Harry took a deep breath as he stepped towards the doors leading out of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport terminal when a strange, little old man caught his eye. He held a white sign that said "Jamie Funari – My friend, the hairiest potter you could ever meet!" Written in green ink with a bright yellow exclamation point.

"Pardon me sir, but do you actually know a Jamie Funari?" Harry asked him, surprised to see the fake name Luna had put on his passport on one of those funny little signs people hold at airports.

"Yes I do, Mr. Funari, and it's lovely to see you made your journey all right. Our friend, Selene," Harry was vaguely suspicious of the man's exaggeration of the name Selene, but he couldn't place his doubts on any one reason. "Has asked me to meet you here due to extenuating circumstances that are keeping said person at bay. Don't worry, I don't bite." The man rattled off in a jovial tone.

"Err, right." Harry said as he ran a hand through his hair nervously. "May I ask who you are?"

"Certainly, I am Neil Enigme, but feel free to just call me Mr. E, most people do." The small man smiled.

"Alright then." Harry smiled nervously, his hand twitched to release his wand from its holster. "I can't really say I have ever met you before, but from that sign it's safe to say you knew I'd be here?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Funari," Mr. E said mysteriously. "I understand your confusion and I promise I am not a snor-ack." The man said slowly lifting an eyebrow suggestively. "If you know what I mean?"

Harry's eyes brightened when he caught on. "I should hope not, Mr. E, you can only ever find that sort of man in Sweeden."

"Too right you are, Mr. Funari. Too right you are! There's just something about the air that makes people snore so dreadfully!" He chatted happily. "What do you say we go to my car and get headed to Seattle!"

Harry blinked slowly and nodded. "If the woman- Selene was it?"

"Yes, Selene." The little man agreed as he lead the way towards the exit.

"Well, if Selene sent you, I will just have to have faith.." Harry said as he followed a few seconds after.

"I would say that's for the best, who else would be able to help a wandering artist acclimate to a new place! Especially one so young!" He shook his head. "Pottery is a difficult art to master. Knew a wonderful potter when I was young." Glancing back at Harry. "But alas, the two of you look nothing alike!"

Harry shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "You can't expect every potter to look the same? After all, none of us make the same pots, right?"

Mr. E laughed as he turned toward the dusk covered car park and slipped a set of keys from his pocket. "right again, Mr. Funari! Right again! Though it is not unheard of for one potter to reflect another. Not unheard of at all." He twirled his keys between his fingers as he glanced at Harry. "How was your flight? I didn't think to ask."

"It was long and a bit bumpy, but mostly long." Harry stated as he scratched his chin in thought. "Luckily I had a book to keep me company."

"Oh? Do tell, what were you reading?" The small man pointed his key fob at a bright red minivan and smiled. He walked toward the passenger-side door when Mr. E called out to him. "American car, Mr. Funari! Unless of course you'd like to drive?" He held out the keys to Harry's dumfounded expression.

"What? Oh right, other side." Harry blushed. "It's best if you drive, I'm not too good at it." He mumbled as he quickly went around to the American passenger side door and climbed in just as Mr. E opened the driver's side door.

"That's a pity." The man said as he pulled out an envelop from his pocket, turning to Harry once both doors were closed. "What am I going to do with this License for one Mr. Harry Porter?" He pulled out a small piece of plastic from the envelop and flipped it through his fingers showing the front to Harry. "I hope you don't mind the photo. No one ever has a good photo on their driver's license."

"Should you be doing this here?" Harry asked nervously, glancing around the car park through the windows. "I doubt I was followed, but you can never be too safe."

"Don't worry, Harry." The man rapped his knuckles on the window nearest him. "These are spelled to make anyone who looks in see ordinary things! Such as putting on our seatbelts or fiddling with the radio before we get started!"

"And I suppose it's sound proof as well?" Harry mused.

"Of course not, my boy. That would make someone suspicious! They can't hear what we're really saying of course, but instead they catch snippets of ordinary, boring conversations which details are forgotten almost as instantly as they are heard if the windows were down or thumping, soft music when they're up." He put his key in the ignition and began to back out of his spot. "It's quite an interesting version of the confundus charm." He stated happily, navigating his way into the traffic leaving the airport.

"You can do that?" Harry asked surprised. "Can you teach me?"

"I could my boy, but magic works differently here." He said, oddly serious. "It's best if you use as little magic as possible for the time being."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he watched other cars drive by.

"Well, America is a big place. There aren't as many magical communities as there are in Europe. We have our fair share in the larger cities, but here in the country side, witches and wizards are rare. The ones who choose to live out here do so for research or their ties with Muggles." Mr. E. explained as he turned on to the expressway. "We have a way of monitoring big magic so that we can find all sorts of people. For the most part the spells are in place to keep a look out for Muggle-born accidental magic, but also on the rare occasion there is something amiss."

"Sounds logical enough." Harry sighed, messing with his hair. "I feel like this is going to be a lot more trouble than I thought it was going to be."

"Don't worry, my boy." Mr. E. smiled, glancing over at Harry's worry-ridden face. "I'm working on slipping in a spell that erases your personal signature from the systems eye should you cast any spells."

"My signature?" Harry's face went pale as he glanced at Mr. E.'s face. "You can track that here? I thought there was only supposed to be a trace on under aged wizards."

"It's not quite like the age-restricting trace." Mr. E replied soothingly. "It's more like a large dome of magic that creates a list of magic for smaller, magic-free areas. Because of our country's size and our small coordinating wizarding population, it would be easy for wizards with foul purpose to get away with crimes without these wards. They are like a recorder or a security camera. A particular event is only kept for a year at a time any way, unless it's important."

"How do they work?" Harry asked nervously.

"They record both the spell used and the magical signature of the caster. Signatures are quite like fingerprints, unique to the witch or wizard who has cast the spell. They will not record simple spells such as the ones used for ordinary household tasks or chores, but anything even mildly dangerous, even a simple hex or jinx, will be recorded. And if anything very powerful or dangerous is used, an alarm goes off alerting the proper authorities."

"Proper authorities? Like an Auror?"

"Not quite, depends on the state, really."

"I don't understand." Harry frowned.

"Well, for most places in Europe you have one Ministry per country. Well, here in the good old US, there's a different type of magical government per state with one large government that oversees everything else, such as deciding the outcome of ethical dilemmas. Depending on the state depends on the laws and the enforcers of said law. We have our general national laws such as don't murder anyone or don't steal from them, but everything else is a state-by-state basis.

"Take love potions for example. It's illegal to use magic to make someone believe he or she is in love with you here in the US as a general rule, but the punishment is based on the state. In Washington state it is a crime punishable with a massive fine, time spent with community service, and if the family in which the witch or wizard you charmed wishes to press additional charges against you, you may end up with a short stint of time in prison."

"What?" Harry stared at the man. "That seems a little excessive."

"Well, here in the US, we take our freedom seriously. Our base, general rule is freedom is granted to those who do not take it from others. If you force someone to fall in love with you, you are violating our code of free will."

Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I'm too tired to understand this country."

Mr. E. chuckled warmly. "Don't worry, Harry. You'll catch on. It'll take a few weeks before I can erase you from the system, but I must ask that you do not break any of our cardinal rules. You do understand, don't you?"

"Of course, sir. Are you in law enforcement then?"

"I do a little bit of everything!" The jovial man declared as he drove towards the exit. "It's best to not try to figure me out. You do understand the logic, don't you?"

"Err, no. I can't say that I do, sir." Harry admitted. "But I'll respect your wishes."

"Good idea, lad, good idea!" Mr. E. began to drive erratically through traffic, as they came closer and closer to the city of Seattle. "It's also best to keep quiet until we reach my place, please. I hate city driving." He chirped cheerfully. "In good time your questions will be answered!"

Harry sat quietly for the rest of the ride, eyes wide as the cars and scenery seemed to zoom past them. He enjoyed watching the city as they approached and the people milling about the streets.

He noticed the car was beginning to slow down as they neared a small, red-bricked building illuminated by a single street post.

"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Mr. E. smiled as he pulled the car into a small space just outside of the small building. "It's a bit bigger on the inside though. Don't be surprised!" He paused before he pushed the automatic lock on the doors. "And please, don't say a word until we're inside."

Keeping to his instructions, Harry silently followed the small, bouncing man into his brick-red house shaking his head in wonder.

"Alright then, Harry." Mr. E. sighed after he shut his door behind him and steered Harry forward and toward a lovely dining room table. "Make yourself at home, I'll get something ready for you to eat. I'm certain you must be hungry?"

"Starved." Harry agreed as he awkwardly looked around the dining area. "You have a wonderful home." He complimented his host, pulling out a dark-cherry wood chair that seemed to glow beneath the soft lighting of the room.

"Thank you, my boy!" Mr. E. called from what must have been from the kitchen area.

Harry smiled humorlessly as he ran his fingers along the back of one of the dining room chairs.

"If you keep your face like that for too long it'll get stuck like that." Mr. E commented from the door way carrying a tray of tea and sandwiches.

"Good." Harry replied with an absent mind. "Maybe then I'll be unrecognizable permanently." Harry grumbled with a bitter tone in his voice.

"Don't sound so miserable." Mr. E. admonished, grinning as he set the tray of assorted sandwiches on the table. "Sit." He ordered and Harry obeyed without question. "The first thing I must say, please enjoy yourself!" Mr. E. Smiled happily.

"Er, thanks." Harry scratched his head gently.

"In the morning we can begin a plan for your stay here." Mr. E. Said gently. "We can also go shopping to get you clothes and essentials."

"I don't have much money with me, sir. I only have 30 Galleons with me." Harry blushed. "If we could shop somewhere-"

"Now now, dear boy!" Mr. E. interrupted. "You are an honored and protected guest. It would be my sincerest wish to offer you clothes and essentials without accepting a dime!"

"A what?" Harry questioned.

"A dime, it's part of our muggle currency." Mr. E. explained. "We can cover more information in the morning."

"Thank you." Harry replied, continuing to eat his dinner.


Harry inhaled the fresh air, grateful for the summer he spent with Mr. E. Harry pulled his journal from his pack and settled against a tree to add a new entry. Harry wrote about his experience in the mountains of Washington State. He wrote about the knowledge he'd gained and his fears for the future. Tomorrow he'd be leaving the comfort of Seattle and the support and companionship of Mr. E. All of which he'd grown to appreciate.

"Harry?" Mr. E. called out from the bottom of the clearing. "Are you up there, son?"

"Yes, I'm just taking time to reflect." Harry explained as his teacher and friend climbed the small hill to join him.

"All set for tomorrow then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I hope so." Harry admitted honestly. "Not sure I'm ready to go back to school though." Harry joked and tucked his journal back into his pack.

"You'll do well, my boy." Mr. E. encouraged. "You've done phenomenally in your studies since coming here. You're more than ready."

"Thanks." Harry mumbled feeling embarrassed. "And you'll be sure to visit?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely, dear boy. I am, after all, your legal guardian for all intents and purposes."

"Thanks, Neil." Harry smiled relieved. "I can never thank you enough for what you've done for me."

"Dear boy, I'm happy to help." Mr. E. grinned. "Now let's get your things packed."


A/N: Happy reminder, I update more regularly with reviews. It's just the truth.