All disclaimers apply to this one-shot.
-!-!-!-
The fireplace was crackling, the candles were glowing, and it was a cool starry night outside. It would have been a truly beautiful night had it not been for all the fog in the air, a constant reminder of the impending war. Harry, Hermione, and the four youngest Weasley children were sitting in the den of the burrow, each lost in their own thoughts.
"You know," Hermione said, breaking the silence. "If, Merlin forbid, the war doesn't have a great end -"
"Don't talk like that Hermione," Harry interrupted sternly. "We'll get through this fine."
"I know," she insisted. "I'm just saying this out of complete boredom. Anyways, as I was saying before, I've thought of careers that you could all adopt in the muggle world."
"Yeah?" Ron asked, interest sparked.
"Like, say Fred and George. They could be chemists."
Everyone, except Harry of course, looked at her blankly.
"They're the muggle version of potion mixers," Harry explained. "They make new formulas and then make products out of them. You know, what Fred and George do."
"Maybe," Fred thought.
"But we'd still have a joke shop," George added.
"Of course you would," Hermione laughed.
"What about me, Hermione?" Ginny asked.
"You? Perhaps a marriage councillor, considering all you're experience."
"What experience?" her brothers immediately shouted.
"My dating experience which surpasses yours greatly," Ginny snapped at them.
"I thought we told you-"
"You'd be a perfect bodyguard, Ron."
"What? Why?"
"You're so protective," Hermione elaborated, "While Ginny might consider this attribute of yours highly annoying, it would be a really useful quality as a bodyguard."
"Let me guess Charlie's career," Harry said with an amused smile. "Veterinarian?"
Hermione smiled back at him.
Once again they were met with blank looks.
Hermione sighed. "Animal healers."
"Oh, right."
"Hey, I know what Harry would be!" Ginny suddenly shouted. "I read about them in the Daily Prophet. They're the equivalent of aurors, those 'please-men'."
"Policemen, Ginny," Harry corrected. "But you're right. I wanted to be a policeman when I was little kid. I always thought of how I'd take bullies like Dudley off the streets and put them behind bars . . ." he trailed off with a reminiscent smile.
"What about you Hermione?" Fred asked. "Librarian?"
"No wait, a researcher!" George teased. "It'd be perfect for li'l 'Mione over here. She gets to spend all her time reading book and gets paid for it too!"
"Don't call me that."
"Aww, did we-"
"And for your information, I'd be a doctor!"
"What?" Ron asked in horror. "You'd actually like to spend your life cutting up people?"
"What?" Hermione asked, confused. "Doctors don't cut up people. Those are surgeons. And they get paid big bucks to do that stuff too, so a lot of people don't mind. But I'd be a paediatrician. Healers for babies and kids," she added hastily, lest she receive more blank stares.
"Right . . ."
"Mum would most probably still be a cook," Ron put in, "Speaking of which, I'm hungry. You lot coming?"
There was a murmur of agreement as everyone followed Ron into the kitchen. Tomorrow they might have to go fight a war, but today they would just relax, eat, and try their best to enjoy what free time they had. And Merlin forbid if anything did happen, well, at least they'd thought of a back-up for everyone.
