The Road Ahead
Draco and Hermione were the first to step out through the enormous doors, Hermione now looking visibly calmer, though she still seemed a little shaken, especially after seeing firsthand how a trial inside the Ministry unfolded.
Tonks came out right behind them, still wearing her Wizengamot robes, an upbeat smile on her face.
"That was exciting, wasn't it?" Tonks said with amusement.
"I don't think so. I wouldn't want to go through something like that again," Hermione answered immediately.
"You're worrying for nothing. Sirius and Edward prepared everything in advance. They even visited a few members of the Wizengamot to threa... convince them. So no matter what happened, nothing would've come of it anyway," Tonks said dismissively. "The only reason they presented the evidence was to show Fudge that they could fight him on his own turf whenever they wanted to, and they completely crushed him," she added.
She seemed quite used to the seat she occupied in the Wizengamot, even though she was only acting as the representative of House Black. Her real job was supposed to be as an Auror.
Edward and Sirius came out a little later, talking with Narcissa, Selene, and Wanda.
They didn't even seem concerned about what had just happened.
In fact, Sirius looked like he was having fun teasing Narcissa.
"So, how does it feel to have your surname back, my dear cousin Black?" he asked.
It was as though everything that had happened earlier had been nothing but a farce.
And perhaps it had been.
"Don't you have anything better to do than be a nuisance around me?" Narcissa shot back in an exhausted tone.
"Nope. All my work's done until the school year starts," Sirius replied shamelessly, earning another look from Narcissa before she simply ignored him and walked over to Draco.
"You handled yourself perfectly, Draco. You can both go home now. The others are probably worried about you. We still have a few things left to take care of," she said, her voice carrying the softness she reserved only for her son.
Thinking about how "worried" Harry and the others supposedly were, Draco was inclined to disagree.
Especially remembering the last time he'd seen them that morning.
Still, he nodded.
Draco looked at Hermione, gave a small nod, and the two of them started walking back the same way they had come.
Now that Hermione had relaxed, they began talking quietly as they drifted away from the group of adults.
The adults watched them from behind with rather…
Interested expressions.
As though they had only just realized how close the two of them had become.
...
A short while later, they arrived back at Harry's house and told everyone what had happened during the trial...
"Well, that was obvious," Harry said calmly from the living room sofa, watching television as though the fact that his friends had just been standing trial had been completely irrelevant.
Daphne, who had already woken up, was sitting there with a pile of snacks while watching the Muggle action movie playing on the television with complete focus. Wrappers were scattered all around her, making it clear she'd been sitting there for quite a while without worrying in the slightest about her friends' future.
One of the reasons Harry's house had become everyone's usual meeting place was because they could actually use Muggle things there, unlike at Malfoy Manor or Greengrass Manor.
"Mmm," Daphne murmured simply.
Seeing her friends like this, Hermione could only roll her eyes.
Now it felt as though all the worry she'd been carrying around had been completely pointless.
So, with a bit of lingering frustration, she threw herself at Daphne to vent her anger on her friend.
Draco simply glanced at them before sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa from Harry.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
The only sounds in the room were the explosions from the movie as Harry continued watching the television in complete peace.
Draco remained silent as well, as though he was still thinking about everything that had happened during the trial.
"Hey," he said to Harry.
"What?" Harry asked, still focused on the television. He glanced at Draco for a moment before turning his attention back to the movie.
"Aurors. What do you think?" Draco asked, his tone unusually blunt and abrupt.
Without taking his eyes off the screen, Harry frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
Then his thoughts seemed to deepen.
He even stopped paying attention to the movie altogether, resting a hand against his chin before looking back at Draco.
"Why? With what we know, we could create a lot more interesting things and make enough money that we'd never have to work. Even without doing anything else, what we already have would let us avoid working for several generations," Harry said, looking straight at Draco. "Although... fighting your father was interesting. Hunting down the ones who escaped Azkaban again..."
Harry sounded more and more interested the longer he spoke.
"If capable people don't fill those positions... they end up being filled by people like Fudge," Draco said calmly.
Harry looked at him, noticing that Draco actually seemed to be trying to convince him.
Then Harry's eyes drifted toward Hermione, who was still wrestling with Daphne.
"Mmm..." Harry hummed with a smile. "I suppose it doesn't sound so bad. Sure, I'll join you," he added casually, deciding his future with that same effortless simplicity.
Hermione, who had just managed to break free from Daphne, couldn't help turning toward them in surprise.
"Wait... what? You two want to become Aurors?" she asked.
For a brief moment, she couldn't help smiling a little.
After all, working for the Ministry of Magic had always been one of her own dreams as well.
Daphne barely lifted her head from the sofa, looking completely bored.
"How dull... I guess I'll have to go with you. Maybe I'll work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports," she murmured calmly, as though she were picking a random job out of a hat.
Harry, Draco, and Hermione simply stared at her for several seconds.
Daphne frowned slightly when she realized all three of them were looking at her the exact same way.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," the three of them answered almost at the same time.
Though the amused smiles on their faces made it obvious they all understood something that, apparently, she still didn't.