Right," Harry said as he stood in his office on a Friday morning and addressed the group that had congregated around him for the morning meeting. He began handing out assignments. "Williamson and—"

"Not Marks," Williamson said.

"I screw up once," Marks said in an annoyed tone from the side of the room, "and you're going to hold it against me forever?"

"You blew our cover," Williamson said. "Hell, why didn't you just yell out my home address while you were at it?"

"All right, all right," Harry said, putting up a hand to silence them. "Williamson, you take Mal with you this time. Marks you go with Thomas."

"I'll straighten you out, kid," Thomas said with a smile. He was missing several teeth, which he treated as battle scars. Marks mustered an uneasy grin.

"So, that leaves…" Harry began, just as the door to his office opened and a burly man with a large scar running down the side of his face entered. Everyone turned to face him.

"Hello, sir," Harry said to Robards.

"Potter," Robards said with a nod. "Sorry to interrupt your morning meeting, but I just need to let you know that Weasley's been cleared."

"Has he?" Harry said, smiling at Ron. Ron, however, kept his eyes focused on Robards. His knee began bouncing anxiously.

"That he has," Robards said, handing Harry a folder. "I just finished with his transfer paperwork and signed off on it, so he can now be assigned actual detail as an official transfer agent."

"Transfer paperwork?" Mal asked before Harry could utter the words. He had turned towards Ron, hoping to get some answers from a look or expression, but Ron remained stone faced.

"Yes," Robards said. "I can announce that Weasley's going to Paris permanently. Well, he will be once we send this work back to Paris and get Gerrard to sign off on it, too." He turned to Ron. "Since it is Friday, Weasley, it should all be sorted out by Monday." He grunted and looked back at Harry. "Potter, I'll need you in my office before you go out today."

"Yes, sir," Harry said in a still tone. Robards turned to leave the room.

"You're leaving, Weasley?" Rooney asked. "You're actually moving to Paris?"

"Yeah," Ron said slowly as every eye in the room turned towards him. "Seems that way."

"Change of plans," Harry said bluntly. "Rooney, you're on the Dover incident."

"Really? Old man Dole up to it again?"

"That he is," Harry said, glaring at Ron. "I'm taking Ron with me to Azkaban." He paused and glanced around the room. "That's it for the day."

The group of Aurors steadily gathered their things and made their way out of Harry's office. Ron had stayed put in his chair, though he began to crack his knuckles rather anxiously. Harry waited for the door of his office to shut completely before he spoke.

"Were you planning on telling me?"

"Of course I was," he said. "I would have done it earlier if I would have known Robards was going to come in here and announce it to the room."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" Harry asked. "How long have you known this?"

"I only just now found out that I got the transfer," he said, attempting to sound innocent.

"You would have had to have requested it," Harry said flatly.

Ron sighed. "A couple of days after I got back from Paris, I received an offer from the French Aurors. I didn't know if I was or wasn't going to take it, and what would have been the point of telling you if I hadn't decided to go?"

"But you did decide to go," he said. "You decided it at least before this morning since Robards has already signed off on you."

"I decided a few days ago," he said heavily. "I met with Robards the other day and we discussed it. I decided it was right for me. I mean, Harry, you're getting married tomorrow and you're dealing with enough stuff. I didn't want to bog you down with this news, too. But I swear I was going to tell you after the wedding."

"At your going away party, perhaps?" Harry asked, his tone annoyed.

"Oh, come on."

Harry shook his head. "It explains why you never finished your discharge work…but why? Why do you want to leave?"

Ron began to rub his nose before heaving a heavy sigh. "Because I want a change."

Harry stared at him.

"I really enjoyed what I got to do in Paris," he continued. "I was good at what I did."

"But you're good at what you do here."

"I really think that there are a lot more opportunities for me in Paris. I'm at a point in my life where I've got nothing holding me here. Why not go?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"Only you, George, and Bill know. I wasn't planning on telling anyone else until after the wedding."

"You're saying you don't want me saying anything."

"Sort of. Not to Ginny, at least. She's on edge enough as it is."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me straight away," Harry mumbled.

"I know," Ron said. "I'm sorry, but I just didn't know how. You seemed so happy to see me back."

"I am," he said, grabbing his cloak. "At least, I was." He made an impatient head gesture towards the door. "I've got to talk to Robards before we go, but after that, we're taking off. We can talk later."

"Fine," Ron said as he followed Harry out into the corridor and watched as he headed straight for Robards's office.

Ron turned and immediately rounded a corner, plopping quickly down at his own desk as he thought about what had just happened. Harry finally knew. He felt sort of relieved at this. It felt good to tell people. He wanted to tell everyone, but he had promised himself that he would wait until after the wedding to spread what he considered good news. Given Harry's reaction though, he could tell that not everyone was going to think this way.

"Really moving to Paris, then?" asked Mal from her desk nearby. "Why were you keeping it a secret?"

"I wouldn't say secret," Ron said. "I was just biding my time before I mentioned it."

"When do you leave?"

He smiled. "I start on May 1st."

Mal smiled, too. "Well, congrats, Weasley. You seem excited."

"I am. I'll miss everyone, of course, but hey, you have to do what you have to do."

Mal nodded as her eyes drifted to something over Ron's shoulder. "Isn't that a friend of yours?" she asked, nodding towards Eleanor's desk at the front of the department.

Ron turned to see Hermione engaged in polite conversation with her. He immediately began smiling. "Yeah it is," he said to her before calling out, "Hey, Hermione!"

He watched as she turned towards the source of her name and smiled at him. She said a few more things to Eleanor before making her way towards his desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked brightly, still smiling.

"I was just stopping by to make sure everything was a go tonight," she said as an amused smile began growing on her face the more she observed him. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

"Just been a good day," he said. "And yeah, I took care of everything on my end for tonight."

"Harry's not around is he?" she whispered.

"He's in with Robards."

"Good. Remember you have to be at Harry and Ginny's around seven. How many people did you invite?"

"I don't remember," he said. "Just some people around here and anyone else I knew to be around. Speaking of which, hey Mal?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to come to a party tonight?"

"What kind of party?"

"The fun kind."

"Well, in that case," she said as she quickly swung around in her chair. "Where is it?"

"The Leaky Cauldron," he said. "Show up anytime after eight."

"Sounds good to me," she said. "What's the occasion?"

"It's my birthday," he lied.

"It is?" she asked. "I didn't know that."

"Oh, it's not today, exactly" he said in a convincing tone. "We're just celebrating it today."

"Well, happy birthday, then. Whenever it is." She smiled at him before picking up a stack of folders to head out of the room with. "Any occasion to have a good time is an excuse enough for me."

"See you later, then," he called after her, right as he met Hermione's eyes and smiled at her.

"Your birthday?" she asked skeptically, leaning casually against the wall next to his desk. "Have you been telling everyone that?"

"Maybe someone will bring me a present," he said.

She let a begrudging smile cross her face. "You're the one who's going to let this secret out. You know that?"

"I think I've done a damn good job keeping it under wraps," he said before Harry suddenly appeared from around the corner.

"Hermione," Harry said, seemingly surprised to see her. "Hey."

"Hey, Harry," she said, standing up straight. "I'd better get back upstairs. I'll see you both later for dinner."

"Is it dinner now?" Harry asked. "Is that your big surprise?"

"You've only got a few hours left," she said once she started to leave. "You might as well wait it out." She waved quickly. "See you both later."

Harry glanced at Ron as soon as she'd left. "Will you just tell me? I hate surprises. Plus, you owe it to me for keeping Paris secret."

"Oh, well, in that case I'd better tell you," he said sarcastically.

"Did you tell Hermione?"

"Tell Hermione what?" he asked. "She already knows. She helped plan the whole thing."

"That you're moving," he said obviously.

Ron stood from his desk. "Not yet. I told you, I'm waiting until after the wedding to tell everyone."

"Right…" Harry said slowly. "Whatever, let's go then. We've got inspections at Azkaban."

"Hooray," Ron said unenthusiastically.

"That's what you get for moving without telling anybody."

Several hours later, Harry and Ron emerged from the depths of the stone walls of Azkaban and walked to the outer banks of the island rock. The day was miserably stormy, and the rain and the wind were ferociously whipping up their hair and robes. As it were, a bone chilling cold was currently filling Harry's lungs.

"I hate that place," Ron mumbled.

"I don't like it much, either," Harry said as he fumbled with a piece of parchment that an Azkaban guard had handed him on the way out. "Most of the people in there want me dead."

"At least the dementors are gone," Ron said, casting a final look back at the prison, "though, it still almost seems like they're still there. I always feel so miserable when I walk in there."

"It's a charm," Harry said absently as he started to read the note in his hand. "It basically replicates the feeling that dementors used to create with their presence. It's nowhere near as powerful as what a dementor can do, but if you're trapped inside long enough, it has the same effects."

"What's it say?" Ron asked, gesturing towards the note in Harry's hand.

Harry sighed. "It's Rooney. Apparently he had trouble in Dover and now they need me to give it a go." He made a face. "This guy, Dole, is a complete loon. He's always causing trouble and he absolutely loves to mess with Muggles. You should probably come."

"Yeah, all right," Ron said. "Where are we headed?"

"Here," Harry said, grabbing onto Ron's arm as they Apparated on the spot. Seconds later, they found themselves standing along the coast of Dover.

Ron swayed on the spot at having been taken off guard by the sudden Apparation. "You could have warned me," he said, shaking his head out.

"Sorry," Harry said before he began to shake off the cold feeling that walking into Azkaban tended to bring onto him. He pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket and broke it in two. He handed half to Ron.

"What's the point if the dementors are gone?" Ron asked, observing the candy.

"There is no point," he said as he bit off a piece of chocolate. "I was just offering you some because I had it. If you don't want it…" He pulled it back.

"Like I'm going to turn down free snacks," Ron said, taking it quickly from Harry's grasp. They both laughed.

"I always make sure I bring some chocolate with me out to Azkaban," he said as they both started to walk. "It's probably all in my head, but it really does make me feel better after walking through there."

"I can see that."

"You have no idea how many times I had to remind myself I was getting married tomorrow just to keep my spirits up," Harry mumbled.

"I kept thinking that I would get pudding with lunch to keep my spirits up," Ron said as they both neared a small and run down looking shack on the edge of town. "Which, you know, is practically the same thing."

Harry laughed as they approached the front door of the home. He reached out and pulled the heavy door knocker before standing back a few steps. Several moments went by without a response.

"Are we at the right place?" Ron asked.

"I don't see any other dilapidated shacks around, do you?" He observed the door skeptically. "I don't see why Rooney would—"

He stopped when he heard the sound of a lock turning from the inside. He and Ron both instinctively pulled out their wands and let them rest casually by their sides as the door opened. An old man wearing a stained t-shirt, boxer shorts, and a tattered robe stood staring back at them through large spectacles that made his eyes look bug-like. Harry and Ron smiled.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a wheezy tone. "Are you from the Ministry, too?"

"We are," Harry said cordially. "We've met before, Mr. Dole. I'm Harry Potter."

"Eh…" the old man said in an uninterested tone.

"And this is Ron Weasley," he said, gesturing to Ron. "Have you spoken with another Auror today?

"Just like I told him!" Dole suddenly barked. "I ain't done nothing!"

"No one is accusing you, sir," Ron added.

"You see, Mr. Dole—"

"I ain't answering no more questions!" Dole barked again.

"Mr. Dole," Harry continued, "we've received multiple complaints that you're performing Levitation Charms on Muggle children and—"

"They shouldn't be in my yard!" he said. "I told them to leave and they wouldn't! They like to taunt me!"

"Right," Harry said. "I understand that, Mr. Dole. However, using magic in plain view of Muggles is highly frowned up and a punishable offense. Seeing as this is your third infraction this year, you leave us no choice but to assign you a court date where they will assess you further."

"That's what that other bloke said," grumbled Dole. "I ain't going to court."

"Refusal to attend your assigned date could result in fines, jail time, or the confiscation of your wand, sir," Ron said. "You wouldn't want that."

"Nobody will take my wand!" Dole screamed as a bird started screeching from somewhere in the house. Ron and Harry instinctively raised their wands.

"Sir, please don't make us—" Harry began but it was already too late. The old man's wand appeared out of nowhere and he began firing spells off left and right and at nothing in particular.

Both Harry and Ron ducked for cover as Ron yelled, "Stupefy!" right as Harry yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Both spells missed, though one of Dole's many randomly yelled spells managed to hit Harry directly in the chest. He fell to the ground unconscious as the old man pointed his wand directly at Ron.

"Stupefy!" Ron yelled again, his wand pointed directly at Dole. This time he hit. The old man went rigid and fell to the ground.

"What the hell!?" Ron yelled out to the unconscious old man. "All you had to do was go to court!" He rushed over to Harry's limp body and pointed his wand directly into his face, casting a quick spell to restore him. Harry stirred before his eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" he asked as he slowly sat up, his eyes unfocused.

"The barking mad idiot just attacked us," Ron said, casting a dirty look at Dole.

"He's been known to be callous," Harry mumbled once Ron helped him to his feet, "but he's never actually attacked any of us before. Usually he just swears at us and slams the door in our face. Mal said he threw some books at her once."

Ron walked over and picked up the wand lying to the side of Dole's body. He threw it to Harry before he began inspecting the old man's still face. Harry came and stood beside him.

"I'm lucky it was just stupefy that got me," Harry said. "Who knows what he was throwing out there."

"Seriously," Ron said.

Harry sighed as he pointed his wand at the old man and began to bind his arms and legs with magical rope. "I'm embarrassed at the fact that I'm a trained Auror who actually got knocked down by a crazy old man." He paused. "And I'm only telling you this because you're my friend."

"I won't tell anybody," Ron said as he pointed his wand at Dole and levitated the old man up into the air. "It happens to the best of us, mate." He glanced back at Dole. "Take him to St. Mungo's or straight to Azkaban?"

"Azkaban," Harry said. "We'll let the guards there make the call on him."

"I'll take him," Ron said. "You should head on back and file the report."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the faster we get the paperwork done, the faster we can end the day, and the sooner we'll be having fun tonight at your party."

Harry smiled at him. "So, it's a party?"

Ron's face fell. "Oh, Hermione's going to kill me."

"I won't tell her," Harry said with a smile. "Well, unless you happen to tell someone I got stupefied by this wanker."