A/N Set in an AU, Harry Potter is famous because of his parents defeating Voldemort and being killed in the process. He did not beat Voldemort. Bellatrix was never a death eater though Neville's parents were tortured into insanity. It will be revealed later how/why Severus was killed and Susan Bones. It's just a story I am floating around in my brain I honestly don't know where it is going and what is going to happen I haven't outlined it yet.
"For the last time Black my answer is no." Edwards said with a scowl at Bellatrix who returned the look of disgust. "Every senior Auror has to have a partner it's department procedure."
She shook her head, "I had a partner, remember?"
"Nobody is disputing your relationship with Severus Black, hell I know how much he meant to you but the fact of the matter remains you've been without a partner for nearly four months."
"So I just move on then, new partner to train like Sev-" She paused and took a breath, "Like Severus could be replaced."
Edwards frowned in sympathy, "Look Black I'll give you a fresh new recruit, never been field tested outside of the trials no bad habits for you to break. You can mold them just to your liking."
Bella ran her fingers through her mess of curls eyeing Edwards, "I don't want an idiot Eddie I want someone clever."
"Of course, only the best for my favourite Auror Black." Edwards replied before handing over the files to Bella to inspect. "In fact I'm going to let you pick your partner Black. I want an answer by two when they arrive."
Bella took the files and carried them to her desk, she immediately pushed Ronald Weasley to the side, the boy was an idiot just like his father. She flicked through the next one and scowled, Harry Potter, mediocre at best when she read over his test results. Her niece walked over and sat down taking the files that Bella had discarded. "New partner?" She said reading over Ron's file.
"Yeah, so far nothing worth my time." Bella said with a scowl pushing away the third file for Neville Longbottom though she didn't put it on the discard pile, the boy showed some promise. "Might be good with you." She said indicating Neville's file. Nymphadora looked at it with mild interest but she had the last file in her hands.
"I think I'm going to go for this one." Nymphadora said holding up Hermione Granger's file.
"No fair I've not looked at that one." Bella said swiping the file from Nymphadora and reading it over as her niece pulled the chair closer. "Oh, she's good." Bella said with a smile looking at the test results, "Her flying skills are rough but we can work with that." She said thoughtfully to her niece's obvious pout. "Take Neville, he seems promising, his knowledge of poisons is, well almost as brilliant as Severus." Bella said looking at Neville's file again slightly torn between Neville and Hermione. She had never had a female partner before; maybe it was better if she did not have a male partner who reminded her of Severus.
"Yeah fine." Tonks said taking Neville's file, Harry and Ron's were left back with Edwards to give out to the other remaining Aurors seeking partners.
"Hermione Granger." Bella said reading over Hermione's essay on why she wanted to work for the department. She was a muggleborn, Bella raised an eyebrow at that, Severus had been a half-blood. She stretched for a moment and decided to at least work with the muggleborn through her probationary period and if it didn't work out then, she shrugged no harm no foul. The girl was young; she remembered the name from her nephew Draco's endless complaints about being bested by her in potions and in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hermione sat with Neville, Harry and Ron in the Leaky Cauldron. She was practically bouncing off the seat in anticipation of meeting her mentor in the Auror's office. They all speculated who they would get that afternoon; while the first part of their trials was complete their mentors would finish off their training and see them through the first assignment.
Ron shoveled a chicken pie and chips into his mouth, his wand lay next to him on the table. Hermione, too excited to eat merely picked over her vegetables and chicken. While Harry, ever the slight humble bragger, was going on and on about how his father had been an Auror was would have been the youngest head Auror if it hadn't been for his untimely death. Neville was quiet; while both his parents had been Aurors he was still not sure if he wanted to fall into this line of work. He had joined the recruitment process because his three friends had and plus he thought it would make his gran proud of him.
"What happens if more than one senior Auror wants us?" Neville asked finally speaking. Harry swallowed down his chips before he gave a guess.
"Well I guess they flip for us or maybe let us decide who we want."
"Who do you want then?" Hermione asked, they had all read over the profiles of the senior Aurors trying to hazard a guess as to who they would be assigned to.
"I know I'm going to get Black." Harry said very sure of himself, "My godfather is a Black so," he shrugged, "I guess it is pretty much in the bag that I'll get a Black."
"Which one?" Neville asked picturing Nymphadora and Bellatrix.
"Bellatrix, she's close to my godfather's age so he's sure to have told her about me. Besides Nymphadora is a Tonks."
"Yeah but she's Bellatrix's niece isn't it." Neville added to which Harry nodded.
"Who do you reckon you'll get Hermione?" Ron asked finishing his last chip and taking a long drink from his butterbeer.
"I don't know, I am hoping for Bellatrix Black because she's the most experienced but, I guess I'll have to see."
"Naw Harry is going to get Bellatrix." Ron corrected her as if she hadn't been listening. "Sometimes it's good to be Harry Potter, it's in the bag."
Hermione frowned slightly at the pair of boys and then smiled at Neville, "Well whoever we get we'll get the best person for us I suppose." She finished her chicken or at least what she was prepared to eat on a butterfly filled stomach and stood. "Come on, this is certainly one day we do not want to be late."
Bella sat at her desk still reading over the file for Hermione when the four new recruits walked into the office. She glanced up looking at each of their faces with disinterest. She saw Harry nudge the Weasel and nod in her direction. She raised an eyebrow and looked back down at the file before closing it and signing her name to the front. Picking up her wand she left Hermione's file on her desk to join the other senior Aurors in the conference room.
Hermione entered the room after the senior Aurors; the group had taken all the seats at the front. She looked at Nymphadora sitting by Bellatrix, both women chatting quietly to one another with Bella patting her back for a second before drawing back her hand to sit up straighter when the head of Magical Law Enforcement entered the room.
Amelia Bones' arrival caused the rowdy room to instantly go silent, she surveyed the group with steel coloured eyes, and Hermione swallowed as the eyes fell on her. She had been friends with Amelia's niece Susan before- well the last time she had seen Amelia Bones had been at Susan's funeral. The eyes took her in for a brief moment before moving onto Harry and Ron.
Amelia gestured to the four people at the back of the room. "As we have said goodbye to far too many of our sacred brothers and sisters in the last year we welcome into our society these four new souls."
The Aurors hit the tables with the hilts of their wands in rapid succession. She spoke again when the noise faded. "It is our duty and our honour to continue in the tradition of magical order and justice. Our code will be upheld now and always."
"Neville Longbottom you will be working with Nymphadora Tonks." Amelia said as Nymphadora stood and turned to face Neville. She held his Auror badge out as he went forward to have it pinned to his cloak by Nymphadora.
Nymphadora gripped his arm, "Now and always, good hunting." Neville returned the grip on Tonks' upper arm, "Now and always good hunting." The Aurors again beat down the hilts onto the tables in a cheer.
"Ronald Weasley you will be working with Andrew Proudfoot." Ron's induction had been identical to Neville's. Hermione smiled at him and Harry gave him thumbs up. The two remaining recruits looked at each other; Harry straightened his tie and tried to flatten his hair.
"Harry Potter, you will be working with Victor Dawlish." Harry stood stunned for a moment looking from Amelia to Hermione. He had been so sure he would be selected by Bellatrix his feet felt quite frozen to the floor. Hermione nudged him forward to be pinned. She was so nervous at this point she felt like she had lost her hearing.
"Hermione Granger, you will be working with Bellatrix Black." Hermione couldn't help but smile it had been what she had wanted. She would have been happy with Nymphadora as well but Bellatrix Black. Harry stared with his mouth slightly open as Hermione went forward to be pinned by Bellatrix. Hermione remembered to say her line as the nearly black eyes locked into her brown ones. They were the darkest eyes Hermione had ever encountered, she could only see the difference between the iris and pupil when the light hit Bellatrix's eye from the side. She remembered to breathe and release her grip before it became awkward. She sat next to Bellatrix, her heart pounding out of her chest, she had done it, the most experienced Auror had chosen her as a partner.
She listened as Edwards stepped forward thanking Amelia Bones who then left through the door on the side of the podium. He waited for a moment for the aurors to quiet down once more. "Alright guys, listen up, new assignments are posted to the board as of ten minutes ago. New recruits, you will go with whatever assignment is given to your mentor Auror. Stay out of the way and don't get killed. Good hunting."
The Aurors hit their wands again, "Good hunting." They chanted in unison before rising up and heading to the door. Hermione kept feeling Harry staring at her, a flash of jealousy was evident on his face as she left the room first with Bellatrix. It was an unwritten rule that nobody else left the tables and chairs until Bellatrix did. Rumor was she was up for the head Auror position when Edwards retired.
"Right, so Hermione Granger." Bellatrix said when they arrived at her desk; she flicked her wand conjuring a chair for Hermione and a desk next to her own. "Congratulations on your NEWTS very impressive." She said sliding the folder to Hermione. "Now just sign your name beneath mine and we're all set"
Most of Hermione's first day was filled with paperwork, getting security clearance and being shown where the cafeteria was. Bellatrix showed her where the board of assignments were and she saw that Bellatrix's name was at the top of the board with 'case pending' next to it.
"What does that mean, do they not have an assignment for you yet?"
"Us." She corrected Hermione, "And no it means we have to finish the case we're on. So that brings me to your homework." Hermione straightened up with a bit of excitement, Bellatrix looked at her with amusement. "A bit of light reading for tonight." Bellatrix explained when she handed Hermione a very thick file. "I need you to read through this tonight and give me a full summary tomorrow morning before the briefing at nine alright?"
"Yes, right, no problem." Hermione said delighted to already have work to do.
"Now after the briefing and lunch tomorrow we're going to do some field work. We're going in to make an arrest. Are you up to code on violations for arresting offenses?"
"Yes, I know all three hundred and forty-seven of them." Hermione said breathlessly. Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, oh she had chosen wisely. "Good, we'll only need about ten of them tomorrow."
Bellatrix picked up her jacket and slipped it on. "Alright, see you tomorrow morning at seven for the summary. Have a good night Granger."
"Goodnight." Hermione said practically squealing with delight waiting for Neville to finish with Tonks.
"And then she told me we're going to go on an arrest tomorrow." Hermione finished excitedly sipping her fire whiskey. She had agreed to go out with the guys before heading home to read the file Bellatrix had given her. "Oh and she said congratulations on my NEWT results."
Neville slapped her on the back, "I knew you'd get Black. I'm so happy for you. I like Tonks, she's dead funny, we worked on filing paperwork today but tomorrow we're going to go on a stake out mission."
They both looked at Ron and Harry who were quiet since they had arrived in the pub. "Why are you so glum Harry? I know you didn't get Black but still you got selected. I heard when a recruit isn't selected they are treated like errand boys until someone feels bad enough to train them." Neville said shaking his head, "I was sure that was where I was headed until they called my name first."
"She liked your NEWT scores?" Harry asked finally taking a sip of his drink.
"That's what she said; they did set the school record Harry."
"Yeah," He responded glumly, he assumed wrongly that the name Potter would have carried him a bit further than it had. He planned on talking to Sirius to find out why Bellatrix hadn't selected him.
"What about your day Ron?" Neville asked, Hermione watched Harry's continued sour mood. She could have slapped him for being such a selfish prat.
"It was great yeah, my mentor is awesome, we went and had cake in the cafeteria and Aurors eat there for free." He added with a smile. Leave it to Ron to find the Auror with the appetite as big as his.
"Well I need to be going. Black gave me homework already." Hermione said proudly standing up and leaving some silver sickles on the table.
"Already?" Ron said in surprise.
"Yeah, about three hundred pages to read over before tomorrow morning. She wants a full summary of the case."
"Blimey, glad I didn't get her." Ron said nudging Harry who nodded. There was some slight relief in knowing that Hermione had an evening of work ahead of her though Harry knew she really didn't mind it one bit.
