Whilst Ink strode off with confidence into the park, John stayed in the lobby as the others conversed with one another. As he glanced about for signs of anybody talking with him, he suddenly noticed Tom and Katrina walking over to him.
"Hi John!" Tom called, waving to him and reaching for his hand. "It really has been a while, hasn't it?"
"Given we live in the same country, that you see Katrina more than me is quite the achievement," John sighed. "Oh well. Is Ink normally that antisocial?"
"I barely know the guy," Tom replied. "I'll ask Jim-" He turned around. "-my." For Jimmy had suddenly and mysteriously vanished, leaving a very confused Steph behind.
Katrina shrugged her shoulders. "If he gets one thing this trip, it's the Houdini award for disappearing."
"Should we all walk together?" John suggested. "I don't know if we are all in the same park today, but it would be nice to catch up on the way."
Tom, Katrina, and John all strolled out of the Hard Rock Hotel (which, fun fact, is owned by the Seminole Indians) and into the blazing Florida sun. Despite it being winter, it was still fairly warm, which explained why it was so popular with holidaymakers all year around and from all countries. As they walked into the plaza that separated the two park entrances from one another, Tom waved farewell to Katrina, who headed into Islands of Adventure for her ride of the day. Meanwhile, Tom and John (almost rhymes) walked into the same entrance that Ink had proceeded through earlier, and started to chat.
"So, what's been going on in your life?" Tom asked.
"Oh, the usual," John replied. "Work, life, all the usual crap." He stopped, as if keen to change the subject. "Tell me, how did you find the money to set this all up?"
"Renting a cottage on the Isle of Wight proved to be too dear, so I scrimped and saved," Tom replied. "Rather like that time we were meant to be going to Walt Disney World but you had to drop out."
"Poorly timed family emergency," John admitted. "Sorry about that. How did the trip go? I understand that Katrina was with you in my place."
"Sure was, and the trip was great, thanks," Tom replied.
"Hey, are you and her a-"
"No," Tom cut him off. "Knock it off. I am not in a relationship with her. OK?"
"Sheesh, just asking," John sighed. "What are you going to do?"
"I was going to explore Diagon Alley, and see how accurate it is to the real set," Tom answered. "I've been to the studio at Leavesden a few times, and the amount of work that went into it is incredible. It took me years to realise that Diagon Alley is a play on words on 'diagonally'."
John thought for a moment, and then groaned, only just having realised it himself. "Wow. Ha ha." He then glanced up as they approached the section of the park devoted to a certain wizard. "Well, I'm off to Gringotts. Wish me luck!"
"Have fun!" Tom called, as he vanished toward the Leaky Couldron for some butterbeer (don't drink it. It is vile).
When the Harry Potter books had arrived in the United States at the end of the 1990s, they had taken the country (and indeed, much of the world) by storm, as children and adults alike devoured the tales of Hogwarts' most famous resident (even if the books were banned in a few States). The films had only increased that fascination even more, and Universal and Disney had engaged in a fierce bidding war to secure the rights to Harry Potter in their theme parks. Universal won the fight, and set about constructing a replica of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure, entitled The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened to great acclaim. Even if the replica of Olton Hall caused some consternation in the railway press in the UK.
Then they had a bright idea. Why not add London as well, in the other park? So, they tore down the old Jaws ride and built a replica of Diagon Alley, King's Cross, and several other landmarks from the books. The centrepiece of this was the Gringotts Bank, the main place where wizards and witches alike stored their cash (which must have made accesing it via ATM difficult). This featured a ride, and this was where John was headed. Entering under a dragon who had the rudeness to blow fire at everybody (John didn't particularly know the films), he wandered through the queueline, impressed at the level of detail and work in it, complete with the Goblin bank tellers (clearly, they hadn't invented machines for counting money here). It was shortly after this (well, OK, a long wait) that John entered the pre-show area, where a goblin and a man were talking about something or other that he didn't really understand. The doors at the other end opened, and John brushed against a wall, suddenly feeling an odd electrical current run through him.
"Ouch!" he cried. "The- the hell?" Seeing people moving forward near him, he chose to follow through and wandered through some more corridors, past some offices and into what seemed like a lift.
"Excuse me miss, could you please move up a bit?" asked a guest. When nobody replied, she adressed John directly. "Excuse me miss, could you please move up a bit? There are more people trying to enter."
"You must have the wrong person," John replied. "I'm a guy."
The guest looked confused. "Not with that hair you aren't."
John assumed she was making a joke. The doors closed, and the lift mechanism started up (in reality a very convincing projection). During this time, John caught a brief view of his reflection, and did a double take. His fringe had moved forward onto his forehead, and his hair hung down the back of his head and in a long ponytail held in place with a turquoise hairband.
"I must be on something," he said quietly, though with the ride noise you'd struggle to understand him no matter what volume he spoke at. He caught a brief flash of light, and his eyes were suddenly purple.
The lift stopped, and the doors opened. The riders filed out and boarded their ride vehicles, listening to the safety video as they did so. John, however, was finding it almost impossible to focus on anything else as searing pain went through him, his shoulders suddenly snapping inwards as he took his seat, his arms shrinking in length and his hands becoming much smaller, like those of a girl.
He pulled the restraint back, and was surprised when is suddenly no longer fit. He pulled it forward again, then suddenly noticed two blobs on his chest that hadn't been there before. His hand suddenly turned pink as he reached to see what they were. Not only did he suddenly have breasts, but his torso had decreased in height and width, muscle having melted away like hot wax.
"What the hell is going on?" he whimpered in fear. If his upper body looked like a girl, that meant-
The ride car suddenly jolted forward, and so much happened that John barely understood. He couldn't really focus on it anyway, as his manhood abruptly popped into his body to be replaced by the female equivalent, her hips widened, and her legs and feet grew shorter and smaller.
Before any sense of comprehension could be made, they were at the start of the ride again, having flown through tunnels and steep drops with projections of various people all over the place. Again, John, not being a fan of Harry Potter, had no clue what was going on.
The lap bars rose, and John climbed out into the sun. He stopped when he saw himself.
Or should I say, herself. John did the only reasonable thing a guy who suddenly found himself a girl would do.
Scream.
"WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!"
Sonata heard the loud scream from nearby, and sprinted in its direction. As she reached the area, she saw a girl with light pink skin, purple hair (done up in a ponytail with two turquoise bands) and eyes, a white shirt with a neatly pressed and folded collar, an orange jacket with yellow buttons and puffed up sleeves, a blue skirt with a symbol of a cupcake on it, turquoise socks, and a pair of white trainers. The poor girl was hyperventilating and seemed to be in a state of shock.
"Are you alright?" Sonata asked, in a slightly confused and somewhat adorkable way.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK?" the girl replied, the expletive sounding hilarious in her adorable voice.
"Hello, there's no need to be rude! Sheesh, there are families here!"
"I'll handle this," said another voice. Sonata saw it was Tom, who stepped forward confidently. "Terribly sorry everyone. This is my cousin, and she's just not used to fast rides, that's all. She'll be OK in a moment, won't you?"
The girl didn't reply.
"Won't you?" Tom repeated, this time through gritted teeth.
The girl nodded.
"Very good," Tom smiled. "Follow me Sugar Belle, I think a ride on the Hogwarts Express will help sooth your nerves." And he pulled her away before she could even protest.