While Bella was hailing a cab Remus pulled Harry aside and cast a quick spell on each of them.
"Alright Harry, there is no longer a Harry Potter or Remus Lupin as far as the owls are concerned. The only post that will find us is what Hedwig carries or anything addressed to Remus or Harry Black."
Harry grinned at his new godfather and together they climbed in to the back of the cab Bella had managed to summon.
After a long taxi ride Harry, Remus, Bella and an invisible Sirius arrived at Heathrow Airport where Remus had come earlier in the day to get them all tickets to America. They did their best to sleep during the long flight but everyone was too excited. As they arrived in New York night was descending and they checked in to the nearest hotel for the evening.
Waking the next morning they all felt a little rough around the edges no doubt due to the change in time zones but were confident it would pass quickly. After showering for the day they packed and shrunk their belongings before making their way into the wizarding section of the city.
Not far from Central Park on Broadway Remus stopped the small group in front of a small opening between two buildings. It was bigger than an alley and looked as if there was a building missing. Hanging above them and set back slightly within the space was a sign that read 'Wizarding Square'. Harry noticed that the muggles walking by seemed to take no notice of the space or sign and came to the conclusion that it was protected from them much the way the Leaky Cauldron is in London.
Harry followed Remus to the back of the depression with Bella and Sirius close behind. Without stopping Remus walked straight up to the back wall and disappeared. Harry surprise caused him to pause briefly and look at Bella who gave him a small smile and nodded towards the wall where Remus had disappeared. Taking a deep breath Harry moved forward to experience the same sensation he always felt passing through the barrier to platform 93/4 at Kings Cross Station.
"Wow." Harry said as he found himself standing next to Remus on the other side of the wall he had just passed trough taking in the sight of the Wizarding shopping district.
"I agree." Remus replied scanning the area in wonder.
In front of them they found a large grass area that looked to be the size of a large city block. There were paths that twisted their way through the area, playground equipment, benches and a large fountain in the center. A statue of a dragon looking skyward sat in the middle of the fountain with jets of water spraying around it, moving to some unknown rhythm. In intervals a spray of water would issue from the dragons mouth that somehow the creators had managed to make resemble fire. It was breathtaking. All in all it was an amazing and beautiful park. Even this early in the day several children could be seen running around playing with each other, their proud parents looking on.
A wide cobblestone walkway outlined the park and was surrounded by all manner of magical shops which defined and enclosed the area.
The group began walking along the path surrounding the park looking at the various Wizarding stores before finally coming to a stop in front of 'Moore's Magical and Muggle Real Estate'.
Opening the door, Remus gestured for Harry to proceed him in to the shop. As Harry walked in he noticed the ceiling was enchanted similarly to the great hall at Hogwarts and failed to notice a girl rounding a corner with her nose in a book. The two crashed in to each other sending them both to the floor and causing Harry's glasses to fall from his face.
Rubbing his head Harry looked up at the blurry outline of the young woman he had accidentally run in to. "Ginny?" he asked curiously.
"Excuse me?" the young woman responded rubbing her own forehead.
Not recognizing her melodious voice Harry quickly searched the floor around him finding his glasses and replacing them on his face before returning his gaze to the girl sitting on the floor in front of him. He immediately realized it wasn't Ginny but could understand why he had mistaken her for his friend when his glasses were off.
She seemed to be about the same build as Ginny with long slender legs and perfect curves. Her hair was an auburn color that was slightly darker than Ginny's and went to the middle of her back. Her skin was smooth and lightly tanned, she had soft lips and a button nose that lacked the freckles that Ginny wore and her eyes were a soft blue that seemed to entrance him and pull him in. He immediately decided she was very beautiful.
Harry stared at her lost in his thoughts for several long seconds before the sound of Sirius snickering behind him brought him back to reality. As he got up and stepped toward the girl he noticed she was staring at him as well, chewing lightly on her bottom lip which he found very cute.
"Erm, sorry, I guess I was to busy staring at the ceiling to pay attention to where I was going." Harry said offering her a hand up.
Shaking herself out of her own trance she accepted his hand and was pulled to her feet. She flushed slightly as she felt a tingle flow through her at his touch. "That's ok," she replied smiling at him, "It's actually my fault anyway. If I hadn't had my nose stuck in that book I would have seen you."
Harry grinned back at her. "Fair enough, I'm Harry Potter." he said extending his hand.
"Kaela Moore." she replied shaking his offered hand.
He had braced himself for the usual upward flick of the eyes towards his scar at the mention of his name and was heartened when she didn't. "Moore? Is this your family's store?"
"Yes, it's just me and mom. Are you all here to see her?" she asked looking around the group.
"Oh yes, I'm sorry. " Harry began, "This is my godfather Remus Lupin and Bella Black."
Kaela shook both their hands. "It's nice to meet you."
"You as well." Remus replied and Bella smiled.
Turning back to Harry Kaela was about to take them to her moms office when she realized he seemed familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked scrunching up her eyes and tilting her head slightly to one side as she stared at him. "You seem familiar for some reason."
Harry groaned internally as he saw her eyes go wide. Great he thought to himself, here we go.
Looking around on the floor she picked up the book she had been reading and quickly flipped through the pages before stopping and looking up in triumph. "I knew it!" she exclaimed happily. "You're the Harry Potter that goes to Hogwarts right?"
With a resigned sigh Harry answered. "Yes, that's me."
She seemed to become even more excited. "How did you manage to become a seeker your first year?" she asked.
"What?" a now thoroughly confused Harry replied. That was not what he had been expecting.
"You were the youngest seeker in over a century at Hogwarts right?"
Harry just nodded still confused as to what she was going on about. Seeing his confusion Kaela rolled her eyes and moved to stand next to him with the book held up so he could see it. The skin on her arm tingled and her breath hitched slightly as she bumped into him.
Looking at the book Harry saw a picture of himself spitting out the snitch after catching it in his mouth. "What book is this?"
Kaela was wearing a large grin. "It's the latest copy of 'Quidditch Through the Ages'. Mom sold a couple properties to the owner of the publishing house a while back and he promised to send me a copy when he found out I like to play. It won't even be released for another month."
Harry was surprised he was in the new edition and was very pleased she hadn't been about to go on about him being the Boy Who Lived. "Wow, I can't believe they put me in here."
Remus cleared his throat behind them bringing their attention back to the present.
"Oh, sorry." Kaela apologized blushing slightly. "Come on, I'll take you to mom." Reaching out without thinking she took hold of Harry's hand and led them down a hallway and into a large office. Harry almost ran into the door frame on the way in as he found himself unable to think about anything other than the beautiful girl holding his hand. He was disappointed when they were all in the office and she let go.
A friendly looking witch about Kaela's height stood up behind the desk as they entered.
"Hello, I'm Brenda Moore. I see you've met my daughter already." she said smiling warmly at the group before her.
"It's nice to meet you Brenda, I'm Remus Lupin. This is Bella Black and Harry Potter."
Her eyes moved through the group as they were introduced finally coming to rest on Harry. Brenda wore a look of surprise on her face as she addressed him. "The Harry Potter?" she asked curiously.
Harry blushed and did not fail to notice the look of confusion and curiosity on Kaela's face. "Yes ma'am."
"I must say it is an honor to meet you Mr. Potter." She said as she extended her hand.
Harry took her hand shaking it lightly. "Please, just call me Harry."
Seeing the look of confusion on her daughters face Brenda faced her. "You do realize who this is, don't you Kaela?"
"Well yeah, he's the youngest seeker ever at Hogwarts."
Brenda rolled her eyes causing Harry to have to hold back a snicker as he realized where Kaela got the habit from.
"I swear, is Quidditch all you ever think about? Maybe if you had paid a little more attention in history and put a small amount of effort into your studies you might have learned a few things. Harry here defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort when he was only one year old."
Kaela was blushing and chewing her lip as she tried to avoid Harry's gaze while her mother discussed her study habits in front of the small group. She looked up in surprise when her mom mentioned what he had done. "Cool." she said turning towards Harry who was looking embarrassed.
"Actually we would appreciate it if you would keep it to yourself about Harry being here today. Part of the reason we've come to the states is to escape his many adoring fans." Remus said shooting a wicked grin towards Harry who was now scowling back at him.
Harry's gaze returned to Kaela as he heard her let out a little snort of laughter at Remus comments.
Covering her mouth Kaela replied quietly trying not to laugh. "Sorry."
"Of course Remus, please, why don't you all have a seat and let me know what I can do for you."
After taking seats around the desk Remus began. "Well we would like a decent sized home with four bedrooms, nothing to huge though. We would also like to have plenty of land around it."
"I want to be able to fly there." Harry added.
They spent a long time flipping through listings for Wizarding properties but nothing seemed to quite fit what they were looking for. Kaela had been looking thoughtful for several minutes before addressing her mom. "What about the Johnson place?"
Brenda thought for a long minute before nodding to her daughter. "That's a good idea." she said before retrieving a portfolio of muggle properties from the credenza behind her desk.
Flipping it open she found the property she was looking for and place it on the desk in front of her.
"This is actually a muggle property that backs up to our own home and land. If you're not averse to owning a muggle home I have a Wizarding construction company who could update it with the normal Wizarding enhancements and add the appropriate wards to the property to keep muggles away and allow you to fly without being seen."
The property looked perfect. The house was just what they had been looking for with four bedrooms, a den, dining room, living room, kitchen, large garage and an unfinished basement. It sat on one hundred and forty acres of land and much to Harry's delight was next to Kaela's home who he had instantly taken a liking too.
"We'll take it." Harry blurted out excitedly.
"Wouldn't you like to see it first?" Brenda asked with a smile that was echoed by Remus and Bella firmly in place.
Harry blushed in embarrassment once again. "Oh, I mean yeah we probably should look at it."
The adults all smiled at Harry. Pressing a button on the phone sitting on her desk Brenda spoke to her receptionist. "Maggie, I'll be out of the office for a little while showing a house."
"Yes madam." came the reply over the speaker.
Reaching into her desk, Brenda removed a red stick that was about a yard long from the impossibly large interior of the drawer. She then pressed one end of the rod to a red seal on the top left corner of the properties listing. There was a small flash of light and Brenda walked around the desk holding the object.
"This is a portkey that will take us to the home and bring us back here when you're finished looking."
Everyone stood preparing to leave when Kaela jumped up. "Can I come?" she asked.
Brenda could see the hope in her daughter's eyes and the reflection of that hope in Harry's though he was doing a much better job hiding it than she was. "If it's ok with Remus, Bella and Harry." she said turning towards her clients.
"Of course." replied Bella as Remus nodded and Harry smiled.
"Alright then, come on, everyone take hold." She said offering up the portkey she held. After everyone was touching it she tapped it with her wand and they all disappeared from the office.
They reappeared in an empty three car garage. Brenda took them out a side door leading them to the front of the house. "Sorry, I have to portkey destination set to the garage as this is a muggle property and we wouldn't want anyone to see us appear."
The home was a very nice two story affair finished with a combination of brick and wood siding that had been painted in brown and tan earth tones. Stepping onto the front porch which ran the length of the house Brenda inserted the key in to the front door gaining entrance.
The front door opened into a modestly sized entry area. A doorway to the left at the base of the stairway led to a comfortable study and another on the right side of the entry led into a dining room. Proceeding through the entry past the dining room door and stairway they entered the main part of the home where another hallway ran across the house. Directly across the hallway was a large opening that gave access to the living room. There was a fireplace on the wall to the left as they entered and the wall straight ahead of them was covered with large windows giving a spectacular view of a small lake that sat behind the house. Among the large windows was a glass door that led to a wooden deck that hung off of the back of the house. To the right there was a bar and doorway that opened up to a large and well equipped kitchen.
On the back of the house off the kitchen was an octagonal shaped breakfast nook that was once again surrounded by windows. Opposite the breakfast area on the other end of the kitchen was another door leading from the kitchen to the hallway that crossed the home. Opposite the doorway from the hall to the kitchen was another door to the dining room and on the end of the hall was a door leading to the garage they had appeared in. The opposite end of the hallway led to the master bedroom which had an amazing bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.
Upstairs were three more bedrooms. The one to the left at the top of the stairs had its own modest bathroom while the two to the right shared a bath between them. All of the bedrooms had large walk in closets and ceiling fans. Underneath the stairway leading up was another leading down from the hallway to the unfinished basement which was very large running the full length of the home.
Harry, Remus and Bella all loved the home and even Sirius had whispered to Remus that it seemed perfect.
"We'll take it." Remus said after a very short discussion with Harry and Bella.
"Great!" Brenda said to the group. "It will take a few hours to button up all the paperwork. Kaela, why don't you show Harry around and where we live while the rest of us go back and finish everything up? If that's ok with the rest of you that is?" she said looking around the group.
"Ok." Kaela said with no small amount of enthusiasm. "Harry, grab your broom and we can go for a fly."
"Just remember the new wards won't be in place for a day or two so you can only fly on our property until them." Brenda reminded the teens.
"I know mom."
After enlarging his trunk and retrieving his FireBolt Harry left the house with Kaela while the rest of the group returned to Brenda's office to complete the sale.
Kaela led Harry around the pond behind his new home to the woods on the other side. As they entered the edge of the trees she stopped and looked at him expectantly.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Well, aren't we going to fly?"
Harry looked confused. "But your mom said we couldn't fly here until the wards were put up."
Kaela once again rolled her eyes which Harry found amusing. "So?"
"Um, well…"
A smirk appeared on Kaela's face. "Are you chicken?"
Harry was surprised at her comment and the look on her face but was more than ready to accept the challenge and even push back a bit. His eyes narrowed slightly and he put on a mischievous grin of his own as he hopped on his broom and gestured for her to sit in front of him. "No, are you?"
"Of course not." she said climbing on in front of him.
She barely had time to register the feeling of Harry wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her tightly against him before they shot off through the trees at a blistering pace that caused her eyes to open wide and body to stiffen in shock.
Harry grinned to himself as he flew through the trees his seeker reflexes making it easy for him to dodge the obstacles in his way. He felt Kaela stiffen and heard her gasp as he took off and pushed his broom harder.
As they approached the other side of the woods a large oak tree appeared in their path. Harry executed a neat roll to his right side narrowly avoiding the tree as they shot out of the woods like a bullet from a gun. Kaela clutched on to Harry's arm for dear life and screamed as he executed his roll.
Harry landed not far from the woods and Kaela stepped off the broom to find her legs a bit wobbly from the thrilling experience. She was breathing hard, the adrenaline rush from the flight peaking and her face was flushed as she turned towards Harry to find him grinning back at her looking like he would burst in to laughter at any moment.
"What the hell was that!" she exclaimed as she continued to try to catch her breath.
Shrugging his shoulders Harry continued to grin at her as he responded. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.
"What do I mean? You could have killed us with that stunt! That's what I mean!"
Harry's sides were beginning to hurt from holding in his laughter. "We were fine. Normally I would have been flying a bit faster but I took it easy since you were on the broom with me."
Her eyes open wide and she looked flabbergasted at his comment. "You took it easy?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders again. He was dangerously close to loosing it now but couldn't help himself. "Yah, well I am the youngest seeker in a century and all that rot, besides I wanted to be safe with you on and all. Anyway what was that scream about? I thought you said you weren't chicken?"
The look on her face pushed him over the edge and he collapsed on the ground in hysterics.
Realizing he had been pushing her buttons Kaela smacked him on the back of the head before sitting next to him and laughing herself.
"That was some brilliant flying Harry. I can see why they put you on the team right away, you're a natural. Could you really go through there faster?"
"Probably, if I was alone, the brooms not quite as responsive with two people on it, we were pushing pretty hard though."
Kaela just shook her head. "Amazing."
The pair talked for a while about anything and everything getting to know each other better. After a while they walked the rest of the way to Kaela's home where they had some sandwiches for lunch before she fetched her broom and they went flying around her property.
Mid afternoon the adults returned having completed the paperwork. A Wizarding decorator came along with them. After saying their good byes and promising to meet the next day Harry left for his new home with Remus, Bella and the decorator.
After entering the house the decorator went to each room with them. She carried a large leather binder that contained a large number of shrunken trunks rather than paper or documents. Entering the living room she removed a trunk labeled 'living room' and enlarged it. Opening the trunk they found it was filled with a wide assortment of all types and styles of living room furniture. Very methodically with the decorators help they selected the pieces they wanted slowly filling the room as they enlarged and levitated each piece into position. It took the rest of the day and part of the next but finally the house was filled. Thanks to the many suggestions the witch helping them had made they had a very comfortable home to live in.
Remus was given the master bedroom on the main floor. Harry teased him that it was because he was so old Harry was worried he would have problems with the stairs. After drying off from the bucket of ice cold water he had been dowsed with, Harry shared a laugh with his godfather as Bella looked on shaking her head in amusement at their antics.
Bella took the upstairs bedroom that had its own bath and Harry took one of the bedrooms with the shared bath. The other would be used for a guest room as Sirius didn't have any use for a bedroom.
The Wizarding construction company was able to create the wards they needed while they finished furnishing the house. While they were there, they made plans to have the construction company finish the basement turning it in to a large entertainment area. It would have a large entertainment center surrounded by comfortable couches and chairs, a pool table and video games as well as a small kitchen area and wet bar that would be filled with all manner of muggle drinks and confections as well as a few Wizarding liquors and butter beer.
Kaela turned up after lunch with plans to explore the rest of the property. The Moore's land was nearly as large as theirs which gave Harry and Kaela a very large back yard to explore. He became very excited when she led him out the back door where she had parked the four wheeler she had arrived on.
"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed as he looked at the contraption.
"Come on Harry." she said as she climbed on and started the engine. Seeing his indecisiveness about what he was supposed to do, she nodded to the space behind her. "Chicken?"
Harry chuckled out loud at her jibe and climbed on behind her. As she hit the gas launching them in to motion she heard Harry's sharp intake of breath as he grabbed her around the waist to hold on and smiled to her self.
Harry and Kaela became the best of friends spending almost everyday in each others company for the rest of the summer.
Kaela took him to various Wizarding and muggle areas around the United States and Harry helped Kaela become a better flyer. She was already very good and Harry found out she was a chaser on the junior team at school but with his help she had improved a lot.
Harry had been introduced to many of her friends from school and he had told her about all of his including Ginny.
It was almost the end of summer and Harry and Kaela found themselves sitting on the deck behind Harry's home wondering what to do.
Looking towards the lake Kaela had an epiphany. "I can't believe we haven't thought of it yet. Let's go swimming!" she said turning towards Harry who she found didn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Harry took a deep breath looking very embarrassed. "I, well… I mean, I don't know how to swim." he said muttering the last part.
Kaela frowned for a second thinking about the Dursley's whom he had told her all about. "That's ok, I can teach you." she said smiling back at him.
"Really? You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not. Go change, I'm gonna fly home and I'll meet you by the lake in a few."
Harry nodded and ran off to his room to change while Kaela flew home. They'd taken to flying brooms back and forth between their houses because it was fast not to mention they loved to fly.
After changing into a pair of trunks Harry grabbed a towel and headed down to the lake. A few minutes later Kaela flew back landing neatly beside him. He watched as she slipped off her jean shorts and t-shirt revealing the simple light blue two piece bathing suit she was wearing that left very little to the imagination. His breath hitched in his chest and his heart was thumping wildly as he took in the sight of her. As his gaze reached her face he noticed she was watching him looking a little nervous as she chewed on her bottom lip.
"Is something wrong Harry?" she asked softly her voice sounding a bit nervous.
Harry had to swallow heavily before he was able to speak. "No. You're beautiful." he barely managed to whisper.
Her face seemed to light up and feeling bold at his words she stepped forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Harry."
Turning around she headed for the waters edge. After a few moments Harry regained enough motor control to follow her.
It didn't take her long to teach him how to swim and soon they were having a wonderful time laughing and splashing each other. Kaela disappeared under the water and Harry looked around wondering where she would reappear when he heard the water move behind him. Spinning around he found her sneaking up on him and grabbed her causing her to squeal loudly.
They both became quiet as they realized how close they were with Harry's arms wrapped around her. As the moment took hold they both leaned forward slowly decreasing the space in between them until their lips touched. Kaela's arms slid up around Harry's neck as they kissed for a long minute before pulling back looking into each others eyes.
Reaching up to tuck a stray strand of Kaela's auburn hair behind her ear Harry paused as an image of Ginny popped unbidden into his mind.
Kaela could see the confusion in his expression as he stared at the lock of her hair he was holding and knew what had happened.
"Kaela," Harry began but was cut off by Kaela placing the tips of her fingers on his mouth.
"It's ok Harry, I know."
"I'm sorry, I'm just confused."
"I know. I won't say I don't want this because I do, but I don't want you to have any regrets about us either." she said as she felt a small piece of her heart breaking. She felt a little better as he pulled her in holding her tightly.
-
AN: Hey all, sorry about the long wait for this. I don't have writers block or anything like that it's just that real life takes priority over fan fiction sometimes. Oh well, at least it's finally here. Thanks for all the great reviews; I was thrilled to top 200. Yea!
Neville and Luna will be in the next chapter and Harry will eventually meet Brian. Some of the Orders feelings concerning what's going on will be learned in chp. 12. Harry's friends were very upset about the tracking spell but their protests were waved of by Dumbly. They will not try to get around the spell as she's with Hagrid now.
SeleneA's Pairing Update! – Muha, ha, ha, ha…choke, caugh, gasp, … don't ever let me laugh like that again…
lmill123 – good stuff, some doesn't fit with where I'm going, some does, some could but probably wont.
Lady FoxFire – Well put, Actually he is turning out a bit more evil than I had intended, grins.
mrsean – Very well thought out and accurate! Yes, for the most part it's all true and planned that way.
Jeremy – 30, yea right, what goes around comes around
Thanks so much for continuing to review! I really appreciate it and will try to get my next update out quicker than this one but no promises. Let me know what you think of Kaela Moore and a possible Harry/Kaela pairing. Thanks for reading!