Harry Potter and the Thunderstruck Muggles By Horst Pollmann 1 Table of Contents Harry Potter and the Thunderstruck Muggles............................................................................ 1 01 - Waiting............................................................................................................................ 3 02 - Movieing....................................................................................................................... 20 03 - Coming to Terms .......................................................................................................... 38 04 - First Signs ..................................................................................................................... 60 05 - Caribbean Trip .............................................................................................................. 81 06 - Manifestations............................................................................................................... 99 07 - Detected ...................................................................................................................... 113 08 - Flying High ................................................................................................................. 128 09 - Cursing Items.............................................................................................................. 145 10 - Show Business ............................................................................................................ 163 11 - A Rare Guest............................................................................................................... 184 12 - Stealth ......................................................................................................................... 203 13 - Confrontation .............................................................................................................. 220 14 - Resistance ................................................................................................................... 244 15 - New Horizons ............................................................................................................. 267 16 - Backtracking ............................................................................................................... 291 17 - Transits........................................................................................................................ 307 18 - Wheel of Fortune ........................................................................................................ 326 19 - Family Business.......................................................................................................... 341 20 - Traces.......................................................................................................................... 356 21 - The Deal...................................................................................................................... 373 22 - Gran Tourismo............................................................................................................ 391 23 - Hunting ....................................................................................................................... 408 24 - Meeting ....................................................................................................................... 429 25 - Potions and Candidates............................................................................................... 448 26 - Ending Tracks ............................................................................................................. 465 27 - Broke........................................................................................................................... 478 28 - Closing In.................................................................................................................... 495 29 - Attack.......................................................................................................................... 514 30 - Family and Other Bonds ............................................................................................. 531 31 - Looking Forward ........................................................................................................ 549 2 01 - Waiting A small island in the northern hemisphere, called England. A small town near the capital, called Ottery St. Watchpole. A small house of ridiculous dimensions, called The Burrow. A small garden at the backside, in dire need of water and a caring hand - here we find Harry Potter, sitting in the grass, a brilliant-green snake close to him but in full sunlight, while Harry prefers the shadow, watching some gnome holes in fair distance. Every now and then, a quick movement at some hole, a head like a chestnut, on a body like a potato, comes up for a moment, glancing around. And bang, comes a cannonball of water - from a gnome perspective, that is, while the thing isn't bigger than a hazelnut, splashes the head or misses, although very close. The head disappears quickly, of course. After a hit, it is nicely coloured, because the water is saturated with a colouring ink - initially red, then Harry has changed to yellow, to blue, now he's trying a mix to produce the Gryffindor colours, scarlet and gold. Until tomorrow, the colours will be gone, since Harry doesn't really share Ma Weasley's feelings toward the gnomes. It's just a game. A pretty stupid one. But if you're bored as much as Harry ... At the beginning of vacation, the world looked great. The first major event was a family conference in which Harry, supported by Ron and Ginny, told Arthur and Molly Weasley that he had come across the better half of a slim million. Better than the other simply because it could be found in Harry's vault - only days ago, the money had arrived through a channel in which Mr. Chang, Harry's most likely future father-in-law, had played a nice game with a dark wizard. A slightly censored version of this background was part of Harry's explanation toward the Weasleys. Then he expressed his strong determination to share with them as much as possible, and that - for starters - Mr. Weasley might go looking for a comfortable family car. Ma Weasley took the shock quite well, showed an open mind when her children suggested a shopping day to celebrate the warm rain. In sharp contrast, however, stood her ironclad refusal to accept anything close to a direct money transfer. A shopping day - gladly so, presents - okay, but only so much. And she warned her husband not to have funny ideas, after all, who needed a Muggle car if there was chimney travel and Apparition and portkey links. Arthur Weasley nodded, nodded again later when Ron and Harry informed him that they might look around by themselves, would then come to the Ministry to get his opinion about one model or the other. There wasn't a rule in the Weasley household which prevented Harry from buying a Muggle car, was it? The next day, the Weasley-Potter gang, including Ma Weasley, spent most of the daylight hours in the city, and some money in some shops. One of these shops was called Swashbuckle Sweets. The owners, Fred and George Weasley, were happy to hear the news, remarkably stubborn otherwise. Yes, they would accept a shopping tour sponsored by Harry - if they ever found the time, that was, while otherwise the 3 only effect Harry could achieve was a loan contract with him rather than with Gringotts, five grand, interest zero, to be paid back within the next five years. At Gringotts, Harry made some transactions - five grand for the twins, the same for Ron, based on the agreement they had closed in the Three Broomsticks, the same for Ginny. Then they spent some time waiting until the newest invention for financial transactions in the wizarding world was prepared. One each for Harry, Ron, and Ginny - a GALA, a Gringotts Account Liquidity Affirmation. To the unknowing eye, a GALA looked like a double-sided picture which could listen and answer. The picture on the front side showed the account owner, smiling friendly and saying his or her name. The picture on the back side showed a Goblin. When asked whether Gringotts would honour a bill of a certain sum, this Goblin answered "Yes" or "No", depending on the sum and on the current account balance. A Muggle would have called this a credit card, missing the point entirely for several reasons. The card didn't offer a credit line. It couldn't be faked. And maybe the most significant difference - when losing or omitting the card in a shop, the Goblin started shouting with a high-pitched voice. A GALA suited worlds better than walking around with a heavy bag of galleons. For Gringotts customers with an account above hundred grand, the thing came for free. For Gringotts customers in the company of Harry Potter, it also came free, no matter which account balance. For other people, receiving a GALA came shockingly expensive. Then Harry visited the Ministry, to deliver the first pile of glossy brochures in Arthur Weasley's office, and to talk with his godfather about an Apparition license. Sirius looked sour. "Why can't you run the normal procedure like any good citizen?" "Because it takes forever," explained Harry truthfully. "This ministry is a bunch of time thieves, some notable exceptions granted." "And why do you come to me, who has sworn to fight corruption and nepotism ..." "C'mon, Sirius ... do you know any license coach who's ready to do an Apparition contest