Author's Note: I know, I'm off my posting schedule and generally have been lost this month. It was hectic with Easter and we had some serious family illness I needed to deal with. That said, things have calmed down now and I should be back to regular posting. Thank you to everyone who is reading and who has stuck with me in my time of wonkiness. Grammarly has had this chapter, but my beta has not as I wanted to get it to you as quickly as I could. That said, forgive me for errors. Enjoy, MNF

Chapter 19:

November 15, 1995

The early morning boat ride across the channel wasn't something any of the gents would soon forget. It was cold, windy and generally unpleasant due to some of the rather rowdy company, but it made more sense than filing for a permit to create an international Portkey. Once arriving on French soil, they quickly used the Floo at the port to arrive at the French Ministry for Magic. Sirius had already purchased tickets for the International Express Portkey to New York City, leaving France at one pm. At one-oh-one their time, they arrived in New York City. It was six in the morning, and the MACUSA building was exceptionally quiet, save the International Arrivals Office. It was crowded, and Sirius was glad that their transport to the US West Coast wasn't for another few hours.

Passports cleared, and their luggage returned to its regular size and inspected; they left the harried office, found a locker for their belongings and entered the Ministry building proper. Sirius had some familiarity with the building, as he'd been sent to ask for American Auror help in the war. Help wasn't exactly forthcoming, although he did charm two female Aurors to come and assist; neither ended up with the 'close and personal relationship with Sirius that they'd been hoping for. Once they exited the Transportation offices, Sirius ended up turned around, and soon the trio was hopelessly lost. Finally, after wandering around for nearly thirty minutes, Harry asked for directions.

"Excuse me," he said to a woman who had what appeared to be a uniform on. "My father, uncle and I are trying to get out of the building to visit the city for a few hours. Could you point the way, please?"

"Ooh, you're British," the witch cooed in a harsh American accent. "Your accent is so sexy." At this, Harry blushed an almost neon shade of poppy-red. "Are you all Brits?"

"We are," Harry answered, then turning to his Pater and Remus for help with a wilting glance. They just smirked in response.

"I'm coming off shift soon; I could show you around. We could have a good time," she suggested. Then she laid a hand on Harry's upper arm and felt his muscle.

"Er, we only have a few hours before our scheduled –"

"Scheduled, isn't that cute," the woman said, mimicking the softer British "shed" sound versus the much harder "sked" that Americans used.

"Quite," Harry muttered under his breath. "Look, er, Virginia," he said, reading her name tag, "we just want to get a nibble, to us, it's half-twelve, and maybe buy some souvenirs for my mates. So please point us toward the exit."

"Are you single?" Virginia asked rather boldly.

"No." Harry's response wasn't exactly accurate, as he hadn't asked Hermione out on a date yet, but it was close enough. "And I'm fifteen."

"Oh!" she shouted before removing her hand from his arm. "The exit is one floor below. There's an elevator over there. Either of the guys you're with single?"

"Sorry, no. Thanks for your help." Harry quickly retreated, thinking about what Maia or Amy would do to someone trying to sidle up to their man. However, when he looked at said men, he noticed the grin his uncle had and the barely concealed laughter of his Pater.

"Your moves with women are remarkable, Pup," Sirius teased. "An older woman at that."

"How much older?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"Closer to my age, I'd hazard," Sirius said. He'd be turning thirty-six while on this trip.

"Gross!"

"Don't knock it, Harry," Sirius continued. "An older woman can teach you so much in the art of love—"

"Please, we had that illuminating conversation, and then Remus talked with Neville and me; the last thing I need is another version of 'the little wizard's talk'."

"What did Remus have to say that I didn't cover?" Sirius asked defensively.

"Let's put it this way, Pater. If your talks had been reversed, yours would have made more sense," Harry announced as they went down in the elevator. He was glad it was empty, save his family. "Can we please drop this? I need food."

"Harry, you always need food," Remus countered with a warm grin.

"Darn right," Harry agreed. "I'm a growing chap. Plus, my doctor is pleased with my growth, and if I keep it up, I can get off the nutritional drinks; they're awful." The trio chuckled as they went out the door of the Ministry and into New York City.

ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU

Magical San Francisco was unlike anything that Harry had experienced. Unlike in the UK, witches and wizards were modern beings, wearing clothing similar to non-magical, albeit a bit brighter and with more flamboyant patterns. They also embraced technology, which made Sirius excited. The only way he could have a phone and electricity in his home was because it was a non-magical home, and most magic was done outside of the house proper. Maia's teaching cottage and the building the students used were a reasonable distance from the main manor, and neither had electricity. Harry's Pater was determined to leave their trip with the information he needed to help promote the integration of technology into magical life if he had to drag the rest of the populace into the future kicking and screaming.

"So, you've put a Shielding Spell around the battery?" Harry asked the teen he'd met at the hotel the night before. Right now, they were sharing breakfast at the café inside the building.

"Not me," Jeremy said, "but the magical manufacturer, which happens to be my uncle. He buys the phones in bulk from the No-Mag store and then does the spell work and re-sells them. He is a few weeks away from having desktop computers for us to use too. I'll be so glad; my word processor is a pain when I need to print anything."

"That's brilliant; until recently, I was reduced to using a quill and parchment," Harry said.

"You're kidding me," Jeremy deadpanned, and Harry nodded. "How backwards is England?"

"You have no idea. My Pater and Uncle are absolutely baffled by your cell phone." They looked over to the other end of their rectangular table where Sirius and Remus were surveying Jeremy's phone. "They can't break it, can they?"

"No, that's my old one," Jeremy said. "My good one is in my pocket. I keep that one with me when I travel with my mom since she tends to break her phones. She's a bit scatter-brained and forgets that you can't let the phone get wet or it can't go through the washing machine, and drying spells are no good on electronics. So it's good to have some backup. I also keep a bag of rice with us when we travel, as it's the only way to get the moisture out. We're not going to be at my aunt and uncle's place in Hawaii until tomorrow, and she can't be without a phone to call home and check on my little sister."

"Wow, I never imagined…I grew up as a Mug..er non-magical," Harry stopped himself from using the offensive term. "My aunt and uncle were all about appearances with the neighbours and all. They'd be so jealous if they saw me here, holding advanced tech, knowing it would work for me."

"You grew up with these people?" Harry nodded yes. "Even though you're magical?"

"Yeah, it's a horrible story, and they are awful people. Maybe I should take a picture and send it to them through the mail. They'd go mental over it. My uncle would turn a reddish-purple while my aunt would blanche. My cousin would then demand that my uncle go out and spend whatever to get him a similar phone. To be a fly on the wall when that happened." Harry laughed a bit, thinking about the Dursleys falling all over themselves to have 'the best.

"Sounds like you didn't like them all that much."

"I didn't. I like my life much better now." Jeremy's mother appeared at the café, and he knew his time was up.

"You're still going to be at the resort tonight, yeah?" Harry nodded. "Great. I'll show you what a PlayStation is. It's going to blow your mind. See you later." Jeremy said as he stood, asked for his phone back from Sirius and then left the eatery. Sirius and Remus stood, Remus breaking off to pay the cheque, and Harry went to his pater's side.

"It seems you've made yourself a friend," Sirius observed.

"Yeah, Jeremy is great. He's a year older, but his life is so much more…normal. Magicals here can walk about in society and not draw attention to themselves. Can't say that at home. I remember gents were running around in ladies' nightdresses at the Quidditch World Cup. We'd only see that here if the gent was unwell. Why is the UK so backwards?"

"Harry, if I could answer that question completely, I would be a far richer man than I already am. I do know that I want to make sure I have a way to reach Jeremy's uncle so I can bring some of his technology to our land. That phone is genius."

"That's his old phone," Harry confessed. "His new one is way cooler."

"Amazing," Sirius said with genuine awe. When Remus joined them, the trio left the café and continued to explore the magical shopping district. Their appointment for wands wasn't for another hour and a half, so Harry decided he needed to put a dent in his sizable wallet.

They all bought some lighter weight clothing and sunglasses, as it was warmer and sunnier than even southern England could be on the best days, especially in November. There were other clothing purchases; the most surprising was the dress Sirius purchased for Amy. He went so far as to buy a tie which coordinated perfectly with the peach and cream backless confection he'd gotten for his love.

"You bought a peach tie, Sirius?" Harry questioned him.

"It goes well with the dress," Sirius countered.

"Your wardrobe consists of black, dark grey, navy and perhaps some green. Peach is not a colour for you."

"Harry, when you love someone, you make changes. Amy looks beautiful in pastels. She doesn't wear them often, as she thinks she needs to look masculine to have people take her seriously. I want to let her know she's a woman to me, and I am her man. That's what these outfits say," he explained.

"I hope a day comes when women don't think they need to be like guys to be taken seriously. Honestly, of all the people at our house, the women scare me most. Lady Longbottom, Professor McGonagall and Lady Amy; they're all frightening." Sirius laughed, and the pair left the clothing store.

By the time the three made it the two blocks between their hotel and the wandmaker, they had left a hefty number of dollars behind, but they each had gifts for their significant others and friends back at the manor. When they reached the wandmaker's shop, Harry could only think it was the exact opposite of Ollivander's back at home.

This shop was light and bright, and there were benches where witches and wizards were working on wands of different widths, lengths and compositions. A gentleman greeted them as they came in.

"Good morning," the man said with a slight French accent. "My name is Maximillian Du Benefe. May I assume that you are Messiers Black, Black and Lupin?" Harry had chosen to travel by Harry Black for this trip so that he wouldn't be recognized and hounded by the press. He understood that his feat in the graveyard was sensationalized news worldwide. Harry simply wanted to be himself on this trip.

"We are," Sirius said. "This is my son Harry and my best mate, Remus Lupin. I am Sirius Black."

"Excellent; come into my studio so that I may assist you in finding a wand." Maximillian moved with great ease and an almost balletic quality for an older man. His office was behind a curtain and was larger than the front, and had workbenches scattered around the room. The whole room, save where the windows and doorway were, was covered in shelves full of drawers with alchemical symbols, pictures of animals, and trees adorning the front. "Please have a seat; I need to get to know you a bit before suggesting some wands. Liberty" A smartly dressed house-elf popped in. "Please take our guest's refreshment orders."

"What can I get you to drink? Or perhaps you'd like some cake or cookies or maybe a sandwich?"

"We ate not all that long ago," Remus said. "I would love a cup of tea, please."

"Milk, sugar or lemon?" Liberty asked.

"Milk, please." Liberty nodded and turned to Sirius.

"Coffee, Americano, if you please?" he answered, and the little elf nodded. Remus looked at him with a quizzical brow. "What? Do like the natives and all that." Remus shook his head at his friend.

"Do you have any Orange Crush?" Harry asked, and the elf smiled before she popped away.

"Now," the wandmaker said. "Tell me about the kind of magic you do most. Since you're from the UK, you probably lost your wands in that freak accident. Magical storm sounds implausible, but your Ministry insists it's the story, so I'll go with it. If you could share what your old wands were made of, it would make this easier for me."

Maximillian Du Benefe listened intently, wrote copious notes and sipped on red wine the entire time they conversed. Sirius, he decided, was the easiest.

"Let me grab a few items, and you can watch me do my work," he said, standing and heading to his shelves. He pulled from three different trees, two different animal boxes and one that was simply identified as 'other'. Harry found the process enlightening.

"Here, hold onto each of these and tell me which feels the best in your hand," the wandmaker said to Sirius, laying three branches of about eighteen inches in length on the desk. One was dark with heavily weathered bark, the second was light, nearly white and had almost no bark, and the third was a more moderate colour with some bark. Sirius picked up the first and immediately put it down.

"Nope felt that immediately and it didn't feel good," he remarked.

"I didn't expect it to," the old man said. "But I wanted to be sure. White Pine is an everlasting wood; it's also one that is prone to damage and can be easily bent. I didn't sense that was who you are, although you might have been like that at one time. Try the next one."

Sirius picked up the pale one and rolled it between his fingers before putting it back down again. "It was okay, but holding it made me feel…nostalgic?"

"Interesting," the man said, eyeing the wood. "That's beech, and it's commonly associated with family magic and higher beings in that it's usually family magic that's reaching out to emissaries of the gods and goddesses."

"Well, that isn't me. Most of my family have nothing to say, and I certainly don't want to reach out to any dead members. As for faith, it never served me very well."

"I see, definitely not beech. Try that final one." Sirius picked up the third stick, and he immediately felt something in his magic bond to the wood. "What is this?"

"That's a branch from a male pecan tree, and yes, there are male and female pecan trees. It is a wood that represents wealth but also comfort. Someone who can wield a pecan wood wand is strong in their magic, confident in who they are and their position within their family group and wants to provide shelter. I would also hazard that you have someone who you have loved for a long time, and who is your life partner?" Sirius smiled and gave a brief nod. "Excellent. Now, I want you to hold this little dish. What I think will make a great core is inside."

Sirius took the dish and looked at the small feather and a few scales and wondered what it might be. "Is this going to be a duo-core wand?"

"No, but you are close. Hold it for a moment longer and see if anything happens," the wand crafter said with a twinkle in his eye. Sirius held the ramekin, and the items began to dance about, to his surprise.

"What is it?" Sirius muttered.

"Snallygaster feathers and scales," Maximillian replied. "I have but a few of the heartstrings from this particular beast still with me, but I had a feeling you would be one who could wield it. The animal is one of dualities, which I sense in you. I believe this will be a powerful wand for you. Come, I will let you watch how I make it." A clear, flimsy bag flew toward him from a high shelf with a flick of his wand.

"A plastic baggie?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Stasis spells are fine, but they degrade, and if you're not careful, you forget what you have in stock and don't renew the charms and then you've lost expensive wand cores. These are far more durable," the old man replied.

"You're going to make my wand right now?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yes," he answered. "While some wand makers like to pre-make their wands and leave them on shelves for decades, I find the magic degrades a bit, and it doesn't always bond with the wielder as well as it could. I like fresh wands. After I fuse the core, I'll have you hold it and do a simple spell and then it will need to be honed and shellacked. You can pick it up tomorrow."

"Excellent. Is that what those people out front are doing, the honing and shellacking?" Remus asked.

"Oh, no, my daughter is helping them create their own wands," the wand crafter said as he began the incantation to split the wood.

"Can we do that?" Harry excitedly asked.

"Yes, I'll put you into tomorrow's class, although I'd strictly use it as a second wand. The magic can be unpredictable, but the variety of cores available is much greater." He laid the heartstring into the small crevice he'd bored out of the centre of one of the sides and then did a sealing spell to hold it and bonded the two wood parts together again. "For instance, Mr Lupin, we could use your own saliva or blood to power a wand. Those made with your own werewolf hair or fluids are particularly powerful to their owner."

"How did you? Are you going to report me?" Remus nervously asked.

"No, being a half-breed," Maximillian said with a distaste, "isn't an issue for me or the people in this enclave."

"But the way you said it—" Harry interjected, wanting to defend his beloved uncle.

"I dislike the term, not the people, young man. But yes, we can discretely collect a sample and use it. It will be a particularly potent wand for the time around the full moon."

"Er, yes," Remus said. "Thank you."

"Now, Mr Black, please try this out. See if you cast a Lumos Spell." Sirius did as he was asked, and he produced a decently powered light, especially considering there was no focal point to the wand. "Excellent. Who's next?"

Author's Other Note: I'm not going to leave you hanging there, the rest of the wand making and more with Jeremy will be in the next chapter. MNF