" I knew you had been teaching at the crazy school" J.J. Starr told Britanny. "Actually, a lot of the girls loved your classes" Joe Jon Montcenaggio said to Brittany. " I will look around for some trips for Katalin and myself" J.J. said to Brittany.

Bye" J.J. Starr waved to Jade. He nodded to Jade that they will keep in touch.

Jake shook the redhead's woman, sort of liking her already. She was very... Enthusiastic and that was EXACTLY what he needed - someone with unlimited energy to deal with his precise demands. "Thanks," he nodded and opened the huge album, flicking through it with interest as he waited for Brittany to finish with the woman. Then it was HIM and only then it was, "Hey J.J," Jake greeted his employee with a warm smile.

"Take care," Brittany waved to Jade as she left the store. "See you soon, and thank you again!"

"They did?", Brittany asked, an expression of genuine shock on her face. "I was just teaching about stuff the Ministry had told me to talk about, that's all. But I'm glad they liked the classes. That makes me feel good."

As Jade left the store, Brittany turned her full attention to Jake. "Okay, it's your turn now, Jake. Let's talk about what you have in mind for your dream trip. Any ideas?"

Jake smiled as the woman FINALLY -nothing personal, of course- left and Brittany turned to him. "Why yes, I do. I want it sunny, hot, relaxing yet somewhat exciting and suitable for two," he answered, straight to the point. "I want it to be a surprise vacation for my-" he paused and swallowed HARD, "girlfriend."

There, he'd said it. He'd admitted it. Rachel would be so proud.

He had of course known it all along - not through the past year and during the break-up; but as soon as he and Lucy had truly talked again. It was then that he realised that no matter where he'd go or how far he kept himself from her - it would always be Lucy.

Dangnabbit.

Brittany smiled widely. She could sense Jake's happiness and excitement at planning a surprise for his girlfriend. She clapped her hands together and then exclaimed, "You will want something absolutely perfect, then, something that the two of you will never forget! I have several places in mind that you might truly love, so tell me, Jake. Before I tell you about the highlights, what sounds the most exciting place to you - South America, Australia, Egypt or Africa?" Brittany giggled as she realized that Egypt was, indeed, part of Africa, yet she had always considered it separate. "They are all warm and sunny, and I can guarantee you that there will be a lot going on, things you would never imagine and would only dare to hope for, no matter which destination you choose. So tell me what destination you like the most and we'll work from there."

Jake thought about her question for a few moments. Australia was out of the question for fairly obvious reasons and he didn't really feel like Africa so that ruled out Egypt too; no pyramids for them. TOO adventurous. "South America sounds good," he finally replied with a nod, picturing the white beaches of Brazil, the beauty or the rainforest and all those AMAZING meat restaurants in Argentina...

"Is it possible to do a two-part vacation? The first part being more about 'excitement' and the second about 'relaxation'?" he asked, suddenly thinking of an idea. But, he'd let Brittany do her job first - he could always suggest it later if he didn't like what she was proposing. This trip was going to be perfect - it HAD to be.

Brittany thought for a moment, and then nodded enthusiastically. "A two part vacation, that's the most brilliant idea I've heard, Jake. I love it! South America definitely has all those things that you are looking for, then. I have two places in mind for you. Chile is a great place to start with for excitement. Have you ever heard of a creature called El Chupacabra? Well, this El Chupacabra is a very mysterious creature known as a 'goat sucker', and muggle science doesn't know very much about its origin, not much at all. The fact is that this a magical creature which you will have a chance to see up close, but not too close, of course. But I think you will find the experience fascinating, because Chile is full of other wondrous magical creatures as well. Here, let me show you some of them." Brittany gestured towards the book of fabulous and exotic destinations, pointing towards some rather unusual looking beasts. "It's an amazing place, and very beautiful, too. You can see part of the rain forest, as well, because many of these creatures live there.

For the pleasure part of your trip, I think you two should head up to Brazil, with its fabulous beaches. If you crave excitement at night, Rio has a wonderful Carnivale atmosphere that I'm sure you will both love, though it's a bit different than the rain forest thing.

So, what do you think, Jake?", Brittany asked anxiously.

" Brittany, I would like to know about castles in Scotland, Spain, Italy and Portugal." J.J. Starr told her.
Thee brocures are informative on the coutries" " Joe Jon Montcenaggio said to Brittany.
" I want more information on the castles" he explained to her.

"Great, I'll be right with you, J.J.", Brittany smiled. "Let me just finish answering Jake's questions and I'll be there to help you."

" OK, I will wait for you to finish with Jake" Joe jon Montcenaggio told Brittany.

It was almost the summer holidays and Larry wanted to make a surprise for his family. He entered the shop with relief he thought he'd never find with the amount of people wandering in the streets. It seemed like some people had already found this shop. "Hello," he said cheerfully. Larry thought maybe the family would like to visit somewhere which doesn't include hiking or hear but somewhere that is perfect for a family which includes: Great weather, great food and most important that it's fun. The only problem is when should he order the trip.

"Thanks!", Brittany said with a wave.

"Hello and welcome to the shop," said Brittany, welcoming another person into the shop. Wow, that was four already! "I'm Brittany, and I'll be right with you. Feel free to have a look around and it'll be just a bit."

Larry smiled at Brittany and started wandering around the shop, looking at brochures. As he looked he was thinking about a vacation at the Caribbeans or at Scandinavia. These two places sound like perfect places for a vacation with the family.

Of course he'd heard of El Chupacabra! He'd SEEN it during his travels... He needed to get together for coffee with this woman and tell her about them otherwise he'd explode. He HATED when people assumed that he didn't know things - especially when it came to stuff about the world outside of England.

"That does indeed sound fantastic! Brazil expecially - do you know of any cruises there? Small ones; not those huge ships with more kids than rooms - maybe magical?" Jake suggested, the cruise idea being the one he had thought of before. A laid-back cruise down/up the coast of Brazil... Rio, Copacabana, maybe even the Amazon!

He glanced at the brochures Brittany had handed to him out of politeness but quickly put them down as he had more pressing matters to discuss with her. "As for the expenses - give me the best you've got. Money is definitely not an issue here..." Jake said, relieved that he'd finally be able to USE his Department Head's salary. He wasn't one for letting money grow at Gringott's so he had difficulties adjusting to the new lifestyle of not worrying about funding at all.

True, it was practically the opposite of everyone else's problems but that's just who he was.

Brittany smiled at the two men who were waiting once again, just letting them know that she was aware of them and would be taking care of them soon.

Brittany smiled. "Are you up for a trip down the Amazon, by any chance? Maybe not the whole Amazon, it's pretty long, of course, but enough to really see some of the more exotic widelife and scenery of South America. It's a sight that few have seen, and I do happen to know about this very exclusive company that runs out of there. They cater almost exclusively to wealthy witches and wizards and they do an excellent job of things, I've never heard anything less than praise for their work. I think you can do this whole tour in two or three weeks, or maybe a month? How does that sound? It can be structured to allow as much time as you can like, and you can include all sorts of side tours and special sights that you might want to stop and visit along the way. You can make it as busy or as relaxed as you want it to be, just really structure it to fit what you want."

"A trip down the Amazon sounds fantastic - but only if there is an opportunity to actually leave the Amazon once in a while... You say this group is wizard-run, right?" Jake replied quickly, his mind dangerously close to slipping into the rainforest and out of Diagon Alley. FOCUS! "Perhaps, apparition points? The floo? Some exotic method of travelling unique to that area?" he fired at Brittany, trying to remember whether there was indeed a travel mode unique to South America.

Busy and relaxed... That sounded great. "Ok, I think we'll scratch Chile out then - just go for a two week cruise that combines Brazil with sailing down the Amazon... I hope it's possible," he stated, more to himself but still voicing it to Brittany so that she'll know what he was thinking.

Plus, if it served only rich witches and wizards it was BOUND to have built-in luxuries normally not found on normal cruises.

... Jake was now officially excited.

Brittany smiled secretively. "Yes. On this trip, there is definitely opportunity to leave the Amazon and go exploring on your own. The cruise itself is leisurely, but it is quite different from any traditional cruise such as might be found in the muggle world. It's the exploration which makes it unique, but the ship and everything that happens on board are among the most opulent and luxurious in the entire world, wizarding or otherwise."

She smiled again. "Apparation will no doubt be involve in some of those side trips I mentioned, as well as portkeys. Some of the portkeys might be a bit - unusual." Like a big tarantula spider, she thought to herself, though she wasn't really sure if that was being used as a portkey or not.

Jake smiled. He could feel this trip taking shape and it was REALLY exciting... He only hoped Lucy, well, complied. Eh, if she didn't he could always convince Rachel against the low-key summer of pure relaxation she had wanted and bring her along instead of Lucy. But... he preferred the other way.

"That sounds absolutely amazing - I'll take it," Jake nodded, squaring his shoulders as he finally decided. "And, er, now what?" he asked, slightly unsure of how to act. He hadn't ever, as mentioned before, been on a PLANNED trip well, he HAD but that had been at least 16 years ago, if not more.

And, what HAD she meant by unusual portkey?

"Excellent!", Brittany said, smiling widely. "I know that you will both think back on this trip many years from now and that neither of you will ever forget it. In fact, I have a feeling a trip like this might bring the two of you closer." Brittany didn't know why, but she truly felt like Jake needed something like this to help solidify his relationship with his girlfirend. "Now I just call my friend in South America and arrange the trip for the two of you and you're all set. What were the exact dates you had in mind, again?" In her excitement, Brittany couldn't remember if the actual dates had been discussed or not.

LOL I typed Samantha about THREE times!!
 

"I certainly hope so," Jake replied, not giving the state TOO much thought. Because if he did, he just might bolt out the door so fast they might have thought he had disapparated. Swallowing, he nodded as Brittany told him she'd book the tour. "Erm, dates? Well. . . I'm head of Education so I need to be here until at least a week into their summer holidays," he said to himself as he calculated the dates. "How does mid-July sound?" he finally asked, pulling out of deep concentration.

"As for the excursions - do we book them on board or are they prepaid and prearranged too?" he added, remembering their earlier discussion about leaving the Amazon too. He wanted to ask for a price as well, but held his tongue. She'd probably have an estimate for him only AFTER she'd consulted her buddies in South America so there really was no sense in voicing the question.

But it still all felt WEIRD... Being on the way to being rich was an odd feeling that gave Jake a slight stomach ache. He was odd. Very odd.

"Mid-July is perfect," Brittany agreed, looking at her calendar. Jade had wanted the tour in July as well, but she was going to a different part of the globe, of course. Well, July was a good time for a vacation no matter where you went. "How does the 10th through the 25th sound for you?", she asked, looking up quickly. "And the excursions, yhou can choose those at any point you like. You can select them all now or you can be spontaneous and make a decision once you arrive. This is a very, very flexible group of wizards, they really want to make your trip whatever you would like it to be. You'll see!" She burst into a big smile at that last statement.

"Brittany, how about telling me about the castles now?" J.J. Starr asked her. Joe Jon Montcenaggio saw Brittany was finished with Jake.

Jake smiled - again. This was all falling into place, EXACTLY as he'd hoped. "It sounds like a good plan indeed," he confirmed the dates and committed them to memory. He would have a few days to spend with Rachel too before she made a permanent camp at their the lake next to their apartment.

"All right then!" he stated, sitting up in his chair once more. "Now for the part that usually interests everyone - how big of a hole is this trip going to make in my bank account?" he asked, trying to make a joke out of something that he had never DREAMED he'd attempt to be funny with. Ever since he was 12 - yes, TWELVE - money had never been far from his mind.

Now look at him... It was ALMOST worth a trip to the Rider's to say "haha"... But of of course, there were more reasons why he SHOULDN'T and WOULDN'T EVER do such a thing that trees in the Amazonian rainforest.

"Sure, I'll be right there!", Brittany called out to J.J. She was almost finished with Jake.

Brittany consulted her notes. "Ummm, I think it will cost about 2500 galleons," she said. "I know it seems a bit high, but it's worth every penny of it." She waited, knowing that an amount like that could really floor some people and get them to rethink a trip of this sort. However, for some reason she didn't get that impression from Jake.

She waited to hear what he had to say, whether the price was agreeable or not.

" Ok, I am ready when you are ready" J.J. Starr told Brittany.