Harry woke up to a pleasant chime, sounding not far away. He rubbed his eyes and sat up groggily. At the sight of several, and by several he meant it, souvenirs crammed up in his room, his eyes widened and he jumped out of his bed, just to trip and fall face first into more thingamabobs.

"KREACHER!"

The startled elf appeared in a pop at the furious shout of his master. His ears dropping and his age showing, he asked in a crack tone. "Yes, Master?"

"What on Agrippa's socks are these?!" Harry shouted, now groping around in the mess for his glass which had tumbled away from him upon falling out of his bed. His sight was rather poor to even witness the shaking elf standing in front of him.

"Kreacher was told by Master Wheezy to keep these at yous room, Master. Kreacher knows nothing more than what Master Wheezy says."

Harry jammed his glasses back on, his lips thinning at the mess Sirius' room had now become. There were things of all sizes, colours and shapes lying around. From the biggest girl doll and elephant figurine to a tiny evil eye charm and a rabbit foot, everything had been covered. Harry briefly wondered if Ron had spent all of his war hero rewards on buying the unnecessary charms.

With his sight clear, Harry could sense the unease he had put Kreacher into, so he dismissed the elf with a simple command. "Tell Ron I wish to meet him here, right this instant. I don't care what he's up to." Kreacher nodded deeply, his nose touching a book that looked like a four leaf clover, and left the room with another distinct pop of Disapparition.

Godric, what have I gotten into?

Harry was not sure which was worse: a nasty headache or a sheepish Ron in front of him.

"What were you thinking, Ron?" he asked, simply. His voice no longer held any emotions; not even anger. He concluded that his vocal cords no longer obliged to show any expression in order to hide its broken strings.

"Well, I wasn't exactly thinking, mate."

Harry sighed. "I've no clue."

"To?"

"What to do with myself. If you haven't noticed, my life has been naught but a lame joke; a sick irony. I haven't even been able to comprehend what it really means, though, but now I do understand: I was a fool." Harry closed his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples. He felt the bed shift with Ron's weight and a strong hand on his shoulder. Silence reigned and Harry forced himself to not open his eyes.

"Some mistakes get made, mate. It's okay. I'm sure we'll get through this week." The silence was back again, before Harry burst out laughing.

"You're my best friend, aren't you?" His question would have seemed crazy to anyone but the two boys; it had some sort of inner understanding that only Harry and Ron knew.

Ron grinned before answering, "You bet I am! It's no wonder I don't let my best mate do anything. . .alone." Not for the first time, Ron's reassurance seemed to elate Harry, removing a part of the weight that had settled on his chest. "Now, don't get me wrong but I must turn into Hermione and warn you to get ready real quick." The redhead checked his watch before exclaiming, "Blimey! It's already late! You better make an appearance at the Ministry quick, Harry! And don't forget to pick a lucky charm! Ruddy hell!" With that Ron, disapparated out of the property.

Harry's mind struggled to think why Ron might have been so terse about getting to the Ministry before his eyes wandered to the clock: 8:55 AM. Shoot!

With only five minutes to spare until the reporting time for auror training, Harry rushed to get to the Ministry. It meant skipping his breakfast, but there was no other way. On his way out, he quickly grabbed the nearest charm – an elephant keychain – praying to the same to bestow some luck on him.

When Harry got to the training department, he was greeted by a very moody looking Robards. Harry braced himself for the harsh words, clenching his fists. He would later be thankful as Robards had given him an earful about punctuality and how being Harry Potter doesn't mean he could show up as he wished. Of course, Harry never meant it that way but it was inevitable. No matter whatever mistake he did, everybody simply blamed it on his status quo

"Today. Noon. At my office. You're dismissed from the Ministry until then!" That was Robards' only message that actually went through Harry's ears. At the opportunity, Harry shook his head and sprinted from the corridor and away from the Ministry itself. Within the safety of a dark alleyway, he Apparated back to Grimmauld, tasting the nasty headache of apparition as he tumbled into his bedroom.

A wayward doll's extended hand had him stumbling across the room. Swearing the doll as well as the elephant charm that he had carried, he slumped onto the bed in exasperation. Over his glasses, he could see the beautifully framed photo of himself and her on the Hogwarts grounds; probably one of the last photos taken by Colin. The girl in the photo seemed to radiate her positivity, even by a mere smile that she was shooting the Harry in the photo. However, unlike the mess that he was now, his alter ego in the photo was grinning as he tucked a strand of red hair behind his half's ear.

The photo, in fact, worsened the weight on his chest and gave him a strange ache. Great. I'm a mess.

Harry took no chances that noon. He was, in truth, present in front of the Head Auror's office twelve minutes before the reporting time. He looked at the four clover locket he was now carrying, turning it around in his hand and allowing the cool metal to soothe his nerves. Even if it did nothing, the photo safely locked inside it lightened his mood. If not for yourself, remember that you're living for Teddy. Harry repeated the mantra in his head, as if that would provide him with a reason to live.

"Mr Potter?" The voice of Robards' assistant, Asa Sheldon came, alerting the auror-in-training.

"Yes, sir?"

"The Head Auror wishes to see you, now."

Harry nodded, and followed the young assistant into Robards' office. It was a huge space, although really neatly maintained. There was a bookshelf to the right that, Harry suspected, held several unsolved case files. Atop it was a broken mirror.

Shivers ran down Harry's spine. A broken mirror was usually a sign of an impending misfortune. Given that the wind of ill-luck was already blowing at him, he was afraid of something else going wrong. Why on earth would Robards have a broken mirror in his office?!

"Ahem."

Harry was pulled out of his reverie by Robards clearing his throat. Flustered, he muttered a quick greeting along with an apology even though he had no idea why he had apologized. Robards did not seem to settle on the matter for longer than a minute. He was a man who never beat around the bush. He got straight into the matter, beckoning Harry to take a look at a parchment laid in front of him.

"Five Snatchers Found Idling at The Forest of Dean," Harry read out aloud, his heart skipping a beat at the location. The Forest of Dean. It was one of the places where Harry, Ron and Hermione had spent time in during their hectic year of Horcrux hunting. "What do you want me to do, sir?" Harry asked, somehow already knowing the answer to his question.

"I want you to capture the five snatchers." That was Robards' simple answer. "All alone. You think being Harry Potter gives you the privilege of coming in whenever you like without a valid reason, then you must be able to do this off-handedly." Something inside Harry wished to lash out at the man against the accusation against his morals but at the same time, his mind told him to keep his sanity. He would achieve nothing by angering his boss further. "However, three rookie class aurors have been placed in the locality should you fail. Do you accept the challenge, Potter?"

"Yes, sir." It was incredibly foolish. At least, that was what Hermione would have told him, but there was something about the contemplative look that Robards was giving him that increased the thrill of taking up the challenge for some reason.

And so, with the foot of a rabbit in a small pouch, Harry stepped foot out of the safety of #12, Grimmauld Place that evening.

Hey guys!

Something is just about to come! What do you think about Harry's mission?

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Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x