Wow! I didn't expect that many people to view my story, let alone follow and favorite! To my reviewer, this will not be a romance in any capacity, in the future if it feels right, then I will consider a pairing. The suggestion about New York may not be the case, but the beginning of the infection is what I plan on writing about! Harry may, or may not have Animagus abilities. When it comes to mind arts, he will be at a level a former Hit Wizard/Auror should be at. In regards to Witches and other reoccurring characters from Harry Potter, some will be making an appearance, or have a larger part in the story in the future. The story shall be, for the most part, grounded in reality. As reality has a way of having real tension and good chances of loss. Expect entertainment and events happening a lot of the time, as I will try my best to not make this story boring!
Readers should have a happy time reading, and waiting in anticipation for the next part of the story, rather than reading a few chapters, and getting bored. So if you have suggestions, and stuff you would like to see, leave a review and I'll answer!
If you have any questions, ideas, criticisms or just like my writing style, please follow, favorite and review my story!
AN: Rewrote some stuff I was unhappy with, and fixed spelling errors.
Chapter 2 : A Buzz in the Air
Walking out of a clothing store, in downtown Savannah, Harry felt more at ease than when he was wearing his robes, which garnered some weird looks and comments about 'Larpers', whatever that meant. He was wearing some muggle clothes more akin to what he wore during his 'tenure' at the Dursleys. More form-fitting, and much less tarnished. Seamus and Ron sported a similar look, while Seamus looked more like Harry than Ron, as Ron had no idea about the term 'fashion'. Understandable as his mother and wife clothed him through his childhood and adulthood respectively.
"Alright, ya' bloody seamstress, where to next?" Ron grumbled, as Harry kept making comments about the clothes he was trying on during their short shopping spree.
Well, Harry had no idea about where to go, as they just walked for an hour, taking in the sights and the differing culture, before they found a suitable clothing store.
"I'm at a loss. Seamus?" Harry admitted.
"Money isn't an issue, right?" Seamus inquired. Harry just gave him a 'look'.
"Alright, money isn't an issue. We can hit a pub for some early drinkin', we can do some mugg- local activities?" Seamus continued, aware of the muggles walking by.
Harry was again, at a loss. It's not like he came here with a plan, like going to the World Cup. It was, objective one, Portkey the boys over to where they were holding the World Cup. Objective two, enjoy the World Cup. Objective three, extract.
This though? He was free to do as he pleased for the next two weeks.
'Muggle activities, that's a good start.' Harry thought.
"What kind of activities?" Harry responded after a moment.
"Well, we can go to the riverfront, there's sure to be some stuff to do there, we can grab a drink and hop on a trolley and enjoy the sights- we're here to enjoy our time. We're not in a rush, mate." Seamus said.
"Actually, yeah, let's go to the riverfront. I'm sure they will have some touristy stuff I can buy and bring back for Neville and Luna." Harry replied, thinking about people back home.
With that, they headed off towards the riverfront. Each carrying a small shopping bag holding their robes, too early to head back, and not minding carrying them. They made it a few blocks before finding a food stall, and wanting something to eat. They bought a few hotdogs and sat, almost comically cramped next to each other on a bench, eating their food.
Harry, as always, was taking in his surroundings, a habit he couldn't seem to break, nor did he want to. He felt more at ease when he could get a good understanding of the situation around him. Either it be exits, the mood of the room, possible threats, all things he picked up during the war, honed and heightened during his work as a Hit Wizard. It was hard not to dwell on the stuff he saw during the war, and with his years as a Hit Wizard.
Dead bodies? He's seen his fair share.
Blood and body parts? Yeah, almost everyone did during the war.
But during his time working, he had a lot of time to get close and personal with Voldemort sympathizers, serial killers, even whole towns massacred by an unhinged Witch or Wizard. You can't forget the things he saw, nor did he want to. It made him who he is, always reminded him who the real monsters out there were. Could be anyone who walked by him on the street.
And him taking in his surroundings? Gave him peace of mind.
Was it healthy to always be in this mindset? Merlin no, but was it useful in his line of work, AND with his shite luck? Well, it saved his life more than once. That was enough for him.
"-ate, Harry!"
Stunned out of his thoughts with mild alarm, he almost flicked out his wand before realizing where he was.
America. Safe.
He must have caused a little scene as Ron and Seamus were standing, and staring at him with mild worry, accustomed to his episodes. Very few muggles glanced at him with sympathy, which he was thankful for, as he didn't want to cause a full scene.
"Let's head down to the riverfront." Harry said without preamble, giving them assured looks.
He hadn't gotten lost in his thoughts like that in a while. Must've been a few weeks? Must be the new environment he surmised. They kept walking before they came across a police officer, nothing to note for Seamus and Ron, but Harry's ears picked up,
"-arantined zone in Atlanta turned into a full blown riot. Shots were fired and looting is in full force. Chief wants all units patrolling to come back to the precinct for a respon-" Was all he heard from his radio before he was out of hearing range. He kept walking, but he felt a knot of stress in his stomach form. While it may not have lasting consequences, as riots were not unheard of nowadays, the thoughts of muggle firearms going off, and full scale looting didn't help his stormy mind. He needed another drink.
"Hey, I want to grab a drink, Seamus, where is the nearest pub?" Harry asked suddenly.
Seamus gave him a look, no doubt still worried about his episode.
"Ah, we're a bit out of the district with pubs, but we can head there instead of the river? We can just head there later this evening, there will probably be a better view with the city lights too." Seamus remarked.
"Ya know what? I could go for some lunch, I heard chicken wings are served at pubs here." Ron butted in, thinking with his gut.
"Honestly, you just ate a hotdog. Bottomless pit, this one." Seamus poked.
The rest of the walk went by without anything of note, other than the occasional conversation and jokes between Ron and Seamus, and rarely Harry, it took them 40 minutes to make it to a pub, as they got lost going off of Seamus's memories of the map he looked at before coming this morning.
Settling down on his stool near the main counter, he took in his surroundings ignoring the multiple sirens passing by outside the pub, as they were usually background noise in this city, he noticed. Ron was across from him and they were both waiting for Seamus to get their drinks.
The place felt cozy, warm colors and slightly dimmed lights, with tinted windows. Probably around 20 people in here, yet still felt spacious.
While his nerves were still a little frayed, it wasn't as bad as being outside surrounded on all corners. He had an exit 20 feet behind him, and windows big enough to vanish and jump out of for a quick escape.
Seamus got back with their drinks, something hard, if the smell was anything to go by. The next few minutes passed in relatively comfortable silence, all enjoying their drinks. Yes, it was something strong, although it was needed because of their magic. It had a way of healing their body faster than muggles, and kept them not as drunk as they should be. While they could still have hangovers, it wasn't so bad compared to most pains they come across. And if it was really bad? Hangover cure, simple enough to brew and inexpensive. The wizarding world has a lot of solutions to stuff muggles would have to usually deal with. Broken bones? Mended in 48-72 hours. Alcoholism? While magicals can get addicted to stuff, it wasn't as bad as muggles. And with enough money, most things that ail magicals can be cured. Phoenix tears, while rare, aren't too rare if you have the money.
Yeah, Witches and Wizards were soft. While the last three wars had given the magical community a big dose of reality, the poorest magicals still lived better than even some of the richer muggles. His time as a Hit Wizard woke him up to that.
As he once described to Hermione, as she was probably one of the only ones who would understand in his friend group, being a Hit Wizard was basically being the ICW's special operation unit for the United Kingdom, which meant he was privy to a lot of the United Kingdom citizens quality of life. While he had met other units from other countries, they all had one thing in common; dealing with the uncommon.
Magical Britain's special unit was made from a joint effort in the 1930s between the Aurors, ICW and the Department of Mysteries. Something Harry learned during his early training after the war, when he was given a golden ticket straight to the Hit Department for his part in the war. He was the perfect candidate, decorated with honors, such as Order of Merlin First Class, Defender of Britain, Savior of Hogwarts and Accomplished War Hero. All trophies and medals collecting dust in Grimmauld Place in some random room. He took another sip of his half-empty drink. Half-full? At least that's how Hermione told him to look at it.
He wasn't depressed, Harry thought, maybe at the edge? He was unhappy. Better way to describe it. Hopefully his time here in America will help him heal, and find a new purpose in life.
Everybody near the front doors were brought out of their musings or conversations when someone came into the pub louder than usual, before speed walking to the pub tender. His enhanced hearing could pick up their relatively quiet conversation across the room due to the mandatory rituals for joining the Hit Department. It wasn't like he could hear a drop of water 50 feet away, but conversations were definitely easier to pick up now.
"Hey, could you turn on the TV to the local news? My fiancé told me a riot is happening in Atlanta, and now it's here? She said that there were people shooting and looting stores." He finished hastily, hoping his request would be made.
The Pub tender didn't need to be told twice, as his pub would be in trouble if a riot broke out around here.
Harry motioned for Seamus and Ron to look at the telly, and they did.
"-ospital, and what seems to be a repeat endeavor of the response in Atlanta late last night. Dozens of squad cars and a quick response from the Military Airfield being so close, allowed them to put up a perimeter a few blocks wide of the hospital. I know if you're listening and you have somebody you love that is currently in St. Joseph's Hospital, we have been advised to tell you that they are currently safe, but no one is allowed to enter or leave due to the danger of the riot. The Milita- Hold on..."
Shuffling and mutterings could be heard in the background of the newsroom, as most of the pub could be seen listening and watching with bated breath out of the corners of Harry's eyes.
"After getting confirmation from several reputable sources, we have confirmed that another riot has broken out at Chippewa Square." The reporter paused, but it didn't really matter as a worried air took the place of the warm and cozy environment only minutes ago.
There were hushed and worried talks among the patrons. Seamus spoke up and told them why.
"Guys, that's only around 5 blocks away from us."
Harry couldn't take it any longer, as he was hearing phrases around him that triggered something in him.
"My family is at-"
"My sister works near Chippe-"
"I gotta' get home, this doesn't sound like a regular riot."
Harry couldn't agree more. He stood up surprising Ron and Seamus, motioning for them to follow as people were starting to leave. The bill and their bags forgotten, they were outside the pub, when Ron couldn't help but ask.
"We're going to check it out, aren't we?" He said knowingly.
He would be more resigned but even this had him a little worried. Three riots, 2 different cities in the span of hours. Something isn't right, that along with the heavy response meant something bigger was happening, as Harry no doubt figured out.
Harry could only think of one thing, and that was how similar it was to Death Eaters targeting multiple remote towns nearly at the same time, and causing chaos. That was at the start of the second war, and it put him on alert. Was there some American Dark Lord coordinating these attacks? Was the Statute of Secrecy at risk? Why did it have to happen here? He was on a bloody holiday!
They made it about 2 blocks before they came across fleeing muggles, cars driving no doubt over the speed limit with distant gunshots in the distance. People were breaking into shop windows and coming out with whatever they could carry.
That put all three of them on alert.
All three were ready to flick out their wand at a moment's notice as they picked up speed, jogging down the street.
They were about to head to an intersection, before a man came slowly shambling out of an alley in front of them, with what looked like a pocket knife embedded in their chest, not caring about people running by them, or even when someone bumped into them.
Seamus pushed Harry and Ron out of the way, seeing the knife in them and guessing he was in shock, as he had the most medical experience out of all three of them.
Harry told Ron to help Seamus as he ran to the alley to look for a perpetrator. He heard Seamus behind him say to the guy,
"Mate, what happened, what's your name? Don't pull the knife out." Trying to get his attention before yelling at a passing muggle to call an ambulance.
Harry couldn't see anyone in the alley, so he turned around just in time to see Seamus flick out his wand and cast a spell on him. A diagnostic charm, making an educated guess. A simple obliviation would be needed, but to save a life, it's a risk they would take.
"What the fuck?" Seamus said in shock, before Harry saw the guy lunge at him.
