Authors Note: Hey! Here's my new story called "The Journey Home". ENJOY!

THE JOURNEY HOME

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Prologue.

In the dull quiet of a midsummer afternoon, Britain's top auror found himself letting his mind wander. His eyes drifted from the pile of papers and reports on his desktop to a photograph pinned to the wall of his cubicle. Inside the photograph was a whole other world, one the auror had long since put behind him, but one he could not deny the allure of returning to. The appeal was not in the location or landscape, but in the occupants. It was home to the image of the auror's younger self. Messy black hair and plain round glasses, the image sat forever in the company of the same two figures. On the left was tall, gangly, freckled faced Ron Weasley and on the right with her nose in a book was the bushy-haired Hermione Granger. It had been seven years since the photograph was taken, and seven years since Harry Potter had seen his two best friends.

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Chapter One.

"Evening Potter. Buy you a firewhiskey?" Kingsley Shacklebolt sat down across from Harry at their usual table in the darkest, shadiest corner of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry nodded, "please."

"Two thanks, Tom," Kingsley called to the barkeep.

"Make that three. Your shout is it Kingsley?" Tonks asked, as she pulled up a chair.

"Apparently," Kingsley grunted, "but I'm not buying for that lot, they barely look old enough to drink." Harry glanced at the five figures that had followed Tonks in. He recognized the look of eager anticipation that was on the face of every recruit who made it past Phase One of training. He quietly wondered if he'd had the same naïve idealism when he'd first become an auror.

"Ah, they're not so bad. Besides tonight they have something to celebrate." Tonks announced.

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" Harry asked, not bothering to sound the slightest bit interested.

"Well I'm glad you asked Mr Potter," Tonks continued with mock formality, "these future aurors, protectors of innocent, hero's of wizard and muggle's alike, have come to a most important milestone in their quest for greatness."

Harry couldn't help but crack a smile at Tonks performance. "Which is?" he prompted.

"Their first REAL assignment," Tonks concluded with flourish. The recruits stood proudly and one even puffed out his chest, reminding Harry strongly of Percy Weasley.

Harry tried his very best to stifle his laughter. "And what do you have planned for your poor victims this year Tonks? Scouring the globe for ancient scrolls? Fishing through the floo network for chimney squatters?"

"Or perhaps another mission in search of the Taniwha?" Kingsley added laughing as well. Since taking over the position of Head of Auror Training, Tonks had become famous for sending her recruits on wild goose chases, always landing one or two in St Mungos.

"I'll have you know, those scrolls are legendary and just because the recruits couldn't find them doesn't mean they're not there," Tonks replied with an indignant sniff, "and the Taniwha does exist, just ask any wizard in that part of the world."

"What about the chimney squatters?" Harry grinned.

"No such thing. Made 'em up." Tonks sniffed again and shifted in her chair. "Actually this year's assignment is a little more practical."

Harry lowered his glass, interested in Tonk's sudden change in demeanor. She was sitting a lot straighter and her eyes were fixed on the table.

"I'm sending them after Ron."

There was a *clank* as Kingsley's glass hit the table, followed by an uncomfortable silence, during which all eyes were fixed on Harry.

"At his request or his mother's?" Harry asked calmly, raising his glass back to his lips and taking a short sip.

"His," Tonks confirmed, "the last owl he sent said he found something, but it didn't go into detail."

"I wouldn't get too excited, Ron seems to have made a hobby of chasing geese."

"He sounded really serious this time, Harry."

"Oh, wake up, Tonks!" Harry bellowed, throwing his glass to the table and startling even himself. "Ron's always serious. Every time he writes, he's found some miracle cure that'll fix everything and every single time, nothing happens! One day he's going to wake up and realize she's gone and she isn't coming back and he's wasted half his life searching for a ghost! He'd do far better to just move on." Harry leapt to his feet, spun round and came face-to-face with a familiar tall, red headed figure.

"Like you have, you mean?" Ginny Weasley asked.

"Yeah, just like me." Harry replied. He pushed past his ex-girlfriend, not wanting to revisit old arguments, but had only made it a few paces before her voice stopped him.

"I wish we could all just give up on our friends as easily as you." Ginny shot.

"People die, Ginny," Harry didn't turn around and tried to keep his voice calm, "we don't give up on them or forget about them, but we have to keep on living."

"That's all very well, but Hermione's not dead." Ginny replied defiantly.

"Believe what you want," Harry mumbled, with a sigh, "I don't care anymore."

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