Hi :)
Welcome to my story Aurors in Training. This is a prequel to my other work, Undercover Auror. I have been very slowly working on both of these stories for a while and I'm currently in the process of remastering them and adding new content also.
This story will focus on my original character, Róisín Rí, and Sirius Black. I prefer to follow canon as closely as possible, so this story is set between 1980-1981 and assumes that Sirius Black and the Potters are all Aurors which is a very popular headcanon. This will be a slow burn, I try to keep things lighthearted around here!
Enjoy :)
Aurors in Training: 1
January, 1980
"Gather round, gather round! Now I know it's exciting - it's your first semester abroad, you can't wait to get out of Dublin - but there are some safety things we need to chat first."
Professor Potts, in her ever cheerful manner (with just a pinch of sarcasm) gathered the trainee Aurors around her as she performed a quick headcount.
"...Dime, Staghart, Hare, Rí... and that makes twelve. Fantastic! We have everyone. Now, for those of you who haven't used a portkey before..."
Róisín Rí tuned out Professor Potts and turned to her friend, Cynthia Dime, and murmured, "One thing I won't miss in London is Potts mothering us."
Cynthia rolled her eyes and replied, "You know as well as I do, some in our class would forget their heads if Potts didn't remind them."
"Girls!" Professor Potts interjected. "Would you like to share with the rest of the class whatever is so funny?"
"No, Professor," the girls replied in synchrony.
"Now," Professor Potts raised a worn-out boot into the air, "can one of you tall gentlemen with a long arm volunteer to hold the portkey? Staghart - how about you."
Staghart took the boot in one hand and held it out to the middle of the group. Professor Potts took several steps back, leaving the group of students to huddle around the boot and stretch to reach it.
"Make sure you all have your bags and your coats and your sandwiches!" Professor Potts called from a few feet away. "They'll look after you once you get to London. Don't forget to be polite to your new Auror trainers! What do I always say to you?"
"Manners cost us nothing, Professor," Róisín replied in a sing-song voice.
"Manners cost you nothing!" Professor Potts echoed. "The portkey will activate in a few seconds. Good luck all of you!"
She received a chorus of goodbyes from the class, followed by a tense silence as they waited for the boot to transport them to London. Róisín glanced at Professor Potts over the heads of her classmates, and silently mouthed, "Thank you."
Professor Potts smiled warmly at Róisín and gave her two thumbs up. An instant later and Róisín and her classmates were pulled by their navels into a cloud of swirling faces, limbs, and suitcases, and a few short moments later, they were thrust unceremoniously into the English countryside. Róisín, having travelled by portkey many times, was able to glide softly down onto the grass, where she helped Cynthia rise back to her feet.
"Never again," Cynthia declared, pressing her hand to her mouth. "Portkeys are the worst!"
"You're just out of practice, girl," Róisín replied, handing Cynthia her suitcase.
The girls regrouped with their class, some of whom were still laying on the ground in a state of nausea. The ones who had managed to land on their feet were helping the ones less fortunate. Meanwhile, an official from the Ministry of Magic approached the group and introduced himself.
"Good afternoon, class! My name is Russell Rivers, but you can call me Rivers. I will be one of your tutors during your stay with us in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Don't get too comfortable because we will be taking Muggle transportation into London to reach the Ministry of Magic. Follow me!"
Rivers was a pale, short man whose stature did not match his bellowing voice. Cynthia huffed at the mention of Muggle transportation.
"So long as the men in London are as cute as everyone says they are, this year abroad will be worth it," she muttered.
Róisín laughed out loud. "We're here to learn from the British Aurors, not sleep with them!"
"Who says you can't do both?" Cynthia replied with a cheeky smile. "Besides, I think we both know you're the one who needs to find someone. You worry too much about your grades. Life is what happens when you're busy trying to beat your personal best! You just don't want to admit I'm right about this."
"I just want to get through this year abroad and keep my head down," Róisín replied. "I'm not interested in forming any kind of connections in England."
"Who said anything about deep emotional connections?" Cynthia asked, with a mocking tone. "I'm just talking about sex."
..
After a train ride which felt like it would never end, the trainee Aurors arrived in central London, where Rivers escorted them to the Ministry of Magic. He stopped by an unassuming red telephone box and instructed them on how to use it to access the visitor's area. Below ground, Róisín found herself on the first level of the Ministry in the Atrium, surrounded by hundreds of wizards and witches milling about their official business. It was a truly beautiful hall, lined with fireplaces on both walls from which important-looking people appeared in a haze of green Floo flames. At the far end, Róisín could see a large fountain and a reception office. She was in awe: how was it possible that such a large organisation could run so efficiently and keep itself so well-disguised to Muggles?
Before she could ponder any further, the last of her classmates joined her and Rivers led them all to a cluster of elevators at the other end of the Atrium. He packed all the students into an elevator car and brought it down to the second level of the Ministry.
"Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said a robotic female voice as the elevator doors opened, revealing a long corridor lined with doors on both sides. Led by Rivers, the class exited the elevator and rounded a corridor to reveal a set of large, heavy oak doors displaying the inscription "British Auror Office" in gold lettering.
"Welcome to your new home!" Rivers announced as he pushed the doors open and revealed a large, open-plan office space filled with dozens of cubicles and packed with Aurors milling about. A massive cork board adorned one wall of the office, covered in photographs and sheets of paper connected by pieces of thread. Each cubicle had its own smaller cork board, many of which were also plastered with photos and documents. Aurors and assistants bustled around the large room, paperwork or pieces of evidence in hand, all looking very important and very busy. Róisín felt, for just a moment, overcome with emotion: she couldn't wait a moment longer to graduate from the programme and become a certified Auror.
"What have we here, Rivers?" called a male voice from the distance. Róisín spotted a tall, dark-haired man approaching the group. He came to a stop by Rivers, lazily putting one hand in his pocket and scanning the group in front of him. He wore a pair of thick, black glasses and pushed his black hair out of his eyes.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Cynthia whispered to Róisín, who brushed her off.
"Unlucky for you - he's married," Róisín replied, pointing subtly at the man's left hand, on which he wore a shiny gold band.
"Then lets hope this one isn't," Cynthia murmured, nodding over Róisín's shoulder.
Róisín turned and spotted another tall man approaching the group. He had longer, curly dark hair with a thick moustache and wore a dark brown striped suit jacket, black trousers and a dark purple waistcoat. He walked (well, more like strutted) right up to Róisín and gently tapped her arm, muttering a soft "Excuse me," as he passed between her and a cluttered cubicle desk.
"Rivers, where are we going to find space for all our new students?" the second man asked as he joined Rivers and the first man in front of the group.
"Maybe we'll put some of them in your massive ego?" the first man remarked, and the second shot him a look of exaggerated offence.
"Maybe a few will fit in those massive spectacles of yours?" the second man replied, eliciting a laugh from a few of Róisín's classmates.
"Boys, boys," Rivers waved a cautionary hand, "try to set a good example, now. Class - meet James Potter and Sirius Black, two of our most recent graduates of your very training programe. They have generously volunteered to act as group leaders for you all. You may seek them out for advice or counsel, but they are not your teachers, per se. They are just here to act as mentors. You will be split into two groups, so six of you will answer to Potter and six to Black. Both of them are fully-qualified Aurors working full-time right here in our offices, so they will be able to answer any questions you have about the early career and lifestyle of an Auror."
"Well, they look like a fine bunch," Black remarked to Potter, who nodded in assent. "What do you say - split them down the middle?"
"Be my guest," Potter replied, bowing his head towards the group.
Black reached out his right arm and flattened his hand, before walking directly through the middle of the group in four confident strides, cutting the group in half.
"Right," he said, indicating to the six people on Róisín's side of the group to shuffle to the right, which they did. "These are my guys. And girls," he added, with a quick wink at Róisín and Cynthia.