Dumbledore and Harry's Adventures

Coming to America

Harry looked around the room he was sitting in, trying his best to hide his disbelief.

When Albus told him that he had found an instructor to teach Harry how to properly handle a sword, he had no definitive idea of what he should expect. That said, he was picturing meeting his teacher in some sort of specialized gym. And the teacher would be either muscular and middle aged, or wiry and ancient. He knew that he was getting this picture from some of the movies he had watched with Albus, Sirius, and Remus (Dobby always wanted to watch Marry Poppins), so he had kept an open mind. Still... the reality, after one week of anticipation, was... disappointing.

The room he sat in was a restaurant... well "restaurant" was overly generous. He was sitting in a place called Waffle House in a city call Columbus in the state of Ohio. Waffle House seemed to be a restaurant that was held together primarily by grease and optimism. Harry looked down at the meal that Albus recommended. It was exceptionally moist scrambled eggs topped with a melted piece of what seemed like the most unnatural slice of cheese he had ever seen. He had stopped at one bite and switched to nibbling on a piece of toast. Albus and his new teacher seemed to love the dish called Cheese 'N Eggs (not "Cheese and Eggs", his new teacher emphatically stated). Albus was already planning on getting a second order to take back to the apartment they were renting in the magical district.

If the meeting location was mildly disappointing and the food was moderately disappointing, then his new teacher was an utter disappointment. Leonard Weathersbee was indeed a middle-aged man (for a wizard, so likely in his 60s) with hints of muscles hidden under layers of fat. He also had a sizable gut that indicated that he earned his passion for this "restaurant" through MANY visits. He also apparently was a great fan of his home state, as he wore a sweatshirt with the text "OH-IO" and a cap with a crimson O embroidered on it.

As Len (as he preferred to be called) finished his meal, he sighed contentedly. "Ah, that always hits the spot. So, you're Albus's protégé, eh?"

Len's eyes scanned Harry appraisingly. "Are you sure you want to learn swordplay? You seem to have more of a runner's build. Swinging a sword around for hours on end is tough enough, but it will be torture if you don't already have the arm strength built up. Add onto that, Albus said you're likely only going to be around a month or two, the crash course is going to be murder. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to take your money and make you miserable, but I like Albus enough to give you a chance to back out. What do you think, kid?"

Harry frowned. "Albus already puts me through an intense physical training exercise, so I think I'll be able to keep up. I also have pretty good arm strength from all of my Qui..."

He caught himself when he remembered he was surrounded by muggles. "All of my training I did for my House team. But... can I talk to Albus for a moment?"

Len shrugged. "I'll go settle the bill while you talk."

Harry waited for the man to get up from the booth and walk to the cash register. Once he was there, Harry leaned over and whispered to Albus in a hushed tone.

"Are you sure he can really teach me how to use a sword? I mean, he doesn't appear to be..."

"Harry..."

"No, I mean he seems nice enough, but he seems to be a bit... out of shape."

Albus sighed. "Harry, there are three things you should know. The first is that Leonard was, back in his youth, ranked amongst the most talented swordsmen in our community. I assure you that you would need several years of dedicated training before his... shape would start to become a factor in his ability to handily defeat you in a sword fight. Second, the local Children's Hospital has a... special wing where I might be able to track down hints for curing Marcus's ailment, so this is the most convenient location for us to pursue leads. Finally, Leonard has excellent hearing, and I suspect has heard everything you just said. The cash register is not THAT far away from us."