Love Rekindled

Chapter 2: A Job Offer & A Second First Date

After Fred's funeral, there were other funerals. The month of May was bittersweet. It was hard to entirely move on, but at the same time Harry was finally allowing himself to see a future where he gets to grow old without fear of his life ending every two seconds.

He had begun visiting Grimmauld Place with Ginny to get the place cleaned up and liveable again, but for now he was still staying at the Burrow. Hermione and Ron were off on their trip to look for her parents. They wrote almost every day.

Harry had taken to spending Sundays with Teddy, whether that meant hanging out with him at Andromeda's or taking him over to the Weasley's to give her a break. It was definitely a learning curve, figuring out how to take care of the little one, but Mrs. Weasley was very helpful in that regard.

Things had been getting better. The wizarding world had begun to heal. And Harry took that as a sign that maybe he should start living a normal life, and really accepting it.

"Will you go on a date with me?" Harry asked Ginny out of the blue towards the end of May as the two of them were organizing boxes to put into storage or donate.

"Well, I am your girlfriend, so it would be rude to say no, wouldn't it?" she smirked at him.

"It's just that... we've not really gone on a date before," Harry said.

"Technically, you could count some of our picnics at Hogwarts as dates," Ginny replied. "Besides, we've been back together for a few weeks already."

"Yes, but... I want to take you on a proper date. Dinner. Just the two of us, and although I do love your Mum's cooking, it doesn't exactly set the mood for a date having a meal with your family," Harry explained.

"That is true," Ginny smiled. "I'd love to go on a proper date with you, Harry."

***

Later that night, when they were heading back to the Burrow, Harry felt giddy at the idea of finally getting to be normal. His life thus far had been chaotic. Taking Ginny on a date felt like a step into that normalcy he so craved.

But when they arrived, Harry suddenly felt a bit nervous, because Kingsley Shacklebolt was there waiting for him.

"Harry," he smiled at him. "Molly told me you'd be back soon. I'd been hoping to speak with you."

Harry gave Ginny a nod, and she went into the house, leaving them alone. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Well, given recent events, I'm sure you can imagine things at the ministry are complicated," Kingsley began. "We've had to completely rework our system, and I'm only just getting started on reframing some of the departments, especially those that were run by Death Eaters. Specifically though, after the battle, we are low on numbers in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. And I would like to offer you a position as an auror."

Harry simply stared in shock. "But... sir, I haven't even taken my NEWTs. And I'm only seventeen-"

"I've made an executive decision regarding the requirements. With the amount of courage and determination it took in your fight against Voldemort, especially in the battle at Hogwarts, I do not believe you are underqualified for the job. Your NEWTs do not concern me. So, I am extending this offer to you, as well as your friends Ron and Hermione, should they wish to accept," Kingsley explained.

"Wow, Kingsley... I don't know what to say. Obviously, I want to accept," Harry said.

"I won't lie to you. It's going to be difficult. The training itself is intense and few prove themselves in the process. I have no doubts about you, but it is only fair that I warn you and give you the choice," Kingsley told him.