A/N: I just want to thank everyone who took time to post reviews. It's means a lot to read the feedback. I am glad that someone noted that I'm taking a different route on the issue of sex. It's going to play a part in the story. I may have to up the rating. LOL
Here's my new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I've done my best to capture what is essentially an auditory experience and relay it in writing. I hope I've done well enough to make an enjoyable read. You don't have to like Bon Jovi. The music itself is barely mentioned. I wanted to humanize the Grangers, give them personalities that stand out, and let Harry experience some fun the Muggle way. The poor boy deserves it with what he's been through and what's coming.
***********PART 15***********
After renting a car and driving to East Rutherford, the Grangers and Harry checked into another hotel. Jane seemed nervously excited all afternoon, constantly checking her watch and fidgeting more than normal. Harry decided he would not want this woman working on his teeth prior to a concert.
Jane was giddy when she told Harry about her previous concert experiences, starting back in 1985 and working her way forward. John and Hermione appeared to have heard these stories before and, apparently, John had been with her to many of the shows too.
"She forgets I exist when that other Jon shows up," he laughed.
"I do not!" Jane argued.
"Word to the wise, kids, don't talk to her during the show. Don't distract her. She might hit you," he exaggerated.
Jane decidedly ignored her husband's last comment. "Oh, Harry, you're in for a treat! This is the best live band in the world!"
"I can't wait," Harry replied less enthusiastically than he had hoped to sound. He appreciated Jane's excitement, but didn't quite understand what all the hoopla was about. He couldn't quite shake the Lockhart meets the Weird Sisters image from his mind.
Jane rushed them to get dressed so they could get to the stadium. "Traffic is going to be a nightmare!" she warned. They opted to catch a shuttle from their hotel to the stadium. It would assure they were taken by someone who knew where they were going and how to get back. John didn't mind driving in USA despite the differences in rules, but felt it would be better on all their nerves, especially his wife's, if he wasn't in charge of getting them to the show.
Harry decided to wear his dragon t-shirt with his black jeans. He sat on one bed in the room that he and Hermione would share while John sat on the other. They had gotten ready much more quickly than the girls who were still preparing themselves in the next room.
"Get used to this, son. Granger women will keep you waiting," John joked as he flipped through some brochures that had been left in the room.
"It's okay," Harry said, smiling. John had just called him son. It had momentarily startled him. From all indications, Hermione's parents actually cared about him. Maybe they even liked him. He was certain John liked him more now that they had had their chat. "I don't mind."
In a few minutes more, Hermione emerged in a denim skirt with a matching vest to wear over a short sleeved white shirt. She pulled her hair back in a butterfly clip and wore dangling bluebell earrings and a necklace that was also adorned with the flowers.
"You look adorable," John said when she walked into the joining room where he and Harry were waiting.
"Yeah, you look really cute," Harry agreed.
Hermione glared at her father, "Adorable?" then at Harry, "Cute?" Her expression fell and she turned to leave the room. "I'm changing!"
"Oh, no, you're not!" Jane laughed as she grabbed her retreating daughter's collar, stopping her mid-step.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked. "You look great!"
"You said I was cute!" she huffed, crossing her arms.
"You are!" he argued, clueless.
"You're supposed to say I look hot or alluring or smashing or, or, stunning, or¼" She had really hoped for a hot since she was dressed for a concert. She had been to a show with her mother the summer before and didn't want Harry's eye to be caught by any of the scantily clad women that were sure to be there.
"You want me to tell you that you look hot when I'm standing next to your father?" Harry asked, making both her parents laugh. "Honey, you look fantastic."
"Well, I want to be better than fantastic. There will be thousands of really good looking women there and--"
"And who cares?" Harry interrupted. "We're going to watch the band, not the audience. Besides, I don't care about other girls. I've got the best girl in the world, the smartest and the prettiest."
Hermione could not stop the grin that spread across her features.
"Can we go now?" Jane opened the door impatiently. "Come on, people. We all look great. Now let's go."
"You turn into a monster where Bon Jovi is concerned," Hermione answered, shaking her head as she grabbed a light jacket to take with her.
"You're right. She does. Let's go before she bares the fangs and claws," John shuffled them out of the room and into the hallway.
Jane was right about traffic being a nightmare. It took an hour for them to travel the ten miles to the stadium, but it gave Harry an opportunity to observe other Muggles who shared the shuttle. Jane started up a conversation with two girls from Germany who had traveled to the States specifically for the concert. He was amazed to see all ages on the shuttle and couldn't help catching the contagious excitement that surrounded him. By the time they arrived, he was eager for a new experience, that for once, wouldn't be life threatening.
It seemed to take forever for them to get through the line. It was an adventure in Muggle observations. There were some people who were already tipsy. Women of all ages, sizes, and shapes were dressed like they thought they looked good, even if they didn't. Harry wondered why so many people were wearing cowboy hats and why an "S" logo was so prevalent on t-shirts and tattoos. There were many women and men whose hair would rival Hermione's in a contest for size and out-of-control volume. The only experience Harry could compare it to was the Quiddich World Cup with it's mass of people and air of excitement.
"I hope it doesn't rain," Hermione said, looking up at the gray sky covered with dark clouds. They were at an open air stadium. There would be no roof to keep them dry if the storm developed.
They were directed from one guard and area to another to another until they found themselves on the field in the center on the fifth row from the stage.
"John, I love you!" Jane exclaimed as she found her seat. "How much did you have to spend to get these tickets?"
"Don't worry about it," John replied. "It's your anniversary present."
"You could not have gotten me anything better. This is amazing! I've never been this close before!" She turned to Harry, "All the shows I've seen in Europe were general admission. I've never had my very own spot before!"
"It's great," Harry agreed, not really understanding what it meant for Jane to be this close to her favorite band. He looked around as the stadium filled. Roadies crossed the stage, checking equipment. Loud current and classic rock songs blared in the speakers as a prelude to the show.
Behind the stage was an enormous display of screens that would project images from the concert. Hundreds of lights that would create a colorful spectacle of a laser show hung on riggings overhead.
"This is going to be great!" Hermione exclaimed as she surveyed the packed stadium.
Soon the house lights went down and the crowd around them erupted into thunderous screams and applause. Harry could not help but feel the surge of excitement that permeated the air.
In seconds, four shadowy figures walked onto the stage and the music started as spotlights shown on the four men. If Harry thought that the noise when the lights went down was loud, he thought it was deafening as a fifth figure bounded onto stage.
The man was lean and small framed with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes and gleaming white teeth. Harry wondered for a second if his perfect teeth were one of the reasons Jane fancied him. He wore black leather pants and a beige tan suede shirt. There was an aura of incredible magnetism and charisma about him that would have made Gilderoy Lockhart pale even in the height of his glory. Unlike Lockhart, there was a detectable sincerity in his smile and eyes that let anyone know he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of what he was doing.
Harry realized the title of the song was "Bounce" and that is exactly what everyone around him was doing. Both Jane and Hermione's eyes were glued to the stage. Harry caught John's attention and gave him a sympathetic smile that John returned.
Harry turned back and watched the singer bound energetically from one side of the stage to the other, stopping to stand shoulder to shoulder with the guitarist for a moment, making broad movements with his hands, making the guy on the 162nd row feel like he in the first row. He was amazed at just how close he and the Grangers were to the stage. It felt like he could almost reach out and touch the band if he wanted to do so.
The pace did not slow down for a while. Harry and Hermione became part of the larger body of one audience unified in hand motions and swaying stances. He was surprised when he realized that he actually had heard some of these songs before, despite his limited access to Muggle entertainment.
When the pace slowed for a ballad, Hermione leaned into Harry and he wrapped his arms around her. They swayed together, melting into the words of love. He noticed that John and Jane were doing the same thing and realized that they were not so different as couples in different stages of loving relationships. The music was moving them all, crossing the generations.
Things were not slow for long. This was a rock show and that's what the band did best. Harry and Hermione danced, bounced, swayed and both built up quite a sweat.
About an hour and a half into the performance, the storm clouds overhead broke open and rain spilled from the heavens. Harry found that he was disappointed with the prospect of the show coming to an abrupt halt. To his surprise, the band didn't miss a beat. They continued just as if the world was dry.
The audience didn't seem to mind the rain at all. If anything, it heightened the energy.
Before the next break Jon Bon Jovi announced, "I always wondered what it would be like to shower with 80,000 friends."
And so the evening continued, rain and all. It was a massive party that only came to an end after a two and a half hour performance. They were all soaked to the bone by the time the show was over and no one minded at all.
Harry and Hermione were both disappointed when the house lights went up again, signaling the end to the spectacular show. Harry knew that the disappointment he felt must have been ten times as intense for Mrs. Granger, but she had a bright smile on her face as they turned to leave.
"Well, what did you think?" Jane shouted to Harry.
"You were right. That was great!" he yelled back enthusiastically. He could not imagine that there was a better live act in the world. The Louis Armstrong classic "What a Wonderful World" blared as they left the stadium. It wasn't until they were back on the road that Harry realized he had spent over two hours without a single thought of Voldemort's threat or Sirius's death. He had let himself go in the music and the only thing that had mattered was Hermione next to him. For Harry, for one night, it really had been a wonderful world.