CHAPTER 3 - SOME WELL-DESERVED REST
As Harry emerged from the forest he was met with a stern looking wizard standing there, straight and rigid. He was a little over fifty years, judging by the white and grey in his hair and the wrinkles gathered under his eyes. He was in a pair of robes of a deep royal blue, and with those combined with the severe look plastered on his face, he looked like the male version of McGonagall.
"Good morning, Mr. Crame," Harry greeted his supervisor at the ministry.
"Good morning to you, Mr. Potter," Crame replied, "I am pleased to say that you have passed your auror training," he said, a minute smile lightening his stern exterior.
Harry cracked a true smile at Crame's words. He had been training for over two years straight to become an auror, and he had finally passed. "Thank you, Mr. Crame!" he managed, rushing forward to shake his supervisor's hand.
"Yes, well, you put all the work into it, Mr. Potter, and it was well deserved," Harry positively beamed at the praise, "Now I suggest that you go home and get some well deserved rest. I trust that you are very tired," Crame told him.
Now that he thought about it, Harry actually was tired; being up all night would make anyone tired. "Yes, Mr. Crame," Harry replied; he was far too overjoyed right now to respond any longer. He shook the man's hand one more time and prepared himself to apparate to his flat.
"Oh, and Mr. Potter," Crame added.
"Yes?"
"Be sure to report in tomorrow for your first assignment," Crame said with a true smile. He really liked the boy and he knew he would go far.
Harry, if even possible, beamed even more. "Yes sir," he stated with resolution before disappearing with a pop!
Harry reappeared at his own little flat in London just seconds later. It was a quaint little place, right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of city life. It had two small, little bedrooms, one for himself and the other for guests. The tiny kitchen was equipped with everything you would expect a wizarding bachelor to have: cabinets and tons of junk food and few cooking utensils. There was also the miniature sitting room where there was a couch and a plush, red armchair, Harry's favorite of course, in front of a nice fireplace. Then of course, there was the bathroom, but there is not much to say about that.
Harry immediately went to his own bedroom and flung his pack onto one of his bed's four bedposts. He then began to change out of his dirty traveling clothes. As he pulled his navy t-shirt off over his head, the copper medal from the forest fell cold upon his chest. He lifted it up and examined it again, and his eyes unfocused as he remembered the previous night. He soon shook himself from the memory and removed the medallion from his neck. He carefully hung it on the bedpost with his other belongings, his gaze lingering on it a little before he continued to change.
After he had finished, Harry went to the desk in the corner of his room and pulled out a quill and parchment. Dipping the quill into some burgundy ink, he wrote what was the beginning of a letter.
Dear Ron,
How are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a while, since you got that job at the ministry. I hope it is going well. Actually, the reason that I am writing is because I finally completed my auror training! I finished last night, but that is beside the point. Some weird things happened while I finished, and I want to talk to you. Will you meet me at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade on March 3rd, a week from today? Write me soon; we have much to talk about.
Harry
Harry finished the letter and debated whether or not to add a postscript. He eventually decided against it, so he folded the parchment and placed it in an envelope. He placed a wax seal of an ornate "P" on the back and addressed it to "Ron Weasley". He walked over to his window and opened it, letting the crisp morning air wash over his face. Inhaling deeply, he let out a low whistle and then stood by and waited. There soon was a rush of wings as a white owl flew past Harry and into the room. It settled itself quite contentedly on the bed and looked up expectantly at Harry. Harry smiled at his friend.
"Hello Hedwig," he said to the owl.
The creature hooted in response. Harry walked forward and proceeded to attach his letter to her leg.
"I need you to take this to Ron, girl," he said as he pet her head. Again, she hooted. "Thanks girl," he said, and with a final pat, she spread her wings and took off into the sky. Harry watched her until he could no longer.
Harry soon walked into his kitchen to get a snack. He stood in front of his open cupboards for a good quarter of an hour, just staring, before he could decide what to eat. He finally settled on a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk. Fixing it for himself, he returned to the sitting room to eat it on the couch.
As he finished eating, his eyes grew heavy, and he yawned. Summoning a blanket from his bedroom, he curled up on the couch and went to sleep.
Several hours later he was awoken by a knock. He was startled awake and he found that someone was at the door. He stood quickly and went to open the door. Upon doing so, he found one of his best friends at the door.
"Hey Hermione!" he managed as jovially as he could after being just woken.
"Hi, Harry! How are you?" she asked, smiling.
"I'm great. Hey, would you like to come in?" he asked her.
She smiled graciously and entered the flat.
"So," she started, "I heard you completed your training."
Harry smiled in remembrance. "Yeah, I did. How do you know? I just finished this morning," Harry wondered.
"Oh, I heard from Ginny Weasley. She files the papers for the Magical Law Enforcement department, as you know. She came down to the Experimental Charms department to meet me so we could take lunch together and she told me. I just got off work so I came to congratulate you," Hermione explained.
"Ok, well thanks," Harry answered, somewhat reservedly. For some reason, he was suddenly hit with a wave of sadness that he couldn't explain. Hermione appeared to have noticed his strange behavior.
"Are you alright Harry?" she asked, concerned.
"What? Oh yes. I'm fine," he responded hurriedly.
"Are you sure?" she persisted. "You look tired."
"Oh, I just woke up from a nap," he replied.
"Oh, well, I suppose you are still tired. I just came by to say congratulations. Bye Harry," she said with a slight smile.
"By Hermione," Harry replied before yawning. Hermione gave a small wave before disapperating. Harry then returned to the couch and prepared to return to his slumber.
Just as he was drifting in and out of sleep, he was again disturbed, this time by a scratching at the window. Sitting up, Harry spotted Hedwig outside the window. He got up and let her in. She flew in and perched on the edge of the couch, extending her leg with Ron's reply attached to it.
"Thanks Hedwig," Harry said as he untied the letter. He gave her a few owl treats, and then she flew back out the window to perch in a nearby tree and get a well-deserved nap. Harry then open his reply.
Dear Harry,
Congratulations on becoming an auror! Of course I will meet you on the 3rd. There is also much I wish to tell you. Look for me in the Three Broomsticks around two in the after noon, and I you. Until then,
Ron
Harry smiled at the thought of seeing his best friend shortly. He placed the letter and the envelope on the end table by the couch before lying back down. Bundling himself back into the blanket, he resumed his nap for several more hours.
As Harry emerged from the forest he was met with a stern looking wizard standing there, straight and rigid. He was a little over fifty years, judging by the white and grey in his hair and the wrinkles gathered under his eyes. He was in a pair of robes of a deep royal blue, and with those combined with the severe look plastered on his face, he looked like the male version of McGonagall.
"Good morning, Mr. Crame," Harry greeted his supervisor at the ministry.
"Good morning to you, Mr. Potter," Crame replied, "I am pleased to say that you have passed your auror training," he said, a minute smile lightening his stern exterior.
Harry cracked a true smile at Crame's words. He had been training for over two years straight to become an auror, and he had finally passed. "Thank you, Mr. Crame!" he managed, rushing forward to shake his supervisor's hand.
"Yes, well, you put all the work into it, Mr. Potter, and it was well deserved," Harry positively beamed at the praise, "Now I suggest that you go home and get some well deserved rest. I trust that you are very tired," Crame told him.
Now that he thought about it, Harry actually was tired; being up all night would make anyone tired. "Yes, Mr. Crame," Harry replied; he was far too overjoyed right now to respond any longer. He shook the man's hand one more time and prepared himself to apparate to his flat.
"Oh, and Mr. Potter," Crame added.
"Yes?"
"Be sure to report in tomorrow for your first assignment," Crame said with a true smile. He really liked the boy and he knew he would go far.
Harry, if even possible, beamed even more. "Yes sir," he stated with resolution before disappearing with a pop!
Harry reappeared at his own little flat in London just seconds later. It was a quaint little place, right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of city life. It had two small, little bedrooms, one for himself and the other for guests. The tiny kitchen was equipped with everything you would expect a wizarding bachelor to have: cabinets and tons of junk food and few cooking utensils. There was also the miniature sitting room where there was a couch and a plush, red armchair, Harry's favorite of course, in front of a nice fireplace. Then of course, there was the bathroom, but there is not much to say about that.
Harry immediately went to his own bedroom and flung his pack onto one of his bed's four bedposts. He then began to change out of his dirty traveling clothes. As he pulled his navy t-shirt off over his head, the copper medal from the forest fell cold upon his chest. He lifted it up and examined it again, and his eyes unfocused as he remembered the previous night. He soon shook himself from the memory and removed the medallion from his neck. He carefully hung it on the bedpost with his other belongings, his gaze lingering on it a little before he continued to change.
After he had finished, Harry went to the desk in the corner of his room and pulled out a quill and parchment. Dipping the quill into some burgundy ink, he wrote what was the beginning of a letter.
Dear Ron,
How are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a while, since you got that job at the ministry. I hope it is going well. Actually, the reason that I am writing is because I finally completed my auror training! I finished last night, but that is beside the point. Some weird things happened while I finished, and I want to talk to you. Will you meet me at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade on March 3rd, a week from today? Write me soon; we have much to talk about.
Harry
Harry finished the letter and debated whether or not to add a postscript. He eventually decided against it, so he folded the parchment and placed it in an envelope. He placed a wax seal of an ornate "P" on the back and addressed it to "Ron Weasley". He walked over to his window and opened it, letting the crisp morning air wash over his face. Inhaling deeply, he let out a low whistle and then stood by and waited. There soon was a rush of wings as a white owl flew past Harry and into the room. It settled itself quite contentedly on the bed and looked up expectantly at Harry. Harry smiled at his friend.
"Hello Hedwig," he said to the owl.
The creature hooted in response. Harry walked forward and proceeded to attach his letter to her leg.
"I need you to take this to Ron, girl," he said as he pet her head. Again, she hooted. "Thanks girl," he said, and with a final pat, she spread her wings and took off into the sky. Harry watched her until he could no longer.
Harry soon walked into his kitchen to get a snack. He stood in front of his open cupboards for a good quarter of an hour, just staring, before he could decide what to eat. He finally settled on a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk. Fixing it for himself, he returned to the sitting room to eat it on the couch.
As he finished eating, his eyes grew heavy, and he yawned. Summoning a blanket from his bedroom, he curled up on the couch and went to sleep.
Several hours later he was awoken by a knock. He was startled awake and he found that someone was at the door. He stood quickly and went to open the door. Upon doing so, he found one of his best friends at the door.
"Hey Hermione!" he managed as jovially as he could after being just woken.
"Hi, Harry! How are you?" she asked, smiling.
"I'm great. Hey, would you like to come in?" he asked her.
She smiled graciously and entered the flat.
"So," she started, "I heard you completed your training."
Harry smiled in remembrance. "Yeah, I did. How do you know? I just finished this morning," Harry wondered.
"Oh, I heard from Ginny Weasley. She files the papers for the Magical Law Enforcement department, as you know. She came down to the Experimental Charms department to meet me so we could take lunch together and she told me. I just got off work so I came to congratulate you," Hermione explained.
"Ok, well thanks," Harry answered, somewhat reservedly. For some reason, he was suddenly hit with a wave of sadness that he couldn't explain. Hermione appeared to have noticed his strange behavior.
"Are you alright Harry?" she asked, concerned.
"What? Oh yes. I'm fine," he responded hurriedly.
"Are you sure?" she persisted. "You look tired."
"Oh, I just woke up from a nap," he replied.
"Oh, well, I suppose you are still tired. I just came by to say congratulations. Bye Harry," she said with a slight smile.
"By Hermione," Harry replied before yawning. Hermione gave a small wave before disapperating. Harry then returned to the couch and prepared to return to his slumber.
Just as he was drifting in and out of sleep, he was again disturbed, this time by a scratching at the window. Sitting up, Harry spotted Hedwig outside the window. He got up and let her in. She flew in and perched on the edge of the couch, extending her leg with Ron's reply attached to it.
"Thanks Hedwig," Harry said as he untied the letter. He gave her a few owl treats, and then she flew back out the window to perch in a nearby tree and get a well-deserved nap. Harry then open his reply.
Dear Harry,
Congratulations on becoming an auror! Of course I will meet you on the 3rd. There is also much I wish to tell you. Look for me in the Three Broomsticks around two in the after noon, and I you. Until then,
Ron
Harry smiled at the thought of seeing his best friend shortly. He placed the letter and the envelope on the end table by the couch before lying back down. Bundling himself back into the blanket, he resumed his nap for several more hours.