This will eventually be a multiple-chapter story, so it's not complete yet. I'll try to have the next chapters ready soon.
Many, many googleplexes of thanks go to Erik for beta-reading the story!!! Tremendous thanks also to Brina for introducing me to SIYE!
Also, please review if you have suggestions/comments - this is my first story on SIYE, so I'd love advice to help me improve on it!
Enjoy!!!
* Sorry for the long delay between chapters! Since I'm behind, I've withdrawn the story from the judging for this month, since it won't be ready in time. However, I do plan to finish writing it, using the April challenge as my theme; I hope to have more of it ready soon. :-)
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Out of This World | ||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:All Genres: Comedy, Fluff, Romance Warnings: None Rating: PG Reviews: 5 Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated in over 2 years *** To complement their Muggle Studies education, the Hogwarts sixth-years take a weekend trip to the largely-Muggle city of Athens, Greece. Along the way, they'll run into a couple of magical mishaps as well as gain new wisdom in this unfamiliar environment! Hitcount: Story Total: 3441 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: |
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“Owls come yet?” Ron inquired sleepily, plopping down on a bench beside Harry in the Great Hall. “Don’t think so.” Harry, yawning, glanced around the room, and then turned towards the oak table when something gold caught his eye. It was a parchment envelope, peeking out of the neat folds of his napkin. “Why didn’t it come by owl, d’you suppose?” Harry asked Ron, who was peering over his shoulder. Examining the envelope, Harry was a bit alarmed to find that the red seal was stamped with the unmistakable Hogwarts symbol. Exchanging a look with Ron, he hurriedly tore it open. ANNOUNCING THE MUGGLE STUDIES EXPLORATION TRIP! A unique opportunity for fifth and sixth-year students enrolled in Muggle Studies, this trip will provide a close-up view of a real Muggle city! The trip will consist of a one-week trip to Athens. We strongly encourage students to participate in this firsthand experience of Muggle travel and everyday life! Interested Students: Please complete a two to five sentence description of a common Muggle object, a well-known Muggle person, or our destination, Athens. Include details that go beyond common or general background knowledge. To sign up for the trip, please submit this description, as well as the attached participation form, to Professor McGonagall no later than this Thursday, as the trip will begin this weekend (we will leave for Athens on Friday afternoon). The description will be your ticket of eligibility, as well as a method of getting pre-acquainted with some of the things you may encounter in on our trip. Registration is first come, first serve; the trip is not mandatory and will only include twenty-five students. We hope to see you there! Ron was suddenly wide awake. “Hey, Harry, I think I’ve got one too!” He cried enthusiastically. Ron broke the seal on his own envelope, pulled out the flier, and studied it for another minute. After rereading the parchment, he let out a long whistle, shifting out of his reverie. “Blimey. I don’t even know what Athens is!” Suddenly, Ron’s face lit up in a bright grin. “You don’t suppose it’s a city like Hogsmeade…with sweet shops and everything that we’re free to romp through?!” he exclaimed. Harry also brightened at the idea. “That’s possible,” he mused, “but in that case, why would we visit there for Muggle Studies?” Ron sat back confidently, munching on a waffle with satisfaction. “Dunno,” he replied. “Probably a reference library there or something.” The two looked up to spot Hermione briskly approaching their corner of the Gryffindor table. She seemed to have overheard part of their conversation. “’Morning! Did one of you say something about Athens?” “Yeah, some little Hogsmeade-type village thing,” Ron replied without much notice. “Little village?!” Hermione sputtered. “Honestly! Don’t you two know your geography? Haven’t you ever heard of Athens, Greece?” Hermione sighed. “At least you should have heard of it, Harry. It’s the capital of Greece,” she explained patiently. “A large part of the city is entirely Muggle. The majority of the wizarding community lives further north, because there’s a big center of magical commerce there, kind of like Diagon Alley. In fact, the Muggles recently held their big sporting event, the Olympics, in Athens.” Seeing the boys’ puzzled looks, she added, “It’s like a huge Quidditch championship…except it involves several different events.” “Now then, what were you saying about Athens?” As soon as she had uttered her question, Hermione spotted the parchment still scattered about the breakfast table. Noticing her own invitation, she quickly opened it and read it. When she set it down, her eyes had grown, Harry thought, to about three times their usual size. “We’re going to Athens?! This will be the opportunity of a lifetime! We’ll get to see exactly what life is like in a Muggle city, firsthand. And this weekend, too. Barely enough time to read up on what we’ll see. Are you two planning on going?” she asked eagerly. “Not sure,” said Ron, still trying to comprehend all of Hermione’s quick, frenzied words. “It might not be especially interesting — we already study Muggles in class, after all - and the description sounds like a bother.” Just then, the sound of fluttering became audible in the hall, growing steadily louder. Soaring through the windows and darting across the great room were hundreds of owls, ranging from deep black to soft tawny to snowy white in colour. They formed a swarming, swooping cloud overhead. A small, rather confused owl landed shakily next to Ron, offering a letter that was attached to its foot. “Thanks, Errol,” Ron said to the owl as he detached the letter. “It’s from Mum and Dad,” he told his friends. After glancing briefly at it, he groaned slightly. “Oh, no, now they’re going to try to convince me, too.” He looked down at the letter once more. “Dad sounds ecstatic!” The others grinned at Arthur Weasley’s enthusiasm for Muggle culture and inventions. “What about you, Harry?” Hermione asked, turning towards him. “Think you’ll sign up?” Harry hesitated for a few moments. “I dunno either…” he replied slowly. He wouldn’t say all of this to his friends, but he wondered what it would be like to go to a Muggle city with only his teachers and classmates. He had never truly experienced the Muggle world outside of Privet Drive; there he felt strangely isolated. It could be so different, and there could be so much more to learn if he were to actually live in it with more freedoms. Or would it be no different from learning about Muggle life in his Muggle Studies class, as Ron had predicted? But what about the parts of Muggle life that he did already know about? Wouldn’t it be fun to share those with his school friends? Yes, Harry thought, it would indeed be a fine experience. “…you simply can’t miss it,” Hermione was busily saying to Ron. “Yes, I think I’d really like to go,” Harry told her decidedly. Hermione gave him an approving glance, then turned back to Ron. “You know, I really didn’t want to stoop this low in my methods of convincing you,” she began. “But anyone who goes on the trip will leave on Friday afternoon and be excused from the extra Potions reading that’s scheduled for Friday’s class…” “All right, I’m in,” Ron agreed. As Hermione rose from her chair, Ron remarked to Harry, “Bet you she’ll do the reading on the train.” Hermione, a few feet ahead, put on a rather indignant face, while Ron stifled a laugh. “Oh, Ron,” She turned swiftly to him. “It’ll most likely be an airplane, since we’re going to learn about Muggle travel methods.” “Daft,” muttered Ron jokingly. Harry decided not to say anything when he saw Hermione leaving the library later on with a heavy-looking book under her arm entitled All Aspects of Advanced Antidotes. |
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