Authors Notes: Hey all (again)! Thanks so much for your reviews and for sticking with me! I think this is actually going to be my most successful fic ever, which is an acheivment when I've been writing fan fics for six years! It's the one that I've got the best feeling about and I'm still enjoying writing it (normally halfway through a fan fic I get bored and stop writing). I've got very clear ideas about where this is going (and I'm just itching to write a few chapters that will just blow your mind!).
I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!!!
Eight
Time was passing too quickly for Harry. It shocked him to wake up one morning and discover that the square in Grimmauld place was covered in a thick blanket of snow, and that the muggles around him were putting up Christmas decorations.
He and Hermione were in the process of wrapping up the trials. He couldn't believe they had gotten through so many. The response from the wizarding community had been outstanding- they all believed that they had done a fair job. The most satisfying trial so far had been Dolores Umbridge. Harry took great satisfaction in sending her to Azkaban for a minimum of 10 years.
His relationship with Hermione was going from strength to strength. They had been together for almost four months and had managed to keep it a secret still. Hermione was uneasy on keeping it secret still, but every time Harry thought of telling Ron, his insides shrivelled at the words he imagined Ron saying and the fact that if he lost Ron's friendship, he would lose the whole Weasley family.
Mrs Weasley had invited both him and Hermione for Christmas. Ginny would be home from Hogwarts, Charlie was coming from Romania and Bill and Fleur would also be coming home for it. It would be a great celebration. Harry had also arranged for Andromeda and Teddy to join them. He had been feeling guilty about not getting to see his godson much, though Andromeda sent him photos weekly to show how much he was growing.
He arrived at the office three days before Christmas, to find that for the first time, there were no waiting reporters. He found this incredibly strange. Hermione was already in her office, with the door open and she was working away steadily. He knocked as he entered and she looked up, smiling.
'We're done,' she said simply. Harry stared at her in shock.
'What? I thought we-'
'Our last trial was supposed to be for that Dawlish bloke, the Auror. But Kingsley gave him a ministers pardon.'
'Kingsley gave him a pardon?' Harry asked incredulously.
'I've got the report here,' she said, pointing to a folder with the tip of her quill. 'There's some pretty solid proof that he wasn't acting under his own will, and hadn't been for some time.'
Harry picked up the folder and let out a low whistle as he read. Kingsley had been right to step in and spare the details getting out in a full trial.
'So what now?' Harry asked, but as he said it, a memo zoomed in and fluttered in front of him. It was bright purple- it had come from Kingsley himself.
To: Mr H Potter
From: Mr K Shacklebolt
Subject: Meeting
Harry:
I would like to see you as soon as you receive this memo.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic
'Kingsley wants to see me,' Harry told Hermione, mystified. Hermione looked puzzled as well.
'You'd better go then!' she exclaimed. Harry folded the memo up and slid it into his robes and walked back down the corridor to the golden lift. He rose up to level one and walked with confidence along to Kingsley's office. Witches and wizards waved and smiled at him as he passed them.
He knocked twice on Kingsley's door and it opened of it's own accord. Kingsley was sitting behind his magnificent desk, reading the Daily Prophet.
'Congratulations on a job well done,' he said, standing up and shaking Harry's hand. 'Rave reviews from all around. I knew you could both do it.'
'Thank you,' Harry said. He was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable for some reason.
'I guess you're wondering why I summoned you here?'
'A little.'
'I need your help again,' Kingsley looked very serious. 'As you know, the Auror department took a beating in the war. We lost many of our best. We need new recruits. And fast. And we also need a new Auror department head.'
Harry didn't know what this had to do with him, but he was on the edge of his seat.
'I have here an order that will remove you from your current position and place you at the head of the Auror department, effective immediately.'
'What!' Harry exclaimed, not really sure what he was feeling, or if he had misheard.
'Now that the trials are done, there's no need for both you and Hermione. Hermione is very capable of running that department on her own. And I know that I can trust you with this job.'
'Wow,' was all Harry could say.
'I understand if you don't want to start at the top,' Kingsley said, standing up and starting to pace. 'But if you accepted this offer, you would immediately be assigned to me prior to starting in the department.'
'Why?' Harry felt stupid, as all he had managed to say since Kinsgley's announcement was various words starting with W.
'So that I can show you what it's like to be an Auror, so that I can explain the ins and outs of the job- it's not like what you've done with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. There's a lot more to the job than people think.'
Harry's mind felt like it was going at one hundred miles a minute. Thoughts were racing so quickly that they became blurred.
'Can it wait until after Christmas?' he finally managed to say. Kingsley smiled at him.
'We'll wait until the new year,' he said, sitting back down. 'January 2nd, I expect you here at 9am sharp.'
~*~
Harry hadn't been able to tell Hermione what had transpired in Kingsley's office. Instead, he sent her a memo asking her to come to Grimmauld place that night for dinner. Kingsley had given him some books to read over and he locked himself in his office and read all day, leaving slightly earlier than usual to make sure Kreacher was prepared to cook for two.
He set the table himself with a crisp white table cloth and dug out two of the old silver candle sticks. Kreacher was busy with dinner and Harry stole upstairs and went into his cupboard and found the little present he had hidden in there a week before, wrapped in red and green paper with a gold bow.
It was six o'clock on the dot when Hermione let herself in, but Harry was waiting for her. He led her down to the kitchen, where Kreacher had just placed the meal on the table, before bowing himself out.
'So are you going to tell me what happened with Kingsley today?' she asked with a sweet smile. Harry smiled back.
'Well, I don't think you'll believe it.'
And he launched into an full recount of his time in Kinsgely's office. To his surprise, Hermione didn't look happy- she looked rather downcast.
'So we won't be working together?'
Harry realised then that he hadn't even thought of that. The opportunity being given to him was just too great, he had completely forgotten about the fact that he enjoyed working so closely with Hermione.
'I'll still be on the same floor,' he said weakly. 'Just not right next to you.'
'I guess,' she said, still looking downcast.
'Here,' Harry said, picking up the small present. 'I thought I'd give this to you tonight instead of on Christmas day- thought it would be a bit hard to explain.'
Looking very curious, she opened it cautiously and, once the paper fell away, looked at the velvet box.
'Harry…' she started but he just smiled.
'Open it.'
She gasped as she opened the box. Inside was a delicate silver bracelet and on it, Harry had gotten a small engraving.
nostrum diligo est forever
'Our love is forever,' she read, tears welling in her eyes. 'Oh Harry.'
She lent across the table and kissed him gently on the lips, before putting the bracelet on.
'I take it you like it?'
'I love it!'
They finished their dinner and Harry got up first, crossing to her side of the table and holding out his hand.
'Hermione Granger, would you like to spend the night here with me?'
She took a deep breath, and Harry saw that she looked incredibly nervous. But she took his hand and smiled up at him.
'Yes, yes I would.'