James Potter and the Half Blood Hallway

Thirteen

The Malfoys, Potters, and Weasleys gathered at the local muggle library.

"Percy, George, and Bill should be here soon," said Ron.
"Alright," said Harry. "Let's get to work then."
"Did anybody ever here back from Luna?" asked Ginny.
"She said she found some stuff out," said Hermione. "But she said it would be better for him to tell us himself, because it was personal."
"But if she doesn't tell us then that could mean -"
"She also said that she thought he would, given enough time."
"There is no time! Our children's lives are on the line here, Hermione!"
"I know! I know! But you know Luna."

"There you are," said Percy, coming over with Bill, George, Angelina, Fleur, and Audrey.
"Just curious," said George. "Why'd you pick to meet at a place so - er - mugglish?"
"Hermione's idea," said Ron.
"It's not that bad!" insisted Hermione.
"Well, except for the restrooms," said Harry. "Those are completely unsanitary. Especially in Wal-Mart."
"What's a Wall Mart?" asked Ron.  Hermione smacked her hand to her forehead.
"Well," she said after a moment of pure blood confusion.  "I suppose no place is more unsanitary than Burger King."
"No. There is one," said Harry. "And that's Wendy's."
"Have you seen McDonalds?" said Hermione. Harry laughed.
"No! The worst restrooms ever are at the public parks!" Hermione paused.
"You've obviously never seen our restroom when Ron gets through with it."

At that, though most of them were confused, everyone burst into laughter. All except Ron, who was scowling.
"I shared a dorm with him for about six years," said Harry. "I think I know." More laughter.
"What is this? Attack Ron day or something? Besides, I thought we were here on aurar business."
"Oh, Right," said Harry, trying to hide a smirk. "Sorry." Ron frowned. He didn't look very sorry. Neither did anyone else.

. He huffed a little.
"Anyway," said Audrey. "Why did you call us here?"
"Well, you know the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Harry.
"Yeah," said Bill. "I heard he was American."
"Right," said Hermione. "And that's why we're here." She explained Harry's vision and her little hunch that had been nagging at her, though there was still more she couldn't tell them yet. Not until she was quite curtain she was right.

"What is the matter with that?" asked Fleur. After having lived so long in the UK she had developed a British accent.
"Haven't you ever heard the rumors about American wizards?" said Angelina in disbelief.
"No," said Fleur uncertainly.
"It's said that nearly every half blood that's over there disappears. No one knows where they go," Bill told her.
"Once," said Harry. "There was this one case of this boy named Keyed Smith. Disappeared right from his backyard."
"Mother claimed to know nothing about it," added Ron. "But if you watch the muggle telly real closely you can see that evil glint in the woman's eye! She was mad!"
"There's also that rumor about Long Island," said George. "Kids go in there all the time, but never come out. Or sometimes they do, but only go back. It's weird."
"It's not all kids though," said Percy. "Just most of them. There was this old man I heard about once though. He was in some kind of mobile chair. Then, there was that guy who's foot fell off. That had ended terribly."
"What happened to him?" asked Fleur, nervously now.

"Dunno. Presumably died," said Audrey. "He was trying to protect the kid, but by the time the Aurors got there, there was only the kids dead body laying next to some kind of golden dust."
"What about those one girls with those goblets?" said Draco. Everyone shuttered at that.
"What?" asked Fleur. "What happened?"
"They..." started Hermione. "It was round Christmas...they had goblets of what looked like eggnog..."
"Oh don't tell her!" cried Astoria. "It's too awful!"
"What? What? Tell me! Tell me! I want to know!" insisted Fleur.
"They literally devoured everything!" exclaimed Bill.
"From animals, to humans, to innominate objects!" added George.
"That's barbarian!" exclaimed Fleur.

"Oi," said Ron. "Remember that one case in San Francisco a few years back?"
"Which one?' said Harry. "The one where Mt St Helens exploded or the one with that crazed storm?"
"Both," said Ron.
"That storm was the same year that every muggle in Manhattan, New York fell asleep seemingly for no reason," said Ginny, causing almost everyone to jump. She had been so quiet Harry had forgotten she was there.

"There was some stuff about Brooklyn," said Astoria. "But nothing as big as what was going on in Manhattan and San Francisco....ah, but there was that thing in Dallas..."
"What happened in Dallas?" Fleur wanted to know.
"There were a few muggles that were throwing a party next to a museum," said Percy. "And the museum owner stepped inside with a couple of kids, but when he came back there was some kind of attack. Aside from the kids there were no survivors. Though, they left with about three more kids."
"And a monkey," said George. Percy smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Well, yes," he said. "And a monkey."
"Don't forget about the wedding," said Audrey. "While we're on the subject of Brooklyn."
"Oh yeah!" said Ginny. "They were having a wedding at the Brooklyn Museum and then all of a sudden there was this gas or something that caused them all to pass out. No one was hurt though."
"Hold on," said Draco. "Who has a wedding in a museum?" Everyone looked at Hermione.
"What?" she said. Then, rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"Then there was that thing in Arizona," said Angelina, after awhile. " It was strange. It was like there was a storm and when the muggle police arrived on the scene there was nothing but sand."
"No witness? No nothing?" said Fleur.
"No witness. No nothing," agreed Bill.
"And Jackson's an American," said George, oddly cheery despite the subject.
"He didn't seem that way, though," said Ginny. "Whenever we met him."
"Maybe the rumors aren't true," suggested Fleur.
"Been then how do you explain all those cases the American Aurors have been getting?" said Harry.

"Maybe they are true but Jackson doesn't have anything to do with it," said Astoria.
"I don't think so," said Harry. "Because their story wasn't entirely the truth."
"You saw that too?" said Ron.
"Coarse I saw it!" said Harry.
"I thought I was the only one!" exclaimed Hermione.
"What're you going on about?" said George confusedly. "You lost met Jackson?"
"Yes," said Harry. "And Neville and Luna both know something about it, but they won't say what." They retold Jackson's story.

"Makes sense," commented Bill. "You've got the prophecies?" Draco and Harry fetched them from their pockets. Hermione also dug out the stick. It was safe in a protection orb. 
"What's with the stick?" asked Audrey.
"Long story," said Harry. "We have to pretend it has a life attached to it."
"Alright then...." said Angelina. "That's not weird. That's not weird at all."
"Not one bit," agreed George sarcastically. Bill and Percy were hunched over reading some of the prophecies.
"These don't look like any prophecies I've ever seen," muttered Percy.
"Do you think there'd be some copies in the department of mysteries?" said Bill.
"Maybe," said Percy. "And there's got to be something behind that stick... where did you get it, Harry?"
"From Death...apparently," said Harry. They stared at him, so he showed them the note.

"Alright..." said Angelina.
"Creepy..." said Audrey.
"Who is Poseidon?" asked Fleur.
"The Greek god of the seas in muggle mythology," said Hermione. "Which is a theory for all of this, but I don't really understand..." She trailed off thoughtfully. 

"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! CAN I GET THIS BOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKK!!!!!!! MUUUUUMMM I WANT IT!!" screamed a little boy, causing the group to stare.
"Shh!! Hun. Sh!!" whispered the mother. "Shh!! We don't have enough money. Calm it! We're in the library!"
"BUT MUUUUUUUM I WANT IT NOW!!!!! I WANT IT I WANT IT!!!! I!!!! WANT!!!! IT!!!!! MUUMMM!!!!" The boy through himself on the floor and pounded his fist on the ground, screaming.
"Stop it!" said the woman. "People are staring! Get up!" And indeed the boy had gotten quite a lot of attention.

"Stop it! Stop it! Alright! Stop! Look! Mummies getting the book! Look look! I'm paying right now... it's alright.. Here you are..." The child stopped throwing his tantrum at once when he had the book in his possession. The mother took his arm and left immediately after that.
Harry caught sight of someone on the other side of the library. He felt the side of his mouth twitch as he tried to hid his laughter. The man starring back at him was trying to do just the same. Finally neither of them could take it anymore and they burst into silent laughter, both falling to their knees unable to stay up right.

When the fit was over (Harry had gotten some strange looks from the others) the man came over with a big grin on his face.
"What's your lot doing here, Potter?" he said.