Author's note: I am really sorry it has taken me so long to update this story, it's been a rather hellish summer, between work, and car issues, and losing a beloved family member it's been very difficult to write, hopefully, I can get back on track. This chapter is different from the rest, as it is from Charlie's POV, enjoy! and remember, the usual disclaimers apply
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When Glinda asked me to share my point of view on some of our experiences in America, I told her that I'd be delighted. I'm not the most eloquent chap, so please bear with me. I think that being American is a big part of what makes Glinda, Glinda. When we arrived in Boston, the first thing I noticed was that our international portkey landed us in a Tube station. Glinda explained to me that we had arrived at North Station in Boston, and waiting for us when we arrived was one of the largest people I'd ever met. Not as big as Hagrid, of course, but a hair taller than Ron, and built like a blond horntail. He called me a "lovely British bulldog". now, what's up with that rubbish.
"He thinks you're sexy, Charlie," Glinda had explained to me after he'd left us to our nap in our hotel room. The hotel was brilliant, by the way. The Americans have the right idea letting the house elves run their own hotel chain. I'd recommend something like that for the UK, but Hannah would never speak to me again. I fell asleep trying to wrap my head around the idea that another chap thought I was sexy.
I really like Omar's husband, Danny. He's almost the exact opposite of his other half, about my height, thin as a rail, and very dark, asian of some variety, extremely quite, but when he does talk, you listen. They make a striking couple. They picked us up for supper, this really awesome seafood place in muggle Salem. Now, I have a bit of a bone to pick with muggle Salem, it's codswollop that the city prides itself on the three-hundred year old murder of twenty innocent people. Although, Danny did explain to me, that there's a city to the south that celebrates an axe murderess. American muggles are a rather barmy lot, in my opinion. I loved the Zone, however. The place was beautiful, and peaceful, a real community, felt a bit like the american version of Hogsmeade.
I was very happy to get the whole funeral business over and done with. I really likes the Ashwells, and quite frankly, I can't imagine the hell that would've been Glin's life had her aunt and uncle kept her, I'd seen Harry's Aunt Petunia, once, right before his and Ginny's wedding. Tuney's is a darling compared to Aunt Bridget. The memorial ritual for Glin's dad was beautiful, louder than I expected, Mrs. Ashwell explained to me that the guns are a way of saluting those who fall in battle. Mr Ashwell wasn't happy that the flag that had been draped over the coffin went to Bridget, he'd said that it should've gone to Glinda. She didn't want to cause a scrum. He was able to get her father's wedding ring and dog tags though, Glinda cried when he presented them to her.
I had a jolly good time at the baseball game. It was quite exciting once you got into it. Glinda bought me a baseball cap, told me I should use it to keep my hair out of my eyes when I was working. Fenway Stadium is quite amazing, we sat near this big wall, everyone calls the green monster. She explained to me that there was a legend that an american Yeti, called a Sasquatch, lived in it, but that he wasn't real. I had to get stuffed Wally the sasquatch for Rosie, she's the other one in the family who loves magical creatures. I bought gifts for all the kids while I was there, Glinda took me to the Factory of Fabulous, it's near Boston, in a city called Quincy, the muggles think it's a parking garage, American wizards have this fascination with hiding things in parking garages. We had really great dim sum in this little hole in the wall in Quincy.
I loved the aquarium and the whale watch, because it was a wizard operated tour we actually got to meet a lovely Narwhal family, and a group of transplanted selkies. We visited the forrests around Salem a bit, too. I'd never seen a coyote, or racoon before. We had a lovely picnic that day. I think I could spend the rest of my life on a blanket in the middle of the woods with Glin next to me, or on the beach. The beaches in the Zone are beautiful, we spent a lot of time at the beach right outside our hotel. I felt a bit like a git when I suggested we set up an invisibility charm on the beach to enjoy some amorous persuits, when Glinda explained to me, that charms like that were blocked on the beaches in the Zone, because too many underaged teenagers had had the same idea in the past. I had to take quite a bit of "good natured" ribbing at being the only Brit at the Independance Day celebration, but the hot sausage sandwiches were worth it.
There are people who say that America and Australia are basically the same country on opposite sides of the world. I've now spent time in both, and I don't think that that is at all correct. There are similarities, of course, a shared language, and they were both colonies at one point in their existence, but the part of America that I got to visit is called New England for a reason. There were parts of Boston that reminded me of London, and the terrain in the country side reminded me of home, but I never forgot that I was in a different country. I really enjoyed our two weeks there, I got to see my future wife's home, and yes, I do plan on marrying her someday, but I was quite happy when Omar and Danny drove us back to North Station, to catch our portkey home.