All Roads Traveled
Chapter 14: The Gathering of the Fellowship
Harry stared for several moments in the mirror, straightening the collar of his robes and trying, once again unsuccessfully, to flatten his hair. After determining there wasn't much he could do to make himself any more presentable, he made his way down to the Weasley kitchen.
"Mr. Weasley?" Harry rounded the corner on his soon to be father-in-law seated at the breakfast table.
"Harry. Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast?" he said genially, setting down the newspaper he'd been perusing a moment before.
"No…that's all right," he said. "I really don't think I could eat right now."
"Hmm." Mr. Weasley shrugged, picking up his briefcase as he got to his feet. "Mrs. Weasley won't like that. We'd better leave before…"
"Before what dears?" As if he'd said the proverbial magic words, Mrs. Weasley appeared from around the corner, a plate piled high with toast and jam balanced on one hand. "Harry, you weren't thinking of leaving without having a bite to eat were you?" she admonished.
"Actually, I was. I'm really not hungry…I promise I'll have a big lunch though, to make up for it."
"Nonsense." Mrs. Weasley sat the food down on the table, pressing firmly on his shoulder until he consented to sit down. With a sigh, Mr. Weasley sat back down beside him, shooting an amused glance in Harry's direction. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You'll need it for your big meeting."
Without much ado Mrs. Weasley sat down with the pair. "And about that meeting…"
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry started in exasperation.
"Oh no, dear, I wasn't trying to find out what it was about," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, if you haven't told me…your own mother-in-law…what's it about, I'm sure you have a good reason…"
"Molly, he'll tell us soon enough what it's all about," said Mr. Weasley. Taking a large bite of toast, Harry chewed very methodically until several minutes later he'd finished enough of his meal he thought he'd be able to leave the room without her snapping his head off.
"I'm sorry, but I really need to get going," he said. Mr. Weasley rose once again, and this time there was no…or at the least, very little…protest from Mrs. Weasley as Harry tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace and the pair stepped through together.
The familiar hustle of the Ministry was made evident to Harry first through sounds and then through the sight of hundreds of witches and wizards, as well as a number of other magical creatures, parading along the strip that led up and down the great hall. Harry stepped out in the crowd, pausing immediately when he stood at the base of the large statue that stood at its center.
"Brings back old times, eh?" said Mr. Weasley, patting him on the shoulder.
"It does," said Harry. He had not had much opportunity to think of the night that he and the others had ended up at the Ministry, on their supposed 'rescue mission'. In fact, for a long time the only memory of that night that remained clear in his mind was the moment that Sirius had fell through the veil. For a few moments he allowed himself to remember what had come immediately after—the great battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort, where he had seen for the first, and last, time the full power of his mentor unleashed.
"Ready, son?" Harry jumped, startled out of his reverie.
"Yes, I am."
He followed Mr. Weasley, for the second time in his life, through the crowded halls to the security officer. Wherever he went people turned to stare at him. Loud whispers followed his path, and more than once he heard his name spoken.
The guard who took his wand seemed to stare at it for several moments longer than was necessary, handing it along with his visitors badge back to him with a sort or reverence that, though now common to Harry, was more than a little discomforting.
"Right. I've got to get back to my office, Harry, so I'll let you find Kingsley on your own. You know which floor to head to?"
"I've been informed," said Harry. He shook Mr. Weasley's hand, and as they stepped into the hall of elevators made their way into different cars, each going in a different direction.
There was only one other passenger in the elevator as he made his way to Kingsley's floor. A rather lean, tawny fellow who looked as if he spent much of his time outdoors leaned on the wall opposite Harry, seemingly paying little attention to him. The elevator stopped at a floor announced as the headquarters of the Magical Game and Wildlife Commission. As the door began closing back behind him, a package wrapped in thick brown paper slipped out of the satchel he was carrying.
"Hey, wait!" Harry called, but it was too late. The doors closed before he had a chance to get the man's attention and, promising himself he'd get it back to him after his meeting, Harry picked up the item and slipped in into his pocket.
Office of the Minister of Magic, all Visitors Please Sign in With the Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic, the voice announced. Harry stepped out into the long carpeted hallway. To the right a large window had been enchanted to resemble the view from the rooftops of London. Harry stared at it for a few seconds, then taking the hall to the left made his way to the small desk where the Junior Assistant sat.
"Hey, Dean," said Harry, advancing toward the tidy desk where his old classmate sat.
"Harry! Hey, man!" Dean shot up, grabbing hold of Harry's hand. "Kingsley told me he was expecting you! Man, I haven't seen you since…well…" he grinned sheepishly. "I meant to go to Ron and Hermione's wedding but I had some family business of my own. Kingsley told me it was a riot, though. And I just heard about you and Ginny! Congratulations."
"Thanks," said Harry. "You know, if it wasn't for you I might not have gotten together with her."
"Is that so?" said Dean, grinning in amusement. "You know, that was one of the things we used to fight over."
"What do you mean?" Keeping his eye on Dean as he swung back around and dropped into his seat, Harry crossed his arms over his chest.
"Oh, you know. I thought she was only dating me to make you jealous. I mean, we were on the same Quidditch team, and in the same class. Turns out I was right after all, but if I'm losing out to anybody at least it's you, right? Anyway, I'm pretty glad I got the girl I got. You remember Romilda Vane?"
Harry developed a sudden coughing fit, remembering the girl that had tried…and failed…to give him a love potion in his sixth year. Dean started laughing and leaned over his desk, turning a large leather-bound book over to Harry. "I figured you would," he said. "No worries, mate. She's grown up a bit. Here, sign this for me and I'll go tell Kingsley you're here."
Shaking Dean's hand one final time, Harry remained standing as his old friend disappeared through the door to Kingsley's office. He returned a moment later. "Right. You can go on in," he said.
Harry stepped through the elegant glass doors of the Minister's office. The interior of the office was a deep, rich blue, with mahogany walls that perfectly matched the large desk that sat at the center of the room. A large statue made of silver sat beside the desk, and on the other side there was a model of the solar system that seemed to be in constant movement. Harry started as he saw the face staring back at him from over the shoulder of the man behind the desk. Dumbledore nodded toward him from the painting, half-moon glasses glinting familiarly.
"Glad to see you again, Harry. I hear that congratulations are in order," said Kingsley, gesturing for him to take a set after shaking his hand.
"Yeah. I mean, yes, thank you sir." Harry tried to sit up straight in his chair.
"No need to be so formal. So tell me Harry, what brings you here today?"
Harry cleared his throat, scrambling for the right words to phrase what he was about to say. "I was wondering, sir…Kingsley…if you might still be willing to give me a job."
There was a long moment of silence. When Harry looked up he saw that Kingsley was examining him thoughtfully, fingers knitted before him. "You mean the position with the Auror Office?" he asked finally.
"Yes, Kingsley."
"Of course it's open. I've been wondering when you'd come around."
Harry smiled. "Well…yes. I guess I needed time to think. And actually…if you don't mind listening, I have a few ideas."
Kingsley raised his brows, nodding as he leaned back in his chair. "Any ideas you have are worth listening to, Harry. So, what are you thinking?"
"Well, sir. I was thinking that we might be able to change some things about the way the office operates…"
"Oh."
Harry suddenly felt that he had overstepped his bounds. He was in the middle of preparing an apology, or making up an excuse to brush off what he had said, when Kingsley finally spoke up.
"I've been wondering about that myself," he said. "The Auror's Office was thoroughly unsuccessful in doing any real good in the Second Wizarding War. And I'm ashamed to admit, as former head of that department, that it wasn't only because of the Ministry's mishandling of the situation. It has been my hope since becoming Minister that I find somebody willing to enact real change within the department."
Harry was now sitting up in his seat and listening intently to what Kingsley was saying. "Harry," he continued, "I believe that the person who can do that is you. And if you decide to join the Auror Department, I fully intend to make you head of it."
"Head of the Auror Department?" said Harry in surprise. "I don't know, sir. I hardly know if my idea is even going to work."
"Then perhaps we should strike up a deal?" said Kingsley. "I'll give you a year. In that time you are allowed to use whatever techniques you wish, but you must act with the people that I hire and work within my rules. If, at the end of a year, your way is successful, you'll become the acting Head of the Auror Office. So," Kingsley said, staring straight at Harry, "What were your ideas?"
Harry took a deep breath. "I actually got my idea from muggle law enforcement, sir," he said. "Muggle detectives don't have the tools we have to catch criminals…not the spells, not the equipment. The best of their technology can track a person based on their genes, but it's still very limited. And yet they still manage to catch a great many criminals by figuring out the way the criminal mind works. It's called Profiling."
Kingsley twined together his fingers. "It sounds rather like something Miss Granger…I'm sorry, the new Mrs. Weasley…would have thought of," he said.
"She was the one who actually mentioned it to me. She said one time that the reason I was the best person equipped to defeat Voldemort…well, apart from the obvious," he said with a cautious smile, "was that I got into his head…I could tell what he was thinking, how he was feeling. And even though a lot of what happened in the war was luck, a lot of it I did because I could guess what he would do."
"So you mean that you'd like to study the criminal mind? As in, that science the muggles call Psychology?"
"I would sir. And…if you'd be agreeable…I'd like to take classes in Psychology and profiling while I'm working as an Auror."
Kingsley nodded. "I'll admit that I'm intrigued, though I wonder how that will translate to the mind of Dark Witches and Wizards. But I agreed to give you your chance, so the next year is yours Harry, to do with what you will." Kingsley stood and Harry followed suit, shaking his hand again.
"Come on. Let me show you the office and let you meet your new partners. You'll start tomorrow morning."
****
The office was already buzzing by the time Harry and Kingsley made their way inside. A wiry, dark-haired man was seated at the first desk and when Harry entered with the Minister of Magic he dropped the pile of parchment he'd been working on, mouth hanging open in shock.
"Goldstein, right?" said Harry.
"Yeah! Anthony. Wow, Harry Potter! And…and of course it's good to see you, minister," he said as he struggled to contain himself.
Four other heads poked around the corner as they overheard the exchange. The smallest of them squeaked in surprise when he saw Harry standing there, and darted around the corner, standing at attention in front of him.
"Dennis Creevey, sir! Do you remember me?"
"How could I forget?" said Harry. He took Dennis's hand. "I hadn't heard you were an Auror."
"I just started a month ago!"
"Don't worry, you get used to his enthusiasm." A tall, slim girl in black robes took Harry's hand next.
"Katie, it's really great to see you."
"Same to you Potter. Always thought I'd end up with you on the National Quidditch Team, but this will have to do." She winked at him as he turned around. Ernie Macmillan was there also, and a black boy that Harry remembered had belonged to Slytherin, by the name of Blaise Zabini. The last of the group greeted Harry with a firm hug rather than a handshake.
"Nice to see you again, Susan."
"Just like old times!" she said with a cheerful grin. "Like the DA is back together again. Well, almost," she said, flicking her gaze in Zabini's direction. "So what brings you around here?"
"Harry is going to be joining your team," said Kingsley. "Part-time, for the next year, but I expect his role to increase dramatically after that time. Katie, give him the tour while I dredge up the paperwork and have Thomas send it over. And Harry…you get me the class listings for the nearest muggle university. We'll work things out from there."
Without any more ado Kingsley left the room. Katie, wisely avoiding the obvious questions, gave him a brief tour of the space including the small cubicle that was soon to be his. Harry sighed, stepping into the small space. He thought suddenly of Tonks standing in the brightly lit, gray room, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. He'd have to remember to get Ginny over to the Tonks home to see little Teddy. The last time he'd seen him had been a few months prior, when he was going through a phase of turning all his grandmother's hard candies into jellied slugs.
"Well," he said to nobody in particular. "I ended up here after all."
"No worries," said Katie, peeping around the corner. "We all expected you would sooner or later. Your partner for the foreseeable future is going to be Dennis, by the way. It'll be a while before Kingsley lets you handle the big cases. You have to have more experience for that."
She whipped back around before Harry could look up to see if she was joking. Then, thinking about what she'd said, he felt a smile creep onto his face. All things considered, he was going to do fine.