The morning after the fight to save his classmates from Death Eaters found Harry groaning as he slapped at his cell phone to shut off the alarm. Once he managed to get it to be quiet he rolled onto his back with another groan and stared blearily up at the ceiling of his hotel room.
He was getting really, really tired of Tom's band of idiots derailing what was supposed to be a fun and relaxing vacation. When he'd arrived at his room the previous day he'd spent a full ten minutes pacing it while spitting curses like he made a hundred galleons off each one that left his mouth.
After finally getting some of his frustration out of his system he'd promptly crawled into bed, tired out by the day's excitement, deciding that he'd be leaving Rome the next day once he'd finished some of the things he'd wanted to do in the Semita Mirum before he'd caught sight of the idiot brigade.
Eventually dragging himself out of bed to go do his morning business, a much more awake Harry sat down at his computer to purchase his train tickets to his next destination, biting his lip as he considered which that would be. He had several places he wanted to explore before he moved on from Europe. He considered all the options he'd pulled up before closing his eyes, thinking, eventually deciding to simply go with his gut. Glancing back at his list he quickly bought tickets to the one that jumped out at him. Another long trip, but while he could get there faster by plane, trains gave him the chance to be able to see the countryside as he traveled. He'd get to experience flying in a plane eventually.
Once that was done he got up and dressed, wanting to take advantage of what was available of the day before he had to head for the train station, which included getting a breakfast that wasn't room service.
He hoped he wouldn't run into any more trouble today, otherwise he didn't think his response would be pretty…
Arriving at the Semita Mirum Harry continued his exploration of the magical marketplace, moving to where he'd been forced to veer off the previous day before continuing on from there, looking around for anything interesting to catch his gaze.
He was walking through a small section of glassworks shops, vaguely remembering a documentary he had to watch back in primary school that said Italy had been well known for glass making back during the Renaissance, so he wasn't too surprised that some shops continued specializing in it. Some of the wares were very pretty, obviously of high quality and having special magical touches even modern glass makers wouldn't be able to accomplish. At least, Harry assumed so, he didn't really know much about glassmaking anyway.
He was just putting away a nice piece he'd bought for Mrs. Weasley when he saw a shop selling eyewear, from antique monocles to more modern sunglasses, small signs indicating various enchantments that could be purchased to be put on them. Having a sudden brainwave he quickly walked in, finding himself in a nice if cluttered shop, various kinds of eyewear on display, including a few glass eyes that reminded him of Moody's, especially when they turned to follow him with their gaze, making him shiver a bit.
Well, now he knew where to get one if he ended up losing an eye for some reason.
"Can I help you, signore?" A tall, lanky man with dark hair and a somewhat long mustache asked as he emerged from the back of the shop, pushing up a thin pair of spectacles as he studied his potential customer, focusing briefly on Harry's own glasses.
"Yes. I'm not shopping for myself, but I wanted to know if it would be possible to purchase some non-prescription glasses that would allow someone to read another language even if they don't speak it." Harry asked with interest as he walked over to the counter.
The man nodded with a small smile. "That is indeed something I have to offer, however they are extremely expensive as the process of making them isn't a simple spell. First some high quality glass is needed for the lenses, then there is a procedure involving some runic clusters and a potion. Quite time consuming, and expensive if a mistake is made. I do keep a few on stock, but if you need more than six then I'm afraid you'll need to wait for me to make more, which could take several days. Not that I expect anyone to buy more than perhaps two at a time due to the price." He said, obviously building up to the price itself by indicating why it would be expensive and thus desirable.
"And what price would that be?" Harry asked, wanting to get to the point.
"Fifty galleons. And no, I won't haggle." The man said firmly.
Harry considered the offer seriously before nodding. "I'll want five of them." He said to the suddenly astonished man. "Please get them ready while I go withdraw the needed funds." With another nod to the suddenly quite happy looking proprietor he turned and left the shop, glancing around to search for Gringotts's local branch, which he knew existed in the Semita Mirum, even if he hadn't seen it.
Before he could make it more than a few feet both of his arms were grabbed by clearly female arms, especially as said female arms held his own against pleasantly soft chests. He wasn't really surprised when he turned his head to the left, finding a clearly amused Daphne Greengrass holding onto him, and then seeing a smirking Tracey Davis on his right. He sighed, slightly exasperated. "Not that the company of some pretty girls is ever unwelcome, but are you ladies stalking me?" He asked somewhat sardonically.
Davis' smirk grew into a grin. "How did you know?" At his raised eyebrow she chuckled. "We thought you'd probably show up here at some point, so we've been wandering the Semita Mirum looking for you."
"We wanted to talk to you before we headed back to Britain." Grengrass said lightly as the three teens resumed walking. "To thank you again for your help."
Before Harry could say there was no need or anything similar Davis spoke again. "So, where are we headed next, Black?" She asked, having enough sense to use his alias.
Harry glanced from one girl to the other before sighing with a resigned smirk on his face. "I need some more money, I'm running low on what I withdrew before leaving the UK. I don't suppose either of you know where the local Gringotts branch is?"
They did, in fact, know, so they headed in that direction while speaking of light topics, such as what Harry's next destination was, which he didn't say, and what else the girls had done in Rome before trouble came knocking, which both ladies had been more than happy to detail.
They purposefully avoided any heavy topics or mentions of the events of the last two days, simply enjoying the day as three normal teenagers should.
The girls were polite enough to wait outside of the bank while Harry got his business taken care of, having to sign several papers and provide some blood before the goblins handed him a sack bulging with more coins than five similar sacks should be able to hold, which included a nifty security enchantment to make people ignore or forget it was there, which cost him an extra fifteen galleons that he considered well spent.
Once that was done the teens strolled back down the way they came, occasionally stopping in front of a shop that held something of interest as they did so. All told it took longer than Harry expected to return to the eyewear shop, but once he handed the two hundred and fifty galleons for his purchase any annoyance the proprietor might have been feeling was immediately washed away.
"Well, someone's a big spender." Davis said with a smirk. "I hope whatever you got was worth that amount of galleons."
"Indeed." Greengrass commented as she studied the small case the man in the shop gave him. "Two hundred and fifty galleons is a not insignificant amount of money."
He could practically taste their curiosity as they made their way to the owl post office, and didn't really see any harm in explaining. "Yesterday I purchased several books for my friends. The only issue is that they're all in Italian, Latin or something similar, so the likelihood of any of them being able to read what I got them isn't high." He lifted the case a bit to show it off. "These eyeglasses are supposed to be able to let you read any language as though it was your primary one." He said with a smile.
The girls' eyebrows went up at that and they stared at the case with considerably more interest than they'd shown before. "Damn, you must be well loved at Christmas." Davis said teasingly.
"Well, perhaps you'll find out this year." He said with a smile, making both girls blink in surprise.
"You plan to buy us Christmas gifts?" Greengrass asked, her voice full of amused confusion as a blonde eyebrow rose.
Harry shrugged lightly as they reached the post office, walking in and hearing the hooting of dozens of owls of all kinds. "It's my experience that life threatening events are excellent at helping people bond." He said with amusement as he started selecting what he needed and sending the gifts he'd purchased off. "Besides which, I wouldn't mind having some actually decent Slytherins as friends. It'll keep me from going on a bloody rampage through the house the next time Malfoy starts spouting shite."
Both girls laughed lightly at that. "Well, far be it for us to decline the friendship of the man that saved our lives." Greengrass said after an amused glance at Davis.
Once Harry had sent off all the souvenirs he'd purchased, the girls began dragging him around the Semita Mirum, exploring various stores and discussing how things were different here than in Diagon Alley. They stopped to get lunch followed by some excellent gelato, and all in all they all had a great time, thoroughly enjoying spending the day with someone they'd barely said more than two words to before three days ago.
The sun was beginning to go down when Harry checked his phone, finding he had about three hours before his train left Rome. "Well girls, I'm afraid I have to go. My train to my next destination is leaving in a bit and I need to grab my stuff and head to the station."
"Hope your time wherever you're going next is better than here." Davis said with a slightly sardonic smile.
"Perhaps next year we can all come back to properly enjoy ourselves." Greengrass added. "We'll even be gracious enough to allow you to bring Granger and Weasley along." She said with a teasing lilt to her voice.
Harry snorted. "Gee, thanks." Checking the time again he waved to the girls as he started leaving. "See you at Hogwarts, ladies."
Before he got far he heard quick footsteps behind him. "I think you're forgetting something, Black." He heard Davis say. When he turned to see what she was talking about she took hold of his shirt and dragged him close, giving him a searing kiss right there in the middle of Rome's magical district.
Harry's first thought as his mind was rebooting was the somewhat idiotic 'It isn't wet', followed a few long seconds later by a slightly less idiotic 'Is that her tongue?'. Then he found his arms moving up without any real conscious thought to take hold of her slim waist, pulling her closer as he closed his eyes and returned the kiss, his tongue beginning to fight back, drawing a pleased hum from the girl as she pressed her generous chest against his.
He didn't know how long they were locked together like that, but he was thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. Eventually, however, lack of air forced them to separate, Harry breathing slightly heavily as he stared at Davis, who was licking her lips with a satisfied smile on her face. Then a pair of petite hands took hold of his face and turned his head to the side, allowing Greengrass to move in and kiss him as well.
The blonde girl kissed differently than the brunette, he noted absently. She was less forceful than her best friend, almost hesitant as her tongue probed against his, inviting him to take the lead. Once again he reacted without thinking, pulling Greengrass close like he had Davis, his tongue invading her mouth, the pureblood heiress yielding to him, allowing him control. She moaned into his mouth as her modest breasts pressed against his chest, her hands moving from his cheeks to around his neck.
Once again they didn't separate until they ran out of breath, Grengrass letting him go and stepping back as she brushed some of her long hair behind her ear with a pleased smile on her face as he stared at her, his brain still working to fully process what had just happened. He was vaguely aware of people around him laughing, cheering him on, or sounding scandalized, but his attention was locked on the two beautiful snakes in front of him.
"See you later, Hermes Black." Davis said with a smirk as she turned around to leave, Greengrass doing the same, the two attractive teens walking away while swaying their hips in tandem more than Harry thought could possibly be necessary.
As the crowd that had been drawn by the display began to disperse, Harry brought a hand to his lips before smiling, beginning to leave as well, and if he had more of a spring in his step now, well, nobody could really blame him, could they?
A few hours later found Harry in the Roma Termini sipping a coffee he'd bought while waiting for his train to begin boarding. He debated calling Hermione for his bi-daily check in while he waited, but decided to hold off till he was on the train, in case she heard some of the announcements and figured out he was in Rome. It wouldn't surprise him if she managed to find out and inform the Order before he could get on the train. He didn't doubt that his amulet would work on most of the Order, but he wasn't so sure about Moody, so he decided to err on the side of caution.
"The train to Vienna, Austria, is now boarding." An announcement said almost as soon as he decided to hold off on calling Hermione, validating the decision immediately. He chuckled lightly as he hefted his bag, tossing his empty coffee cup into a bin as he made his way to his designated train.
Taking his seat he pulled his laptop out of his bag and got to work connecting to the wifi, getting used to the process now that he had some practice. He smiled sardonically at the thought that it was a bit sad that someone his age would need to feel proud of being able to connect to the public wifi without any assistance. Nowadays even toddlers could do that and more with ease.
Once he was connected he decided to go to Netflix and pull up the Star Wars Original Trilogy to watch once he was settled. He'd never actually seen the movies, only ever catching bits and pieces when Dudley watched them on the telly, but he knew how big they were, so he figured he should see what the fuss was all about for himself.
As the train pulled out of the station Harry watched Rome pass by, and once he was certain that no new announcements, or anything else that could give his destination away, were going to be forthcoming he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Hermione's number.
It only took a single ring before Hermione answered this time. "Harry?" He heard her ask.
He snorted slightly. "You know, Mione, if you keep just waiting by the phone for me to call, I might start thinking you have something you've been neglecting to tell me."
"Ha ha ha." Hermione vocalized sarcastically. "Please, Harry, you're cute, but you're not my type."
"I know." He said with a chuckle. "You need someone more controllable."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked a bit shrilly.
"That I wouldn't be surprised if you were interested in leather." He said with amusement. Then, before she could recover from the sputtering fit that sent her into he changed the subject. "So, how is the Order dealing with the fact that a not even sixteen year old has them stumped?"
"They're getting closer to finding you with every bit of information you provide." She said primly, setting aside his previous comment, though he could easily imagine she was still burning with embarrassment.
"So they don't have a clue, good to know." Harry said, nodding in satisfaction.
Hermione huffed. "I assume you're not going to give me any information on where you are."
"I'm on a train." He said, with a smile.
After a few moments of silence Hermione spoke again, sounding irritated. "Where to? For that matter, where from?"
"I'm going to a city in a country that requires a train to reach in a timely fashion." He said slowly, as though speaking to a child, a grin on his face from the irritation he could practically feel emanating through the phone.
"Harry…" His best female friend growled.
"As for where I just was, I'm sure you'll figure it out once the souvenirs I bought you arrive. Take care of them, they're expensive as hell, and I'm not buying you replacements if you break them." He said lightly.
As he'd expected her attention was immediately grabbed by mention of new souvenirs for her. "What are you sending?" She asked, trying valiantly to hide her excitement behind nonchalance and failing. "That book you sent from Paris is beautiful. I just wish I could read it."
Harry couldn't stop the new grin that stretched over his face at her words. "Let's just say I think it's something relevant to your interests."
"That's a bit broad, Harry. I'm interested in a lot of things." She said a bit dubiously.
"Like leather?" He asked. When he heard her audibly growl he continued with a chuckle. "Let's just say I think Professor Vector will be interested in it, if I understood it correctly."
"Well, I look forward to discussing it with you once the Order brings you home." She said with an audible smirk in her voice.
"On August 31st, yes." He said with a chuckle. "In any case, I called, you know I'm alive, you don't know where I am, so all is right with the world. I'm going to go now so I can finally watch Star Wars for the first time in my life."
"Fine." Hermione said with a sniff. "I'll be waiting for your call in two days."
"Yes mum." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Bye."
"Bye Harry. Stay safe." She said gently.
He smiled as he ended the call, setting the phone beside his computer. With that he put his headphones on and relaxed as A New Hope started up.
He looked forward to seeing what Vienna had in store for him.
SAFE!
I got this out by the end of the month, only a few days after New Investigations was updated! *do the electric slide in celebration*
Ahem, in any case, let's get to talking about this chapter, shall we?
Renaissance Italy was indeed famous for glassmaking. Even long before that, actually, though from what I understand it was focused in the Venetian area, due to it being an enormously important trade hub. Because of that association I decided that it would make sense for Harry to get his friends glasses that let them read any language from Rome, as Venice isn't going to be a stop during this world tour. Maybe once Voldy is dead he'll go out to other places of interest like that.
As for the lovely snakes, I did say romance isn't a focus of this fic, and that's still true. This is pretty much the extent of the girls' involvement in Harry's vacation. Once he returns to Hogwarts things might change, but for now I don't have any intention of mentioning them much anymore, if at all.
I always imagined Hermione was the type to be the top in any relationship she might have, or at least try to. That said, I could be completely wrong and she could like to have someone to listen to. I could see that considering her near worship of authority in the early parts of the series. Or it could be a combination, with her being the one in control in public and the one that obeys in private. Who knows, I've known all three types of girls.
One thing is for sure, Harry is probably right about her being into leather. Bookish girls like Hermione are kinky as hell 99% of the time.
And yes, Vienna is our next destination. I thought it would be a good idea for Harry to explore such a musically inclined city. Who knows, maybe he'll pick up an instrument of his own.
Now then, in other news, such as why this chapter is, as usual, late, if you read my other stuff you might know that I lost my job at the end of November. Because of this I'll be moving to the US in a matter of days as of the time of this being uploaded. Because of that I've been extremely busy, and will be very busy when I get there, so my writing is being impacted, which is a reason this chapter might not be up to snuff. Still, I'm determined to keep to my promises and deadlines, and so this is out by the end of the month.
In any case, not much else to say, so I'll get to my usual final announcements.
I am always deeply grateful to those of you willing to toss a dollar or two my way just because you like my silly scribblings. I'm hoping I can continue counting on your generosity to ease the transition now that, as stated before, I'm jobless for the time being, and likely will be for another month or so.
Of course, let us not forget that you do get something out of it. For each dollar that you donate to my Pat A Ron, you get a vote in my monthly update poll stating what you want to see updated next month. And if what you vote for doesn't win immediately, no worries! Non-winning votes roll over to the next poll, so a fic that only gets a vote a month will eventually win (though it might take a bit, to be brutally honest).
That said, if a fic hasn't won in a long time, I will take it off the poll and update it anyway. For example, that is why I've been working on No Good Deed lately in between other, higher priority projects, since it's been so long since that won, so those of you who can't donate and want to see that updated, I hope to have the next chapter done soon.
So yes, donate to my Pat A Ron, you get a say in what I update. Everybody wins! So that's Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. The current poll ends on February 8th, so go make sure your votes are counted.
I think that's all I have to say. Thank you everybody once again for reading, I truly appreciate it, especially when you review. I hope you all had Happy Holidays and New Year, and that all those of you that celebrate it have a great Chinese New Year as well. Till next time!