The following morning Harry knocked on the office door of the Head Auror with great trepidation.
"Come in, Potter." Arturo Wayfolt's voice was neither welcoming nor foreboding. Harry entered and shut the door behind him.
"May I sit, sir?" he asked.
Wayfolt peered at Harry over a stack of parchment he was examining and nodded.
"How's Weasley fairing?" he asked without ever lifting his eyes from the parchment he was reading.
"Much better thanks, sir." Harry said as he sat down in the stiff-backed armchair. He'd decided before the meeting that he wouldn't elaborate on details of Ron's condition unless specifically asked.
"Good. Glad to hear it. He's a good man and a fine Auror. One of our best. Has he remembered anything yet?"
Harry frowned. "No sir, not yet."
Wayfolt looked conflicted.
"Nothing whatever?"
Shaking his head, Harry said "Very little. He remembers following Griselda Dionne but his memory is very spotty. I reckon a Healer might be able to help him once he's out of Muggle hospital."
"He may have better luck with a Legilimens." Wayfolt suggested.
Harry nodded, "That has been suggested, yes sir. I think the issue is, his memory was not harmed by magic so magical means may not work to recover what he's forgotten." Harry tried to remember the exact words Hermione used to explain it.
"Potter. To say that I'm displeased with you would be a gargantuan understatement. We've spent countless man hours and hundreds of galleons on this investigation. I know you're used to a certain amount of consideration due to your celebrity status but – "
"My what?" Harry interrupted. "Sir, I have never relied on any sort of –" his knuckles were turning white from gripping the armrests of his chair.
"Calm down, calm down, Potter." Wayfolt said. "You have been famous in our world since you were a toddler, I expect you're rather used to – "
"Enough!" Harry shouted. "Do you think I like being me? Do you think I don't wish that I'd have grown up with a proper family? I would have done anything to hand all that responsibility over to someone else. I knew that as long as Voldemort lived, I'd be hunted and no one I cared for would be safe. They called me the Chosen One and the truth is, Voldemort is the one who chose me. He easily could have chosen someone else and I could have grown up with my fucking parents. Maybe I'd have siblings too."
Harry leapt out of the chair and stood next to it. He pointed at Wayfolt as he spoke.
"For you to insinuate that I'm somehow lax in my work because I feel the world owes me some sort of debt – that's absolute bullshit. And it's insulting. I wish I could have grown up a normal wizard, going home on school holidays to spend time with my parents. Ron's brother Fred died in the War, Sir. Along with countless others. Dora and Remus Lupin died; leaving behind my infant godson. I became an Auror as a tribute to them, not because I like playing the bloody hero."
Harry's fists were clenched and he was glaring at Wayfolt across the desk. Wayfolt sat back in his chair and lifted his chin. Harry couldn't read his facial expression.
Harry softened his tone a bit before speaking again.
"What happened to Ron was my fault. I got off the bus to follow another suspect – we thought Griselda was partnered with someone and she got off the bus first. I had a split second to react and I followed her. The suspect saw me and cast a jinx. I got out of the way and the jinx hit the bus driver through an open window. She aimed another curse at me and it tipped the bus over completely. If I'd followed protocol and stayed with my partner, Ron wouldn't be laying in hospital with a cocked up memory. I followed my instinct and I was wrong."
Harry's heart was pounding with rage. Wayfolt hadn't reacted much to anything he'd said, his face as inscrutable as ever.
"Potter…" Wayfolt said carefully. "I meant no disrespect. The Wizarding World, the Muggle world – we all do owe you a debt. You said it yourself. The Dark Lord chose you and you beat him. I knew Dora Lupin. She was…" his voice quavered ever so slightly, "very gifted, she was special. Nevertheless, you did make an error in judgement in this investigation. I don't feel I'm being any harder on you than I would be on Weasley if your places were reversed. There is a ring of dark wizards and witches running around Belfast and this investigation is ongoing. I do not have infinite time or patience. I am not going to reassign this case, we can't afford the time lost to catch another team up. I am also not going to give you any one else to work with. If you have not made progress by the time Weasley is ready to return, I will send him to Belfast to meet you. Until then, you're on your own."
The way he ended his sentence indicated to Harry that it was time to walk out of the office. He gave Wayfolt a quick nod and shut the door behind him.