Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ministry of Magic

Conference Room 401

Wednesday, January 3, 2001

10:09 A.M.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" said Hermione the moment she opened the door to the conference room.

Amos Johnston, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, raised his eyebrows, a bit amused. "That's quite alright, Ms. Granger. Your being late will not make my colleagues and I change out decision, though I would advise you to be on time to any other interview you have in your career."

She nodded and took a seat across from him. To her surprise, nobody else was in the room, just her and the head of her department. Mr. Johnston chuckled at her astonishment. "I didn't think you would need multiple people to explain what your promotion meant."

Again, Hermione nodded. "So I'm Director of Awareness of Magical Beings?" she said. "What does that mean for me?"

"For one, you'll have nine people reporting to you," Mr. Johnston began. "You were formerly making 700 Galleons. Your wage goes up by 5% after every promotion, so that is. . . ."

"735 Galleons," Hermione finished.

"Correct, thank you," said Mr. Johnston. "Anyway, you will be responsible for monitoring everyone's wages and work in your office. You will also have to work with the Directors of Awareness in the Beast and Spirit Divisions for the 'Magical Creatures Awareness' event in April, but that's in April. What am I forgetting. . . ?" He shuffled the papers in front of him. "Ah, yes. One of the most important things. You will assign 'work', which is reports and squads, to all who report to you. You will report to the Head of the Being Division, Mrs. Flaka Dripp. And. . .I think that's it! Any questions?"

She shook her head. "No, sir."

"Alright then!" he said. "I guess I'll show you to your office. Oh, wait, I'm forgetting the whole reason you're being promoted! The nine people who work for you haven't been officially notified that their former boss, Kayla McMarcus, was poisoned and died yesterday. We have left that business to you, since you were the one who actually witnessed it."

"Great," she muttered, following him to her new office.

Auror Office

1:34 P.M.

"This is taking too bloody long," Ron complained, slamming the Rune Dictionary shut. "I don't care where the hell this bloke is in. 'S not like we're going to be the ones to go after him, even if we do somehow figure out what this damn symbol means. Oh, why can't Hermione help us?!"

"Frustrated, Weasley?" said a deep voice from behind the desk Ron and Harry huddled over. The Minister of Magic smiled down at the two Auror trainees.

Ron's ears turned red. "Yeah, a bit."

"I take it the case isn't coming along as well as we hoped it would be?" Kingsley assumed.

"Did you think it would go well?" Ron said under his breath.

"Definitely not, sir," Harry said, shaking his head. "We've got three words out of these five thousand characters."

"They need a professional, Minister!" pitched in Courtney from her desk. (She had obviously been eavesdropping on the conversation.)

Kingsley thought for a moment, before suggesting, "I think, since you asked earlier, it would be appropriate for Ms. Granger to translate the runes. Of course, that is only if she consents to, and if she does, she will have to apply for an Auror License."

"License?" Ron repeated. "But I thought that's what we were training for . . . ? How does she get one if she hasn't even trained?!"

Harry laughed at his best mate's astonished face. "No, we're training for Auror certification. Auror Licenses are awarded to a person so they have permission to work on an Auror case . . . is that right, Kinglsey?"

"Precisely," Kingsley agreed. "Seems like Mr. Weasley here needs to look back on his 'Auror Code' class notes."

"I think he burned them," said Harry seriously, while Kingsley chuckled. "So Ron, can you ask Hermione if she can translate the runes?"

"'Course I can. Does this mean we don't have to finish translating the runes?" Ron asked excitedly.

Kingsley chuckled. "For now, and only if Ms. Granger agrees to finish translating them. If she does –"

"– which she will," Harry added.

"– then Courtney and I will find something else for you two to do until Ms. Granger has finished translating them," Kingsley explained. "For the rest of the day, though, I want you two to finish translating as much as you can. Every little word counts."

"Thanks, Kingsley," Harry said graciously, while Ron reluctantly turned back to the runes.

Ottery St. Catchpole

The Burrow

Sunday, January 7, 2001

11:23 A.M.

"Hi, Harry," said George, not looking up from his and Bill's very intense game of wizard's chess. "Knight to C3."

"Hi, George. Bill," said Harry, stepping out of the fireplace. "'S Ginny here yet?"

Bill shook his head. "Bishop to E4."

Harry frowned. "Hermione?"

"Nope," said George, contemplating his next move.

"Ron?"

"Uh-uh," said Bill, smiling up at George. "Gotcha trapped!"

George looked at Bill and grinned. "So you think! Rook to D5!"

"Aw, dammit," said Bill, glaring at the board then George's triumphant face.

"WILLIAM WEASLEY!" Molly barked from the kitchen. "THERE IS A CHILD IN THE HOUSE!"

Bill rolled his eyes. "The one child in the house is my daughter who isn't even a year old, Mum. I think it's alright."

"Teddy's going to be here any second, and I do not want him repeating your language," said Molly sharply, poking her head out of the kitchen into the living room. "This is a child-friendly home." Bill just shrugged.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" Molly said, waving at him. "Where are Ginny and Teddy?"

"Er. . ." He looked around for the Weasley clock (which now included the Weasley children's spouses' names as well as Molly and Arthur's one grandchild's name). Ginny's name now pointed at "Traveling." "She's on her way," he answered finally, stepping out of the way of the fireplace just in time, as Ginny and Teddy appeared and stood right where he had previously.

"Harry!" Teddy exclaimed, hugging his godfather's leg.

"Hi, Teddy," Harry laughed.

Teddy giggled. "I no see you forever!"

"You're right, it's been a while," Harry agreed seriously.

"Hullo, Teddy," said George, actually looking away from the game and waving at his brother-in-law's godson.

The turquoise-haired two-year-old waved shyly. "Hi, Georgie."

George rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe Ginny taught you to call me that. My name is George, Teddy, George. Not 'Georgie.'"

"Hi, Teddy," said Bill. Unlike George, he still stared at the pieces on the board and bit his lip, cautiously saying, "Knight to A7."

"Hello to you two, too," said Ginny sarcastically, snorting at her brothers' ignorance.

Bill looked up and grinned at his sister. "Oh, hey Ginny. Didn't see you there."

"'Course you didn't," she muttered.

"God, Ginny, what's –?" George began.

"GEORGE! DON'T SAY THAT IN THIS HOUSE!" Molly said. "And hello, Ginny – Teddy."

"Oh, alright. Gosh, Ginny, what's –?"

"DON'T SAY ANYTHING, GEORGE FABIAN WEASLEY, OR I'M GOING TO USE SOME OF YOUR OWN PRODUCTS ON YOU!" Molly said angrily.

George sighed. "My, gosh – goodness, sorry." Teddy giggled again, earning George a sharp glare from his mother. "Mum, calm down – just a few 'bad words' – honestly, I don't understand why they're 'bad' at all, but of course, by all means, if this is a 'child-friendly home,' then I'd never dare to disrupt the peace . . . ."

"What were you going to say, George?" said Ginny persistently.

"Oh, yeah. I was going to ask what's gotten into you, you've been like a female devil –"

"GEORGE!"

"Right, sorry. You've been like a female . . . er, fiend – there, Mum, happy? – the past few times I've seen you, and I dunno why," George remarked. "Are you . . . er . . . ?"

Ginny snorted. "That's very kind of you to say. I love you, too, dear brother," she said. "But no way am I pregnant, trust me."

"I'm going to take your word for it," said George, wincing as he realized how Ginny knew. "Maybe I've just seen you when it's your time of month . . . yeah, that's probably what . . . ."

"Well, aren't you just a ball of sunshine?" she said. "Thanks for announcing that to everyone."

Motherly instincts on alert, Molly quickly felt the need to step in. "Ginny, would you help me with lunch?"

"Sure," she said grudgingly. "Where's Hermione?"

"They're not here yet, actually," said Molly, but she didn't give it much thought.

And it turned out she did not need to, because five minutes later Ron and Hermione both stepped out of the fire.

Bill and George didn't even acknowledge their brother and sister-in-law's arrival, for they were both too into their game to say hello. Only Molly's call of "Lunch's served!" could tear them away from their very meaningful matched that truly mattered to the well-being of the world.

"So what have you all been up to?" Hermione said as she began to dig into her plateful of food.

"Well," Ginny began, "I was suffering from George's incorrect inferences that I'm pregnant –"

"Way, why da 'ell would 'e fink dat?" said Ron through his mouthful of food.

"No," Bill and George groaned in unison, looking at each other then at Molly, who was beginning to fume.

"FOR THE THIRD TIME, THIS IS A CHILD-FRIENDLY HOME! I WILL NOT TOLERATE LANGUAGE SUCH AS THAT OR THE LANGUAGE THAT HAS BEEN USED TO DAY IN MY HOME FROM THIS DAY FORTH AS LONG AS THERE IS AN UNDER-EIGHTEEN UNDER THE ROOF! NO SWEARING, NO GOSHES OR GODS OR SUGGESTIVE OR IMPLICATIVE COMMENTS! THIS GOES FOR ALL OF YOU! Oh, sorry, Angelina dear, was that your toe I stepped on?" She now stood, looking pointedly at each of the over-eighteens in the room.

There was a long silence, then Fleur suggested, "'Ow about we change what the topic? 'Ow is Percy and why is 'e not 'ere, per'aps?"

"Percy is actually visiting his girlfriend's family at the moment," said Arthur slowly, wiping his mouth on a napkin as Molly sat down next to him again.

"Percy has a girlfriend?!" said Bill. "And you all aren't teasing him about it?"

George shrugged. "No time. I've got a business to run, if you haven't noticed. Harry and Ron 've got training. Ginny's got conditioning. Hermione's too nice to tease anyone," he said simply.

"Actually," said Ron, and Hermione glared at him, "she wouldn't have time to, seeing as she's been promoted to Director of Awareness of Magical Beings."

"Really?" said Harry.

Hermione blushed. "Well, yes, but it's not that big of a deal . . . just a bit of a higher pay, that's all . . . not that much of a difference, I have the same hours and same coworkers, I'm in the same department, the same office – well, office area, I have a new desk, but it's not –"

"Don't try to wave it off, Hermione," said Ginny, grinning. "You've been promoted! It's something to celebrate!"

"This was because of the McMarcus thing, right?" said Harry, his encouraging smile fading.

"That's why she hates it so much," Ron answered.

"'She' is in this room, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "But yes, that is why I hate it so much . . . if I had been able to think faster, if I had been able to –"

"Hermione, it's not your fault," Ron assured her, turning to his wife. "You didn't know what to do; how would you?"

"Sorry," said George, "but what the hell – I mean, what are we talking about? I lost track."

The conversation stopped immediately. "Nothing," said Ron quickly, Hermione's icy look preventing him from explaining Kayla McMarcus's murder. George raised his eyebrows but wasn't persistent – he was able to occasionally restrain his curiosity when it came to sympathizing other people's emotions.

No other words were spoken until everyone had finished lunch and Bill said, "Er . . . who's up for a game of Quidditch? I'll be Keeper?"

"Seeker," said Harry.

"Keeper," said Ron.

"Chaser," said Ginny.

"Chaser," Angelina repeated for herself.

"Er . . . I'm guessing we're not gonna have Beaters?" George asked. Bill shook his head. "Oh, dammit, now I'll –"

"GEORGE!"

"Sorry, Mum . . . oh, no, now I'll have to be Seeker," sighed George. "Well, you're on Harry."

Molly frowned. "You all aren't going to go out until we've finished the dishes, understand?"

"Mum, we're not kids anymore," Ron complained.

"I can do them," said Hermione quickly. "You all can go Quidditching or whatever you call it and I'll clean the dishes."

Ginny grinned, standing up before she pushed her chair in. "Thanks, Hermione. I call the Nimbus!"

"Oh, no you don't!" said George immediately, getting up from the table.

"Try me," Ginny challenged, and the two of them raced out the kitchen door to the broom shed.

"You know, Ron," said Molly, staring at the opened door, "you're wrong. I think you all still are kids – except for Harry and Hermione, of course."

Harry and Hermione chuckled, while Ron glared at his mother. "We're not that immature – well, Ginny and George may be, but –" he protested.

"You're right, you all are very immature," she amended teasingly. He rolled his eyes while Harry and Hermione guffawed.

"Whatever," Ron mumbled.

12:03 P.M.

"– but I honestly don't understand why they'd publish something like that about the four of you in such a widely-read magazine," Molly continued ranting to Hermione, who only replied with the occasional nod, 'Mm-hmm,' or 'Yeah.' "But I think it could be rather good for the Harpies' publicity. Even if it does mean advertising Ginny's body. Oh, speaking of which –" She plopped a plate into the sink full of soapy water. "– Arthur and I bought season tickets for the family to go to all of the Harpies' home games. Their first one's against the Cannons, I thought Ron would like to go to that game."

Hermione smiled while she scrubbed the remains of food off a knife. "Yeah, you thought right. But you'll have to keep him away from the others – he'll probably be cheering for the Cannons, not Ginny."

Molly chuckled. "He's never been known to be completely supportive of her endeavors," she agreed.

"Yeah, the only reason he was interested in the Harpies' exhibition game was so he could get out of training," Hermione commented. "Apparently they've been given a stand-still case. And since they're the only other Aurors in their class they only have two different opinions. It's a bit sad, really. I'd hate having only Harry and Ron's perspectives to live with."

"That's what you used to have, dear," said Molly amusedly.

Hermione tilted her head to the side. "For a while, I guess," she said. "But I never real thought about it. They weren't too bad back then."

Molly laughed again. "I'm not sure you were saying that 'back then.'"

"I doubt I was. But I am now!" she added.

1:15 P.M.

"George, or Harry, or somebody, will you please find the Snitch already?!" Angelina demanded from her perch on her broom as she moved the Quaffle around, trying to prevent Ginny from stealing it. "This is getting old!"

"You know, we could just call it off," Ron called.

"No!" said Ginny. "That'd be the first time in the history of Quidditch that a game has ended without somebody catching the Snitch!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "In recorded history. A backyard Quidditch game isn't going to be in the books, I don't think."

"It's going to be in my ashamed memory—" said George, one hand over his heart and the other on the top of his Nimbus (there had turned out to be two Nimbuses, so he and Ginny both got one).

"—because you didn't get to catch the Snitch, and I did?" Harry continued teasingly.

"It's on, Potter!" said George.

Ron sighed. "And the game's back on."

3:09 P.M.

"—and then guess what happened, Teddy?" said Ron enthusiastically as he told the story of Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory from his fifth year.

"WIN!" Teddy giggled.

Harry grinned. "Now what've you taught him, Ron? The basic rules of Quidditch?"

"Nearly," said Hermione, looking up from Molly's living room copy of Witch Weekly, which she had been reading. "At least, all the rules that affect Keepers. But you left out three."

Ron shrugged. "No one cares about the other three anyway."

"You don't know what they are, do you?" said Hermione with a smile.

"And you do?" said Ron.

She beamed. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Said the woman who doesn't even play Quidditch and has no apparent interest in it," Harry chimed in, plopping down on the couch next to his godson.

"I do have a bit of interest in it, just not in actually playing it. The theory and history of the game is actually quite fascinating, but I don't suppose either of you have even bothered trying to read anything about it," she said pointedly.

Ron shrugged. "I've got better things to do."

"Like go to my Quidditch games," grumbled Ginny, arms folded across her chest as she walked in from the kitchen.

"Oh, you heard about that?" said Hermione brightly.

Ginny frowned. "Yeah, Mum just told me. When did you?"

"While you all were outside playing Quidditch," she replied. "I think it's neat, I don't understand why you're so upset."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said George, also coming into the room. "She's embarrassed that Ron's a Cannons fan, that's why she's so upset. I'd be, too – actually, I am."

Ron rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Actually, last year they ended with a winning season!"

"By one game, yeah," said George amusedly, sitting down on the sofa next to his youngest brother. "Incredible. First time in twenty years. But Ginny's bound to do better than that."

To prevent George and Ron from arguing about the Cannons, Harry loudly asked Hermione, "Have you started translating the runes yet?"

"Runes?" she said confusedly. "What runes?"

"Ron didn't tell you?" Harry said.

"I didn't tell who what?" Ron said, turning away from George and joining Harry and Hermione's conversation.

"The runes . . . ?" Harry prompted.

Ron continued to be confused but after a moment quickly caught on to what he was hinting. "Oh! I thought I told you, Hermione!" Ron said.

"You probably imagined telling her but actually didn't," Harry suggested. "Anyway, Ron and I have been assigned a case by Kingsley that was gathered by Courtney and part of it involves translating Ancient Runes. We're rubbish at it, so we've asked Kingsley a few times and he's finally agreed that you can—if you want to—translate them instead of us."

"Only if you want to," Ron added.

Hermione thought for a moment. "So I do all your work for you while you two get paid to talk in the office all day?"

"Isn't that what you've always done for them?" Ginny asked, overhearing a snippet of their conversation.

"Yeah, it is," Harry agreed, chuckling. "But no, that's not what we're going to do. Kinglsey's already given us a temporary task that will save the professional Aurors time, but we're not allowed to talk about it."

"You'll have to get and Auror License, too," Ron pitched in.

"An Auror License," Hermione repeated, and without hesitation, agreed, "I'll do it."

"Oh, great. Thanks, Hermione," said Ron graciously. "The runes are at home in the library."

"Runes?" called Ginny. "You are working on Ancient Runes? Of all people, you'd be the person I'd least expect—"

Ron shook his head. "No, I'm not. Hermione is. I did work on them, though. But I'm glad you think so much of me," he said, rolling his eyes.

Here's the preview of Chapter 6 that "Guest" asked for last chapter:

"I am perfectly able to fight you if that's what you want," said Ginny sweetly.

"Well, it's not," said a voice behind her.

Also, a special thanks to BeetheSecond, CupcakesandShenanigans, FardSkim, GFJoker, JeanAndBilius, KellyAnn96, Kpiscrazy, LifeIsSweeterThanFiction, Litwinter, Momo Spock, OliWest, Sarcasmisinmyblood, alleyCaesar, chemrunner57, chiconline, ginnyandharry's love, jaanaaa, maire 53, pottermum, purereader, rupertslover09, rweasley500, swford56, and triggbc for adding this story to your alerts!

A very special thanks to BeetheSecond, HersheySara, JeanAndBilius, Kpiscrazy, LifeIsSweeterThanFiction, Sarcasmisinmyblood, Stinkyx3, dhassall, gracefish21, and m16m203 for adding this story to your favorites list!

And an EXTRA special thanks to gracefish21, JeanAndBilius, scrappy8 (guest), Guest, pottermum, FardSkim, and Stinkyx3 for your reviews!

Sorry I haven't updated in about a month. It's been on my mind, but I've been really, really busy and had a lot of stresses lately. Spring break is almost here, though, so you'll probably get at least one update over that break. :)

Thank you for reading!

~Sunny