Chapter 1
O.K, big apology to all the people who read my unfinished version of this chapter, I accidentally posted it with half of it missed out! Sorry! Thanks to all the people who reviewed, though. I'm really grateful, and here now is the finished chapter. Enjoy!
The light of the red sunset peered in through the high windows of the empty office. Nearly empty, but not quite. A young boy of 16, with a shock of dishevelled black hair, emerald green eyes, and a scar which everyone in the wizarding world seemed to know about, was sitting slumped on a chair in the middle of the familiar office, waiting for what he knew would eventually come.
The faces of previous headmasters peered at him suspiciously from the walls around him, and he glared back at them indignantly.
He sighed, fathoming in his mind the speech he had prepared with Ron and Hermione, his dearest friends, to stop him being expelled from the only place he'd ever loved, the only place he'd ever called home. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Ever since he had returned from the graveyard that often featured in his recent recurring nightmares, with the body of Cedric Diggory, people he had considered friends looked at him with distrust, and sometimes loathing. They all thought he had murdered Cedric because he was jealous that Cedric had become the champion of Hogwarts, and not himself. They reckoned he was the murderer, and now he was trying to cast it off as the work of He-who-must-not-be-named. Harry gave an internal shudder, and fell back into his absent-minded stupor.
The door opened, and a familiar man with piercing blue eyes, and a wise long face entered, looking grave yet encouraging all at the same time. He sat down and looked at Harry, with his penetrating, almost unnerving blue gaze.
"Harry," he said "I want to offer you a unique, but demanding opportunity-"
" Please Professor," he protested, his carefully thought-out speech completely forgotten. "I don't want to transfer, it's not that bad here. With time, I'm sure people will come around-"
"Harry, my dear boy, what are you gibbering about? Did you think I would send you away from school?" he paused, obviously suppressing the urge to smile "No, I wanted to offer you the chance to- although I must make this totally clear, it entails a lot of effort and commitment. I'm offering you the chance to train at the Auror's academy."
Silence ensued, Harry was flabbergasted, he spoke, making a noise which sounded vaguely like "mimblewimbleungashap" This was the last thing he had expected. He was totally unprepared for such a surprising proposition. Dumbledore was the next to speak " If" he paused, and took a deep breath, as if considering what he was about to say "if you should choose to undertake this responsibility, you would miss 6 months of school on a basic course, and learn to defend yourself adequately, if" he paused again, "a situation of danger arises", he then continued " The Auror training school is located just South of here, near Hogsmeade. You would be able to visit Hogwarts on Sundays to visit your friends, and The Academy has an ample Quidditch field, which you could play on."
Dumbledore sat back, watching closely for the boy's reaction. Harry sunk back into his chair, as if all his bones and innards been sucked out of him, through a straw, by an extremely agitated wild boar. " Why me, Professor?" was the only intelligent thing he could think to say.
" Well, in the past, you have shown many of the qualities the Academy would expect from a good Auror. You have shown courage, integrity, and most important of all, a pure heart. Who could make a better Auror? And Harry, most of all, I want you to be safe. You have always been a magnet for adventure and peril, and with the resurrection of Voldemort, you need to be able to protect yourself." Harry began to speak, almost protestant, but Dumbledore cut in " Now, Harry I don't want a decision now. Consider long and hard about this, it is no light decision. Tell me when you feel ready."
And with that, he ushered Harry out of the room, and began scribbling away on some parchment at an alarming rate, with a multi-coloured quill.
Harry spent a while, circling the familiar grounds, thoughts pulsating unbearably around his crowded mind. Would Auror training be too hard? What would happen with his schoolwork? And most of all, What would Ron and Hermione think?
With all these thoughts still racing around in his head, he made his way to the Gryffindor common room, where he knew his friends would be waiting.
Harry entered the crowded common room, and swindled his way over to Ron and Hermione. "What happened?" they both asked, with anxious looks on their faces, "Well," said Harry with a strange expression on his face that neither Ron nor Hermione could fathom, " I'm going to be an Auror."