Harry had watched the train leave and stayed as long as he could, re-playing the last intimate moment he’d had with Ginny; the touch of her lips on his, the feel of her fingers running through his hair. She had the most amazing scent about her. He wished he had something substantive to remember her by.

He soon realised there were a great number of people looking in his direction and kicked himself for not having used any charms to conceal his identity or Ginny’s. He was flushed from the memory and hurried out of the train station, heading home.

Kreacher was waiting for him as he got home, and grilled him on how his last meeting with Ginny had gone. Kreacher had been very intuitive about the troubles Harry was feeling with respect to Ginny, and seemed to know when to give the right advice.

Harry tried to stay positive as the day went on, and he was surprised to see Ron come out of the grate some time after dinner. Ron looked worse for the wear and had the same tired, exhausted expression he’d seen on Ginny. Harry also noticed Ron’s clothes seemed to be dishevelled, as if he hadn’t changed or showered all day.

‘Ron! I didn’t expect to see you. Ginny made it sound like I wouldn’t be seeing you for a while…’ Harry said quietly.

Ron sat down heavily at the table and replied, ‘I didn’t expect to get away myself. But mum and dad were feeling…charitable.’ He looked at the table with a guilty expression and said, ‘Did Ginny and Hermione get on the train okay?’

Harry nodded. ‘Yeah, no problems.’ He continued more slowly, ‘How are things? You look totally gone, mate.’

Ron nodded and ran his hand through his hair. ‘You have no idea…Merlin, I wish I could say more. It’s been hell, Harry.’

Harry looked consolingly at Ron. ‘I’m really sorry, mate. I wish there were something I could do to help you…’ He looked at the paper in front of him and continued slowly, ‘Based on what Ginny and Hermione said, I don’t think I can…help you, that is.’

Ron nodded. ‘I’m afraid they’re right. I would love an extra set of hands, they let Ginny go to school, so we’re short-handed.’

Harry nodded. ‘Is he getting any better?’

Ron shook his head and stared at the wall. ‘No. But mum and dad seem to think he’s making progress.’

Harry looked sadly at his friend. ‘Merlin, Ron, I’m no good at this sort of thing. I wish Hermione were here to lift your spirits a bit.’

Ron grinned at him. ‘I have a feeling she’d have an effect on more than just my spirits.’

Harry and Ron chuckled for a few minutes before Kreacher brought tea to the table. Harry thanked him and watched as the house elf left him alone with Ron again. He couldn’t help but notice the disapproving look that crossed Kreacher’s face when Ron mentioned Hermione.

He shook his head and tried to push it out of his mind as Ron drank his tea. Ron said, ‘So, how are things at the Ministry?’

Harry didn’t want to disappoint Ron and said cautiously, ‘Well, Neville and I have taken our NEWT’s. We’re going to start our official training on Monday.’

Ron tried to conceal his disappointment and said, ‘Good for you, both of you. I’m sorry I missed that.’

‘Don’t worry, Ron, you can catch up,’ Harry said smiling.

Ron didn’t look to believe his friend but didn’t push it. Ron sighed. ‘I am looking forward to Quidditch at Hogwarts this year. I’m sure Ginny told you she was named captain of the Gryffindor team.’

Harry nodded. ‘I think she’ll be brilliant. I expect Gryffindor to take the House Cup this year.’

Ron nodded. ‘Are you going to go to the matches?’

‘Wild Thestrals couldn’t keep me away, mate,’ Harry quipped.

Ron gave him a grim look. ‘And we have that memorial to go to.’

Harry nodded. ‘I can’t imagine what that’s going to be like.’ He looked closely at his hands and continued, ‘At least now George might be, mentally, in a better place and he might be able to go.’

‘I’m not sure, Harry. He’s still totally gone with grief about Fred…Everyone is I think…’ Ron looked seriously at his friend. ‘I think we’re finally…you know, getting to the point where we can grieve.’

‘That’s good,’ Harry replied feebly. He didn’t know what to say to that. But looking at the state of his friend, Harry knew he had to say something more substantive. ‘Ron, is there anything I can do?’

Ron shook his head, saying nothing. Harry sighed and started, ‘Look, Ron, I know I’m the last person that should probably be offering you help, but your family is the only family I’ve ever known. I know your parents are afraid that George might hurt me, or something, but I’m really not worried about it.’

Ron gave Harry a serious look. ‘Harry, you can’t come over. It isn’t just your well being, but George’s mental stability that we’re worried about.’ Ron stood up slowly, pacing the room. ‘I know you mean well, but you should listen to Ginny and Hermione…leave it alone.’

Harry nodded. ‘Yeah, sure.’

They finished their tea and Harry said quietly, breaking the silence, ‘So, you coming back to work soon?’

Ron shook his head. ‘No, Percy’s trying to keep the store afloat right now, but I’m stuck with George-watching most days.’

‘Are you going to stop training to be an Auror?’ Harry asked cautiously.

Ron turned to Harry with a sour expression. ‘I don’t want to worry about work right now.’ He took a step towards the grate and said, ‘I’ll see you, Harry.’

Harry got up quickly. ‘Ron, if you get a chance, let me know how things are going. And if I can ask you to do me a favour...’ Ron gave him a hard look and Harry continued, ‘Send Hermione a letter. She really missed you this morning.’

Ron smiled at this and said, ‘I miss her, too.’

He walked into the grate and Floo’d home in a burst of green flame. Kreacher came back into the room and Harry marvelled, ‘How do you always know when someone’s left?’

Kreacher bowed to him and replied, ‘It is my duty, Master Harry.’

Harry nodded, thanked Kreacher and headed out of the room. He sighed and walked into his study. There was a stack of books and parchment sitting on his desk. He had avoided doing extra work all day, and knew he could avoid it no longer.

He sat down at his desk and started working on the assignments until late into the night. Kreacher came in before midnight and insisted he get some rest. Harry knew he had a long day ahead of him and drifted off, still thinking about his last moments with Ginny.

He was dreading the memorial and knew an invitation would be coming soon. From his conversation with Ron, it sounded like the Weasleys weren’t looking forward to it either. He didn’t expect all of them to be in attendance and realised he’d be seeing his godson, Teddy, there. He tossed and turned all night and was thankful there was one more day of the weekend to get some rest.

Harry spent his Sunday catching up on all the things he’d put off due to Ginny’s and Hermione’s departure. When he got into work on Monday, Neville was there waiting, looking more eager than ever.

‘Harry! Are you ready? Can you believe it?’ Neville asked.

Harry grinned and hung his jacket on the nearby coat rack. ‘Where’s Gaunt? I’m surprised he isn’t here with a stack of things for us to do.’

Neville gestured to the desk Harry normally used and said, ‘There’s a letter for you over there. Mine has me meeting an Auror this afternoon. That’ll be the person to train me in my area of expertise. What does yours say?’

Harry picked the letter up off the table and noted he’d be working with an Auror he’d never met before. The letter listed Sturgis Podmore as his adviser. Harry recognised the name, this was someone who had been arrested briefly, years ago, for his involvement with the Prophecy that Harry and Voldemort had sought out during Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione had suspected that Sturgis Podmore was under the Imperius curse and had not done any actual wrong doing.

Gaunt walked into the office before Harry could respond to Neville’s request and stated, ‘Well, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t get any easier.’

Harry and Neville waited expectantly as Gaunt built the tension. ‘I’m sure you both read your letters. That’s pretty much it for us. Try to contain your disappointment,’ he said sardonically.

He gestured to the door. ‘Enjoy the morning; you’re free to catch up on outstanding tasks. Your advisers will be by later and you’ll be off doing work in the real environment now. Try to remember everything I taught you, it could save your lives.’

Harry started to say something but Gaunt cut him off, ‘Please, you’ll both be seeing me around. Just remember, any poor actions on your part will have a bad reflection on me. So act like you know what you’re doing.’

With that he stepped out of the office and Neville and Harry exchanged relieved looks. Harry shook his head. ‘I can’t believe we won’t be trained by him. I thought that’s what Kingsley meant in his original letter.’

Neville shook his head. ‘I wasn’t really sure. But I have to admit, I won’t mind getting trained by someone else.’

Harry nodded. ‘Although I wonder, will that be better or worse?’

Neville chuckled. ‘Who’s to say, Harry? I mean, at least we’ll be learning something and applying it, right?’

Harry nodded and waited anxiously as the day passed on. A sharp rap on the door after lunch announced Harry’s new adviser. Sturgis Podmore stepped in. He was a round man, stout and had a full head of brown hair. His eyes were bright and he locked them with Harry’s. ‘Well, Mr. Potter, shall we get to it?’

Harry got up quickly and Sturgis said, ‘Leave your things; you’ll still be using this office as a base. But I have some things to go over with you and then I’ll have some work for you to do.’

He stalked down the hallway to his office and Harry kept pace with him. Sturgis continued, ‘I like to investigate things fully and I need to make sure you have a good grasp of all the proper procedures. As with many things involving delicate subjects, as Aurors, we need to know the law by heart to enforce it properly.’

Harry nodded. ‘Of course, sir.’

‘I have about a dozen books in my office I’m going to loan you. I want you to be as familiar with all the information within as possible, and then we’ll go from there.’ He chuckled seeing the look on Harry’s face. ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Potter. It isn’t that bad. This isn’t medicine, so be thankful for that! It’s the same sorts of things you’ve been dealing with already. This’ll be a way for me to assess your analytical and problem-solving skills.’

He opened the door to his office and Harry noted the same set-up that Gaunt’s office had. Sturgis motioned to a stack of books on his credenza and said, ‘That’s them. I don’t want to go too fast without you looking those over. You can stay in your office for the next few days and review those. I’ll be sending you some files I’m working on, and if you could familiarise yourself with those, that would help as well.’

He nodded and said, ‘I’m really happy to be working with you, Mr. Potter. We all have very high hopes for you and know you won’t disappoint. You’ll only be working with me for a few months, but this is critical.’

He clapped his hands together. ‘Capital! Well then, Mr. Potter. I’ll be checking in.’

Harry nodded mutely and lifted the stack of books and headed back to his office. When he returned to the office he noted Neville was gone. He sat at his desk and did his best to stay alert while sifting through all the information at his fingertips. It wasn’t until the clock rang five o’clock that Harry realised how late it was. He took a couple of the books and headed to the main corridor to Floo back home.

Kreacher had dinner waiting for him when he arrived. He ate quickly and took a bit of time to write Hermione a letter. In his letter, he asked her to keep an eye on Ginny. He asked Kreacher to send the letter off and went back to his books for much of the evening. As he went to bed, he couldn’t help but think of Ginny and how much he was missing her.