Chapter Six:
Harry was dreaming. He was falling through layers of cool, black silk and trying to catch himself. Everywhere he looked, he only saw darkness and it left him with a feeling of loss. It engulfed him and twisted around him. When he finally sensed himself touching down, he felt his dream-self trying to find something in the darkness, some hint of life or flare of color. Giving up hope that he would ever find what he was looking for, he decided to move in the direction of the tapping sound that was coming from everywhere around him. It sounded like something familiar, like something he should know. As consciousness came to him he opened his eyes and squinted at Lupin�s bedside window. Two realizations came to him at once- one, he had a gigantic hangover and two, there was a Ministry of Magic owl tapping on his window.
Fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table, he opened his eyes carefully. Stumbling as quietly as possible out of bed towards the window, he opened it just wide enough for the owl to get through.
It flew by and hooted at him disagreeably, landing on the bedpost.
He grabbed what he hoped was his robe off of the floor and pulled it on. Reaching into the pocket he pulled out two bronze Knuts and offered them to the owl. Snapping its beak, the owl looked at him with disdain and held out its foot. Feeling as though there was an axe pounding down on his head, Harry took the letter it offered him and glanced down at the writing. It wasn�t one he recognized.
The owl flapped its wings and Harry gave it a malevolent glare. �I haven�t got any food, so it�s the Knuts or nothing,� he whispered to it. The owl hooted and then flapped its wings and took off. With a grimace, Harry followed and closed the window after it. Rubbing his hands over his face, he decided to read the letter in the living room, preferably with a hot cup of tea beside him.
Grabbing a pair of pants from one of the bags he kept near the sofa, he put them on, realizing that for the second time in a week, his head was suffering from post-Firewhiskey indulgence. He grabbed Lupin�s kettle and found his wand on the table. Tapping it once, a blue flame erupted underneath the kettle. As the water began to heat, he opened up his letter.
From the Office of Amelia Bones
Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Dear Mr. Potter-
We have certain matters to discuss with you regarding your current Auror training program. Your Department Leads will also be in attendance. We will expect you no later than 10:00 o�clock.
Sincerely,
Amelia Bones
Department Head, Magical Law Enforcement
Harry swore underneath his breath and stared glumly at the letter. It looked as though Tonks had changed her mind about giving him a week to straighten up. It appeared she had gone ahead and reported his erratic behavior to the powers that be.
Well, that�s loyalty for you, isn�t it? Harry thought bitterly. They were going to kick him out of the program. He crumpled the note in his hand. He didn�t even feel like going to their little meeting. Why should he? It would serve them right if he just took off.
The thought reminded him a little too much of leaving Hogwarts and his head cleared for a moment. He reckoned that he owed it to Remus to go and at least try to defend himself. With a frown, he poured himself a cup of tea. Staring glumly into it, he didn�t hear the bedroom door open.
�Oh that looks good. Did you make enough for me?�
Harry stared up at the cheerful face of Cho Chang and cursed the makers of Ogden�s Firewhiskey with all his strength.
This was turning out to be a most unpleasant morning.
***
Ron Weasley read his morning mail over a cup of hot tea and hot buttered scones. They were blueberry and they were delicious, if he did say so himself. The one thing about Hermione being gone was that it led to him not sleeping. And the well-kept secret about that was that when Ron didn�t sleep, he baked.
He laughed as he read Hermione�s letter. She sounded as though she was enjoying herself at school. Not for the first time he felt a pang of loneliness at not being able to hear her voice. He would need to drop in for a visit there this weekend, before he went crazy. With a sigh, he finished off the last scone and grabbed a piece of parchment so that he could reply to her immediately.
But his hand paused above the parchment. Hermione had wanted to know how his talk with Harry had gone and Ron didn�t know what to say. He could tell her that he�d finally met up with their friend and that their conversation had consisted of exactly four sentences. But then that would lead to the explanation of why they had been interrupted and Ron didn�t feel like going into it.
He didn�t even know if he understood it.
Shaking his head, remembering, Ron reckoned he should wait a bit to reply after all. He�d have plenty of time to make up something at work, wouldn�t he?
It wasn�t that he thought Hermione would get angry with him for letting it happen. But he did think that she�d get plenty mad about who he had it let it happen with. After Hermione had told him something had happened between Harry and Ginny, he had been aggravated and anxious to talk to his best friend. But then he had received a second letter imploring him not to- that Harry was best left alone. Judging by the reports he�d been hearing about him through the Ministry grapevine, Ron reckoned that for once, he could let his brotherly pride go in order to find out what was really bothering Harry. Besides, if he didn�t like Harry�s answer, he could always pummel him later.
So last night, when Cho had wormed her way into their dinner, he�d been a bit confused on how to handle it. Harry had seemed both annoyed and pleased at the attention Chang had thrown at him and after watching them both down Fred and George size portions of Ogden�s Firewhiskey, he had given up any hope of having a real conversation with his friend.
Not to mention Cho hated him and made it painfully clear that she was only interested in talking with Harry and Harry only.
After they left together, Ron was pretty sure the pair of them wouldn�t be doing much of that between themselves either.
Ron wasn�t Harry�s keeper and goodness knows the man could handle himself. If he wanted to have a bit of a fling with an old crush, who was he to stop him? But why did it seem wrong to Ron that Harry was with anyone other than Ginny?
Ron thought about it for a minute and then realized that maybe it was best that Harry wasn�t with Ginny. He didn�t really want to think about the idea of his little sister and his best mate...
No, Weasley, push that image right out of your head.
In principal Ron thought Harry and Ginny were a good match, in practical application? He just didn�t want to think of it.
On that note, Ron picked up Hermione�s letter and put it into his pocket. He would just have to write her from work. He was sure something would occur to him to say by then.
Ginny was having a rough morning. Not only did Snape bark at her twice that morning in Potions, but her Mandrake Restorative Draft had turned out too watery and too green. She couldn�t help it- she felt unfocused and anxious. It was as though something was happening and she couldn�t control it. She�d had feelings like this before, of course, and they had always happened right before she had a psychic occurrence. It didn�t bode well for the rest of the day if she was going to be edgy and out of sorts.
When she left Potions she was cornered by Louis Fagan, who was again asking her to go to Hogsmeade with him. She was getting tired of politely declining Louis�s increasingly aggressive attention.
�Come on, Ginny. You never go anywhere with anyone.�
�Well then, you shouldn�t take it too personally when I say no to you.�
�All I ever see you do is eat dinner with the Herbology Professor. What, got a thing for older men? Come on, Weasley, give the rest of us a go. You might like a younger man,� Louis smiled suggestively at her and she pushed him aside.
�Louis, the day I do consider giving anyone �a go� as you romantically put it, I�m quite sure it won�t be you. And leave Professor Longbottom out of this, he�s an old friend who�s saved my life once or twice. Not that it is any of your business.�
Louis had rolled his eyes at her and skulked away. Honestly, if Ginny didn�t know any better she�d swear the Fagan�s were 2nd cousins to the Malfoy�s. There was something very Draco-like in his predatory manor.
Oh well, boys will be boys, she heard her mother�s voice in her head and she smiled faintly to herself.
It was when the boys turned into angst-ridden young men, that�s when you had to watch out. That was when your heart decided to fall.
Ginny frowned and pushed the idea of Harry out of her mind. Looking forward to her study time with Miracroix after Herbology, she hurried off to grab some lunch.
***
Harry made his way to the Ministry of Magic. Choosing to walk instead of Apparate, he wanted to clear his head and perhaps allow his hangover to abate some. He had somehow managed to get out of talking to Cho for too long with promises that he would try to run into her later at the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry frowned and groaned at the thought of spending any more time with her. No doubt, Cho was just as lovely as ever and she was obviously very interested in continuing on with what had happened last night, but the truth was, her personality drove him crazy.
Maybe he was still harboring bad feelings from their brief teenage dating disaster known as 5th year. The year that all she did was cry and all he did was feel increasingly frustrated at everything. But from the moment she had started talking this morning to the minute he had parted from her company, his head had been screaming at him. She just talked so much. What had happened to the slightly shy girl he�d walked into Hogsmeade with, so quiet you�d wonder if she were there or not.
Or maybe that had been him and not her. He wasn�t sure anymore. He felt a million years away from the age of fifteen even though it had just been three years ago. McGonagall�s parting words of how he wasn�t as old as he thought he was came back to him. He reckoned she was right, but then he also reckoned that not many eighteen-year-olds had done and seen what he had, either. His perspective on things was just a bit different from the other people his age.
Arriving into the Atrium of the Ministry, he stopped at the desk to have his wand weighed and inspected. Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, he made his way to the 2nd floor where Amelia Bones had her office.
Glancing at the clock that stood in the entrance to the hallway, he sighed. He was almost late. But then he reckoned that since they were kicking him out anyway, there was no reason to be on time.
A short knock and a gruff �Enter� later, he took a deep breath and greeted the firing squad.
It was as he suspected. Tonks was in attendance as was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Another Auror that Harry had Stealth and Disguise class with was also there. She offered him a little wave, which made him frown. He didn�t think the occasion warranted her to be that happy. There was another man there that Harry didn�t recognize, who also smiled at him. What was going on?
Madam Bones looked up from her desk and looked him over.
�Thank you for showing up so promptly Potter. Now, if you don�t mind,� she said she flicked her wand and conjured a chair up for him, �take a seat.�
Harry sat down and glanced over at Tonks, who was staring at the floor. Oh, well that�s a great sign, Harry thought to himself.
�Potter, since your rejoining of the Auror Program here at the Ministry, I�ve been interested in your progress. Doggins tells me you�re acceptable at Disguise and Stealth tactics and Shacklebolt here tells me you�re quite up on your Hexes and Curses. However, Miss Tonks,� and here, Madam Bones let her eyes stray over to where Tonks was sitting, �has stated that you have had below average work in Defensive Spells as of late. Do you agree with this assessment?�
Harry was a bit surprised. Maybe all wasn�t lost. Maybe he could still talk his way out of getting kicked out.
�Well, Madam Bones,� he said carefully, choosing his words. �I do admit that I have been distracted with personal issues this past week and Miss Tonks has indeed reprimanded me for it. I do believe, however, that my past use of basic Defensive Spells more than speaks for itself.�
Amelia Bones raised her eyebrow and Harry caught a glint of light reflecting off of her monocle.
�Yes, well, be that as it may Potter, your past notwithstanding, what I�m interested in is the here and now. Are you saying these personal issues of yours are such that you cannot defend yourself in a simple Defensive match? Because this, I might add, is what Miss Tonks believes.�
Harry felt himself getting angry. His eyes flicked over to Tonks again and he had to bite his tongue.
�I would say Miss Tonks should know that my abilities in this area have been more than proven and regardless of any current issues, my defensive abilities are as sharp as they have always been.�
Amelia Bones studied him again and then her eyes flicked over to the man that was sitting next to Doggins. He nodded his head at her and Harry had to wonder what was going on.
�Right. Well then, Shacklebolt, Doggins, you may go. Miss Tonks, I would like you to sit in on this.�
Tonks stirred at this order and glanced at Harry, not meeting his eyes. In that one look, Harry knew she didn�t know what was going on either.
The man that had been sitting next to Doggins stood up and approached Harry.
�Mr. Potter, I must say, this is an honor. My son has told me all about you and of course, your history precedes you. Your work in dealing with Dark Wizards is a testament to us all.�
The man, who had slightly graying hair and a wide, open face that was dotted with clear blue eyes, now looked vaguely familiar on closer inspection. Harry shook his hand and glanced at Madam Bones.
�Potter, this is Donald Fagan. He�s from our Liaison Office in America. He is a honorary member of the Wizengamot and the International Wizarding Affairs office. He�s come to make you a proposition.�
�Yes, yes. One I�m hoping you will seriously consider, Mr. Potter. As I said, my son has spoken of you and your Defense Against the Dark Arts teachings most vigorously.�
�I�m sorry, but I�m not familiar with your son... ?�
�Ah yes, his name is Louis, I believe you were teaching him 6th Year Defense Against the Dark Arts just recently? Tall boy, bit of a self-assured young man. I believe he said you taught the class how to employ the Bat-Bogey Hex on him specifically?�
Harry had a sudden memory of the sixth year student he�d seen flirting with Ginny and how the next day he had decided to teach his sixth years that particular hex. By using Fagan as an example. Harry turned a bit red at the memory.
�Yes, well, I apologize if your son thought I had been picking on him specifically-�
�Nonsense! He adored it. Owl�d home and told everyone that the famous Harry Potter had hexed him.�
Harry knew there was another reason he�d never liked the Fagan kid. He�d always seemed a bit cheeky, besides being overly friendly with Ginny.
�But Louis sounds English and you�re-�
�A Yank, yes. Most unfortunate for my wife. She�s Scottish herself and couldn�t bare her son going to an American school. Louis has been at Hogwarts since only his second year, which accounts for his odd mixture of accent. But I didn�t come all this way to talk about my son. What I�d really like to do is get to know you Harry, and see if you�re up for a bit of an adventure?�
Harry raised his eyebrow at this and then looked at Tonks and Madam Bones. Tonks seemed just as confused as he was.
�What Mr. Fagan is trying to say, Potter, is that there has been an outbreak of dark wizardry in America lately and Mr. Fagan wants you to go back with him, so that you can continue your training and help the American Aurors be more familiar with the ways of Death Eaters and their ilk.�
Harry pulled back and frowned. �But... I�m sorry, Mr. Fagan, you�ll have to pardon me, but I don�t understand why you�d want me to do this. Surely you have... better qualified wizards to help you?�
�Ah! So modest. I love that. No, Harry, we don�t. While we do have our own Auror Program in place, it is nothing compared to the Ministry�s. And there have been certain incidents lately that make me believe that you are the perfect man for the job. The person we�re seeking was a former classmate of yours, after all.�
�Who-?�
Madam Bones cleared her throat and handed a folder to Mr. Fagan. Fagan nodded enthusiastically and handed the folder to Harry.
�Inside there Harry you�ll learn all you need to know, plus you�ll see why we want you to do this.�
Harry looked at Tonks and she shrugged at him. Madam Bones cleared her throat again.
�Now I want to be absolutely clear on this and Miss Tonks, you will have to give me your most honest answer. Do you believe that Harry is incapable of defending himself at this time?�
Tonks looked at him and shook her head. �Madam Bones, when I mentioned that Harry was having problems in his Defense classes, I in no way meant to imply he was untalented. I think we all know that he is very capable of doing the work. I only meant to give an unbiased review of his activity thus far. To me he has been sub-par in his physical application of Defensive Spells. But I in no way meant to imply he was unable to protect himself when the time comes.�
Harry knew this was Tonk�s way of saying he�d been an arse lately and he also knew it was her apology for the night before. He smiled briefly at her.
Madam Bones seemed to consider her answer. She nodded at Harry. �Very well. Potter, read the contents of that folder, if you don�t mind. I�d like to hear your thoughts.�
Curiosity practically killing him, Harry opened the folder Fagan had given him. A moment later he understood why Fagan had thought he would be handy in helping him.
Staring up at him with a scowl upon his face, was none other than Draco Malfoy.