Harry
Harry was seated next to Noah in Reed's office listening to a lecture about the number of rules they had broken while out on the current mission. Normally Reed was willing to overlook the cavalier way two of his most promising aurors disregarded the rules, that were there to protect them, but today he was not being so forgiving. The difference was that the previous two missions Harry and Noah had collaborated on had resulted in captures of their targets, and this time they had failed. It wasn't their fault that the target had slipped through their fingers, but it did mean that Reed was in a foul mood and was using their rule breaking against them this time.
"I should put the two of you on probation," Reed thundered.
Taking a quick glance at his watch Harry's heart sank. It wasn't bad enough that they had missed the target and were now getting chewed out for the rules they had broken, but he was supposed to have been home last night and now eleven o'clock was fast approaching. He needed to be beside Ginny on that train. As it stood he had a half an hour to get to the train station. He had sent Ginny a message via the dog tags last night apologizing profusely and asking her to bring his things to King's Cross for him. He promised that he would meet her there; he just hoped that it was a promise he could keep.
"Potter, are you listening?" Reed shouted.
Under his breath Noah muttered, "Say you agree that we were reckless…"
"Yes sir, I agree that Auror Levine and I were quite reckless…" Harry parroted.
"We'll be more careful on our next mission…" Noah muttered.
"We will be more careful on our next mission and keep in mind that the rules are there to protect us," Harry said.
Reed looked surprised and then said, "Very good. Now, let's go over your actions again and discuss what you can do differently next time to avoid breaking more rules."
Harry sighed, there was no way he was going to make the train; he hoped Ginny wouldn't be too angry with him. Just as he'd given up hope the door to Reed's office swung open and Kingsley let himself in saying, "Harry, don't you think you should be on your way if you are going to make it to King's Cross before eleven o'clock? I dare say that your fiancé will be waiting for you."
Reed looked slightly annoyed that his diatribe was being interrupted but said, "Harry, I forgot that you were headed back to school today. Have you finished your mission report?"
Harry nodded and handed it over, "So I'm free to go then?"
"Yes, have a good term Harry." Reed said.
Harry gathered his bag and mouthed, "Thanks," to Noah before following Kingsley out the door.
"Thank you," Harry said as Kingsley escorted him to the apparition point, "Ginny is already going to be furious with me; I was supposed to be home last night."
Kingsley chuckled and said, "It was time I came to rescue you anyway, sometimes Reed gets a little too attached to the rules. We both know that sometimes the best aurors are the ones who are willing to break a few rules to get the job done."
"So when does my auror training start at Hogwarts?" Harry asked anxiously.
"I think your first lesson will be tomorrow," Kingsley said.
"Who is going to be my instructor?" Harry asked.
"It will vary," Kingsley explained, "As different aurors have free time between missions we will recruit them to come to Hogwarts to teach you. You will have class three times a week. It is possible that there will be times that we won't have one available to come teach you and on those days you can study the handbooks on your own."
"Will there be a final exam at the end of the year like I have for my other classes?" Harry asked.
"I think so," Kingsley said, "But Harry, no more questions, you need to go."
Harry glanced at his watch and saw that he now had only seven minutes to apparate to the station before the train left. "Thanks Kingsley," he said again as he sprinted the rest of the way to the apparition point and turned on the spot.
Ginny
Ginny scanned the platform endlessly looking for Harry's tussled black head; she was starting to get a headache. She had received Harry's message saying that he wouldn't be back that night during dinner last night. She felt that she'd feigned nonchalance over it pretty well but when she retired to her bedroom shortly after dinner to sulk in private she could feel both Hermione and her Mum's pitying looks following her up the stairs. She hadn't allowed herself to cry, that wouldn't fix anything. But as she double checked both her and Harry's trunks and then pulled out her knitting she could feel the frustration building in her chest. Frustration that she knew could quickly become anger if she wasn't careful. She didn't want to be angry with Harry, it wasn't his fault that the mission was taking longer than expected.
Ginny checked her watch and saw that it was ten minutes to eleven. When they had arrived twenty minutes earlier, she, Ron and Hermione had stowed their things in the compartment reserved for head students and prefects. Ron and Hermione had stayed there to save their seats, welcome the prefects as they arrived and hand out patrol assignments. So far Ginny knew that Neville and Luna were both prefects this year. Ginny had come back out to the platform to keep an eye out for Harry. In seven minutes she would re-board the train, she didn't want to miss it. She knew it was possible that Harry would be delayed enough to warrant apparating directly outside the Hogwart's gates later in the day.
"Where's your fiancé?" an all too familiar voice asked mockingly behind her.
Ginny rearranged her face into a neutral expression before turning to Dean and saying, "Harry has been out on an auror mission the last couple days; he is supposed to be meeting me here to board the train."
"If you were with me you wouldn't have to wait around," Dean said.
"I am perfectly happy to wait for Harry," Ginny snapped, "It's not like he's keeping me waiting for no reason. He has a very important job."
"If he has such an important job why is he bothering to come back this year?" Dean asked.
"Lots of reasons," Ginny said, "None of which are any of your business. Now clear off, the train is about to depart."
"Who are you to boss me around?" Dean asked angrily.
"Just a Head Girl," Harry said from behind her.
Ginny whirled around and said, "You made it," before throwing herself into his arms and kissing him hard on the lips.
Harry kissed her back but quickly broke the connection and said, "Let's board the train before we miss it." Once aboard the train Ginny backed Harry into a wall and captured his mouth with her own. Aware of the curious eyes watching them she broke contact after a few brief moments and whispered, "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Harry said, "So much. Look in my pocket, I brought you something."
From the pocket Ginny extracted a tiny velvet bag and poured from it a silver necklace with a complex Celtic knot pendant. "You were in Scotland?" Ginny guessed.
"Yes, but I'm probably not even supposed to tell you that," Harry confessed, "The mission didn't go well and the target is still at large."
"I won't tell anyone," Ginny whispered.
Harry helped her clasp the necklace around her neck before pulling her back into his embrace. Rather than kissing her in front of all the curious eyes peering at them through compartment windows he buried his face in her hair and breathed in her intoxicating scent. Moving his mouth to her ear he said, "I thought you'd be furious with me."
"I kind of was last night," Ginny confessed, "But Dean ticked me off and all my anger with you deflected to him. Besides, it all would have melted away as soon as I saw you here safe."
"Oy, you two," Ron bellowed at them from further up the corridor, "Hermione wants you two to get in here and help with Head duties."
"We'll have a real reunion later," Ginny assured him with a quick peck on his lips.
Harry
The compartment was crammed with students wearing prefect badges. Hermione looked harassed and frantically waved Harry and Ginny over. As they took their seats Hermione said loudly above the babble of conversation, "Now that all four heads are here we can get started. As you all know Headmistress McGonagall and the faculty decided to appoint more students to positions of authority for this school year to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Just because there are more of us doesn't mean that anyone's contribution is any less important. Be prepared to work for your title. Let's first go around the room and state our names so we can be sure that everyone knows everyone else. I'll start I'm Hermione Granger, I'm in seventh year and I'm one of the Head Girls."
Typically there were six prefects from each house, two from each year five and up; this year the number had increased by two additional students from each house, one additional each from sixth and seventh year. Harry didn't know most of the students who were fifth or sixth year prefects, but many of them looked familiar. The seventh year prefects were Lavender, Parvati and Neville from Gryffindor; Luna, Padma and Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw; Hannah, Ernie and Justin from Hufflepuff and Blaise, Millicent and Pansy from Slytherin.
Hermione outlined how she wanted the patrol duty to be broken up for the duration of the train ride and announced that she expected everyone to check in again before the end of the train ride to gather their assignment for patrol duties for the rest of the first week of school. By the end of the first week she expected that she and her fellow heads would have arranged everyone's assignments for the first month of school. If you had a conflict with your schedule it was up to you to find your own replacement. Anyone who shirked their duty or abused their authority would be stripped of their title. As there were more prefects this year than ever before it shouldn't be a problem to cover all shifts assigned to you. Finally Hermione was satisfied and sent everyone out to patrol the corridors.
Ron sank into a seat and said, "Finally, we can relax."
"We can not," Hermione said bossily, "We have schedules to arrange and assign."
"You're no fun," Ron complained.
"That's not what it sounded like last night when you two were moaning and groaning up in Ron's room when I brought up more laundry," Ginny said.
Hermione flushed crimson to the roots of her hair and stuttered, "Ron, get over here and let's get started on this."
"That's wasn't very nice," Harry snickered.
"True, but it buys us a few minutes to catch up," Ginny said as she settled herself on his lap and lowered her lips to his.
It had been less than ten seconds when Hermione said, "You two get over here. You are heads as well and cannot expect Ron and me to do all the work. The sooner we get this finished, the sooner we can all relax."
Ginny groaned in frustration and whispered to Harry, "Ron was right, she isn't very much fun." Harry chuckled and she added, "We might need to make a field trip up to the astronomy tower tonight."
The first several hours of the train ride were spent organizing a schedule for the first week of school. It should have been easy to arrange but Hermione was entirely too detailed and made it far more complicated than it needed to be. But by the time the snack trolley came around they were finished. Harry bought snacks for he and Ginny then sat beside her devouring chocolate frogs as he watched her knit.
"Who are those ones for?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded toward Ron and Harry understood. "What did you do while I was away? Anything interesting happen?"
"I did lots of chores, helped at the shop a little, knit, packed our stuff…nothing interesting," Ginny said.
"Any interesting dreams?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"A few," Ginny admitted, "Maybe if you are lucky I will tell you about them later."
Before they knew it the sky outside was darkening and the castle towers and spires were becoming visible in the distance above the treetops. The four of them changed into their school robes and pinned their badges to their chests. As the train pulled up at the platform in Hogsmeade Harry asked, "Even though I nearly missed it, was this train ride better than last year's?"
"I'd forgotten to remember how bad last year was. When I'm with you nothing else matters, that is why I needed you here with me. I knew you would completely distract me," Ginny said.
The four of them supervised the mass exodus from the train, helping any younger students that needed it and ensuring that everyone made it to the carriages, or the boats with Hagrid, if they were first years. As Hagrid rounded up the first years he gave them a wave and asked, "Alright you four?" When everyone else had gone the four of them climbed into the final carriage up to the school. Harry smiled brightly as he sat with an arm around Ginny. He couldn't believe he was really back for a final year. He had missed this place last year. This year would be entirely different than any school year he had before, but that was probably a good thing.
"You look happy Harry," Hermione said as she smiled back at him.
He looked at her and said, "You too."
"I am," Hermione said.
"I just didn't think I'd ever be back here. As much as it would have been tempting to become an auror and move on with life in that way, I am so glad to be back here," Harry said.
"Me too," Hermione said.
"Me three," said Ginny.
Ron grinned and said, "Me four."
Up at the castle they herded everyone into the great hall for the sorting feast. Once they were seated at the Gryffindor table the students to be sorted were escorted in by Headmistress McGonagall. Harry noticed immediately that there seemed to be many more new students to be sorted than usual and many of them looked older than eleven. Hermione noticed the quizzical look on Harry's face and whispered to him, "Now that the threat of Lord Voldemort is gone people who held their children back from starting school while he was alive are sending their children. The class of first years is larger than it has been in over two decades."
"Another reason to have extra heads and prefects," Ginny added.
"So do the older children start off in first year or do they go to the year that has kids their age?" Harry asked.
"It depends," Hermione said, "It sounds like some of the students were being educated about magic by their parents at home. Some placement tests will be performed to determine what year they should be in."
Harry was about to ask another question when Hermione shushed him. The sorting hat had been placed on a stool at the front of the hall and was about to start its song. Harry didn't hear much of it as he tuned it out at the first mention of his own name. Hermione informed him later that at the beginning it talked about how Harry was savior of the wizarding community and how very heroic he was indeed; oh and eventually it got around to explaining the four Hogwart's houses.
The sorting itself took a very long time. By the end Ron was moaning about how hungry he was. When it was over each house had between sixteen and twenty new students. At Headmistress McGonagall's word the tables filled with food from the kitchens below and everyone began eating. As Harry filled his plate with all his favorites he thought again how lucky he felt to be back here this year.
Partway through the meal Ron asked Harry, "Why is Dean glaring at you like that?"
Harry glanced down the table and indeed Dean was staring at him and Ginny in a most irritated manner. Trying to find the right words Harry hesitated and Ginny spoke up saying, "He's being a great idiot. He's gotten it in his mind that Harry isn't good enough for me and he's going to win me back. We had more than one run in with him over the summer and another this morning just before we boarded the train."
"What a git," Ron said around a mouthful of roast chicken.
"Do you think you ought to tell someone?" Hermione asked.
"No," Harry and Ginny said together.
"We can handle it ourselves," Ginny insisted.
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Promise me that if things get dangerous or out of hand that you'll report Dean to McGonagall." When neither said anything Hermione pressed further, "Promise me."
"I promise," Harry and Ginny muttered together.
In fascination Ron said, "You two are even starting to act like one another."
When the plates were cleared away magically from below Headmistress McGonagall stood behind the podium at the front of the great hall and addressed the hall, "I want to welcome all of you. Whether you are a returning student or here for the first time, welcome. I want you all to know that despite the battle the castle saw at the end of last term the castle is as safe as can be. While Lord Voldemort is no longer a threat, some of his supporters remain at large, but know that every defense available to us has been implemented. We are also fortunate to have an auror among our number this year and should any danger arise he is more than capable of handling things, at least until additional support can arrive. As you may have noticed there are an increased number of prefects and head students this year. I will be working closely with them and any questionable behavior will be brought to my attention. As always the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Now, off to bed, classes start in the morning. Good-night."
Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron left the prefects to escort the first years to the dorms while they patrolled the corridors to ensure that no one snuck off on their own. After chasing a few snogging couples to their dorms they were fairly certain that no one else remained in the corridors. To be sure Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and scanned it. Finally they headed back to the great hall to meet with Headmistress McGonagall who was to escort them to their private head's dorms.
When they arrived back in the Great Hall Headmistress McGonagall said, "I didn't expect to see you back so soon. You are sure the corridors are empty?"
"Yes," Harry said simply, "We are sure."
"Very well," she said, "Let me show you to your dorms."
Behind them Harry heard Ron mutter to Hermione, "She believes Harry just like that. If it was me she would have asked for proof."
They followed Headmistress McGonagall up several staircases and down several corridors before she stopped beside two plain wooden doors in an out of the way corridor that none of them had ever noticed before.
"Where are we?" Ron asked out loud.
"Weren't you paying attention on the way here?" Ginny asked in exasperation.
"Honestly, no," Ron said, "But what I meant is that I've never been in this corridor or seen these doors before."
"That is how the head's dorms stay private. There is a charm on this corridor and if you aren't either a head student or a teacher you can't enter or even see it," Headmistress McGonagall explained, "Should you want another student to meet with you here you need to lead them here because they wouldn't be able to find it or find their way back to it later."
"Then how do the prefects get in touch with us if they need us?" Hermione asked.
"Each of you as well as all the prefects will be equipped with special two way mirrors that will allow them to contact you directly. All you need to do is speak the name of the person you wish to speak to. You are to keep them on or near your person at all times. They will glow and emit a signal when someone is waiting to speak with you. You can each find your mirror in your rooms," she explained.
"Both dorms are set up the same, so we will tour the one for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," Headmistress McGonagall said, "After the Christmas break both dorms will be slightly different. One will become a suite for the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Potter and the other will be altered to allow Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger to share it."
As they entered Ron let out a whistle of appreciation. It was decorated similar to the Gryffindor common room, all red and gold. The ceiling was high and an impressive chandelier hung from the center of the room. There were two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom between them along the left wall. The right side of the room boasted an impressive fireplace, a plush couch and two matching armchairs and a large low table. There were also two large desks near an area in the wall that appeared to be wood paneled and appeared somewhat out of place in the cozy stone room. McGonagall led them to that corner of the room and showed them how if they pressed on a certain stone by the fireplace that the wooded panel would slide aside making the study area connect to the identical area in the girls' dorm, perfect for their head meetings. "Be warned that this panel is not to be opened unless you are conducting a meeting. There will be no using it to sneak into each other's rooms. Am I making myself clear?" She asked while directing pointed looks not at Harry and Ginny but instead at Ron and Hermione. Ron flushed spectacularly while Hermione looked at the floor in an effort not to meet McGonagall's eyes. "Yes Headmistress McGonagall," the four of them chorused. "This panel will be removed when you return from Christmas break. You will have to plan to meet in one dorm or the other. We wanted to afford the newlyweds the most privacy we can. The passwords have been left in your bedrooms. Good-night."
They bid her good-night and as soon as the door closed behind her all four scurried toward the bedroom which boasted their name in gold lettering. Harry chuckled as he heard Ron swear appreciatively over his room and could see why when he opened his bedroom door. Harry's room was decorated in a deep emerald green with accents in tan and gold. The matching furniture was all made of a dark smooth wood. The four poster in the center of the room was larger than the one in his old dorm. There was a large dresser and a desk near the window. There was a perch in one corner of the room that he assumed must be for August should he prefer to spend time with Harry instead of in the owlery. Along the dresser were framed photos of his parents, Sirius, Remus, Teddy and he and Ginny. As he settled onto the bed he noticed that the tiny stitched details on the bedspread were actually snitches. He grinned as he lay back on the bed. He looked up when he noticed Ginny appear in his doorway. "Come in," he said patting the bedspread beside him.
"I can't," Ginny replied, "It seems that the doors have some sort of spell cast on them to prevent girls from going into guys' rooms and vice versa.
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Come see," Ginny said.
Harry rose from his bed and followed Ginny through the joined study area to her bedroom and tried to enter; he couldn't. He peered into her room which was a pale lavender with sage green accents. Her furniture was of a paler wood than his. The room looked bright and sunny and he shifted his position to get a look at the pictures on her dresser. There was one of the entire Weasley clan and another of the two of them.
At that moment Ron walked quickly into the girls' dorm and tried to enter Hermione's room. Hitting the barrier at that speed knocked him back into the floor with some force. "What the hell," he bellowed as he rubbed his backside tenderly. Hermione poked her head out of her bedroom and laughed. "There is a charm on the doors to keep boys out of girl's rooms and vice versa."
Harry laughed and helped Ron up off the floor, together they looked into Hermione's room. It was blue and white and surprisingly, rather floral. Harry returned to his and Ron's dorm and entered Ron's room without a problem. It was violently orange, in support of the Chudley Cannons. The bathroom between their rooms was obviously magically expanded. There were two sinks and mirrors, two showers and one enormous bathtub that was really more like a small swimming pool than a bathtub.
"I could get used to this," Ron moaned as he joined Harry in the bathroom, "My room at the Burrow is going to feel like small potatoes after this."
Hermione's voice floated in from the common area asking, "Shall we have a head meeting tonight?"
"No," Harry, Ron and Ginny said together.
Hermione looked annoyed and asked, "Why not?"
"Harry and I have not been properly reunited after his auror mission," Ginny said, "It is a little hard to have a satisfying reunion aboard a train full of prying eyes."
"We will have a meeting tomorrow evening then," Hermione said in a manner that left no room for argument.
Harry went back to his room to fetch the invisibility cloak and his two way mirror as Hermione began pestering Ron to sit down and go over some of her ideas for streamlining the patrol assignment process. He pulled the cloak from his backpack and found the scrap of paper on his desk with the password to his and Ron's dorm. As he read it a smile spread across his face, it was perfect, 'Homecoming,' it read. As he looked around he knew he had absolutely made the right choice in returning here for one more year. It was going to be an amazing year.
Author's Note: So, they are back at school. Let me know what you think of this chapter. To some extent this feels like filler…but it was necessary filler…I had to get them back to school. The two way mirrors are not my idea…but I have come across it in SO many other stories that I didn't think it would be a big deal if I used it too. It is another of those ideas that just makes so much sense. I suppose it came from the mirror that Siruis gave Harry…but if it was an idea of someone here in fan fic world – thank you!
Please let me know if I should set the next chapter up in the astronomy tower with Harry and Ginny's reunion or if I should move forward this the story…let me know! Thanks for reading – please review – it makes me happy and it honestly makes me write the next chapter even faster!! Best, Tinkerbell
Note - Someone pointed out that Ron and Hermione would have known about the two way mirrors since they had been prefects before....I forgot that I was going to have McGonagall point out that this was a new solution for having the heads and prefects communicate with each other...I'm not going to back and add it it...but it might turn up in a later chapter.
Oh and please see my profile to see a link to the Celtic Knot pendant – so pretty.