I do not own any of it.
Get To My Office. NOW!
Harry was sitting at his desk in his flat looking around. When he got the place he figured he would be using this space for work that he brought home with him. But that was going to change. There would be no more work coming home with him. There would be no more work at all.
He rolled his shoulders at this thought. He didn't know what he was going to do all day now. Maybe he could become a writer. How hard could it be to write a story? He thought to himself. Then he laughed. He wouldn't know where to begin. He didn't know what he would be doing with his days, he just knew it had to be something that kept him home. He couldn't leave Ginny again. He wouldn't do anything to make her think that he was deserting her. He was pondering different ways for him to fill his days when a silver lynx shot through his study door.
"Harry James Potter," Said the low voice of Kingsley. "Get to my office. NOW." The lynx then disappeared.
Harry was startled. He figured he would get called to Braban's office on Monday. But to get called in to the Ministers office on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, that was a surprise.
He did not want to go and have this conversation with Kingsley. He hadn't figured out what he would say yet, and knew that Kingsley would not let him go if he could not give him a reason for his leaving. But disobeying a direct order from the Minister of Magic would not be wise for anyone, not even the boy who lived. So he grabbed his cloak and set out for the Ministry.
When he got there, the atrium was empty. He wasn't surprised, after all. It was a Sunday afternoon and Christmas was only three days away. The entire Ministry was shutting down for the Holiday. Although, Harry thought, that apparently didn't include the Minister since he was calling people to his office.
There was no one at the secretary's desk, so Harry knocked on the door.
"Come in," replied the slow, deep voice of Minister Shaklebolt. Harry took a deep breath and then opened the door and walked in. "Harry." Kingsley greeted him.
"Minister," Harry replied in the same detached voice as Kingsley had used well aware that Kingsley was trying to keep this meeting professional.
"Sit down." Harry did what he was told. He didn't want to give Kingsley any more reason for getting mad at him. "I am assuming this piece of paper is your idea of a practical joke." He lifted a piece of parchment up to show Harry. It was the letter that Harry had sent to Braban earlier that morning.
"No, sir, it is not a joke." Harry told him, although Harry suspected that Kinglsey didn't actually think it was. Most likely he was hoping it was.
"Wrong answer, Harry. I am not accepting this."
Harry knew Kingsley would try to talk him out of it, but flat out not accepting it? "What do you mean? You have to accept a resignation. It means that I do not want to work for you anymore. You can not force someone to be an employee, Kingsley. We made sure of that when we rebuilt everything."
"I know the rules. I helped you and Hermione write several of them. They apply to everybody but you. I am not accepting your resignation now, and I will not accept it in the future either. Now, tell me why you are trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to resign."
"Kingsley, if I don't want to work for you, there is nothing that you can do to make me." Harry told him, all thought of formal address out of his mind.
"I don't believe for one second that you do not want to be an Auror any more. Tell me what is going on. Are you being blackmailed?"
Harry was shocked at this. "Blackmailed? Who would blackmail me to get me to quit my job? That's absurd."
"There has to be a reason for this. What is it?" Kingsley demanded. Getting annoyed he pushed back from his desk and stood up, glaring at Harry.
"I am done being and Auror. I don't want to do it anymore." Harry stood up to, glaring back at him.
"Just the other day you were so exited to be in on the decisions affecting Other Aurors. You are on pace to take over the department. I haven't seen such a dedicated Auror since Moody. I don't believe you when you say you don't want to do it anymore."
"I don't want to do it anymore. It is the truth. I don't want to keep leaving England. I am here again. I want to stay."
Kingsley looked away from him and plopped back down on his seat. He had been alarmed earlier that morning when he had read Harry's resignation. He personally had trained Harry and wanted Harry to move up in the department. Truthfully, he trusted Harry more than anyone else at the Ministry. When he got the owl he couldn't see any motive behind Harry's decision. But now it became clear. "This is about Ms. Weasley, isn't it?"
Harry was silent for a moment while he sat back down. "Not everything that I do is about her, Kingsley."
"No. But I also know that you would do anything for her. Did she ask you to do this?"
"No."
"So why do you feel like you need to do this for her?"
Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. How could Kingsley guess things so easily? It really was frustrating. "Do you remember that conversation we had after her game against the Tornados?"
"Of course I do. It was about why you two didn't get together after the war. You said she didn't wait for you."
"Well, it turns out I was wrong."
Kingsley grinned at this. "I was right then."
"Apparently," Harry said a little annoyed, but he continued anyway. "She did wait for me, and before she could tell me that, I agreed to go to Auror training with you. She felt that I was abandoning her again and couldn't go through it, so she told me she didn't wait and that was the end of us." He paused here, thinking. After a moment or two he continued. "She is afraid to start an actual relationship with me because she thinks I am going to take off and not come back for a long time." He leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling while Kingsley watched him.
"So you are resigning because with your job, you might be called to do just that?"
"Yes. I can't do anything to hurt her, and if me being an Auror hurts her, then I will not be one. Simple as that."
"Have you talked to Ginny about this?" Kingsley asked him, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer already. Harry didn't usually discuss things with people.
"No. She doesn't know, but I am sure she will hear about it soon enough. It's my decision in the end, and I have made it."
Kingsley sighed. He knew Harry was stubborn about some things; his family was one of those things. And at the moment, Ginny Weasley was his main focus. "Could you at least do me a favor and not mention this to anyone until after Christmas. The press will have a field day and my Press Minister has already left on Holiday."
Harry was shocked that Kingsley was accepting so easily. He was sure that he would try harder to talk him out of it. "Of course. I can do that."
"Thank you then, Harry. I will see you later." Kingsley said, picking up the original formality and efficiently ending their meeting. Harry took his cue and left the office.