Chapter 7

Hello dear people. Sorry it always takes so long to update this story. Sometimes I just don't have any ideas and sometimes I don't have the time. But I won't give up on this story, so rest easy.

Also a few little things.

First, thanks for all the positive reviews, as well as thanks to everyone else who follows this or any of the other stories.

Second, I only write stories that I intend to write myself, however if anyone has any ideas for some things inside the fanfiction which have already been created (mainly this one plus my Sword Art Online fanfiction) I'd be happy to hear them, but I can't guarantee to actually write your ideas.

Third, I'm not interested in any kind of RolePlay on the site itself. This only exists in my stories themselves.

So, having said my main thoughts on this, enjoy the latest chapter.

(The next morning)

The sun begins to rise and sunbeams illuminate the hotel room. It's time for our hero to get up and start a new, peaceful day full of joy. There's just one little thing.

He had slept very little and not very well. And why? Because something doesn't seem right about this town!

Unknown New Magic Four Men in Black Surrounded by Dark Magic A Spell Book That Seems Both Powerful and Suspicious And Now Roxy's Message About Magical Fairy Stuffed Animals!?

Harry gradually began to get off the bed and just stared at nothing.

"I wanted to vacation someplace quiet and beautiful away from the magical community and all, but now I have at least as much to deal with as I did all my school years!" Harry thought to himself as he tried to find his to calm thoughts.

Of course, Harry knew he probably wouldn't be able to completely ignore magic even when on vacation, but he really didn't expect that.

"It doesn't make much sense to think about it now when I know for sure where I could get at least some answers," Harry murmured, finally getting up from the bed.

After that he did his usual morning routine. He greeted Hedwig, showered, changed, went to breakfast and then started jogging with Hedwig to his new job.

Once he got there, he would simply have to ask Roxy. What is it about these magical fairy cuddly toys and how is it said about it on the internet of all places.

Any normal person would have thought it was either a lie or just a publicity stunt, but Harry knew better. After all, he had sensed magic in Gardenia several times now, and relatively powerful ones at that. He just knew it had to do with either those men in black or those other six girls.

"Although there's also the question of why the US Department of Magic doesn't seem to be doing anything about it. The secrecy law isn't unique to Britain, after all," Harry said mentally.

After about half an hour and a short "Reficite", he finally arrived at the Fruity Smoothie Bar. He didn't see Roxy there yet, but Klaus was already taking care of the tables and chairs.

"Ah, good morning, Harry. Nice to see you up early and ready for work," Klaus said upon spotting Harry.

"Good morning to you too, sir. I'm ready for whatever you need me to do at the moment," Harry said to the man.

"Good! I like a dedicated worker. You can already get the groceries out of the freezer and start dressing up the bar. Then you just clean up a bit and serve the guests as soon as they arrive," Klaus said to his young worker and then went back to work himself.

Harry then moved to the back room and began what Klaus was telling him. Of course he would work hard, as he promised Klaus and Roxy, but damn it, he really wished Roxy was already there to answer his questions.

But well, she'll show up later, after all she has to work too.

Harry then spent the next hour and a half working calmly and quietly, only the birds and waves could be heard in the background, and also a bird that sounded like Hedwig.

So it finally happened that around ten o'clock the said girl, for whom he had been waiting for what felt like ages, finally arrived.

"Ah, good morning, Harry!" Roxy greeted him enthusiastically.

"Morning Roxy," Harry greeted back as well, he might have questions but didn't want to intrude, that wouldn't look good after all.

"Sorry if I'm a little late, I was still walking Artuu and he took a little longer today. Also, I was a little distracted by some stray animals and this thing I wrote you about," Roxy said as she put on an apron and started cleaning the glasses.

"Perfect!" thought Harry, seeing the perfect opportunity to ask Roxy his questions, "Because I was too tired yesterday, I couldn't write you back, but what's with those magical fairy stuffed animals?", asked he.

"Oh, I did a little surfing on the internet yesterday after work and saw a new website from Gardenia. Since it showed a lot of cute animals, I thought I'd see what it's about, and I saw these magical fairy stuffed animals. At first I thought this was some kind of modern new toy, but while I was walking with Artuu earlier, we passed the shop that seems to be selling these magical fairy stuffed animals and saw a cute little animal at the window. It seemed way too real to be just a toy, but I don't quite understand how it can have little flights and fly," Roxy said, adopting a thoughtful expression while oblivious to Harry's inner debate herself.

"Holy shit, so really magic, but how!? And that in the middle of the city and nobody seems to find it too strange? I mean, Roxy is trying to understand how that's possible, but she doesn't seem to be thinking at all about the possibility that it could be some sort of magic," Harry yelled in his mind, not realizing that Roxy was already starting to speak again .

"-Although there seemed to be this one saleswoman who just pulled the curtains shut so I couldn't continue admiring the cute little creature. How rude! I thought they would want to introduce these little animals to other people there and sell them," Roxy continued her monologue and fortunately didn't notice that Harry didn't hear all of their conversation.

Harry, trying to regain his composure, then said, "Say, how about we both go over there together after work to have a closer look."

Roxy, hearing this, blushes as hard as she tries to hold it back

"I-Is he asking me out on a date!?", is what she thinks.

"Um, yeah, sure, of course I'd love to show you. Luckily we only have to work until early afternoon," Roxy said, although a clearly nervous tone can be heard.

Harry, who doesn't realize what was going on in her mind and what his question sounded like to her, said, "Well, I'm looking forward to it."

After that, both of them were a bit quiet for the next time and just kept working. Roxy because she's still a bit embarrassed and Harry because he's trying to figure out all the magic going on.

The rest of the working day consisted of cleaning, serving customers and preparing drinks and food. Things got a little hectic around noon, but nothing Roxy and Harry couldn't handle. Around 3pm, when the rush of customers had calmed down, Harry and Roxy finished work and got ready to go together to the new shop in Gardenia, which stocks stuffed animals and magic and fairies.

"Wait!" Harry thought when he finally noticed something, "Why is the word 'fairies' in the name? We didn't cover that extensively at Hogwarts, but the only fairies that ever existed disappeared a long time ago. Does that mean that whoever is selling these stuffed animals, these six girls are probably fairies!?".

While Harry wondered again what he might discover regarding the obvious magic he was about to do, Roxy slowly walked towards him.

"Okay Roxy, calm down. He never said this was a date. He probably just meant it as two friends spending time together no matter what it sounded like," Roxy said mentally, calming down before standing in front of Harry.

"Ah, there you are Roxy. Ready to go?" Harry asked her.

"Y-Yes, I'm ready," Roxy said.

"Then let's get started. I'm excited to see what kind of place you're going to take me to," Harry said, beginning to move beside her.

Harry and Roxy then ran to see what the stuffed animals were all about. It took a little while, but eventually they both struck up a conversation.

"Well, I know I asked you this a few days ago, but how have you been doing in Gardenia so far?" Roxy asked him, trying to break the awkward silence.

"It's going really well. The town and its people are really nice, not to mention I've already made a great friend," Harry told her while smiling, since he's actually very happy, even if he subconsciously cursed his magical encounters.

Roxy, who sees his smile, blushes slightly and also smiles: "That's nice to hear, but have you already found a place to stay for a longer time. After all, hotels are relatively expensive. And even with your new job, I don't think you can afford a hotel for long. Not to mention you need somewhere where you can feel more at home."

Harry, hearing this, thinks about it. Sure he can afford a hotel for a long time, maybe he could even buy said hotel, but that would draw too much attention, not to mention that although he has a nice room, he sure wants something more of his own and private would,

Roxy, noticing his thoughtful look, says: "You know, I live in an area that is mostly single family homes, but recently a larger apartment building was built nearby where there are several vacant apartments. Also, the owner of the house is maybe a bit strange, but also quite nice. I'm sure she could offer you a room for a reasonable price."

Harry, who hears that, thinks the offer is actually quite good. Since he doesn't have any other place to start looking for an apartment anyway, he can also check out the house in question. Besides, he could live closer to… well… Roxy. Not that he means anything by that! He just wants to be able to spend more time with his new friend!

"I think I'll have a look at it tomorrow. If you're free and you're not tired of me, could you show me the building?" Harry asked, sincerely hoping Roxy didn't notice his blush.

Roxy, who, although she understands that Harry is only asking for help finding a place to live, needs to go back to her previous thoughts about being asked out on a date by him, paused, blushing too, before softly and quietly saying, "S-sure." said.

After that it was a bit quiet between the two, but again the silence didn't last too long because Harry also remembered something else.

"Wait, what if these beings we're going to can sense that I'm magical!? I'm trying to remain undetected, whether by the British, the Americans or anyone else," Harry said in his mind, trying to find a solution.

"Excuse me if you could wait a minute, I just have to go to the bathroom real quick," Harry said to Roxy, moving towards a public toilet before she could answer.

"Huh?" Roxy murmured, somewhat confused.

Arriving at the toilet, Harry first made sure no one was there but himself, and then searched his memories for a particular spell.

"If I remember correctly, there was also a spell in the book that can not only hide me physically but also magically from others," Harry said to himself, trying to remember.

He wasn't reading much of the book yet, but what he was reading contained some very interesting and most importantly very useful spells, "Celare Magicae," Harry murmured under his breath, but in truth he was putting as much magic into the spell as possible.

Shortly thereafter, he felt his magic, which is always at least a little bit around him, withdrawing deep into his core. He doesn't feel any weaker, but his magic still felt a little more closed off? Well, at least the magic seems to be working.

After that, Harry washed his hands, after all it was still a public toilet, and went back to Roxy.

"Sorry, I just really needed to go to the bathroom and couldn't hold it anymore," Harry said to Roxy apologetically.

"It's alright, let's keep walking to the store," Roxy said, just walking on with Harry side by side, not thinking too much about how strange that felt.

After that they both did some light banter until they finally arrived at said store. Hardly any customers seem to be there at the moment, but as new as the store is, it probably won't be that well known either. That, or many simply consider the "magic" part to be scams and cheap advertising, when it's probably quite different.

Since the shop appears to be open, both friends just walked in and saw…

"Yep, that's definitely magic," Harry thought as he stared blankly at what was in front of him.

Oh sure there was a lot of normal stuff, like some clerks serving, advising and showing customers around and customers looking around a new store. But then there's also the fact that the employees are these six girls, which Harry has noticed in passing several times now, and that they have magic, and some of them are also surrounded by flying stuffed animals. One could argue that they can of course fly, after all they have wings, but Harry is pretty sure that animals such as cats, dogs and bunnies don't have wings. And penguins aren't supposed to be able to fly either, so what the-

"Ahh, look at all these cute little creatures, Harry! Aren't they adorable?" said Roxy, running eagerly and enthusiastically towards some of the little animals, a porcupine, an otter and a duck, seemingly completely unconcerned, or rather not understanding that magic can be felt and seen everywhere in the shop.

Harry, who doesn't really know what to do, simply follows her and also examines the stuffed animals. Yes, they're cute, no doubt about it, but his lack of understanding of the situation means he can't really calm himself down inside.

"Just look at her, so cute! Some of them even look like animals I've never seen before. And those wings too! How is that even possible?" Roxy said in a more than enthusiastic tone while cuddling with all the stuffed animals.

"I don't know how, but every single one of them really seems like a stuffed animal, just kind of, well, alive. It reminds me a bit of Transfiguration and Charms, but it still seems like something completely different," Harry continued to say in his mind, still not saying a word out loud. In fact, he thinks if he can get a word out he'll probably panic who knows what to say.

"What do you say to that, Harry?" Roxy asked Harry. Of course she would want to hear his opinion, after all he is her friend and since he has an owl as a pet himself, he would surely be as enthusiastic about all the little animals as she is.

"I, um, I think they're all really cute, as do you, but I'm kind of confused as to how they can fly," Harry said slowly, trying to get Roxy to notice the weird part of it all. He might want to stay hidden and not just tell anyone about magic, but come on, she must think that's unusual too, right!? Or!?

"Well, I don't quite get it either, but hey, I don't see how that should be any problem. Roxy said, turning back to the stuffed animals. But it was then that Harry felt something that left him both amazed and wanting to cry out in frustration.

Right there, even if it was short and small, he felt magic emanating from Roxy and touching the animals around her. It wasn't anything particularly big or spectacular, but still, Harry never expected anything like it. The animals around them then all began to edge even closer to Roxy and, as adorable as Harry found this, he couldn't help but sit still and try to think.

Something was wrong with this town, he was really sure of that now. Not only did Roxy briefly cast magic, she didn't feel like a witch, she felt similar to the store's employees, albeit differently.

Thankfully, this magic was so small that no one but him and the animals nearby should have noticed, but it still left Harry with many questions.

That's when he felt something nudge him on his legs. Looking down he saw some of the animals that were with Roxy just now with him. More precisely a lion, a snake and- Was that a griffin!?

"Oh, they seem to like you, Harry. Is not that cute? Go on pet her a little!" Roxy said as she cooed at the sight of her friend and the animals.

Harry, both amazed and attracted by the cuteness, crouched down and began petting all three animals.

"Wow, they're really soft," Harry said, running his hands through the fur or scales of all three, which still felt like fur.

"They really are, aren't they?" Roxy said, continuing to cuddle some of the stuffed animals while pleased that Harry seems to be having as much fun as she is.

Both friends then cuddled with the animals. In fact, both of them are so deep in their thoughts and cuddling that they didn't even notice their hands touching.

While Roxy just thinks about all those animals and the great shop, Harry thought about something similar, albeit completely different.

Now not only does he have to figure out what's up with the shops and the girls and those four men in black, but he also has to try to understand what it was about Roxy, as well as train his own magic without anyone knowing learn about it.

In fact, it might be a good idea to get out of the store with Roxy first before anyone notices them, but how could he-

"Oh wait, I just got a text," Roxy said as she finished petting the stuffed animals and took her Handy out, read the message and looked a little shocked. Not like something bad happened, but still like something important.

"Who was that?" Harry asked Roxy, who quickly put her phone back and stood up, dragging Harry with her.

"That was my dad. Apparently there are more guests tonight than he thought and he wants me to come and help him"; said Roxy.

"Would you like me to come too?" Harry asked her.

"No, it's okay. He said he only needed me. So you don't have to come back to work. You should take the rest of the day off," Roxy told him, trying to deny his help.

"That's fine. If your father needs your help with the work, I'm more than welcome to come with you. Not only am I employed by him, but I also want to help you. After all, you deserve a break, too," Harry told her, reassuring her with a smile on his face.

Roxy, unsure at first but then accepting, said, "Well, okay, if you're sure"

She then rushed out to get to the Fruity Smoothie Bar as quickly as possible. Of course, Harry followed her, but it wasn't until they got to their work station that they realized they were holding hands the whole time.

Obviously they were both embarrassed so they quickly let go and turned away from each other and just said, "We, uh, better get to work", Roxy, "Yeah, uh, that would be better", Harry.

After that, the rest of their day consisted of working together and a little awkward banter here and there. Although towards evening, when the band played again, they summoned up the courage to dance a little together again.

All the while, Harry was thinking about all the things he had discovered since arriving in Gardenia. So many questions, too few answers. But he won't back down easily. He knows he will have to work hard, but together with Hedwig, and hopefully Roxy, he will face whatever it takes to solve these mysteries. Not to mention that he has to learn magic himself, find an apartment and spend more time with Roxy. Of course, he wouldn't admit all of this out loud to others. Even Hedwig.