A/N: I'm so sorry for updating this late. I went out of town on Wednesday to see my best friend who I only get to see once or twice a year for a few hours. I know you guys will understand though. :)
Disclaimer: I, Mysterious Sunshine, hereby proclaim that I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to Ms. J.K. Rowling.
"Ok, let's go over the plan one more time," Hermione said to her two best friends. Harry and Ron groaned. The three friends were currently in Harry and Ron's room at the Leaky Cauldron, awaiting the morning, when they would take a port key to London Heathrow International Airport. From there, they would fly to America.
"Hermione, we know the bloody plan already!" Ron complained
"Ronald Weasley this is a very important mission; it's not vacation time. We have to be prepared for any and everything and we have to know our cover-up story like the back of our hands," Hermione lectured.
Before Ron could get too angry, Harry jumped in with an answer to Hermione's question.
"You and I are siblings that were sent to live with our father's brother, Remus, after our parents died," he said, gesturing to himself and Hermione. She smiled at Harry and then turned daring and expectant eyes to a still fuming Ron.
"Our parents are in the royal navy and my brothers, sister, and I live with our older sister, Tonks, in the meantime," Ron said through gritted teeth.
Hermione gave him a satisfied smile and then spoke.
"And Neville and Luna were adopted by Kingsley. All three of the adults are extremely close friends and decided to move to America for a fresh start," Hermione finished.
"And you can't forget our pet mutt," Ron said mischievously, happy that the quizzing was over for the moment. An indignant woof came from under Harry's bed. Emerging was a large, black dog.
"You have to admit, Snuffles, you do look pretty mutt-like," Harry told him cheekily. The dog gave a playful growl and pounced onto the unsuspecting boy.
"Stop that! You're not supposed to lick me, it's gross. Snuffles!" Harry shouted in disgust and amusement.
Once Snuffles felt that Harry had been punished enough, the room lapsed into contemplative silence.
"What do you think America will be like?" Ron asked his two best friends.
"Well, I know that they sound different from us and they have a different way of going about things," Harry said, squinting up his face in concentration. He could remember when his cousin watched a movie made in America. The way the actors pronounced there vowels was strange and there had been some terms and actions that Harry had never seen done in England.
"Oh, there are a million and one differences in their wizarding culture. Remember what I said about MACUSA?" she asked. Before Ron could tell her that no one cared, she continued. "No-Maj/Wizard relations are extremely strained. I honestly doubt we'll spend any time in the wizarding world, which is unfortunate because they have a rich history of wandless magic and…"
"Yeah, yeah. All I care about is how their Quidditch teams fair," Ron interrupted.
"Didn't you read about that game between Ireland and America, the American seeker was able to catch the snitch within four hours in a blizzard," Harry exclaimed. The two boys lapsed into a
conversation about the game, snuffles tugging Harry's wand from his pocket and using his muzzle to wave it around, making sentences about the article and the game appear in midair. Hermione sighed, completely perplexed about the total lack of interest in the rich culture and history they were all about to experience in favor of Quidditch.
"I've never seen so many muggles," Tonks whispered as the group made their way through the airport the following afternoon.
"Why are there so many of them?" Ginny inquired.
"This is their form of travel. There are very limited ways for muggles to travel around the world," Kingsley said in his deep voice. He was leading the group to a security checkpoint where security was checking carry-ons. Luckily, Remus had thought to shrink everyone's bags to fit in their pockets.
"This thing looks bigger on the outside," Ron complained as the group crammed themselves onto the crowded air craft. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were in one row near the middle of the plane. Behind them were Luna, Ginny, and Neville. To the left of the trio were Tonks, Kingsley, and Remus.
In front of Harry, Ron, and Hermione were Fred, George, and Snuffles. It had taken some quick thinking from Kingsley to allow Sirius on the flight instead of the cargo hold. Kingsley had told the attendant that Snuffles was George's service animal because he had intense anxiety. Granted, it was quite a difficult lie to pull off since the twins were laughing and whispering together, most likely planning a prank.
The flight was horribly long and they stopped twice to change planes. Finally, they arrived at the airport in a medium-sized town in Illinois. The group gathered together in an un occupied lobby after everyone had taken care of bathroom business. After casting some privacy charms Kingsley pulled out a worn piece of parchment from his pocket.
"Dumbledore wrote down some more important instructions that we need now that we're here. He says that we are to meet one of his contacts that is close to our safe house. He says that everyone needs to change their surnames but no one needs to change their first name. The Weasleys will be the Westlys. Remus, you, Harry and Hermione Will be the Lykins. Luna, Neville, and I will be Locks." Kingsley announced. A bark came from below.
"You'll belong to the Lykins of course Sirius," Kingsley reassured him with a slight smirk and a pat on the head. After everything was settled Sirius transformed into his human form and teens were distributed equally to the adults. Together, they apparated to the house pictured on the piece of parchment that Kingsley held.
They landed outside a little, white house. The small yard in front was green and had fluffy yellow and white flowers that Luna was admiring openly. Sirius changed back into his dog form and was sniffing suspiciously at a stone garden statue. Kingsley, the most qualified muggle-relations expert, walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Footsteps came to the door and a little blond girl opened it slightly and peeked through the crack.
"Who are you," she asked curiously, blue eyes taking in the large amount of people.
A/N: I know, I know. First I update late and then I leave you with a cliff hanger. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and leave me a review. They make me smile. See you all on Wednesday.