Harry Potter Morgendorffer Harry's Preparations
Disclaimer: Daria is the creation of Glenn Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter and its characters are the creation of JK Rowling and are the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. I own neither and neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this fiction. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification.
Speaking of ego gratification, positive reviews are nice. Why not write one and post it?
Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer
Harry wasn't mistaken. Quinn pitched a fit when she learned that she wasn't going to Britain.
"HJ's going to England and I can't?!" cried Quinn. "Why can't I come?"
"Because this is a business trip, not a vacation," said Helen, glaring at her younger daughter.
"Well, make him stay!" said Quinn. "Take me instead!"
"Why?" said Helen irritably.
"Because he's stupid and because he's a guy!" said Quinn.
Yep, about what I expected, thought HJ. He looked at Daria and rolled his eyes.
"And that's enough reason for you to go instead of HJ?" Daria said sardonically.
"Yeah!" said Quinn. "I ought to go! Just because his real parents were stupid enough to get themselves killed."
HJ could handle most of Quinn's stuff, but there were certain topics…
"SHUT UP!" he said. "My Mom and Dad were murdered! They didn't deserve to die!" The lights flickered. Helen's laptop's screen froze, then it began to reboot.
"But!" Quinn began.
"QUINN, SHUT UP!" said Helen. 'THAT WAS UTTERLY UNCALLED FOR!"
Quinn's eyes widened. Mom seldom yelled and even more seldom lost her temper.
"But," said Quinn.
"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" said Helen. "You're out of line," she added in a lower tone of voice.
"Dad!" said Quinn, appealing to the other parent.
"NO!" said Jake, raising his voice, and slapping the table with his palm for emphasis. "Your Mom's right. You're out of line!"
"Daria!" said Quinn, in a tone of voice that said that she expected her big sister to be on her side.
"Unh-unh," Daria said coldly. "You're wrong, and I'm not helping!"
"HJ's coming with me," said Helen in a tone of finality. "You're staying here. And you're grounded for a week. After you do some corner time."
"But Mom!" said Quinn.
"Two weeks," said Helen. "Want to go for three?"
Quinn shook her head.
Dinner that evening was frozen lasagna. Mom had experimented with frozen Mexican food a couple of times either when one of Dad's recipes didn't work out or when she hadn't had time to prepare and serve a proper dinner, but it just wasn't the same as the real thing.
The atmosphere at the table was almost as chilly as the lasagna had been before it went in the microwave. Quinn had been furloughed from her stint in the corner for dinner. She wasn't talking and made angry glares at the rest of the family from behind her plate.
Helen noticed that Quinn hadn't eaten for a while.
"Have you finished eating?" she said.
"I'm not hungry," said Quinn.
"Good," said Helen. "You can go back to the corner."
After dinner, HJ and Daria cleared the table, washed the oven sheets, rinsed the plates and loaded the dishwasher. They then went upstairs.
Daria knocked on HJ's door a little later. Harry put down his homework and said "Come in."
"So you're off to Britain on a business trip," said Daria.
"It looks that way," said HJ.
"You're growing up fast, young man," said Daria. "You're not even nine and you're already off on your first business trip."
"What can I say?" said HJ. "Some people have all the luck."
"Is Mom going to make you wear a jacket and tie?" said Daria.
"I don't think so," said HJ. "Besides, it was a little tight the last time I tried it on."
"Maybe she'll make up for it by having you wear wizarding robes," said Daria. "You're Lord Potter, so you're going to have to dress to impress."
"Oh, Goody," said HJ. "Fancy threads to get caught in revolving and sliding glass doors."
"You might want to check the weather over there," said Daria. "It's November and it's colder over there than it is in Ruskin."
"Where do I start?" said HJ.
"Look up the weather reports in the newspapers," said Daria. "Also a couple of the on-line servers list the weather for various places."
He thought of going downstairs and asking Mom about what he should wear to Britain but decided against it. Quinn was still in the corner and besides, he and Mom weren't leaving for a couple of more weeks.
Still curious about what he should pack, he asked Mom what he should pack, despite the fact that he wasn't leaving for two weeks.
"Warm clothes," said Helen. "Trousers, a sweater or a pull-over, long-sleeved shirts. Also, a jacket and rain gear; it rains more over there than it does over here. Don't even think about shorts."
"Which reminds me. I have to make an appointment at the hair salon. I'll set it up for after school."
-(((O-O)))-
HJ missed the hint. A couple of weeks later he found himself accompanying Helen to the hair salon.
Helen greeted the receptionist and took a seat.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Morgendorffer," said the receptionist, whose name was Daisy. "Here for your appointment?"
"I not only want my hair styled, but I want his hair colored and high-lighted," said Helen, gesturing at HJ.
"Whose?" said the receptionist.
"His," said Helen, gesturing at HJ.
What? HJ wasn't expecting this.
HJ wasn't a hair salon guy. He did wear his hair a little long, but he was just as happy to go to a discount barber's when he needed it trimmed. So far as he knew, most guys at J. Frank Dobie did the same thing. A couple of guys had dyed their hair. Most of them had done it around Halloween although a couple of them hadn't. HJ thought of the latter as—weird.
"Uh, Mom," said HJ. "Why?"
"I want to change your look just before we get over there," said Helen. "Different hair color and glasses would help."
HJ knew that Lynette did his Mom's hair. He'd met her before and liked her. If he had to have his hair styled, he could take it from Lynette.
"Mary Sue is going to be styling your hair."
HJ swallowed a groan. Mary Sue was a heavy-set woman with dyed pink hair who tried to show as much skin as she could.
Mary Sue greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.
"So you're HJ," she said with a big smile. "I'll be doing you."
Oh, Gawd, thought HJ.
"Let's get started," said Mary Sue. "I'm going to wash your hair first, then we'll start coloring it."
She leaned over him as she reached for the spray hose. "You're gonna be a real lady-killer when I get done with you," said Mary Sue. Way too close, he thought, as Mary Sue's blouse pressed against his face, way too much perfume.
Lynette stole a glance at Helen's boy HJ while Mary Sue styled his hair. The phrase that came to mind was "unhappy camper."
Lynette was rght-on about HJ's mind-set. If any of the guys from school come in and see me, thought HJ, I'm never going to live this down.
He scowled as Mary Sue shampooed his hair, then tried to go for a neutral expression as Mary Sue started dying his hair. Now I know how the Paynters' poodle feels when they take her in for her session at the dog-grooming place, he thought grimly.
Another client came in and took a seat at Doreen's station. Oh, Hell, thought HJ, that's Lisa Ann. Lisa Ann was Paul's older sister. He sat sullenly and let Doreen put tinfoil on his hair and start giving him blond highlights. He hoped Lisa Ann didn't recognize him.
-(((O-O)))-
When the day of departure came around, HJ was ready. Sporting his new cap and his hard-shell suitcase, he helped Dad load his and Mom's stuff into the SUV, Dad then drove him and Helen to Ruskin's public floo terminal.
"Hold the fort, Sweetie!" said Helen, kissing her husband goodbye.
"Have a good trip, Honey," said Jake.
"Be safe!" said Jake. HJ couldn't tell if he was talking to Helen or him. Jake opened the rear door, unloaded their suitcases, kissed Helen one more time, then got in the car and drove away.
Helen and HJ gripped their suitcases and together walked through the doors which concealed the floo terminal's large fireplace.
Unlike game day for the Longhorns or big nights at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, there wasn't much of a crowd this time of day. In fact, there wasn't even a line.
"You know what to say," said Helen.
"Yes, Mom," said HJ, rolling his eyes.
Here goes, thought HJ, as he stepped into the fireplace with his suitcase. He picked up a handful of floo powder and said "JFK OUTBOUND!"
One moment he was in Ruskin, the next moment he found himself sliding out a fireplace and realized that he was now someplace else. He was helped to his feet by a pair of strong hands. They belonged to an older woman wearing a MACUSA Transport Services vest and an Eastern Air Lines pin.
"Welcome to New York," she said. "Grab hold of your suitcase and clear the fireplace for the next customer."
"C'mon, there's inbound traffic right behind you."
-(((O-O)))—
Back when I first started writing Harry Potter fanfiction, I supposed that some of the busiest public floo terminals had people who functioned much like airline gate agents, helping to guide people to floos and occasionally assisting them with directions so they'd get to their proper destinations. I also supposed that MACUSA's floo network would be more than willing to hire former gate agents who were already familiar with this sort of work who'd performed similar jobs in the Muggle world.