After That - 3

Harry finished the letters to Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville, and a few others once Joyce left. It wasn't until he was done that he realized he had no idea how to send them. He had sent Kreacher to serve Narcissa, being around the elf that helped kill Sirius wasn't good for mental health. Plus, he didn't know if a House Elf could answer his call at this distance. He couldn't bring himself to get a new owl. What he needed somewhere he could connect to the greater magical community without breaking his cover. MACUSA didn't seem to have a presence here, which meant he'd need to seek alternate means. Hopefully, Giles would know something that could work.

He stepped out of his new house and headed over to speak to Joyce in hopes she Giles' phone number. That reminded him, he needed to get a phone arranged for his place. The door opened as he approached. Giles stepped outside with a rather concerned look on his face. The man sensed someone nearby, he squinted in a moment of confusion as he recognized Harry.

"What are you doing here?" Giles asked.

"I bought the house next door," Harry motioned to his new home.

"Oh," Giles blinked. "Shame, I was hoping to look at that tent of yours."

"You can come over now," Harry offered.

"Thank you," Giles accepted.

"I was coming over to ask Joyce for your phone number," Harry said as they returned to his house.

"Why is that?" Giles asked.

"I need to get a letter to my friends," Harry answered as he pulled his shrunken trunk from his pocket. "I have no idea how."

Giles' opened his mouth to reply only to freeze as the trunk returned to size. He watched as Harry leaned inside much farther than the trunk appeared deep. The young wizard stood, now holding a tent that was wider than the trunk that had held it. Harry waved his hand, pushing the furniture in the living room against the walls, then tossed the bundled tent into the open space. It popped into shape as it landed.

"There we go," Harry said turning to Giles.

He had to stifle a laugh as he took in the befuddled librarian.

"Space expansion enchantments on the trunk," Harry explained. "It's on the basic side, single compartment with a false drawer in case muggle authorities need to inspect it. The more complex models don't take well to being shrunken."

"And you mean to tell me there is an entire world with this sort of magic?" Giles took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "The Wizarding World is, well, all across the world. It makes sense that you wouldn't know about it. Most wizards don't pay attention to anything in the muggle world. They only knew about World War Two because a wizard was active at the same time in Europe." He unzipped the flap on the tent. "Come inside."

Giles nodded absently and followed Harry inside. The older man stopped mid-step as he entered.

"It's a mid-range model," Harry waved a hand at the studio space. "Small kitchen, one bed, one bath, and I can activate Notice-Me-Not Charms for privacy."

Giles nodded as though he understood everything Harry had just said. After a moment, the librarian regained his voice.

"This is incredible," Giles whispered.

"You should see the deluxe models," Harry chuckled.

Giles raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

"Multi-level castles," Harry answered.

"Castles?" Giles repeated.

Harry nodded.

"This is incredible," Giles repeated.

"It's better than sleeping on the couch," Harry smiled.

"Indeed," Giles muttered. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Right, magical communication. I don't have access to anything like that, but there is a Magic Shop in town that might."

"A magic shop?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Giles nodded. "It has actual magic, not rabbits in hats."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"Would you like a ride?" Giles asked.

"If it's not an inconvenience," Harry replied.

"None at all," Giles replied. "I needed to pick up more spell ingredients."

"I appreciate it," Harry said.

~

From the outside The Magic Shop didn't look anything special. Harry would not have given it a second glance and written it off as a novelty store. The interior was a little better. It was half bookstore, half curios. Thankfully, the items were legit with a few silly items mixed in for flavor.

The lady behind the counter looked bored reading a magazine. Her blonde hair had streaks of bright red and the clothes she wore were business casual as done by Hot Topic.  She gave the barest of glances when they entered. A flash of recognition passed across her face when she saw Giles. It was quickly dismissed as she returned to whatever magazine she was reading.

"Excuse me," Harry said as he approached the counter. "Are you able to send letters to magical Britain through MACUSA?"

Her eyes went wide at his words. She stole a quick look at Giles who was busy sorting through some herbal selections.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Great," Harry let out a relieved sigh. "Do you also convert Gringotts gold to Dollars?"

"No," she shook her head. "Too much of a hassle." She paused. "There's Willy Place if you don't mind dealing with creeps."

"I've dealt with worse," Harry muttered. "Can you make it so they can't be tracked?"

"Are these cursed?" The woman dropped the letters on the counter.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I just don't want to be found yet."

"Got it," she nodded. "Yes, but it will cost extra."

She stated the price and true to her word, it did cost extra. Harry paid for the letters then waited for Giles.

"I don't see many wizards around here," the woman said. "It's mostly hedge-mages. Are you visiting?"

"Hiding out," Harry chuckled. "Things back home were getting…"

"Say no more," the woman held up a hand. "I've got a couple of friends on the East Coast. They told me about the mess over there. Did they really send a kid to fight off a dark lord?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"Damn," the woman muttered. "I know we've got some problems, but what the fuck?"

"I agree," he said. "I'm Harry, you are?"

He wasn't going to drop his last name if she actually knew about the Wizarding World.

"Stella," she replied. "I work most days if you want to come by. I don't get to talk to many actual wizards or witches that often."

"Days," Harry smiled. "Good call. I don't have a phone set yet, but I'll definitely come by." He paused. "Could you tell me where to find Willy's Place?"

"Sure," Stella smiled.

~

Willy's Place was a bar, which he hadn't been expecting. It was getting close to sundown, so there were a few more people scattered around the room. Most were human, but a few monstrous folk were mixed in. No one seemed bothered by them, so Harry did the same. He was quickly coming to realize that the curriculum at Hogwarts was lacking when it came to a lot of things.

"You're a little young to be here," the bartender said as Harry approached.

"I'm not here to drink," Harry said.

"Brit?" The bartender scrunched his face. "What brings you here?"

"Money, what else?" Harry said letting a bit of tiredness slip into his voice. "The Magic Shop said you exchange Gringotts Gold for cash."

"Now, why would they say something like that?" The bartender gave a loud laugh that held more malice than humor.

It didn't escape Harry's attention that a few of the non-human people around the bar perked up at the sound. He wasn't the same naïve boy wonder that had fled Nocturn Alley years ago. Harry had dealt with plenty of shady characters, information brokers, and hired muscle in his stint as the Ministry Problem Solver.

"Do you?" Harry asked.

"For a price," the bartender flashed at him with a smile that was anything but friendly. "It's not like swapping them out at the embassy. It costs a bit to slip by the goblins."

"How much?" Harry asked.

"How much do you have?" The bartender leered.

Harry slapped his hand down on the bar. The shockwave created a circle around them that prevented all sound from escaping. It also knocked the horned guy that was sneaking up behind him onto the floor.

He locked eyes with the bartender, sending a small pulse of magic through the gaze. It carried a compulsion to fulfill the deal fairly without outside interference. Harry knew it wasn't going to come out in his favor, but he didn't want to be ripped off more than usual.

"Don't kill me," the bartender held up his hands.

"I'm not going to kill you," Harry rolled his eyes. "This is either the first of a long line of business transactions, or the last. Your call."

"First," the bartender nodded. "First sounds good."

"Wonderful," Harry dropped the circle of silence. "Let's talk about exchange rates."

~

Harry tamped down his annoyance as he walked back to his new house. For a town vampires and other monsters running around there were certainly an abundance of alleys. Changing goblin gold into cash wasn't cheap. Everyone had to prepare for disappointment when getting muggle money from Gringotts. It was even worse when trying to circumvent the damned goblins. They had enchanted their gold with all sorts of nasty tricks for anyone dumb enough to mess with it. Working around those enchantments was not easy, nor was it cheap. The only other option was to take the gold to a jeweler to buy it per ounce, but that was even more dangerous.

The sun had set sometime during the negotiations. Harry knew there were other easier ways to get money. He could simply walk into a bank, compel the teller, and walk away with a few bags of cash. MACUSA might catch on, but Sunnydale had enough of that strange ambient magic to create a blind spot. Unfortunately, his morals wouldn't let him.

He felt the disturbance in the magic around him before he saw the group of thugs strutting toward him. They had been in the bar and had seen him exchange his gold for cash. The place had a strict 'no fighting' rule which was enforced by a couple of creatures that were as large as Hagrid without the cheery disposition. Their red and white marbled skin, curved ram-like horns, and claws also set them apart from the half-giant.

"Hey!" One of them called. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

Harry turned to face the group. There were five of them, they had spread out in a half-circle blocking the alley. He looked over his shoulder at the other side that led out into the street. A voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Hermione told him to walk away. He may have done just that if he wasn't so annoyed.

"Evening," Harry said casually. "I'm giving you one chance, walk away."

The group laughed. Their laughter took on a hostile edge as their faces morphed into a mockery of what they had been a moment before. Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"Was that supposed to be scary?" Harry asked. "You look like extras from Star Trek."

"Get him!" One of them yelled.

Harry whipped his hand toward them. The Elder Wand appeared in his grip with the motion. A quick Diffindo decapitated the first two vampires. One was smart enough to duck while the others were far enough away for the spell to fade before reaching them. Harry held back on the strength since he didn't want collateral damage. That meant his spells were short range and perfect for a fight in an alley.

The two decapitated vampires burst into ash. Harry wasn't expecting that. The moment of confusion was enough for one of the remaining vampires to close the distance. Harry ducked as the guy leaped at him. The vampire sailed over him, somehow landed on his feet, and turned to face Harry in a smooth motion.

Harry leaned back, barely dodging a spinning kick aimed for his face. This was a different sort of fight than he usually faced. Dark Lords rarely resorted to 'barbaric' methods. Creatures though, they didn't care about style or decorum, they just wanted you dead.

He dismissed the Elder Wand to free his hands. A quick clench of the first sent a silent Body Bind spell to the vampire in front of him. It did not escape his notice that there were still a couple attackers behind him as well.

Harry summoned the Sword of Gryffindor as he spun to face the others. Pure dumb luck, good for him, but bad for the vampire, turned another to ash when the blade decapitated the monster. He shifted his grip, reversing it, and stabbing behind him to finish the frozen vampire as he locked eyes with the remaining attacker.

A quick pulse of Legilimency told him that these morons were part of a larger coven. The main group were hiding out in an underground chamber accessible via a mausoleum in a graveyard. That didn't help much considering Sunnydale had more cemeteries than traffic lights. They were out on the town for a hunt and some fun. Running into him was mere chance rather than some grand plan. Harry was a little bothered that he was relieved that it was a random attack.

His 'normal' was weird.

Harry snapped his fingers, ending the vampire in a burst of fire. He dismissed the sword once he was sure the alley was clear. The first time he had summoned it had ended with him dropping the weapon. He was in the middle of fighting off a swarm of Grindylows that had started to attack a nearby village due to overpopulation after stripping the lake of fish. Harry had wished he had something more than a wand and the sword appeared. The great worked great when dealing with creatures. His lack of skill was obvious when he had to fight an experienced person. He would need to learn how to fight if he was going to stay in Sunnydale for any amount of time. Giles might be able to help with that or at least point him in the right direction.

He looked at the scattered ash on the ground. Vampires weren't supposed to explode. Not the ones he had read about in DADA. These seemed to be different sorts of vampires. Would that mean that Oz wasn't the same type of werewolf? How would he react to the Wolfsbane Potion? It was yet another thing he would need to talk to Giles about.

After he got home. A quick cast of Tempus told him it was later than he expected. He had a feeling this might be a long conversation. It could wait until tomorrow.

~

Harry finally got close to his new house to see that Joyce was still awake. He paused as he reached his front door. There was something more than her being awake. He could hear here crying. His heart clenched at the pure emotion in the sound. He couldn't bring himself to ignore a crying mother.

He turned around and headed over to her house. The doorbell felt too impersonal, if that made sense, so he knocked. He braced himself to face a crying mother. Instead, a girl opened the door. It was obvious that she had been crying recently, but her eyes narrowed when she realized she didn't know him.

"Hello," Harry couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Who are you?" The steel in her voice contrasted with the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Harry," he replied. "New neighbor. I heard your mother crying and wanted to check on her. You're Buffy?"

"She didn't mention a new neighbor," Buffy said.

"Oh, Harry," Joyce said stepping into the entryway. "Come-"

"Mom!" Buffy snapped. "We don't invite people."

"No problem," Harry held up a hand. "I wanted to check on you," he directed his words at Joyce. "This is more important." Harry waved at her. "It was nice to meet you, Buffy. Maybe we can talk properly soon. Have a good night."

Harry slipped away before he could intrude any further. The bed left behind from the previous owner smelled like old lady and dust even after a couple of cleaning spells. He transfigured the bed into a copy of the one in Grimmauld.

It wasn't a permanent fix, but it would last the night.