The Third War by dumbledorefluertwins
Chapter Notes: None of it is mine! It all belongs to Jo Rowling. Hope you enjoy it please review!
“Stay with me Harry!” Bright lights were overhead, blinding him. Blurred figures were surrounding him, pouring burning liquids down his throat and putting pressure on the large gash on his chest. He would have screamed in pain, but he didn’t have the energy “ he had screamed too much tonight. The room was starting to fade.
“We’re losing him! Harry, keep looking at me “ don’t close your eyes!” He could hear people shouting. There was too much noise and too much light…he was so tired. He could hear a very familiar voice somewhere.
“No! What’s wrong with him? Why has he got all this Muggle stuff around him? What do you mean you’re losing him!? No! He can’t die!” It was Ginny’s voice. He couldn’t die on her…she’d already seen too much…he couldn’t allow her to…see Thestrals…to see death. But he was so… very tired. Darkness crept up and took him.
A thirty-three-year-old man opened his sparkling green eyes with a start. He was breathing heavily and sweat ran down his forehead. He felt ashamed at being so scared by a simple thing like a nightmare; a memory. He jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.
“Harry?” His wife, Ginny, looked at him with concerned eyes. She held him close until he fell asleep. Like a child, she thought sadly.
This had happened several times before and, although she hated to admit it, she was growing used to Harry’s night time terrors. But, although she was used to it, it didn’t make it any easier.
After a few minutes her eyelids fluttered and she sank into a reluctant slumber.
“Sleeping on the job, eh Potter?” Harry groaned, lifted his head from the desk and turned to look at Arthur Weasley, who was grinning broadly.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” yawned Harry, grabbing a folder on Severus Snape and opening it wearily.
“Another nightmare?” Arthur asked softly. “I thought you said they’d gone.”
“I thought they had. Stupid of me really, to get my hopes up. Three weeks without one and I thought I’d never have one again.”
“Improvement though, eh? After the battle you had one nearly every night “ we had to keep giving you dreamless sleep potions remember?” Harry nodded, rubbing his eyes.
“Anyway, the minister wants to see you in his office at three so don’t be late!”
“I won’t!” Harry yelled after him as Arthur sped off.
Harry looked at the wall opposite him, which was filled with pictures of Death Eaters. In a flash memories came flooding back to him.
Screams, blood, fire, Death eater’s laughter, PAIN.
Harry shuddered and then glanced down at the folder in front of him. Snapes’ hook nosed face scowled back from a black and white photograph. Harry had a great desire to burn it. However, he took the folder over to a large world map on the other side of the office and stuck a blue pin on Rio de Janeiro “ a possible sighting of Dumbledore’s killer to be checked out later. Probably a waste of time Harry thought bitterly.
Harry walked back and saw a large pile of paperwork on his desk. He slumped down in his chair and swivelled round in it a few times. He hadn’t been this bored since…well…ever. Usually he would be out doing a raid right now “ or something similar. But Healer Sims had put him back on the most revolting potion Harry had ever tasted and told him that he had to take it easy for a week or two. Harry wasn’t happy.
“That was years ago! I’m completely fine now and need to work or I’ll sink into maniacal depression!” He had said. He was exaggerating quite a bit but it was true, he did need to work.
He looked at a photo of his family on his desk and smiled. There was Ginny, sitting on the lawn smiling happily, holding twins that were sitting on her lap. Trying to hide behind her was another, slightly younger child.
Jamie Remus Potter was the spitting image of his grandfather “ with jet black hair, glasses and hazel eyes. He was very sneaky and was often the mastermind behind the pranks that he and his siblings had done.
His twin sister Lillian Luna Potter (Everybody called her Lily for short) looked very similar. She too had jet black hair although, like her mother it always seemed to be perfect. She had inherited her fathers green eyes and her mothers slim build and she was the only child who didn’t wear glasses. She had inherited her father’s sarcasm and his ability to talk her way out of trouble, although she found herself in trouble quite a lot.
Sirius Neville Potter, the youngest by two years, looked a lot like Ron except for the fact his nose was less…big. He was pretty quiet, although on occasions he had both the Weasley and the Potter’s anger.
Harry started on his paperwork thoroughly wishing he was out there doing something, not sitting here and writing it all down.
At three o’clock Harry took the lift to the Ministers office. He hoped it wasn’t about all the overdue paperwork.
Amanda Rider had come back shaking when she handed in a form two weeks late. Although Harry doubted he would get yelled at that badly. The Minister always tried to stay on his good side, due to the fact that whenever a celebrity bad mouthed Harry in public, the whole country would send them hate mail.
Before he entered he tried to make himself look presentable and hoped he didn’t have bags under his eyes. He knocked on the door and waited for Scrimgeours’ voice.
“Enter,” growled a voice through the door. Harry entered and stood in front of Scrimgeours’ desk. “Ah, Mr Potter, sit down.” Harry obeyed the order and sat suddenly aware of his hands in his pockets “ he took them out quickly.
“As you know Hogwarts will start a new year in a week,” the Minister started at once, he had never been one to beat about the bush.
“Well Headmistress McGonagall has been sent a message from those few Death Eaters we have not caught yet. The Death eaters are threatening to attack the school unless we hand all power over to them, which is, of course, out of the question so we are planning to send four Aurors to protect each house. You for Gryffindor, Mrs Lupin for Ravenclaw-” Harry and several others still called her Tonks so Harry wondered for a moment who he was talking about “-and Mr Shackelbolt for Huffelpuff. Er… we have not yet found an Auror who used to be in Slytherin and is willing to go back to Hogwarts so we might bring in a foreigner but we’re working on it.”
“Sir, why do they have to protect their previous houses?” Harry asked, trying to take all of this in.
“We don’t want any students disliking their Aurors because they were once in a rival house “ we’ve picked the Aurors we believe will get along with the students best…so are you up for it?”
Harry shook his head, ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Everything was so sudden and unexpected.
“I don’t know Sir…I mean…my kid’s for one thing “ my two eldest are starting this year and all the attention might…unnerve them.”
“They would get a lot of attention anyway,” the minister interrupted.
“And my wife and youngest “ it’s a long time to be away from them,” Harry said desperately.
“You will visit them during the holidays “ we’re not letting students stay at Hogwarts during holidays this year.”
“And I need to see a healer every two months because of…well, you know.” The minister nodded.
“Madame Pomfrey will be able to see to all that.”
Harry considered. If he went he’d be able to keep an eye on his mischievous twins but would not be able to watch over Sirius. But then, Ginny could do that. He’d be away from Ginny and Sirius a long time but he could write and visit them during half term and Christmas. It would mean no paper work but a lot of staring and adoring eyes from students. It would mean being back in Hogwarts…
His head buzzing with a million thoughts and questions, he looked up at the Minister.
“I’ll need to talk to my wife about it Minister, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
The Minister nodded and simply went; “Yes you must tell me tomorrow “ I’m afraid I left asking you a little late, what with Slytherin and all.” Then he turned back to the papers on his desk which Harry took as his cue to leave.
As he prepared to Disapparate at the end of the day, Harry glanced at a newspaper on one of his colleagues’ desk. He felt a slight pang of worry. The headline blared:
ARE DEATH EATERS BECOMING MORE ACTIVE?