Chapter Title

"I should have bloody well known," Harry growled. In his hand was The Daily Prophet and, more importantly, an article on the front page. About him. Again. "It's Skeeter! It's as if she knows exactly when best to bother me."

Ron looked up from his side of the kitchen table, not fully awake yet and wearing nothing but a pair of bright orange boxers proudly proclaiming his support for the Chudley Cannons. He didn't say anything but he stopped eating the breakfast that Kreacher had prepared for the two of them and gave Harry a glance that obviously asked 'What?'.

In all honesty, Ron was surprised that Skeeter had already posted yet another inflammatory or otherwise irritating article about Harry. Sure, at some point The Prophet and other paparazzi run rags would go back to being fickle in regards to The-Boy-Who-Lived but for now The Chosen One was fairly well received. It hadn't even been a year since he'd killed the one and only Lord Voldemort, after all. People's ability to forget things like that always surprised him.

Harry turned around the article so that Ron could read the title. ABSENT DADDY POTTER? PARTYING WITH MUGGLES DAYS AFTER STARTLING CUSTODY REVEAL. Ron only snorted and went back to his breakfast, not wasting energy to read any dirt that Skeeter had come up with.

"Don't be so smug, she mentioned you too." Harry said, skimming the article. His voice held a barely contained rage that anyone but Ron would see as unreasonable. As it stood Ron was calmly contemplating which hex he would hit Skeeter with when Harry worked through the shock and decided to storm the ministry. At this point it was the only reasonable response to Skeeter's madness. "Apparently we're 'drowning our incompetence with muggle beer' since Hermione is gone." Ron continued to look unbothered while Harry read the article, until Harry snorted and paraphrased. "Oh- and apparently there is a love triangle! Yeah, I'm jealous of you and Hermione and that's why I- wait a bloody minute!" Harry's voice grew less amused and more angry. Ron quickly woke up, recognizing the tone of voice as much more serious than it had been moments before. "How do they know about that?"

"About what?" Ron asked, concerned. The hairs on the back of his neck rose like they had when Ginny had been in the Chamber of Secrets- the first time Voldemort hit his family. "What are you talking about?"

"Though I was unable to find proof due to red tape at St Mungos, I was able to piece together enough eye-witness accounts to determine that Ronald Weasley did sustain massive injuries due to a fight with Harry Potter in the beginning of the summer. It is undeniable that this fight must have been a result of jealousy over Weasley and Hermione Granger's recent relationship. Potter and Granger do have a history-" Harry read from the article verbatim with growing shock. "First, George talks me out of storming the ministry when she made that bloody article about Teddy and now she does this! I should have put a stop to this already!"

Ron started to stand up when Harry began talks of rampage, stretching his arms out. It wasn't as if he would let his best mate go alone. As far as Ron was concerned, Rita Skeeter should be in Azkaban. The 'journalist' was constantly hurting Harry to make a quick buck and obviously had no concern for facts. Not to mention that she had gotten uncomfortably close to the truth- Harry had knocked him out at the beginning of the summer and he had been delivered to St. Mungos by an almost delirious Hermione. Her attention hadn't only focused on Harry anymore, especially since the war. She'd written a piece right after Weasleys Wizard Wheezes reopened that had George nearly storming to her office, wand drawn. Ron had been the one to stop him and now, well, it was easy to say that he was regretting it. Why did they keep talking one another out of doing the inevitable?

"Ron, I mean it this time, I'm putting a stop to this rubbish!" Harry stood and slapped the offending newspaper on the table. His wand sparked and it caught aflame, neither teen bothered to do anything about it. It wasn't because Kreatcher would prevent the building from burning down but rather because neither cared enough to even consciously recognize the risk.

"I know," Ron said. Though he wasn't raving like Harry his 'clarity' was hardly rational at the moment. Every inflammatory article that Skeeter had written was flashing across his mind and he was currently planning how to most efficiently get to the bitch before anyone could stop them. Once he had that sorted out, he'd figure out a way to get away with it but that wasn't important right now. "But I'm in my bleedin' underwear and you're not wearing a shirt."

This wasn't the first time that Ron and Harry had changed clothes quickly. Within moments they were fully dressed and running down the stairs to the floo, wands drawn and something just short of bloodlust in their eyes. They hadn't had to talk just yet, and likely wouldn't until they got to Skeeters office.

Harry already had floo powder in his hand but he was stopped from using the floo by Neville, who'd appeared that very moment to see Harry and Ron. The duo were looking particularly unstable and Neville began to wonder if that was what he had looked like not long ago when he had lost his cool over Malfoy. He hoped not, but he doubted it.

"What are you two doing?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow up.

"We're going to the ministry, shove off Neville," Ron snapped.

Neville looked at Harry, who was standing next to Ron and still pointing his wand at Neville as if he were a threat, and realization dawned on him. "It's about Skeeter's article."

"Yes, now move," Harry said. He liked Neville but the introduction of a calm third party threatened to bring him out of his rage and he couldn't have that. When rage was gone it left only deep, dark sadness that Harry was terrified of. It was his most basic instinct to avoid that pit.

Neville laughed and crossed his arms, still not drawing his wand for fear of triggering one of them to attack him. His body language was calm, he had learned to lie that way in Hogwarts last year, but he couldn't help but think that a fully grown venomous tentacula would be safer. "No, mate, now go change into the academy robes. We're going to be late to our first day."

"Oh, shit." Just as quick as Ron had decided to rampage the Prophet offices he realized that it was in fact nearly 6 and he and Harry were going to be late to their first day of Auror Academy. He lowered his wand and reached over to grab Harry's wand arm. "C'mon, Nev's right."

"No- we can't just-" Harry struggled with dropping their rampage. He struggled with the fact that the anger was dissipating and in its wake he felt as if he were facing a dementor with no wand. His chest was already beginning to sink and his back felt hunched over despite no visible change in his posture. All of this with Neville as an audience, nonetheless.

Ron's grip didn't loosen and he pulled his absolute best mate upstairs. Today was important, that was why they had woken up before noon and why they'd taken dreamless sleep potion the night before. They couldn't take it often, and they wouldn't, but today was important and if they spent all night staring at the ceiling with regrets and waking up from fitful nightmares then it would start them off on the wrong foot. So they had done everything they could to prepare for their first day at auror academy and Ron sure as hell wasn't going to let Harry give that up. No matter what Skeeter posted, no matter what he felt, no matter how much Ron wanted to join him and jump into the deep end. They'd have to do that tomorrow.

After shoving Harry into his room, going to his own to change into the training robes they would all wear, and then retrieving Harry once more Ron drug Harry back to the first floor common room to meet Neville and floo to the academy.

"Everything alright?" Neville asked, nervously looking at Harry.

Harry had come down with Ron but now appeared to be reading something out of a journal and paying them absolutely no attention. He was, at the very least, smiling but considering he had been planning a rampage when Neville arrived it wasn't clear if the smile was a good thing or not.

Ron looked at his watch and frowned, "C'mon mate, read your diary later we're going to be late."

Harry continued smiling as he closed the journal and slipped it into his bag. Once again he looked like a happy, healthy 18 year old and both Ron and Neville couldn't help but question him. The rapid mood change in Ron had been one thing, he'd never been wildly consistent and over the past summer they'd come to expect it from him. Harry though... Harry brooded endlessly long before they'd even met.

"Ginny wrote me a letter," Was all he said.

Once upon a time, Ron would have demanded to know what Ginny had said and then pouted all day that it was Ginny who had made his best mate feel better instead of him. Now, though, he was just happy that Harry was feeling better again in time for their first day at the academy. He couldn't provide Harry with everything, and honestly the thoughts of what Ginny might be doing for Harry made him more than a little grossed out. He couldn't be everything for anyone, and he didn't want to be. The pressure was too much. So he smiled and clapped his mate on the shoulder, glad that his sister had done what he could not and glad that they were somehow salvaging the morning.

The three teenagers immediately flooed to the Ministry. Harry had it set up on Grimmauld Place because he frequented the Ministry so much as it was. He couldn't find it within himself to feel bad that other trainees would have to start the approval process that day to get connected to the Ministry floo and it would probably take another week.

Once there they gave their wands over for inspection and then loaded onto the lift to go to level two. Instead of going to the main room where all of the cubicles and commotion where, they were directed to a largeish room obviously set up like a class. The white walls were covered with maps and reference material put up over time. In the front there was a large chalkboard and in the right hand corner sat a heavy looking wooden desk that would likely host the professor, though none was in sight when they arrived. There were three rows of long tables for trainees to sit at with only a few trainees there.

"C'mon," Neville said. "There's no need to sit at the back, everyone is gonna stare anyway."

Harry groaned but followed him because, well, he wasn't wrong. The three trainees already in the room all watched them head to the first table and settle in. For a moment they seemed too shocked to say anything, as if they hadn't believed that the Harry Potter was actually joining the auror department.

One of the students, a woman who had been furiously reading the auror academy pamphlet as if she had forgotten to read it beforehand when they arrived, quickly moved her bag to sit down next to Harry after he, Neville, and Ron sat down.

"Holy shit you're really Harry Potter aren't you?" She asked eagerly, tucking her hair behind her ears when she spoke. "I've seen all of your pictures in The Prophet, and that article in Witch Weekly! I joined the program because of you!"

Ron and Neville were shamelessly smirking and sharing amused glances at Harry's embarrassment when the woman nervously played with her hands and, probably intentionally, used her elbows to enhance her cleavage even with the decidedly modest unisex auror academy uniform.

"Er, wonderful?" Harry didn't sound sure of himself and had physically leaned away from the woman. "And, er, you are?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! My name is Evanna, Evanna Criess." Her tone never faltered and then, without preamble, she went to hug Harry instead of the usual handshake. The hug lasted too long, in part because Harry was so stunned he never wrapped his arms around her and she seemed to be waiting for that. "If you don't mind my saying, you're much more attractive in person."

By now Neville and Ron's chuckling had reached the point that Evanna was glaring at them. In contrast, Harry still looked petrified and uncomfortable. He held a small hope that everyone else in their program would want to talk to him too and inadvertently shove Evanna out of the way but they all seemed content to watch and judge the interaction.

"Oh, Evanna, sweetheart," Neville said. "Don't you know all Potters have a thing for redheads?"

Harry thought he couldn't be more mortified until, without skipping a beat, Evanna replied.

"I can dye my hair." She said brightly. Ron and Neville couldn't help but burst into laughter again and she frowned. "What is so funny?"

"I mean- look at Harry!" Ron said, sobering just enough to talk. "You're being so forward and he has no bloody clue what to do about it!"

Harry glared at Ron, his supposed best mate, before he regained himself and spoke up. "Sorry, Evanna, I have a girlfriend though and you seem nice and all but, er-"

Evanna spared one last glare for Neville and Ron before quickly smiling at Harry. "Don't worry about it."

Harry was saved from further conversation with her when an auror, they could tell from his robes, entered the classroom. He walked to the front of the classroom and managed to hold the undivided attention of the whole class without needing to verbally demand it.

"My name is Auror Robards, I am the head auror and today I am taking time to welcome you all to this program. Minister Kingsley has lowered the standards for entry into the program so a few of you did not have the NEWTs we have required in the past. Today you will take the same character and practical defense tests that all auror trainees, or ATs, have taken for years. Good luck, heroic intentions, and fame-" Harry was 100% sure that Auror Robards had stared at him when he said that. "-will not carry you through these tests."

"You hear that, Potter? Your Witch Weekly article won't work here!" Another trainee yelled out snidely.

"Worked on Voldemort," Harry shot back, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows. He didn't know the trainee, a man not much older than him, but he already didn't care very much for him.

The class laughed but Auror Robards wasn't amused. "Shut it, all of you. I don't have time for this shite." The class sobered up immediately. "This is an intense 3 year program that will push you much harder than Hogwarts ever did. Most, if not all of you, participated in some way in the war that just ended. You're right that it gives you a leg up but it will also provide you with a disadvantage."

Ron could feel the disagreement from the class and he couldn't blame them. After everything in the war he felt particularly prepared to be an Auror. He knew which fight techniques worked and he knew how he reacted to extreme life or death danger when it came after him or those he loved. How could that be anything but a positive?

Auror Robards paused, as if to give people a chance to voice their disagreement, but no one did so he continued. "First of all, we're not in a war any more. You're no longer constantly in a life or death situation and, to put it bluntly, you need to calm down. There are laws regulating how you can act when you're an auror that are more stringent than when you're a civilian fighting a deadly enemy. Additionally, you learned in the moment what worked but you might have learned wrong. Maybe your tactics kept you alive but over the years the auror department has developed better methods. You're going to have to re-learn, and that can be harder than learning it right the first time. Are there any questions?"

It was Evanna who raised her hand and waited for Auror Robards to roll his eyes and point to her. "Auror Robards, why accept cadets on the basis of their actions during war if it is a detriment to their success in the program?"

"We have not selected every single person who participated in the war. We have selected those who showed specific experience and integrity that outweighs the negatives of being 'half trained'." Auror Robards said. He paused, as if waiting for more questions, and then continued.

"Now, all ATs are assigned a mentor within the auror department. All mentors teach in a different way and with varied levels of involvement. You will be assigned to a mentor based on the tests that you take today. The only difference between the AT program now and when it last ran is that we don't have the manpower to provide every single one of you with an individual mentor. Many of you will share mentors and they will decide how to work with that.

"Other than your mentors all ATs will have the same schedules. Monday through Saturday you have practical dueling and physical fitness training from 6 am to 9 am. You have an hour to clean up and then your classroom course for the day from 10 am to noon. Mondays are concealment and disguise, Tuesdays are stealth and tracking, Wednesdays are poisons and antidotes, thursdays are magical jurisprudence, and Fridays are alternative dueling techniques. Saturdays you only have your physical course and Sundays are off. I don't care if your mentor has you out all night until 5:59 am- you will attend every single class on the AT schedule without fail and you will be punctual."

Auror Robards' pause, waiting for questions or complaints from the new ATs, was not unfounded. Immediate protests came from the classroom, starting with an AT that Harry didn't recognize but assumed to be about Harry's age.

"So there are no sick days? We're just expected to be healthy for 3 years?" He asked.

"We will review every case but suffice it to say that you should be in attendance to your classes." Auror Robards said, which didn't seem to appease the class.

With a quick glance at Ron and Neville it was clear that Harry wasn't alone in thinking that the program's attendance requirements were extreme. Immediately he thought of Teddy and potential reasons he might have to miss class to care for him. Especially if Mrs. Tonks got sick again. It wasn't as if he could take Teddy to a daycare center and he had him on weekends, which meant he had to worry about his care during Saturday morning physical training.

"What if we're parents?" A woman who was clearly the oldest AT asked. Harry found himself paying rapt attention to Auror Robards' answer.

"If you make it into the auror department then you will have to have access to last minute, safe care for any children you have now or in the future. I, myself, am not sure I would be able to work as an auror if my wife were not a homemaker." Auror Robards said, his voice serious. "It's not fair but it is the reality of the auror program."

"Does the auror department vet any daycares for safety and privacy?" Harry asked, frowning. He supposed he could ask Mrs. Tonks to allow him to pick up Teddy late Saturday morning instead of Friday night but he knew she had weekly dinner plans on Friday and, quite frankly, she was old and needed the break. Outside of Mrs. Tonks, and Mrs. Weasley who he didn't feel comfortable asking to be a weekly babysitter like that, he didn't really know anyone who wasn't in Hogwarts or auror training that could watch Teddy.

"Not as a department, no, most aurors tend to rely on their family." Auror Robards answered. His face contained the same frown that all people developed when they remembered that even Harry's godfather was dead.

Harry's frown deepened until Ron nudged him and gave him a look he recognized to mean 'don't worry, I have a plan'. Harry nodded and decided to focus back on class for the moment, he couldn't solve anything alone and he couldn't discuss it with anyone right now.

"Now, are there any other questions?" The class seemed to tell from Auror Robards' tone that he wouldn't accept anymore questions. "Good, moving on. You are all going to stay here until you are called for your entry exams. I encourage you to get to know your fellow ATs, they will be the only people who truly understand what you're dealing with over the next few years and you will likely depend upon them at some point to save your life." He made his way out and then, almost as an afterthought, spoke up before he left the classroom. "Oh, and Mr. Potter, with me please."

Harry immediately glanced at Neville and Ron. Ron was uneasy but didn't say anything, knowing that he couldn't very well expect to follow Harry around everywhere.

"Go on then," Neville said, seeming almost as if he didn't understand Harry and Ron's concern. Which made sense, he hadn't been or traveled with "undesirable no. 1" for a year.

Even still, he was right. So Harry got up and jogged after Auror Robards, who hadn't waited for him in the slightest. He wasn't sure what the auror could possibly want and it made him nervous. Had he, somehow, already been kicked out of the program?

"Sir?" He asked when he caught up.

Auror Robards didn't say anything until they reached his office and the door was shut. He sat down behind his desk and gestured for Harry to take a seat in front of it.

"You're famous," Auror Robards said bluntly. "Skeeter has already suggested that the auror department made a mistake by accepting you and you wouldn't believe the number of owls I've received complaining about it."

"Er-" Harry wasn't sure what to say. He'd never had any control over his fame and he doubted he ever would. People, The Prophet in particular, were fickle. Auror Robards seemed to want a response, though, so Harry struggled to put one together. "Well, sir, I can guarantee that most all of what Skeeter publishes is completely false. Ron and I aren't drinking to excess and I'm not in a love triangle with Hermione."

"We tell this to all of our trainees but with the extra attention you receive it bears repeating. You need to keep out of the papers as much as you can. Most importantly, remember that you are a reflection on the auror department and that you, specifically, will be expected to behave as if you are a decade or more older than you actually are." Auror Robards said. He looked frustrated but, though Harry could only guess, not with Harry himself. "The people who dislike you are a minority that yell very loud. I want to ensure that you are capable enough to handle those yelling and those that look up to you. I know for a fact that you inspired a few of our current ATs to join our program."

"So..." Harry said, not sure what Auror Robards wanted out of him. "Keep my head down and don't make the auror department look stupid?"

"Essentially," Auror Robards said. "Now, in regards to the war-"

"-Kingsley assured me that we were not required to tell any more than we already did." Harry interrupted, frowning. Immediately Auror Robards looked put off and Harry struggled to undo the damage. "I don't mean to insult you- I just don't know what you're- er-"

"Uhu," Auror Robards said, crossing his arms and assessing Harry once more. Harry couldn't help but be thankful for his interruption- there was no respectable way to continue his ramblings as to why he wasn't going to tell his boss secret information. "I understand that much of what qualifies you to be in the AT program is... let's call it classified. I'm not going to be bothering you or Longbottom or Weasley about the war." Harry doubted that, a lot, but he didn't say anything when Auror Robards paused. His mouth had gotten him in enough trouble already, and it was only the first day. He could only imagine what Hermione would say. "But anything you do from here on out better be through the auror department and better not be kept a secret. I can't very well manage a bunch of rookies going off on their own doing Merlin knows what."

Harry laughed and immediately cut it off- Auror Robards wasn't joking. For the first time Harry was faced with an actual authority, one he couldn't just ignore. Auror Robards knew that, that was why he had wanted to talk to Harry. He wanted to be sure that Harry would be respectful, that he wouldn't inadvertently continue to drag Ron and Neville or anyone else on hairbrained, poorly thought out (if thought out at all), schemes.

He noticed that Auror Robards was still waiting for a response and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Er, yes sir, of course. I've got a godson now, can't go off and-" Harry struggled to find an example that was safe to tell his future boss. Not because of a desire to keep secrets but because Auror Robards was his boss and it seemed like a bad idea to tell his boss that he broke into Gringotts and stole a dragon, or broke into the Ministry of Magic with a rag-tag team of vigilante teenagers calling themselves an army with no backup, or flew throw muggle London on a stolen and illegal flying car... He cleared his throat, "Well, anyway, I'll be strictly following the book from here on out."

Somewhere, Harry was sure, everyone he had ever known was laughing their ass off. Even Professor McGonagall- especially Professor McGonagall. Auror Robards seemed to know that but he didn't protest.

"That's good to know," Auror Robards said, not betraying any thought. "Right, now head on back. Chosen One or not you've gotto attend training."

"Yes sir," Harry said, standing up. He didn't trust himself to say anything further without putting his foot in his mouth. He'd been singled out on his first day, but he'd been expecting that, and Auror Robards didn't seem to expect anything unreasonable out of him. It was the best he could have hoped for, really.

"I miss Neville," Luna announced quite randomly. She slumped in her seat a little, frowning, and continued to play with her quill instead of work on the DADA assignment they (Ginny, Hermione, and Luna) had met in the library to do together.

Hermione, in a rare bout of communication, nodded her head in agreement. "I know how you feel. It hasn't been long but it feels like ages since I've seen Ron."

It was strange to once again face the very real difference between her relationship with Ron and her relationship with Harry. It didn't bother her that they were different but there was a small part of her that felt beyond guilty. It reminded her of when Ron left her and Harry behind during the war and, on top of everything, she'd been unable to ignore the nagging feeling that she would have preferred being left without Harry than Ron. The thought was always accompanied by overwhelming guilt, especially when she had broken down and told Harry and he had only hugged her close and refused to even yell at her. She hadn't even paid any penance.

"Yes, it's hard to stop having sex," Luna pouted. Her words successfully pulled Hermione out of her downward spiral and made Ginny struggle to mask her exclamation as a cough. "Neville wasn't perfect but neither was I, we're still so new, but it was lovely and now he is gone." She finished with a longing sigh, as if flashing back to a particular moment or memory.

"Yeah, I'm sure Hermione is really missing a good fuc-" Ginny noticed Madame Prince out of the corner of her eye and stopped mid-curse. "Well, you know what I mean."

Hermione was certain that her cheeks were bright red, probably her entire face and neck and chest, because it was starting to hurt. At this moment, of course, the stone ground of the library stood strong and did not fall through. So she was forced to suffer through Ginny's obvious amusement and Luna's consistent minor detachment from the world.

"I- Well- That is absolutely none of your business and, frankly Ginny, it is a little disturbing that you're interested at all." Hermione snapped. The effect of her words was severely lessened by the fact that she couldn't look either of them in the eye and her hair was frizzing on its own. Not to mention that her face and neck were rivaling Ginny's hair. "How would you like it if I bothered you about what you and Harry are up to?"

"Not much of anything," Ginny said. She sighed and, to Hermione's immense displeasure, didn't display any sort of discomfort. As if talking about these things, talking about sex, wasn't incredibly awkward. Much less talking about them in the middle of the library, muffliato charm or not. "In case you are actually wondering, which I doubt." Ginny gave Hermione a teasing grin. "But I've already gotten the semi-permanent contraceptive charm from a healer and I actually-"

Hermione's embarrassment went to the wayside immediately when she realized what Ginny had said. Contraceptive. As in- stop pregnancy. Suddenly she realized that she hadn't really been using that. Her jaw dropped and her hand clapped to cover her mouth. How had she, how had Ron, how had they been so stupid! Of course, Ron had remembered the one-time charm sometimes and (Merlin she blushed just thinking about it) ... finished outside of her other times but what if- what if she was pregnant? It wasn't that the idea of a little ginger boy, a mini-Ron, was so bad but she was in Hogwarts still! She hadn't even picked a career yet and Ron had just started Auror training that day.

"Hermione, Hermione, come back to me," Ginny said. When Hermione's hand clapped to her mouth it had been obvious what she was thinking of. "Come on, lets go to Pomfrey, yeah?"

Hermione followed Ginny dumbly, unable to stop panicking about the fact that she might be pregnant. It didn't matter that she hadn't had a period since before Ron left her and Harry in that blasted tent. She couldn't shake the feeling that since she hadn't had a period in the last 3 weeks she was pregnant. What was she going to tell Ron? How could she possibly keep up with the Hogwarts curriculum and Head Girl demands now? What was everyone going to say? The tabloids were surely going to go crazy.

Ginny stayed with her when Pomfrey had her prick her finger and give a drop of blood to a potion. She stayed when Pomfrey frowned at the potion results and continued some tests. She stayed while Hermione answered what felt like a million unrelated questions almost robotically, unable to look away from her hands while she panicked. She stayed until Pomfrey returned to her office (where Ginny and Hermione were brought to protect Hermione's privacy) and asked her to give them a moment. Only then, alone and waiting to hear "you're pregnant", did Hermione give proper attention to the healer before her.

"Well, the good news is that you're not pregnant." Pomfrey said directly.

"But-" Hermione couldn't help but feel her jaw drop again alongside a rush of relief.

"Yes, it seemed likely but in reality I doubt you could become pregnant at this moment." Pomfrey said, making Hermione scrunch up her face in confusion. "It looks like you have been poisoned for quite some time. I'm not rightly sure how, as the rubeta mushroom is easily avoidable and has to be eaten either in mass quantities or on a completely empty stomach, but the tests are rather conclusive."

"The- what is the rubeta mushroom?" Hermione asked.

Promfrey's face immediately turned to a frown but she grabbed an open book from her desk and gave it to Hermione, pointing to a diagram on it. "It's a common magical poison, though it's rarely used since the green can't be covered up. It doesn't react to any spells but since the green is so telling it can't be hidden from anyone. Children find them sometimes, but then again most infestations of it are cleared up right away. I'm not sure how someone could have possibly given it to you without your knowledge."

"I- Someone didn't give it, I- I picked it up." Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew that mushroom. That was the mushroom she and Harry had lived on for a few days. At the time they thought that it was their savior- they'd been deliriously hungry and it grew plentiful around one of the muggle campgrounds she had taken them to. "Harry and I- we ate it last year for almost a week. I tried all of the detection spells and it wasn't in any of my books-"

"No- it wouldn't be. The magical population has nearly made it extinct and it is considered common knowledge." Pomfrey said with a frown, "Well, we can fix this up right away. It's been in your system for quite a while, I really wish you three would have come to me after the battle... Well, I'll get some of the potion right away. It'll be daily doses for three weeks and I would avoid any alcohol as it can exacerbate the symptoms while you're getting treatment. You said that Mr. Potter ate the mushrooms as well? What of Mr. Weasley?"

"Harry had some, yes, but Ron didn't have any." He probably would have stopped me from cooking them, he would have known. Hermione felt a thick ball of something in her throat, guilt that she had inadvertently poisoned Harry when she was supposed to help him.

Pomfrey pressed her lips together but didn't say anything, no doubt questioning how Harry and Hermione had eaten something without Ron when they had supposedly been on the run together, just the three of them, for months. That was the only thing everyone knew for sure- Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been together.

"Can you send him a letter letting him know about the rubeta poisoning or would you like me to? I'm sure when he starts auror training they will do a medical review but it is better safe than sorry. The longer you two go without treatment, the worse it will be." Pomfrey said. Her words would have been judgmental and harsh but Hermione could tell that she was instead being kind and just worried about her most frequent visitor in the past 7 years. Harry had a special place in her heart, of course he did. Even without the prophecy and the fame, Harry was easy to love.

"Of course, I'll send it right away." Hermione said. "But- what do you mean? How does the treatment work? What could happen to him?"

"It isn't just him," Pomfrey reminded her. "The treatment is harder on the body than the poison in a lot of ways. You're going to be exhausted, your muscles will be weak, your stomach will be sick from the frequency of the dosage... The problem with this poison is that if not caught your body develops a type of dependence to it. If you were in quidditch I would take you off the team, but as it stands you need to prepare for a lot of rest. I know, Ms. Granger, that you're concerned about keeping up in class but unless you keep an eye on yourself and take bedrest when you need to you will find yourself unconscious for days at a time without any warning. When you research to double check me," Pomfrey paused to glare a little at Hermione, who blushed because it was true. "You'll likely find that I could do a slower treatment that wouldn't be quite so taxing. However, due to how long you've been poisoned I will not be taking any risks. The benefit of this is that you will be feeling much better sooner."

Pomfrey was done, Hermione could tell, so she got up from the cot Pomfrey had in her office and got ready to leave.

"Hermione," Pomfrey said, stopping her from leaving. Her voice was gentle and her smile was warm, reminding Hermione of her mother before she'd sent her to Australia. "You have always taken such good care of those boys, and Merlin knows they've needed it. Please don't forget to take care of yourself." Hermione nodded numbly, well aware that she couldn't break down until she got into the relative safety of her bed. Ginny was no doubt waiting for her, and Hermione didn't have any answers to give.

"We'll discuss contraceptive options when your treatment is over, but in the meantime there aren't any contraceptives I can provide you that won't react negatively with the potions you will need." Pomfrey said, "The potion is easy to brew, I'll be seeing you first thing in the morning for the first dose and I'll be sure to let all of the professors know that you might be missing class over the next 3 weeks."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione remembered her manners at the last minute. It was the last thing she did before walking back to her dorm and falling to her bed and sobbing- the letter to Harry would just have to wait.

When Harry had first returned to the AT classroom he'd joined Neville in a conversation with, of all people, Evanna. Evanna was another Herbology nerd turned auror by the war. She'd planned to spend her time after Hogwarts tinkering with magical plants on her muggle parents farm but instead found herself hosting over a dozen muggle born students on the run. It was surprising that the fangirl actually turned out to be a real witch with sustenance, reminding Harry that he probably saw the worst of his fangirls (and boys).

Before long, Neville and Evanna both had been called in for their entry exams as well, leaving Harry with a bunch of fellow ATs that were comfortable enough to whisper about him but not comfortable enough to actually speak to him. It made him grind his teeth in frustration but he kept to himself. When Ron returned Harry half jumped out of his seat, "How did it go?"

Ron shrugged, "Alright. Not sure I get any of the personality rubbish but the questions for the defense exam were rough. They don't give you any time to think. Guess I passed though, they want me to head to the auror staff healers for a check up. Like the healer mum sent me to missed anything." He rolled his eyes, "You're lucky, didn't have to deal with any of that. Anyway, they'll probably call you soon but I'd better head out. See you at home?"

Harry nodded, mind already reeling over what they might possibly ask him in the tests. He'd assumed the defense would be a physical test, a duel probably, but instead it seemed like they might grill him on individual spells. He wished, not for the first time, that Hermione had joined the auror department with them. She would have been rambling off defense knowledge non-stop in preparation.

Ron was right, they'd called him next and he found himself in a small room along with five people who had obviously used some sort of charm on their appearance. He couldn't identify any discernible characteristics about them, not even enough to guess their gender, it was quite unnerving. At first they didn't say anything, so he took a seat in the empty chair.

"Harry James Potter?" The person in the middle spoke with a voice he couldn't identify, likely a result of whatever spell hid their identities. Harry couldn't help but wonder what spell they were using. It'd be bloody useful when going out, and maybe it would be safe to use on Teddy. Hermione had pointed out that Harry couldn't raise Teddy in Grimmauld Place alone, otherwise Teddy would grow up afraid and likely feeling caged.

"Er, yes," Harry said, shaking his head. He couldn't keep getting distracted, but then he wondered if the anonymity was due to a spell or maybe a potion.

"We like to start off by asking you why you would like to be an auror, as redundant as that may seem in this case." The person in the middle continued, as if Harry hadn't gotten distracted. He was beginning to feel like Hermione, too curious to focus.

"My, uh, mates would say I have a 'saving people thing'." Harry answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Being interrogated by five people wasn't comfortable, and not having the beginnings of a clue as to who they were didn't help at all. He was fighting his instinct to pull out his wand, just in case. "I've also known a few very inspirational aurors- Moody, Kingsley, Tonks..."

Why did he want to be an auror? His answers felt half empty but he honestly didn't know how to answer the question. He wanted to be an auror because... it felt like the right thing to do. It wasn't as if Death Eaters were just going to stop being lunatics, and Death Eaters weren't the only dangerous people out there. Not to mention- what else was he supposed to do?

"Let's move on, other than the house you were sorted in, what Hogwarts house do you most identify with?"

"Slytherin," Harry found he answered the question quicker than he would have liked, glad to get something he knew the answer to. He didn't have to see their faces to know they were shocked and in an instant decided to keep the sorting hat's initial decision to himself. "I've spent a lot of time planning to defeat Lord Voldemort, if that's not ambitious I don't know what is. The only thing that really doesn't resonate with me is self preservation, but I'm sure that's obvious when you read my file."

One of the interviewers cleared their throat before continuing. "And which house do you least identify with?"

"Ravenclaw," Harry answered this question easily as well. When they stayed silent, obviously waiting for an explanation, he offered one. "I don't want knowledge for knowledge's sake, unless it has purpose I could care less."

On and on the interview continued, having surprisingly little to do with his actual defense experience. Harry wondered if this truly was what they had used for ATs in the past. Did they just assume, based on NEWTs and recommendations, that the ATs all knew enough defense to be prepared for training? He couldn't help but question that. Hermione might disagree but all of the knowledge in the world was useless without any practical experience. Of course, he had no idea how many people would actually qualify if they required practical experience.

He didn't have the foggiest idea as to what they wanted, so he couldn't gear his answers towards any goal. He just did his best to be honest, not break any confidentiality with the war, and not bring up his many, many instances of noncompliance with the law and authority in general. This soon became difficult, however, when they dove into his Hogwarts history and asked questions specific to it.

"Without breaking any of the confidentiality you have insisted upon," It didn't take seeing the interviewers face to know they were annoyed with that. Harry crossed his arms and shrugged, they could suck it for all he cared. "What can you tell us about the famed Dumbledore's Army, otherwise known as the DA."

Harry frowned, so much for a secret organization. Of course, being as they broke into the Ministry he supposed they weren't exactly subtle. He hadn't discussed with Ron and Hermione what they were going to tell people about that, because they hadn't thought about it. Not to mention that Neville, Ginny, and Luna had much more to tell than them and he didn't know if they wanted to.

"What do you already know?" He asked, then winced. "Er, just want to make sure you don't have anything wrong from the start." They stayed silent, clearly unwilling to answer anything. Fine. He wouldn't tell them much of anything then. "It was a defense study group when Umbridge was the Defense teacher, because she and the ministry wouldn't allow us to practice any practical defense. We did not continue it the next year."

"And you taught it?" They asked, "What qualified you?"

"Among other things, not dying," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Does it really matter? It was a study group."

"Yes, of course," He couldn't be sure but Harry thought the interviewer was being sarcastic. "And is it true that you taught the patronus charm?"

"Yes, most everyone mastered a corporeal form and those who did not still had some sort of defense. It seemed prudent, after the ministry decided to sick dementors on children." Harry said, beginning to get frustrated. He was also proud, proud of what the DA became and proud that they all mastered a defense charm that most grown adults did not know.

"We are not interrogating you, Mr. Potter, rather- we are taking an interest in your teaching and leading capabilities." They said in an attempt to calm him. "Many of us have children and from them we have learned the legacy of Dumbledore's Army, or as it could more accurately be called your army."

"What? No- I didn't-" Harry began to feel his heart race. Colin Creevey, Fred, Lavender Brown- they had all been members who died in action. He'd always known that, known that they wouldn't have died if he had ended the war sooner, if he had done a better job. He hadn't realized... "Look, DA was a study group-" He felt tears begin to well in his eyes. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? They had used the coins to call each other, had asked him what to do upon his return to Hogwarts. More so than any others, they had died following him. "We never meant it to-"

"Mr. Potter- we're not blaming you, we're in fact trying to give you credit where credit is due. Your work to teach children defense while you were a child yourself, children who then went on to protect Hogwarts from both Voldemort's attack and subsequent reign, is admirable."

"Could- could we move on?" Harry asked, forcing himself to stare at his clenched fists. Colin. Fred. Lavender. "Would you like me to demonstrate my patronus?" Colin. Underaged. Dead.

"No, it is already a part of ministry record that you have a stag patronus." They said, thankfully unaware of the gorey images of his friend's deaths playing over and over in his mind. He hadn't personally seen any of them, but the mind was a dangerous thing. He could clearly imagine Colin, likely shoving someone out of the way and getting hit by a killing curse in the process. "As an auror, what would your long term goals be?"

"I-" Fred. Frozen in laughter. Brought down by the castle walls. "To, er- I'm sorry, what was the question again?"

The interviewer said something but Harry wasn't sure what. He could only seem to focus on the vivid image of stone hitting Fred, the shock of explosion killing him only after he felt the pain of a few broken bones. Was that how it happened? He couldn't be sure, and yet he suddenly was.

"Right, er," Harry said, struggling to focus. Long term something. Goals? Lavender. Hair still up in those braided pigtails. Mauled by Fenrir Greyback. "I suppose..." He trailed off, imagining a pain a thousand times worse than a cutting hex, because Greyback's claws tore as much as they cut. He saw Greyback leaving her body, still bleeding, still alive for hours to come and, suddenly, it became too much.

Harry Potter passed out in the middle of the interview room.

Author's Note So... It's been quite a while but here it is. Let me know what you think, feel free to lecture me for my delay in posting. Thanks for reading!