Title: Content in the Background
Author: smolder
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Angel the Series belongs to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.
A/N: These drabbles won't always be in strict chronological order.
A/N 2: Reviews are Good. This has been a subtle hint from the author - Please return to your regularly scheduled reading.

It had made sense for Harry to transfer to night shift after he moved in with Seamus. With the hours the other man had to keep for the bar, the only way they would sync up was if he made the change.

The Minister of Magic had promoted him to head of the whole graveyard bunch – a subtle political move by Kingsly that let everyone know that despite all the shit that was flying around about him in the newspapers, he still had support from the top.

And it wasn't favoritism – well, it didn't feel like it anyway. He had almost two decades of experience at this job. Hard experience. The usual rigorous training program of the Aurors had been rushed in his case – and all the others that tried out his year.

It was trial by fire. And those that passed just got even more fire, because they were rushing for a reason. The Ministry had needed people desperately to gather up as many Death Eaters as possible before they all faded back into the woodwork (like what had happened last time).

It seemed though, whether it was because he had just killed Voldermort or they thought he had some previous experience since he had spent the last seven years of his life battling these people, Harry was there go-to person. Despite his rookie status he was brought along on a great deal of the early raids after the war and they even had him take point on a lot of them.

He really hadn't understood for quite a long while - sleep deprived, personal life fucked up, and running on adrenaline mainly at the time. But he finally figured out that they were using him as a symbol of sorts. Putting him up front and letting the bad guys know they had the person who killed their leader with them.

And it worked. It spooked the shit out of Death Eaters time and time again.

Harry didn't know if he should feel used. But the thing was, he rather didn't mind being used in this way. If Dumbledore and the Order had used him like this - actually taught him defense and then trusted that he was something (someone) that was able – capable…well, he probably wouldn't have felt so bitter about their manipulations then.

So, this many years in, Harry didn't feel bad accepting the position of Head of the Auror Offices during night shift. It wasn't as if he was the leader of the whole program or anything. That placement went, rightfully so, to Alicia Spinnet. Who was a total bad ass with (and without) a wand. Seeing her in action really made him proud to be a Gryffindor (and to have formerly been on the same Quidditch team with her).

It was all working out pretty well. Except for the fact that at one point, a month had gone by and he realized that he hadn't had any real contact with his kids. And that had chilled him.

They might all be grown now – technically adults, but he didn't want to be that kind of Dad. The one they only saw on holidays and was only called on when there was emergencies or something. He had messed up so much as they were growing up and when he had been confused trying to figure out how this whole thing called "life" was supposed to work, that he's amazed that they turned out so well (so, so much better than him). It's something Harry tributes almost completely to their personal strengths and to Ginny and Luna's extraordinary mothering.

Seamus tends to agree with him on this and tells him to stop brooding all the time, and instead actually do something about it if it bothers him so much. His partner is not quite the person to go to if you want someone to give you sympathetic empty platitudes.

To fix the problem, he ended up setting up a schedule - Lily actually made a physical chart which sits on the mantle. A specific day and time each week that he Floos each of his kids. It might seem cold - almost clinical, but it worked. And by setting aside this time he didn't lose touch with any of them. In fact, Harry's pretty sure he knows more about his kids everyday lives now then he did and any other point (something he's not especially proud of).

Out of the four, it is the twins who seem to accept the way their parent's lives are set up now the easiest – that is to say, they get along with Seamus the best (which is the only real barometer Harry has to judge by).

Albus, who was never been good with new people from the time he was little, seemed to already know him. Something that caused them both to grin when asked but neither of them would explain. And he is pretty sure Lily chose her major and future career based on her talks with Seamus.

With his oldest two, it wasn't as if they didn't get along with the man - it was just...

Fred already had so many people in her life that although Harry would have loved it if she became as close to Seamus as Lily and Albus were, he understood why she wasn't. She smiled and laughed and seemed to feel easy when she was at the apartment, but he didn't think his favorite bartender was ever going to be one of her standard go-to people.

James, despite the fact that Ginny had told him how much his approval meant to his son, was much closer to his mother. She was the one who had been at home with him all the time when he was little – who understood him better. And now, he seemed to have bonded much more with Angelina and Katie than with Seamus. He even volunteered at the club a bit while he was trying to get his career figured out.

'GG Sports Club' had had some trouble with people from the newspapers and gawkers when the news of their relationship had first broken - as had 'Irish Pub'. In his particular case, Seamus had finally had Dean make a sign that he put in the window reading:

'This is a Pub - We Serve Alcohol

If you are coming in just to ask about my sexuality/relationships than don't bother.

If you ignore this sign and enter my pub anyway you are giving me express permission

to pour the puke bucket I am keeping behind the counter on you.'

A lot of people hadn't believed him and they quickly learned that Seamus didn't play around with shit like that. After three different reporters got covered with puke, they stopped coming.

The sign was a hit though and people who heard what happened to the reporters actually came by Hogsmeade just to see it. And then came inside for a drink.

Seamus was smart, had grown into a business person and saw this for the opportunity it was. He quickly turned the whole thing into his pub's own little gimmick. Now, the first Friday of every month the bar is absolutely crowded as they get to read the new sign, see it put up in the window, and the old one gets auctioned off. Everyone cheerily drinks lots of beer and probably bids more than they should.

Both Seamus and Dean (although he never attends the auctions and only signs his popular juxtaposition of lovely calligraphy and snarky messages with his first name) were very happy with this set up.

So, Harry was pretty happy with his life and thought he had things figured out. Which was stupid of him. He should have known (and not be surprised that he is surprised) that it would have been this one that slipped under the radar completely.

"Wait, wait-," he said sitting up straighter in his office chair suddenly more awake. "Who was that last name?"

The Auror in front of him raised her eyes from her papers and frowned at him slightly. Margaret was actually a far far relation of Trelawney's, but her manner couldn't be any more different.

"Ferguson?" she asked.

"No, before that. The training group," Harry demanded. He couldn't have just misheard it, he wasn't that tired – he was actually pretty used to night shift at this point.

"Weasley?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said gustily and flopped back stunned.

Her eyes narrowed misinterpreting the reason for his manner. "I'll have you know, Weasley was one of the two standouts of the group this year. Didn't try to be showy like the others. Kept an eye out for the rest of the team on all of the mock-missions we put them through without even being instructed to do so first. I was going to recommend more training. The kid is quiet, dependable, can fade in to the background…."

"Hugo then," Harry muttered dropping his head into his hands.

"What?" his top training instructor asked, startled at being interrupted.

"Quiet, dependable, looks out for everyone else, manages to fade into the background – although I don't know how he does that one, the boy has bright red hair and is taller than his father. You couldn't be talking about any other Weasley but Hugo," Harry lifted his head and smiled fleetingly at her.

Margret just stared.

"He's my nephew," Harry explained (that had all got more complicated technically now, but that's what it still felt like).

"Oh," she whispered looking down at her papers. She cleared her throat awkwardly; they worked together a lot and were friendly but Harry knew she wasn't good at handling social situations. He was actually rather touched she was trying.

"So, you didn't know?" she asked tentatively.

"I – I had no idea he was even thinking of joining the Aurors," he admitted running a hand trough his hair.

"Ah. Well, I still want him. Some more training in that boy and we can place him with one of our teams," she said decisively fiddling with her papers again.

"The thing is, If we're lucky we get two or three out of each open call we do every few years, Harry. Two or three that don't just want to become Aurors because they think it's glamorous - that they're an action hero and want to catch bad guys, blow shit up, and get the girl," Margret sighed looking up at him tiredly.

"And Hugo is definitely not the sort that's in it for the glamor," Harry agreed.

"No, no he isn't," she smiled. "I've got him and," she checked her notes again, "Selena Sanchez that I'm happy about this year."

"Why is there so much name alliteration in the Wizrding World?" Harry asked the random question that he had thought many times before.

"Don't know, don't really care," Margret stated gathering her papers and standing from her chair. "So. Do I have a go on continuing training?" she asked briskly as she stretched her back a bit and made a face as it popped.

"Yeah," he said and she turned to go.

"Just...," Margret paused in the doorway looking impatient. "Can you send Hugo in my office?" he asked. "I'd like to talk to him, I don't really get to that often."

She smiled, her face softening slightly, and mock saluted.