Heroes Assemble!

It's A Visit, Just A Visit

Somehow, a single butterbeer with an old friend had turned into a floo trip and a late supper with said old friend and his wife.

"This is really good, Hannah, I may have to get the recipe from you to take back with me," Harry said.

Hannah Longbottom visibly preened.

"One condition, Harry – you don't cook it anywhere in Britain," she said mock-sternly.

"You have my word," Harry promised.

"Take back, Harry?" Neville asked. "I thought that you were back for good now."

Harry shook his head. "I've got a business to run back in New York."

"And it's not as though he could move it here," Hannah stated. "Between the Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks and the Hogg's Head in Hogsmeade, there really isn't a need for another pub. Is there, Harry?"

Harry chuckled at the fierce glare Hannah was giving him.

"I'd never try to muscle in on your territory," Harry promised. "Besides, after the ... clientele that I get in the Den, I think I'd find things a little too ... sedate."

"Sedate?" Hannah repeated incredulously. "This place is always hopping and you never know who you're going to get come in. Last week an entire coven of vampires turned up; scared all of my regulars away for the night."

"What sort of people do you get at your place, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Mostly regular people off the street, much like Hannah would have. But the Den's the go-to hang out place for one of the high schools nearby, they're in before and after school every day, and sometimes during the day as well if they've got a spare."

"Every day?" Neville asked, clearly surprised.

Harry chuckled. "It's not like Hogwarts. These kids don't board at the school, they go home every night. There are some schools that take boarders, but even they let the students come and go – with strict curfews, of course – as often as they like; allows them to blow off steam and experience the 'real' world."

Neville shook his head at the alien thought. "Sounds kinda dangerous."

"Can be," Harry shrugged. "But the majority of kids know how to look after themselves and how to keep out of trouble."

"That's your main customers, then? Regular people and school kids? Doesn't sound so different," Hannah asked.

"For the most part," Harry shrugged. "Although I've been known to have superheroes and gods drop by occasionally."

Neville laughed.

"I'd forgotten you had such a sense of humour, Harry," he said.

"I wasn't joking, Nev," Harry replied seriously. "I do have those sorts of people come in. Helps that they're friends of mine, have been since the Chitauri invasion."

"Chitauri?" Hannah asked, looking to her husband to see if he knew the strange word.

Harry shook his head. "I'd forgotten how sheltered the magical world is. A while back, New York was invaded by aliens from outer space. Took a group of extraordinary people to drive them back off world. One of the few places that wasn't damaged was the Den – that's how I got to know them, when they came in to chill after the battle."

Neville stared wide-eyed at Harry. "That is the craziest thing I've ever heard. And I can't tell whether you're being serious or making it up. Now if you were George Weasley, I'd know you were spinning a tale."