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Author: Erica Evans Story: Secrets That Were Kept Rating: Young Teens Setting: AU Status: WIP Reviews: 0 Words: 38,764
"We're to go to the Portkey Transportation Desk," Harry replied. Julie had owled them after she left and gave her address and directions on how to get there. Traveling in America was not much different then traveling in England. "We're taking a Portkey?" Darenn asked. "We're meeting Julie there and going with her by Portkey," Harry explained. They walked in silence following the sign to the Portkey Transportation Desk. However, it was much easier said than done. Harry mentally compared the American Distance Jumper Station to a Muggle airport. He had been in one once when he had to pick up a foreign dignitary who had been obsessed with Muggle travel. Harry thought this Station was just like an airport, with the absence of the Muggles. There were wizards and witches everywhere, bustling about and moving past them. Harry stopped and looked around for something to aid him in finding his way. "Did we take a wrong turn?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. "This Station is just," Harry paused, "confusing." In truth it was. Everyone was speaking English, but it was different from the English he was used to hearing at home. He looked back at everyone looking at him and gave them a brave smile. He started to walk again and found an information desk. "How may I help you?" the woman behind the desk asked as they approached. "Where can we find the Portkey Transportation Desk?" Harry asked. "Oh, well, you are certainty a long way from that," the woman said, pulling out a map. She tapped it with her wand and green arrows started to move in different directions. "First go back the way you came and when you see the flower shop, you need to look to your left and you will see and a long white staircase going both up and down. Don't take that, look the other direction and follow the Jumper gates as they count down from fourteen to three. After you pass Jumper Gate Three, continue to walk..." the woman rambled on and on but Harry had stopped paying attention. Three tall dark headed figures had just Apparated down the corridor from them. Harry turned to Ginny and she read his gaze. "Everyone, this way," she said ushering them off. Hermione followed Harry's gaze town the corridor and moved her twins nearer to her. She moved along after Ginny, calling for Ron to follow. "Harry," Ron began but stopped, knowing that it was no use. Ron had no training on this sort of thing and a Quidditch Containing Charm would do no good here. He gave Harry a hopeful smile and went off after Ginny and Hermione. They had learned a long time ago not to test these waters with him. Harry watched as the hooded figures stood silently still. People suddenly stopped walking, and began running. And screaming and panicking. Harry moved through the mob towards the hooded figures. He couldn't believe that they could be Death Eaters, but he was prepared for anything. The hooded figures were still standing perfectly still. Harry stopped 30 feet from them and stood facing them. This was definitely peculiar behavior for a Death Eater, Harry thought. What are they waiting for? Then, as one, they drew their wands and started cursing every person around them. "What are you trying to accomplish?" Harry yelled over the chaos. The three figures looked at him and raised their wands. But Harry was quicker. His reflexes from his days as a Seeker and his training as an Auror leapt into action. "Confluct Infensus!" Harry cried as he moved out of the way of the curses the figures had thrown at him. He turned and saw that the figures had stopped moving completely. All three stood completely still holding their wands out. People around Harry stopped and looked at him, surprised. "Is everyone okay?" Harry asked, moving through the crowd. People were getting to their feet, straightening their clothing and looking completely amazed at Harry. He made his way to the hooded figures and disarmed them. He magically bound their wrists together and turned to survey the damage. People were still moving slowly, looking at him in awe. "Sir, sir!" Harry turned and saw four officers running over to him. "Incredible!" one said moving around the hooded figures still standing as stone. "They've just got Wrist Lockers on them," Harry said. "It won't last forever." "Yes, of course, straight away sir," another officer said. Harry pulled back the figures hoods and didn't recognize any of them. All three stared blankly back at him. Harry watched as the officer put a Hover Charm on them and moved down the corridor. "Excuse me sir," one officer said and Harry turned to look at him. "Everyone seems to be all right," Harry replied. "Yes, sir, they do," the officer said. "May I ask, what is your name?" Harry looked at him and around him. There were just people standing now, waiting and watching for him to tell them who he was. "Potter," Harry replied and paused. "Harry Potter." "Well thank you very much, Mr. Potter. If you hadn't been here to stop those men, goodness knows what damage they could have done," the last officer said to Harry. "Well, it wasn't a big deal. I've dealt with Death Eaters before," Harry replied. "Death Eaters?" the officer asked. "Yes, Death Eaters, or something close to them," Harry repeated. "Harry!" Ginny called. Harry turned to see her moving towards him through the crowd that had accumulated in the past couple minutes. "Ginny, everything is okay," Harry said as she reached him. She hugged him and breathed a sigh of relief. "I always worry, Harry," she said. "Excuse me, but how did you know what to do with these, uh, Death Eaters?" the officer said. "Because," Harry said turning back to the officer, annoyed at his questioning. "I'm an Auror and in England that is what Aurors do with Death Eaters." Everyone turned whispered to their neighbors as he said this and looked at him with even more amazement. "Don't you know what a Death Eater is?" Ginny asked. The officer shook his head and Ginny looked amazed at everyone. "We've just begun to have these disturbances and no one has been able to stop them," The officer explained. "Until you, that is," the other officer added. "Well, I am glad that I could help you out," Harry replied, wanting to get away from everyone's staring eyes. He had gotten used to it at home and in time it had died down. "But I am on my vacation with my family and would like to see to them." Harry turned and walked away through the crowd holding Ginny's hand. As he passed by the people he had just saved from the hooded figures, he heard whispers of his name and thank you's escape from their mouths. He saw Ron and Hermione standing with their children and his and he smiled at this welcome sight. "Oh, Harry, we were so worried," Hermione said hugging him. "Hermione, it was nothing," he said trying to reassure her. "Nothing I couldn't handle." Ron smiled and shook his hand and Harry looked to the faces of his own children. "Are you okay Daddy?" Reagan asked. "Of course I am," Harry replied. "Aren't I always?" "Yeah, I guess you are," she said, hugging him. "Guess you couldn't help but make a scene could you, Potter?" a sneering voice came from behind him. Harry turned and stared at Draco Malfoy, shocked to see him in San Francisco. "Draco, do you need anything?" Harry asked, turning towards him. After Hogwarts, Harry and Draco had been practically forced to be civil to each other when they both went into Auror training. They had been equal then, but now Harry outranked Draco by a great amount. Harry's ranking forced Draco to be even more civil and polite to him. He even had to go as far as to call him "sir" while in the presence of other Aurors. If he didn't, it was considered disrespect, which was as punishable as treason. "No. Just couldn't help but notice how you make yourself known every time you go anywhere," Draco replied. "You've made your comment," Harry said flatly. "You can be on your way now." "Not if I'm not done talking to you," Draco said coldly. Harry saw Draco's son, Sabin, exchange looks of hatred with James and Ginny was glaring at Draco's wife, Morenna. "I could make it an order, Draco," Harry said coolly. "Or you could just leave on your own." Draco shot him a look that could have killed if he had said a curse to match it. Harry simply glared as Draco and his family walked quickly away. Harry knew, as well as Malfoy did, that if he did not obey a direct order from a superior he could be relieved of his title as an Auror. It was not something Draco wanted to mess with. "I really don't like them, Dad," James said, looking up at Harry. "Neither do I," Harry replied, tapping his trunk. It hovered weightless next to him and he turned to find the Portkey Transportation Desk. Walking through the Station now was virtually impossible. Everyone seemed to recognize Harry as if he was famous. And he was famous, just not in America. Luckily, Julie found them before they found the desk. "Harry!" she called and Harry glanced in her direction. By then all the trunks had been tapped to make them weightless and Hermione had stopped carrying Abby. "I am so glad to see you," Harry said as she ran up to them. "I'm so glad I found you. I've been hearing the strangest rumors," Julie replied. Harry smiled at his cousin. She looked a lot less professional now than she had in England, and she looked happier. "Oh, that's interesting," Harry said, avoiding her eyes. Julie shrugged and looked over her shoulder as three more people approached them. "Harry, these are more of your cousins," Julie said. "I would like you to meet Joshua Potter, Blake O'Connor and his sister Breannen Williamson." Harry shook their hands and turned to Ginny. "This is my wife Ginny," Harry began, "my best friends, Ron and Hermione. The red haired ones are their children, Paul, Caitlin, Abby and Andy. And the dark haired ones are my children, James, Darenn and Reagan." "It great to finally meet you," Josh said grinning. "Julie had told us so much about you," Breannen said. "Well, lets get out of here," Julie said. Josh and Blake took the trunks and walked ahead of everyone else, creating a clear path for everyone behind them. "So were you glad to get back home?" Ginny asked Julie. "Yes, I was. I needed to get back. I had tons to catch up on at work and I missed my daughter to death," Julie replied, glancing at Ginny. "What do you do, Julie?" Harry asked. "Oh, I'm a Justice Consultant," she replied. "A Justice Consultant?" Hermione asked. "I deal with the representation of wizards who have been put on trial," she explained. "I make them appear to be innocent when in fact few of them truly are." "Oh, sort of like a lawyer?" Hermione asked. "A what?" Julie asked, looking at Hermione. "Never mind," she answered quickly. "How old is your daughter?" Ginny asked, changing the subject. "Kelsey just turned three, one month ago," Julie said proudly. "And what does your husband do?" Hermione asked. "Oh, he died, before Kelsey was born," Julie said slowly. "Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione said biting her lip. "It's okay," Julie said, turning to smile at Hermione. "It was quick and painless. I would have hated it if he had suffered." "So how many cousins do I actually have?" Harry asked, trying desperately to change the subject. "Well, my grandfather, Benjamin, had four children, Ben Jr., Brandon, Carley and Rebecca. Ben Jr. is my father and I have an older brother named Andrew. Brandon has two boys, Tavean and Benson, Carley has two boys and a girl, Bryce, Nicole and Josh, and Becca had Blake and Breannen, who are twins." She stopped to count on her fingers. "So in all there are nine cousins and those nine cousins have fourteen children under the age of sixteen." "Wow!" Ron exclaimed. "I didn't realize that there were other families as big as ours. Can you believe it Ginny? We're not the only ones with tons of family members." "Ron, there are other people in the world besides us," Ginny replied, laughing. Harry grinned and followed Josh and Blake towards the Portkey Transportation Desk. James had run up in front of them and was eagerly talking to Josh and Blake about something. As they approached the desk, Harry's nerves began to fade and he eagerly looked forward to the next couple of weeks. A/N: "Confluct Infensus" is the incantation for the Stone-Still Curse. And I made it up. Roughly translated from Latin, it means "stop those who move to harm others." Just thought you all would like to know that. :)
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