Summary: Harry, after the Second War, desperately wants to rebuild and move on. Will he be able to accomplish that if people start coming back to life? Canon careers (as mentioned by Jo in interviews) and pairings HP/GW , RW/HG , JP/LE , RL/NT , GW/AJ , NL/HA , etc.
Author's NOTE
I've looked a long time for a story like this, and I never found it… So I had to write it, of course! My pet peeve from Fanfiction is a hard to read story because of long, run-on sentences without any commas or pauses or anything.
So if there's any of that in my fic, please please please let me know!
Also, there is no dialogue in this prologue. Since the prologue is a layout for the story, it's pure descriptions, so pretty please bear with me. I promise that there are absolutely loads in the upcoming chappies!
PS- It is a teensy bit AU when it comes to Muggle History, but no need to worry. It's not a major change, just a bit of family tree changes.
Prologue
After the reassessment of the ministry, Kingsley Shacklebolt, temporary Minister for Magic, realised one huge problem—a large shortage of aurors. Most of them had either died or fled during the previous year and so, in desperation, Shacklebolt told anyone who had fought in the battle of Hogwarts that they could get a job at the Ministry as an auror without any NEWTS (and as long as they passed the Auror examinations, of course). Disappointingly, the vast majority of the brave students decided that they were "done" with fighting, and left to pursue other interests. Indeed, Harry thought Kingsley was about to cry when Hermione expressed her interests to go back to Hogwarts (at least, perhaps, for the first term, so she could do a bit of independent study/tutoring) and to later work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
In the beginning, Harry, Ron, and Neville were the only ones to accept Kingsley's auror invitation. With the auror examination only three weeks after the battle, Kingsley provided them serious tutors and soon enough, they all passed. However, in July, because of an unexpected break-out of Dragon Pox from Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall was in dire need of a herbology teacher. No one (besides the staff already there, of course) desired to work at the school in its current, battle-worn state. Finally, McGonagall had to take on Professor Sprout's idea—to have a newly graduated student act as substitute (and eventually assistant, when her health was regained). Upon hearing Professor Sprouts adamant recommendation, McGonagall eventually asked Neville, who gladly accepted the post.
Ron, on the other hand, quit his job at ministry, after seeing George's mental breakdown late one evening in August. The shop reflected George's mental state—with merchandise smashed and strewn all over the floor, and with battered doors and shattered windows… Ron decided that enough was enough, and someone had to partner with George, to help him cope with what he had lost. Ron also realized that all throughout George's life, George had never done anything alone. Every prank, every joke even (as they often completed each other's sentences) was accomplished with another person. Ron, for once, but his family first, and decided to be, as best as he could, George's missing partner.
Harry was extremely happy for Ron and his decision… but still, there was an undeniable twinge of sadness within him. Once Harry accidentally compared it to losing a brother, but then adamantly reprimanded himself—nothing was worse than losing loved ones. He could cope without working his best friends…Despite their nearly 7 and a half year history. And besides, Hermione gave word that she would complete her studies in December, after first term, so Harry would have at least one of his best friends back at the ministry.
At the ministry, Harry reported to the Auror Department, a sub-section of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, DMLE for short. The head of the DMLE was a tall, aging man called Robin McArthur. McArthur, as Harry was surprised to find out, was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, but retired soon after and subsequently went into hiding. Kingsley begged McArthur to come out of retirement and lead the DMLE, at least until some of the lower-ranking members could have enough experience to be "confirmable" as Kingsley put it—all head of the Department nominees had to be confirmed by the Wizengamot, who would not confirm inexperienced (let along young) ministry employees. Finally, with weeks of persuasion, McArthur was reinstated in the department.
Soon after, it was McArthur frantically commenting on the shortage of aurors. He then made an executive decision to ask other ministries for English-speaking aurors. At the time, it seemed like his only option—proper auror training took at least 3 years (if the recruits could even make it through that), and, as there were so few from the battle that agreed to sign on, he had to take drastic measures. Of course, all new aurors would have to pass the British auror tests with flying colors. Other ministries around the world were sympathetic to Great Britain's plight, and they sent their best.
Bartholomew Rooney, a Australian auror, signed on in late August. He is excellent at (among other things) deciphering Ancient Runes, which comes in handy often due the Death Eaters' common usage of Rune Magic. Collectively known around the department as "Rooney" (due to a burning rancour for his first name), the young auror is funny, light-hearted, and always the life of the party. Harry regards Rooney as a good friend, someone to get a drink with him after work.
The other foreign recruit who expressed interest early on was Valerie Rockefeller. Valerie, despite being American, actually worked as an auror at the Ministry for Magic in Paris, a position she got straight out of Beauxbatons. After her head of department gave the grave message that the UK was in desperate need for aurors, she jumped at the chance. She was sick of Paris and the memories that surrounded it. She was very skilled at magic, and very quick—sometimes a little too quick to the verge of impetuosity. However, she had good instincts so her rash decisions paid off… most of the time.
Harry rolled over as he woke up, noting the black sky through his window. He was supposed to meet Valerie at the ministry at 6 am, an incredibly early start for his next mission. He had miraculously woken up before his alarm clock, despite getting to bed very, very late. He had returned from St. Mungo's probably around 1 AM, leaving as soon as he was discharged. Harry hated people fussing over him, so he absolutely distained hospitals. Harry looked over to his alarm clock, which read 4:31 AM… the ridiculous hour almost seemed to mock him.
His head was pounding. Was it the pain in his head that woke him up? No… Harry thought, thinking hard. It must've been my most recent dream..about the battle of Hogwarts. . His mind's eye suddenly became clouded with swimming images of Lupin, Tonks, and even Snape. He stared at the ceiling and, with a sharp jolt, he realised that the date was the 2nd of November, exactly 6 months after the Battle of Hogwarts.
Sighing, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall sleep, he got to his feet and slowly trudged to his bathroom in his tiny 2 bedroom flat in front of London's St. James' Park Lake, which was conveniently only 6 blocks from the Ministry of Magic… That fact didn't really matter anyway, as Harry had finally gotten his apparition license after a year of illegally apparating.
Harry started at his reflection in the mirror. He had certainly seen better days. His bright green eyes had bags under them; his hair was an absolute mess (though, to be fair, thought Harry, it always appears like that); and he was in desperate need of a shave and shower.
He had just come back from his previous mission in Africa. The ministry had numerous sightings of the death eater Avery in South Africa, of all places, and the Auror Department dispatched Harry and his so- partner in crime, Valerie, to South Africa.
Apparently, Avery had a summerhouse on the shores of South Africa, an ancient family property. In his haste he had forgotten to cast silencing charms during an important floo-network conversation with Yaxley. His muggle neighbors, who were sunbathing in their backyards, could hear almost every word of Avery's conversation and, upon investigation, told Harry and Valerie that Avery said he was headed up north—to Kenya. Without a second thought, Harry and Valerie gathered their belongings and headed north.
After weeks of searching for traces of magic, Harry and Valerie suddenly fell very, very ill with Yellow Fever. In their excitement after a breakthrough interview with some observant locals, they had forgotten to cast mosquito repelling charm, which required extra reinforcement every 4 hours. Soon after, they went through periods of muscle aches and feverish fits, both of which (at first, anyway) they attributed to the tropical climate and foreign food.
After two days of hellish fevers, Harry decided that they should at least consult muggle medical health-care professionals. Harry reasoned (or tried to, anyway) through his feverish fits that it might take days for Healers to find them… Portkeys and international travel were still being closely monitored in an attempt to catch fleeing death eaters. Besides, their portkey was scheduled to activate in two days anyway, so it didn't seem like a grave life-or-death situation.
On their trek up to the local muggle hospital at 3 o'clock the following morning, in a stroke of brilliant luck, they saw Avery appear six feet in front of them. Obviously, Avery wasn't well acquainted with the hills of Kenya, and it was very likely that his apparition misguided him to a public place. Through extremely high fevers—to the point of hallucination even—they dueled Avery and won.
So all-in-all it was a successful mission. Except the tropical disease part. After a visit to St. Mungo's regarding his feverish sickness, Harry had to undergo painful organ re-growth due to lasting internal damage caused by the fevers… He had thought regrowing bones was "nasty business", but in all reality, regrowing organs was so much worse.
Because of a pervasive bad stomach ache reminding him of the agony he had went through the night before, Harry took a very hot shower. The rush of hot water felt therapeutic on his muscles, which he had gained through rigorous athletic training for his auror career. Though technically a fully-fledged senior (Kingsley demanded that he take no less of a position) auror, Harry still had to go to private physical training every day at 5 am, excepting days/nights he was on a mission or returning from one. Despite all the complaining from his fellow aurors, Harry admitted to himself that he didn't mind the extra physical activity. After all, he noted with a plunging feeling in his stomach, he had lots of time to sleep and recuperate because he lived alone—Ginny was still at Hogwarts...
After drying himself thoroughly with a towel, Harry brushed his teeth, dressed, and disapparated.
A/N: Please, tell me what you think!
PS- The title's a bit sucky, I know. I'm still trying to come up with a really good one.