wasn't completely lost since he was somewhat familiar with technology. He had to admit to himself as the attendant nodded and collected one of the phones, however, that he was a bit out of his depth when it came to more than the general knowledge stuff.
"We'll need to run a credit check." The man said as he brought the phone up to the counter.
"I'm sorry I'm British." He half lied since his other half as Juan Dela Cruz is actually Filipino. "I just moved out here. Does that need a permanent address?" Harry asked, tentatively, thinking this would be a lot harder than he originally thought.
The man looked at him for a moment before saying, "Nah, it just helps things go a bit smoother. We really just need to make sure that you can pay."
Harry felt like he'd dodge an AK on that one. Harry didn't like using magic on muggles, but he needed to make sure he bought a place properly, normally.
The man typed away on the computer and Harry easily pulled out his credit card and swiped it for his new phone.
Ten minutes later, Harry was walking back towards the house with a cell phone in his hands, ready to see if it was still available for him to buy.
Upon arriving, Harry dialed the number on the sign and waited several seconds before someone answered.
"{New York City Real Time Real Estate. This is Rebecca Larson. How may I help you?}" A professional female voice sounded over the phone.
"Yeah, I'm standing at 310 West 56th Street, looking at this building that's for sale. I'm interested in buying it." Harry stated calmly into the phone.
Time Skip
DATE: 2008 MARCH 14
DAY And TIME: FRIDAY at 5:26 pm.
With his mind drifting all over the place, Harry arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel without paying attention to most of the trip. He got out of the cab and paid the driver a hundred before walking through the entryway of the imposing building.
Harry said nothing as the doorman opened the door, and walked up to the front desk.
"Hello, I would like to rent a room for a couple of nights," Harry said in a polite voice.
"Do you have a reservation with us?" asked the lady at the front desk.
"I'm afraid I don't," He admitted.
"Are you with anyone or you by yourself?" She asked.
"I'm by myself. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a single room will do," Harry said. The woman nodded and typed on her computer.
"We do have a room available. It will cost you just over two hundred a night," She informed him.
"That's fine. Put me down for two nights," Harry said, and pulled out his credit card to pay for it. The woman swiped his card and it went through without trouble.
"Your room is seven hundred and eighteen. Please do enjoy your stay with us," She said, a graceful smile on her face as she handed him his keycard. Harry took it and walked towards the elevator.
Harry remained silent as he opened his room door and walked inside. The moment he did so, he placed a locking spell on the door to ensure she couldn't come in in the middle of the night. He walked to the window and looked outside. The rain and darkness had made the visibility so low for a normal person that it was almost impossible to see anything, but thanks to his being the Master Of Death after he reunited the Hallows he gain a few extra Abilities such as a few Animagus forms but he stills need a way to unlocked them so far he already Unlock his Raven Form. And thanks to his transformation that night back in 1997, it improved his eyesight, he could see through darkness as if it was broad daylight; and he could zoom in and out to great distances, much like a hawk or eagle and much more better than when he still has the Child of Darkness in him before the great Cataclysm which gives him enhanced Hearing, eyesight, Night Visions that also allows him to see over through Darkness, and the ability to see through other Aswangs Human Disguise. And as much as he missed those abilities it was better of him being the Master of Death with other unique and similar Abilities which makes him not too worried in turning back into him like before when it almost killed Hermione.
Nevertheless This was how he saw, quite easily, the survey team hiding across the street in a room with its lights out, watching him.
As far as Harry knew, he hadn't done anything to grab anyone's attention. As far as he was concerned, he was a tourist looking to settle down.
Harry, not giving any outward indication that he knew of the team's presence, closed the blinds and went to his bag. He removed his suit and stuffed it into his bag. He washed his face, before he turned around and collapsed on the bed. Harry wasn't sure when it happened, but he quickly fell asleep.
Time Skip.
DATE: 2008 MARCH 14
FRIDAY Night at 7: 25 Pm in the same Hotel in another Room. "Sir." A woman's voice came over the communicator, the voice belonged to one Natasha Romanoff, a very stunning redhead who was also known as the Black Widow. One of the best spy's for S.H.I.E.L.D, which stood for the 'Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division'. She was currently standing in an hotel apartment of a small building that shield had rented out for her. She was on a mission, down the hall was the room her target was staying in. John Redwood, a very dangerous assassin and suspected enhanced individual. From what she knew about him, he could crush her with his bare hands if he ever managed to grab her "Redwood hasn't left his room in days, until today at least. About ten minutes ago I caught him as he picked up some mail, he's agreed to a dinner later on tonight"
"{Good work.}" Replied a male's voice over the phone. "{Is there anything else I should know?}"
"Yes, I don't know how important it'll be but a new resident has moved into the room opposite me."
"{Who?}" The voice asked
"I talked with him for about two minutes." Natasha admitted. "His name is Harrison Peverell Black but he goes by Harry Black or Mr. Black sir."
"{Description.}" The man ordered as he somehow recognized the name somewhere.
"Six foot tall, black messy hair, early twenties and a bit of a mixture of British and Filipino accent from the sound of his voice. He also has green eyes."
"{Green eyes?}" The voice repeated as he had a deja Vu and he only knows two - Three people With Green eyes One was Juan Dela Cruz and The Others are The Tennyson cousins.
"Green sir," Natasha confirmed.
"{Hmm, Interesting I only know three people with the same description of Green eyes who might actually be part of the Initiative program. Nevertheless it's Unusual but not important.}" The voice said eventually. "{Is he a problem?}" He asked.
"No, not at the moment." Natasha replied "Gave off the sense that he wanted to be left alone."
"{In that case, leave him alone and focus on Redwood. I'll have our people run a background check on him and see if there's anything important, for now focus on your assignment.}"
"Yes sir." She nodded before cutting off her communication.