A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter, hot off the press yet again. I'm also a beta, yet to get my first story, so if you need a story to be beta-read, just PM me :D
Two days later, it was a sunny morning when Kingsley Shacklebolt disapparated just beyond the boundary of the Burrow. His outline shimmered due to the thick layer of protective spells cast upon him by the auror department. As he stepped within the protective bounds of the house, he dispelled his shields. Mrs. Weasley bustled out of the house, wiping her streaming eyes.
"Sorry about the shields, Molly," apologised Shacklebolt, producing a handkerchief from the end of his wand and giving it to her.
"Don't worry about it, Minister. I understand. Your safety comes first."
"Call me Kingsley, Molly." He embraced her as an old friend would, then straightened up in a businesslike manner. "Now, where's Harry? Today is going to be a full day." Mrs. Weasley led him to the sitting room and motioned that he should sit down. As he took his seat, she bustled upstairs to wake Harry. "Does she bustle everywhere?" murmured the Minister to himself.
"Minister," said Harry a few minutes later, inclining his head towards the man on the sofa.
"Why so formal, Harry?" asked Kingsley. "We're among friends here. Call me Kingsley."
"Oh, he won't do that," said Mrs. Weasley, setting down a tray covered in tea and biscuits. "He still flatly refuses to call me Molly. Oh go on, Harry," she implored him.
"Ok, Molly, Kingsley. Now, Kingsley, what's happening today?"
"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"
"Yes," confirmed Harry, "here." Kingsley looked puzzled. "Muffliato. Now nobody can listen in on us. All they'll hear is a buzzing in their ears." Kingsley beamed at Harry.
"Well, Griphook informs me you've been asking about vault 8. What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone else – not Ron, not Hermione, not even Ginny. We'd like you to become an Unspeakable."
"I thought I was going to be an auror," said Harry, confused.
"Yes, but the Department of Mysteries needs aurors. To the other aurors, you will be just another auror, but you will be called to certain scenes and events that other aurors won't. That is, if you accept, of course."
"Of course I accept, but you still haven't told me about vault 8."
"Oh, yes. We can't give you your earnings from being an unspeakable to the same account. There are some who have ways of tracking that. Instead, we give each unspeakable one of the best-protected vaults in Gringotts. Although, we might have to increase the security, judging by your own exploits. Anyway, it will also contain some of the equipment you will need, seeing as we can't officially give it to you. We're still vetting everyone in the Ministry."
Harry lifted the muffliato charm and Kingsley invited Mrs. Weasley over. Seeing that they wanted to talk in private, he went out into the garden where Ron, Hermione and Ginny were throwing apples at each other, trying to improve their catching abilities. Harry hovered by the door, then suddenly dived onto the grass, intercepting an apple thrown at Ron and rolling to his feet. Harry joined the game until Mrs. Weasley poked her head out into the sun, squinting, and called them inside.
"We're all taking a trip to Hogwarts," announced Mrs. Weasley. "Get something warmer on and smarten up."
"Aren't we a bit early?" asked George, yawning widely. He'd just woken up, and so was still in his pyjamas. Hermione kept glancing at him and giggling.
"Oh, just do it, George," said Mrs. Weasley with a hint of grumpiness about her. Everybody rushed off to smarten up and regrouped in the kitchen under Mrs. Weasley's orders. They then trooped out into the yard and Kingsley stuck out his wand arm.
BANG!
A giant purple bus appeared on the lane outside the Burrow, braking heavily. As its doors opened, a large group of wizards ran out of the bus and surrounded the group. Harry had drawn his wand, but Kingsley, seeing this, waved it away. They marched onto the bus and sat on the bottom deck, still surrounded by the wizards.
"I see you still haven't got Stan Shunpike back yet," said Harry, scowling.
"I'm sorry about that, Harry, but I do have good news," claimed the Minister. Harry brightened at this. "We recently found Stan in the Forest of Dean, still under the Imperius Curse, which tells us that there are still some Death Eaters on the loose. We had to stun him, but he's in St. Mungo's now undergoing treatment for his continued exposure to the Curse. Unfortunately, he may never be the same again." The journey on the Knight Bus became a more sombre affair after this, but the sight of Hogwarts in the summer was magnificent, and cheered them up. Even Filch, the caretaker, looked more cheerful as he opened the gates for the approaching bus.
As the bus approached the front doors of the castle, they saw Professor McGonagall chasing after Professor Flitwick, who had clearly been sunbathing in his swimming trunks, brandishing a roll of parchment. She was shouting at him while pointing at the bus and, looking back, he waved his wand and dressed in mid-step in long, black robes.
They rounded the corner of the castle with the Quidditch pitch towering over the landscape to their right, and in the distance, by the edge of the lake, they saw a crowd of people sitting in front of a stage. They drove right up to the right-hand side of the stage before they stopped, and the serious wizards around them left the bus to line the way to the stage.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and George joined the already present Neville and Luna in seats on the stage, facing the crowd. The crowd was littered with faces they recognised, including many of the Hogwarts students and their families. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting in the front row, along with Mr. Lovegood, Neville's grandmother and numerous dignitaries, Ministry employees and reporters from the various wizarding publications. Former students such as Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson and Percy's ex-girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, were spread between the third to sixth rows. Bill and Charlie Weasley sat behind their parents and the Hogwarts teachers sat in that same row. Even Rita Skeeter could be seen with her acid green quill at the back of the crowd, grinning evilly. As Kingsley stepped from the bus onto the stage and up to the podium, the crowd fell silent.
"Today is a great day. Even in light of the recent events here, at Hogwarts, and across the country, today is a good day. We are here to hand out some awards. These are awards for bravery, intelligence, strength and, above all, loyalty. We have here before us seven brave and loyal people with a combined forty four years of Hogwarts experiences among them. The first is Neville Longbottom. His parents were tortured by Death Eaters just after Voldemort's first downfall, and since then he has exceeded his grandmother's expectations of him. He has, since his very first year, shown bravery and loyalty and is an asset to the wizarding world. To him, I award the Order of Merlin, First Class."
There was an almost deafening round of applause as Neville stumbled up to the podium. Cameras flashed and reporters raised their hands. Kingsley whispered in Neville's ear. After a nod from Neville, he began conducting Neville's Questions and Answers session.
"What motivated you to fight against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts?" asked a reporter in deep plum robes.
"My parents, of course. I always visit them, and they always look at me with the same blank look. It'll take a few more years before their torment is over, and it has to be the same for the Death Eaters. They can't get away with what they've been doing to innocent people for so long. I'm just glad I've done what I can to help." Kingsley pointed at a witch in midnight blue robes next.
"Will you be returning to Hogwarts to retake your seventh year?"
"Ah, yes. I'd do anything to come back to Hogwarts, even if the last year was a normal one. Hogwarts is, to use a Muggle phrase, a magical place."
Neville was followed by Luna, then Ginny, all three of them being asked about last year's experiences. George gave a beautiful testimony to Fred when his turn came around, and had to sit back down, taking no questions. Rita Skeeter's quill was scratching while everybody spoke, though she kept eye contact with Harry, who scowled back. Hermione, then Ron, then Harry received their awards next and were all asked the same probing questions about the last year. They each refused to answer any questions on that topic and the reporters fell back on more acceptable topics, though still hinting at the trio's excursion. The ceremony then moved on to a lighter note.
"Many of you here will not have witnessed this next part of the ceremony. It is usually a more private ceremony, closed to the general public, but this year is an exception. Hogwarts is still in the process of being rebuilt, as is the morale of the staff. Now, every year the teachers at Hogwarts take part in a ceremony officially recognising them as Professors at the school. This ceremony usually takes place later in the year, but we've brought it forward to coincide with today's awards. I hereby award a permanent professorship to Minerva McGonagall as she takes up the mantle of headmistress." She stepped up and received the plaque and certificate, similar to the ones Harry had seen in Dumbledore's office, though he had paid little attention to them. "I shall leave her to hand out the remaining professorships for this year."
"Thank you, Minister," said Professor McGonagall. "The first professorships are to be awarded to existing staff. With them go my thanks for their efforts, and success, in the Battle of Hogwarts, and I hope you will add your thanks also." She handed out the certificates to Professors Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, Horace Slughorn, Aurora Sinistra, Septima Vector, Bathsheba Babbling, Cuthbert Binns, Rubeus Hagrid, Sybil Trelawney and Firenze.
"I now come to the matter of the new staff," continued McGonagall. "There have been vacancies for the posts of teaching Muggle Studies and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Our new Muggle Studies teacher is Professor June Bell. Congratulations, Professor Bell." A kind-looking woman with light, curling hair stepped up to the stage and shook Professor McGonagall's hand. Taking her professorship, she twirled in her bottle green robes and shot a mischievous grin at the flashing cameras.
"The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher has gone to a, well, wide range of people. Since Tom Riddle was turned down for the post, no teacher has managed to hold down the post for more than a year. Now that he has gone, we hope that this will change. I therefore would like to present the professorship to Mr. Harry Potter and associate professorships to Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginevra Weasley." There was an initially hesitant round of applause as every face in the crowd, save for Skeeter's and those of their parents, was filled with shock.
As they all accepted their certificates of professorship, Professor McGonagall announced that questions were welcome. Almost every hand shot up immediately.