The Vault of Destinies (James Potter #3) (23 page)

James tried to replay the question in his head. "Er, I don't think so," he answered.

"Welcome to the United States," the agent said, unsmiling. "And good luck, Mr. Potter."

"Er, thanks." James replied. As he moved forward in line, making room for Ralph to hand over his own unusually large wand, James turned and saw his father at an adjacent queue, behind Merlin and in front of his mum. They were all talking, their heads close together.

Finally, the signs and queues opened up into a broad lobby with high vaulted ceilings and moving advertisements framed on the walls. Witches and wizards crowded the space, some flying overhead on brooms, zooming in and out through a bank of very tall doorways set into the far wall. As James peered around at the milling crowd, he was not exactly surprised to see a wide variety of ethnicities, clothing styles, and even animals, all milling through the gigantic space like ants.

On the other side of the space, near the doors, a Bigfoot wearing a backpack and a pair of dark sunglasses lumbered along, towering over those around him. Nearby, a dark-skinned wizard in a red fez stooped over an open carpet bag. He produced a length of white rope, which he deftly tossed into the air, where it caught and hung on nothing. Without pausing, the man closed his carpet bag, scooped it onto his shoulder, and, to James' complete amazement, began to climb the rope. As he reached the top, he vanished into thin air, taking his carpet bag with him. A moment later, the rope zipped upwards, disappearing as well.

"Wicked…," Ralph said appreciatively, standing next to James, his eyes wide.

James nodded and felt excitement bubbling up in him. Together, they followed Percy and Neville Longbottom toward a bank of grand marble stairs and the doors beyond.

"Hey," Ralph said suddenly, pushing himself up on his toes to peer over the crowd, "isn't that Chancellor Franklyn over there? On the landing over to the right?"

James peered around Neville's shoulder and grinned. "It is! And look who's with him!"

"James!" a voice cried out over the noise of the throng. "Ralph! Hey, over here!"

James and Ralph pushed through the crowd, laughing with delight. James leapt up the stairs, taking them two at a time to the nearest landing, where a small group of people stood watching. "Zane!" he called. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Are you kidding?" Zane said, matching James' grin. "I was planning to stow away in the baggage compartment if Chancellor Franklyn wasn't going to let me come. How are you doing, you guys? Good to see you!"

James reached to shake Zane's hand, but Zane grabbed James around the shoulder and pulled him into a rough half-embrace.

"Oof," James said, laughing. "I forget how touchy-feely you lot are. We're good. Glad to finally be here."

"Hey Zane!" Ralph smiled, huffing up the last of the stairs to the landing. "Nice country you got here."

"You just wait," Zane said, approaching Ralph and throwing an arm around the bigger boy's shoulders. "I'm going to show you all around. You'll love it. But first, intros…" He turned aside, gesturing toward the people standing nearby. "That's Chancellor Franklyn, of course, who you already know."

Franklyn nodded at James and Ralph. "Boys," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you both again, and rather grown-up, I daresay. I trust you've been practicing up on your defensive techniques. It looks like I may be overseeing your education again this year, if I am not mistaken."

James nodded, but Zane went on, interrupting him before he could reply. "Next to him, that's Professor Georgia Burke. She teaches Mug-Occ and Magizoology. You might have her this year if you're lucky. She lets us pet the tufted rattlebacks, even though it's technically a violation of the health code. The rest of these mugs are just T.A.s and admin, here to take a few pictures of the big city. Like me," Zane finished, grinning. "Which reminds me, here, what's your name?"

Lucy blinked at Zane as she reached the landing. "I'm Lucy Weasley," she replied. "Who are you?"

"Pleased to meet you, Lucy. I'm Zane. You know these two? Troublemakers, aren't they? Here, would you mind taking a picture of the three of us?"

James stifled a grin as Zane shoved a large camera into Lucy's hands.

"Just push the red button on the top right," he said, backing away and throwing an arm each around James and Ralph. "But you have to hold it down for a second so the flash will work."

"I know how to operate a camera," Lucy commented, rolling her eyes. She raised the camera and peered through the viewfinder.

"Say 'cheese'!" Zane announced, showing all his teeth to the camera.

The camera flashed as Ralph and James both said 'cheese'.

"Speaking of which," Albus said, climbing the stairs next to his parents, "here's our cheesy American friend."

"Good to see you, Zane" Harry said, patting Zane roughly on the shoulder. "Still tearing it up on the Quidditch pitch?"

"I wish," Zane replied, shaking his head. "These guys don't have any respect for the game over here. Here, it's all Quodpot and Clutch. We have a team, but it's nothing like when I played with the Ravenclaws." He sighed, and then brightened. "Hi Petra! I didn't know you were coming."

Petra beamed at Zane, walking with Izzy at her side. "I don't think anybody knew for sure until we were underway," she answered, shrugging.

"Harry," Benjamin Franklyn said warmly, reaching to shake hands. "So good to see you again. I only wish it were under better circumstances. And this must be the lovely Ginevra?"

"Pleased to meet you, Chancellor," James' mum said, smiling.

"Do call me Benjamin," Franklyn said, showing her his most charming smile.

"Chancellor," Percy said, sidling between them and reaching for Franklyn's hand. "A pleasure, as always. You've met my wife, Audrey, of course. And this is Denniston Dolohov, Neville Longbottom, and finally, last but not least…"

"Merlinus Ambrosius," Franklyn interjected, looking up at the tall wizard. "Yes, of course. We barely had the chance to speak when last we met. Things were rather hectic, of course. I look forward to a more relaxed interview this time, although I am certain it won't be as long as I might hope."

"Chancellor," Merlin nodded in greeting. "I assure you, this will likely be the first of many visits. I wish to know much about this country of yours. But we will make the best use of what time we have."

Greetings and introductions continued all around, but James grew bored with them and stopped paying attention. Finally, Neville spoke up.

"Begging everyone's pardon, but I, for one, am anxious to reach our final destination. Might we continue our conversation as we move on?"

"Certainly, Mr. Longbottom," Franklyn agreed. "We are only awaiting one more person. Well, in a manner of speaking."

Harry looked around at everyone in his troop. "I believe we are all present and accounted for, Chancellor. Are you quite sure?"

"Indeed I am," Franklyn nodded. "Pardon the confusion. She is one of our own, in fact. Just now returning, by happenstance, from a summer trip abroad with some of her students."

"Here she comes now," Zane said, sighing in annoyance. "Don't tell me you guys had to travel with
her
."

James turned, frowning quizzically, just in time to see Persephone Remora climbing the steps to the landing, her long black cloak flowing dramatically around her, creating a wake through the moving crowd.

"Ah," she sighed. "Returned so soon. It seems as if we barely just left. Greetings, Chancellor, Georgia. Forgive me if we seem less than enthused to see you. It is always rather a strain to come back from our land of origin. Pray, don't take it personally."

"Welcome home, Professor Remora," Franklyn announced. "No offense taken whatsoever. We, too, know what it is like to be away from our homeland. As do our European friends here. I take it most of you have already met?"

"
Professor
Remora?" James said incredulously, turning back to Zane and Ralph.

"Yeah," Zane said under his breath. "Forbidden Practices and Cursology. Don't get me started. She's a real treat."

"Huh," Ralph said, peering aside at the woman and her pasty-faced students. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

James shook his head. "He's being sarcastic, Ralph. It's an American thing. Remember?"

"Oh yeah," Ralph said, nodding. "That makes more sense, then."

"Friends," Franklyn announced, gesturing toward the bank of doors behind him, "let us be off!"

Slowly, the group made its way up the last flight of stairs, moving into the sunset light of the doors. James craned to see around Neville Longbottom, eager for his first glimpse of the city beyond.

"I was speechless when I first saw this place," Zane enthused happily. "I mean, as a wizard, of course. I'd been to New York loads of times before, when I was growing up, but I never knew it had a magical twin. Still, I think I always sort of expected it, you know?"

"What do you mean 'a magical twin'?" Ralph asked, glancing aside as they neared the doors.

Zane blinked aside at him. "You don't know already?"

"My dad visited Alma Aleron last summer," Ralph replied, "but he came via Portkey. I don't think he made it to New York at all."

"Oh man," Zane said, shaking his head and grinning. "Hold onto your wands, then, guys. This is gonna blow your minds."

The view finally opened before them as James, Zane, and Ralph stepped out into the lowering sunlight. Before them, a paved thoroughfare led through an ornate arched gate. Wroughtiron letters crafted into the arch spelled out the words '
e magicus pluribus unum
'. Beyond the gate, looming high into the sunset, James was not surprised to see the shapes of glittering skyscrapers and steel towers. What did surprise him, however, so much so that he stopped in his tracks, his mouth dropping open, was the swarm of flying vehicles, broomed witches and wizards, and glowing magical signs and moving billboards that overlaid the buildings, reaching high up into their narrow, urban canyons.

For the first time, James noticed that nearly every skyscraper was topped with another building, smaller and older, as if a much more antiquated city had been pushed upwards by the newer buildings, like birds' nests in trees. Witches and wizards circled these buildings, perching on elaborate wooden scaffoldings that extended from, and even connected, most of the skyscrapers. In the center of it all, dominating the entire skyline, was a building so bright and transparent that it appeared to be constructed entirely of glass. As James watched, he could see people moving about inside it, riding in shimmering elevators or working over tiny semi-transparent desks.

"Welcome, friends," Franklyn said, looking up and smiling proudly. "Welcome… to New Amsterdam."

A
s it turned out, the group was traveling the rest of the way to Alma Aleron via train. Franklyn led everyone underground through a Muggle subway entrance. Near the turnstiles, James saw Muggle New Yorkers mingling freely and apparently obliviously with witches and wizards in all manner of robes and costumes. A very tall black wizard wearing white robes walked regally with a Bengal tiger at his side, led by a length of gold chain. A small child in a stroller blinked at the tiger and pointed.

"Mom! Tiger!" the boy cried out, grinning with delight.

The mother, a harried-looking woman in a business suit, was talking on her cell phone. The boy called again, and she finally glanced down at him, patting him on the head. "That's nice, honey," she said. "Mommy loves your imagination. Tigers in the subway. You should draw that when we get home."

James craned to watch as Franklyn led the troop though a special turnstile set into a tiled wall. "She doesn't even see the tiger," he said to Ralph, pointing. "It's right there in front of her! It almost stepped on her foot!"

"The kid sees it, though," Ralph commented.

"See what I mean?" Zane said, stepping through the turnstile. "The spell only really starts working when you're about three years old. That's why, when I was a kid, I always sort of knew there was something magical about this town, even though I didn't really remember the details."

James opened his mouth to ask another question, but at that moment he caught his first glimpse of the train that they were about to board. It rested between two elevated platforms in its own special terminal. The engine compartment was long and sleek, made from shining steel and glass, so streamlined that it appeared to be moving even as it stood still. Stylized letters along the side announced it as the
Lincoln Zephyr.
Double doors along the train's cars shuttled open and James felt the throng of travelers surge toward them. In the lead, Franklyn and Merlin stepped into the brightly lit interior of the engine's seating compartment.

"Sure beats taking a cab," Zane announced. "The
Zephyr
line is the fastest way around the city. Even faster than a broom, especially at rush hour."

James glanced aside as he approached the open doors. Petra, Izzy, and Lucy were entering a passenger car further down the train, following James' mum and dad and his Aunt Audrey, who was herding Molly and Lily ahead of her. Finally, the noise of the terminal fell away as James passed through the car's doors, finding himself in a richly upholstered and furnished interior. The walls and fixtures gleamed with brushed aluminum and there didn't seem to be a single hard angle in sight.