I know that JK Rowling has mentioned what they all did after Hogwarts, but my thinking is, if its not in the seven books, then it doesn't count. So I might have gone off on my own a bit here. Hope you enjoy!

Harry had been at the Ministry several times in the last few years, but never had he seen it so crowded and busy, and that was saying something. He had no idea where Kingsley's office might be and didn't know where to start, but he wasn't keen on standing in the atrium, waiting for someone to spot him, which wouldn't take long. His face had been all over the Daily Prophet ever since Voldemort's fall, rather unsurprisingly after what had happened at Hogwarts. Sure enough, "Oh my God!" Harry turned and sighed as a tiny wispy middle aged witch stared at him with recognition.

"Silencio," Harry said quickly. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her off to what looked like a broom cupboard, very quickly as the woman gaped and put a hand to her throat. He shut the door and then muttered the counter charm. "Sorry. I don't want people to know I'm here," Harry said, bitterly wishing that he'd stopped off at Grimmauld Place to pick up his invisibility cloak.

"Are you really… Harry Potter?" she asked quizzically, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he'd just temporarily taken her voice. Or maybe not completely oblivious, as Harry noticed she very quickly had her wand in her hand, a nine inch willow one by the look of it.

"Yes, I am," Harry said quietly. "Where's Kingsley Shacklebolt's office?"

"Er… its on the second floor," the witch said, slightly bewildered. "Near the Auror offices. He hasn't had the time to move it yet in the aftermath of…"

"Voldemort, yes," Harry said. The witch gave a little squeak at the name and her hat fell over her eyes. "Thank you."

"What really happened at Hogwarts?" the witch asked before she could stop herself.

"Read the Prophet," Harry said in a quiet voice. "On this occasion, they actually have most things right." He had been skimming it and he knew Hermione had been reading it religiously, so this wasn't exactly a lie. The witch nodded and then stayed perfectly still as Harry left, hurrying towards a mercifully empty lift. As the grills clanged shut he pushed the 2 button, hoping it would hurry, and pleased that for a change no one was staring at him. His popularity seemed to have increased ten fold over the last few days since Voldemort's death. Not that he could blame them really. Being the one that Voldemort wanted dead, that wasn't hard. But being the one to survive him and beat him, that took skill, courage and a great deal of luck. Harry sighed as he thought that when the doors banged open.

Luckily most of the Auror's who were present were sinking into their work but most of the desks were empty. Harry assumed they were rounding up the last of the Death Eaters, who were in hiding now, rather than causing trouble. He didn't really mind the more or less empty floor. Kingsley's office was ridiculously easy to find, and on the door was a small permanent embossed notice saying "Shacklebolt, Head of Auror Office." And then beneath it was a more temporary quill and parchment job saying "Minister of Magic." Harry knocked twice, wondering why he was here, before the deep and reassuring voice said "Come in."

Harry did and saw that what clearly had been an argument between Kingsley and a wizard Harry didn't recognise had been stalled by his arrival. "I can come back later if I'm interrupting," Harry said.

"No," Kingsley said firmly.

"You're kicking out your head of Magical Law Enforcement for a teenager?!"

"Look who it is Goran," Kingsley said. The man did and then his eyes found Harry's scar.

"I'll come back later," the man called Goran said. He left, shutting the door sharply as he went.

"Mr Potter," Kingsley said, taking his seat.

"Minister," Harry countered, a grin on his face.

"I'll never get used to being called that," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, there was a reason I called you here today. Without drawing it out, I wondered if you'd like to join the Auror office. We'd forgo your official training of course, and you could start immediately. With recent experiences, I think you're more than qualified."

"I'm flattered," Harry said honestly, giving himself time to think. Kingsley seemed to sense this and stayed quiet while Harry debated with himself. "No. I want to… I need to go back to Hogwarts for my final year. I want to live one more year in the castle. It was my first home, and I want to go back there. In recent times I've seen it at its worst. I need to see it at its best again. I want my NEWT's. I want to play Quidditch again. Do you know how long its been since I caught a snitch? So I'm going to have to say no thank you."

"The offer will still stand when you've completed school," Kingsley countered. "Of course it would."

"But I don't want to do it any more," Harry said slowly. "Voldemort ruined my childhood and murdered my parents. I don't think even I understood how deep that burned me until he was finally gone. I have spent seven years fighting him. Trying to destroy him while he killed all those closest to me. And with a bit of luck and a lot of help, somehow I managed it. So now, I'm free from that. I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing after Death Eaters, or whatever name they will go under in years to come. I want time away from that." Harry paused, before adding a dream he had that he'd never dared voice before. "I want to play Quidditch for England. I want to catch the snitch in the final of the World Cup and raise it to a stadium filled with thousands. I don't want to hunt people like Voldemort down."

"Fair enough," Kingsley said in his booming voice. "I know you are an incredible flier. Remus told me before…" Kingsley tailed off and a look of sadness came over his face. "You can come to the Auror office whenever you like. When you've had enough of being bludgered to death on a narrow plank of wood."

Harry smiled slightly. "Thank you. I will remember this offer." Kingsley smiled good naturedly as a ministry memo flew in the room. "By the way sir, who is the headmaster of Hogwarts now? I need to write a letter, asking to come back."

"Its Minerva at the moment, but she wants to retire. We need a whole host of new staff at that school, one more of my headaches. Transfiguration, Muggle Studies, Defence against the Dark Arts, a new headmaster and Potions too, as Professor Slughorn refuses to continue too. He agreed to come on for one year only, and he stayed two. He says he's "done his duty" to the school and wants to die in peace."

"A whole new staff," Harry said with a smile. This term could be interesting. "I'll write to Professor McGonagal, thank you."

"Send an owl if you need anything Harry," Kingsley added before reading the ministry memo. Harry nodded and left the busiest man in the wizarding world to it.

That night Harry was laying on his bed, staring at a now empty owl cage. He had bought a new owl, simply because it was practical. He couldn't send the letters he needed to otherwise. He still missed Hedwig terribly, but he knew he needed a way to send messages. He'd bought a dark brown owl, who bore no resemblance to the snowy owl who had been with him at Hogwarts for so long. He hadn't named him yet, and didn't really have any desire to. His owl was currently flying to Hogwarts with a letter for Professor McGonagal.

Harry was still thinking about this when he heard a small noise from downstairs. He got up and immediately grabbed his wand, waiting for a further noise. None came so he muttered "Homenum Revelio." His wand shuddered in his hand, a few sparks coming from the tip and he knew someone was here who shouldn't be. Trying to stop his rising panic, he walked to the door, waiting for something to happen. Something did, but not what he was expecting. Kreacher apparated next to him with a crack and Harry almost jumped out of skin. "Kreacher!" Harry hissed. "What are you doing?!"

"Someone is in the house master," Kreacher said.

"I know that," Harry said, still quietly.

"It's the red haired girl with all those brothers," Kreacher said.

"Ginny?"

"Yes," Kreacher said, a smile on his lips and he vanished as quickly as he arrived. Harry wondered why she was here, but decided to have a little fun. He waved his wand at the candles which went out and quietly went behind the doorframe. Sure enough the door opened a moment later and he caught the familiar scent of flowers in her hair. He moved very quickly and held a wand to her head as she froze.

"Sneaking around in other people's houses is dangerous," Harry said quietly. "You should be more careful."

"I should," she agreed. Then before Harry could even blink, she'd elbowed him in the stomach and muttered "Petrificus Totalus." Harry went rigid and fell awkwardly against the wall. "I'd probably have done something like that," she teased. Harry's eyes glinted at him in the darkness and Ginny magically lit the lamps before kissing Harry briefly and then lifting the spell.

"That wasn't funny," he said, stretching his arms out of their awkward position.

"It was," she said, her hazel eyes glinting.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked.

"Apparated," she said matter of factly.

"You don't have a licence," Harry said with raised eyebrows.

"I managed it didn't I?" she said with defiance. "Anyway I've been doing it successfully for months."

"Don't do it again until you pass your test. I don't want to see you ending up splinched. I saw Ron like that once. Never again."

"Fine," she agreed, trying to get him to stop moaning.

"How's George?"

"Slightly better actually," Ginny said. "He went to the joke shop after the funeral and has been immersing himself in his and Fred's creations. I think he's enjoying it. He seemed a bit better anyway, but I don't think he'll ever get over it." They were both silent for a moment. "I want to stay here tonight," she whispered.

Harry nodded, but then thought of something. "You're mother isn't going to burst in at three in the morning is she?"

"No," Ginny said with a smile. "She thinks I'm safely locked in my bedroom. She won't even know I'm gone." Harry smiled once and then pulled Ginny into his arms. She felt so good when she was with him, he thought absently. Before long he didn't think much of anything at all.

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