2002, Virginia, Richmond, On a Random Street

2002, Somewhere in Virginia (Harry Really Wishes America Didn't Have 100 Places With The Same Bloody Name)

After the fiasco with the hydra-looking thing (thank Merlin for MACUSA's paranoia), Harry was far more wary about traveling through the more untamed parts of the US without backup. The creature was unknown to MACUSA and time differences, as well as politics, meant that it could be some time before a reply from Greece was forthcoming. Hopefully the magical attacks were just some random escaped beasts.

Even in his own mind it sounded like a feeble excuse. With the pattern of attacks, some one would be releasing them. Hopefully it wasn't some idiot with a magical menagerie stuffed somewhere. He would rather deal with the Six rather than any unknown magical creatures on top of dark wizards. There was a reason he became an Auror in the DMLE and not a Best Wrangler in the Creature department after all.

Pulling himself out of his own head, he checked the signs on the street, or tried at least. It was a relatively quiet muggle street, that was all he knew. He really needed a guidebook or something. Somewhere along here had a Floo connected fireplace that was open all day for international calls specifically. Knowing the location was one thing, finding it was another kettle of fish. Looking around again, the wizard searched for any clue of the street's name. But something out of the corner of his eye made him turn, and when he double checked, the Auror froze.

Harry knew that Americans were different to British muggles, but he still thought that in any culture, a boy and two girls huddled up in an alleyway at 8pm would send alarm bells ringing anywhere.

But why the hell wasn't anyone paying them attention – sure he'd seen and interacted with beggars in London, where most people avoided them or ignored them, but this was different, people were walking past three children like they didn't exist – and that stirred up some uncomfortable memories.

He took a few deep breaths leaning against the block of flats not quite opposite the alley, and counted. Feeling a bit more level headed, he could never thank Ginny enough for teaching him that trick, he came to a decision. Checking the traffic, he made his way over the street across the weird zebra crossing. Coming up to the alleyway entrance, Harry cast a few privacy charms out of habit. Maybe things were getting to him, but the feeling of something in the air made him more wary than usual. Maybe Mad-Eye Potter had a nice ring to it.

He barely turned into the alleyway when the boy shouted

'Oh shit, a monster! Annie get behind me'

The other girl – barely a third year if that – shouted, and suddenly grabbed a spear and shield and the boy drew a sword out of nowhere and blocked Harry from the much younger girl behind them, shielding what looked like a bag of plastic - probably some snacks.

Two underage witches and a wizard living rough, with some Extension Charms and no wands. Now Harry couldn't do anything but help them. He tried to look as friendly as possible, palms up and smiling. Thanking the paranoia that he cast a few privacy charms before entering the alley.

'Hey it's fine, don't worry I'm like you. Um can we leave the killing me bit out of this, I think my girlfriend would murder me if I died in the States.'

This strangely seemed to confuse them more. The older girl – Harry briefly thought of a much younger Tonks without the pink hair – frowned.

'Hey, how do we know you're not a monster trying to get close to us?' She tried to sound more confident than she was, her face a stoic mask, body behind a charmed shield. Harry was about to reply when the wording hit him.

Monster. That coming from a girl that didn't have her wand gave him pause – thankfully nothing too sinister happened in Britain since Voldermort, but one Italian case he was part of – Harry mentally jolted himself. Here and now and all that. This was now a 'protection run' rather than a 'returning strays jobbie' as Seamus would call it.

'Right.' He froze exactly where he was and resisted the temptation to check over his shoulder – even Muggles would react to a girl calling a man a monster – and remembered the privacy charms at the last minute. Although he was still standing awkwardly, arms held up like one of those cowboys from the Disney cartoons.

'Tell you what, I'll stay here and we can chat like this if it makes you feel better.' Harry began lowering his hands, but stopped when the boy tensed. He kept his hands in their now strange half raised position to not spook the boy any further. It wasn't comfortable but he could bear it. A teenager with a sword, well that was someone he didn't want to spook.

'He sounds weird, are you guys sure he's a monster?' That voice came from the younger girl crouched behind the older two. All definitely American then, which was strange – Harry was sure expelled Americans without wands wouldn't hide in an alley with swords as a first resort. Maybe the States really were as strange as Ron said.

'I can promise I'm not a monster. I'm an Auror, my job is to help people like you.'

At the word Auror, the older girl visibly relaxed.

'Luke I'm pretty sure he's on our side.'

'We don't know that Thals' The boy, if anything tensed up a bit more, his sword – definitely not Goblin silver, maybe bronze of some sort? Harry couldn't even guess – pointing roughly at Harry's chest, was held in two hands that were surprisingly steady.

Harry remembered being 12 and defensive about everything, and had to think how to get the children on side. The girl tried to lower her shield, the boy kept muttering to keep it up, not taking his eyes off the wizard. Harry stayed as promised exactly where he was, the whispered half argument in front of him would almost be funny if the situation wasn't so serious, he was already half planning how to take down the other wizard the girl thought was a monster. Hopefully the American auror office would have a list of some petty criminals that he could check, wizards that went out of their way to hurt others inevitably ended up going deeper and darker. The grumble of the boy's stomach paused the whispering argument, and thankfully gave Harry an opening.

'Right I don't know about you lot but I'm starving. How about some food?' That was clearly the wrong thing to say. The girl's spear and shield immediately came up again, the sword now moved to point roughly at Harry's gut, and the younger girl gave a yelp from behind the others.

'Don't even think about it,' the boy spat. The older girl's face went blank again. Harry knew that look, it meant hiding the fear under a mask, until the scary thing buggered off and you could freak out later. Harry's hands immediately went back up to their original position.

'Ok so no food then, do you mind if I go for a chocolate I have though, I am getting abit peckish. That's all I'll eat, I promise.' Maybe they were worse off than he thought if they were guarding food like that. But why they thought he would want their food was a mystery.

The girl crouching behind her shield didn't move except to glare at him some more, the boy remained still, but his face was considerably paler.

Behind them, the voice of the younger girl chirped up.

'How about he can just have one Hershey bar and that's it, make him swear on the Styx that's all he will have.'

Harry had no idea what in Merlin's name a Hershey bar was, and he knew that a wizard swearing anything could be problematic. Certain oaths tended to take on a life of their own, or worse if the wording was ambiguous. There was a reason after all that almost no modern sensible witch or wizard swore a "Wizard's Oath" like they had in the Middle Ages. Harry was now incredibly confused, surely American wizards would know this if they knew anything about swearing on things.

'Right so I don't know how you do it in America but in Britain we generally don't swear on things, it causes complications all around.' That was probably the easiest way of putting it – Merlin, even Hermionie didn't really know about the danger of swearing on things until Viktor told her - but that didn't stop the younger girl.

'OK, name one of the Gods.' Now even the boy looked back at the younger girl. Harry could barely make her out, crouched as she was over the food.

'Annie, what the Hades do you think you're doing?'

'No it's fine' Harry butted in quickly, he wanted to get the three children safe somewhere and quickly, he wanted to get them to safety as soon as possible before accidental magic caused any problems. 'Which ones do you want, I know a few of the Welsh gods, some Slavic ones, and -'

That just made things slightly worse.

' What!? .'