Disclaimer: All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s) and are in no way connected with J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Publishing or Warner Bros. The author of the following FanFiction does not in any way profit from the story and it is written solely for entertainment purposes only. Rights to characters and their settings is neither claimed nor implied

Time Turner Training

Harry glanced over his shoulder nervously as he silently slipped into a red telephone booth. He picked up the receiver and dialed the numbers, "62442." The numbers cleverly spelled "MAGIC." The Ministry of Magic's operator's voice filled his ears. Harry answered her questions and quickly pinned a badge to his robes that stated, "Harry Potter, First Day as an Auror".

Harry shifted his weight from foot to foot as the lift transported him to the spacious atrium. The ceiling was the same peacock blue. He sucked in a lungful of air as the door opened. He walked briskly across the polished wood floor to the guard's counter. He felt hundreds of eyes searing into the back of his head as he passed through a sea of witches and wizards. He tried in vain to stop the blush that claimed his ears. He reached the counter after what felt like an eternity and caught the guard's gaze.

A load of paperwork and one wand registration later, Harry was gratefully leaving the atrium to see his new work place.

"Level Two. Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry stepped off the lift and found his way to the auror offices. A large maze of grey cubicles sprawled about the floor. Gawain Robards, the head of the auror office after Scrimgeour, greeted Harry with a handshake.

"Nice to see you, Potter. See you made it through the Ministry's paperwork. Bunch of rubbish, but I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it. Now let me introduce you to the witch training you. She's a transfer from Ireland, but she's all right. We had to recruit a bit more widely to get through this rough patch."

They strode up to a cubicle in the second row. It seemed normal enough. A couple of photographs were pinned neatly to the wall on the left, while her desk took up the opposite wall with folders stacked with care on the right side of the desk. A nameplate on the outside of the cubicle read, "AUROR FAIRLY, SERVING SINCE 1978." A witch with dark brown hair looked up from her work and set her quill down to greet her boss and trainee. She was rather tall, Harry noticed. She was a head taller than Harry and about a hair taller than Robards. Her dark hair was sprinkled with silvery grey hairs. She had a number of wrinkles on her face, but it was difficult to distinguish the wrinkles from her scars. Trying not to rudely stare, Harry focused on her hazel eyes instead.

"Right. Fionna Fairly, meet Harry Potter. You have about four hours to fit in three years of training. Good luck." Robards turned on his heel and strode into his office, leaving a confounded Harry Potter in his wake.

"Four hours? Is he mad?"

Fionna smirked. "Perhaps a bit. But luckily for us, time is on our side." She pulled out a silver time turner from her robes.

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "But I thought the time turners had been…"

"Smashed? Yes in your little escapade a few years ago. You didn't smash Ireland's, now did you? If you want to be an auror, Potter, you'll have to think quicker than that."

Harry swallowed, the apprehension creeping up the back of his throat, and managed a nod.

"Come on then. Let's get started." Fionna Fairly led the way back to the lifts and waited patiently as they traveled about the ministry. She motioned for him to follow her as they landed on level 9, the Department of Mysteries. They walked down the all too familiar plain corridor to a black door. Harry fought to remain calm. This would be the first time he had stepped foot in that door since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

Fionna tapped her wand to the door. At once, it swung open, revealing a short wizard, no taller than Professor Flitwick. He had white hair and looked very angry. With a surprisingly sweet voice, he greeted them. "Auror Fairly! I got your memo last week. Ah, and this must be Mr. Potter. You gave us quite a mess you know, Mr. Potter. Not that it was your fault, we quite blame You-Know-Who and that tosspot, Fudge. This way, if you please."

With that, he led the way into the same circular room with the handle less doors. The small wizard said a number of nonverbal spells and tapped his wand on the floor. The doors shifted about the room. "See you in four hours."

Fionna and Harry walked into the door directly in front of them. It was the space chamber. It was very dark, with large planets floating about.

Fionna cleared her throat. "I take it you've been here before?"

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Good. We will be here for a while. Today will be a crash course on everything auror. You will be exhausted, but as I am sure you are aware, you will be exhausted out in the field as well."

The next two hours were spent with Fairly firing a number of jinxes at Harry. He blocked the majority of them. Just when Harry thought they may take a break, Fairly ordered, "Now jinx me!" Between impediment and confundus charms she would yell, "Again! Again!"

A small alarm went off on Fairly's watch. "That's almost four hours. Come on, next room."

They went back into the circular room and entered another room. They entered the former time room, which was now devoid of time turners, save one. "Stand right in front of me." Fionna tossed the time turner's silver chain around both of their shoulders and traveled back in time four hours. The room remained the same.

This block of time was spent in concealment and disguise. The rest of the day went on similarly, changing rooms and traveling back in time. They went to six different rooms by the end of the day. Harry was trained and thriving in charms, combative magic, and potions. He was average in tracking and stealth. Fionna said that he needed to work on concealment and transfiguration. Harry wished he had inherited his dad's talent for transfiguration.

Harry dragged himself back into the lift. He shook his head to clear his fatigue as he stepped back onto level 2. Gawain was expecting their arrival.

"All right, Potter? Step into my office with me."

He led the way into a small office in the back of the cubicles. It was quite cramped. An overly large desk dominated most of the room. Stacks of parchment balanced precariously all across the desk. A charmed window over Gawain's shoulder distracted Harry with a relaxing tropical beach scene.

"I'm afraid I will ask too much of you on your first day, Potter. See, I can't take many cases at the moment because I am up to paperwork in my eyeballs. This war has mucked the auror department up beyond recognition. I can't give anyone clearance to do any sort of assignment without completely re-evaluating their loyalties. I mean, I understand why of course. The ministry made a real mess of things when Voldemort returned."

Harry stood awkwardly in front of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back. "So what is it you need me to do, sir?"

Robards sank into a chair behind the desk and conjured a stiff wooden chair for Harry.

"While I am interviewing aurors I've known for years, you and the other new aurors will be taking a majority of the assignments. It's unconventional, sure, but you have already gone through a thorough investigation and crash course training session. Plus the minister waived the N.E.W.T. requirement, seeing as you, Weasley, and Longbottom have what it takes in playing part of defeating Voldemort."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this new information. "I heard that Ron was offered a job, but I hadn't heard about Neville."

Robards had an alarmed look quickly pass over his face. "Why? Do you think he would be a bad choice? He killed that bloody snake horcrux with Godric's sword, so Minister Kingsley figured he would be an excellent addition. But if you want me to talk to the minister…"

"No! Neville is brilliant. I mean he wasn't always brilliant, but he has learned so much! He is a really hard worker. Not to mention brave." Harry said, suddenly feeling a mixture of guilt and stupidity.

Robards let out a sigh of relief. "All right then. They're starting tomorrow. I need you to start reviewing these next assignments." He gestured lightly to a formidable stack of parchment that was now gliding into Harry's lap. "You'll take the lead on these. And I need you to read the handbook tonight." Robards let out a tired sigh. "Normally I would give you at least a week to read it but these circumstances are anything but normal." A rather large book plopped itself into Harry's lap, with a little too much force.

Harry shifted the book a little in his lap. Robards stood abruptly and proffered his hand. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to interrogations. Your work space is three rows up from this office, on the outer edge. Your name's on it already."

After exchanging a hasty handshake, Harry collected his new materials and set out to find his desk. The cubicles were easy enough to figure out. It seemed that the auror department had once been vastly more populated. Roughly half of the cubicles were vacant. It was rather quiet. A few department memos zoomed about the room purposefully, but that was the extent of the noise.

Harry dropped his things onto his new desk. His cubicle had three and half walls. A name plate on the outer half wall read, "AUROR POTTER, SERVING SINCE 1998." A large "L" shaped desk took up two walls and a corner. Tucked away under the desk were a filing cabinet and a cupboard. Harry organized his new case files in alphabetical order and then picked up the first file. He began to read, investigate, and analyze death eater after death eater, making mental and written notes. He was so immersed in his work that he gave a right start when someone cleared their throat outside of his cubicle. He whipped his head around to see an amused Ginny smiling at him with waves of red hair spilling over her shoulders. A green Harpies t shirt showed from under her cloak.

Harry grinned. "Well this is a nice surprise." He gestured to her t-shirt. "Did you get signed today?" Ginny nodded. "I was getting a little worried. I thought my boyfriend had been abducted on his first day home from work. I decided to collect you."

Harry scrambled about for a clock. He then remembered he had left his watch on his bedside table. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly seven! And I thought you would be put out with me when I got back from Wales late!"

"Sorry about that. I just go so wrapped up in these cases, I had no idea how much time had passed. Don't think I even ate lunch really."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Well I won't tell Mum if you won't."

Harry nodded and began to organize his files. He tossed his auror manual into a messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. "So are we eating at Grimmauld Place or the Burrow this evening?"

Ginny intertwined her fingers with Harry's. "I was thinking Grimmauld Place. I know you have loads to do tonight anyway."

Harry looked at her suspiciously. "And how do you know that? Are you Professor Trelawney?"

Ginny burst out laughing. "If I were, I would be predicting that you and I both would die in our beds, killed by a rouge grindylow."

Harry scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. "Grindylows can't live above water." He glanced at Ginny who was staring incredulously at Harry. "Oh, right, that was your point then, wasn't it?" A slow blush crept over his ears.

They walked hand in hand to the apparition point. They were greeted by an eager Kreacher who had dinner waiting in the dining room. Kreacher had prepared a dinner of sausages, mashed potatoes, and gravy with roast vegetables.

"So how was your first day?"

"It was bloody exhausting. I had trouble keeping my eyes open."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"It wasn't bad exactly…" Harry searched for the proper words to describe the amount of physical, mental, and magical exhaustion. "It was just really tiring. I completed three years of training in one day."

Ginny's look of shock was obvious. "How?"

"Time turners."

"But I thought they were destroyed that night we invaded the ministry and fought the death eaters?"

Harry finished chewing another mouthful of dinner before he continued, "We destroyed England's supply of them, yes. My trainer is from Ireland, Fionna Fairly. She brought one from Ireland's ministry."

"So you spent the entire day training and traveling through time?"

"More or less, yeah."

"No wonder you're exhausted. Well I have start memorizing the Harpies' playbook tonight. My first practice is in a few weeks. I can do that at the Burrow?" She lifted her eyes to Harry's for his opinion.

"You're more than welcome to study here, Gin. I have to read the auror handbook. I've already been assigned some cases."

They spent the rest of the evening curled up on the sofa in front of the fire studying their respective books. Ginny's head dropped to his shoulder after a couple of hours. He awoke her gently with a kiss. "Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's all right. Do you want to floo home?" She nodded and rose to her feet.

As she stepped into the fire, Harry called out, "Ginny? I'm really glad you came over tonight."

She grinned and said, "Me too," before she disappeared in a plume of green flames.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Thanks to my beta, Lu! If you have a moment, please review.