Chapter 1 - The Future

The Burrow sat in perfect sunshine. There were birds singing in the nearby trees, and many different colours and types of butterflies that flew past the windows of the tall slanting building. At that moment however no one was there to see through the dusty window, as they were all outside bathing in the gorgeous sunshine. The ginger heads of the Weasley family could be seen from miles around. Mrs Weasley was setting the table with potato salad and meat dishes. Mr Weasley was talking to Percy and Charlie about the Ministry and who would be the next Minister of Magic. Bill and Fleur were talking in whispers and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were lying in the sunshine laughing at George as he told various jokes. He had never been the same since Fred's death but recently he had found himself joining in with the family. For a couple of months he had not spoken a word to anyone, and during the funeral he had had a nervous breakdown and had to be taken to an isolated ward in St. Mungo's hospital to fix his troubled mind. The Weasley family still had not got over it, but what family ever gets over the death of a loved one. George had been in touch with Lee Jordan a school friend who now helped George run the joke shop, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Lee was at that moment duelling with George, who laughed as he missed and hit a garden gnome hiding in a gorse bush. It squealed and ran out, it's face covered with green blotches that painfully flapped.

"Nice Bat Bogey Hex!" Shouted Lee to George who now had a bright red face, and had tears running down his cheeks. "It was nearly as good as one of Ginny's!" This sent George into another fit of laughter, which ceased for a second as Ginny threw a handful of mud which hit him directly in the face. He looked at her in astonishment, then the birds were sent fleeing into the sky as everybody from Mrs Weasley to Charlie laughed out loud, which didn't cease for five minutes, and even then Mrs Weasley was still smiling. She had changed remarkably since the death of one of her sons. Losing Fred had shown her what it was like to lose someone you loved, and she realised that life was too short to moan and stop her children doing what they wanted. She was there when they needed her but she would stand back and let them make their own choices.

"Dinner's out!" Mrs Weasley called and the whole group of them piled on in, George sitting as close to the two ton weight roast chicken. "And George, if you even so much as breath on that chicken, I will personally make sure that you will never have children. And it will be excruciatingly painful." She added as a last minute thing.

"Ouch!!", cried George who had pushed himself away from the table so fast he had fallen backwards off his seat.

"Now dears," Mrs Weasley pruned as she tried, without success, to flatten down the back of Harry's hair. "Dig in." And she glared at George as she walked round the table, George ducked as she passed him waiting for a smack, and made her way to a seat next to her husband.

Ron started piling his plate up, till he had a mountain of food sitting in front, and then groaning happily started to eat. Hermione watched him in disgust, some things never changed, and then started up a lengthy conversation with Ginny about the new Minister of Magic which seemed to be a subject that popped up a lot at dinner. Mr Weasley, Bill and Charlie heard the conversation and started to engage with Hermione who was voicing her opinion on the last couple of Minister's they had had.

"Well, Fudge was pretty useless," she began, "and then Scrimgeour was just horrible. Trying to force Harry into supporting the Ministry when they weren't doing anything."

"Ahh, but Hermione, those were desperate times..." Mr Weasley started and soon enough Hermione and Mr Weasley were having a heated discussion that would turn into an argument unless Mr Weasley gave in, which he shortly did, and Hermione smiled with glory. Then she and anyone who would listen started to talk about Gringotts and Azkaban, where the Goblins and the Dementors were both giving trouble.

Down at Harry's end of the table however nothing much was happening. He was trying to eat but was very conscious of the heat that was radiating from Ginny. They had not had a proper conversation since the end of Lord Voldemort and he knew she was finding it difficult to hold in her emotions about him. She had been talking to Hermione about how confused she was, and of course Hermione had told him, threatening him that if he told Ginny about what she had said, she would make sure he hurt for a long time.

Ginny shifted in her seat as she cut a piece of chicken in half. She was quietly chewing away, not talking to anybody just listening to the odd sentence or two from conversations that floated down their way. Harry watched her absent-mindedly, and she suddenly looked up. They locked eyes for a few minutes until a couple of wolf whistles could be heard from the other end of the table. Lee and George were watching them and when Harry and Ginny looked their way they started making kissy noises and hugging each other in a vigorous way. Ginny went as red as her sizzling hair and Harry gave a quick glance at Mrs Weasley. She was looking between George and Lee, and Harry and Ginny. Harry started to eat the rest of the potato salad on his plate, noting that Mrs Weasley's eyes were still on him, as if glued with interest on his now tomato like face. Harry was still blushing into his food when he heard he swish of a cloak nearby. He looked up and saw Kinsley Shacklebolt approaching the gate, with a bright and cheery look on his face.

"Evening Arthur, Molly. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No not at all Kinsley." Molly said, "Would you like to sit down and join us?"

"Perhaps," he answered hungrily looking at the food, "thank you. But first I must ask you to let me speak to some of your company in private." He said, scouring the table and resting on Harry, Hermione and Ron at the end of the table. The three in question stood up and looking confused waited for the temporary Minister of Magic to lead them away. Then he walked off into the garden away from anxious stares and aggravating questions about to be fired at him by the remaining Weasleys.

When far enough into the wild back yard so as they could not be overheard, Kinsley Shacklebolt turned around and faced the three, now quite worried, teenagers.

"Now, you three didn't complete your Newts last year because of this important mission Dumbledore left you. And I know that if you had the choice you would like to be able to have a chance at getting a good job now." He paused and watched the different expressions on the three faces that were in front of him. Harry looked quite calm and was just waiting for him to carry on. Ron the other hand looked as if he could smell something quite revolting, with his nose all wrinkled up. Hermione, however, was standing frozen, hanging on every word Kinsley said with a look of anticipation on her face, as if waiting for something she deeply longed for.

"There are many people who didn't manage to complete a proper set of examinations, whom I have already talked to. Anyway getting to the point of things. The Ministry thinks that over the last year all students who were doing exams should have a second chance. With the Death Eaters taking over the school, the students were only taught appalling magic, which not many witches and wizards even know about. The school has decided that anyone who didn't manage to do the exams can go to extra classes that will be held at the school in free classrooms. If you do choose to do this you will stay in moveable tents that will be placed in the grounds. You will not have to stay every day for there will be days when no classes will be held for the extra pupils. But...it is an option." He stopped, breathing heavily and looking very excited.

"My dear boy," he began looking directly at Harry, who was stunned to silence, "it would be a waste for you not to complete your exams. You would be great at anything you choose to do. And I believe that 'anything' is an auror path?"

Harry nodded but already he had decided. He knew what he wanted to be and he had to finish his exams to become an auror. He was very grateful that there was even a chance that he could complete his education.

"Ron," Kinsley started again, turning to face Ron who looked slightly horrified at the thought of doing more work. "surely you want to finish your education. I know you want to become an auror." Ron looked at Kinsley as if to say, 'how do you know?'

"Dumbledore. He told me." Ron looked very shocked at this. "He spoke very highly of you."

"Really?" Ron seemed very proud suddenly. "Well, I'll do it."

"Me too." Voiced Harry, who knew that this was going to be the best chance he would get.

"I don't know." This time everyone present looked shocked as they turned round to see Hermione looking very unsure. Harry had thought there had been no point in asking her. That she would jump at the chance. "I mean," she began again, "I don't know what I want to do. So what's the point in wasting a year in something I might not use?"

"Hermione," Ron cried, "have you gone completely batty? What the hell are you talking about? Of course you'll use it. Anyway you do know what you want to be. You shut up, last year about how you would never get the chance to get a choice on what you wanted to do!"

Hermione looked startled, and wasn't sure how to answer this. "Well, I have always wanted to...to...well..."

"Yes?" Kinsley asked, urging her on.

"I've always thought it would be quite cool to work in the Department of Mysteries."

And then she couldn't stop herself. She burst into a long explanation of why she wanted to work in the Ministry. And they all started to walk back to the table, Kinsley being bombarded by questions, Hermione now looking thoroughly interested and excited and Ron and Harry exchanging grins as they watched their friend flourish under the idea of going back to school.

Please Review. I'v got some great ideas for this story x.