"…as much as possible. When Apparating over distances of greater than…"

"Hermione, will you stop?"

Hermione looked up at the sound of Ron's voice. She'd been idly stirring her porridge, but Harry could tell she wasn't even aware of what she'd been doing. "Stop what?"

"Muttering Apparition tips to yourself. You'll be fine."

"But I've never tried to Apparate over any sort of distance like this before."

"You passed your test, didn't you? The Ministry must think you're capable if they gave you a license."

Hermione and Ron had taken their Apparition test on the previous Saturday. To no one's surprise, Hermione had passed her test with flying colours. To everyone's surprise Ron had also managed to pass his test, except…

"They saw fit to give you a license, too, Ron," Hermione pointed out, "but it didn't stop you from winding up at the top of Stoatshead Hill when you tried to Apparate home."

"It was the shock," Ron admitted. "I honestly didn't think I'd pass. You, on the other hand, have nothing to worry about."

But Hermione, while she stopped muttering to herself, continued to play with her breakfast without eating it. She was still obviously nervous about something, but whether it was over Apparating up to Hogsmeade or the fact that she was starting a new job today, wasn't entirely clear to Harry.

He looked down at his own barely-touched bowl. At least she wasn't alone. Ron wouldn't begin Auror training until next week, but Harry would be beginning at the Ministry today, and he wasn't completely at ease with the idea. He'd spent the last month sheltered here at the Burrow, but now he'd be going out among strangers, strangers who would just assume he was magical, and who might expect him to do something special. He'd have to find a way to play along with him if he was going to keep his secret.

Meanwhile, the twins were talking about the rebuilding effort in Hogsmeade. Zonko's was now almost completely finished, and the twins were hoping to move back there in the next few days. But not everything was going as smoothly for some of the other merchants.

"We've heard rumours that Gladrags may not reopen their Hogsmeade store. It's never been as profitable as their other branches, and they think it may not be worth reopening."

"That would be a pity," commented Mrs Weasley. "The Hogsmeade branch was their original shop."

"Yes, but the fact of the matter is that store never sold as much as the others," said George. "London and Paris have a much larger population to cater to. It's obviously easier to turn a profit when you have more customers right at your doorstep."

"The problem is that it affects all of us," added Fred. "If one of the shops doesn't come back, it gives people less reason to shop in Hogsmeade in the first place. They'll be more likely to decide to go to Diagon Alley instead. It hurts everyone's businesses."

"With any luck, there will be Hogsmeade weekends this year at Hogwarts," Hermione said. "Perhaps Gladrags will decide it's worth reopening after all."

"Maybe," said George, "but Hogwarts students don't make up a big portion of their customers. They all wear uniforms, after all. It's not like the lot of them descend on Gladrags like they do on Zonko's."

"It's too bad…" began Mrs Weasley. "Ginny had dress robes on her school list this year. There could have been a way to encourage students to buy their dress robes in Hogsmeade, perhaps. Those who needed new ones, in any case."

Harry had to wonder if Ginny's parents would be able to afford a new set of dress robes for Ginny. The ones she's worn in her third year weren't likely to fit her anymore.

Mr Weasley got up from his place at the table. "We'd best be off, Harry. Don't want to be late the first day."

Harry stood to a chorus of general good wishes.

"Oh dear," said Hermione, "I'd better get going as well." She stood, looking slightly pale but determined.

"You'll be fine, Hermione," Ron told her again.

She gave him a nervous smile and drew her wand in preparation. "Have a good day," she said to everyone before she disappeared with a pop.

"Come on, Harry," said Mr Weasley as he headed towards the fireplace, "it's our turn."

But Harry suddenly remembered something. "My wand! It's up in Ron's room. I won't be a minute!"

He climbed the stairs two at a time, all the while berating himself for forgetting. He hadn't been keeping his wand with him at the Burrow--there hadn't been any reason to when everyone here knew he had no powers--but at the Ministry, he'd be expected to carry a wand. Even if it only was for show, no one but him knew that. He'd have to be more careful if he didn't want his secret to get out.

He retrieved his wand and pounded back down the stairs towards the kitchen, almost colliding with Ginny on the landing outside her room. She had evidently just climbed out of bed. Her hair was still tousled, and her dressing gown had been tied on rather haphazardly.

"Harry!" she cried, starting and putting a hand over her heart. "You gave me a fright."

"Sorry, I'm going to be late."

"Oh, and I overslept. I meant to get up and see you off."

"You're just in time, actually."

"Well, in that case…" She reached up and kissed him soundly on the lips. "Good luck for today."

"Was that number fifteen?"

"No, that was for today."

Ginny had tried to finish the birthday kisses over the weekend but had only managed to add one more to the tally so far. It wasn't for lack of trying; it was just difficult in a large family like the Weasleys' to get any sort of privacy, especially when Mrs Weasley insisted on keeping a close watch. Harry found himself hoping for number fifteen on the spot, but Mr Weasley was calling up the stairs for him.

"I have to go."

"I'll go down with you," Ginny said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Are you very nervous?"

"A little…"

"You'll be fine."

Harry wished he shared her confidence. "That's what Ron keeps saying to Hermione."

When they had reached the kitchen, Ginny gave his hand another squeeze before leaning close and kissing his cheek. George let out a wolf whistle. "Shut it," Ginny said to her brother. "See you tonight, Harry."

Mr Weasley had the flower pot where the Weasleys kept their supply of Floo powder in his hand. "Ready, Harry?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Harry took a pinch of Floo powder out of the proffered flower pot and tossed it into the flames. They turned emerald green and roared higher. Harry stepped into them and said half-heartedly, "The Ministry of Magic."

Nothing happened.

"Try again," advised Mr Weasley. "You don't sound confident enough."

"That's because I'm not," thought Harry, but he kept that idea to himself. "The Ministry of Magic!" he tried again with more feeling, but still he remained rooted to the spot. In spite of the feeling of panic that was beginning to take over, Harry was still grateful about one thing. "At least I'm not burning," he grumbled.

"All right, Harry," began Mr Weasley. "Come out for a moment. We're going to have to do this another way."

Harry obeyed, not looking over at the breakfast table. He didn't want to see anyone's looks of sympathy. He hoped Hermione was having better luck than he was this morning.

Mr Weasley threw another pinch of Floo powder into the flames. "It's going to be a bit of a squeeze, but I think it'll work if we go together."

"Isn't it going to look funny if I always come into work with you?"

"We'll have to come up with another way to do this. No time for it now, though. It should be all right for today. We'll be coming out at a very out-of-the-way fireplace."

Harry knew that the Ministry of Magic wasn't supposed to be connected to the Floo network. Normally witches and wizards who had business at the Ministry and who wished to travel by Floo would come out at the Leaky Cauldron and walk from there. It was a security measure as much as anything, and officially the war was still going on, even though Voldemort hadn't been sighted in over a month and his followers were being rounded up. But Mr Weasley had a friend on the Floo Regulation Panel who had no doubt made some special arrangements.

Harry followed Mr Weasley into the fireplace and took hold of the back of the older wizard's robes when instructed to do so. "Hang on tight, Harry," Mr Weasley told him. "The Ministry of Magic!"

This time Harry felt the ground fall away with a whoosh, and the two began to spin past grate after grate. Harry was soon glad he hadn't bothered with breakfast, as his stomach began to churn. He gripped desperately at Mr Weasley's robes as the motion threatened to drive them apart, and he had no idea what would occur if that happened. All he knew was he definitely didn't want to come out in Knockturn Alley.

They came to a sudden, jarring halt, and the confined space in the crumbling grate was the only thing that kept Harry on his feet. Mr Weasley exited first, brushing off his robes. Harry followed, taking in his surroundings. They seemed to be in an old, neglected part of the Ministry. The walls may have been white at some point, but they were a streaky grey now in the spots where the paint hadn't peeled away entirely to reveal the crumbly brick beneath.

Harry followed Mr Weasley through a bewildering maze of corridors, and as they progressed, conditions began to improve gradually, although there seemed to be a surprising lack of doors along these passages. This was supposed to be the Ministry, so where were the offices? He was also beginning to wonder how he was going to find his way back to the fireplace at the end of the day. He felt much as he had during his first days at Hogwarts, when he was a mere first-year trying to find the potions dungeon.

"The head of your division is Badon Hill," Mr Weasley said, breaking the silence. "He was at Hogwarts about the same time I was. He was a year or so above me, in Ravenclaw."

Harry could tell from the older man's tone that he held Badon Hill in high regard. He nodded but didn't have time to reply, for they came upon a new and unexpected obstacle. One moment, Harry was listening to Mr Weasley tell him about his new boss, and the next he found himself face to face with one of the last people he expected, or indeed wanted, to see.

"Harry! How lovely to see you!" Rita Skeeter was smiling broadly at him, the light from the torches along the corridor glinting off her gold teeth.

Harry stiffened, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "What do you want?" he asked between clenched teeth. He knew it was rude, but he didn't care.

"Why Harry, I just wanted to ask a question or two. My readers are dying to know how you've been ever since you finished school. How it feels to be starting a new job. Whether You-Know-Who is really gone. Just a few small questions…"

"I'm terribly sorry," Mr Weasley broke in, "but we're both running late. Perhaps another time?"

"And you would be?"

"Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office."

"Ah, yes, how lovely." But Rita's tone implied that meeting Mr Weasley was anything but lovely. "Harry, perhaps you'd like to explain how you came to choose a career in the Ministry."

"I believe you misunderstood me," Mr Weasley tried again. "I said we haven't got time for this now."

"It doesn't matter, Mr Weasley," said Harry. "I'm not going to have time for this either now or later. Goodbye."

And Harry started off down the corridor, without any clear idea where he was headed. Mr Weasley caught him up quickly, and took his elbow. "This way, Harry."

"Why did she have to turn up today of all days? And how did she know we were going to come this way?"

"I don't know the answer to that," replied Mr Weasley quietly. "She isn't exactly welcome here at the Ministry. Perhaps she found a way to sneak in, and reckoned she'd found a good place to hide." He began to walk faster. "First thing to do is to alert security about her."

Harry followed Mr Weasley with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was bad enough that he had to worry about his co-workers finding out about him. He didn't need the threat of Rita Skeeter exposing him in the press on top of that. And he had no doubt that she would expose him if she knew. Rita Skeeter liked to dig up dirt on whomever she could and she didn't care whom she embarrassed in the process.

They continued round more and more corners until Harry was sure he'd never be able to find his way out again. He wondered if this wasn't part of the security somehow. Anyone who infiltrated this place and didn't know his way would become hopelessly lost in no time. At least there were doors in this part of the Ministry. They all had labels. Harry noticed the Improper Use of Magic Office, the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau and the Goblin Liaison Office in passing.

They finally came to a door marked Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Solicitors. Mr Weasley opened this door to reveal a large room with a counter running along the front of it, reminding Harry a bit of Gringotts. Behind the counter were several desks placed at random about the room. They all looked occupied, but no one looked up or acknowledged Mr Weasley. At the back of the room were two more doors: one bore a nameplate with the name Badon Hill engraved on it, while the other was simply marked Library.

Harry followed Mr Weasley through a swinging door in the counter towards the door marked Badon Hill, but before they could reach it, the door opened and a wizard emerged. He was about as tall as Mr Weasley and looked to be about the same age. His dark hair was streaked with grey, and his blue eyes were lively and sparkling. "Arthur!" he said jovially, extending a hand to Mr Weasley. "How are Molly and the children?"

"All fine, thanks. Sorry we're late. Had a bit of a run-in. You'll want to alert security. Rita Skeeter's skulking about the Department of Mysteries. Think she was looking for an exclusive on Harry, here. Harry Potter, this is Badon Hill, head of this division. Badon Hill, Harry Potter."

Harry put out a hand and shook Mr Hill's. "A pleasure, sir," he said politely, feeling suddenly like Percy.

"Likewise. I hope you'll like working with us. If you'll excuse me for just a moment…"

Mr Hill took Mr Weasley into his office, and Harry thought he heard Rita Skeeter's name come up again. He reckoned it wouldn't be long before security was alerted, and she was escorted out of the Ministry.

While he waited, Harry took a closer look at his surroundings. It looked as if he was going to be working here in some capacity, although he wasn't very clear yet on what he'd be doing. He noticed there was a smaller, vacant desk to one side of the room, near the counter and some filing cabinets. He supposed this was where he'd be working. The other desks were all occupied by witches and wizards, who all looked a lot older than Harry.

Suddenly one of the wizards looked up and caught Harry's eye. He had lank blond hair and very pale grey eyes, which did the all-too-familiar flick upwards to Harry's scar. He did not smile, but continued to stare at Harry for a minute or two, his mouth open slightly as if he normally breathed through it.

"I'll be leaving you here with Badon, Harry." Mr Weasley's voice caused Harry to turn his attention back to his new boss. "I'll come and collect you at the end of the day. Good luck!"

"Goodbye, Mr Weasley."

Harry's heart seemed to sink just a little as Mr Weasley's familiar figure disappeared into the corridor.

"If you'll come into my office, Harry," Mr Hill was saying, "we'll see about getting you settled."

Harry followed him into his office and took the seat he was offered.

"First order of business, Harry. Before we get into anything else, everyone in this office must take an oath of confidentiality. This means that anything that occurs in this office, be it the people passing through it or what is said, even by your co-workers in casual conversation, must be kept in strict confidence. If you are going to work for us you're going to have to agree to taking a magically-binding oath, to which you will remain bound for the rest of your life, even if you leave this department. Can you do that?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Would a magically-binding oath have any effect on him? And if not, shouldn't he make his boss aware of this fact? On the other hand, what was he going to say to anyone? He didn't think he'd have any problem holding to a confidentiality agreement on his own. Not only that, there was an advantage to everyone being under an agreement like this. If any of his co-workers worked out that he no longer had any magical powers, they wouldn't be able to tell anybody.

Mr Hill was watching Harry closely. "Yes, sir," Harry said at last.

He handed Harry a piece of parchment. "In that case, I'll ask you to stand, raise your right hand, and repeat what's written there."

As Harry stood, Hill drew his wand. "What's that for?" Harry asked.

"Just a simple Sincerity Charm. It won't make you sincere, but it will show me if you're sincere."

Harry swallowed and wondered what else the charm might reveal. He raised his right hand and began to read from the parchment, feeling a prickly sensation pass though him. "I, Harry Potter, do solemnly swear…"

Hill put up a hand to stop him. "Hold on a moment. Something's odd here."

Harry suddenly felt cold. "What's the matter?"

"This spell is behaving strangely for me. It's showing me you're sincere about the oath, but you're hiding something else. Something that may affect the oath."

Harry had to work hard at stopping himself from shaking visibly. He was going to have to tell Hill or not take the job, and if he decided not to take the job, Hill would know something was wrong with Harry. Harry didn't know if he could tell a virtual stranger about his lack of powers. He hadn't even told Sirius about it yet. And he didn't know if he could trust this man not to tell… although he too would be bound by the oath of confidentiality. Magically bound. Harry wasn't altogether certain what that meant, but it sounded to him as if it would be physically impossible for Hill to tell anyone anything that happened here. Harry himself had been magically bound to compete in the Triwizard Tournament during his fourth year, after all, and the idea that he could just refuse to compete had not entered his mind even once. Perhaps this oath worked the same way.

"Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all," Harry hedged.

Hill lowered his wand slightly but Harry could see it was still trained on him. He was still being tested, and the idea made him more uncomfortable.

"What makes you say that?"

His tone was casual, but it did nothing to put Harry at ease. He hesitated until Hill finally spoke again. "I can see you're nervous about something, but you have something you're hiding from me."

"How can you tell?"

"From the spell I have over you."

"I don't remember learning anything that would let me know what a person is thinking at Hogwarts."

"I can't read your thoughts with it, but I can tell that you're hiding something. They wouldn't teach spells like this at Hogwarts. In any case they're a fairly recent development, but something like this comes in handy when you're a solicitor. You can use it on a client to see if they're giving you the whole story, you see."

Harry fidgeted for a moment in his seat. "That's very interesting."

Hill smiled. "You're not being quite so honest now. You wouldn't be trying to change the subject on me, would you?"

"I guess the spell just showed you that, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did." He paused for a moment before going on. "Harry, I'll be honest with you. It would be an honour for this entire department if you were a part of it."

Harry was stunned at this statement, but then he began to feel irritation rising in him. "But… but why? You don't even know me! It isn't like this is the sort of job where my scar is going to help you out!"

"No, it isn't. Perhaps you can tell me why you didn't take a job where it would."

"I never asked for the fame, and I never asked for this scar!"

"That may be part of the story but it isn't the entire story. Are you sure you can't tell me?"

Hill was looking at him expectantly, waiting for Harry to say something. Harry met his gaze and saw a pair of blue eyes that reminded him of Albus Dumbledore somehow. He remembered the previous year when he'd kept back information from the headmaster, information that could have led to potential disaster. That helped him make up his mind. He swallowed hard. "I think I know what the problem you were having with your spell may be."

"Yes?"

"First I need to know how this confidentiality oath works. Will anything I tell you now be covered under that?"

"Yes, Harry."

"Whether I end up working for you or not?"

"Yes, Harry."

"So you won't be able to tell anyone else about it?"

"I'd be able to tell one of the other people in this office about it, and I'd be able to tell some other people higher up in the Ministry, as they've also taken this oath. But I wouldn't be able to tell them for no reason at all. They'd have to ask me and they have to have good reason to know about it. It's all written out on that parchment."

Harry looked down at his parchment again and read through the entire oath. Hill had just summed it up in less formal language. Perhaps this oath was one reason why Mr Weasley had thought that Magical Law Enforcement would be a good department for Harry to work in. He took a deep breath. "All right then. I don't want what I'm about to tell you to leave this room."

Harry paused until Hill nodded his assent. "Oath or no oath, I wouldn't tell a soul, Harry."

"Last month, when I duelled with Voldemort I used an ancient spell on him, which was supposed to banish him from this world, but at the same time it robbed me of all my powers. And they're not going to come back. I know that. I can't even receive owls. Only my own can find me but that's because she knows me. So if this oath is magically binding, perhaps it won't work on me. I guess there's no point in me staying." He got up to leave.

Hill looked surprised for a moment, and then he let out a heavy sigh. "No, stay, please." He paused for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. "Well, I suppose this explains a few things, like why someone like you, with your record, didn't go into Auror training. Or try out for a Quidditch team."

"Yes, sir," Harry said quietly, taking his seat again. "So does this mean the magically binding part won't work on me?"

"In truth, I really have no idea. It's never been done before. However, I believe that the Sincerity Charm has proven that you're in earnest about taking the oath, and I am glad you told me about this. I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it. You may proceed. If you still want to, that is."

Harry raised his right hand slowly once more and began to read from the parchment. "I, Harry Potter, do solemnly swear never to reveal anything that transpires within the confines of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, be it job-related or otherwise, to anyone who is not also constrained by this oath of confidentiality. I shall only reveal that information, which it is necessary for me to reveal to others who are constrained by this oath."

When he'd finished, he lowered his hand and waited for Hill to say something. He wasn't sure why Hill was letting him take this job now that he knew about Harry's shortcomings, and he wasn't even certain he wanted to know the answer if he asked. He was afraid Hill would say what had already occurred to Harry: that if he didn't take this job, what job would he possibly be able to take and still remain part of the wizarding world?

"The second order of business here is to tell you what your job will entail. This office needs a clerk. Basically what that means is you will help out any of the solicitors who require help. And if someone comes into the office, you will be the one who directs them to whomever they need to see."

"And how am I supposed to help out the solicitors? I know nothing about the law."

"We'll come to that in a moment. A lot of what it entails is you getting out the appropriate files. You'll see the system. It's quite easy."

Harry was tempted to comment that if the system was so easy why couldn't the solicitors get their own files, but he didn't think that was a good idea on his first day.

"But," Hill went on, "another part of the job involves research. The staff here are probably going become very busy in a short amount of time and the cases they will be preparing will require research into precedents and such. They will not have time to adequately prepare if they have to look all this up themselves, so they may call on your help with their research."

"But…"

"It's all in the library. You only need to look it up for them. They can do the rest."

Harry's heart sunk a bit further. This wasn't a job for him; it was Hermione's dream job. Still, she and Ron had looked up legal defences for Buckbeak in their third year, so perhaps it wouldn't be too bad. Of course, Buckbeak hadn't won his case.

"I'll be getting you started in a moment. Your first assignment will be to become familiar with the laws of wizarding Britain. That will help you know where to look when it comes to helping research specific cases."

Harry tried to smile, but he didn't think he did a very good job of it. He just didn't feel he could get very excited about a job that revolved around research. But maybe he was wrong… There were going to be trials coming up, trials of former Death Eaters. He'd at least be helping put Voldemort's former followers into Azkaban, even if it was only in a small capacity. And there was Sirius. Maybe he could come across something that would help him.

Hill was standing and heading for the door. "Come along, and I'll introduce you to your co-workers. Don't be afraid to ask questions. They know you're new and have no experience with the law yet, so I'm sure they'll be prepared to give you plenty of help."

Harry followed Hill back into the main office, noticing immediately that no one reacted to their presence in the room. "They all have Silencing Charms cast about their desks. Keeps distraction to a minimum. That's one reason why we need you to answer anyone who comes in. They won't hear it if someone turns up at the counter."

"But what if I can't answer their questions?"

"Most of the people who come in here come in to meet with either me or one of the other solicitors. You won't have to respond to any sort of legal questions. You'll just have to direct them to whomever they're here to see."

Harry let out a breath. That didn't sound quite so bad, but he wondered what he was going to do all day, anyway. It didn't exactly look as if people were lining up at the door to meet with a solicitor.

Hill introduced Harry to the others in turn. The first was an elderly-looking witch named Delores Mutt. Next came Nigel Jones, Deirdre Pewty and Vivian Brooke. The last person Harry met was the wizard he'd noticed while he was waiting for Mr Weasley to finish with Mr Hill. His name was Gervaise St John, and he shook Harry's hand with a lot of showy enthusiasm. "The famous Harry Potter," he said rather loudly. "What a pleasure!" Something about his tone reminded Harry of Gilderoy Lockhart for some reason.

"Now, Harry, if you have any questions, Gervaise here will be the one to ask," said Hill. "He used to have your job, but he's recently been promoted. Gervaise, you'll be sure and show Harry the ropes, won't you? Help him find his feet?"

"Absolutely, sir!"

"Fine then. Perhaps you'd like to show Harry the library and show him what he needs to read up on first so he'll be ready to help out with research."

Hill walked back to his office, leaving Harry with Gervaise St John. St John' smile faded almost as soon as Hill disappeared. "Come on, then. I haven't got all day."

Harry followed St John into the library, which was lined with shelves filled floor to ceiling with very thick tomes. St John began pulling volumes at random. When he'd collected four or five, he handed them to Harry. "Here, these will do to get you started."

Harry felt as if his arms were going to drop off under the weight of the law books. At the very least, he wouldn't be surprised if his arms didn't stretch a few inches as he lugged the stack over towards the empty desk near the counter. St John looked ready to abandon him there, so he spoke up. "Erm, how long do I have to read these?"

St John gave a bark of laughter. "Well, you don't really have to read them. You just need to be familiar with them. Go through them until you generally know which laws are explained where. I gave you those because those are the laws were most likely to need to look up in the next few months."

Harry looked at the titles and saw that the texts mostly had to do with Dark Arts offences. St John began to turn away once again. "Wait, what do I do if someone comes in?"

"They'll tell you who they want to see. You just show them to that person's desk." He sounded as if this should have been blatantly evident to Harry.

"And what about the files?"

"I haven't got time to go over that with you now," St John replied impatiently. "It's fairly easy to work out on your own. If someone needs a file, they can get it themselves for now. Let them show you how it works!"

Harry didn't dare say another word, because he was afraid that he'd blurt out what he was really thinking. He was glad that Hill and the others seemed a lot nicer. Perhaps one of them would prove to be more helpful. With a heavy sigh, he heaved the books onto his desk.

He sat down and opened the first volume in the stack. The pages were almost see-through they were so thin, and the print was so small Harry's eyes watered just to look at it. How was he ever going to become familiar with all this enough to know what was where? He propped his chin up on his hand and began to read.

It wasn't very long before he noticed that the author of this book tended to take quite a lot of words to say whatever he was trying to say. It just went on and on and on… Not unlike Professor Binns. Harry had to fight to keep from falling into a stupor, which was difficult when he had to read sentences over several times to work out what they meant. He was sure even Hermione didn't know what a lot of these words meant. He certainly didn't.

After a while he quit caring and read, but words and meaning were no longer sinking in. The sound of someone clearing his throat brought Harry out of a trance-like state. He looked up and blinked for a moment. There was someone standing at the counter, and Harry remembered he was supposed to see what he wanted, but he sat for a few seconds in surprise. Of all the people he could possibly have met his first day on the job, he'd never expected this.

"Well," drawled a familiar voice, "fancy meeting you here, Potter."

To Be Continued…