Chapter 2

Harry's days were filled with happiness and a fulfillment that he had only felt at sparse times in his life. His days were spent with Ron and Hermione, and his nights with Ginny. He was as happy as he had ever been, but his bank account was dwindling and Mrs. Tonks had insisted that Harry get a job before he takes Teddy. She was especially insistent after she'd found out that Harry was still unemployed. So, he deemed it important to complete his wizard training, seeing as he would never be an auror without one.

On Sunday morning, Harry spent breakfast at the Weasley's and then left for the ministry. He vaguely remembered how he had entered when he was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, but he attempted at remembering. Harry found the phone booth and stepped inside. He remembered Mr. Weasley punching a few numbers into the dial, he couldn't remember which ones, but racked his brain as hard as he could to remember. Six…two…four…another four…and a two, Harry heard the dial swivel back into its place and heard a cool female voice speak from the talk box.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your name and business." The detached voice said.

"Uhm, Harry Potter. I'm here to see Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Thank you, visitor. Please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes." Harry heard a soft clink at the bottom of the coin return and pulled out a shiny silver badge. He pinned it to the front of his shirt as the booth began to descend. He was submerged into darkness, completely swallowed, but soon he began to see a light grow brighter at his feet. The booth came to a halt on the ground of the busy work office. Harry stepped out of the booth and into the dimly lit hall, filled with people running about and shoving Daily Prophets in his face. Harry ignored them and kept on walking until he reached the elevator. He stepped inside and thought that Kingsley might be on the first floor, but he wasn't sure. So, he punched the number in anyways. When he reached floor one, the cool detached voice spoke again, but Harry wasn't listening. He stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall with its silent rug and towards the Minister's office. Harry made his way throughout the floor, taking note that someone else had replaced Umbridge's office and hoped that she had been fired. At the back of the floor, Harry found a heavy wooden door that read Kingsley's name on a plaque. He knocked upon the door and heard rushed footsteps come to answer it.

"Harry!" Kingsley exclaimed as he grabbed Harry's hand and shook it violently.

"Hello, Kingsley," Harry answered.

"Oh, please come in!" Harry did so and followed him to the back of a regal room. Harry took one sweeping glance and sank down into the chair across from Kingsley. "So, Harry, what do you need?"

"Well, it's been a month after the battle at Hogwarts and I was wondering what on earth I was going to do. I haven't had my last year of training and I was considering becoming an auror."

"Well," Kingsley started, "I think that we could make an exception to you not finishing your last year of school. I think that would be quite alright. You would just have to take a test of your skill and what you would do in a situation and we would hire you."

"Is it really that easy?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," Kingsley laughed. "It is really that easy." Harry shook Kingsley's hand again and scheduled a time to take the test with the auror's office on level 7 and left for Grimmauld Place. Harry would have to come back to the Ministry through the visitors' entrance again on the 15th of June to take his test. Harry left feeling pleased with himself and apparated, once out of sight, to Grimmauld Place. Harry walked quietly through the hall and sat himself down at the kitchen table. Kreacher brought out a sandwich and a glass of lemonade for him and went off to go clean some more. Harry ate his sandwich quickly and chugged his glass of lemonade in a few seconds. Once he was all finished, Harry left to go to the Weasley's, the Burrow, yelling thanks to the little house elf as he went. Harry apparated to the gate of the Burrow and walked through it. He made his way to the door and opened it, hearing voices in the kitchen.

"Hello?" Harry called through the oddly quiet house. "Is anyone home? It's Harry." Harry heard some odd rustlings in the kitchen and went to take a look. He pulled out his wand as he saw a dark figure standing above the sink, as though contemplating something. The dark figure turned and Harry caught a glimpse of vibrant red hair.

"It's just me, silly," Ginny cried as she pulled down her hood.

"Oh, sorry," Harry apologized, "just bad habits, I guess. But would you mind answering a question for me."

"Yes, go ahead."

"What was a rumor going around the school in my sixth year that you started?"

"Harry?" Ginny asked worriedly, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Please, just answer the question."

"Well, that would be that you had a Hungarian Horntail tattooed to your stomach."

"Okay," Harry said, sighing and pulling Ginny into a close hug. "I just wanted to make sure; I'm still a little paranoid." Ginny said it was okay and kissed him quickly. They sat down in her bedroom to talk. Harry told her all about his journey to the Ministry and about his job lineup and test. Ginny congratulated him and the two left the room as they heard unmistakable signs of approach. Ginny beat him to the door and held it open to the couple who walked in. George and Angelina went towards the sitting room and asked where Mrs. Weasley was as they went.

"…She went out," Ginny answered.

"Any idea where Ron is?" her older brother asked Ginny nicely, wrapping his arm around his former Quiditch team mate.

"I think he's with Hermione at the flat," she replied.

"Dad?"

"Ministry."

"Charlie?"

"Romania."

"Bill?"

"Shell Cottage with Fleur." Harry figured that George must have run out of questions, because he left the house, pulling Angelina along with him and the two apparated into thin air at the gate. Ginny laughed at the scene and took Harry by the hand.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"You'll see…" Ginny said tauntingly. She asked Harry to close his eyes and led him through the house. She warned Harry as she apparated into smoldering darkness and told Harry to keep his eyes shut. Harry kept his eyes closed and she led him along.

"Okay," Ginny said after a few more minutes of walking. "You can open your eyes now." Harry's lids flashed open and he looked around. He was standing in a dark room and couldn't see much farther than past his hands.

"What is this, Ginny?" Harry asked confusedly. Ginny didn't answer him, but attacked him with her lips. She was kissing him as though she'd never kissed him before. Harry's hormones reacted and his hands were in her hair and at her back. His thoughts flashed back to their kiss on his seventeenth birthday, almost a year ago. This kiss was more intense than back then and filled with more longing. Ginny began to pull her hands down to his shirt tail and lift it up over his head. Harry pushed Ginny away slightly and held her hands in his.

"What are we doing, Gin?" he asked her.

"I thought that we were going to…" Ginny trailed off.

"I don't think that we should, quite yet. Maybe, we could just wait for a while?"

"Thank goodness you said that. I didn't want to take that step either, I thought that was just what you wanted." Harry pulled her face up to his and kissed her quickly and pulled her into a tight hug. Ginny led them both out of the room and back to Grimmauld Place.