CHAPTER FOUR
Reacclimate
It had taken a while, but Harry finally calmed down enough to take in what Solace was saying, though all that comprehension did was leave him feeling numb.
Perhaps she thought he was alright for now, as she gently took his arm before turning on the spot and Apparated them away from the dank tunnels beneath London and back to Trafalgar Square. It was much darker and less busy than it had been this afternoon, and his friends were already gathered there, seated on the edge of the fountain.
Judging by their collective good mood, it was clear that they had all passed the final exam, and Harry felt regret wash over him when they immediately sobered at the mere sight of him. He had already cleared away the sweat, grime and tears that the evening's endeavours had accumulated in, but they could all see how upset he was anyway.
"Oh, no!" Terry groaned, rolling his head back. "Tell me it isn't true." He begged.
Michael came stomping right up to Solace. "You're too hard on him! He would have passed if you weren't so bent on making things difficult for him!"
"Are you alright?" Anthony had approached Harry and asked the question tentatively, as though afraid of what his reaction might be.
Harry nodded and did his best to smile. "I'm alright, just wiped." He raised his voice so the others could hear his next words. "I passed." There was a beat of silence, but instead of celebrating and filling the square with the sounds of their whoops like he had expected, they only seemed more concerned than ever.
"I don't understand." Anthony shook his head. "Then why are you-?"
He was interrupted by Solace, who finally decided to speak. "Harry's test was a little different to the rest of yours."
Michael scowled at her. "Harry, huh? What happened to our Number Four?"
"Numbers were for training only, but we're beyond that now." She tried to smile warmly at them, but it looked painful for her. "You've all passed." Again, there was no celebration amongst the boys.
Terry had approached Harry as well. "Your test was different? We just had to track some Sentries posing as Rogues and do surveillance for a couple of hours. What did you do?"
Harry shrugged. "Track and execute an Ogre that was killing Muggle kids."
"What?" Michael was appalled. "That is so-!"
"We need to report back in." Solace told them, and Harry's friends all glanced back at her with varying degrees of disgust.
"The Commander has waited for a hundred days." Terry pointed out. "Surely he can hang on for a few more minutes."
Harry finally began to accept that training was really over, as Solace allowed that and all the other signs of disrespect to pass without retribution.
Solace shook her head. "Go to the Citadel. Now." The boys tried to stare her down, but they were quickly intimidated into Disapparating away. Harry avoided looking at her altogether as he followed suit.
As soon as he arrived at the Apparition Point, he stepped forward in order to avoid having the next person fall on top of him. When Solace appeared, she led them directly to the Citadel's front gates where she was immediately ushered in due to her onyx Ouroboros, but the boys had to present their wand licences in order to gain entry.
They marched behind their captain through the front gardens to the entrance foyer on the inside, where she led them directly to the Commander's office. They gained a few strange looks along the way, as their badge-free cloaks and bronze bracers gave them away as Initiates when no such rank should exist this late in the year.
"Come in!" Was the answer they got when Solace knocked on the Commander's door. The man himself shot to his feet the moment he caught sight of them, the page of parchment he had been studying abandoned as he hurried around his desk in order to embrace his sons, but he froze halfway when they all reflexively greeted him with a salute. He paused, but only for a moment, as he calmly said, "At ease."
They relaxed as they lowered their arms and folded them behind their backs in the correct position.
The Commander had always been a stoic fellow in Harry's eyes, but the sight of Terry and Anthony saluting him in their Auror uniforms seemed to leave him a little misty-eyed. However, he still cleared his throat and addressed them as though they were just like his other subordinates. "Welcome back, Initiates. I take by your return here that you have all passed Captain Solace's training?"
The boys answered in unison. "Yes, Commander." Even though Harry already knew what they went through wasn't standard basic training in the Auror Corps, it felt nice to have it confirmed.
The Commander's eyes flickered to Solace, and Harry detected anger in that gaze, but also pride when he looked back at them. He had clearly been ready to rescue them if they had abandoned training halfway and came crying to him, but he was also proud now that they had stuck with it and passed without his help.
"Excellent work." He nodded. "There are a few things that need to be lined up before your Initiation Ceremony, such as schoolwork and the real entrance exam, but those can all be arranged at a later date after your authorised one-week holiday." Harry knew that he wasn't the only one to feel dread when he heard that there was another exam they had to go through, but they all remained silent. "The only thing to be dealt with now is the matter of your salary."
Harry felt Michael stiffen beside him as the Commander reached into the draw behind his desk and pulled out a thick folder from which he withdrew four envelopes and a key. "You have each accumulated three months' salary, and it is all at Cadet pay rate considering we usually don't have Initiates long enough to worry about a separate pay scale." He handed an envelope to each of them, but Michael got a key as well. "Initiate Corner, I took the liberty to arrange a private Gringotts account for you." Harry guessed that wasn't something a superior officer usually took the time to do, but it did sound like a thoughtful favour your best friend's dad might do for you. "Any questions? Speak freely."
"We get paid?!" Michael blurted out. Terry and Anthony burst out laughing and even Harry cracked a smile.
The Commander grinned. "We would be a poor army if we didn't pay our soldiers."
"Sorry, I just didn't think about it." Michael looked mortified at his own reaction, but it didn't stop him from asking, "How much do we get paid exactly?"
The Commander gestured to the envelopes that they still held in their hands. "See for yourself." The boys immediately tore into the envelopes, as Michael wasn't the only one who was curious about their pay. Inside was a rectangular piece of parchment with the Gringotts emblem, a space for them to press their Gringotts key into and, most importantly, the written amount of what they were being paid.
Three hundred and seventy-five Galleons for three months work after tax. Which meant fifteen hundred Galleons a year. If one Galleon is around twenty-five pounds, then that means- Harry's brain short circuited.
Michael whistled and voiced out loud what they were all thinking. "Holy Halcyon," he whispered. "I'm rich!"
The Commander chuckled. "It'll run out a lot quicker than you think, so be careful to save at least half, alright boys?" He was speaking to them now, not as their Commander, but as a father. He seemed to pick up on how easily the lines were being blurred as he quickly cleared his throat again and dismissed them. "Alright, Initiates. Go home and get some rest."
After giving their dad a couple of quick hugs, Terry and Anthony left through the door and took Michael with them as he didn't want to go back to his Aunt Amelia's if Susan wasn't there. "You should have told me we were getting paid," he was complaining as they stepped out of the room. "Training would have been so much easier to get through if I had known a pile of gold was waiting for me on the other side."
"We thought it was obvious." Anthony replied as the door began to close. "Something that was so obvious it didn't bother mentioning."
"It wasn't obvious to me-!" Was the last thing they heard before the door was shut.
Harry approached the Commander, but he had already read his mind, gesturing to the fireplace. "Direct connection, just for you." He explained with a wink. "One time only." Harry guessed he must have asked his brother-in-law, Uncle Stephen who worked for the Department of Magical Transportation, to arrange it for him and he smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Commander." He tossed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the emerald flames. The last thing he saw before he was whisked away was the Commander glaring at Captain Solace who had remained in a stiff salute behind the boys the entire time.
They must have been informed of his return, or perhaps the private Floo connection to the London Citadel gave it away, because Maia, Remus and Nicolas were all waiting for him in the sitting room upon his arrival.
Harry stepped out of the fireplace, and while they all shot to their feet to be the first to greet him, it was Maia who won the race as she jumped over the coffee table to put her arms around him. He caught sight of a banner that read Welcome Home, Cadet Potter! over her shoulder as she squeezed him tight. "Oh, I missed you! You must tell me everything-" she stopped speaking when Harry hugged her back even tighter.
His tears had all been shed in the tunnels beneath London, but that didn't stop him from shaking in her embrace. The room fell silent as she rubbed his back and Remus stepped forward and squeezed his shoulder. Nicolas must have been feeling awkward at this emotional display, as he said, "I'll just go make us all a cup of tea," even though Harry had never seen him make one for himself before.
It was that reaction that made him get a grip on himself. "No, I'm alright." He pulled back from his godparents' embrace and smiled, a real one now, and they seemed relieved that his eyes were dry. "It's just good to be home."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Harry felt much better the next day after he slept in his own bed and luxuriated in the scalding water of his own bath. He was surprised at breakfast with all his favourite foods, which was a trend that continued for lunch and dinner, and Nicolas didn't raise any kind of fuss about his strict diet.
Over the next week, Maia continued her interrupted driving lessons, teaching him to ride the motorbike the two had built together over the summer. Remus sat and read beside him in the evenings while he drew in his sketchbook and Nicolas deviated between playing something jazzy on the piano and arguing with Maia about the volume on the Odeon.
Harry had been kept so busy over the last few months that he hadn't realised how much he had missed his new family, and he was grateful for their presence now as it kept dark thoughts from lingering in his mind.
Neither forgiveness nor condemnation.
Nicolas had been pleased with his progress when Harry had taken him to their training clearing and showed off all that he had learned and perfected over the course of basic training, especially by his now more reliable Mage Sight. The only thing that concerned him was Harry's lack of progress with Lightning spells.
"I could have sworn that earth would be the hardest element for you to master." Nicolas frowned.
"It was hard," Harry admitted. "It still is. I can only really do a handful of earth spells, and only two of them are nonverbal. Lightning is just harder than that."
Nicolas nodded slowly before turning to Harry with a considering look. "Do you remember what I told you about lightning?"
Harry nodded. "I have as much control over my mind as I'll ever do, and I do seek absolute destruction when I practice it." He paused before adding, "Enlightenment might be a problem though."
Nicolas stiffened. "Oh? How so?"
"I know the vision of Quirrell was faked." Harry said bluntly.
Nicolas sighed now that he had been caught. "How?"
Harry shrugged. "I think a part of me has always known. The whole thing was just too neat, you know? But I never let myself think too deeply on it."
Nicolas tried to defend himself. "I only wanted to-" he hastily began.
"I know." Harry interrupted. "I don't blame you in the slightest."
"You don't?" Harry was pleased that he could put an expression of astonishment onto Nicolas' face.
"No." Harry shook his head. "I saw myself you know, in the vision Lady Wen conjured."
"She didn't create whatever it was that you saw," Nicolas interjected. "She simply led your subconscious into confronting your most supressed memories and emotions."
"Well, whatever she did I ended meeting a hidden part of myself," Harry informed him. "Not a memory, but an actual part of myself that I supress whenever it's no longer useful."
Nicolas raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound healthy."
"Probably not." Harry agreed. "Anyway, confronting that part of myself head on helped me realise that it was the only thing that kept me going while I was growing up. It made me strong, but cynical as well, and I realised that I had to let go of it if I wanted to reconnect properly with my friends."
"I think that's just a part of growing up, isn't it?" Nicolas wondered aloud. "All children realise that they can't get away with being selfish little monsters at some age, not if they want to be accepted by others."
Harry's lips twitched. "Well, whether it's normal or not, when I thought that I had failed that kid during the test I felt that old urge to lash out at everyone around me bubble up." He made sure to look his master right in the eye when he said, "If it wasn't for your little lie then I would probably would have done, so thanks."
Nicolas paused before tentatively saying, "You're welcome?"
Harry nodded. "Anyway, until I figure out whatever can fill the void that old darkness left behind in me, I think lightning will be beyond me." Harry admitted.
"I can't say that I understand but," Nicolas put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "I'll be here for you if you need me."
Harry smiled up at him. "I know."
Later that week, on the last day before he returned to school, Harry was driving Hugo the Second along the coast with Maia hanging on behind him. He had been driving faster than was strictly necessary as his godmother encouraged (continuing to prove herself a terrible influence) but he slowed down on the last turn before their destination.
Maia moved her weight along with him and the bike as they made the turn, having already warned him about difficult passengers who remained stiff rather than trusting the driver, and Harry was already not looking forward to having to maintain the bike's balance when that situation inevitably arrived.
They parked Hugo the Second on the edge of the road before stepping onto Nicolas' private beach. Throughout their lessons on the open road, they had treated this destination as a halfway point before the journey back. It was freezing this time of the year, but neither of them minded.
They remained in companiable silence as they stood there on the sand looking out at the grey crashing waves, before Harry asked the question that had been on his mind all week. "Maia, how do you deal with the guilt over my parents?"
Maia whipped her head towards him, her hair a mess from both the helmet and the heavy wind. "What?" Even with all the noise that came with the beach, the incredulous hurt in her voice was audible to his ears.
Harry realised much too late how his question must have sounded. "No, no! I didn't mean it like that!" He quickly explained the final test of his basic training and how it had brought up old wounds from Quirrell. "I thought I had a handle on it, but-"
"-knowing that it wasn't your fault doesn't really help much." She finished. Harry nodded. Maia paused before tentatively saying, "You know, I resented meeting with Healer Swann at first, but-"
"No." Harry spoke firmer than he meant to, appalled at the very idea of meeting with a Mind Healer.
Maia sighed disappointedly but didn't force the issue. "Well, in my experience, you can't forgive yourself over it or try to forget it. You just have to learn how to live with it."
"I thought I had done that already." His grumble was carried off by the wind. "So, what's missing?"
Maia stepped closer to him and raised her hand to run her fingers through his hair. "No two people are the same, Harry. For me, it was the thought of finding and killing Charlotte. Now, it's about being here for you. One day, when you're all grown, it'll be for something else." She put her hand on his cheek, indicating that she wanted him to look up at her. "You just need to find that one thing you feel can redeem you."
Harry couldn't stop the pleased smile that grew upon his face. "You think I redeem you? Me?"
She didn't crack a joke like he expected her to. "Without a doubt."
Harry felt his eyes sting and he quickly averted his gaze back to the crashing waves, but not quick enough to fool his godmother who put her arm around his shoulders, both in comfort and to keep him from fleeing from what she knew he was experiencing.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
It was the first week of December when they came back to school.
Harry found it rather bizarre that they were finally back after half a year away, and while he would like to say that he noticed some changes in his year mates or in the student body as a whole, he was already so distant from most of them that he would have failed to notice any differences if they existed at all.
As just another example of the distance between his group and everyone else was the fact that Professor Flitwick had prohibited them from going to lessons until they were caught up on the months of work that they had missed out on.
While this sounded terrible on paper, Flitwick had thought ahead in order to make their return as smooth as possible, starting with private lessons with himself. Instead of one lesson per subject every week, their timetable was filled to the brim with the lessons they had missed out on, all day every day, until they were caught back up.
Hopefully before end-of-term exams rolled around.
An unused classroom on the seventh floor had been refitted for their specific purposes, with incongruous items for them to practice their transfigurations and charms on as well as a small potions lab in the corner. Professor Flitwick came by every day for an hour or two in order to help them with anything they might need, such as instructions that were alternative to their textbooks, pointers on spellcasting and checking on their work.
But it still wasn't enough to kill the overwhelmed sensation that they were all feeling, particularly on that first day.
"This is the worst." Terry groaned as they made their way through the corridors to Ravenclaw tower. "Can't he stick around for more than five minutes?"
"Don't be so ungrateful," Anthony snapped. "The other teachers probably refused to make concessions for us. You know how hard Hogwarts can be." They all made noises of agreement at that, as all the premiere schools were notoriously sink or swim.
"We should get Professor Flitwick a present or something." Michael suggested.
"Only after I see my exam results though." Harry added, dreading the idea of losing his top spot.
Michael understood that without him even needing to vocalise it. "You could stand to lose your top academic ranking for basic training if I can miss out on playing Quidditch this year."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You don't even know if you lost your position yet." They had all arrived early this morning, but Flitwick had whisked them away from the Ravenclaw table before any of their friends had been able come over.
"Don't get his hopes up, Harry." Anthony scolded as they began to ascend the spiral staircase. "The team probably found another Chaser while we were away."
Terry piled on. "Yeah, and they were probably spectacular too. Getting revenge on Hufflepuff for last year's match-" He was cut off by Michael groan of despair. It was obvious that they were only just messing with him, but their words had hit a little too close to home.
"What if they did?" He asked as they stepped into the common room. "What if they-?" He stopped talking when Fiona came rushing over to him and latched onto his arm.
"Michael, you're here!" She began dragging him back out the room. "Let's get to practice!" The last thing they saw before the door closed was Michael's relieved expression.
"Well, that didn't last very long." Terry sighed. "Now we'll have to find something else to tease him about." They made their way over to the seats by the window where Lisa and Amanda were revising for their exams.
Harry sat on the arm of Lisa's chair. "Hey." He wasn't sure what kind of greeting he would get in return, but he had expected something a little more positive than the filthy look he was given. Lisa gathered her things and stomped up the girl's staircase without a single word. "What did I say?" Harry slipped into her departed seat, not one to let a warmed armchair go to waste.
Amanda rolled her eyes at him. "You said "Hey", you ninny." Anthony had the grace to cover his snort with a cough, but Terry openly laughed at him, and Harry couldn't even blame him. It was rare for Amanda to be snippy with anyone. "You stood her up. Again."
Harry frowned. "What are you-?" He stopped talking as he remembered the Bejewelled Heroines concert that he had agreed to go to way back in July. "Ah."
"You missed her birthday as well." Amanda reminded him. "And I'm guessing you haven't even thought about what to get her for Christmas." Harry sank lower in his seat with every word that came out of her mouth. "She knows you were away for training, Professor Flitwick told her that much, but you just keep forgetting all about her." With that, she too gathered her things and went upstairs.
"That's so unreasonable." Anthony huffed, indignant on Harry's behalf but only after Amanda's tirade had ended. "It's not like you had any choice in the matter."
"Good riddance." Terry muttered. "Lisa's annoying anyway."
Harry wasn't paying attention to any of this because, while he had no choice in his absence, he couldn't excuse the fact that he hadn't thought of Lisa once in all his time away.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Do you remember what we spoke about at your birthday party?" Susan asked.
It was the second to last night of term, and exams had only just finished that afternoon. Harry, Anthony, Terry, Michael, Susan and Megan had all made their way to the kitchens to unwind with a private meal. Somehow Luna had found out without the help of the Marauder's Map and had invited herself along.
While she and Terry were trying to convince the others that Moon Frogs were indeed real, the latter with far less sincere intentions than the former, Susan had pulled Harry aside in order to speak with him privately.
Harry pretended to wrack his brain. "Pineapple upside-down cake is an underrated dessert option?"
"What?" Susan's face scrunched up in disgust. "No, about what I have planned for my future."
"I'm just joking. Of course, I remember." Harry smiled. "You said you'll tell me when September rolled around but considering its December and I've been back a fortnight, I thought you had changed your mind."
"I did change my mind. A few times, in fact." Susan glanced at the others to make sure their attention was still diverted. "I didn't want to do it without speaking to Michael first, because it concerns him too."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "But you're going to tell me first?"
"Of course, I value your opinion." He looked at her doubtfully. "Alright, I need your support before I can even begin in the new year." She admitted.
Harry frowned. "Why would you need my-?" There was only one big thing that started happening in January, and when it fell into place in his mind, he leaned away from her. "You're making a run for the Youth Seat?"
To her credit, she didn't seem at all embarrassed about what she was asking from him. "Yes." She glanced back at Michael. "You saw what happened with my dad. I want to stop it from happening again."
Harry shook his head. "I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure that the Youth Seat of the British Wizengamont can't affect wider Confederacy policy."
"I know that." Susan huffed. "But every Advocate of Law's career started early, often in school. I need experience as soon as possible, which only the Youth Seat can give me." When Harry still looked doubtful, she added, "It's like the training you just did. The things you learned probably gave you experience, didn't it?"
That swayed him. "I'll need to know what your stances are before I can attach my name to yours."
Susan looked hurt. "Don't you trust me? We're friends."
Harry smiled. "Yeah, but I want to be Magister when I grow up. I don't want something you said as a Third Year coming back to bite me on the arse when I'm forty or something."
Susan raised her eyebrows. "You as Magister and me as the Advocate of Laws?"
"I know." He was still smiling. "If things go well, we'll be working together."
Susan wrinkled her nose. "I'll be working for you." She corrected. "How awful."
"Enough of that lip, or I'll dock your pay." Harry threatened. She punched his arm.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Remind me. Why do we have to come?" Anthony yawned, as the carriage rumbled along.
It was the last day of term, and they were all due to take the Hogwarts Express home tomorrow. Harry had gathered all the Third Year Ravenclaws bright and early for an outing, and the only one who didn't know was Lisa.
"Because if this doesn't work then I still want to have a good time." Harry sighed. "This stunt has cost me a fortune."
"You still haven't told us where we're-" Terry began, and the carriage stopped. Harry jumped out first, making sure that the Thestrals had taken them to the nearest Apparition Point like he had asked. Across the cobblestone road, the second carriage holding the girls opened and Lisa froze at the sight of him.
Not a good start.
When her friends finally managed to convince not to walk away, Amanda came over as the ambassador for the girls. "Whatever you've got planned had better work." She warned. "She'll never forgive us for tricking her if it doesn't."
"It had better work, cause I'm all out of ideas if it doesn't." He reached into his pocket for his Portkey. "Did you bring summer wear like I asked?" Amanda nodded as she turned to gather her friends.
"This had better not take long," Lisa addressed the air three feet to the left from Harry. "We have band practice after lunch."
"We should be back by then." Harry assured, and when they all had at least a finger on the Portkey, it activated. It took longer than most other Portkeys he had taken as the destination was so far away, but it was one he was already familiar with.
"Bedlam, it's hot." Michael cursed, as he stripped off his cloak. Even though the sun had set it was still blazing hot, at least in comparison to the freezing Scottish winter they had just stepped out of.
"Don't worry, we can change in here." Harry nodded his head at the inn that Uncle Stephen had advised they go to.
"Where are we?" Su asked, whipping her head around in every direction.
"Backe Waters, Australia." Harry said as they crossed the road. Lisa and Padma began excitedly tittering as they had already guessed the reason why.
"What?" Terry didn't look happy at having travelled so far. "Why?"
"Bejewelled Heroines are playing here tonight." Harry smirked as they entered the inn. Terry changed his tune immediately, letting out a whoop that had the patrons stare at him. "Sorry about my friend," Harry apologised to the barkeep. "I think we have a reservation for two rooms, under Boot?" The man nodded and handed over the keys without a word.
"You reserved it under Terry's name?" Anthony asked while they climbed the stairs, as said boy was still busy celebrating along with the girls.
"Your Uncle Stephen arranged all this for me." Harry explained. "He works really fast." When they made it to the rooms, he handed over the girl's key to Isobel who had climbed up first, but before he could enter his own, he felt a hand tug on his sleeve.
Lisa kept her hold on him even when the others entered the rooms and closed the doors to give them some semblance of privacy. "You didn't have to do all this, you know."
That clearly isn't true, Harry thought. He had been trying to get her to speak to him for two weeks now with no luck, and he found out the hard way that trying to ambush her when she was alone through the Marauder's Map was not the way to go. Outwardly he said, "I wanted to make it up to you."
"You could have just said sorry." She suggested.
Harry felt his irritation well up. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything wrong, but he knew better than to say such a thing out loud. "I told you before, didn't I? Actions means more to me than just words."
Lisa stared at him for a long moment, making Harry afraid that she could see right through him and know that he wasn't sorry at all. But then she smiled softly and stepped within his space. "You're so sweet."
As she kissed him, he wondered what had made him feel so detached from her.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Harry wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed when he was presented with the real Initiate Entrance Exam, but there was no doubt that he was left bored by it.
On the first morning of the Christmas holidays, they were each called into the London Citadel to take the exam. Unlike Captain Solace's tests, there was no team component to the real test, only a paper and practical exam taken individually and within the Citadel itself.
It was too close to a real Hogwarts examination for Harry's liking, which was what made it so boring.
The paper test glossed over the law and hardly got into the different factions of Rogues, Dark Wizards and Beasts that Aurors combated every day. It was so easy, almost as if it was made for children to take.
Harry paused. It was meant for children, ones that had only just recently passed their WOMBATs to be precise. This realisation was only the latest in a long line of them when it came to Solace's extreme training.
Walking out of the training hall to join the rest of his friends after dazzling the examiner with a nonverbal and wand movement free demonstration of the Basic Seven, Harry said, "I'm not sure what to complain about first. The fact that it was so easy, or that I had to go last thanks to alphabetical order."
"Well, there isn't really another way to do it." Anthony reasoned.
"Alphabetical order of our first names!" Harry pointed out. "That way you go first."
Anthony considered it. "While I like the sound of that, do you really trust Terry to wait patiently if he has to go last?"
Terry rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad."
Harry responded as though Terry hadn't spoken. "Yeah, he'll probably blow something up."
"Hey!"
Michael got their attention. "Uh-oh, here comes trouble." They all turned to face the direction he was looking at, only to see Captain Solace striding towards them. It had been three weeks since they had last seen her, and the only change was the friendly smile she directed at them.
"Did you all pass?" She waited for them to respond, but when they said nothing, she continued as though they had answered in the positive. "I told you my training could prepare you for anything."
Harry had told his friends everything about his final test weeks ago (barring his mortifying reaction to it) and they were now looking at him for a response, waiting to follow his lead on how to deal with her. Harry had considered throwing his weight around and demanding a new captain for his squad, but even if that worked it would only confirm her initial idea of him.
So instead, he took a deep breath and asked, "What's next, Captain?"
Solace smile turned more genuine, as she seemed relieved by the unspoken reconciliation. "All that's left is the Oath."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The four approached the dais in full ceremonial Auror garb.
The cave they were in had been ordinary once, but centuries of tradition and ceremony had turned it into a veritable holy sight for the Wizarding World. Not an inch of the walls remained bare as glowing golden images of their peoples' history had been engraved onto the dark stone walls, battles and treaties in motion as well as the heroes and villains that had become legend as the ages passed.
As they walked the length from Thoth and the Red King to Wen and Dumbledore, Harry felt as though he was taking his first steps in writing his own history. No longer would he be the Boy-Who-Lived, the orphaned child of two actual heroes, but a genuine figure in his own right.
Still, while this thought was encouraging, it also left him with an inkling of guilt. He avoided looking at the images of his own parents on the wall to his right, feeling ungrateful as he did so.
There, standing on the hallowed spot where Lord Hoca and his first twelve Aurors declared war on the five Wizarding Empires, was Magister Akingbade. His earlier displeasure at having to conduct the Initiation Ceremony for the second time that year was nowhere to be found, as he looked down at the boys benevolently as they knelt at the bottom of the dais.
"Trevor Boot. Michael Corner. Anthony Noah Goldstein. Henry James Potter." Lord Akingbade's voice boomed throughout the underground cave; his form silhouetted by the enchanted Mermish Crystal that hung from the ceiling. "Do you swear to obey and uphold the laws of the Coalition justly and with integrity?"
The four spoke in unison. "Yes, Lord Magister." There was no reaction from the environment around them, as this was no binding oath.
Akingbade continued, louder now. "Do you swear to serve the Corps faithfully and with honour?"
They spoke again in the same unwavering harmony. "Yes, Lord Magister."
Akingbade spoke louder still, so that even Captain Solace at the cave entrance might hear it. "And do you swear to defend the Confederacy and its citizens from all threats loyally and with valour?"
"Yes, Lord Magister." They waited, knowing not to rise until they were told.
"Then rise and stand before me, my Aurors." When they straightened up, Harry could see the wide smile Akingbade wore even though he must have done this with a hundred squads since his reign began. He walked down the steps so that they were all on the same level, symbolising how they were kin now that they were members of his Corps.
Floating beside him were two open boxes; the first contained four silver discs with a rising sun emblazoned on each of them, and one by one, he pinned the badges to their cloaks. The second held four onyx Ouroboros', the runes of which were etched onto the dark surface in bright bronze signifying their rank as Aurors without a mastery. Again, Lord Akingbade clasped this for them on their non-dominant wrists before stepping back and regarding them with open arms.
"Welcome to the Auror Corps, Cadets."
Harry smiled right back at him. They were Aurors now.