Hermione woke them all up early the next morning. Mrs. Weasley had packed, but had yet to meet with George about the trip. She had laid out a supple breakfast for the group. Ron was still groggy when Harry jostled him awake. Ginny and Hermione were waiting for both of them when Harry entered the kitchen. Harry gave Ginny a reassuring smile and sat down next to her as Hermione gave him an inquisitive look. ‘Is Ron still not up?’

Harry shook his head. ‘He’s getting up – slowly but surely.’

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. Harry tried not to laugh as Ginny poured some pumpkin juice for him. Ginny gave him a radiant smile and said, ‘So, when are we going to ditch these two?’

Harry laughed softly and leaned over kissing Ginny’s cheek. ‘Just say the word and we’ll Apparate someplace nice.’

Hermione gave them a tired look. ‘Oh come on you two, we haven’t even left yet!’

Ron came meandering into the kitchen a little later and Hermione gave him a disapproving look. ‘Ron, you should have been ready already!’

Ron just grunted and stuffed his face with some bacon and eggs and nodded absently.

Harry laughed. ‘You might want to wake up a little before we Floo to the Ministry of Magic, mate! Can’t have you mumbling and ending up somewhere else!’

Ron finished eating while the other three finished their tea. They headed to the grate as Mrs. Weasley gave them advice and told them to have a good time. Hermione went first followed by Ron, then Ginny and finally Harry.

They had all dressed in dark robes and emerged from the chimney in the centre of the main corridor in the Ministry of Magic. Mr. Weasley was near the entrance and waved them through. They all put their wands through the security check and headed towards Mr. Weasley.

He greeted them warmly and led them down the same corridor Harry had been down over a month ago. Ginny walked in front with her father while Ron and Hermione walked behind them, Harry walking in the back trying to keep a low profile. He had dressed in nicer robes on this second trip to the Ministry of Magic, but could still feel dozens and dozens of eyes on him.

Harry would have liked to walk openly with Ginny, as her boyfriend, but he got the distinct feeling she didn’t want the attention that went with that title right now. Ron and Hermione were not being overly ‘together,’ as Harry might consider it, but if they walked any closer, Harry thought they might melt into one another. He tried not to be offended that Ginny preferred to walk with her father over him, but couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be in a constant spotlight. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realised he would never be able to escape the incessant attention.

He had stopped by the once animated fountain and looked at the combination of magical creatures. He hoped Kingsley would do a better job of bringing the magical world together, but wondered, with so many varying factions, how one local, magical government could bring that much change. He hadn’t realised he had dawdled for so long, as Ron and Hermione had stopped entirely and Ginny had walked back, running her hand up his arm to his shoulder and whispering into his ear, ‘What has got you so distracted?’

He smiled and leaned in. ‘Just thinking.’ He would have kissed her right there, but could feel her reluctance and settled on taking her hand in his and following Mr. Weasley up the corridor and the lift to Kingsley’s office. Ginny didn’t recoil from his touch, but also seemed to keep her gaze down, away from the many on-lookers taking note of this new revelation.

Mr. Weasley didn’t take them to Kingsley’s office, but to a conference room down the hall from it. Quite a few witches and wizards were milling around, trying to catch a glimpse of the trio and Harry could feel Ginny shift uncomfortably beside him. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and pulled her closer to him.

The conference room had a large table in the centre and twelve high back chairs around it. The chairs pulled themselves back from the table as everyone entered and Kingsley came in behind them, greeting each of them in turn and motioned for them to sit down around the table.

A magical teapot floated around the table, pouring cups of tea. A sugar and milk tray followed close behind. Harry wondered how many charms would be required to get this to work in such unison, but didn’t have long to think on it as Kingsley cleared his throat loudly and any one that was not part of the meeting left. Mr. Weasley gave Kingsley a nod and walked out of the room.

Kingsley smiled broadly at all of them. ‘Thank you so much for coming down to talk to me. I know you’ve all been trying to get back to some level of normalcy in your lives, but I want to make sure you all know what opportunities are out there. I’m sorry I didn’t get to speak with any of you sooner.’

He nodded towards Ron and Hermione when he said this and continued, ‘As Harry hopefully mentioned to you, the magical community is greatly in your debt. And although you have foregone your final year at Hogwarts, your actions over the past year have proven, beyond a doubt, that you are resourceful, intelligent people. As you also may know, the NEWT’s are required to work here at the Ministry of Magic.’

They hung on his every word, Ginny leaning further back in her chair, knowing fully that Kingsley was not making any offers to her. As far as Harry could tell, she seemed interested, but not jealous of what was being said.

Kingsley went on, ‘I have offered Harry the opportunity to come to the Ministry this fall instead of reporting to Hogwarts, and I extend that same offer to both Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. We have a wealth of knowledge here and will make sure you are up to par before sending any of you out in the field.’

Hermione let out an audible gasp, while Harry and Ron smiled at her reaction. Kingsley chuckled at her reaction. ‘Come now, Ms. Granger, you can’t honestly think that I would let resources like the three of you get away so easily!’

She laughed nervously. ‘Well, I mean – I know I’m flattered of course! I guess I never really expected to receive any special treatment for anything we did, it was just…’

She faltered and looked across the table. Harry chimed in quietly, ‘It was the right thing to do; though I still wonder about the cost.’

Kingsley shook his head. ‘There will always be losses in war. Everyone that participated knew the danger, but it was the right thing to do. The right thing to do for the magical community at large.’

Hermione said quietly, ‘I don’t think any of us could have really guessed the cost. But allowing Voldemort to exist would have been worse.’

She laid a reassuring hand on Ron’s hand and he nodded. ‘I wish there was more we could have done to stop the…’ He stopped and looked at Ginny, who nodded and he continued, ‘I just wish we could have stopped so many people from being hurt.’

Kingsley spoke up, ‘I think all of you should not hold yourselves responsible for what occurred in your quest to rid the world of Voldemort. He had to be destroyed and his followers will be held responsible for their actions.’

Ginny spoke up, ‘You make it sound as if they are still around – I thought the Ministry had caught them all?’

Kingsley nodded. ‘Rather astute of you, Ms. Weasley. There was another reason I called you all here. I know Arthur and Molly have been keeping you occupied but there has been an ulterior motive to that.’

He continued more slowly, ‘We have reason to believe that there are a handful of Death Eaters that have escaped detection and are running around, at large, plotting.’

Harry chanced a quick glance at Ginny before asking, ‘Plotting what? They can’t bring him back from the dead!’

Kingsley shook his head. ‘No, of course not. Even with the all the dark magic at their fingertips that isn’t possible. But what is possible,’ he slowed down, seeming to choose his words carefully, ‘is exacting revenge on those who destroyed their ‘beloved’ master.’

Hermione exclaimed, ‘They’re after Harry!’

Kingsley shook his head. ‘Actually, we’re not sure who the target is. And that is why I included you, Ms. Weasley. It could be any one of you. Thanks to the Daily Prophet, the details of Harry’s success have been shared, and all of you play a part in some form or another.’

Ron leaned over, having said little up to this point. ‘You mean, after everything we’ve done. All the horrors we’ve faced, there are people that are still being allowed to roam around freely, plotting to kill us!’

Harry, Ginny and Hermione all turned their heads sharply, not expecting such an outburst from Ron, but his eyes were set and he stared openly in disgust at Kingsley.

Kingsley put his hands up. ‘Its not like we’re helping them track you down, that isn’t the case at all. Please understand; we’re doing as much as we can, but the closer you stay to the Ministry, the more protection we can offer.’

Ron didn’t seem convinced. ‘Protection? Why don’t you just hunt the blighters down and be rid of them! Isn’t there somewhere to put them, even though Azkaban isn’t what it used to be?’

Kingsley sighed and leaned back. ‘There is still a lot of work we need to do before things can have any semblance of order.’ He could see Ron’s outburst had shaken everyone’s attention and he continued more quietly, ‘Look, I understand your frustration. I want nothing more than all of you to go on living the quiet lives you deserve after all you’ve done. But I can only do what is within my power. And this is it: come work here at the Ministry and we can teach you how to protect yourselves and the ones you care about.’

Harry looked across the table at Ron. ‘Kingsley, I know we all appreciate the offer. Hermione’s right, I’m beyond flattered, but there are Death Eaters out there, hunting us as we speak? And you’ve only just now decided that it would be a good time to let us know?’

Kingsley wasn’t to be intimidated by any of them. ‘In my position what would you have done? Thanked you for your help and then left you un-guarded? Molly and Arthur are very powerful. The charms around the Burrow have kept you un-noticed by the general public, but you can’t stay there forever.’

Harry shook his head. ‘This is big – I mean, you’re basically saying that we’re marked. That people are out there right now looking to kill us.’

Kingsley replied, ‘Did you think there would be no repercussions for your actions? I know you’re all smarter than that.’

Ron crossed his arms but didn’t say anything. Hermione put a hand on his arm and turned to Kingsley. ‘I don’t think we came to that conclusion exactly. I mean, yes, of course, not everyone would be thrilled with what we did. But I think we were under the impression that they’d be caught. I really think we’re all going to need some time to figure out what’s best.’

Harry nodded. ‘Yeah, I mean, I thought I knew, but this puts things in a different perspective.’

Kingsley nodded. ‘I don’t want to rush you, but with Molly leaving for a short while, the protections around the Burrow may not be as strong. I’m sure I don’t need to educate any of you on charms, the strength of such spells is not just in the person who cast them, their physical presence enhances its effectiveness.’

Everyone exchanged worried glances and Kingsley continued, ‘Please, just think about what you want to do and we’ll do what we can to make sure you go with the most safety we can ensure.’

They all nodded but sat mutely at the table. Everyone was lost in his or her own thoughts and hardly noticed when Mr. Weasley came back in the room. Kingsley got up and had a brief conversation with him out of earshot.

Harry leaned across the table towards Ron and Hermione. ‘I guess no good deed goes un-punished, right?’

Hermione looked extra nervous and Ron put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry – we’re safe.’

She nodded. ‘For now…’

She didn’t need to complete the sentence and Harry turned to Ginny. ‘I think Ron’s right, we’ll be fine. We defeated Voldemort; I think we can handle some of his Death Eaters.’

Hermione looked up. ‘No, Harry, you defeated Voldemort. Some of us just got tortured at the hands of his Death Eaters.’

Her expression was unmistakable and Harry was taken aback. Ginny looked from Hermione to Ron to Harry with a quizzical look on her face. Ron gave Harry a nasty look before turning his attention entirely to Hermione. Harry leaned forward and said quietly, ‘I’m sorry, you know I can be…well, I don’t think I have a solid excuse.’

Hermione turned away from Harry and Ginny and said dismissively, ‘Its fine, Harry.’

Harry sat back dejectedly and whispered to Ginny, ‘Hermione was tortured…’

Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, I got that, thanks Harry. Could you vague that up for me?’

Hermione laughed. ‘I can see why you two work so well together.’ She took a deep breath. ‘When we were captured at Malfoy’s Manour, Bellatrix…well, she wanted information. She thought I’d be the easiest one to get it from.’

Ron rubbed Hermione’s back. ‘Little did she know she was going after a really tough witch!’

Hermione gave Ron a restrained smile. ‘Anyway, its not important.’

Harry didn’t say anything but nodded mutely. Ginny was shocked. ‘Merlin’s pants! What were all of you doing out there!’

Ron sighed. ‘You know, saving the world, that sort of thing.’

Ginny giggled and Hermione laughing, said, ‘Yeah, so I guess you’re right Harry – if we handled all that, what’s one more death threat?’

Harry smiled nervously at her and said, ‘You know Ron and I would never let that happen again. I thought Ron was going to break that door down trying to get to you.’

This redeemed Harry in Ron’s eyes, who smiled reassuringly. Hermione gave Ron a playful punch. ‘You were that worried?’

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. ‘You had to encourage them, didn’t you?’

Harry laughed and leaned towards her. ‘I can’t have those two upset with me! Besides, it doesn’t hurt us, does it?’

He squeezed her hand and she squeezed his back. His eyes caught Mr. Weasley behind Ginny and turned his attention to him.

Mr. Weasley stepped forward. ‘I don’t think Kingsley intended to frighten any of you, but you can’t wait on this decision too much longer without leaving yourselves open to something dangerous.’

Harry sighed and stood up. ‘I’m sure we’re aware of how dangerous things can be Mr. Weasley, but I don’t think any of us really thought we’d be in mortal danger so quickly!’

Ron laughed. ‘We should have at least gotten a reprieve of a few months!’

Mr. Weasley smiled. ‘After everything all of you have done, I find it hard to believe that you won’t be able to handle yourselves. At the same time, use caution while you’re out today.’

He turned to Harry, looking more serious than usual. ‘Harry, you’re quite recognisable, I hope you will be particularly careful.’

Harry nodded and pulled Ginny’s chair out so she could get up more easily. ‘Mr. Weasley, we’ll be back in the Burrow before dark.’

Mr. Weasley seemed appeased by this. ‘That’s good – Molly and I feel you’ll all be safest at home. What are your plans then?’

Harry looked to Ginny, who turned to Hermione. Hermione just laughed. ‘So I am expected to plan?’ They all laughed as she continued, ‘I thought we’d just have lunch in London, may be stop through Diagon Alley, then head back to the Burrow.’

Everyone nodded in agreement, all of them still consumed by the startling words Kingsley had shared. Harry wanted to believe that he knew it couldn’t be this easy; though easy is a relative term and after spending a year hunting Voldemort down, he would have liked to believe he’d earned peace and quiet, but that was clearly not meant to be. He felt more sad that those he cared the most about were, once again, being affected negatively because of him.

Mr. Weasley nodded. ‘That’s good – you all be careful now!’ Ginny walked over and gave her father a quick hug before Mr. Weasley left.

Kingsley stood in the doorway. ‘If you’ll allow me to escort you all out.’ He paused as they all stood. ‘I don’t mean to alarm any of you, but as Arthur said, caution and vigilance is what has kept all of you safe and will continue to. I hope that I will hear some positive responses to my offer from all of you, but if not, I wish you the best.’

Harry shook Kingsley’s hand. ‘Thank you – for everything. And we will be careful. We’ve had a decent amount of practice!’

Kingsley nodded and opened the door. ‘As I’m sure you’ve heard before, it is better to be in a group, rather than alone, but even that could prove false. Just be aware of your surroundings and you’ll all be fine.’

After the last year, Harry wasn’t surprised to see that everyone seemed to have a glazed over look at this warning, even Ginny, which made Harry wonder about her description of her sixth year at Hogwarts yet again.