I'm back! After finals, essays and other trials I have returned to you. I think I'm going to chuck my earlier promise. A chappie a week isn't so unreasonable, but it's more than I can even usually deliver on. I'll just try to update as soon as possible. Now for my responses.
Ivan the terrible: America's my home; I think I can write it a bit better than England. No, America will not be a utopia of any kind in my fic, they'll just have different problems.
Underdark Ranger: your wish is my command.
Thanks to everyone that sent me dates, I won't change them and give myself a headache like that, but it's nice to know you care.
The land of the free, and the home of the Patriots.
Harry was enjoying his first non-magical flight. Having never gone anywhere with the Dursley's, he'd never sat in a plane before. He looked over at Bella, and was amused to see her looking like they'd fall from the sky at any time.
Bella. He was confused about her. A few hours ago, he'd have gladly killed her. Now he looked at her and felt… Well, he didn't know what he felt. When he laughed with her, saw her smile, he'd felt a stir in him he'd only ever felt looking at Chang. Well, that couldn't be it. Despite her pledge not to hurt anyone without reason, she was still an unrepentant psychotic killer. Which just made it funnier to see her so afraid now. She looked cute when scared. Arrgh! With that, Harry Potter turned to the window and drifted off.
!#$&()+
He woke up as the flight was landing at JFK. He looked again to Bella and saw she was glaring at him. "Why didn't we just take a portkey?"
"Getting there's half the fun."
"Don't be ridiculous, it's what you do when you get their that's fun."
"Try and keep your mass-murdering tendencies at bay till we get thru Customs. We don't want to cause a scene."
"How are we supposed to get in touch with the American government if we don't cause a scene?"
"I'm sure we'll think of a way."
They made it through Customs without major incident, though Harry did have to restrain Bella when she overheard a woman tutting to her friend about Bella's clothes. After wandering the city for a while, they found a street none of their fellow pedestrians could see and knew they'd found the New York equivalent to Diagon Alley.
They didn't see the expected robes but people in suits and dresses. The only way they'd have known it was magical at a glance were the signs and items in windowfronts. Even those were vastly different from the normal wizarding fare. For every item they could name, they saw five they couldn't. Harry swore he saw a device from Dumbledore's office being wrapped up by a smiling salesclerk.
They wandered around for a while, windowshopping and quietly asking passerby about the government. They were surprised to learn that the American wizards didn't have a separate government, but a department of the muggle one. All the magical beings on U.S. soil fell under the jurisdiction of the regular government and it's laws. This was especially bizarre to Bella who had trouble wrapping her mind around the idea of wizards obeying muggles.
Eventually they stopped in a bookshop to see if they could learn more about wizading America. It's history, what made it so different. It seemed even their magic was different. Harry found himself a little lost as he stared at the sections. "Cartomancy? Enchanting? Pagan Rites? Bella, do you have any idea what these are?"
"I think Cartomancy's some kind of Divinitation. Pagan Rite's are really old rituals, primitive and powerful. I have no idea about enchanting."
They tried to purchase a few books on everything only to find the store didn't take galleons. Reluctantly Harry went to a bank to exchange his galleons for dollars and returned to but all the books.
The two of them sent off Hedwig with a letter to a military wizard they'd heard of, a higher up in the administration. They were just leaving the street, named Penny Lane, when one more trinket caught Harry's eye. A watch with a sensitive dark detector in it. Figuring to replace the one he'd ruined two years ago. Harry walked into the store.
As soon as he drew near to the timepiece, it started beeping, it's face flashing. Immediately metal doors dropped down over all the doors and windows while powerful wards snapped up. The store keeper walked out from behind the counter, wand in hand and pointed at Harry.
"Wands on the floor! Feds are on the way! Nice and easy now. Let me see your art."
Harry, being Harry, was greatly confused. "What do you mean my art?"
"Artifact, talisman, whatever set off the watch. Put it on the floor."
"I don't have any artifacts or anything that could set that thing off! Maybe you should check it out, see that it isn't just going haywire."
"That's one of my best works. They don't 'go haywire'. Now I'm telling you for the last time, take out whatever dark thing you have and put it on the floor."
With terrible clarity, Harry realized what set the watch off. He made as though to exclaim it when the man saw him open his mouth and fired.
Even as the stunner hit him and he slumped forward, he was speaking. Bella caught him and heard him say. "It can't be. I'm the Horcrux"
Dun Dun Dunn. Sorry the chapter's so short. I just had to have that cliffie. Hit the button right here and tell me what you think. Till next time!
