AN: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that took the time to put up a review. it was the overwhelming positive feedback that made me up my posting time table. i just wanted to worn you guys now the next six chapters are going to be day to day life with not much excitement. It's all set up for the action later. going back and re reading what i have written, it seams meandering, but it's written that way to draw you in. It's world building. after all i have to establish where Harry is in order to show where he ends up.i'm going back and tightening in the plot up a bit but just stick with it. i want this story to feel like IHS. the first dozen chapters of that story bring you into the world. The difference it this is more love story, sisterly bonding, and male bonding and less gun fights for now. I hoe you like it.
FBtMW!FBtMW!FBtMW!FBtMW!FBtMW!
Harry slept like the dead for almost four hours before he was roused from his sleep by Andy.
"Hey kid. Time to get up, you have to get out of here. Dora is waiting for you down the street from the Leaky Cauldron. Also this needs to go on your right ring finger. It's your new head of house ring. Ragnok had it made for you while you were sleeping." She said handing him a platinum house ring with a wolf's head in profile with a small red glowing stone for it's eye. Under the wolf was STEEL in block letters.
"Cool." Harry said putting the house ring on. The ring resized itself to fit his hand and glowed before settling back down.
"I thought so too. It kind of looks like the Black house ring but it has the block lettering and the same red ruby from the Potter ring. It's a good match." Andy said as Harry put on his Nike trainers, his gun rig, and his track jacket.
"Yeah, I got a chance to look at the two house rings. A part of me thinks it sucks I didn't get to wear them. But I got to choose this." Harry said.
"You did, and I'm sure your parents and Sirius would be proud to see you standing up for yourself and taking back what's yours." Andy said pulling Harry into a hug.
"Thank you for saying that. Now is there anything I need before I go?" Harry asked.
"Yes. This bag has a few change of clothes. Some jeans, shirts, socks and such. There is also a wash kit in there as well. This wallet has your new Harry Steel IDs including a US driver's license and a passport, your age is listed as 21 like your birth certificate. The wallet also has ten thousand euros in big and small bills. There's twenty thousand US dollars in a gringotts bag. The bag also has a thousand galleons and a checkbook linked to your account. The black card in your wallet is also linked to your account like all of our cards. These are all the keys to your various homes. All of them have an elf service to clean them and keep them ready." Andy said handing Harry a small black leather weekend duffel bag, a black leather wallet, and a big ring of keys.
"Good, now all I have to do is get my backpack and my bird cat and head out." Harry said feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know if he should hug Andy. He wanted to but he was unsure of the protocol regarding leaving a parent behind when you go on the run. Andy solved his problem for him. She pulled him into a tight hug and he sighed into her embrace.
"I'm scared because both my kids are leaving, but I'm happy you are both getting off this island." She said.
"We'll be careful and I'll watch Ton… Dora's back. And it's not like you're not going to see us soon. I expect you to be off this island by August. We'll be waiting for you in New York." Harry said.
"You're right. Still check in everyday if you can." Andy said pulling back and leading him across the hall to the conference room where Hedwig was sleeping in his backpack on a chair.
Harry pulled on the pack hugged Andy one last time and pulled on his cloak. He walked out of the bank into the bright for, Britain, eight am sun. He squinted and his new glasses got darker and became sunglasses. Harry smirked and walked through the early morning traffic of the alley and out the front door of the pub. He stopped and looked around trying to spot Dora but he didn't see pink hair. He did see a stacked blond in a tight white tennis dress sitting in a brand new white convertible BMW M4. He got closer to the car and saw her looking around like she was waiting for someone. Harry took a chance and ditched his cloak behind a van parked up the street and walked up to the car. The girl turned, saw him, and grinned.
"Watcher Harry." She asked with a smirk.
"Very inconspicuous car. You're keeping this real covert Dora." Harry sad tossing his duffel bag in the back seat and setting his backpack next to it.
"What's covert about two young rich kids taking a trip to the continent. Now get in, we got an hour and a half drive to get to the chunnel. We're booked on the 9:30 train." Dora said as Harry hopped into the sports saloon. As soon as he was in the car she started it up and with a roar she blasted out of the parking spot in into traffic.
"Man I love this car. I just picked it up from the dealer a half hour ago." She said pulling out her phone. She played with the phone for a few seconds and base thumping EDM music came blaring out of the premium sound system.
"This is a nice car." Harry said with a grin.
"I'm keeping it. When we fly to America I'm shrinking it and taking it with us." She said weaving in and out of traffic with ease as she shifted through the gears and her feet in little white tennis shoes danced over the pedals.
"Sound's like a plan. Can you teach me to drive like that." Harry asked.
"As soon as we get past Paris which I plan on doing by noon today. Once we get past there I've set aside three day to get to Nice. We can hurry up and get there fast so we can spend some time on the beach, or we can take our time and I can teach you and Hermione how to drive." Dora said.
"Cool. I also want to try my hand at this gun so I can feel confident carrying it around. I've never fired a gun before. I've never even had a toy gun." Harry said sitting back and letting the sun hit his face.
"Like I said, we can take our time. I want to collect the Granges as fast as we can. They've been in Paris for two days now and they've been worried. I want to collect them so they can relax. I know Hermione was a wreck when I told her about you three days ago. That poor girl has probably been on edge since then. We'll met them at a restaurant just outside of Paris at noon, have lunch, and head south. Speaking of food I got you a breakfast burrito and a monster." She said grabbing a bag from the back seat and setting it on his lap.
"Nice. Thanks sis." Harry said grabbing the burrito and attacking it like only a teen could. He didn't see the smile play across Dora's face when he called her sis.
"No problem. I got a couple of cans of tuna in there too for Hedwig. When we get on the train we can feed her." Dora said.
"Yeah. I wonder if she'll like tuna. She's more of a field mouse type of girl." Harry said and his new cat climbed out of the bag and into his lap. She rolled over for belly scratches, and purred lazily when Harry obliged her.
"You know, I think she likes being a cat." Dora said laughing at the deliriously happy cat.
The trip to Folkestone took just over an hour thanks to Dora's mad driving. It took fifteen minutes to drive onto the train, just under forty minutes to get to France, and by half past ten they were on the road to Paris. Dora was like a devil behind the wheel. She darted in and out of traffic, took corners faster than the principles of grip allowed, and never let them get under fifty miles an hour. They pulled up to a valet for a nice restaurant just outside the Paris city limits. They handed off the car and found seats in the outdoor cafe section. Dora pulled out a pack of cigarettes and put one in her mouth. She lit it with a small gold lighter.
"Smoking Dora?" Harry asked.
"What's wrong with it?" She asked looking around the other people smoking.
"It's bad for." Harry said confused.
"Not for mages. We can't get cancer. On top of that your magic filters out the toxins. You only feel the warm comforting feeling of the smoke in your lungs and you get the nice little high from the tobacco. The same with booze. Why do you think they let thirteen year olds drink butter beer. There's alcohol in that stuff. They allow it because your magic filters out all the toxins and you only get a small buzz. Why do you think we live so long? Our magic keeps us healthy. We don't get sick that often. It takes a magical bug to put us down. You want one?" She asked seeing that he was the only one not smoking.
"Sure?" Harry said taking the cigarette she offered him and leaned forwards for her to light it.
He took a drag and choked as he got dizzy and felt sick. Then he took a second smaller drag and it wasn't so bad. In fact he got a nice little head rush from it. He relaxed back into his seat and took another puff. Then he felt awkward with the way he was holding the cigarette. Did he hold it at the tips of his fingers like Dora? Or closer to his hand like the man sitting close by? He looked around and saw a man holding it between his thumb and forefinger in a pinch grip and he liked that better. It felt less girly to him. Once he was comfortable with that he relaxed a little bit more. He looked at Dora and saw her laughing at him.
"I remember my first cigarette. The first too deep drag. The coughing fit. The awkward feeling of how to hold it. It's funny to see someone else do it." She said with a sisterly smile.
"I figured it out. It's not bad. I don't like the taste mind you, but the little head rush is nice." Harry said trying to flick the ash of the end.
"You'll get the hang of it. But only if you want to. I'm not forcing it on you. You might want to try a cigar. My dad loves a good cigar. He even likes those mini cigars like from the old western movies. They have a better taste." She said.
"Maybe. Now that I'm mature it's about time I picked up some bad habits. What's a good drink?" Harry asked as the waiter brought their water glasses and their menus. The restaurant was very packed and the service was Paris slow.
"You like fruity drinks or bitter drinks?" She asked.
"It depends. I like some bitter drinks like coffee but I like sweet drinks more." He said.
"Ever had a good glass of wine?" She asked looking at the menu as three people walked into the restaurant.
They looked kind of familiar but like himself they were different. However when the girl turned to look at him Harry knew that was his Hermione. His? Harry thought. Then he shrugged as he stood up and waved to her. She raised her now dirty blond eyebrow at him and he touched his forehead where his scar was. That made her grin and the same light he was used to seeing in her honey brown eye showed through her green eyes. As she got closer he saw her cute nose was longer now and her lips were thinner.
The older woman look just like her daughter with just a hint of laugh lines around her eyes which was funny seeing as without the glamour she looked like an older Hermione. The man looked vaguely Russian with a more pronounced forehead, square jaw, and dark dangerous eyes. An almost full 180 from the man's real face which was warm and friendly, and didn't match his service record in the slightest.
The last time he saw the Grangers was three years ago and it was only a brief meeting but he could picture their real faces under the glamours. They approached the table and Hermione hugged Harry hard. Harry took a deep breath and smelled lavender and citrus and he knew he was home no matter where they ended up.
"I was so worried about you not being able to get out." She said softly.
"I don't know why, it's not like they can track muggles easy, and that's what we are. Muggles." Harry said with a big grin.
"We are until we can get to America. Then we can get new wands and practice magic again." She said with a smile.
"I missed you. I know it's only been two weeks but I missed you." He said as they separated. He saw the adults smiling at them.
"Dan, Emma, it's good to see you guys." Dora said embracing the elder Grangers.
"You as well. Hello Harry." Emma said hugging the boy.
"It's good to see you again Doctor Granger. You as well Doctor Granger. I wish it was under different circumstances." Harry said shaking Dan's hand.
"As do we. but if we're running away together you have to call us Dan and Emma." Emma said with a smile as they sat down.
"I'm happy to see that you guys are up beat." Dora said.
"It was a bit surreal at first but then after we got over the shock it kind of all became a game. It feels like we're in a spy novel, what with the fake ID's, and the disguises, and using big wads of cash for everything." Emma said with a grin.
"Good, do whatever it takes to come to grips with this. Dan were you able to get rid of your cars and change them out?" Dora.
"Yeah, we sold them to the bank for market value, we took the train to get here and I was able to buy a convertible sports car like you said at an exotic car dealership here in Paris." Dan said with a huge grin.
"Dad bought a totally overpriced tiny sports car that barely has two seats." Hermione said shaking her head.
"First of all it is not ridiculously overpriced, I got a good deal. And second, and perhaps most importantly, it makes me look cool. I feel like James Bond." Dan said and Emma giggled. It was obvious that the elder Grangers, who lived a normal, if slightly boring life as dentists, found this whole situation exciting. If she was reading the vibes right Dora was sure the elder Grangers had rekindled their relationship flame.
"I understand where you're coming from, I picked my new name the same way. Harry Steel. It's sounds cool." Harry said showing Dan his new driver's license.
"Nice. Do you think we can change our names too?" Dan asked.
"I don't see why not, we'll talk to the Goblins when we get to New York. So what kind of car did you get?" Harry asked enjoying the male bonding.
"A mint condition 2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage convertible. It's polar white with black leather interior. The car only had 1,278 miles on it. The guy had it for 120,000 euros, I talked him all the way down to 95,000 euros cash out the door. I tell you Harry, I sit in that car and it's like I'm twenty years younger." Dan said with a big grin.
"I get it, Dora is going to teach me to drive in the next two days, I want to get a fast little sports car. Something Spy looking to fit my new name." Harry said sharing the man's grin.
"I don't know why you guys are all so excited to be on the run for. We are being hunted by wizards." Hermione said in a huff.
"Hermione, you have to relax. Don't worry. We're safe here for now. Once we leave this city the chances of anyone finding us are slim to none. It's why I wanted to put some distance between us and the island before we flew to New York. my ex-partner Shack could track a flight from Paris to New York. He could also backtrack your trip to this city which I know they will once they figure out we flew the coup. They can not track two cars driving out of this city and making a three day trip on a meandering course to Nice. They don't have the manpower or the knowledge of muggle travel without me. I was their resident expert on muggles. Not only am I not there to help them find you guys but I'm making it impossible for them to even try." Dora said with a smile as she put out her cigarette. This action drew Hermione's attention to the ashtray and back to Harry.
"Harry have you been smoking?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes. Wizards can't get cancer and our magic filters out all the chemicals and bad stuff just leaving the slight tobacco buzz. The buzz was nice but the taste is about as bad as you would think. Dora suggested I try cigars." Harry explained.
"I didn't know that! That's amazing." Hermione said shocked.
"You mean you can smoke and not get cancer? How is that fare? And you don't even like the taste?" Dan asked looking like he wanted to murder someone.
"I take it you were a smoker?" Dora asked with a grin.
"Twenty years. The best twenty, when I was young and foolish, and fit. Back when I was in the service. I could smoke a pack and a half a day and still run twenty klicks with a full pack on my back without dying." Dan said wistfully.
"You know, you might be a squib right? If you are then you can go right back to smoking. You can also drink like a fish and eat like crap without fear of dying." Dora said as they ordered.
"A squib is a non magical kid born to magical parents right? It like the opposite of Hermione?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, but in the UK the Pureblood fool think that just because you can't cast magic it means you guys are muggles. In America they have a very different view of things. For starters Magic is more widely spread there. They test everyone when they are born in America and if you have any magic in you then you go to magic school. Because squibs may not be able to cast spells but they can make potions, they can used enchanted items, they can fly on brooms. In a case like your family where Hermione was born with magic and you guys don't have it you would be retested for the presence of a core. I bet if we tested you guys at least one of you if not both of you are squibs. Squibs have a lot of advantages. Tell me, do you guys get sick often?" Dora asked.
"No, almost never." Emma said.
"I haven't had a cold in close to ten years." Dan said.
"How old is the oldest living direct line elder?" Dora asked.
"My grandmother lived to be 103." Emma said.
"My great grandfather was over a hundred when he died. We don't know exact age because of shoddy record keeping." Dan said getting excited.
"When you walk into Diagon alley to get Hermione's school supplies do you feel anything?" Dora asked with a smirk.
"A fluttering. In the pit of my belly. Like going on a roller coaster." Emma said.
"I felt it too but I always waved it off as being nervous about being in that world." Dan said.
"If I could. I'd cast one spell on each of you and confirm it but I'm almost certain you guys are both squibs." Dora said.
"Great. Can I bum a smoke?" Dan asked.
"I think you should wait dear. What if your not and you have to kick the habit again?" Emma asked.
"Shit, you're right of course. Still, the thought that I can get that fix again." Dan said with a dreamy smile. "Why can't you cast the spell?" Dan asked.
"They can track my wand and through it, my magical signature. Then using tracking spells they can hunt us down like blood hounds. We need new wands with masked signatures that are not connected to our magical profiles. That's something we can only get in America. They don't track wands in America because it's a violation of mage's rights. On top of that there are so many magicals in that big country that we will just fade into the background there. If you had a sample size of ten people from America, two would be magicals, three would be squids, and two would know about magic. It's an open secret over there. Grand mothers tell tails of the old days when their families had magic and chances are one of those grand kids will have a core." Dora explained in between ordering lunch.
"It sucks that we have to wait until then." Harry said.
"Well, there is an option. But it's going to be expensive and it's not exactly legal." Dora said thinking about options.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"A one time wand. I know of a guy in Paris that can make one time wands." She said.
"What's a one time Wand?" Hermione asked.
"It's a small stick about half the size of a wand. The stick has a core just like a wand. But unlike a wand you don't cast spells through it, this stick is charged with one spell. It has an activation button and once it fires off that spell it burns out the core rendering it useless. It's illegal to make, and it's illegal to buy or sell. One time wands are used primarily by criminals to commit crimes without leaving their magical signature behind. Most of the time the one time wand has a blasting hex in it, or a cutting curse. And it's used as an assassin's weapon. Some times they are charged with a lock picking spell and used to rob banks. You see where I'm going with this." Dora said.
"What's something like that going to cost? It can't be cheap." Dan asked.
"For a simple, non-lethal, one time wand, it will cost you about twenty galleons a pop. But because it's a non-lethal spell we might get a break on them I have to ask around for the going rate. However, if I'm going to walk into the magical section of Paris then I'm going to get everything we need for the next few days as well as other junk just to throw off the scent trail I'll be making. That means I'm going to buy about a dozen one time wands, and whatever we can think of. It also it means sticking around Paris for a few hours. However I think we're still in the clear." Dora said weighing her options in her head.
"It would be nice to have a set of wands with everyday spells preloaded. Also I need a two week supply of these two potion, and it would be a good idea if we had a few brooms just in case we had to fly away from a bad situation. I'm also thinking that Hermione Granger should very publicly buy a portkey to Berlin, along with a wizard's tent, and magically preserved food. Enough for four people for a month. Not to mention a few books on magical tracking charms and things like that. That way when, not if, the Order get here in a day or two they will know exactly where Harry potter and his girlfriend took her muggle parents. And we are going to activate that portkey in the alley so they can see it went off. It would cost about a thousand galleons all told. Which I have in the car." Harry said.
"Good thinking little bro." Dora said nodding.
"I don't think so. It's dangerous for Hermione to walk around a magical shopping district." Dan said.
"She won't be, I will be going in the same like we talked about, I'll just look like Hermione. Which will raise less flags at first because she's on vacation here. So if the Old fool has spies in the district they will report the Granger girl doing a bit of shopping." Dora said in a close approximation of Hermione's voice as her eyes shifted to golden brown.
"That is both amazing and kinda creepy." Harry said as the elder Grangers nodded without even noticing they were doing it. That made Dora laugh.
Two hours later found 'Hermione' shopping in the Paris magical district called Bobatons because it was on the grounds of the school in the heart of the city. She was trying and failing, on purpose, to hide her transactions. In the hour she was there she hit three shops and each one of the shop owners could give an in depth description of the girl and her purchases. She even had them help her move some of it into three magically expanded trunks with self shrinking enchantments on them so they saw what else she bought. Her next stop was a seedy bar. She walked in looking like a fish out of water and walked right up to the bar.
"I'm looking for Frank Martin." She said.
"Who are you and how do you know that name?" The bartender asked eyeing her suspiciously.
"I am a girl willing to pay for what he's selling and it doesn't matter where I got the name. It only matters that I got the name. I'm not looking for anything dangerous. I'm on the run and I need to be able to perform basic tasks without a wand. I'm looking to buy 20 one time wands and I'm willing to pay 15 galleons each for them. I got a list and I got half the gold on me right now." She said putting a small bag of gold coins on the bar.
"You got the list?" The bar man asked.
"Right here." She said putting a piece of parchment on the bar next to the bag.
"Be back here in an hour." The bar man said said looking at the list.
"We have a deal?" She asked.
"That's what the one hour is for kid. You're not very good at this are you?" The bar man asked smirking.
"I'm no criminal. I'm just trying to get away. I got gold. I need supplies." She said seeing where this could go.
"Look. Follow me into the back. I might be able to help." the bar man said waving a barmaid behind the bar as he lead her into the back room.
The room looked like your standard storage room but he opened a panel in the wall and lead her to a large workroom with three men working on different things. Two men were enchanting one time wands by the crate load. Another guy was working on a potion. Looking around the room she clocked a few things that perked her Auror senses. On a rack in the back she could see a bunch of low quality invisibility cloaks, full length dragon hide coats, dragon hide vests, pairs of dragon hide pants, and three shadow cloaks. She saw shelves full of ready made potions and racks full of enchanted knives and swords. But what really caught her eye was the huge stack of crates full of guns and ammo.
"Impressive non? I am Frank Martin by the way." He said in heavily accented english.
"Very impressive. How much for the armor?" She asked.
"200 galleons each for the vests and the pants and 300 for the coats. They are fully enchanted with comfort and climate charms on them so you can wear them all day every day and not break a sweat. They grow and shrink to fit the wearer like a second skin." Frank said handing over a vest from the rack.
She looked it over. It was high quality ridgeback armor. These were thin enough to vanish under a t-shirt but strong enough to stop a killing curse. They were worth more than 500 galleons. She looked inside and saw it was lined with soft black silk. She also saw a tag with 'Jorgensen's fine dragon hides'. Ah! This was stolen goods from one of the most reputable Leather houses in the magical world. Well one man's loss. She looked at the rack and saw he had ten vests, four pairs of pants, and six long coats. 4,600 galleons for over 10,000 galleons worth of high quality armor. This was going to be a very expensive trip.
"I'll take everything. I can get you the gold or I can get you Euros. Euros would be easier to get and carry. What's with the guns?" She asked.
"H&K MP5k 9mm submachine gun, this is the military version with full auto and three round burst. It has a shoulder sling and folding stock. It's enchanted to be silent, it has recoil reduction enchantments, and the magazines hold 300 rounds. 300 galleons each. Extra magazines are 10 galleons each. I also have HK416 assault rifles in 5.56 NATO with 300 round magazines for 350 galleons, CZ75 SP-01 handgun in 9mm with 170 round magazines for 150 galleons, Sig Sauer p226 Tacops in 9mm with 190 round magazines for 150 galleons, and Sig Sauer p238 in .380acp with a 70 round magazines for 125 galleons, and finally I have a few Wilson Combat Stainless steel tactical 1911's in .45acp with 100 round magazines for 175 galleons." He said showing her each gun.
"I'm going to need two of everything in with an extra mag for each gun. I'm also going to need five extra Sig p226's and ten extra Sigs p226 magazines. If we like your work we might come back for more at a later date." Dora said doing some mental math in her head.
"That's a lot of firepower for one little girl. Just like that's a lot of body armor." Frank said with a raised eyebrow.
"Look, you're being honest with me so I'll be straight with you. Me and a few of my friends are on the run from the UK. You've heard the news about the dark lord right? Well our government is just as bad. In a few months the whole country is going to fall into war. Like I said we're getting out while we can, but we might want to go back one day. I know my boss, he won't be able to sit this fight out for long. The products you sell me will make that easier and I have a very wealthy financial backer that is willing to buy more then what is needed to get the job done. A lot more. Now you can ask more questions and lose a potential repeat client or you can show me more of your wears. I can make one phone call and a case full of 500 Euro notes can be here in a half hour." Dora said.
"I understand fully what you say. If you plan on doing some wet work then you're going to want a few of these. They are ward gates. They bypass wards." Frank said with a grin.
A half hour later and Harry walked into the bar under his cloak holding a black metal briefcase with two million Euros in 500 euro notes. He made his way into the back room and found Dora standing by an auto expanding trunk full of goodies. He dropped the hood of his cloak and Dora smiled.
"Oh good, you're here. Pay the man 720,000 Euros." She said looking expectantly.
"Really? What did you buy?" Harry asked setting the case on a table and started counting out 14 bundles of cash before he had to break a bundle to count out 40 more notes. Frank counted the stack and nodded. Harry closed his case and took the shrunken trunk before walking out of the bar under his cloak. He dropped the trunk off in the BMW and walked into the wine shop the Grangers were browsing.
"How is it going?" Dan asked when Harry showed up next to him out of thin air and the swirl of a cloak.
"Good, Dora spent a crap ton of cash on guns and body armor. She should be meeting us in about a half hour. We should start wrapping up on our end soon." Harry said
"Our three small duffel bags are in the car, the car is parked just up the block." Dan said.
"Good." Harry said.
"Oh, I found a smoke shop while you were gone. I picked up a good selection of cigars for us to try and a carton of Marlboro's for me. I also got you this." Dan said handing Harry a gold Zippo lighter. With a wolf head and STEEL engraved on it.
"Thank you, I love it. But how did you get this made? I was only gone for half an hour?" Harry asked.
"The smoke shop sells them and they do laser engraving right in the shop on a little machine. It takes five minutes. I got one too. Look." Dan said showing off the same zippo but with STONE on the front.
"Stone?" Harry asked.
"My spy name, like Steel." Dan said with a smirk.
"I like it. Although, that does make your wife Emma Stone." Harry said with a laugh.
"I hadn't thought of that." Dan said with a smirk as they brought their selection up to the counter. Dan was reaching for his wallet when Harry pulled a 500 Euro note from his pocket and handed it to the lady behind the counter.
"I have a lot of those." Harry said showing Dan the case discreetly. His eyes got real big and Harry smirked. "The rest of the trip is on me." Harry said.
"No shit." Dan said taking the bags as Harry took the change and dumped it in his pocket.
They walked out to find Dora waiting in the BMW for them. They tossed all the bags into the back seat where Hermione sat and Harry hopped into the front seat. Dan lead Emma down the street and Dora followed until they got to Dan's new sportscar.
"Our first leg is south west two hours to Tours for dinner, then we head three hours south to Bordeaux where we'll stop for the night." Dora said before taking off with Dan following her. Dora lead them down B roads using a map book and when they got far enough outside of town she pulled over and switched seats with Harry.
"Okay, this is a manual car that means this is going to be a lot of fun for me and not for you or the gearbox of my new car." Dora said looking with a sad smile.
It took Harry an hour to get a feel for turning the steering wheel, and hitting the gas and brake, and the foot hand coordination that was shifting. Just when he thought he had a handle on it and he was relaxing into his new skill Dora told him to pull over before they got to Tours.
"You did good Harry, but you're not ready for city traffic yet. After dinner I think we'll switch you out for Hermione. We really have to change your name by the way. There has to be less than a thousand Hermione's in the world. Just like I can't go by Tonks. It's not a first name we can use in public." Dora said with an understanding tone.
"I get it. How about Mia? Pronounced My-ah so I can keep the spelling of the middle of my name and it sounds close enough to my name that I'll turn around when called." she said.
"I like it. We'll tell your mum and dad." Dora said.
"That's something we're going to have to work on too. It's mom not mum if we want to blend in when we get to America." Hermione said.
"Yeah. I can see that." Dora said as she lead the two car convoy into the city proper and they found a nice place for dinner right in the heart of the dinner rush at half past five.
"Good driving kid." Dan said patting Harry on the back when they parked.
"Yeah I was just getting the hang of it when she told me to pull over. We're switching after dinner to give Mia here a chance to learn." Harry said and saw a look of hurt cross Emma's face. Dora saw it too.
"Unless you want to show her. You're the mom after all. I'm just the cool big sister." Dora said.
"It's something I've been looking forward to for a while now." Emma said.
"You can use my car. I'll sit in the back seat. It will be all us girls just. The boys can ride second car." Dora said slinging an arm around both Granger girls as they walked into the small family style place.
"And us two men can be in the cool car. It's not like we want to hang around with girls. Right Harry?" Dan said.
"Um, I like hanging out with girls, they're nice to talk to and easy on the eyes." Harry said playing along.
"Back me up and I'll let you drive to the next town." Dan muttered just loud enough for them to all hear.
"Right, who wants to hang out with girls." Harry said smirking.
"I'll remember that Harry." Hermione said giving him a mock cold glare.
"Suddenly this deal don't seem like a deal no more." Harry said.
"I see what you mean." Dan said making them all laugh.
They shared a nice family dinner and Harry felt better than he had in years. There was a lightness to his soul that he didn't know how to describe. After dinner Harry paid the bill and grabbed the order of salmon filet for Hedwig. They split up when they got to the cars with the girls getting into the BMW with Dora behind the wheel. Harry walked to the passenger side of the little two seater but Dan waved him to the driver's seat.
"I wasn't kidding. You drive." Dan said with a smile.
"In the city?" Harry asked.
"Sure, why not? You got to learn right. Just follow Dora and keep your head on a swivel. Also the clutch pedal is heavy and the gas is light. You'll be amazed how fast you're going." Dan said hitting the start button for him and the car came alive.
"This is so cool. I'm definitely getting one of these. Or like a Ferrari." Harry said shifting into first and easing out of the space after his sister.
"I'll make you a deal. You buy a Ferrari 458 Italia and we'll share cars." Dan said.
"I like that. Although I want you to know that whatever I have is yours. That goes for houses, cars, and anything else. I feel like I got you guys into this situation and I feel responsible for making sure you, and Emma and Hermione have everything you want and need. A few days ago I thought I had a bit of cash. Turns out I have just a hair over five billion dollars. It's more than any twenty men can spend in a lifetime. So from now on, if I want something I'm buying it. A Ferrari sounds like a great purchase. If you want one just say the word and it's yours. The sky's not even the limit. We can by a jet." Harry said with a grin.
"Money isn't everything Harry." Dan warned feeling odd. He didn't want to lecture the boy but he didn't want Harry thinking he could be bought or needed to be bought.
"I know that. Family is everything. Hermione is my family. She has been for years. I hope to ask her out on a date sometime soon. She's the only girl that can see myself with. And if Hermione is family then so are you. Money doesn't buy family. But it buys sports cars, and homes, and five star service. I've never had much. I've never been on vacation. The way I see it I'm on vacation now until I get bored and decided to work. I want to do so much." Harry said with a grin.
"Like what?" Dan asked.
"I want to go fishing. I've never went. My uncle took my cousin every year but I was never allowed to go. The same with hunting and that kind of stuff." Harry said feeling embarrassed about his past.
"I'd be happy to take you fishing and hunting. We'll join a golf club and play a few rounds a week. You know this vacation thing sounds good. I got out of the service and went right into dental school then I spent the next fifteen year building our practice. Emma too. We met in school and she's been right by my side the whole time. It's why we try to take a trip every summer. We work hard and we like to take time off to relax. What else is on your bucket list?" Dan asked.
"I want to go to a bunch of sporting events and concerts. I want to come back here and backpack across Europe, but do it right. By staying in nice hotels with big comfortable beds and room service." Harry said laughing.
"Ah, backpacking Emma style. My wife loves room service." Dan said.
"I don't blame her. The idea of picking up a phone and ordering food to your bed sounds great. I also want to spend a week on a beach somewhere just relaxing and sipping drinks served in a coconut shell with a little umbrella." Harry said.
"Now you're talking son!" Dan said with a grin as they made their way out of the city and Dora pulled over so Hermione could take over. He didn't see Harry's smile when he called him son.
Soon they got back on the road and they drove at a more sedate pace behind Hermione. Dan tested the silence in the car and found it to be comfortable. He pulled out his iPhone and plugged it into the aux jack.
"You like AC/DC?" Dan asked playing with the sound system.
"What's AC/DC?" Harry asked.
"What's AC/DC?" Dan asked looking at Harry like he had two heads. When he saw the teen wasn't pulling his leg and he didn't know, Dan shook his head. "It's a band. It's a great band." Dan said.
"Never heard of them." Harry said.
"I suppose you like new music?" Dan asked.
"I wasn't allowed to listen to the radio. My uncle played conservative talk radio, and my aunt liked to listen to some old bird named Celine Dion or Barbra something." Harry said.
"Oh son, we need to fix this egregious miscarriage of taste. From now on you and me are going to be in this car. The girls can have that one. I'm going to have to run through all the important bands. For the record this is AC/DC." Dan said hitting play and Shoot to Thrill came blaring out of the speakers.
"I think I may have heard this one. I like it." Harry said relaxing back into his seat.
"I'm just going to hit shuffle and see where it gets us. And if you feel like singing you go ahead and sing as off key as you want because I can guarantee I will." Dan said laughing.
The trip to Bordeaux took two hours after they stopped to let Hermione drive and they got there just after nine. Dora took over just outside the city and drove them straight to the Hotel De Seze they handed the cars off to the valet after they got their bags out. Dora lead them to the front desk.
"Reservation for two suites. The name is Dora Hunter." Dora said.
"Yes, you are booked in rooms 401 and 402. If you will just sign here." The concierge said handing over the check in forms which Dora filled out and handed back.
"Morice will show you to your rooms. Would you like anything brought up to your rooms, the kitchen is closing soon." She asked handing Dora the menu.
"Yes, can you send up a dozen chocolate macarons and, fruit the salad with the lemon curd ice cream. Also two bottles of Moscato d'asti and five glasses to Suit 401." Dora said handing the menu back before they were lead up to their rooms.
Each room had two bedrooms with king sized beds. The Grangers were in suite 402 and Harry and Dora were in suite 401 across the hall. After they dropped their bags off in their room the Grangers went across the hall and sat in the living room. They waited for the room service cart to come before Dora expanded the three trunks with the purchases she made.
"What did you buy Dora?" Harry asked snacking on a cookie and sipping his sparkling dessert wine.
"Good stuff. If we ever decide to go back to the UK then we're going to need most of this stuff as it is I'd like each of you to take one of these bags. I got ten of them." She said digging out a cardboard box with black leather messenger bags out of the trunk and passing them out. The bags were simple black leather one pocket bags with a flap to cover the top. The strap was simple leather with a small shoulder pad. The bags were small. Fifteen inches wide, ten inches tall, and three inches deep.
"What's this then?" Dan asked.
"It's a bag of holding. That bag will hold a crazy amount of stuff and stay that light. When you want something you stick your hand in the bag and think about what you want and it it will show up in your hand. Watch." Dora said pulling a HK416 assault rifle out of the crate and sticking it into the small laptop sized bag. She held the bag upside down and nothing fell out. She put her hand in the bag and pulled the rifle out.
"That's cool!" Emma said looking at her bag.
"I figured we can dump all our luggage and things in our bags and only have to carry these." Dora said.
"That's a lot of firepower Dora." Dan said.
"I got two of these. Enchanted to be silent, have almost no recoil, and the mag holds 300 rounds." Dora said handing the rifle over.
"Good God." Dan said taking the rifle and looking it over.
"I figured we can find a spot in the woods tomorrow and test them out. For now take what you want and put it in your bag. I also want all of us to wear these. They are enchanted dragon hide armor vests. These fit tight to the body and are enchanted to feel like you are wearing nothing. They turn invisible when activated. The same like the shoulder gun rigs. I got more of those too. These vest will stop a bullet up to an armor piercing antitank round and stop any spell including one, maybe two killing curses. I want you to put this vest on when you get up in the morning. I also have a pair of pants and a long coat for each of you. Put these in your bags." Dora said handing out the armor.
"This leather vest can stop a bullet?" Dan asked putting the vest on over his head and zipping up the side zips. The vest shrank to his body and vanished from sight.
"Yes. I've seen these in action. The US Aurors have these kind of vests. They work. I also want each of you to keep this in your bags. It's a first aid kit. It has single serving healing tonics, burn cream, bandages, wound sealer, pepper up, headache potion, pain potion, and sleeping drought. I also got you each one of these pocket knives that are enchanted to be razor sharp." She said handing out items as she pulled boxes out of the trunks.
"We keep putting stuff in these bags we won't remember what's in them." Hermione said.
"The bag has you covered. There is a small booklet in the front pocket that lists everything you put in it. And also there is a dump feature. You hold it open and think about emptying it all out. Now this is the box with the one time wands. Let's see." Dora said pulling a cardboard box on with six inch long raw wood wands. Each wand had what looked like a brass tack sticking out the back. They were rubber banded together in groups of five or six. There were more than fifty of them.
"Why did you get so many One Time Wands?" Harry asked.
"I got a deal for buying in bulk. Also, a thought hit me as I was buying them, Dan and Emma can use them." Dora said with a smirk.
"We can cast magic?" Emma asked excitedly.
"Yes. That's why I got a few that do simple things just so they can play with magic. Frank gave them to me for real cheap. Like these two are simple Avis charms. I think he threw these in for free. The same with these four red spark flare wands. I did get a few offensive wands. These five have blasting hexes in case we need to make a door. But the wands that we need tonight are these power level spell wands. Who wants to go first?" Dora asked holding three wands.
"Me, I want a cigarette." Dan said.
"Okay, stay still. We only have three of these. Take that vest off." Dora said tucking two wands into her pocket and coming to stand in front of Dan. She held the one time wand at his chest with her right hand and pushed the brass tack in with her left thumb. The wand glowed for a second and then a golden colored spell shot out of the small wand and hit Dan in the chest. He glowed golden light and then the number 45 floated over his head.
"Your a squib dad!" Hermione said hugging her dad.
"Yes! That means I can smoke, and drink, and eat all the red meat I want!" Dan said.
"It also means that you can fly a broomstick and magical medicine works on you! I can heal your knee daddy!" Hermione said excitedly.
"You can fix my knee?" Dan asked.
"Yes. I can vanish the bones and pins in your leg and regrow the bones good as new! I can also cast healing spells on the scar tissue." She explained.
"Regrow the bones? That sound bad." Dan said looking pale at the thought.
"I doesn't hurt so much as itches. It feels like a colony of ants are building an ant farm made of steel wool in your body. I had all the bones in my right arm regrown. On the plus side after eight hours my arm felt better than it did before I started." Harry said.
"We'll see. Now test Emma." Dan said.
Dora aimed a wand at Emma's chest. The spell shot out, hit her, she glowed for a few seconds, and the number 74 floated above her head. That made all three mages look at each other in shock.
"What? Am I a squib? I want to ride a broom!" Emma said.
"No, Mum, you're a witch." Hermione said in shock.
"What? That crazy. If I was a witch I would have gotten a letter like you did." Emma said waving them off.
"We have another wand, test her again." Harry said.
"I plan on it. But I think it's right. There have been cases of low level mages not getting accepted to magical schools. It happens." Dora said testing her again with the last wand. The number came back 75.
"It's higher! Is it going up?" Dan asked.
"No dad. Magic fluctuates. Usually about two to four points. In your case you could make it to the mage threshold of 50 points. But mum, you're a witch! When we get to New York and we get new wands we'll get you one and I can teach you magic!" Hermione said.
"This is great!" Emma said hugging her daughter.
"The last thing I have is eight of these cheap invisibility cloaks, they don't really get the job done in the sunlight, you can see a shifting outline like a heat wave but at night, or indoors they work as good as Harry's cloak. The best part is they were less than a thousand Euros each. That's about a fifth of the price of a good cloak." Dora said handing the three Granges cloaks.
What followed was ten minutes of playing with their cloaks and laughing. They broke up and headed to their rooms at eleven. Harry helped Dora put away everything back in the trunk. They pushed the empty room service cart into the hall, and got changed for bed. As Dora was getting into bed Harry knocked on her door and stuck his head in when she called out the all clear.
"Dora, I just wanted to say, thanks. Thanks for getting me out. Thanks for teaching me to drive. Thanks for coming along with me. You dropped everything, up rooted your life, and..." Harry said.
"Harry, little brother. The second I heard you were supposed to grow up as my baby bro I knew I had to do everything I could to help you. So I quit my soul sucking job working for a corrupt ministry that was more interested in putting innocent people in Azkaban and letting Death eaters walk free. I left a shitty little flat in a bad neighborhood. I left a name I couldn't stand. Honestly what was my mother thinking naming me nymphadora. Dora is okay but come the fuck on mum. The truth is I left half a life for a better one. If anything I should be thanking you. You're paying for all of this." Dora said with a smirk.
"And I would pay ten times as much. What's mine is yours sis." Harry said.
"Come here." She said calling him over as she sat up in bed. She hugged him and felt him relax into her. "You're a good kid, and you're shaping up to be a good man. I'm happy to be here by your side to watch it happen. Now get some sleep. We got a full day ahead of us tomorrow." She said pulling back and patting him on the cheek with a smile.
"Love you sis." He said dipping his head embarrassed.
"I love you too kid. Now off to bed." She said hugging him again and pushing him to the door with a laugh. Harry walked across the living room and slipped into his huge king sized bed. Hedwig hopped up on the bed and sat on his chest.
"Hey girl. You happy?" Harry asked. Hedwig turned her head to take in the room and the big bed before looking back at him with a grin.
"I know right? Way better then Privet Drive. I meant are you happy being a cat?" Harry asked. Hedwig kind of shrugged and waved her paw in a flying motion.
"I get it. It would be nice to fly. Dora got us some brooms. Maybe I can take you up and we can fly around a bit. Feel the air rushing through your fur. I am sorry you have to stay like that for a week." Harry said. Hedwig shrugged again and laid her head on his chest to fall asleep.
"Night girl." Harry muttered as he turned off the bedside light and fell asleep with a smile on his face.