Author:
jheatonFandom/Pairing: Harry Potter; Ron/Hermione
Spoilers: Through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rating: G
Warning: none
Word Count: 699
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling.
Description: Hermione catches a spelling error … or does she?
Notes: My first Harry Potter fanfic! (Not counting this one.) This is a silly little trifle inspired by every literate fanfic reader's least favorite part of reading Harry Potter fanfic. This is set after Chapter 36 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but before the epilogue. As to how long after, it's hard to say. A couple of years, maybe? Rowling says that Ron worked with George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes before becoming an Auror, but she's never said exactly how long that period of time was.
"Oh, honestly, Ron!"
Auror Cadet Ron Weasley looked up from the essay he was writing for his Operational Leadership course to find his girlfriend Hermione Granger standing behind him, a look of distaste clearly visible on her face. "What are you on about?"
She reached over his shoulder and tapped the last three words he had written: Potter’s lightening scar. "It's not lightening," she said crossly, "it's lightning.' No e. Really, you should know better."
Ron looked at Hermione for a few moments before turning back to his essay, but had only written the first letter of the next word before she spoke up again, sounding even more outraged that when she'd first spoken. "Well, aren't you going to fix it?"
"Hermione," Ron said, putting his quill down and turning to face his friend once again, "do I read over your shoulder when you're trying to write?"
"OF course you do. That's how you passed Potions."
"Since we left Hogwarts, I mean. Like when you were writing that proposal for butterbeer addiction counseling for house elves last week."
"Well … no, I suppose not. But don't try to change the subject! I know you think these courses are just formalities —"
"That's what Kingsley and Harry both told me, yes."
"— but that doesn't mean you should turn in sloppy work! You can't expect to advance in the department if your reports contain spelling errors."
"With my best mate and brother-in-law being groomed to take over the department? I think I can." He took note of Hermione's glare and added, "Look, give me a minute to finish this paragraph, and then I’ll read the whole thing to you. You can yell at me then if you think I still need it, OK?” Hermione huffed in annoyance, but nodded. Ron picked up his quill and resumed writing. After a few minutes, he set it down again and began to read aloud.
" 'Commanders must be wary of basing their decisions on incomplete information, or worse on assumptions that may have no basis in reality. For example, when Auror Harry Potter first joined the department, he was routinely excluded from long-term undercover assignments, because it was widely understood that his distinctive scar couldn't be hidden by most magical means of concealment and disguise, such as facial transfiguration or glamour charms, and because the department had no knowledge of Muggle methods. However, by the time Potter joined the Auror Office, the scar was in fact no longer resistant to magical concealment; once the fragment of Voldemort’s soul was removed from the scar during the Battle of Hogwarts, the magical side effects associated with it vanished, and the scar itself began to fade. It was not until someone from outside the department suggested that Potter’s lightening scar and the loss of his ability to speak and understand Parseltongue might indicate that the scar could in fact be magically concealed. Once this was determined to be the case, Potter went on to serve with distinction in several long-term undercover operations, most notably his investigation of the "Shame of Portree" point shaving scandal, during which he spent a full season undercover as a reserve Chaser while gathering evidence of gambling on matches by players and management.' "
By the time Ron finished reading, Hermione's face had turned bright red. She was silent for a moment, and finally said, "What about Polyjuice Potion? Harry's scar didn't show through that."
Ron recognized the change of subject as a tacit admission of error on Hermione's part, and he didn't see any particular value in pursuing a more explicit one. "I did say most," he said. "And Polyjuice is impractical for long-term infiltrations. Barty Crouch only got away with it because Moody's habit of drinking from a flask was so well-known."
"And do you really think Harry's most notable achievement as an Auror was investigating a sports gambling scheme? More than tracking down the Death Eaters and Snatchers that remained at large after the Battle of Hogwarts? Or the uncovering the bribery scandal in the Improper Use of Magic Office?"
"Well, yeah, of course," Ron said. "He was runner-up for Rookie of the Year that season."
"Oh, honestly, Ron!"