NOTE: I am posting this story, as well as my others, a few days early as I will soon be on vacation for two weeks. Many of you that have followed my stories will know that that means that I will not be writing during that time and the next chapters will be delayed. Sorry but my family insists, and this is one vacation I intend to get the absolute best out of because they are two of my dream destinations.

Alright enough of that, on with the show!

Once again I own nothing! Just playing with someone else's toys!

READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! As it is the only form of payment any writer here expects!

Chapter 60

Alison Volk stepped into the reception flanked on one side by the Volk Oil advertizing VP (Vice President), Raymond Mar, and on the other by their Director of Racing Relations, Jason Peel. Scanning the room quickly she pointed off to the side, at an area less congested. "Ray," she said to the balding middle aged man wearing a grey suit and looking a little over dressed as most of those present were dressed more business casual than professional, "why don't you get us some drinks while Jay gives me the lay of the land…"

The balding man looked irritated. "Philip assured me…"

She cut him off before he could start. "I'm sure he did!" She spun toward him and glared at him. "First! I do know the business, but Philip is almost twenty years older than me! He knows all of the players while I am still learning them! Second! I was always more interested in bikes over cars! Third! I am supposed to be on my 'walkabout' until the end of the summer! Not here!" she hissed, trying not to draw any more attention than she had, and realizing she was poking the man in the chest.

She stepped back and drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Look, I know you are worried about the business… Dad's death was hard on all of us… and we didn't expect it, not anytime soon anyway…" She sighed a little, then straightened her back, her eyes locking onto his. "We can do this! Philip knows his stuff, Allen was practically born on a rig and can drill anything, and Marc is the best geologist we could beg borrow or buy when it comes to hunting up oil! As for me I'm still learning! But Dad wanted me to go on the walkabout, just like my brothers did… I need to do it too, both to honor his memory and for myself. I'll be there if I'm needed, but I still have things I need to do before I am at Volk fulltime! College springs to mind!"

Ray opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, the words dying in his throat before they made it out. He sighed. "You're right, Allie, I-… I just forget how young you are sometimes. Your brothers are all so much older…"

She smiled softly. "Mom still says I'm the best surprise she ever had."

Ray chucked. "Of that I have no doubt. Though, I do believe she would have liked you to wear something closer to what your brother sent…"

Her eyes hardened. "I'm sure she would have, but I'm seventeen not seventy!" she said waving her arms. "A pinstriped pant suit! Really? And did you see that gaudy thing she had him send for me to wear? That hideous brooch? Who would wear something like that?" She shuddered. "Mom has horrible taste in jewelry! And if she ever hears that I said that the least of your concerns will be that you have been fired!"

Both men chuckled, Marina Volk had a reputation of dressing… gaudy. Not that anyone would ever tell her that.

"Alright, I'll get us something to drink," Ray said as he started to walk away. "Jay, you get her up to speed."

Harry finally had a moment to breathe, one that he took advantage of as he made his escape outside for a couple of minutes, for some fresh air and a little quiet. He took a sip from his drink, finding the cola inside warm and flat. He realized it was the same drink he had been handed over an hour ago when they first came in. "Bleah…" he said under his breath, then drank the rest in a single long gulp, trying to relieve his parched throat.

The camp had been different than he had expected when he returned from the track, quieter. Oh, it had been by no means quiet with people coming and going preparing for dinner, but it had been a much different feeling from the way it was when he left.

The major difference was the absence of one Victor Krum. He did not lay eyes on the man until he was almost finished with dinner, and even then he didn't approach and seemed to have lost interest in stalking his every move.

The other noticeable difference, though not as relieving, was the absence of the girls. Unfortunately this was also accompanied by the absence of his mother and Lady Ako, both of whom he felt he had not spent as much time with as he would have liked during the off season.

Harry sighed as he looked around for a place to throw his cup away. 'This stupid tournament has disrupted so many things over the last few months,' he thought. 'I'll be glad when it's over and everything gets back on track.'

A voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hey Harry!"

A man with straw colored hair, and a wide smile, was walking toward him along with a dark haired woman he knew to be the man's wife. "Martin! Ginger!" he said as a smile tugged on his lips. "It's good to see you both!"

The man clasped his hand and as soon as he was done he found himself wrapped in a firm hug from the woman. "It's good to see you too kid, missed you up in Charlotte. We expected to see you there, see'n as it's so close to home for you."

Harry nodded. "I would have liked to have been there too… but I had to fly back to England… I've had to spend a lot of time there since right before our last race… Some of my birth parents' friends found me… And it turns out they were…" He paused for a moment thinking how to say it. "T-they didn't want me to stay with my aunt…"

Ginger looked horrified, and hugged him again. "So, they weren't anything like what your aunt and uncle told you?" she asked quietly.

Harry sank into the feeling, she and her husband had been friends with his family for several years, and after a particularly bad incident one night at the track they had been told about some of Harry's past.

"No..." he said after a moment, and stood back so he could see them both. "I-I even went and saw my aunt… she apologized." Ginger's eyes seemed to darken with anger. "No, it's alright… She explained some things… about herself, her family… and Vernon." He spat the name out like a particularly nasty taste. "She was afraid of him, and didn't know where to go."

Ginger nodded slowly, seeing that whatever the woman had told him had eased some small part of the hurt he felt.

He shook his head then smiled at the pair. "Anyway, what have you two been up to?" he asked.

Martin smiled. "Not much, finishing up the work on the cars for the new season. Even put one of the first of those new fangled seats in, along with some of the new suspension components. I'm not planning on letting you run off with the championship this year!"

Harry laughed. "Good! I can always use someone behind me in second place, to keep the riffraff at bay, and off my back bumper."

Martin gave a good natured bark of laughter, but sobered quickly. "Just how many girls do you need Mr. Heffner?"

Harry looked at him confused till Ginger began to speak. "We were down at your campsite not too long ago, talking to your mother… And saw several girls rushing to the RVs…"

Harry groaned, as she continued. "I must say, they were all quite pretty, and if I am not mistaken two of them were speaking French," she said with a sly grin.

"Yeah," agreed her husband. "I think you may have missed it kid, I think they spent the day down at Myrtle Beach! That oldest blond, she was still wearing her bikini top when she ran by headed for their RV."

Harry's face reddened as he had the mental image of Fleur running in such a state. "So, they're back?" he asked, without thinking about it.

Ginger decided to see if she could add a little fuel to the fire. "They just pulled in not long before we said our goodbyes. Four teenage girls, all dressed in swimsuits and shorts came running past us." Harry's blush darkened a little. "While talking about what they were planning to wear tonight to the reception. They won't be far behind us I'm sure, as we talked with your mother for a while. She wanted me to tell you or your father she's not coming tonight, her feet are hurting and her ankles are swollen… I didn't know she was pregnant."

Harry nodded. "She didn't tell us until the season end party for the team… Then with all of the travailing we had to do for my parents' estate and all… We just didn't end up telling much of anyone." Harry looked at his watch. "I'd love to stay and talk more, but I'd better head back in, they'll be looking for me."

Martin nodded. "We need to get in there too… I had a sponsor back out on me, so I need to try to find someone interested in filling the spot."

Harry shrugged. "I'll keep an ear open, I hope it wasn't your main sponsor."

The man shook his head. "No, one of the quarters. I'd just like to have someone in place to be sure all my expenses are covered, so not so much comes out of our pockets," he said as they made their way in.

"So, are you going to tell us about those girls, Harry?" Ginger asked, as she wrapped her arm through his.

Harry sighed. "A lot has happened since I saw you last, at the banquet," he said, as they walked and talked. "You met Hermione then but her sister, Luna, couldn't join us that night… The oldest of them is Fleur, she's seventeen, and is from France. She and her sister, the youngest of them Gabrielle, are traveling with their families, and are staying at Fairgrove for a couple of weeks."

He gestured toward the drinks, and they headed that way. "I ran into some trouble at school…" He saw both of his friends look at him disbelievingly. "Not with my classes or anything." They both nodded. "It was with my principal, Mr. Dix. When my parents' friends found me I had to make an unscheduled trip to England to deal with some legal matters." Truth… sort of. "Between that and the days I had either taken off or had scheduled off for SERRA events and things like this, I would have ended up being absent too many days."

He handed both of them a drink and took one for himself. "So, he canceled the agreement with Fairgrove, and used it as an excuse to try and force me to give up my racing for them."

Martin shook his head. "Wasn't the time necessary to deal with your family issues in England something that could be excused?"

Harry nodded. "Usually," he said, as he waved at someone across the room. "But… well, he wanted to make an object lesson, but that didn't go over so well with my parents, let alone Mr. Silverhair, so they withdrew me for the rest of the year to be home schooled, but Mom has been insisting that I need time with some others my own age, so she arranged a visit from some of the international families she has met, and they thought this could be something fun to do on their visit."

Ginger looked at him, skeptical. "So, you want me to believe that four teenage girls have decided that they want to spend part of their trip to the United States here? At a NASCAR race?"

Harry looked confused by her question and Martin clapped him on his shoulder. "Kid, they didn't come here for the race," he said a big smile across his face. "They came here to spend time with you!"

Harry looked at him incredulously, but Ginger agreed with her husband. "Harry, your name was the first thing out of those girls' mouths! They wanted to know where you were, and if you had already left for the reception. I think they were all looking forward to showing off their new swim wear, before they got ready to come over here. They wanted to come here to be with you!"

Harry somehow looked nervous. "T-that's what Al said… but…" His voice trailed off.

Ginger looked at her husband. "Why don't you go find Tannim… I'd like to talk to Harry a minute."

Martin nodded and moved off into the crowd as Ginger led Harry toward one of the small tables. After they sat down she asked him a question. "Harry? Have you ever gone on a date?"

Harry sighed. "I-" He paused thinking about it, "S-sort of… There was a dance, for the international students. I took Luna… She wouldn't have been able to go otherwise. I danced with… well I don't think it counts as a date if you dance with several girls."

Ginger smiled. "So you danced with all of them? At this dance?" she asked.

He nodded. "All except Gabrielle, she wasn't there…"

Ginger nodded. "Alright. I hope you were a gentleman."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I figured as much. Your grandmother wouldn't be at all pleased if you hadn't been."

"That's an understatement," Harry said under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I was just saying you were right."

She smiled at him softly. "I know this is a strange question but, do you want to ask one of them out on a date?"

Harry sagged a little. "It… It doesn't matter, one way or another. I just don't have the time… between school, the track, my..."

"Harry," she said leaning across the table and patting his hand. "Those are excuses. Besides, you need to take some time off, be a kid, have some fun, and if you want to go on a date then go!"

"But…" he began.

She cut him off. "Harry, I have heard your mother tell you that you need to broaden your horizons." Harry groaned. "This is some of what she meant! Friends, maybe a girlfriend, being a teenager, those years will be gone before you know it, and someday you may regret not doing some of these things."

Harry looked down at his hands. "I-I'll think about it."

Ginger patted his hand. "That's all I can ask." She pointed toward the far side of the tent where his father was standing next to Martin and motioning toward Harry. "But you had better do that thinking later, it appears we are being paged."

Harry looked over his shoulder. "No rest for the weary," he said, as he stood up and offered her his arm.

She looked him over. "You do look a little tired," she said, taking his arm.

He sighed. "It's been a long day…"

A chuckle came from Ginger, as she gestured toward the main entrance. "And it looks like it will be a little longer, Harry."

Wondering what she meant, he looked over. All four girls were just entering, and while three of them weren't dressed in the finery that they had been wearing at the Yule ball, he liked the way they were dressed now much better.

Fleur stood to the far right, her hands gently resting on the shoulders of Gabrielle, who was dressed in a cute flowered sundress. Fleur was smiling brightly and talking with the two older girls, dressed in a yellow sleeveless top and light tan slacks, her hair pulled back by a matching yellow headband.

Laughing at something the older girl had said, Luna stood in the middle, wearing a white and blue dress pulled in at the waist with a thin dark colored belt, but, once again, she had refused to give up her favorite new shoes. A pair of grey tennis shoes, with small pouches on the outside, called Kangaroos.

On the left stood Hermione, her eyes scanning the room as she chewed on the edge of her lower lip. Unlike the others she had chosen darker colors, a dark blue short sleeved top, and dark slacks.

'Maybe… Maybe they were right. Maybe…' he thought, but he shook those thoughts away. Now was not the time for worrying about those sorts of things, he had responsibilities. Those had to take priority for right now.