They pulled up to a large grey stone house and got out. Ron led the way up to the door, but stopped before they got to it. He turned to Harry and explained, "This is the Search and Rescue branch of the ministry. It's not used often, so it's perfect for your re-introduction. Remember, most of the people here think you're dead. The rest either worship you or hate you. You'll find them soon enough, it's the majority I'm worried about. You disappeared so… dramatically last time, try not to make too much of a show of this, ok?" Harry just nodded, eyeing up the door. Ron opened the door and led the way down a very large, very boring hall and into a boring grey room near the back. He moved a large stand-up piano away from the wall to reveal: the wall. Harry looked at it, then back at Ron. "It's a wall. Way to go, Ron. I think I can take it from here. He leaned forward and stuck his hand through the wall. He turned and grinned at Ron. "Just like Platform Nine and Three Quarters, right?" Ron grinned and nodded. "Straight through, I'll be right behind you, so move out of the way, ok?" Harry nodded and stepped through the wall.
Ron followed him right after, and he barely got out of the way before the red head came through. This side of the wall was lined with wooden paneling and a deep red carpet. A large desk sat on one side of the room, and a couch, with several wizarding magazines on the table in front of it, on the other. A rather pretty blonde witch in blue robes and glasses sat at the desk, looking at them from her chair in an officious manner. "Welcome to Search and Rescue, gentleman. How may I help you?" Ron stepped to the desk and leaned in, explaining something in a low voice. She looked Harry up and down in an impersonal, slightly bored look while Ron spoke, and replied in an equally low voice. Ron said something back, then straightened up and smiled at Harry. "I'll be right back, Harry, I have to go and report in. We'll get you set up and straightened out when I get back." Then he turned and walked through a door behind the desk.
The blonde picked up her quill and set it on the parchment she had been working on. It balanced there for a second, then started racing across the page of it's own accord. Harry recognized it as a Quick Quotes quill from experience. During the numerous interviews he had given after he'd killed Voldermort, several of the reporters had used them. He sat and looked at some of the magazines, but gave it up once he realized that they were all trying to sell something to him. He looked up at the witch and grinned. "It's never very nice when a magazine's page asks you if you suffer from corns and it's voice is more sympathetic than your doctor's." The witch looked up, smiled, and went back to work.
Bored with the magazine and itching with curiosity, Harry stood up from the couch and walked over to the desk. He leaned over the desk and offered his hand to her. "I'm Harry Potter," he said, and flashed a smile at her. She gave his hand a brief shake and said, "I know," then smiled again and went right back to the parchment. A little taken aback at her indifference towards his celebrity, he leaned over again and asked, "I'm sorry to be interrupting you like this, I'm sure you have a lot of work to do, but I was wondering if you could tell me why I'm here?" He grinned engagingly at her and waited for her reply. She gave a light sigh and the quill stopped moving. She set the parchment down, organized her desk a little, folded her hands on top and looked him directly in the eye. "What would you like to know, Mr. Potter?" Looking around, he glanced back at her. "Well, I'm kind of like to know why I never heard of this place before. I worked in the ministry for a couple years, and I never even knew this branch existed. Is it some kind of secret?" The blonde smiled crisply and said, almost recited, actually, "The Search and Rescue branch of the ministry is under top priority secrecy, and therefore it is not known to many. It was developed during the Warlock Wars in 1866, and has been in operation ever since. Because of the secret manner of most of the activities here, the ministry does not wish for the general public to know about it." She broke off her monologue and gave Harry a look over her glasses. "You, Mr. Potter, were considered general public, despite your celebrity and position in the ministry."
Harry, a little offended at her tone and manner, took a breath and smiled again. "Thanks." She gave another of her all-too-frequent, polite smiles and asked, "Is there anything else you would like me to inform you of?" He nodded and asked, "Your name?" She smirked this time, a welcome change, and replied, "Miss Belinda Shaw. I'm welcoming secretary for Search and Rescue, as well as an emergency operative and general coffee maker." She broke off and met his gaze again, this time with a slightly more genuine smile, "And sister to a young girl that will collapse when she hears I met you. In fact," she reached down into a drawer and pulled out a smaller piece of parchment, "If you would sign this for her, I'm sure she'd be thrilled." He grinned, relieved to see the daunting young woman was human after all. "Sure, what's her name?" Belinda told him, "Merina. I think I have a picture of her, actually." She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a picture of a smiling girl of about 16, her long blonde hair in two braids and a simple light green dress on. Her picture didn't leave the frame, but she did look down in shyness, looking back up and blushing slightly as she folded her hands in front of her.
Harry looked up at Belinda. "She's beautiful. You two look like sisters, you can tell you're related." Belinda gave him a genuine smile, and he was dazzled for a second. Then he shook his head and wrote on the parchment, "Marina, You have a beautiful picture, thank your sister for showing it to me. I hope you always stay so charming. Harry Potter." He handed it back and was rewarded with another smile. "Is that all right? I'm not used to writing personal messages." She nodded and assured him, "It's perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if she framed it." He laughed softly.
Belinda leaned towards him and rested her head on her hand. "You're not anything like people say you are." He chuckled and asked, "Really? How am I different?" She smiled again, and Harry's head spun as she answered him, "Well, most of the times people say you're shy, or passionate, or polite, or amazing, or stuck up, or even god-like. But you're different. You're actually human." Harry felt a real, full-out, ear-to-ear smile spread across his face. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while." She blushed, and smiled and Harry saw an even stronger resemblance to her sister. He leaned a little closer and said, "Belinda, thank you for making my day." She laughed and replied, "No, thank you for making mine. And Merina's. She's just going to flip when she sees this." She turned to put the parchment away, and Ron came through the door.
"Harry, I'm sorry it took me so long. Follow me." He turned and walked back through the door, holding it open for him. Harry started towards the door and walked through, then turned back and said to Ron, "I forgot something, hold on a second." He walked quickly back and went behind Belinda's desk and shook her hand. "It was really nice meeting you, Belinda. Thank you." She gave him another of her amazing smiles and said, "No, thank you, Harry. It was a pleasure." He glanced behind him and saw that Ron wasn't looking. He bent and kissed her hand, smiled again, and left. He turned back as the door closed, and met Belinda's gaze as she smiled after him, her hand still held in the air where he's left it.
When he turned around, Ron was standing right behind him, grinning. "What?" Harry asked. Ron just shook his head and said, "Still the same old Harry, underneath it all." Harry protested his way all the way down the hall. They stopped at a door labeled "Special Interests," and Ron turned to him. "Here's where we stop. Now, you have to go in alone. Just walk right in, they'll tell you what to do." Harry nodded and started to open the door. "Oh, and Harry," Ron's voice came from a little farther down the hall, "You might want to try and forget about Miss Shaw for a little bit, you're grinning like a fool." Harry shot him a look as he walked on down the hall, then composed himself and opened the door to his new life.