Welcome to the Light Side

Author's Notes: Thanks to hogwartsduchess of MNFF for beta reading, and thanks to all those who have been reviewing - you're a great audience! Chapter Five is dedicated to seventy-four degrees and mostly sunny, because those are my favorite weather conditions.

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"So let me get this straight - Zacharias Smith is going to be living in your home because you and Padma advised Terry Boot, your best friend of ten years, not to put a personal ad in the Daily Prophet and Terry Boot, your best friend of ten years, took offense, pulled his very first all-nighter in Hogsmeade with Justin Finch-Fletchley, and made a promise without consulting you in the course of a barely-comprehensible conversation with Smith who was visiting the village at six o'clock in the morning to buy a copy of the newspaper for his mum?" Potter demanded.

"That's about the long and short of it, yeah," I said, feeling increasingly annoyed and not even bothering to tell Harry to keep his voice down despite the fact that Smith would be walking into the room any minute now. While I had a suspicion that I had been fighting a losing battle against Terry, I had not expected him to go so far as to extend an invitation without giving me some advance warning, a feeling that I had made perfectly clear the first time after the "incident" that Mr. Boot was unfortunate enough to cross my path.

"Are you still speaking to Terry?" Ron demanded, carefully stowing his favorite photo of Hermione in his bag and leaning forward avidly. This Gryffindor crowd always has gravitated toward scandal like a magnet. I remember Harry and Ron going through their fair share of drama in fourth year shortly after Potter's name zoomed out of the Goblet of Fire, the epic fight of '90s Hogwarts that became well-known among the entire student body, and a wizard would've had to have been blinded by the Conjunctivitis Curse to fail to notice Harry's fifth year theatrics. Even after the downfall of Voldemort, Witch Weekly continued to twist their romances and embellish their disagreements; a knockdown, drag-out battle between Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot of Ravenclaw probably would have been the best way to usher in the new millennium in the eyes of Ron Weasley. "I would have hexed him into oblivion," he added viciously, as though to fuel the fire.

"No, there was no hexing," I said, rolling my eyes, dropping my bag, and taking my seat in front of the blackboard. "Though I'll admit that a few expletives made their way into our little chat and I did back out of lunch at The Leaky Cauldron with him and Padma. She wants to meet with him to discuss a few work-related items and he's been begging me to come along for weeks - figures I can divert her attention if she becomes incredibly long-winded and starts showing signs of wanting to talk all afternoon. Personally, I think condemning him to what will certainly amount to a six-hour re-hashing of the splinching at Hogwarts is more than adequate punishment. Now my only problem is Smith."

"Well," Ron grimaced, plainly ignoring my immediate plight and again choosing to focus on the melodramatics of the situation, "I wouldn't have let him get off so easy. Thanks to your supposed best friend, you're going to be forced to live with the worst roommate on the planet for goodness knows how long. You know Smith; he'll latch onto you and stay forever. He's already taking advantage of you, for the sake of Merlin! If it were me, I'd sort Terry out but good, teach him that the lot of us aren't coming to Auror School every day for nothing. Your reflexes are great; you could easily beat him in a duel. Try out a simple jinx or something, like the Full-Body Bind - it doesn't need to be fancy to make him regret what he did -"

I allowed Ron's rambling to wash over me as I pulled my quill, stack of parchment notes, and copy of Modern Defence Against the Dark Order, Volume III out of my book bag. The only thing you can do in these sorts of situations is let him rant it out and be done with it. I spun around in my seat and faced the blackboard to copy down the title of today's lecture and was surprised to see that for the first time in three years, Williamson had not posted his lesson plan. This was a curious turn of events indeed, but amidst all the scraping of chairs and chattering of voices, it appeared that I was the only one to have noticed.

"Anthony," Harry said in an undertone, so as not to disturb Weasley's increasingly agitated stream of consciousness, "d'you want to go back to The Burrow with me and Ron after class, since Terry and Padma are going to the Magical Reversal meeting at The Leaky Cauldron? There's no way Smith could follow you there; maybe we could work on that potion for Concealment and Disguise together. I know I've got the combat part down, but I'm still having some trouble with -"

"He cannot come to The Burrow with us after class," Ron interjected loudly. It appeared that he had been listening to Harry, after all; I glanced over at him, slightly startled, and Harry looked equally surprised. Ron and I aren't really matey or anything, but it still seemed a little extreme for him to attempt to out-and-out exclude me from his residential life. "Harry," he hissed, barely opening his mouth as though he thought this tactic would somehow block me from the conversation entirely, "we have to meet with Hermione over lunch! Ginny's busy at work, and we really need to check up on the status of the ... devices ... you-know-where."

I raised my eyebrows and gazed at the pair of them warily. This was the second time in two days that I had witnessed The Trio attempting to arrange a private meeting, and if Luna was alone at their apartment while Ginny was safe at the Ministry, all bets were on that this gathering would be happening. I could accept that my fellow Auror trainees had social lives that did not concern me, but what I couldn't understand was how they seemed to think they could deceive me into believing that everything was normal with such ease. Did Ron think I was so daft that I wouldn't realize something funny was going on? I was about to voice this very thought, but then, I reasoned, maybe it wouldn't be worth putting them on guard. All of the secrets of the legendary Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger seem to find themselves in the mass media in the long run, anyway.

Harry frowned, looking faintly annoyed about something, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. "Yeah, I reckon you're right," he finally conceded, bending down and rummaging in his bag for a spare quill. "If you're still receiving vibes, it means it's definitely in the area. I suppose we ought to go scope out the situation, at least, because getting in could be a nightmare and a half. Especially if Hermione needs to stay at home to mediate between Luna and Ginny on a regular basis," he added with a scowl. "Sorry, Anthony, I guess we're going to have to postpone our get-together."

"Oh, it's absolutely fine," I assured him quickly. "Ernie actually invited me to join him and Hannah in Hogsmeade for a bite to eat, so today isn't the greatest for me, anyway. I think he wants me to stalk High Street with him ... hand out leaflets and solicit donations for that charity party for St. Mungo's or something. I never knew he was really involved in the fight against scrofungulus, Dragon Pox, and associated infectious maladies, but cause aside, I suppose that raising a bundle of Galleons for a hospital event would make a Healer student look rather -"

"There you are, Anthony!" I winced at the familiar smug sound of Zacharias's voice and promptly lost the thread of my conversation with Harry and Ron. I suppose this is how it's going to be in my home from now on - no more pleasant, interruption-free talks with Terry. Then I remembered that Terry was the one who had landed us in this ridiculous situation in the first place, and immediately stopped feeling nostalgic for the good old days.

"Good morning, Zacharias," I replied, trying my utmost to restrain a grimace. Harry's and Ron's heads quickly snapped in the opposite direction; I could practically feel them smirking. "I hope you're well," I added in a carefully polite tone, figuring that so long as I was going to be stuck in London with the bloke, I might as well start making the best of the present set of circumstances.

"Doing fine. Listen, Anthony," Zacharias laid his books on the desk beside mine and cut to the chase without even bothering to return the gesture of greeting. Sometimes I feel like this man forgets that we're living in a society. "Terry told me that I could move in with you when we were talking the other day, but we didn't get a chance to discuss the timing. I figure you'll need a couple weeks to rearrange your flat to make room for me - I mean, I know you don't have a third bedroom, so I'm sure you'll have to fix something up there -"

My mind reeled. Ordinary students should not have to deal with these sorts of things at seven o'clock in the morning. My immediate thought was to conjure a second cup of coffee to clear my mind, but reason quickly caught up with instinct. The Ministry of Magic is the last place to summon up caffeinated beverages; Williamson disapproves of what he refers to as an "artificial condition of alertness." As much as I hated to admit it, Zacharias was perfectly correct - Terry and I had two bedrooms. We had a carefully planned schedule for the usage of our single bathroom, we washed the dishes alternating nights except when Terry had to work the late shift (in those instances he ran cleaning duty for the next two consecutive evenings), and we had specific cabinets for cutlery and dishes. We were very private people who were used to each other's company from seven years in the Ravenclaw dormitory, and although we certainly had space for a third roommate in our apartment, we were by no means prepared to share our residential life.

"- and obviously I'll need some time to pack as well, since I've been living in the same place for nearly twenty-one years. And of course, it's a bit of a busy time to begin with, so I think waiting until after the St. Mungo's benefit for the big transition is the right idea. Weekend after, would you say? It's clearly the most logical option. I'm in favor of May twelfth, if it's okay with you," he paused briefly, apparently catching the look on my face, and added, "well, yes, I suppose it's a lot to process at this hour, isn't it? Just keep everything I said in mind and talk things over with Terry, and we can come back to this discussion at the Combat Simulation class tomorrow." Combat Simulation. Merlin, I hope I'm partnered with this bloke for curse practice.

Just then a loud thumping noise sounded in the hallway, sparing me the difficulty of having to come up with something both coherent and relatively polite; instead, I nodded weakly as I watched Zacharias wrench open his bag and pull out his own array of color-coded notes. I found myself vaguely wondering what proportion of the kitchen table he would want to take over as a workspace - Terry generally needed sixty percent for his massive stacks of files while I only demanded about thirty percent for my less space-intensive Auror reading, which would leave the latest roommate with only ten percent - but halted this line of thought abruptly.

With a terrific bang, the door of the classroom flew open and Williamson sauntered in. Although he is nearly two meters tall and has a full head of hair, he really hasn't nailed the Intimidating Auror mien any more so than Dawlish has ever managed. There's just something about his annoying swagger and black ponytail that makes me think more of an overgrown teenager who needs to learn that it's time to grow up already than of a professional opponent of Dark Magic, one of the most powerful wizards employed by the Ministry. Appearance aside, however, he's a pretty sharp guy, and extremely down-to-business when it comes to instruction.

"You won't be needing your books today," Williamson said tersely, pointing his wand at a small stack of parchment on his desk and muttering a Banishing Charm; an instant later, a purple pamphlet embossed with gold lettering glided to a halt in front of me, hovering inches above the table. It was amazing how rapidly the very dynamics in the room had shifted. With a quick glance at Weasley to my right and Smith to my left, I took the brochure from the air and read the cover: A Practical Guide to Passing the G.N.A.T.s, 2001 Edition, Issued by the British Ministry of Magic.

"As you all are - hopefully - well aware at this juncture, you are nearing completion of the Ministry of Magic's three-year training program for aspiring Aurors," Williamson declared, glaring sharply around the room as though sizing us up. "You all have made it this far, and to be blunt, you would have been weeded out long ago if the Ministry did not fully expect you to make it through the rigorous certification examination process. That being said, if you do not pass this test successfully, you will have lost the opportunity to become an Auror. Period. The Office is comprised of an active group of professionals, and we lack the time and resources to give second chances to substandard wizards and witches. If you do not pass this test, you will be forced to seek alternative employment." He nodded impressively and glared again, giving me the willies.

"The exam is set to begin on June eighteenth of this year and will end on June twenty-ninth. It is now April sixteenth. This gives us only two months until the single most important week of your entire magical education. We are now entering the final stages of preparation. You have a solid background in defence and you have been performing well in both written and practical settings. All you have to do is put in a good eight weeks of hard effort and you will be inducted into the Office on Sunday, the eighth of July, to receive your first assignments shortly afterward. So -" Williamson flourished his wand, and words appeared on the blackboard. "G.N.A.T.s. For those who are interested in historical trivia, it used to be an acronym for something, but the original title of the examination was abandoned several decades ago ..."

As Williamson launched into the fascinating life and times of "the historic examination," as he referred to it, I opened the purple brochure and leafed through the text detailing the philosophy of the British Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the biographies and various accomplishments of famous Aurors, the character qualities emphasized by the program, and purpose of each phase of the test. A moving photo of Nymphadora Tonks, Head of the Auror Office, honored member of the formerly underground society of the Order of the Phoenix, and celebrated heroine of the war against Voldemort, beamed up from the first page, pointing to her personal message typed up below the picture. Dear Aspiring Auror, Congratulations! You are about to embark on an exciting journey ...

"... examination has six parts, four of which have both practical and written components, one of which is solely practical, and one of which is solely written," Williamson was now saying. He rapped the blackboard sharply with his wand and a calendar of the month of June appeared in white chalk. "As you can see, all of the practical tests take place during the first week of the G.N.A.T.s - first Cognitive Reasoning and Lateral Thinking on Monday, then Stealth and Tracking, then Potions, Transfiguration, and Practical Magic, Concealment and Disguise, and the week will end with Defensive Spellwork and Combat Situations.

"Suffice it to say, these five days will be the most stressful of your lives since you entered the Wizarding world. You will be placed - alone - in a situation in which you will be forced to capture, fight, or otherwise defend yourself against a hypothetical Dark wizard for a period of three hours each day. The examination conditions are more grueling than any circumstances you are likely to face for the first five or so years of your professional careers. We rarely send inexperienced Aurors into situations in which such an intense level of physical combat is expected. And it is essential that you excel in the first week of testing; if you do not pass the practical part of the G.N.A.T.s, you will not be permitted to even attempt the written portion. Any questions so far?"

If anybody in the room did have any questions, they certainly did a good job covering it up. Weasley, the self-proclaimed "courageous Gryffindor," was chewing his lower lip nervously, gazing at Williamson with an expression that seemed to be a cross between awe and horror. Smith had tilted his chair back so far it was dangerously close to tipping over and spilling him on the floor, though his nose was pointed in the air and he looked as haughty as ever. Potter of Voldemort Downfall fame didn't seem to be terribly fazed by the prospect of the practical test, but even he was glancing edgily at the second week on the calendar, across which Williamson had scrawled Written Examination.

"Written examinations take place in the same order as the first week, with the exception of the final day," Williamson continued calmly, as though he were completely unaware that he had just scared the bejesus out of his entire class, Hogwarts Head Boy of 1998 and The Boy Who Lived included. "Defensive Spellwork and Combat Situations is strictly a practical test; on Friday the twenty-ninth, you will sit for the Legal and Ethical Decision-Making component. Although you will not have more than a minimal understanding of the precise format of the practical examinations prior to the day of your trial by fire -" at this point, I thought I detected something of a smirk cross the arrogant man's face "- I can tell you that each of the written portions will be three hours long and consist of five questions. Should you so desire, practice essays can be obtained through the Auror Office.

"My reason for informing you of all of this now, of course, is not intimidate you or make you feel anything but confident -" again with the obnoxious smirk! "- but to give you a general feel for the situation before you declare candidacy. All third-year students in the program are required to register for the G.N.A.T.s at the Auror Office by no later than June first, to give the Department of Magical Law Enforcement sufficient preparation time. All applicants must submit to a background check of criminal files to ensure their legal standing, fill out a series of forms, and write a couple preliminary essays regarding specific interests and skills within the field of Defense prior to beginning the first phase of the examination - so make sure all of that's taken care of shortly. If none of you have any questions, back to the moral implications of the use of Unforgivable Curses ..."

I looked to my right again. Beneath the freckles, Ron's face was chalk-white.