After The War (Romione & Hinny fan fiction)

Wizards at a Wedding

"Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau." the cool female voice in the telephone box rang out. The grills opened slowly, and Hermione turned to give one last look at Harry and Ron before walking out of the lift. The doors clanged shut behind her. The suitcase she was carrying slipped between her fingers, and she had to clutch the handle tightly so it wouldn't fall. She was swept away by the crowd of ministry employees that were walking quickly towards their respective offices. Hermione looked around, hoping for a sign that would help her to find the place where she needed to go.
She had been in the Ministry of Magic only three times before, and every time she hadn't been alone. The first time she'd been in fifth year, when she'd come here for their Rescue mission with some members of Dumbledore's Army. In sixth year, she and Ron had been side by side as they walked towards the Apparition Test Centre; the third time she'd been eighteen, and she'd come into the Ministry under the identity of Mafalda Hopkirk to steal the Slytherin locket with her two best friends.
Now Hermione's eyes scanned every plaque on the doors, and it took some minutes to find the right one. It was labeled
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division.
The door was open, revealing a corridor that lead to another half dozen of doors. Inside she could hear the chattering of voices. She knocked gently on the open door, hoping someone would notice her.
In a few seconds a short woman with sandy brown hair and a big smile on her thin lips emerged from the nearest wooden door. "Good morning! You're one of the new workers here in the Beast Division, aren't you?"
Hermione nodded nervously.
"And your name is..."
"Hermione Granger, Ma'am."
"We are so very happy to welcome you in this department, Miss Granger. My name is Iphigenia Gerald, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. If you need anything, my office is just there." she pointed to the door she'd came from.
"Thank you, Ms Gerald."
"No problem dear," She smiled warmly. "I really have to go now, I need to meet the new boy in the Being Division. This year we've got loads of newcomers!" she said brightly, "Your office is the fourth door on the right."
"Thank you very much, Ms Gerald." She watched as the young woman disappeared in the midst of the crowd, then fixed her hair nervously and made her way toward the fourth door on the right, as instructed. She knocked twice, more confidently than she felt, and waited, her heart thumping in her chest. Then a woman's voice told her to come in, and she found herself in a wide room, different from any she had ever seen.
The walls were planelled in the same shiny dark wood that had been used to cover the walls of the hall in the center of the Ministry, and three magical windows filtered sunlight in a way she had seen nowhere. Two young women sat at two papers-spread long desks at the sides of the room. They had both put down their quills and were giving her two wide smiles.
"Good morning." said Hermione hesitantly.
"Oh hellooo!" exclaimed woman that looked just a few years older than Hermione. She had curly dirty-blonde hair and her eyes were ocen-blue. The suit she was wearing matched her eyes perfectly. "Mrs Gerald told me there would be another new girl in my office this year! I'm Marie, by the way."
"I'm Dorothy." said the other girl.
"I'm Hermione, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." said Marie excitedly. "Is it your first day here at the Ministry then?"
"I've been here before," Hermione replied shortly, "but it's my first day of work here."
"It's my first day, too." said the dark-skinned girl called Dorothy, giving her a warm smile.
"Well come on then!" said Marie, gesturing for Hermione to take a seat at the empty desk beside hers. "We're lucky Mrs Gerald likes to give an easy start to the newcomers - so they have the time to understand how things work in here - but unfortunatly that doesn't mean we get to look at this gorgeous ceiling the whole day!"

-

Harry saw Hermione glance back at him and Ron, a mix of worry and excitement on her face. He managed to smile, but by the time his lips curled she was already walking out of the lift.
He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat and tried to focus on his only task: getting at the Auror Office in time.
Hermione had probably already reached her office by the time the lift came to stop at 'Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services.'
"Ron, c'm on!" said Harry pulling at his friend's sleeve as they nearly lost sight of each other in the crowd. They walked through a pair of heavy oak doors and emerged in a cluttered open area divided into cubicles.
The Auror Headquarters, Harry realized with a start. The last time he'd walked through this section of the Ministry he had been going at the hearing that would have decided whether he was expelled or not from Hogwarts. The Headquarters looked nearly the same as he remembered: lined cubicles with fancy desks and pictures of wanted wizards all over the walls. He recognized some of the faces that looked down at him: Most of them were Death Eaters still on the run or in hiding. He spotted pages and articles from the Daily Prophet, pictures of babies and family pets, maps and sketches of places Harry didn't know. The place was buzzing with talk and laughter, and Harry noticed some Aurors were already working on the huge pile of papers waiting on their desks.
"Mr Potter! Mr Weasley!" a voice called from behind them. "Here you are! Follow me, please." The tall, silvery-haired man that had called them by name was already woving his way through the crowd, moving so quickly that it looked as if he were a expert people-dodger. Harry and Ron hurried to follow the man, trying to keep up with his speed, and in less time than expected they were in a room that looked half like a muggle gym and half like some sort of combat-training pitch. A group of about twenty-five people sat in a circle and were all dressed in the same black robes. Harry wondered if they had accidentally ended up in a martial arts class or something.
The man they had followed 'till there sat in the center of the circle, and waved his hand to invite the two new boys to take place. He disn' t miss the confused look on Ron's face though.
"Oh, right. I forgot to entruduce myself." He looked around at the young people in black clothes. Harry noticed there were only three gils between the Auroes-in-training. "I am - as most of you already know - Jack Gergley, your combat trainer. I may start with saying that in my class - but also in all the others - arriving late will not be tolerated." His eyes landed casually on Harry and Ron as he said it. "I also have to inform the first-year trainees that Gawain Robards, the Head Auror, will meet you in his office during the break to give you your training schedules." Some newcomers nodded seriously, and Gegley went on, toying with the wand in his hands as he spoke. "At the end of your third year of training you will be able to best your opponent in every kind of situation, you will have mastered the art of dueling, and even learned to use the magic inside you without needing a wand. This," he said as his eyes met his students' one by one, "is what we'll be learning in this class. Any questions?"
Harry had a thousand of them buzzing in his brain, and he could tell the other new trainees' condition wasn't different from his. Yet no one dared to speak.
"Well, then." Gergley said "We may as well begin."