Chapter 4 – Struggles at work

'I swear this child is more often in our bed than in hers' Ginny welcomed him, when back from his run at seven thirty, sulking slightly.
Sunrise was sitting on her highchair mixing intently with her spoon her porridge, a good part of it on her face and around her plate.
'Siry, eat up! Don't play with your food.' Harry reprimanded her and then turning to Ginny, he kissed her forehead 'She had a nightmare, come on'
'It happens so often!' she said pouring some coffee in a mug for him 'She just wants to sleep in our bed. You always spoil her so much!'
She was right, Harry spoiled her very much and he was aware of it. He wanted to always see a smile on her face running the risk of spoiling her as Ginny constantly reminded him. He endeavoured severity, but it was difficult; Sunrise, in an innate instinct, knew how to work on him. A wrinkling of nose, a wobble of lips, a shade of a tear and he was ready to give in immediately to any of her whims. Thankfully there was Ginny intervening with a 'We don't want any brat', when such moments occurred, to establish order.
Harry sat down taking the mug to his mouth cherishing the bitter flavour of the dark coffee while she was serving him breakfast.
'She seemed in earnest. It's always that dream about the bad bloke.'
Ginny sat down likewise, and wiped Sunrise face with her bib, sporting a sceptic frown.
'I bet it's all that school's fault.' She muttered disapprovingly.
Sunrise had begun to go to a kindergarten that year. Previously Molly and Arthur had taken care of her while they were at work. Harry and Ginny however, wanted her to start socializing with children of her own age, so one had to be chosen.
It hadn't been easy. Like for every child brought up, they fell straight into the same argument. Harry wanted a muggle one, Ginny one for magical people. But as all the previous arguments Harry ended up being the winner. Ginny could prevail on him on most of their disagreements, but she never managed on this one. Harry was adamant. He didn't want his children to be spoiled or treated differently only because children of Harry Potter. And since there was the opportunity to make them grow up in an environment where they could actually be as anybody else, he was all for it.
He couldn't and wouldn't deprive them of Hogwarts but the rest of their education he insisted on being between muggles.
Ginny couldn't forgive him and didn't lose a chance to complain about it.
'I don't see how it could be the case.' He replied attacking his breakfast quite starving after the exercise.
'They tell her strange stories' she said frowning and helping Sunrise with her porridge.
Harry raised his eyebrows quizzical 'What do you mean?'
'Yesterday, when I was picking her up, they were recounting a tale so I waited for them to finish' she started explaining leaning close to him conspiratorially 'I couldn't believe it! It was gross!'
Harry halted eating very surprised at this 'What did it say?'
'Apparently it was about some kind of wolf' she said gesticulating 'who wanted to eat a little girl'
Harry started to comprehend and to have confirmation of his suspicion asked 'Young, naïve, with a red cap kind of girl?'
'Exactly!' she exclaimed and then looking at him darkly 'Do you know it?'
Harry repressed a smile and, curious to understand where she wanted to get, gestured her to go on getting back to his breakfast.
'This wolf instead of eating her straight away, ate his auntie first'
'Grandma' he corrected unable to stop himself, but Ginny, too carried away with her tale, continued 'Whatever' she just said 'and then he actually toyed with the little girl answering various probing questions, which is very perverse if you think about it. And then she ate her whole! Like, whole!' she exclaimed scandalized.
Harry was finding very hard by then to repress a laugh while Sunrise had stopped completely her eating to look at Ginny mesmerized.
'And then a kind of huntsman came and slashed the wolf's tummy open, without so much of a charm, releasing the girl and the grandma who in the meanwhile were still alive!'
Concluding this sentence, she had such a disgusted face that Harry couldn't contain himself any longer and burst out in a vigorous laugh straight away followed by Sunrise that bounced up and down in her highchair with mirth.
'What?' Ginny bellowed over their laugh quite upset.
'It's only a muggle story' he said once managed to calm his amusement 'and a very famous one at that'
'Well, it's nonsensical and gruesome! And not adapted for a child!'
Harry finishing the last mouthfuls of his meal stood up to take his plate to the sink.
'Don't worry Ginny. I grew up with that story, James and Albus too, Hermione as well and we all survived well enough without major traumas. I dare say Siry will do the same'
'I like Little led lidingood, mummy' Sunrise chirped with a beam.
Harry smiled and caressed her head 'Little Red Riding Hood, sweetie' he corrected her.
'See?' turning to Ginny 'No major traumas'
'Fine' she yielded morose 'But nevertheless, she must learn to sleep in her bed' continued obstinate, eager to win at least one battle that morning.
'Alright, next time we'll be merciless' Harry conceded mockingly 'I'll have a shower and then I'm off. I'll try to be back early tonight'
'It would be high time' she said wearily.
At work it was busier than ever. Only two weeks back a dark wizard had been tracked and ambushed.
He was a sick individual with a twisted mind who enjoyed experimenting dark magic on corpses, chopping them up and putting them together in a mix and match manner.
Five of his best Aurors had been on the capture but the situation had started to go downhill quite fast as the reason of all this chopping had come to light.
The guy was building an Inferi army with enhanced strength.
He hadn't had time to build more than handful but quite enough to catch them by surprise and overwhelm them quickly.
When he got there with enforces, already three of his colleagues had perished. And the two remaining were struggling with fire to keep the Inferi back.
Eventually they managed to overcome them, but the Dark Wizard had fled and a squadron from the Ministry had to be called to cancel memories that needed to be cancelled and to dispose of the monstrous Inferi's body.
From then on everything started to be hectic. New staff had to be taken on and trained straight away to fill the vacancies and that was a cumbersome task as Harry always wanted to make the choice personally. He oversaw the tests, observed them, participated to interviews explaining at length the nature of the job. He wanted to make sure they knew what they were getting into and evaluate their strength.
Many people applied every time there was an opening, several, unfortunately, where all but serious. Only wanting to get to see him up close or have the chance to talk to him. Those were the moment in which his forbearance was most tried.
Therefore, after many of these irksome encounters, he had adopted a simple strategy to skim candidates. A five miles run. The ones who couldn't make it were out. It helped but it still took months, if not years, to have a well-trained new Auror.
It was indeed hard, but the worst had been to deal with his colleagues' death. It was always tough. Especially witnessing the grief of husbands and wives, relatives and children, during funerals to which he always made a point to attend. He couldn't help but picture Ginny in the same situation if something happened to him and his heart was always constricted. Even if he tried hard, could barely have the detachment required. Outside he looked stern and serious as it was expected but inside, it was a completely different matter altogether; it was impossible not to get fond of his colleagues despite his reticence to befriend them too much. It was always challenging but from Lily's accident everything had worsened. It hadn't been the only time that he had to participate to such funerals but since her departure it weighted more on his shoulders and couldn't quite get rid of a feeling of guilt connected to every of those deaths; it was him after all who ordered them there. He realised it was nonsensical to carry those faults but nevertheless they were there, luring in a corner of him.
He was starting to consider whether it wouldn't have been better to quit his job; there wasn't any reason for him to keep working. They had money enough to allow them a luxurious life even without any steady entrance, and they weren't living a luxurious life at all as they didn't feel the need.
He could have enjoyed Sunrise's childhood more (he was taking very careful precautions to make sure this was going to be the last child fathered by him) and he would be out of danger.
It was a tempting prospective in many respects, yet a small part of him was always reminding that after all the people who had lost their life to help him survive and defeat Voldemort, he ought to keep fighting dark magic to make up. He was in debt and had to pay it off.
He was always very careful not to bring his discomfort at home but nevertheless it had creeped on the family in the evening. Sunrise was unusually whimpering and Ginny, very much afflicted in seeing him so low and sensing the reason, was affectionate and caring.
He had taken him a few days to realises but when he did, made his best to shake it off. His priority was to see his girls happy and carefree.
Nonetheless, he had so much going on between his hands at work that he was always getting at home quite late. Sometimes finding Sunrise already asleep.
That day he would have asked Carola to help him with trainings, it wasn't right after all for Ginny to have the whole responsibility of Sunrise, handful as she was.
'I'll get dinner on my way back, so you don't have to cook, alright?' he said stroking her head affectionately.
'As you want but take your presence. I got Witch Weekly two days ago and I still hadn't the time to open it. Tonight, for a change, I'd like to be able to sit on the sofa and not crawling on the rug with Sunrise'
Harry grinned kissing her head and Sunrise's, who had taken back her porridge exploration, and made upstairs for a quick shower.