House: Ravenclaw
Class: Ancient Runes
Category: Standard
Prompts: [Location] Ministry of Magic
[Disorder] PTSD
Word Count: 1210
Trigger Warnings: Mentions of PTSD and canon character death
The First Day on the Job
Harry breathed as he stepped out of one of the large Floo entrances to the Ministry of Magic. The humming green embers dissipated as he began walking through the large atrium.
"I hate this place," Harry muttered under his breath. He had nothing against the Ministry as an institution, well not anymore, but the halls and the memories still lingered in the back of Harry's mind. The only way they could convince him to return to the building was to offer him the job of Head Auror.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, there you are!" One of the secretaries greeted him, shaking his hand. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic!"
"Thanks, but I've been here before, you know," Harry cheekily noted.
"Right, right, of course! Then, welcome back!"
"Thanks," Harry said politely.
Harry remembered the first time he saw the large atrium. He was on his way to a hearing about how he cast a Patronus Charm in front of a Muggle, his cousin Dudley. The hall, except for the fountain, had hardly changed over the years. He was relieved the fountain décor had become a gold statue honoring Merlin, probably Great Britain's most famous wizard. The last time he saw the fountain, it was a marble statue of Muggles trying to claw their way out of being pressed by a large stone. Harry could still picture it vividly in his mind, and every time he thought about it, it horrified him.
"I'm here to give you the grand tour. As the new Head Auror, there are many departments you should be familiar with here."
The first stop on the tour was Harry's new office. It was a decent-sized office space with no furniture except a desk and chair. "I like the space," Harry commented.
"Yes, it's very nice! I'm sure you can add anything else you need later." The secretary tried to be as enthusiastic as possible. Harry wondered how much extra money he was being paid to do this.
They made their way around all of the important areas for Aurors. They visited the security office, the main courtroom, and eventually ended up in the Department of Mysteries. "This is the Hall of Prophecies. Can you believe this whole hall had to be repaired and rebuilt from scratch? Someone managed to destroy all the prophecies in here a few years ago. No one knows for sure who would do such a thing, but it was quite the mess!"
Harry smirked. It wasn't funny at the time, but he remembered how much Ginny enjoyed casting Reducto whenever she got the chance to. Destructive, yes, but it kept the Death Eaters away from her. "I'm sure my wife would enjoy that interesting fact."
"How is Mrs. Potter doing these days?" the secretary asked, trying to make small talk.
"She has been doing well. She's currently training with the Holyhead Harpies for the upcoming Quidditch season."
"Wonderful! She must be an excellent Quidditch player, eh?"
"She's brilliant," Harry mused.
They made their way through the whole department. It felt like only yesterday that Harry was seeing everything for the first time all over again. He remembered racing through each section, trying to escape the monsters that threatened his and his friends' lives. They stumbled blindly through, trying to navigate the labyrinth of strangeness until they ended up at the center of it all.
"Now, this room is one of the emptiest, but it houses the most peculiar object in the whole building." The secretary opened the doors into the one room Harry wished he had never seen again. "We call this The Veil Room. Do you see that archway in the center? Our scholars believe it is a portal into the afterlife. It'd be best to keep your distance from the curtain though. Whoever steps beyond the Veil through our world into the other can never return to the land of the living. Tragic thing, that archway. So many lives were claimed because of carelessly stepping too close or being too curious."
Harry's heart pounded so fast that he felt like it was going to burst out from his chest. His body trembled slightly. "I-I know what it does," he managed to mutter out.
"Oh? Have you researched it?"
Harry avoided making eye contact with the secretary and clutched his shaking hand, mentally trying to tell it to stop. "Can you excuse me for a moment?"
"Of course, sir. I'm sure this has been a lot to take in. If you need a break, by all means, take a break!"
Harry rushed out of the room and made his way back up to his new office, not saying another word.
Once he got to his office, Harry locked the door, sat down at his new desk, and buried his face in his hands. His breathing turned into hyperventilating and his pulse began to quicken. Anxiety rippled through him. Flashing memories jolted through his head: the sparks flying, the Death Eaters, the members of the Order fighting, Bellatrix's horrible laugh, and his Godfather falling through that very curtain that was only a few floors beneath his feet. Harry thought he had found some form of peace about Sirius's death, but seeing The Veil Room again shattered whatever peace there was.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Harry jumped at the sound and his head whipped towards the sound. "I need some more time alone." He murmured.
Then, he heard a familiar voice. The voice was soothing and his body seemed to relax with the sound of it. "Harry, it's me."
"Ginny?" Harry sounded confused at why his wife was at his door. He quickly unlocked the door and it swung open. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I wanted to surprise you with lunch on your first day," Ginny said with a grin. She was carrying a lunch bag in her hands. She looked around at the empty office space. "We should get you settled in. I can help with designing your office if you want." Ginny paused when she saw the look in Harry's eyes. "Harry? Are you all right?"
Harry took a deep breath. "They were giving me a tour, and we got to the Department of Mysteries."
"Oh? How was the Hall of Prophecies?" Ginny asked playfully.
"They said it took them a long time to clean everything up," he answered.
"Oops."
"Then we got to The Veil Room and…" Harry's voice trailed off.
Ginny immediately understood. She walked over to her husband's desk and set the bag down. "Hey, it's alright. None of that was your fault." She tried to comfort Harry by gingerly wrapping her arms around him.
"I can still see everything happen like it happened yesterday. I still see Sirius…"
"Harry, you said you saw him, right? You said he looked better. He was at peace. I think it's time you found that too. Sirius wouldn't want you to be upset on his account."
Harry placed a hand on his wife's arm. "I know. I know you're right. It's just-it's still hard to think about."
"If we are on the subject of the past, maybe I should tell them what really happened to all of those crystal balls."