'For you that don't know I am Harry Potter, and will be leading this mission, which I must warn you will most likely be long and arduous. Last night some of us,' I began to all the Aurors gathered around in the atrium in the Auror Department. 'Well, most of us, went on a scouting mission to investigate a series of dark magic claims. These claims took all night and eventually we found information which led us to think these dark magic claims had to do with Quidditch,' I paused as some of the Aurors showed faces full of concentration, while some of the younger ones looked confused.
'What exactly led us to Quidditch? What was the connection?' asked Rogers, who was one of the older Aurors. He was an Auror when I joined and had been for about ten years before.
'When we investigated the claims, they were all around Quidditch pitches including England's International Quidditch pitch, so now you can see why this could potentially be a national problem,' I said to the look of shock on some of the Auror faces. 'We are to find the cause and put a stop to it and soon,' I stated.
'So behind me are your names except the younger Aurors who will be shadowing more experienced Aurors,' I stated looking at our three newest recruits. 'You will be assigned to Quidditch teams and each team has a team leader. The team leader is who will lead the security check and report back to me. I will be floating around from group to group and anything, I mean anything out of place I ask you report to me,' I stated moving out of the way so everyone could find their name and see where they were, they were assigned.
'Mate looks like I got the Chudley Cannons,' said Ron eagerly approaching where Harry stood looking like he was trying hard to control his excitement. The Chudley Cannons did not have any attacks, but just to be sure he wanted a group to check them out. It simply did not make sense if he didn't check every single team if most of them were being targeted
...
'So, Ginny…' said Vienne in a quiet voice approaching me in the air while I paused for a second in the middle of this long and grueling practice. She looked over her shoulder to make sure the other girls were too distracted talking about some Quidditch player to overhear. 'I saw the Prophet today. So, he is back for good then?' she asked.
'That is what he said when I saw him,' I told her gathering my thoughts before turning to face her.
'You saw him?' she asked getting closer.
'Yes, he came to Sunday dinner,' I told her.
'Ginny stop holding back. Tell me everything, did you talk? What did he say? Does he have a girlfriend? What happened?' she asked excitedly as her eyes got wide and lit up hardly pausing in between questions.
'Vienne calm down. No, we did not talk, no he didn't say much just that he was staying. If anything, he hardly looked at me,' I told and headed away from her knowing she would ask more questions.
Why did Harry not talk to me? Not even a hi? How are you? How is Quidditch? Why did he act like I was a stranger? When we are the farthest thing from strangers? Dear, why do you care? You have a boyfriend remember. Anywayssss how is he? Have you even talked to him since Harry came back? Or is it over now that Harry is back?
Mentally kicking myself because the voice was right about one thing, I had forgot to write or even fire call Laurenzo, but that wasn't my fault I was tired from not sleeping last night. But still, he came back
'Ginny focus. Ginny Focus!' yelled Gwenog Jones from above me. And so, I focused and drove this boy mess out of my head.
Sometime later when it was almost dark as we were all changing in the changing rooms Gwenog walked in and announced, 'tomorrow a couple of Aurors will come to our practice to watch us practice. They will observe while they investigate, but they will not in any way interrupt us. We are to give them space to work,' she added the last part looking at the twins Listane and Veronica. They were notorious for sleeping with Ministry men specially Law Enforcement. They were both very tall and both had long black shiny hair with beautiful pointy features. The only way to tell them apart was that Veronica had hazel eyes and Listane had amber eyes.
What did she mean Aurors would be coming by? Why would they even have to come investigate? And why hadn't Ron told her? Then a thought crossed her head that made her pause for a second, wait does that mean Harry will come watch me practice? I don't care if he does or not. I am going to ignore him and give it the best practice I have ever had. I would not let him disturb my inner peace any longer.
...
It was a cloudy and chilly night in London, but there was still a long line outside Diagon Alley's new pub. I rolled up my sleeves and approached the overcrowded pub looking for Ron and the other Aurors. I approached the back of the line and was ready to wait in line when the line cleared aside to make space for me as if they knew who I was, and everyone started doing a double take to look at me. I wondered what they were looking at, so I checked my clothes, I had on a white dress shirt rolled to my elbows and black dress slacks.
As I approached the front of the line all I could hear over the loud dance music playing inside was, 'Potter!' 'He's so handsome and tall,' 'Oi. Potter', 'I hope he dances with me.' I approached the security guard outside the pub, and I am about to hand over my wand for confirmation of my identity when he grabs my hand instead and shakes it with enthusiasm. He says, 'Mr. Potter, how are you? It is such an honor. Please go in sir.'
I enter the crowded pub and am immediately surrounded by witches and they are all wearing short sexy dresses. I pay no attention and try to make my way to a head of ginger hair I see near the bar, which must be Ron. I say try because I am surrounded by other witches and wizards alike who surround the witches who were surrounding me.
'Mate, its packed in here tonight, isn't it?' he asked looking around at the other Aurors who had already arrived and were drinking their drinks.
'I have never been here before mate, I wouldn't know,' I said.
I look behind Ron and see Neville, Dean, Seamus, George, and to my biggest surprise even Charlie, and Bill. Neville, Dean, and Seamus approach me the second they see I joined the group.
'Harry mate, what took you so long?' said Neville as he enthusiastically shook my hand.
'Mate we thought you were not going to show,' said Seamus shaking my hand as well. Dean shook my hand and said nothing but looked pleased to be invited. I wonder had he ever gotten over our sixth year when I kissed Ginny in the common room.
'Harry, great to see you're officially coming back to London,' Neville said. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a group of witches next to us tilt their heads to better hear the conversation.
'Yeah, it was coming on for a while,' I answered moving toward one of the tables near that back that were occupied with Aurors, so there would be less chance of being overheard.
'Mate, how's everything? Congrats on the promotion. What's it like to be London's favorite Auror?' asked Dean.
'Yeah, Harry what's it like to know you have made Moody so happy in his grave? Maybe he will even smile for the first time in his life,' commented George and we all laughed.
'I do my job day in and day out. The ministry is good, I missed being home. In fact, Robards wants to make a public announcement about my promotion, you should all come,' I said drinking my Fire whiskey.
'Wow Harry we would love to come,' replied Neville. 'This is so rare that someone so young gets Deputy director of a Department.' Around them the other Aurors had started listening in and were giving appreciative nods of agreement.
'Too bad the Prophet spoiled the big news, now who is he going to announce it to, since everyone and their mum in London knows,' stated George to which everyone laughed.
'So, Harry what have you guys at the Ministry been working on?' asked Charlie having now joined the crowd of Auror's with Bill.
'Harrykins here has been telling us all about how they are going to have a ceremony in his honor to unveil that he is Deputy Director of the Auror Department, but wait don't tell anyone,' said George patting Charlie on the back.
Everyone laughed and Seamus said, 'too late for that. Now every mum witch will want a chance with the Chosen One even more. Every mum will dream of marrying their daughter to Harry Potter, the best Auror in London.' A round of laughter erupted and everyone ordered a second drink from the waitress that happened to be passing by.
'So, mate is there a special girl in your life?' asked Ron, looking curious. Bill had a dark look on his face that he quickly hid.
'Better question is how many special witches are in your life?' asked George.
'There's no way The Chosen One is single' stated Seamus.
'Mate I'm married to my work', I replied taking a sip of my Fire whiskey the waitress had just brought over.
'Sir, Mr. Potter if there is anything, I can do for you let me know,' said the waitress blinking her huge eyelashes at me, making sure I see her hazel eyes.
The moment she walked away George and Charlie started making jokes about me getting her fire phone so I could floo her. I admit it was funny and the waitress wasn't ugly, instead she was pretty and a curvy body with short copper colored hair.
I saw a flash of long curly black hair that caught my attention from across the dark and crowded dance floor. That hair hung in waves and looked so familiar, then she turned around and I knew why she looked so familiar. She was Bianca but what was Bianca doing here in London of all places.
'Excuse me mates, I see someone I know,' I said leaving the table before they could ask me any more questions.
'Where is he going?' asked Ron trying to see where I was heading, but he was given no response.
I looked her up and down as I approached her. She was tall, maybe 5'7 or 5'8. She had on heels, so she was almost my height. She had a light olive tone to her, light but not pasty like me. She was wearing a tight red dress with cutouts on her sides that hugged her curves perfectly, and her makeup was done perfectly to complement her features. She had the lightest blue eyes shaped by her big oval eyes crowded by long eyelashes. She looked exactly like I remembered her.
'But what was she doing here in London? Last time he saw her she was in Germany and before that in France. I had no idea she had any family in London, or maybe she had come on vacation?
'Excuse me, mam,' I say approaching her as she is talking to three of her friends.
She looks up and I see in her eyes the look of surprise but also happiness. She flings herself into my arms and I hug her back. 'Harry, what are you doing here?' she asks in her French accent as her friends look me up and down.
'I have moved back to London, you know Auror business,' I respond jokingly. She laughs at this and sways my arm. She backs out of the hug, but I still stand too close to me. I can feel eyes on me from behind me and I have a feeling those eyes belong to Ron, George, and maybe a few Aurors.
'Come Bianca, let me buy you a drink,' I say grabbing her arm. 'So, tell me, what brings you to London?' I ask her as her friends resume their prior conversation as we walk away with her hand on my arm.
'Well, me and my friends are in London celebrating her engagement,' she said, and I couldn't help but notice the group of women who were looking at us.
'Oh well I haven't seen you in so very long,' I said as we approached the bar.
She pushed closer to me and said, 'well you haven't written to me to meet you anywhere.' I smiled because in all honesty it was true. I had not seen her in over a month, last time was Germany, before that France, and before that Rome. Bianca dealt with world relations at the Ministry of France. Her job was to travel to Ministries across Europe and make sure communication was running smoothly. We met a year ago or so and have been casually seeing each other ever since.
'I have been busy, how have you been?' I asked her as I inched closer to her, but I do not care that there are on lookers who are probably snapping our picture. I mean maybe I should care, but Bianca was the perfect person to move on with. She and I had things in common and understood each other. I mean Ginny had moved on, so why couldn't I.
'I've been good and if that is all your going to say I'm going to go back to my friends. Thanks for the drink,' she said starting to turn towards her friends who looked on with curiosity.
'Wait,' I said grabbing her hand. I knew several people were looking and over hearing, but I did not care. 'Would you like to go to dinner with me?' I asked her to my surprise.
'Dinner?' she asked taken aback. Her eyes got huger than I have ever seen them, and she bit back a smile. 'Why would you ask me to dinner?' she asked crossing her arms and looking me up and down.
'I think our arrangement so far has worked out pretty good, so why not give it an actual chance?' I asked in a playful manner.
'I suppose your right,' she said and pulled me hard against her. 'But first, let's dance,' she said pulling me to the dance floor. I followed her lead still holding her hand and we found our way to the middle of the dance floor. I had learned to dance during one of my missions in Spain. We danced and danced what felt like forever. We only stopped when she went to go tell her friends she was going to leave with me, and so I went to find Ron and tell him I would be leaving now.
I found them where I had left them, but this time the crowd was smaller as some of the Aurors had gone home. 'Mate, I will see you tomorrow at work,' I told him patting his back. George and Ron stopped their conversation and looked at me with amusement. They wanted to know more.
'Alone or with that beauty?' asked George right away. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, I knew tomorrow he would tell everyone he knew and start to investigate Bianca.
'I will be leaving and that is all I am saying,' I said starting to turn in Bianca's direction.
'So, who is she mate?' asked Seamus coming up from behind Ron, where he had been talking to Dean.
'She is a special friend,' I responded winking at Seamus and waving goodbye to the rest of the group. The blokes all started chuckling and said, 'goodbye Harry,' 'have fun Harry,' all except Ron.
Bianca took my hand, and we left the crowded pub to Diagon Alley and disappeared to 12 Grimmauld Place ignoring the stares, right now I only cared about moving on. But shite it was going to be hard.