Harry Potter and the Search

A/N: I’ve never been to Heathrow. Therefore, the layout of the airport, etc., is completely made up. The other airport, however, will be true to memory as I’m there 4 times a month. Keep in mind the year again, it’s around 1998, so a lot of the flight security stuff was different. And hit me up with a review too if it’s not too much trouble :-)

Harry Potter and the Search

Chapter 2 – Hello Heathrow

“Here you are mate. Help you with your bag?”

“No, I got it, thanks.”

“Ticketing through those doors on the left. Good luck on your travels.”

With that, the cab left Harry and sped off to his next client. Harry followed the signs to ticketing, it a complete daze. He ended up following a pair of gentlemen, discussing the news in rather loud voices.

“Did you hear the news about Heathrow?” asked the one wearing a hat.

“No? What happened?”

“It got bumped again down the list of world’s busiest airports. Another yank airport leapfrogged Heathrow and is the world’s busiest now.”

“What? How?”

“Beats me. But they say the Atlanta airport’s the busiest now.”

“No. Think because of the Olympics a few years back?”

Hat shrugged. “Could be mate. Right shame though.”

The world’s busiest airport sounds like a good place to get lost for a while. Where’d he say? Atlanta? Where in the bloody hell is Atlanta? Somewhere in America I suppose. Good enough for me.

Harry had to stop suddenly as the two gentlemen stopped to look at a big screen. Harry naturally looked at it too, and saw a monitor for “Departures.” He quickly found “Atlanta” listed with something called Delta. He shrugged, and asked the gentlemen where he could find Delta. The hatman pointed off to the right, and Harry hurried off…just to wait in line behind a sign that said Delta for about twenty minutes.

When he finally go the counter Harry had long since been wondering if he made the right decision waiting to the last minute.

“How can I help you?”

“I want to go to Atlanta.”

“Do you have ticket?”

“Not yet.”

“Ok. The next flight is booked, but we have a flight leaving in about 3 hours.”

Harry sighed. “Ok. I’ll take one ticket.”

“First class or coach?”

Harry blinked at her. “Uh, this is my first time flying…”

“Oh. Well, first class is more expensive, but more comfortable seats, complementary drinks, it’s well worth it for an international flight.”

He shrugged. “Ok, first class then.”

“Aisle or Window?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you want to sit by the aisle, or by the window.”

“The windows don’t open, do they?”

The attendant looked at him pretty strangely. “Uh, no sir.”

“Whew. Ok. I guess window then.”

“One way or round trip?” Harry once again looked confused, and she didn’t bother waiting for his confused reply. “Are you planning on returning to London at some point soon, or going to wait a bit and buy a return ticket in Atlanta? Round trips are cheaper.”

“I don’t know when I’ll be returning quite yet.”

“One way it is. How will you be paying?”

“Oh, card. Here you go.”

“Ok. You have a passport, correct?”

“Oh, yes. It’s in my suitcase. One bit.”

Harry opened up his suitcase, happy he remembered to leave all of his documents on his accessible first layer, and fished out his passport.

“Here you are.”

“Ok. I have to ask you a couple of questions. Did anyone ask you to take on a package for them?”

“Uh, no.”

“Have you left your bag unattended?”

“No.” Why in the name of Merlin are they asking me these bloody questions?

“Do you have any explosives on you?”

Probably shouldn’t talk about potions ingredients. “No.”

“Ok. Do you want to check that bag?”

“Pardon?”

She sighed. “It looks small enough to be carried onto the plane. Store it in the overhead compartment when you board. Here’s your ticket and passport.”

“Thanks. Now where do I go?”

“You board out of gate B18. Follow the signs to the gate. Once again, the flight takes off at 13:00, so you have about two and a half hours to kill in the airport. Next!”

Harry took that as a sign to leave. He only understood about half of what was going on, but he felt he was a quick learner. He walked over to a bench, sat down and looked at his ticket. He saw where his gate and time was, along with some flight number, which he didn’t understand, and the arrival time.

Wow. That’s going to take long time. Maybe I should have thought about an International Portkey after all. Good think I picked up some muggle books to read on the plane. And that MMM guide can disguise itself as a muggle book if needed. I should read some about where I’m going at some point. Let me find where I’m supposed to go first.

Harry looked around to try and find where he was supposed to go. After much searching, he found a sign that said “to gates” and saw a huge crowd heading towards it. He shrugged, got up, and joined the masses. If Harry got lost, after all, he had a few hours to find his way.

The mass of people queued up behind some bizarre looking contraption. He saw people taking everything out of their clothes and put those items and their suitcase on something that looked like a conveyer belt. They walked through some contraption, and appeared to pick up their materials on the other side.

Hmm. Oh bugger. I’m wearing my wand. I shouldn’t take that off, should I? It would cause too many questions probably. But what are they doing on that conveyer belt. I don’t want them doing anything to my belongings. Maybe I should shrink it and carry it through. But I would have to take it out of my pockets. Hmm. I should go out of line and think about this some more.

Harry left the queue and found the nearest loo, where he walked into a stall to hide.

Ok. First, shrink it. Check. Pick it up. Now what should I do with it. Hey, I passed that guy wearing a tie. Maybe I should transfigure it into a tie, and wear it through. That might work.

Harry hadn’t exactly tried transfiguring something into a necktie before but he figured he could get the gist of it. He paused, took a deep breath and waved his want at his suitcase. Well, it wasn’t exactly a fashionable tie, pink with purple polka dots, but it worked well enough. Harry gawked at the ugliness of it, but shrugged and quickly tied it into his half Windsor, hid his wand back in the supposedly undetectable harness he picked up a week ago, grabbed his ticket and passport again and went back to stand in line.

After another good twenty minutes, Harry followed the lead of the gentleman in front of him and gave his ticket and passport to the security officer, at least that’s what Harry assumed he was, took his wallet out of his pocket and sent it down the conveyer belt. He approached the large piece of equipment, walked through, and heard a beeping sound.

“Sir. Did you empty your pockets?”

Harry blinked. “Yes sir.”

“OK, please follow me.”

Harry watched as the officer grabbed his wallet off the conveyer belt and motioned for Harry to follow him over to a different area. Harry, thinking this was getting a little insane, followed. The officer took out some black looking thing and started to wave it.

“What are you doing, if I may ask Mr. Officer?”

“Are you trying to hide something?”

“Uh, no sir, this is just my first time flying and I don’t quite know what’s going on.”

“Hmm. I’m using this to detect any metal on you.”

“Oh. I probably have metal on my belt. Sorry sir.”

The officer nodded as he waved his black thing around Harry’s belt. “Ok, you’re free to go.”

Harry thanked the officer, despite thinking that any muggle who ever decided to fly was just plain bonkers.

Harry followed even more signs and eventually found his gate number, after what seemed like he walked around a quidditch pitch a couple of times.

Harry glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing he forgot to buy a watch in his day of shopping. He still had two hours to kill.

Well, I passed a couple of places to eat around here. And a couple of stores too. Maybe one has a watch in it.

Harry looked around the food court and found a pizza store. It had been so long since he had pizza, he went up and ordered two of the smallish looking pizzas and something he had only seen Dudley ever drink before – a Coca Cola. The pizza was good, but what really impressed him was the Coca Cola. So much better than the pumpkin juice he had been accustomed to. He went and bought another after finishing his pizza and began to walk around the various shops in his terminal. He found his watch store and, despite thinking it was a tad expensive, bought a very nice and elegant platinum watch. He contemplated silver, but memories of Remus started to choke him up and he quickly moved onto something else. After nothing else in the store interested him, he continued walking down the terminal when he realized he was still wearing his necktie.

Harry found another loo, undid his transfiguration on his necktie (after taking it off of course) and quickly opened the trunk to make sure nothing was damaged. Everything seemed to be in order, so he quickly closed it, changed it back to the rolling suitcase standard size (in order to fit in with most of the other travelers) and continued looking in various shops.

He went a little overboard in a chocolate store, buying a little bit of everything. He would need snacks on the way to America after all. He found a newsstand and bought a couple of magazines, a few more bottles of Coca Cola, and a few packs of gum.

Harry was on his way back to the gate with about thirty minutes left before he was supposed to board the plane when he heard a booming voice announce, “Would Harry Potter please report to the airport information booth located behind gate B1.”

This immediately made Harry nervous. Why would anybody be looking for him?

Be rational Harry. Maybe there’s a problem with the flight or something. Maybe they need to change my flight.

But Harry had obviously forgotten one important fact: he was traveling by the name of James Black, not Harry Potter.

Harry found his way to gate B1, and immediately regretted it as a familiar big bushy brown haired witch made her way right over to him shaking a letter at him with a furious look on her face. The postman must have screwed up and mailed them last night, not tonight.

“Harry Potter you have two seconds to explain yourself.”

“Excuse me Hermione? That letter should explain everything.”

“This explains NOTHING!” After this yell, many people around them turned to face them. Hermione Granger blushed heavily, and dragged Harry off to a quiet corner and subtly cast a privacy charm.

“Why are you here? What?”

“Well I got this letter in the post and immediately contacted Ron and Ginny who got similar letters and we vowed to find you.”

“How did you find me here?”

“Honestly? Dumb luck. Ron’s checking portkey locations, and Ginny is searching train stations. I was the only one who had ever seen an airport. Can you imagine Ron trying to get past security? Now stop avoiding the conversation. You are coming back right now.”

“No.”

“WHAT?”

“No Hermione. I can’t.”

“And just why not? I deserve a better explanation than ‘I can’t stay.’ That’s a right load of rubbish, and you know it Harry James Potter.”

Harry started to get angry right back at Hermione. “No, you listen Hermione Granger. I can’t stay. Everywhere I turn I think of dead. Already today, just in the past five minutes, I was haunted by memories of Remus.”

“It’s natural Harry, and nothing to flee from.”

“Are you saying I’m a coward?”

“Yes I am. You would rather leave then face your problems.”

Harry had never come so close to hexing Hermione. “How DARE you say that to me? You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

Hermione snorted. “I was there for most if it, mind you.”

“You never died Hermione.”

“What?”

“I died during the final battle. Well, kind of died. I don’t quite understand all what happened, but I most certainly passed on at some point and was sent back by Dumbledore.”

“Harry, you aren’t making any sense. Come back with me to the Burrow and let’s talk about this.”

“No! What part of I have to get out of here don’t you understand. Take yesterday for example, everyone I came across was talking and gossiping about The Great Harry Potter, whatever shall he do next?”

“You’re their hero Harry.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be. I never applied for the role.”

“People need to look up to something, if nothing than to take their minds off everything that’s happened in the past year.”

“So what about me? What do I do to take my mind off everything?”

Hermione thought about this one for a minute. Harry had finally scored a point.

“Well, then why can’t we do this with you?”

“Do you know what I see when I look at you right now? I see a reminder of everything I’ve lost.”

“What about everything you still have? Me, Ron, Ginny, who I must say I’ve never seen so devastated-“

“Don’t you dare bring Ginny into this.”

“Do you have any idea how scared we all are, and how crushed we were when we realized it wasn’t a joke and you were really going through with it?”

“Why would I ever joke about something like this?”

“It’s just not you Harry.”

“I don’t even know who Harry is anymore.”

Hermione looked flabbergasted at this notion.

“What?”

“I haven’t had a chance to ever discover who I am. My whole life I’ve been fighting a battle. First against the Durselys, then against Voldemort or gigantic snakes or incompetent teachers or ministry or death eaters or death or anything else! I’ve never had the chance to step back and spend time thinking about me, and discovering a life for myself. And you know as well as I do I can’t do that here in Britain.”

Hermione started to cry. “Well what about us?”

“What about me? Haven’t I earned the right to be just a little selfish?”

“Harry. I don’t know what to say. I’m half tempted to stun you right here and drag you back myself.”

Harry glared. “I wouldn’t. Hermione, I’m serious about this. And if you try to restrain me, aside from losing all friendship we have ever had, it would be temporary as you know you could not prevent me from escaping.”

“Can’t you at least let all of us say goodbye first?”

“No. I can’t. I don’t know how much more pain I can take Hermione.”

Hermione started to hyperventilate at this point, realizing she was losing the battle. “Can we at least send letters? Or floo? Or visit? Where are you going anyhow?”

“No. No to all. I need a clean break and to stop living in the past right now.”

Hermione started to cry openly. “But…but Harry, when will you be back?”

“I don’t know.”

Hermione started to sob now. “Va..vah…visit?”

“Again, I don’t know. Goodbye Hermione. Thanks for being there these past years. I wish you the best luck in life.” With this, Harry Potter turned his back on Hermione and marched back to his gate and saw Hermione collapse in tears out of the corner of his eye.

Keep it together. Don’t let her see you break down in tears as you walk away. It’s all for the best. You know it’s all for the best. Must murder the jerk at the post office for screwing up the order. That is what I didn’t want to happen. Yes. I’m causing pain. I’m causing hurt. But it’s nothing compared to what I’ve had to deal with. You can’t lose yourself in others in order to make them happy. You have to be yourself, and you don’t know what that is right now, so you need time to think about things and you can’t do it here in Britain because of things just like that. I hope she drops it and just lets me be for a while. I need to be. I need to be let go and be free to discover who I am. I can’t do that here. I have to go. I have to go. I have to go.

Harry was absorbed in his mantra that he nearly missed the announcement that his flight was finally boarding. He saw another queue form by his gate, and went to join the line. He was still just managing to keep it together as he approached the gate and gave the attendant his ticket. “Seat 3A.”

Harry figured that would make sense once he got on the plane. He assumed it meant third row, but you never could be to sure. He stepped onto the plane and was greeted by another attendant with “Good morning”

“Uh, good morning. Seat 3A please.”

“That will be the third row up, right side, next to the window. Would you care for a drink before take off?”

“What do you have?”

“We have Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Tea, various juices, beer, wine, liquor-“

“I want something with Coke, but a little stronger.”

The attendant grinned. “Rum and coke sound ok?”

Harry shrugged and replied, “sure.”

“I’ll have it right out to you. Please take your seat, and welcome to Delta airlines. My name is Michelle if you need anything.”

“Er, thanks.”

Harry saw other patrons taking their bags and putting them in the compartment above their heads, similar to the Hogwarts Express. He did the same, figuring if he needed anything later he could get it out of his bag. He was still carrying his the magazines he had bought before, before Hermione found him.

Harry sighed as he sat down in his seat.

Why did they have to look for me? Why did I even bother going to that counter to see what they needed? I should have expected something like this. I let my guard down. Stupid Potter. Can’t even run away correctly.

“Here’s your drink.”

“Thanks Michelle.”

“Excuse me miss, I’m in 3B.”

“Would you care for anything to drink?”

“Give me a Bloody Mary.”

“Yes Mamn.”

“Could you help me with my bag,” she asked Harry.

“Uh sure. Here.” Harry helped the older woman lift he bag up to the overhead bin.

“Thanks. My name is Sarah.”

“Ha-James here.” Harry remembered at the last minute to use his new name.

“Heading to Atlanta?”

Harry sighed. “Good as anywhere I suppose. You?”

“Yes, it’s my home. I’m looking forward to getting back. You’re from England I suppose, with that accent?”

“I don’t have the accent! If anyone here does, it’s you.”

She chuckled. “Lets just say we both have accents and be done with it.”

Harry agreed, “Sounds fine. Are you originally from Atlanta?”

“Oh, I moved up to the big city ten years ago. I’m from a small, South Georgia town originally. Are you going for business or pleasure?”

Harry shrugged. “I just needed to away for a while.”

“Say no more my friend. Ah, thank you sugar,” she told the attendant as she brought Sarah her beverage, “Shall we toast to new beginnings?”

“Cheers,” and they both took a sip. “I should warn you Sarah, I’ve never flown before.”

“First time? Really?”

Harry nodded. “So if I’m not quite sure what to do, correct me please.”

“Oh no problem at all James. First, you need to buckle that seat belt. Here, watch me.”

“Why do we need them?”

“Well, they won’t do good in a crash. Oh, dearie don’t worry,” she said as she saw Harry pale, “that almost never happens. It can get a tad bumpy when we take off and land.”

Harry sighed. “Great.”

“If you get sick, just grab the barf bag.”

“Pardon?”

“The barf bag. It’s in that seat pocket in front of you. The little bag.”

“I’m not looking forward to this flight at all anymore.”

“Just have some more to drink. What are you having?”

“Rum and coke. I haven’t had a coke before today.”

“Never? What did you grow up drinking? Tea?”

“And juice.”

“Well bless your heart. You know, they have this coke museum in Atlanta.”

“Why?”

“That’s where coke is from! The headquarters is downtown. The museum is somewhere else downtown. I forget where exactly, but you should check it out while you’re there.”

“Sure, why not.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Delta airlines flight #2321 direct from London Heathrow to Atlanta. We need you to please sit down and buckle your seatbelts before we can take off.”

“Now James, don’t get too nervous on the take off. I know it can be scary the first time, but really, you’ll be fine.”

Harry sighed. “If you say so. I have to say, I haven’t been impressed with flying so far.”

She let out a loud laugh. “Let me guess, security?”

“What was that about?”

“They had to make sure you weren’t carrying any weapons, which is why they xray the bags and do the metal detectors.”

Harry had no clue what she was talking about, but played along nonetheless. “Ah. That’s why. Too keep us safe then.”

“Well it won’t stop someone determined to do harm, but the appearance of safety is sometimes all we need.”

“That’s an interesting idea.”

“Thanks. So what do you do for a living?”

“Student. Just graduated from secondary. You?”

“Oh, I’m a fifth grade teacher.”

“So what were you doing in London?”

“Oh I’ve been sightseeing the past week or so. I have to say, the whole town seemed to be in a festive mood.”

With this, Harry’s face dropped. He could imagine what people were in such a happy mood.

“Oh dear, what did I say?”

“Nothing, it’s just-“ Harry was saved by the intercom, as the plane began to depart the gate and roll backwards. The flight attendant came back through collecting trash, and then,

“Welcome to Delta airlines. Please turn your attention to the monitors, which will give you a brief safety demonstration.”

Harry turned his head to catch the television screen on the back of the seat in front of him, and watched as a flight attendant led him through the different safety features on the plane. Needless to say, but the end of the video Harry was far from feeling like he was safe, on the contrary, he wondered if this was one of the most dangerous things he had done.

At least no one is trying to actively kill me, although it might just happen nonetheless. This was a bad idea. I should have taken the international portkey or something. Or taken the train and gone into Europe and gone to France. France. Hermione. Fleur. Triwizard Tournament. Cedric. The first to die.

Harry’s emotions, much to his horror, finally caught up with him and he began to cry softly.

“Are you all right James?”

Harry shook his head. “No.”

“What happened?”

Harry sniffed loudly. “It’s about why I’m leaving.”

“Well, if you want to talk about, I’ll listen.”

Harry sighed. “Well Sarah, I had a lot of close friends and family die recently.”

“Oh my dear I’m so sorry.”

“And I just had to get out of England for a while.”

“I understand completely James.”

“How?”

“My close family were all killed in a terrible car accident on the way to visit me at college. After that, I had to get out of Florida, where the accident happened. I ended up studying abroad in Japan that next semester, so I could put some space between what just happened.”

“Exactly! That’s what I’m thinking of. Why can’t she understand?”

“Why can’t who understand sweetie?”

“My friend Hermione. She found me at the airport and started yelling at me, saying I was a coward and running away from my problems.”

“Oh James, she was probably scared.”

“Scared?”

“I assume if you two are friends, she lost many people close to her recently. She was probably scared to lose someone else.”

“It’s not like I’m dying or anything-“

“I know James. But she sees it as another person leaving, and if she could do anything to stop it, she would.”

Harry sighed. “Now I feel guilty.”

“Don’t. Look, everybody needs to cope in their own way in their own time. It might be painful for her for now, but in the end it will be for the best. You have the right to focus little on yourself and cope.”

“Part of me knows that, but part of me hates it.”

“Oh, might want to hold on James, we’re about to take off.”

Harry gripped his seat’s handles as the plane launched itself down the runway.