The Next Adventure

New York at last!

"We'll be soon landing in New York City's airport."
A voice on the microphone said and woke Harry up from his sleep.
He was reading the Daily Prophet, but the altitude gave him a headache and he must have fallen asleep after he finished the third page.

He lifted his copy of the paper from the side of his chair and folded it so it could fit in his jacket's inter pocket.
The sun was rising outside the window. Its bright sweet orange light was filling the airplane cabin with warmth after the cold darkness of the night.

Harry took a deep breath, closed his eyes and enjoyed the sweet warmth of the sunbeams. He leaned back and waited for the plane to land.

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Harry took his trunk and went outside to take a taxi for Manhattan.

It was preety easy. A long row of taxis was waiting across the street. He entered the first one and kindly said:
"Good morning, Grand route hotel please."

The taxi driver didn't say a word. He just nodded and started the vehicle.

The taxi left the airport behind and entered the city. As tall buildings and colorful signs were passing through, Harry looked outside the taxi's window and started observing the new environment. He had never left Great Britain before. Everything was so different. The place, the buildings, the people...or were the people still the same? Harry was left with the question in his head, when he was interrupted by the driver.

"So, first time in New York?"

"Hm-What?"
Harry said surprised.

"You're a tourist aren't ya?"

"Uh, yes...is it that obvious?"

"If it is? Do you need ask? You're litteraly a fish out of water. Besides, I picked you up from the airport just now, so...yeah."

"Oh.", Harry said. He looked outside again and continued:
"Is it always so...crowed?"

"Preety much. And the summer season just started. Of course, there are more people in winter-especially when New Year's Eve is close. But I can't complain. It's a big city and I make my living just fine." The taxi driver responded.

Harry shook his head, a little dissapointed from the answer he got. Although he didn't expect any philosofic theory to answer his thoughts.

"There ya go, Grand ol'route hotel. Preety fancy and stuff, but it still retains its original character. That would be fifteen bucks"

"Thank you" said Harry and gave the driver his money. Harry got off the taxi and moved towards the Hotel.

"Well it is Grand" he thought before opening the glass door.

Harry entered and a golden light filled his eyes with amazement. The room was so...vintage,so old school. It reminded him of Hogwarts. A big old chandellier was hanging from the cielling, holding hundreds of ligh bulbs saped like small candles was giving the felling of standing under the famous floating candles at Hogwarts. Harry recollected his time as a student there. So many good memories. So many dangers that they faced, such an awesome adventure... The room could not compare of course to the magic that Hogwarts exhales, buy Harry was already missing his true home so much, even though he knew that he had to say goodbye one day, that he instantly felt much more welcome to the foreign place.

Harry moved towards the receptionist standing behind a long wooden table.

"Goodmorning. Welcome to our hotel." ,said the receptionist when he saw Harry, after he had worn his best fake smile.

"Goodmorning.",Harry replied.
"Name?" ,asked the receptionist returning his face to its first blank expression.

"Harry Potter"

In the sound of such a famous name, an old woman wearing a taier and sitting on a couch at the other side of the room turned her head around.
She stood up and started walking towards Harry.
But until she could walk (with the help of her trusted rattan for seniors) the resseptionist had already given Harry the keys for Harry's hotel room, saying "enjoy your stay in our hotel" and was left alone again since Harry went straight to the elevator to visit his provisional new home.

"Excuse me" said the old woman to the receptionist. "Did that young man say his name is Harry Potter?"

"Why yes. Yes. That's what he said."

"Oh, may I ask, which is his room?"

" Why? "

"Oh nothing, I knew his...parents. And I would like to finally meet their son. They told me so much about him."

"Wow. Well that must have been pure luck for you madam. Room 13J"

"Oh, thank you so much, but I would hardly call it <<pure luck>>. You know us old people. It's like we're hexe...uh...blessed to find people we know or we have heard about in the most unexpected places." said the old woman as started walking towards the elevator like Harry did before.

"You're welcome" the receptionist said out loud, but then he turned to himself and mumbled "I guess...".

The old woman had already disappeared behind the elevator's doors. It was only then that she whispered something in a stranve language and the next moment the elevator stopped moving, its lights went out, and te woman was left alone in the pitch dark. She opened her eyes and from dark brown turned to bright blue, which sparkled no matter the darkness around. She straightened her back, her hair were turning more and more black as her wrinkles were disappearing. Her rattan started getting smaller and whiter until it transformed into a snow white wand with a small moonstone shining on the edge of it. She was no longer that helpless grandma the receptionist had met few minutes ago at the ground floor. The light turned back on, as well as the elevator, and the woman continued her journey to room 13J.

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"Would you please wait for a second?" Harry said out loud when he got out of the bathroom with wet hands and while the knocking sound at the door continued.
Harry opened the door and saw a middld aged, tall, black haired woman with bright blue eyes standing in front of his hotel room.

"Who are..." Harry began to say, but before he was able to finish his sentence the woman blew some kind of golden sparkling powder in his face. Harry immediately felt his eyelids weighting and quickly fell unconscious.

The woman moved Harry inside the room, locked the door, grabbed the keys and apparated with Harry's unconscious body...