Landing in New York

After a nine-hour flight, Amosta and Remus finally landed at Newark Liberty International Airport before the last rays of sunset vanished beyond the horizon.

For two genuine wizards, spending an entire day flying aboard Muggle transportation could hardly be called a pleasant experience. But there was no helping it. The Floo Network system connecting continents was astonishingly expensive to maintain. Its use for business required both hefty fees and approval from the Ministry of Magic.

Given the current relationship between Hogwarts personnel and the Ministry of Magic, Amosta had no desire to humiliate himself.

There were, of course, illegal routes into the country. But crossing such a vast distance made them even more exorbitantly priced. Though both Amosta and Remus were now quite wealthy, there was no need to be suckers.

And if the two of them tried to make the journey by broomstick, the officials of MACUSA would laugh their heads off.

"Mm."

Having remained in the cramped cabin for so long truly had not been pleasant. The constricting seat had left Amosta feeling as if his back had stiffened into an iron plate. After emerging from the passageway connecting the cabin, he stood before the broad floor-to-ceiling windows, gazed for a moment at New York sinking into darkness, and stretched.

When he turned around, Remus was twisting his neck as well, his face faintly green.

"You've never tried Muggle air travel before?" Amosta asked with a smile.

"Once—"

Remus's breathing was slightly uneven. His twisting shoulders and back gave a series of cracking sounds as he said with a wry smile,

"Just after we graduated from Hogwarts, Sirius and James wanted to give it a try. It wasn't a pleasant experience. James secretly did something to the plane's... ah, what did Muggles call those fan-like things hanging beneath