For HP Slash Luv, I hope you like it!

Also for the Magical Co-Operation Intern Job at the Ministry of Magic. Task: Write a story that incorporates someone having to do an incredibly mind-numbing task. OR write a story that includes someone being set a task with strict guidelines and restrictions.

Word Count: 505

better than paperwork could ever hope to be

Harry Potter was completely and utterly done with the Wizarding World.

Magic was awesome, sure, but the people? Less so. They were stuck up pricks with no idea how to handle new ideas.

For example: the Internet.

It was a fairly new thing—he knew some young people would disagree—but Teddy and his friends were already done figuring out how to make it work around magic.

They lived for that kind of stuff.

The Ministry, however, still forced him to write every single report with a quill on parchment. No matter that it was actually more expensive in the long run, no matter that it would only took half of the time with the help of Muggle technology, he had to stick to parchment and quill.

And wasn't parchment produced from animal skin?, a part of Harry's mind questioned absently. Surely it was better to let those animals live in peace,wasn't it?

Quite frankly, it drove Harry crazy.

His hand would hurt by the sixth report at latest and as a Head Auror he got an absolute minimum of three times that number.

His old scar—the one he had gotten from Umbridge was always in the front of his mind.

"Harry? Are you done yet?" He recognized the voice at the door. It belonged to his beautiful and intelligent wife. "You do remember that Draco and Ginny invited us over for dinner, don't you?" she said as she moved towards him. The grin on her face suggested the very opposite of her words.

Harry didn't—not really—but right now he would have been glad for any excuse.

"Of course not," he replied in full knowledge that Hermione would recognize the lie for what it was.

Harry could hear her chuckling behind him. "Oh, is that so?"

He turned around and gave her an honest smile—and he didn't give those to many people. "Naturally. I knew that I would get to spend an evening with my lovely wife. I simply forgot where."

"Lucky for you I didn't forget. Percy and George agreed to watch the kids."

"They do cancel each other out nicely," Harry noted as he waved his wand to make sure his office wasn't a total mess.

"Exactly." Hermione nodded. "Even if Luke seems to take after George a bit too much."

Harry hummed in agreement. "I am very glad you talked me out of naming him James Sirius. That would just have encouraged him." He shuddered to think of the possibilities. His oldest was bad enough as Lucas James Potter. Harry didn't particularly fancy imagining how it could have been. And he couldn't help but wonder what kind of—quite possibly dumb—ideas he might've gotten for his next son.

"I know." Hermione smiled, already leaving the room. "Come on now. We'll be late if we waste any more time."

"I'm coming!", he hurried to catch up to her. Once he had done so—it had not taken long at all—he smiled at her. "This is already so much better than paperwork could ever hope to be."

Please tell me what you think!

~Marvelgeek42