Author's Note: First, I want to thank everyone who took the time to review and more importantly to ask questions. Because of those questions I have made changes to the chapters I already have written, as well as to the outline for future chapters. But there are a few question I have been getting a lot and there isn't a place I can find to put the answer, or the answer is in the text but I guess it's not clear/it's coming up but so far away in the story I don't want to lose readers. I will paraphrase the type of question and answer them below.
Q1. Aren't people going to ask where Harry's body is/ Won't the country go into mourning over the death of the BWL/ Why are you setting up a fake trail for the Order to follow if Harry's dead?
A1. First of all no one know's Harry Potter is Dead. For all everyone knows he's alive and is still at his aunt's house at this point. It's only been less than 24 hours since Tonks got him out and she hit his relatives with a spell to say the boy is in the house if someone asks for him. Also they are not to disturb his room. It's the hope of the goblins/Andy/Harry that they never find out he's dead. His new fake birth certificate is misfiled at the ministry. Harry changed his will before he died so no one would get a letter to come to the reading of his will. They had goblins in the records office waiting for his death certificate and they took it to the bank.
The whole point of Harry Potter dying and being reborn Harry Steel has everything to do with him getting out of all paperwork the old man had him sign under compulsion. That includes the marriage to Ginny, the will that states all his money goes to Ginny and the old man, and anything else they might have missed in their search. It was entirely logistical. (with the side benefit of breaking the prophecy). The other upside to Harry being a Steel instead of a Potter is the fact that tracking spells/rituals looking for Harry potter won't work because as far as magic is concerned Harry Potter is dead. (see curse scar for confirmation).
When the Order does find out the boy is missing they are going to search the UK using spells and knocking on doors. When they can't find the boy on the island they are going to look to the closest major city on the continent which is Paris. Especially when they find out the Grangers are in Paris on vacation. It's logical to think Harry ran off with his girlfriend. When they get to Paris they are going to run into the fake story of Hermione buying tents, food, one time wands, and book on tracking spells. They will follow that lead to Germany.
Behind the scenes: My first draft of this story had Tonks taking Harry's place at his aunt's house for a few weeks as Harry and the Grangers ran to the US. The idea being that everyone else from their list would have vanished before Harry Potter. This would have delayed the escalation of the plot but it felt too slow and too much like Investigator Harry Steel where Harry makes a good life for himself in the US and only after a few months does the old man figure out where he is. This way Harry gets to bond with his sister. Spend time with Dan alone for some Man to Man talks. Also Harry and Hermione end up together faster this way because he has Tonks in his corner pushing him to be with the girl. We get chapter 15 action in chapter 5 and chapter 25 action in chapter 10.
Q2. Can You make Hedwig an animagus? Why did you make Hedwig a cat? Can you do the same thing to Crookshanks?
A2. I could make her an animagus, but why? Once Harry gets a wand he can turn his bird into anything he wants. (And he will). As for why I made her a cat in the first place? I hate birds as pets, I think having a big white owl is a dead give away, and if it wouldn't have caused a big stink and I could have fit it in I would have gotten rid of the bird in favor of a normal pet like a dog/cat, or something that's really cool like a magic creature. I would not make a story with no pet. Talking to animals is a big part of the HP cannon. As for crookshanks, like JKR, I forgot about him. By the sixth book I think he's mentioned like twice and most fanfiction omits him totally.
Behind the scenes: I was really thinking about starting the second chapter with the death of Hedwig. A kind of 'this is how my summer has been going' cut to his fat uncle ringing the birds neck. But it felt too cliche. Every author that wants to get rid of the bird has her die in the same way. Vernon kills her by violently. Instead I looked for a work around and came up with turning her into a cat. We see in one of the films they turn birds and other animals into silver goblets in transfiguration class, why not other animals?
Q3. Will we see the old man's reaction to finding out….?
A3. Not really. I feel like if I spend too much time on the old man freaking out over losing Harry/anything else it takes away from what I wanted this story to be, which is a story about Harry getting his balls back and living his life on his terms. By the end of the story the old man, the dark lord, and magical Britain are nothing more than roadblocks. When this story ends, if I did it right, I should be able to write a sequel that has nothing to do with the UK and still have it be exciting. In fact it should be more exciting seeing as a few well placed bullets and a reality check could solve most of the UK's problems (See Old Soldiers Never Die by Rorschach's blot). The end result of the story is Harry pretty much becomes the Harry Steel from the beginning of Black Hand's Old west story minus the grumpy old man stink.
Q4. Are you going to save…..?
A4. Most likely yes. But they might not all come to the US/live with Harry and the group. Or they might choose to go back for one reason or another. I can say now this story is going to have a low Good guy body count. They bad guys on the other hand, they are not going to have a good time.
Q5. How much inspiration are you taking for TheBlackHand724? Will there be other Steels? Will there be any crossovers?
A5. I'm taking most of the world from IHS, but I'm tweaking it to fit my story. I'm adding characters, cutting character, and changing characters to fit the narrative. Harry is the only Steel in this story. He's restarting an old dead cadet line not joining a dying line. There will be no crossovers this story. Like I hinted earlier I might do a sequel to this story that takes place a few years later with crossovers.
Q6. Why are Emma and Dan cool with running away because they're daughter's boyfriend is in trouble?
A6. They are not running away because Harry is in trouble. They are running away because their daughter is a target and through her they are targets. The HP Books treat the dark lord like Hitler, and his Death Eaters like Nazis SS. Hermione is the equivalent of a half Jewish girl in 1939 Germany and her fully Jewish parents are in a worse situation than she is. Now if someone came to you and warned you that your family was targeted by wizard Nazis then you'd pack your carp in your car and run. The fact that they like Harry, and he's providing them the funds to run has nothing to do with the fact that they had to run in the first place.
That's everything i had. Sorry i was so long winded. If i missed something let me know in a review or PM. If you have any more question or if you find something confusing please let me know. Now on with the show.
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The next three days flew by for Harry. He woke up in his big king sized bed when he heard a knocked on his door. He couldn't remember the last time he slept that hard. He felt a hundred times better today than he did the day before and that was a pretty good day. He looked at the foot of the big bed and saw his bird turned cat laying on to blankets in a half awake half asleep stupor.
"You up?" Dora asked through the door.
"Yeah. I'm up." Harry said hopping out of bed and walking to the door. He opened it to find Dora in a light yellow sundress and white tennis shoes. Her blond hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and she had big white plastic framed sunglasses perched on the top of her head. She wore less make up today. It all had the effect of making her look younger.
"Hey Kid. The bathroom is free. Go take a shower and get dressed. We're checking out in a half hour then we're going to go find a cafe and get breakfast. Dump your dirty clothes in this bag." She said pointing to a canvas sack by their bags in the living room.
"Yeah. I'll be ready to ge in twenty minutes." Harry said grabbing his wash kit and a pair of boxers before heading into the already steamy bathroom.
Harry took off his watch and hopped into the shower without looking in the mirror. When he got out of the shower he checked the stubble on his face and saw it was just growing in so he didn't bother shaving. He put his glamour watch back on and walked out of the bathroom without seeing his scar was gone. He tossed on a pair of jeans, a black under armor workout shirt, his dragon hide vest, his gun rig, and his black track jacket. He pulled on his trainers and tossed the clothes he had on the day before into the laundry bag and helped Dan get all their bags to the front lobby.
They checked out and Dora lead them to a cafe a few miles away by the waterfront where he took the first dose of the two portions the healers prescribed for him. After breakfast Dan let Harry drive his car again as he continued his quest to find the younger man's favorite band. They drove south to a heavily wooded area where Dora used a one time wand to put up a privacy field around the stand of trees.
They took about an hour to test fire all the guns they got the day before. Dora had a pack of paper plates and some thumb tacks she picked up at a convenient store up the road. She set up a few plates on some of the bigger trees and had them all take turns shooting at the ten inch plates on the trees. Dan was a very good shot. He was a former SAS operator and his trigger control and aim was scary good. With that being said Dora was no slouch. Her dad had taken her shooting all the time as a kid and she was getting some really good hits a well. The kids did pretty good with the pistols which confused Dan.
"You kids are pretty good already. You're doing way better then a first timer should." Dan said.
"We're used to aiming wands. It's essentially like shooting from the hip. To hit anything with a spell you have to have a good sense where your point of aim is because you can't cast spells from eye level. The fact that this gun has easy to use three dot sights and very little kick is also big help. I just have to work on my trigger control." Harry said pulling his plate off the tree. The plate had ten holes that we're all a little high and to the left.
"You're anticipating the shot too much. Try this one. It has zero kick. You won't flinch when the gun goes off." Dan said handing Harry the enchanted Sig p226 tacops with the recoil enchantments and taking Harry's Browning Hi-power. Harry tried it a few times and grinned as his shots landed in the center of the plate.
"This gun is too big for my hand." Hermione said handing her dad the Sig p226 back. "Do you have something smaller?" She asked.
"Try the CZ75. It's a big gun but the grip is nice and slim. Also try the 1911, it fits any hand." Dan said handing his daughter the gun off the table.
"I think the little Sig p238 pocket gun is the perfect fit for you Emma. It's also small enough to fit in a pocket so you don't need to wear the shoulder rig." Dora said helping the other Granger girl find her gun.
"But I like the shoulder rig. It's cool and it keeps with the spy them. I think I'm going to go with the 1911." Emma said with a grin as she set the small pocket gun down and picked up the stainless steel 1911 off the bench.
"That is the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say Emma." Dan said from his place a few feet away.
"Really? Is this doing it for you?" Emma asked with a smirk she put the gun in the shoulder rig hider her left arm and winked at him.
"Damn right woman." Dan said looking at his wife with a hungry look in his eyes.
"Tonight you can show me." Emma said totally forgetting there were other people around.
"Ew. I didn't need to hear that." Hermione said but the smirk on her face told a different story. She knew this trip was good for her parents. They had fallen into a rut in the last few years. She just hoped the next hotel they stayed in had thicker walls. She did not want to hear the sounds of her parents going at it again.
"Sorry sweetie. But the last time your dad looked at me like this you were born nine months later." Emma said with a shrug.
"TMI mum. T.M.I. and you." Hermione said turning on her dad trying not to laugh. "More teaching and less flirting." She said.
"Yes princess. Here try the MP5. This was the weapon I carried in the service. Well not this exact model. I had and MP5-SD6 this model is for concealed protection work. You could wear this under a suit jacket and it would be hard to spot it. The MP5 is a roller delayed blow back submachine gun. It also has the best factory sights ever made. All you do is tuck the shoulder stock into your shoulder, look through the small hole, line it up with the hooded front sight, and squeeze the trigger nice and smooth." Dan said demonstrating for the two kids. He squeezed off a three round burst and put all their round in the center of the plate in a two inch group.
"Cool dad." Hermione said really seeing her dad in his element for the first time.
"Now you two try." Dan said handing the MP5 off to his daughter.
Dan was feeling the adrenaline rush that came from knowing you still had it. He looked over and saw his wife looking at him the way she did when they first met in university twenty years ago. Dan had been twenty pounds lighter and looked like he was cut from granite back then. He was still in good shape, but twenty years was twenty years. He looked at his wife and had to admit that the years had been better to her. She still looked fit and if anything she looked better now than she did back then. She was too skinny back in school. This uprooting of their boring life had been almost all good for them. Emma walked up to him and kissed him hard. As she did her hand snaked down and grabbed his ass.
"When we get to the next town we're going to find a bathroom and you're going to make good on the promises your eyes are making." She said in a low husky tone that made his pants a little too tight.
"Woman, I have half a mind to take you into the woods right now but I don't what our daughter to hear how I'm going to make you scream." Dan said roughly grabbing her hips and pulling her into him.
"I saw a motel up the road back that way." Emma said.
"Dora, can you handle this. We need to head back to town for something to drink." Dan said.
"Sure. the motel is just a few miles back up this road. Have fun you two." Dora said without missing a beat.
"Right. Thanks." Dan said picking his wife up and carrying her back to his little sports car. They blasted out of the area kicking up dirt and rocks a few seconds later. Hermione was blushing bright red.
"I hope he brings drinks back. I could do with one of those monsters." Harry said.
"Your parents are going to fuuuuuuck!" Dora said like a little kid.
"Yes. Thanks for stating the obvious." Hermione said before she started laughing which broke the tension. She looked at Harry and wondered if he would ever kiss her like that. He looked over to her when he felt her eyes on him. He saw the look and blushed as he looked back as the target. Hermione smiled. He would kiss her like that, but she had to start it. He was just too bloody shy for his own good.
The Grangers came back to the area almost an hour later. They both looked happy and content. They both had wet hair. And they both walked a little stiffly when they got out of the car. No one said anything but they all grinned at the two. Dan had a bag of sodas and energy drinks which made them all laugh. They packed the cars and headed southeast two hours to Toulouse where they stopped for lunch at just after one. Harry drove the BMW so Dan and Emma could spend more time together.
After a nice lunch at a little beastro they headed further southeast to Marseille. The drive took four hours and as they followed the coast. Harry started the drive in the BMW but let Hermione take over half way to give her a turn at the wheel. When they got to the city it was just after six. Dora lead them to a great little spot on the waterfront where they had great seafood for dinner. They checked into a suite and two separate rooms at the Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port at a little before eight. They tossed their bags in their rooms and took a walk around the area.
Dora had a whispered conversation with Hermione and after that the group split up with the elder Grangers headed to a little bar, Dora to a small cafe, Hermione lead Harry for a walk along the sea wall. Harry screwed up his courage and took her hand in his. Hermione smiled. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until they reached a little pier that jutted out into the sea. Harry led her to the end of the pear and looked out at the big boats parked in the bay.
"It's so nice here. Very romantic. We have to come back some time and do this trip again but do it slower and take our time in each place. You know what I mean?" He said looking her in the eyes.
"I do. Harry, we're friends right? She asked.
"Of course. We're more then friends. We're… I don't know? But were more than friends. I'd say family but that would be weird." Harry said.
"Why would it be weird?" She asked with a smile. She thought she knew, and she did.
"Well, It'd be weird because I want to kiss you." Harry said blushing bright red.
"So why don't you kiss me?" She asked stepping closer to him and looking at his lips.
"That's a good question." Harry said as he leaned in and kissed her.
It was awkward at first for him being his first real kiss, but soon he forget anything else existed in the world because Hermione deepened the kiss and pressed her body into his which fried his young hormonal brain. When they came up for air a few minutes later Harry found his right hand tangled in the hair at the back of her head and his left hand firmly planted on her bum. He blushed and started to pull his hand back but her hand shot out and held it in place.
"That's where that's supposed to go Harry. Leave it there." She said kissing his neck close to his ear.
"I like it there. I was just hoping that you wouldn't think I was too forceful or something." Harry said with a grin.
"Harry, I want you to know something. If you drug me back to the hotel and had your way with me right now I wouldn't think you were too forceful. Because that's what I want to do to you. I have for a while now. But I don't think you're ready for things to go that fast. I think we start with this, and take the next few days to work our way up to that. For now, kiss me Harry, and maybe tomorrow I'll let you touch me somewhere else." She said with a sexy grin as she attacked his mouth again. Harry felt her tongue slip into his mouth and he moaned as she ground her hips into him.
They walked back to the hotel an hour later with two goofy grins on their faces. They headed up to the top floor and they stopped in front of the door to her room, she was not sharing a room with her folks tonight. In fact they were two rooms over and she thought she could hear them when they walked by the door. She opened the door to her room and turned back to look at him with a smile.
"I had a nice time tonight Harry." She said leaning against the door frame.
"You think you had a good time?" Harry said leaning into her. He kissed her. It was a soft sweet kiss that made them both smile.
"Good night Harry. Sweet dreams." She said walking into her room.
"You too. I love you you know that right?" He said as if to clarify things.
"Yes I do. I love you. You know that right?" She said smiling at his cute awkwardness.
"Yeah. See you in the morning." Harry said smiling as he turned around.
"Hey Harry?" She called out and he turned around. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it off over her head revealing her black lace bra. "Something to hold you over." She said with a sexy shrug as she shut the door leaving Harry standing in the hall looking gobsmacked and light headed.
He turned around and stumbled to his room with a big grin. He opened the door and saw Dora sitting on the couch with Hedwig in her lap drinking a glass of wine and smirking. He saw her cloak sitting on the couch and knew she had been watching them. He felt anger at first but then he thought about it and he smiled at her. She was just looking out for him. And how sad was her night? She had to stand on a pier and watch two teens stumble their way through their first snog.
"I'd tell you how things went, but I'm sure you saw." Harry said dropping into the seat next to her on the couch and taking his cat.
"I did, it took you long enough kid. The girl had to practically do all the work." She said with a smile.
"It's not like I know what I'm doing. I never talked to anyone about this stuff. My only real best friend is the girl I love and it's not like I can ask her right?" Harry said.
"I suppose that's true. If only you had a big sister you could come to for advice." Dora said putting her arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a hug.
"Do you have any suggestions wise and all knowing big sister?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"I do. The next time you guys get some alone time turn your brain off and just go for it. You think too much kid. You need to relax. Also from now on when you see her take her hand. Sit next to her. Touch her. Girls are tactile. Also, and this is important, tomorrow when we meet up to check out you have to kiss her in front of her parents. And you can't be shy about it. Don't stick your tongue down her throat and grab her bum but don't just give her a peck on the lips. Kiss her. That way you get it out in the open. Also don't be awkward around Dan tomorrow. You two have been hanging out a lot on this trip and I think it's good for you. Dan's an easy going guy and he knows you love his daughter. He'll probably warn you about breaking her heart but after that he'll go back to being your friend." Dora said.
"He already knows I love Hermione. We talked about it that first time I drove his car. I think he's rooting for me more then you are." Harry said yawning.
"Good. Now off to bed with you. Those healing tonics are kicking your ass." Dora said pulling him off the couch. Harry surprised her by hugging her.
"Thanks for watching out for us tonight sis and thanks for the advice. I love you." Harry said.
"I love you too kid. And I'm happy for you two. Now off to bed and remember try to sleep in as much as you can tomorrow morning. We have a long day ahead of us." She said rubbing his back before she broke the hug.
"I remember. Good night." He said walking over to his room with hedwig on his shoulder. That night he dreamed of Hermione and he slept with a big smile on his face.
The next day they slept in until almost noon. Harry woke up and found that he could see better than he could the day before. He now had bad eyesight instead of being blind without his glasses. He was so excited that he took a shower and got dressed before he put on his glasses which shifted to fit his new prescription. They met the Grangers in the lobby of the hotel for brunch. Harry confidently walked up to Hermione and pulled her into a good but short kiss that had the elder Grangers smiling. He happily took his two potions at brunch, and told the table all about his new poor eyesight.
They drove east to Nice after brunch. They mainly stuck to the coastal roads the whole way to capitalize on the view. Harry again found himself driving Dan's car. The older man gave him a hard look when they first got into the car and Harry smiled.
"I know. If I hurt her you kill me. The truth is, if I ever hurt her I want you to kill me so I don't have to lose her." Harry said without preamble.
"You're serious? That's not just some line right?" Dan asked with a smirk.
"No sir. I've made it this far in life because your daughter has stuck by my side. I can't even picture life without her. I'd ask you now for permission to marry her but I think maybe we should date for a few months first. But just so you know, Hermione is the girl for me. The fact that she loves me back is just crazy. There is no reason a girl that awesome should ever love a bloke like me. The fact that she does is just ridiculous. On a scale of one to ten she's like a twelve and I'm a five on my best day." Harry said looking bewildered.
"I know what you mean. I was discharged from the service after a bad night jump exercise broke my right leg. I was still walking around on crutches with a bloody mess of a leg when I meet Emma. She held the door open for me. Which really hurt my pride let me tell you. I was taught you always hold the door for a lady. Not the other way around. But as I walked past her and got a good look at her I was transfixed. I was so lost I mistimed my next step and ended up falling on my ass. Emma rushed over to me and helped me up. Then she walked me to class carrying my books. I was so embarrassed. When the class ended she was waiting for me at the door. She took my books and lead me to a small coffee shop on campus. I tried to protest but she was having none of it. We sat in that coffee shop and talked for hours. We had a lot in common. We liked the same music and movie, and books. We both grew up in a boring neighborhood and got out as soon as we could. We were both getting over relationships that ended bad. By the time we left I knew. She was the one son. She was perfect and if she wanted to spend time with me then I was a lucky man." Dan said with a nostalgic smile on his face.
"That's an amazing story. I wish our story was as good." Harry said with a grin and a head shake.
"Oh? What happened? By the way, you want one?" Dan asked pulling out a box of small cigars.
"Sure. I'll try one. What is it?" Harry said taking one and turning his head sideways so Dan could light it as he kept his eyes on the BWM in front of him.
"It's a Cohiba miniature cigar. All the taste of a cigar in a smaller easier to smoke package. I got a real taste for them right before Emma made me quit smoking. That was about fifteen years ago when all those anti smoking ads started popping up everywhere." Dan said sitting back in his seat and enjoying his mini cigar.
"I like it. It tastes better than the cigarette Dora gave me." Harry said enjoying the cigar but more importantly he was enjoying the male bonding.
"You were saying how you met my little girl?" Dan reminded him.
"Right. Well the first time I met her was on the train..." Harry and Dan spent the rest of the drive talking about the brown eyed girls they loved.
They made it to Nice just before five. Dora had them park in a self park garage in the city center and they spent the next five hours in the city walking around going in shops and having dinner. Harry was never more than a few feet away from Hermione and he made sure to hold her hand as much as he could like his sister told him. It paid off because by the time Dora rounded them all up they were a lot less awkward around each other. Especially since they spent the last hour sitting on a water front bench with Hermione in his lap kissing and whispering to each other.
They got back into their cars and headed for the airport. They drove right up the a black Gulfstream g550 with the gold bank seal on the tail fin. The jet was sitting in a hanger and as they pulled up to the plane a tall thin blond woman in her twenties with cold blue eyes walked off the jet. She was wearing a black business suit with a knee length skirt, a white silk blouse, and very tall black high heels. When they got out of the cars she stepped up to Dora.
"Mrs. Hunter?" She asked in an American accent.
"Yes. Is the plane ready to go?" Dora asked.
"It is. I'm Abigail Gibson. Call me Abby, I'm your Gringotts concierge. You are going to need these New York plates for your cars. I can put them on and shrink your cars if you don't need anything from them?" The blond asked.
"No we have everything. Please shrink them for us." Dora said.
"Right away Ma'am." Abby said waving her wand at the french number plates to vanish them. She then stuck the smaller square New York plates on the cars before she waved her wand over the cars and they shrank to the size of a matchbox car. She picked the two cars up and handed them to Dora.
"Okay, everyone on the plane." Dora said waving them onto the jet.
When they stepped onto the small plane they knew it was enchanted to the max. The inside was the size of a Boeing 747. There were ten rows of four first class seats in the font of the plane. Behind that was a large conference table with sixteen seats. Next was a full wet bar and two bathrooms. At the back of the plane was a lounge area with a big u shaped couch that could fit twenty people.
"Please take a seat in one of the chair at the front until we take off. Once we get into the air and up to cruising altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of 1,050 mph you can move about the cabin." Abby said with a warm smile.
They all took seats in the first two rows and strapped in. Abby shut the door and knocked on the cockpit door. The jet powered up and taxied onto the runway. The engines powered up and they rocketed up the runway before blasting into the air. They could feel the power and speed. By eleven o'clock they were at cruising speed and altitude. Abby was the first one to stand up and head to the bar.
"Would anyone like a drink?" She asked.
"What kind of scotch do you have?" Dan asked.
"We have Glenlivet 18 and Highland Park 25." Abby said.
"You have Highland Park 25? We'll take two glasses on the rocks. Harry you have to try this. Have you ever had scotch before?" Dan asked dragging Harry over to the bar where Abby poured two finger of scotch into two rocks glasses, added a big ball of ice to each glass, and handed them out.
"No, I've never had a real drink yet." Harry said and Dan nodded with a smile. He took his glass and clinked it with Harry's.
"To your first real drink. May it be the first of many." Dan said taking a sip as he watched Harry do the same. He was pleased to see the boy take a small sip and savor it.
"Wow, that's an interesting taste. I think I like it." Harry said taking a slightly bigger sip and nodding as the girls approached the bar.
"I'll have a cosmo in a rocks glass over ice if you have everything to make it?" Dora asked.
"We have everything." Abby said.
"In that case I'll take one too. How about you Hermione?" Emma asked her daughter.
"Sure. Is that the drink we had at the Christmas party last year?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. They are really good." Emma said.
"We also have a cheese plate and a fruit plate if you're feeling peckish? Also you can smoke on the plane if you need to." Abby offered as she added ingredients into a shaker.
"I wouldn't mind taking a look at the cheese plate." Dora said with a smile.
"We should be landing in about four hours. I have a portkey to take us to the bank. From there we can expand your cars and I can show you to the Potter building…" She was interrupted by Harry.
"Wait, the name of the building is the Potter?" Harry asked in shock.
"Yes. It's a big 25 floor white marble faced building located on Central Park West and 81st street. You're facing the park and your next door neighbor is the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. You have the penthouse apartment. Nine bedrooms and twelve bathrooms, a movie room, a library, a game room, a shooting range, a gun room, a formal dining room, and kitchen." She was interrupted by Dan this time.
"Sorry, did you say shooting range?" Dan asked.
"Yes. Apparently the ballroom was converted into a 100 foot long 50 foot wide shooting range. The goblins were contracted to build it in 1950. It was in the paperwork for the house. Just like the magical power outlet installation in 1901 for the whole building. The Potter is a magical residence that offers an elf cleaning service and full time kitchen. There is an underground parking garage in built in 1935. That was later upgraded in 1955 when cars got more popular with mages. The penthouse also has a glassed in roof garden with a 25x100 foot pool, a running track, and an 18 hole miniature golf course." She said read off the FAQ sheet for the property.
"And this is only one of ten houses I own." Harry muttered.
"Harry can we live with you for the rest of our lives. This place has everything." Dan said laughing.
"Sure, why not?" Harry said and Dan could see he wasn't joking. They both shared a smile.
"The apartment comes with four cars, but they are not listed on the sheet, it just says that four of the twenty parking spaces are occupied." Abby said.
"Hey maybe I got a Ferrari you can borrow?" Harry said sharing a smirk with Dan.
"Maybe?" Dan said looking excited.
"I feel like this is where I should caution you. No one has lived in this place for over fifteen years. The elf housekeeping service has kept the place clean, but you are essentially walking into a house built in 1900 and was last updated in the mid 90s. If the place is not to your liking and you don't want to stay there tonight I have a four bedroom suite on hold at the Waldorf Astoria. We have a lot to do in the next week and after that I'm afraid you are on your own. I go back to Europe at the end of the week. The bank might assign you another concierge after I leave but I'm not sure." Abby said.
"Wait, you're working for us for the rest of the week? I just thought you were flying us to America." Dora said.
"No, I have strict instructions from the head of the American bank branch to get you whatever you want. You are to get the full red carpet treatment. You are our third wealthiest client in America Mr. Steel and that entitles you to our platinum level service. That includes access to our fleet of private jets for chartered flights, as well as access to our car service, and access to our goblin builders. Of course all of these things cost money but the fact that you can charter a plane like this is very rare. Less than a hundred wizards in the world are on that list. For a fee you could even keep me on for as long as you're willing to pay. Think of me like a genie, your wish is my command. I know from my boss that most of you need new untrackable wands so I have you booked for a ten am appointment at a master wand maker. I also know that you left the UK with the clothes on your backs so I blocked out some time tomorrow to hit the shops. Aside from that I would like you to go through the apartment and make a list of changes you would like done and I'll have a team of goblin builders in to handle it in the next two days. After that it's up to you." Abby said with a smile.
"So all we have to do is ask and you'll get it for us?" Harry asked. This was a level of service he was not ready for.
"That's the way this works. You want tickets to a show or a sporting event? You want food from a restaurant on the other side of the country? You want a swimming pool full of butterscotch pudding and ten call girls? I can get it for you for a good if not discount price." Abby said with a smile.
"Butterscotch pudding?" Harry asked.
"You want that? I can have it ready by the time we get to the apartment." Abby said pulling out an iPhone.
"No! God No! I'm just saying." Harry said.
"You can't joke around with me about things like that. I can make anything happen for the right price." Abby said with a smirk.
"I see that. Well I'm sure we're going to need a few things. But off the top of my head I can't think of anything at the moment. I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough. For now we just need wands. Later we may need to charter a few flights. There are more people we left back in the UK and we would like to get them and their families out at some point. If you were to drop one of us off in Paris. We could take the chunnel and go pick them up in a van or something. Drive them back to Paris and fly out to avoid customs." Harry said.
"That's an idea, or you could just get a bunch of reusable paired portkeys. It would be faster and cheaper." Abby said.
"Paired portkey?" Hermione asked causing Dora and Harry to look at her in shock. If they didn't know they expected her to know. The fact that she asked was a bit much for them to handle.
"Two objects linked together. A target and a vehicle. The vehicle when activated portkeys to the target object. No matter how far away they are. You don't have to keep buying portkeys that way. I have a bunch of paired portkeys for work. I have these gold cards." She said pulling a business card holder out of her bag and showing them the fifty cards inside. They looked like gold leafed cards with cities written on them.
"So you can buy a set of these paired portkeys, leave one in Tokyo and you can just pop over any time?" Hermione asked looking shocked.
"Yeah? I do it all the time for work. The trip sucks. It's takes like 45 seconds of spinning and you land feeling like your stomach has been turned inside out. But it beats a day long plane trip. When I want to come home I just take the portkey to my office. In a busy week I'm all over the world for work. Close a deal in Paris, buy a house in London, sell a painting in Madrid. You name it I've done it. A set cost about $5,000 but I got a guy that sells them to me for $2,500 a set if I buy in bulk. That might sound expensive but think about it this way for $2,500 you never have to take a plane ever again. I don't even fly to a destination to set up the first portkey any more. I send the card in the mail and when it gets to the bank branch I pop over. How have you never heard of a paired portkey? They don't have them in the UK? You guys at least have safety bracelets right?" Abby asked.
"Safety bracelets?" Harry asked.
"It's a paired portkey that monitors your health. If you get hurt or sick it transports you to the hospital that issued the bracelet. This one is connected to the magical emergency room of my local hospital." Abby said pulling out a stainless steel medical bracelet from her bag.
"I use this if I'm going to a third world country, or if I'm going hiking in the woods, or if I go rock climbing. These things work even if you're unconscious. They also work as emergency portkeys. If you twist this plate and pull it apart it activates. How do you guys not have stuff like this? The UK must really be like a magical vacuum. You know that it's labeled a no go zone right? You can go to non magical Britain but they tell you to avoid the magical parts at all cost. You have to get a special travel permit from our government to buy a portkey to the UK. Not that anyone would want to go there. That would be like traveling to North Korea for vacation. The ICW blockaded the island last year to keep the English purebloods in. You can't get international portkeys off the island without filling out a form. And when British purebloods leave the UK they are watched by local aurors on orders from the ICW." Abby explained which caused the three mages to look at her with gaping mouths.
"How did I not know this? I was an auror. I mean I knew about the paperwork to leave by portkey. It's why I wanted to leave the island like a muggle but I didn't know it was so the ICW could track Brits like criminals." Dora said.
"You think your government likes to give out this information? That's if they even know. I wouldn't put it past the ICW to not tell your ministry about the reason for the paperwork. You guys are treated like lepers in America and most of the world. You all should start practice your American accent. Or you better yet, just say you're from Austria if you walk into a magical shopping district anywhere in the world. You guys aren't purebloods right? The bank is not harboring purebloods?" She asked half joking but they could see she was afraid that they were purebloods and that she was breaking the law.
"No, I'm a muggleborn, Harry and Dora are half bloods, and my parents are squibs." Hermione said.
"Good. There are laws about smuggling purebloods out of the UK. If they can get off the island by themselves the muggle way then it's fine, but if they are the crazy kind that are afraid of cars and don't have electricity in their houses then you can get in trouble for bringing them out of Britain without filling out the proper paperwork. If they get caught doing something odd then it could blow back on you for bringing them over without informing the ICW. You're friends aren't those type right?" Abby asked.
"Neville is. Luna might be. But then again Neville is dating Susan Bones and her aunt lives in Notting Hill in a modern town house. They should be fine and we'll make sure to look out for them." Hermione said thinking about their friends they wanted to get off the island.
"I'm sure your friends will be fine then. The law is really there to help prosecute criminals who get off the island and cause trouble. It's another charge they can level on a criminal when they get caught. Like charging mobsters for tax evasion." Abby explained.
"But how can the ICW blockade the UK if Dumbledore is the Head of the ICW?" Hermione asked.
"Um, no he's not. he might have told you guys that but the head of the ICW is a Japaneses Arch Mage by the name of Hagiru Sato. The UK hasn't had a repetitiveness since the 80's, and they've been kicked out of the ICW since the 90's. Don't you guys get international news in the UK?" Abby asked.
"Not really. The Prophet covers a few stories but then again their news staff is small and they don't have international reporters." Dora said in a voice that sounded haunted.
"Well the UK is not in the ICW and until you just brought him up I've only ever heard of Dumbledore in passing." Abby said.
"How can we be this cut off from everything?" Dora asked.
"You're an island. Technically in Island inside and island. the only magic you know is what's taught at school, the only mag world you know is the one in the UK, the only press you get is a paper practically run by purebloods, and from the way you guys talk about it, it sounds like the UK mages just go with the flow. it's the opposite in America. Magic is all over the place, not concentrated in one place. Every city has a paper and news station. in fact we have whole tv channels dedicated to Magical programming, and American's pride themselves on question everything.
"That's good to know. What else should we know about America so we can fit in better?" Harry asked.
"Let's see, we drive on the correct side of the road like most of the world." Abby said with a smirk.
"Hey!" Dan said laughing.
"The currency is the US dollar of course, but you can use it in magic shops. In fact almost no one uses gold galleons. Everyone takes dollars. You'll find that there is very little difference between magical and non-magical shops. We don't keep things very separate in general. Magic is an open secret in America. For the most part, Mages keep their magic to themselves and non-magicals just shrug off the oddities. America is a big place and folks tend to live with the people they feel the most comfortable with. Take for instance The Potter apartments. It's a magical residence. There are squibs living there but probably not a lot of non-magicals. But walking into the Lobby of the building you wouldn't know it was a magical building." She explained.
"But how do they explain away the wizard robes and witches hats?" Hermione asked thinking about all the adult mages she knew.
"Robes and hats? Really? Mages wear that stuff everyday in the UK? We only ever wear that stuff during special occasions or formal state dinners. Mages wear regular clothes pretty much everywhere." Abby said trying really hard to not sound like she was looking down on these Brits but come on. Wizard robes and witches hats? It's like they are a hundred or more years in the past. It was like dealing with Amish people.
"It must be hard to hide magical crimes from the Muggles though right?" Dora asked.
"Magical crime is almost nonexistent in America. Petty crimes committed by mages are investigated by local cops trained in magic. We do have Aurors, but they only handle major crimes committed by or against mages. They are highly skilled and they have the authority to use deadly forces if they deem it necessary. They're like the Magical FBI. and our magical court system punishes mages harshly for crimes committed against non-magicals. The use of magic in a theft could net you real jail time, mages that use their magic to rape, murder, or harm a child usually end up getting the death penalty. We are taught at a young age to use our magic responsibly. If you break the law you face real jail time. Every magical family has a horror story about a family member that did something stupid and got executed for it. Most of the time it's just a ghost story to scare kids straight but. It works. America might have a crime problem in big cities, but not a magical crime problem. Mages are too afraid to misuse their power." Abby said.
"What's the education system like? Hogwarts is supposed to be the premier magical school in the world." Hermione asked knowing this was going to hurt. Harry knew it too. He slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.
"First off, I've heard about Hogwarts. Odd name for a school, but I've heard about it. There may be some validity to their claims. We don't have many all magical schools like that in America. Mage children, for the most part, attend regular schools and take weekend or after school classes in magic. Only kids that have a real talent for magic take more than that. Advanced magical courses are offered in about a dozen universities in the country. In America it's more important to be able to do math and science then charms and potions. As a whole you will be more skilled than the average wizard but probably less skilled then a really dedicated university student who is studying to get a masters in a specific field of magic." Abby said.
"What about OWLs and NEWTs?" Hermione asked.
"What are those?" Abby asked.
"Exams magical kid have to take to prove they have an understanding of magic so they don't get their wands snapped and their cores bound." Hermione said said in a voice that was coming to a very dark conclusion. The supposed 'best magic school in the world my ass.' she thought leaning into Harry.
"Jesus. We don't have anything like that. Magic is a voluntary thing. There are mages that never get any formal training. They just picked up a few spells and potions from their family. What kind of barbaric country did you guys come from?" Abby said looking shocked.
"Obviously a backwards dark one. But that's behind us now." Harry said hugging Hermione. He wanted her to know he was right there with her.
"Well, in that case welcome to the new millennium. I'm sorry if I'm starting to get repetitive or rude but it's just so shocking to hear the way you guys live. It's like meeting people from a lost tribe in the jungle. I've been around the world and I can say without a doubt that the things you've said about the UK are borderline crazy. I never went into the magical side of the UK. In fact if the goblins have to do business with people from outside the UK they do it at a small office in downtown London." Abby said.
"Well, I for one am looking forward to America. From the way you described it, it sounds like that land of milk and honey." Harry said.
"It is. Mages on average make more than non-mages because of the galleon exchange rate. They live in nice houses, drive nice cars, and put their kids in private schools. Being a mage in America gets you access to some really nice private clubs and events. I can get you set up at a very nice private country club in New Jersey that's about an hours drive from you apartment. They have a stunning 18 hole golf course, as well as a sporting clay shooting range, horseback riding, polo, and a host of other activities. We're in the heart of the baseball season. That means Yankee games or Mets games. You have a townhouse in Chicago that is right next to Wrigley Field. I can get you Cubs tickets. American league Quidditch is also right in the middle of their season. I can get you tickets to a New York Dragons game. Or a better yet a Chicago Shadow Cats game. The Cats have an all girls first line this year and they are leading the league at the moment." Abby said.
"Is American league like the UK league?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so. American league is played in football stadiums. That's real football by the way, not soccer. It's play six on six. Five chasers and a keeper. The games are two hours long and split into four half hour quarters. Each goal is one point. Teams usually have three lines of chasers and two keepers. I suppose it's more like hockey now that I think about it. The season runs from the first week in March and runs to the beginning of August. There are like 30 teams split into east and west coast conferences. A season is 100 games long. At the end of the regular season the top eight in the east and west play each other in a best of five bracket elimination style system. The league finals is a best of seven match. The Dragons won last year but they sold off half their team to make salary cap. Chicago looks like they are going to do it this year. The L.A. Bears always make the playoffs. The same with the Vegas Vampires, and the San Francisco Unicorns in the west. In the east it's the New York Dragons, Chicago Shadow Cats, and the Miami Sand Sharks that always make the playoffs." Abby said.
"Wow, I'd love to see a game. Maybe we'll set that up for day after tomorrow." Harry said and Abby's phone rang. She stepped into the back to take the call and the rest of the Brits stood around the bar trying to absorb everything they heard in the last hour.
In ones and twos they split up. Harry sat with Hermione on the couch in the back of the plane. Dan and Emma sat in the front of the plane. Dora stayed at the bar. Hermione practically sat in Harry's lap as they sipped their drinks and talked in low voices about nothing. Hedwig spent a lot of time in Hermione's lap trying to comfort the girl. They didn't talk about all the things they just learned. As if talking about them would make it all the more true. Instead they talked about all the things they wanted to do when they got to America. Dan and Emma talked about the fact that their home was considered a third world country in the eyes of the wizarding world. Dora thought about everything she heard and tried to digest it all as she made her way through most of the cheese plate.