Chapter 1 – Beginnings and Endings

AN

Hello and welcome to my latest story.

Firstly, I should explain that this story has been posted on SIYE for a while now. Having decided that all future stories will be posted jointly on and SIYE, I'm playing catch-up a bit with this site. As this story is something of a murder/mystery, I have decided to post all thirteen chapters in one go, mainly so people won't be tempted to just read the first chapter, nip over to SIYE and read the ending and then post a review here saying they worked out who the killer is! For information, only two people on SIYE worked it out correctly before the final chapter.

Huge thanks to Arnel for her wonderful beta work and for suggesting some nice little details that I would have otherwise missed. She was invaluable throughout.

And with that, I bid you welcome to my little tale of sex, serial killers and raspberry flavoured vodka.

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Six days. He'd been in this house six days now without ever stepping a foot outside the door. In here he was safe. It was a place of happy memories and welcome solitude. Outside was only pain and people clamouring to talk to him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

He drained the last drop from his glass of Firewhisky. Hazily, he tried to remember when he had had started drinking, but couldn't recall. The curtains were drawn and he had lost all track of night and day. Unfortunately, no matter how much fine, aged whisky he consumed, he remained disgustingly sober. The alcohol didn't seem able to penetrate through his misery.

Had it really only been six days since he'd finally defeated Voldemort? The image of the Dark Lord's own Killing Curse rebounding and cutting the evil bastard down was fresh in his mind. If he'd know that his dear friend Remus was lying dead nearby, he would have tried to make Voldemort suffer. Old snake features had definitely died too quickly and cleanly.

Finding Remus's body had shattered him. The man had been like an uncle to him, not to mention his favourite teacher. Remus had taught him his very first spell when he was just ten years old. Now his dear friend was gone and he was alone.

The fucking war had cost him every single person he loved: Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Andromeda, Sirius…

Sirius had been the greatest loss to him. Ever since the man had rescued him from his abusive Aunt and Uncle, he had become his substitute father. Maybe father was the wrong word; perhaps older brother? Favourite uncle? Best friend? In truth, his godfather had been all of those things and more. Sirius had died a month before the final battle, and only pure hate and a burning desire for vengeance had kept Harry going. Now that his blood-lust had been satisfied, he felt empty.

Suddenly, the Floo set in the far wall activated and cast a pale green light around the room. He frowned; very few people had Floo access to Grimmauld Place and most of them were dead. He would have grabbed his wand and prepared to defend himself, but he wasn't sure he cared if the visitor was hostile or not.

In the end, it turned out the visitor was a friend; Kingsley Shacklebolt. The big man squinted in the gloom and eventually saw him sitting motionless in an armchair. Kingsley approached him with a grim expression on his face.

"Still alive, then?" Kingsley enquired gruffly.

"Just about," Harry replied. "So what brings the newly appointed Minister for Magic to my humble abode?"

"Checking up on you," Kingsley admitted. "No one has seen sight nor sound of you for nearly a week. You vanished with barely a word to anyone. Damn it, Harry, I've been worried about you!"

"Sorry," he replied simply.

Kingsley snorted at the inadequate response and moved closer. He reached over and picked up the quarter full bottle of Firewhisky from the small table positioned next to Harry's chair.

"I see I don't have to ask what you've been doing with your time anyway," Kingsley noted disapprovingly.

He pulled out his wand and conjured another glass into which he poured a liberal quantity of the golden liquid. He knocked it back and shuddered.

"Good stuff," he noted. "I should get some of that for the next time my cauldron needs cleaning. You missed Remus's funeral, you know."

Harry stiffened at the sudden change in topic. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Yeah, I know," he admitted. "I just couldn't face it. Besides, the press were bound to be there. It would have just ended up turning into a circus."

"Ever heard of Glamour Charms?" Kingsley asked sarcastically. "Or what about that wonderful Invisibility Cloak of yours? Remus deserved for you to say goodbye to him, Harry."

"DESERVED!" Harry yelled. "I'll tell you what Remus deserved! He deserved to have never been bitten by Fenrir Greyback! He deserved to be respected throughout his life. He deserved to be with Tonks and have loads of children!"

"That wasn't what I meant and you know it!" Kingsley shot back. "What would Remus have thought of you locking yourself away in here? What would Sirius have said? And don't even get me started about what Andromeda would have to say about you sitting here wallowing in pity."

Despite himself a small smile appeared on Harry's face. "She wouldn't have said anything. She would just have clipped me round the head and dragged me out by my ear."

"Exactly," Kingsley chuckled. "That was one witch I would never have wanted to cross. Ted was a brave man."

"Yeah, in more ways than one," Harry agreed. Andromeda's husband had fought like a lion when their family home had been attacked by Death Eaters. It hadn't been enough though, and both of them had perished. It had devastated poor Tonks.

"So, what are you going to do with yourself?" Kingsley asked. "You can't just sit around here all day drinking."

"Why not?" Harry snapped automatically.

"Because Sirius wouldn't want you to," Kingsley said simply.

It was an argument that Harry couldn't refute.

For a second, Harry paused. What did he want to do? Although he didn't want for money, he would probably go insane sitting here by himself. He'd previously thought that he would like to do some traveling, but did he want to do that alone? He'd always imagined Sirius or Remus would be with him if he did that. Doing it by himself just didn't feel right.

The truth was there was little he could do. He'd spent years of his life training to defeat Voldemort and little else. Unless Kingsley had another Dark Lord stuffed up his sleeve, Harry had effectively made himself unemployed.

"I don't know what I want to do," Harry admitted after a while. "Hell, what can I do? All I know is fighting Death Eaters and battling Dark Lords. Those aren't exactly skills that will be in much demand anymore."

"Oh, I don't know," replied Kingsley with a big smile. "In fact, I'd like to make you a job offer. A job I think you'll be uniquely qualified for."

"You want me to work for the Ministry?" Harry asked in surprise before a thought occurred to him. "Oh, no. I'm not taking a position on the Wizengamot! That bunch of old tossers can get…"

Kingsley interrupted him. "No, Harry. I wouldn't inflict that on you. Certainly not when you're only eighteen. No, I was rather thinking you'd make a good Auror."

"An Auror?" Harry gasped. "But they were practically a wing of the Death Eaters by the end of the war. There can't be anyone trustworthy left in their ranks, can there?"

"A handful," Kingsley admitted. "Which is one of the reasons I want you there. I want to rebuild the Auror Department from the ground up. New people, new training regimes, new codes of conduct; these are all things you can help with, Harry. I've appointed Gawain Robards as the new Head Auror and he will need all the help he can get. Now, I admit it would go a long way in giving the public confidence in the Aurors again if it's announced you're joining them, but I swear that's not my main motivation for offering you this job. You would be a natural, my friend. This practically what you have trained your whole life to do!"

"And suppose I don't want to do it anymore?" Harry objected. "Suppose I'm fed up fighting dark wizards?"

"Harry," Kingsley said solemnly. "There are still a lot of Death Eaters out there who have evaded capture so far. Could you rest knowing they were free? This new government is still on shaky foundations and is vulnerable. We have a chance to really make a difference and change the Wizarding world forever. We can break down the old blood prejudices and build a fairer society. But we can only do that if the extremists are dealt with first. You can help do that, Harry."

Harry stared at his friend for a moment. It was true; he hated the idea of any of the Death Eaters escaping justice. Kingsley was a good man, and Harry was sure he could do great things if he was given the chance. But an Auror? Throughout the war they had either been a hindrance or at the end virtual enemies. But this was a chance to help change them into what they should have been in the first place: an effective force against dark magic users.

Harry sighed as a reality hit him. What the hell else was he going to do?

"When do you want me to start?" he asked.

Kingsley grinned in triumph.

Five years later: May 2004

"…so be sure to keep an eye out for anything like that. Right, everyone has their assignments, so if there are no further questions you're all dismissed."

Harry watched the twenty or so Aurors stand and start to make their way out of the briefing room. He eyed them enviously knowing they would all be heading out to investigate their assigned cases while he, the newly appointed Assistant Head Auror, faced an exciting morning reviewing training schedules.

He had started to gather up his notes from that morning's briefing when he noticed someone approach him. He turned and looked at the nervous face of Susan Bones.

"Harry, can we have a quick chat?" she asked.

"Of course, Susan. Is there a problem with your team?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that," she assured him quickly. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something more… personal."

"I don't think this is quite the time for…" Harry began stiffly, but Susan interrupted him.

"Well, when will it be time? You've been avoiding me for weeks," she snapped. "Damn it, Harry, I thought we were still friends?"

Harry wilted. "Of course we are, Susan. You're about my closest friend in the world. I've just been busy what with the promotion and stuff. I haven't meant to ignore you."

"Yes, you have," Susan disagreed, "and we both know why."

"Susan…" Harry began.

"Ernie's asked me to move in with him and I've said yes," Susan blurted before he could say anything further.

Harry just about managed to remain expressionless. It wasn't as if Susan's announcement was unexpected. She'd been hinting that the relationship had been getting serious for weeks.

"This really has nothing to do with me, Susan," Harry objected. He sounded lame even to his own ears.

"Cut the crap, Harry. We both know each other too well to pretend this means nothing," Susan said aggressively.

"It does mean nothing," Harry replied with sadness in his voice. "We've both moved on."

"Have we, Harry?" Susan asked. "Because I'm not sure you have. Have you been on a single date in the last six months?"

"No, but that doesn't mean anything," he objected. "You know how hard it is for me to meet decent, normal witches. I'm damned if I'm going to start dating some Potter groupie just to satisfy your match-making instincts."

"Oh, Harry, there are plenty of nice, normal witches right under your nose. Not all of them are obsessive fan-girls, you know. What about that girl from the Legal Department you talked to the other month? She was lovely and you practically ignored her," Susan pointed out.

"She was a bit plain," he said snippily.

"Plain?" Susan repeated in disbelief. "I nearly wanted to shag her, and you know I'll never bat for the other side."

Harry remained silent. Susan walked forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Harry, we tried our best, but it just didn't work out. For both our sakes, you've got to let me go," she begged.

"I have," Harry objected. "I know we had our chance and we blew it. I'm fully aware you're with Ernie now, and I realise nothing can happen between us."

"Do you?" Susan questioned. "It did once before."

"You'd been going out with him for two weeks!" Harry argued. "You weren't even really a couple at that point."

"And neither were we," Susan pointed out. "We still ended up in bed together though, didn't we?"

"We were both stressed and not to mention a bit drunk!" Harry shot back. "We were under a lot of pressure and just needed to blow off some steam."

"But that's the problem," she said in an exasperated voice. "It's why we failed so miserably as a couple. We're both messed up, Harry. Neither has any family left, we both work our socks off, and we both have trust issues! And what happens when it all gets too much? We get drunk and we shag like bunnies! Well, I can't live like that anymore. I have a chance of a real, proper, grown-up relationship and I can't give that up!"

"I'm not asking you to!" Harry said, raising his voice. "I do remember how horrible we were together, you know."

"But you still haven't given up hope we'll work it out, have you?" she asked quietly. Fuelled by Harry's silence she continued. "Look, Harry, you know I love you to bits and I'll always be there for you. We've been through too much together to give that up. But I can't live my life hoping we'll sort out our problems and suddenly be the perfect couple; it's just not going to happen."

She walked a few steps away from Harry and perched herself on the edge of a table. A determined look came on her face.

"Let's face facts, Harry. Our personal relationship was based primarily on mutual dependency issues and great sex. We both still have a strong physical attraction to each other and out in the field we trust each other with our lives. But a marriage needs more than that."

"Are you going to marry Macmillan?" Harry asked quickly. He bit his lip as he realised he had just proved Susan's point with his panicky question.

"Maybe," Susan admitted calmly. "This is why we are trying living together for a while; to see if we're ready for the next step. But I just feel that there's this huge shadow over my relationship with Ernie. And that shadow is you, Harry."

He looked at Susan in shock, not quite understanding what she wanted from him. She must have recognised his questioning look.

"I want you to promise me, Harry, that nothing will happen between us again. I want you to promise to let me go," she asked. "Please do this for me, Harry. If you don't… well, I'm going to have to distance myself from you. I don't want to give up my best friend. Please, just promise."

There was a long pause.

"I promise," Harry said eventually. What choice did he have?

"Thank you, Harry," she said, sounding relieved. She moved forward and kissed him on the cheek. "This really does mean a lot to me. I'll see you later."

And with that, she turned and walked out the briefing room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Harry watched her go with a sinking feeling. If he was truthful, he'd largely been trying to ignore Susan's blossoming relationship with her old school friend. He'd hoped if he continued to ignore it, it might go away. But it hadn't.

For a moment, he wanted to scream in frustration. Susan had been right; they had made a miserable couple. The three months she had spent living at Grimmauld Place had been a disaster. Somehow they had managed to come out of the other side of it still friends, but with a depressing realisation that they couldn't live together. Oh, they could get drunk together down the pub every Friday night, no problem. They could rip each other's clothes off and screw on his kitchen table, fantastic! But when it simply came down being a normal, loving couple: crash and burn!

But Susan knew him too well. By making him promise to let her go she'd known that he would cut his own arm off rather than submit to temptation; even if it was her who did the submitting. She'd tapped into that massive streak of self-sacrifice that he had, and forced him to bite the bullet.

He picked up his discarded notes and headed back to his office with his heart breaking.

Four months later: September 2004

Ginny Weasley cautiously entered the busy office. After over two years of training, she was finally a qualified Auror, if only a probationary one.

She was surprised at just how nervous she was. When she had abandoned a promising career playing professional Quidditch to join the Aurors it had seemed the right thing to do, despite what most of her family thought. Now, standing in the doorway of the bustling main office of the Auror Department, she was plagued by doubts and fears.

Deciding that dawdling wasn't going to help, she squared her shoulders and marched into the room. Ginny immediately started looking for her new boss. After graduation last week, she had been informed she would initially join the team of someone she knew from school, which had come as a massive relief. Ginny hadn't been particularly good friends with the woman or anything, they'd been in different years; but she knew her new team leader was a good person.

She'd walked about halfway across the office when she spotted a familiar head of strawberry-blond hair. She hurried over to the desk the person was sat at.

"Senior Auror Bones?" Ginny said, announcing her presence. "Auror Weasley reporting for duty."

Susan Bones looked up and instantly smiled. "Ginny! Good to see you again. It's been years since I saw you last. Take a seat."

Ginny sat herself down in the chair indicated and breathed a sigh of relief at the warm welcome. First days were always hard, no matter what job you started.

"I must say, I was amazed when I heard you'd joined the Aurors," Susan confided. "I couldn't believe you'd give up a career playing Quidditch. You were mad on the sport at school, as I remember."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be," Ginny replied, a little regretfully. "I loved playing the game, but all the other stuff around it was just a pain. Besides, I wanted to do something worthwhile, not just play a sport."

"Very commendable," Susan said. "Well, welcome to the team. Unfortunately, the other two are out on assignment at the moment, so I can't introduce you. There's supposed to be six in a team, but with all the Ministry cuts going on, we're understaffed. Another pair of hands is very welcome, trust me."

"I'll do my best," Ginny promised.

"Excellent. The plan is that you'll partner me for the first two weeks, so I can assess you and bring you up to speed on operational procedure. The training academy has some strange ideas on how we do things in the real world, but we'll soon have you broken in." Susan paused to grab a stack of files that had been perched on the side of her desk. "To ease you in gently, I thought we'd start by going over some case files. It's the best way to get an idea on how we handle investigations and how you'll be expected to approach things."

"Great," said Ginny brightly. "I was kind of worried about being dropped in at the deep end."

"As if we'd be so cruel," Susan assured her. "Oh, hang on a tick. There's someone I need to speak to. Back in a sec."

And with that Susan grabbed a blue folder off her desk and scampered off. With idle curiosity Ginny watched her hurry across the office to intercept a dark-haired man who was walking towards the Senior Staff offices located on the far side of the room. Suddenly, Ginny's eyes went wide and her heart nearly stopped.

It was him.

Since she'd been a little girl, Ginny had followed the exploits of the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived'. She'd collected anything she could about him and even had a scrapbook filled with press articles about his exploits. She'd nearly burst with joy when she'd heard that he had finally defeated his arch enemy, the Dark Lord Voldemort. This, however, was the first time she'd ever seen the legendary Harry Potter in the flesh.

Despite what the press might have said, he wasn't ten feet tall, after all. Her brother Ron would tower over him it they stood them together. His messy black hair gave him wind swept look that she couldn't decide if was the result of a massive amount of hair products or it just came natural. His trademark round-framed glasses give a slightly studious look.

She couldn't deny he was handsome, however. His thin, slightly angular features and sharp cheek-bones made him look more like a rock-star than a law enforcement officer. The pictures in the papers definitely didn't do him justice.

As Susan talked with the man, she must have said something which amused him as a wide, lop-sided grin appeared on his face. Damn it, that's one sexy smile, Ginny thought.

Potter accepted the file from Susan and continued on his way towards his office. Susan turned to head back and noticed Ginny staring in their direction. Blushing red, Ginny quickly looked down at the report in front of her, embarrassed at being caught gazing at her idol. A second later Susan sat back down in her seat.

"He hates being stared at like that, you know," Susan said quietly.

"What? I wasn't staring," Ginny lied.

"Sorry, Ginny. I've seen that look on too many young witches' faces before. You can't fool me," Susan said, not unkindly. "But a little bit of advice. You're an Auror now. You're part of a small and highly professional team. If you start standing around gazing at Harry with puppy dog eyes and sighing, you'll end up getting kicked out double time."

"I won't!" Ginny snapped. Talking a deep breath, she tried to justify herself. "Look, the bloke is a complete legend, right? I've been reading stories about him since I was a little girl. Hell, even in the training school everybody talked about him. That was the first time I'd ever seen Harry Potter in the flesh; you can't blame me for staring a bit."

"I don't," Susan conceded. "But get it out of your system – fast! Harry is one hundred per cent professional. He's here to do a job and he'll expect you to do the same. Look, I bet most of what you've read about him is pure griffin shit anyway. Harry is a damn fine Auror, a good boss and a bloody nice bloke. If you want to impress him just do your job well. If you meet him socially, just be yourself and treat him like any other of your colleagues. Trust me, you start acting like a Potter groupie and you'll be out of here so fast your feet won't touch the ground."

"Okay," Ginny agreed, a little sullenly.

"Good," Susan said smiling at the younger witch. "Look, don't worry about it. We're a small department and you'll meet Harry soon enough. You'll see for yourself he's just a regular bloke most of the time. He's been a good friend to me and many others here. You earn his trust and I guarantee there's nothing he won't do for you. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Ginny said smiling. "Sorry if I came over as a bit of a fan-girl."

"No worries, Ginny," Susan replied brightly. "Let's crack on with these case files."

The rest of the morning was spent working through the pile of files that Susan had provided. Ginny could immediately see that the way the Aurors did things was very different from the ways she had been taught in training school. Susan had assured her not to worry about it, justifying that you had to know the rules in order to find short-cuts round them. If the Aurors in the field did everything the training school way they would spend so much time doing paperwork they would never leave the office.

Ginny's earlier feelings of gratitude that she had been assigned to a familiar face grew throughout the morning. Susan clearly knew her stuff and was an excellent teacher. All of Ginny's questions were answered patiently, and she began to feel at ease in her surroundings.

Come lunch-time, Susan grabbed Ginny and announced they were going to the Ministry canteen. This, apparently, was not only so they could get something to eat but so they could catch up on some gossip.

The canteen was a huge room on the eighth floor that catered to the entire Ministry. Susan strongly advised Ginny to avoid any of the cooked meals and stick with sandwiches or salads. Looking at the sludgy mess that was being spooned onto various people's plates, Ginny couldn't help but feel that was probably good advice.

The two witches made their purchases and found a small table against the far wall to sit at. Ginny unwrapped her tuna baguette and began to eat ravenously while Susan nibbled on her ham and tomato sandwich rather more sedately.

"So, tell me more about your Quidditch career," Susan prompted. "You sounded pretty disillusioned by the whole thing."

"I guess I was," Ginny admitted between mouthfuls. "I mean, I loved playing the actual game, but training was pretty dull. And of course there was all the other crap you had to deal with; obsessive fans, legal contracts, press interviews. For the short while I actually got to spend playing the game it didn't seem worth it."

"Still, it's a lot to give up. I mean, if you broke into the first team you'd have been made for life. Money, fame, travel; surely that would have been worth putting up with the other crap, wouldn't it?" Susan questioned.

"I don't know," Ginny admitted. "I just wasn't enjoying myself. I really didn't get on with most of the other Harpies and the whole thing felt like a pantomime at times. Besides, after the war I wanted to do something useful, you know?"

"Sure," Susan agreed. "As soon as I left Hogwarts I didn't want to do anything other than be an Auror. But what was wrong with the other Harpies? Why didn't you get on with them?"

"Oh, they had this thing about being wild party girls and that just wasn't me," Ginny snorted with disgust. "Some of the things those girls got up to would make your hair stand on end. There were always groups of blokes hanging round the training ground because they knew certain girls on the team liked to pick a different fan to shag every night. I've never seen such a bunch slags in my life. And if you didn't act like the rest of them, they'd get really bitchy. I mean nasty. And don't get me started on the egos those girls had. If I'd started acting like the prima-donnas they all were, my family would have disowned me."

Susan laughed. "Sounds like you're well out of it, Ginny. But couldn't you have just gone to another team?"

"Nah, they were pretty much all the same, except I would have had the male players expecting me to sleep with them as well," Ginny explained. "Besides, once you get into the whole thing you start to realise how plastic it all was. I played at school for the love of the game. Professionally, it's all just all about the money."

"Never mind, I think you did the right thing becoming an Auror," Susan sympathised.

"Thanks, now can you convince my family of that?" Ginny lamented.

"Sorry, that's your problem, Gin," Susan grinned. "Anyway, change of subject. Anyone special in your life? Any handsome hunks keeping you company?"

"I wish," Ginny scoffed. "The last steady boyfriend I had was Dean Thomas back at Hogwarts; remember him? I dated a few blokes during my time with the Harpies, but they were just idiots. Believe me, Susan; nice blokes do not hang round Quidditch grounds. Since then I've just been too busy. Of course, my mum is now convinced I'll die a spinster. How about you?"

"Do you remember Ernie Macmillan from school? He was in my year, blond hair, was in Hufflepuff?" Susan asked. "Well, we've been together for a while now. We're sharing a house over in Hammersmith."

"Yeah, I remember him. Nice bloke," Ginny replied. She'd actually thought him rather pompous and full of himself, but she'd heard a few people say he was alright when you got to know him. She was more shocked that Susan had admitted she was living with him. Susan had always seemed rather straight-laced to Ginny, and this seemed a bit out of character for her.

"He is. He's doing really well as a Legal Wizard in a top law firm," Susan said happily before her smile faded. "He keeps hinting about marriage, but I'm happy with the way things are at present. I just want to take things slowly."

"Why? Not sure he's 'the one'?" Ginny asked.

"Well, not so much that. I really love Ernie, I really do. But let's just say that my previous relationship got very messy. I don't want things to fall apart like they did then," Susan said. She looked like she was reliving unhappy memories.

"Sounds like you have a rough time of it," Ginny said sympathetically. "Was this other bloke a bit of a bastard, then?"

"What? No, oh Merlin, no," Susan replied hastily. "No, he was the sweetest guy in the world, but he had problems. Well, to be truthful we both had problems at the time, and in the end I guess we just weren't right for each other."

Susan seemed suddenly depressed and Ginny guessed that the break-up must have been hard on her new friend.

"With the best will in the world, sometimes things just don't work out," Ginny said understandingly.

"Yeah, I guess. Never mind, we're still good friends and besides, the sex was fantastic," Susan said winking at Ginny.

"Maybe you should have joined Harpies," Ginny joked. Susan had most definitely changed!

"Nah, I'm a one wizard witch, me," Susan replied with a laugh. "Come on, Gin. Time to head back to work. I must say, it's great to have another witch to have a good natter with. There is another female on the team, but she's a bit of a gossip. I always expect anything I say to get repeated around the office. It's good to have you here."

"Thanks, Susan," Ginny replied happily. "It's great to be here."

The two witches returned to the Aurors office and picked up where they had left off. Susan continued to work through the case files with Ginny in a relaxed manner, and there was much joking between the pair of them. Ginny was becoming convinced that the two of them would end up becoming great friends.

It was around half-past two that the casual atmosphere in the office was suddenly shattered. Without warning, a loud ringing sound caused every person in the room to look up in surprise. Ginny thought she recognised what the alarm meant as it had been talked about in training, but she was amazed to hear it then.

"Susan," Ginny said hesitantly, "isn't that…"

"An all available Auror alert," Susan confirmed. "There hasn't been one of those since the war!"

All around her Ginny could see wizards and witches struggling to get their robes on or scrambling to pick up their gear. Without thinking she leapt from her seat and did the same. Susan already had her robes on and was rooting through her desk in search of something. Their attention was the diverted by a loud voice coming from the far end of the office.

"Everyone, get your gear together; NOW!" yelled the voice.

Ginny looked up and saw Harry Potter striding down the room in his Auror robes with an expression like thunder on his face. When he reached the middle of the room he stopped.

"Okay, listen up," he yelled again. "We have an emergency situation. I want all available Aurors to be at the Apparation point in five minutes where I'll give you a snap briefing. Bring all your combat gear; things are going to get hot."

Ginny gulped. So much for not being thrown in at the deep end.