An Auror's Work is Never Done

Chapter 4 Puddlemere's First Game

A month passed by, the happenings at Godric's Hollow unmentioned. Harry had seemed reluctant to speak of it. I reminded myself if he wanted to he would and tried not to pressure him. He retreated into brooding once more.

My birthday had been spent quietly at home, a small dinner gathering of family and friends. Harry had surprised me with a lovely pair of jade earrings. "To match your eyes," he'd whispered.

Harry and Ron were practicing five times a week with the Puddlemere team. The season would start in mid September. Hermione had her part-time job and med school with Shawna, and Ginny and Neville were at Hogwarts. All the Marauders were very busy but we still managed to sneak in the occasional two-hour catch up. Neville and Ginny were planning a fall wedding. She'd asked Hermione to be her Maid of Honor and Shawna and me to be Bridesmaids. We'd readily accepted and owls flew back and forth between the Cottage and the school arranging every detail.

As well as my private life was going Auror training grew increasingly more demanding. (Three cadets had dropped from the program by the end of August. One was reportedly in St. Mungo's suffering from a nervous breakdown.) We were now meeting with a Karate expert three times a week. Moody claimed Master Oskimio would further our efforts at self-defense while teaching us discipline of the body and mind. The phrase brought to mind Tonks's words of wisdom on the trip to Auror Johnson's office.

In September we were introduced to our new dueling instructor. He stated that his name was Diego Inigo Montoya. He claimed to be the world's leading authority on Defensive and Offensive Dueling. He went on to ask if anyone had ever seen the Muggle movie 'The Princess Bride'. Draco and I were the only two to raise our hands. (I'd made him watch it with me once. He loved it.) Mister Montoya boasted that the character Inigo had been loosely based on his life.

We also began to have intense DADA and research gathering classes. We were being taught how to recognize and track down potentially dangerous criminals. We studied complicated spells that would aid in capture and containment and were learning stealth and disguise techniques. As hard as the curriculum was and how physically exhausting the body conditioning could be, I was loving every minute of it. I knew I had chosen the right career. I yearned for the knowledge I was gaining and loved the feeling of serenity that could be achieved with a hard workout.

************************************************************************

"Dancer! Damn it hurry up! We're going to be late!" Draco yelled.

"Calm down, Dragon. We have fifteen minutes before the game even starts. Besides, it's reserved seating."

"Yeah, well, just hurry."

"All done," I announced a minute later running down the stairs. "How do I look?" I twirled around, waiting for a reaction from my friends. I was dressed in Harry's new team colors to show my support. I wore a short gold T-shirt that had 'My boyfriend's the Seeker' on the front and Harry's number '7' on the back. Blue jeans and a little blue face paint completed the look.

"Wonderful. NOW can we go?" Draco said irritably.

"'Kay."

The six of us apparated to the stadium and found our seats. Uncle Arthur, Aunt Molly, Dad, and the twins were already there.

"Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between! Welcome to the first Quidditch game of the season between Puddlemere United and Kenmare Kestrels. This promises to be a promising game. Oliver Wood has made some controversial changeups in his roster with two Wizards fresh out of Hogwarts, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."

We cheered and whistled at the top of our lungs.

"Let's hope Wood has chosen based on talent and not celebrity status. Kenmare has also added a new member. Beater Erwin McGiven, who has been out with a knee injury since last season's bout against the Falcons, has been replaced by reserve Alan Reet."

"AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO I GIVE YOU THE KENMARE KESTRELS:

CAPTAIN AND LEAD CHASER VINNIE DIO

CHASERS KADY LUMINS AND TERN MARE

KEEPER KIRT URWING

BEATERS ALAN REET AND WILLIAM PURT

AND SEEKER DONNIE YUNG.

NOW FOR THE HOMETOWN FAVORITES. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE PUDDLEMERE UNITED SNIDGETS!!!!

CAPTAIN AND BEATER OLIVER WOOD

LEAD CHASER HARVEY CUPP

CHASERS JOSH GREY AND WALLY TY

BEATER PETE SONNERS

KEEPER RON WEASLEY

AND SEEKER HARRY POTTER."

Puddlemere's fans went nuts.

The referee, a short, balding man with thick glasses walked onto the pitch carrying the equipment trunk. He opened it and released the two Bludgers and the Golden Snitch, which immediately zoomed off. The Lead Chasers squared off anxiously awaiting the toss of the Quaffle. I tensed, feeling their eagerness for the start of the game. Old habits die hard.

"AND THEY'RE OFF. CUPP WITH THE QUAFFLE. HE PASSES TO GREY WHO QUICKLY ZOOMS PAST KENMARE'S CHASERS. HE FAKES A THROW TO TEAMMATE TY AND DROPS THE BALL. DIO IN POSSESSION. WOOD POUNDS HIM WITH A BLUDGER AND CUPP STEALS. SCORE! 10 - 0."

I watched Harry circle the pitch, his eyes darting around for the speck of gold. The opposing team's Seeker kept a close watch on him. 'Come on, Baby!'

"FOUL CALLED ON KENMARE AND TY EASILY CAPTURES ANOTHER 10 POINTS."

Yung suddenly dove from his perch towards the south end of the stadium. Harry merely continued to search.

"YUNG ON THE MOVE. HAS HE SEEN THE SNITCH? NOPE, HE LEVELS OUT, POTTER REFUSING THE BAIT. LUMINS HAS THE QUAFFLE AND SLIDES PAST WEASLEY. 20 - 10."

The Puddlemere fans groaned.

"PUDDLEMERE HAS THE BALL."

The game continued back and forth until the score was tied 50 - 50. My eyes were glued to Harry as he scanned the area for the tell tale glint of the sphere. Just as the tension mounted unspeakable proportions he flattened himself to his broom and jetted across the playing field. Flying at breakneck speed he plucked the Snitch seemingly from thin air.

"POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH, ENDING THE GAME 200 - 50!"

Harry was enveloped by his teammates and the crowd went wild. Oliver's face, I could see even from this distance, was threatening to split his face in two.

When the team finally emerged from the locker room Harry, Ron, and Oliver pushed through the throng of fans and Quidditch groupies to make their way over to us.

"You were great, Harry! You too, Ron." I praised giving Harry a kiss.

"Hey, what about me?" the Captain asked.

"Back off, Wood. She's mine," Harry stated, pulling me close. "Aurora, meet Oliver Wood. Oliver, Aurora Weasley, my girlfriend."

"So I see," he laughed, reading my shirt. "We're all celebrating the victory at The Lucky Unicorn. Care to join us?"

The adults declined, as did Fred and George. The rest of us thought it sounded like fun. Harry, Ron, and the team got sloshed and Herms and I had to floo the two home when it was time to leave. (They were too drunk to disapparate. If they had attempted to they probably would've splinched themselves.) I left Ron in Hermione's care and helped my guy to bed.

I transfigured his clothes into pajamas and pushed him down onto the mattress. After tucking him in, I gave him a kiss goodnight. "You played great today, Fly Boy."

"Yeah, I know," he bragged uncharacteristically. "I like that shirt you have on. It's sexy as hell."

"Why thank you, Mr. Potter. Now go to sleep. Don't forget to cast that sobering charm on yourself in the morning."

"Okay," he agreed sleepily.

'He's so damn cute' "I love you, Harry."

"Love you." He closed his eyes and I stepped quietly to the door. "I'm gonna marry her one day," I heard him murmur before his breathing evened and he fell dead to the world.

I closed the door behind me, shock coursing through my mind. 'He wanted to marry me?' I knew he'd said he loved me but I'd never imagined he would want to make a lifetime commitment. 'Maybe he was too inebriated to realize what he was saying,' I rationalized. 'He didn't really mean it,' I convinced myself, pushing it out of my thoughts.

September gave way to October then November and December. With each turning page of the calendar Draco and my skills as Aurors increased. The first week of December had seen the class practicing Auror level hexes and counter-spells. We had also begun brewing complicated strengthening and healing potions. Every Auror we were told, was required to carry several types of each at all times as Healers weren't always readily available when one needed them the most. By the week prior to Christmas Draco and I were able to throw the Imperious Curse completely and had gotten pretty good at Occlumency. (We would start Legilimency at the beginning of February.) Our Blood Bond had grown and increased to where we could telepathically communicate with each other even over distances.

We had been taught locator and tracking spells, how to properly gather evidence at the scene of a crime, and how to research and prepare for a mission. We were also learning how to apprehend and protect ourselves from dangerous creatures, Vampires, Werewolves, and goblins to name a few.

Moody insisted I also continue Wind Taming training, hoping to further my abilities. Gradually I was able to wield wind, lightning, and even rain as effortlessly as I breathed. Professor Dumbledore had given me an autographed copy of the book he had co-written with Mikhail Vonier as a graduation present. It helped tremendously to understand the concepts behind the execution of my gift.

Puddlemere had won every game so far that season. Shawna and Hermione were stressing over midterms, making them absolute horrors to live with. I spent many nights at the Bungalow (on the couch!) or at Draco's (spare room, hello!) to escape the two demons. As much as I loved my friends they could drive a saint to drink.

Christmas vacation arrived. The med students had taken their exams and were on a month long hiatus, our Sky Ball jocks had two weeks before their next game, and Draco and I didn't have to return to classes for twelve whole days.

Everyone gathered at the Burrow Christmas morning and a wonderful time was had by all. Harry and I had both had the idea to give each other gag gifts. I received a bright blue midriff T-shirt with 'Potter's Girl' written in gold on it. He'd laughed when he opened his to see a shirt which read 'Hands Off! Taken!'. I told him it was to keep the groupies at bay and that I expected him to wear it out the locker room after each game. His face had turned serious then and he had whispered in my ear, 'You're the only one I want.' He could be SO sweet and romantic sometimes. For his real present I gave him the photographs I'd retrieved from Godric's Hollow. I had taken them to Colin Creevey, who with Professor Snape's help had brought them back to their original condition. (I'm sure the only reason Snape agreed was because I was such close friends with Draco but I was grateful all the same.) I wish you could have seen Harry's smile. It was blinding. I got a huge kiss for it. Harry also had another present for me, a bottle of my favorite Muggle perfume, Eternity.

Harry had finished going through his parents' things over the holidays with help from all the Marauders. We'd found out that Lily had been a research assistant in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office while James had been a Hit Wizard! We hadn't uncovered much information about the specifics of either job but Harry had been satisfied to know that much. One of the locked boxes in the filing cabinets had contained a Pensieve filled with memories from the married couple. We watched as Lily fell for James, married, and played with baby Harry. We saw Marauder pranks through the eyes of Prongs. Harry finally got to know his real parents. Peace and joy radiated from him. It was a beautiful sight to behold. He was happy and content with his life for the first time ever.