Free Range Wizard

The powder on the ground before him was ash. It formed the outline of a body like chalk at a crime scene. It was not from wood or bone remnants. He considered doing a lick test, it was the fastest, but licking the floor of a train station was never a good idea. That was a lesson he would not soon forget. Ah, the folly of youth. Sure, it happened last year, but he is older and wiser now.

A spiral pattern on the wall across the platform told him that whatever had caused this didn't stop when it hit the target. Oddly enough, this was the only ash outline. It had been a targeted attack, magic in origin, but the application was strange. Definitely not a wand, the signature wasn't right.

Harry pulled the time-spinner from one of the pockets inside his coat. It was annoying that Hermione had destroyed the Time Turners. She missed the Applied Magics section of Unspeakables though. The time-spinner didn't take you back in time, it created a window into the past. Useful, but very hard to make and he had the only working version. What was the point of being A chosen one without some perks? Yes, one chosen among many. Funny how that worked. Riddle hadn't been the only Dark Lord aiming for conquest. Muggles, demons, witches, wizards, and others not worth mentioning. It was disturbing how many Chosen Ones were kids. Teenagers at the oldest.

Hermione told him he had a 'saving people' thing, and his current life showed just how right she had been. He had tried to live a nice, easy life. It didn't last a year. Not even being an Auror hit the right spot. Too many stretches of nothing to do, paperwork, and fighting the Mot to make any sort of change. Even after the war being a Pureblood meant the laws didn't apply to them.

Now, he travelled the world helping other Chosen Ones. It was infuriating how many were left with vague prophecy, and little else when facing previously unbeaten forces. You'd think that if some dark lord, demon cult, or whatever was such a danger they would at least try to keep the Chosen one alive. A horrible childhood was too common.

Harry moved through the crowded train station to get a closer look at the spiral. It was amazing how magic covered itself from being discovered. Through his various travels he learned that Muggle Repelling Wards didn't do nearly as much as expected. Sure, they kept people away, but Magic protected itself. Most non-magical people either forgot after a certain stretch of time, went crazy, or had their heads explode, literally. It was more disturbing to see someone slowly forget something than having a skull go pop. Their minds would protect themselves and magic helped it along.

He spun the time-spinner once he reached the spiral mark then watched as the ghosts of the past blurred in front of him. Using the artifact around the body would have caused a magical equivalent of a flashbang. The resulting migraine went on for the better part of the day the last time it happened.

The ghosts stopped, then he watched as time moved forward. It worked on a localized area, which meant he couldn't see everything in the station. Harry focused on the spiral impact Instead of trying to puff the limits of the spell.

He clicked the Time-Spinner, locking it in an exact moment. Then, he ran the brief glimpse in a slow loop. The spell hung in the air just before it hit the wall. It didn't move in spiral. Bright blue that moved in a wide zig-zag motion. Definitely not wand magic. The majority of charms and curses from Wand-Based magic moved in a straight line. They could spiral, jitter, and pulse, but the move in this broad of a motion.

The spell hit the wall at different points causing the spiral. Harry had spent quite a while studying multiple forms of magic, mostly through practical application, and didn't recognize the spells. He was reasonably sure the focus was on a staff rather than wand, ring, or empty-handed. The spell didn't give off celestial or infernal energy which meant he wasn't dealing with demons or angels. Those were always messy.

Unfortunately, that didn't narrow things down. A staff was used in a multitude of systems. Blue could mean wind, water, energy, or some sort of mental charm. Probably not mental considering the outline of ash. Mental magic that could kill was either nearly undetectable or required a lot of cleanup.

"Damn," he muttered.

"A Brit?" A woman asked from nearby.

He followed the voice to see an attractive woman with dark skin. She wore a skirt and blouse that shouted clerical work, but it was her voice that gave him pause. American.

Where the hell was he? He scrunched his brow in thought. What month was it?

"Yes," Harry replied with a smile.

"What brings you to New York?" She asked.

New York! He was in New York. Why the hell was he in New York? Where were the American Aurors? Definitely not wand-based magic. They'd have this place locked down.

"Just felt like it," he said with a shrug. "Harry, and you are?"

"Summer," she replied with a bright smile.

"Are you waiting for your train?" Harry asked.

"No, I just like the subway," she said easily.

"Oh," Harry replied.

"Yes," she laughed. "My train should be along soon."

"Thank makes sense," Harry chuckled.

"What's so interesting about that wall?" She asked.

"Excellent tile work," Harry answered seriously.

"You're fucking with me?" She said with a smile.

"A little," he nodded. "Thought I saw something, then tried to see what I thought I saw."

"Did you come to see the ball drop?" Summer asked.

The Ball. That put it around New Years Eve. What year was it?

"I guess I could," he shrugged. "Any suggestions?"

"Well," she tapped her chin with a well-manicured finger. "As long as you're not one of those End of the World types, I'd suggest the Hilton in Time Square. They have drinks, people to mingle with, and I might be there. All of the benefits without getting smushed by random people."

Harry smiled at that.

"I will see if there is an open room," Harry replied.

"Here's my train," Summer waved at him before she joined the rush.

"That was a nice distraction," Harry whispered.

What did she mean by End of the World type? He tapped his watch and waited as it adjusted to the local time as well as adding the date.

December 29th, 2011

"Shit," Harry muttered.

He forgot Christmas. Again. Teddy was going to be upset with him. He'd have to visit soon. Nym wasn't an Auror anymore after Remus died, thank goodness. She said she didn't want to leave Teddy as an orphan. It took a glimpse at her own mortality to come to that decision.

Harry would visit once he finished this mystery. Technically, it wasn't even a case he was solving, simply something he stumbled on. New York wasn't his destination, just a stop on the way. He wanted to see Grand Central Station before moving on. Then he found the ashes.

Two-thousand and twelve. Right. The Incan Calendar. He hadn't been to South America yet. If the muggles knew about it then it was probably nothing. Or some bored magical-folk messing around like Stone Henge. The site had become somewhat magically charged with all the belief that people fed it, but it had been mostly a drunken goof by some wizards in the distant past. The real magical site was actually in the center of a field on a nearby farm and it was heavily warded.

Staying in a nice hotel to flirt with an attractive woman sounded like a fine way to celebrate the New Year. Harry plucked a paperclip from his coat pocket, held his hand out flat, and let the little piece of metal rest on his palm. A bit of wandless magic shaped it into an arrow. It spun lazily before setting on a direction. The paperclip shimmered and faded from view. Only he would be able to see it so he could freely follow the directions without having to hold his hand in front of his face the entire time.

He had a room to book and a Hotel Bar to explore.