Chapter Text
TW: food, death m, insomnia m
Harry gently sieved the flour into the large mixing bowl, combining it with the sugar, eggs, and butter. Teddy’s party was tomorrow, and Harry was put in charge of the food and dining. This was going to be a celebration for Teddy’s 2nd birthday. Andromeda and Harry threw a small party for his 1st, but feelings of grief and guilt had overshadowed the fun. Thus, Harry had promised himself that this birthday would be unforgettable—or at least as unforgettable for a two-year-old as possible; he had to make cakes and cookies and juice and two different dinners: some Kid Cuisine Twist and Twirl Spaghetti for Teddy (the only thing he would eat at this point) and some muggle sushi rolls for the adults.
The invite list was rather long for a two-year-old’s birthday; Harry knew that, but it was only comprised of the people closest to Andromeda and Harry: the Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Dean, and Seamus. He had to cook for a total of 16 people, so he wanted to begin preparing as soon as he could. He had already chosen a present for the toddler, a mini-quidditch broom much like the one that he had had before Voldemort—no, he told himself. He would not think about that right now just like he how he wouldn’t think about Lupin and Tonks lying on the floor after the Battle.
Harry closed his eyes and took a break from his mixing. He opened them and sighed. He poured the vanilla and the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, continuing to cook.
April 6th came, and Harry had yet again spent the night before stressing in his bed about Teddy and his future. Insomnia was no stranger to Harry, but he hated when it happened before an important event. At 5AM, Harry dragged himself out of bed and onto the porch for a cigarette. He smoked it quickly, still not used to the low temperature and gentle rainfall of early April. He didn’t mind the cold, but he hated smoking in the rain. He went back in for a warm shower and then dressed himself in his auror trainee uniform, basic wizarding attire topped with a trench coat and pure black robes.
He had begun auror training in September, a three-year process which consisted of charm classes, written exams, theoretical work, and an internship in the last part of the third year. He was going through this with Ron, Dean, and Seamus. They only had a few more months left of their first year; they were all thoroughly enjoying it.
While they trained to become aurors, pretty much everyone else in their friend group had made career plans as well. Hermione was studying Chemistry at Oxford University. Luna had brought art therapy to the wizarding world. Ginny and Neville were working alongside the Hogwarts Restoration Organization to rebuild and renovate Hogwarts. George continued his and Fred’s joke shop and brought in his girlfriend Angelina to help. Things were going back to normal—or as normal as things could be.
Harry enjoyed auror training, he did, but he still did not feel like it was “fulfilling” him as Luna and Hermione swore good careers were supposed to. He often shrugged it off and contributed the feelings to nerves about being an adult. Since the war, Harry had moved in with Andromeda to take care of his godchild. He was not yet ready to live alone, and he certainly was not ready to care for Teddy alone. In the summer after the war and before starting auror training, Harry had spent his time mainly with press and with his friends and Andromeda. The renovations to Hogwarts meant that everyone wanted to know what the “Wizarding Savior” thought of the new school and the adjustments to sorting and if Harry wanted an “8th year” available to the young war veterans like himself and Ron and Hermione. Of course, the Death Eater trials also brought much unwanted press coverage to Harry. Would he be testifying? What did he want each of the Death Eaters’ sentences to be? Did he pity them?
After the first few months of interviews and speeches and photo-ops, Harry kept his head down low. He took care of Teddy, cooked, and learned some basic French from Andromeda. It wasn’t much, but it kept him sane until training began.
Harry’s thoughts ended as he reached the head auror office. He entered his department and headed over to his assigned physical training position alongside Ron. The ginger offered him a reassuring smile: this would be a long day.