Hermione Granger sat quietly at the table in her flat, staring at the piece of paper in front of her, not quite comprehending what she was reading, her eyes focusing and refocusing on the same few lines of text.
"Well? What is it? What does it say?" Ron Weasley demanded, and receiving no answer, he reached across the table and snatched the paper from her fingers. She didn't complain but reached for her scotch and took a swig as he began to read aloud.
"'You have been assigned to Hogwarts to serve as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the upcoming school year.' What!"
Hermione glanced at him sharply, the words finally sinking in. She was going back to Hogwarts. "Keep reading."
"'Your current partner will be reassigned.' Harry! Reassigned! Has he heard yet?"
She shrugged, not looking at him. "I don't know, he's still in Germany, haven't heard from him. No contact, remember? Fudge will no doubt break the news himself."
"The hell is he thinking, breaking up the best team of aurors we've ever had! You two've taken down more Death Eaters --"
"Yes, I know that. You missed the last part of the letter. I'm to report to Dumbledore tomorrow morning." She finished her drink and poured another from the bottle on the table.
"Tomorrow morning!" Ron wailed. "But school school starts in a week! Shouldn't Dumbledore already have a teacher? This can't be happening!"
"If Harry were here, this wouldn't be happening."
"That's probably why Fudge sent Harry without you, so he could split the two of you up while he wasn't around to stop it! I always knew Fudge had it in for you!"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Look, I'm sure there is some perfectly rational explanation behind all this. In fact, Dumbledore probably knows all about it and he'll explain everything tomorrow."
He frowned and said slowly, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But it's still a bad fucking idea if you ask me." He paused and sipped at his own drink. "But at least you'll be somewhere safe."
"Want to trade then? I'd rather face down a thousand Death Eaters. Remember what we were like at Hogwarts?"
Ron managed a grin at that. "So you have the advantage already! Harry gave me the Marauders Map a few years ago, wanted me to hold onto it. Could come in handy now."
"For catching students out of bed, if nothing else," Hermione laughed, feeling slightly better. "I guess there are worse assignments for an auror."
"Sure, like last spring when I was trying to catch Wilford Jones, remember?"
"You mean when he shrank you after you already caught him?" she asked with a wry smile.
"How could I've known he put shrinking potion in his vodka?" Ron protested.
"Right. Good thing I insisted on going along."
"Yes, let's drink to that," Ron said, pouring both of them another drink.
They drank in silence for a moment, until Ron started on quidditch and Herione listened patiently. When she could no longer tolerate it, she pleaded tired and Ron made to leave.
"I think you'll do fine at Hogwarts, Hermione," he said sincerely as he reached out to hug her. "Plus it'll piss off Snape that he lost the job to one of his ex-students."
"Great, just what I need to start off the school year!" She hugged him fiercely. "I'll miss you, Ron Weasley. Take care of Harry for me, will you? You know how he likes to get into trouble when I'm not around."
"As if I'm much better!" Ron protested, pulling away from the embrace. "I'll owl you the Marauders Map as soon as I can find it." He paused, looking at her intently, as if memorizing her face. "Hermione, take care of yourself. I know you'll be at Hogwarts and near Dumbledore, but just be careful all the same."
She huffed indignantly. "You know, I'm not the helpless female you and Harry like to pretend I am. I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, I know, but that's what worries me!"
Monday morning came much too soon, while Hermione burrowed deep under the covers of her bed, attempting to escape the sunlight streaming through her windows and the imminent hangover. She finally poked her head out and checked the wind-up clock sitting beside her bed, her head throbbing from the effort required to focus on the tiny numbers. Yesterday's letter didn't give a specific time to meet Dumbledore, but she didn't want to disappoint her old headmaster by arriving late.
Thank the gods for the genius who concocted the hangover potion, she thought as she trudged to her bathroom, digging through the cabinet until she found the bottle. She took a hefty swig and closed her eyes, feeling the pain and nausea begin to dissipate. She showered and dressed quickly, pulling her still thick and bushy hair back into a loose ponytail, and set about packing.
The ministry had provided the flat furnished, so all she had to worry about packing were her personal effects. Being an auror had taken so much of her time that she was rarely at home and so she hadn't bothered with acquiring many things. Aside from books. She looked at the teeming bookcase, deciding to handle them first.
"Adduco libri," she called, pointing her wand at the books, and the books shrank to miniature sizes before she directed them to a small leather satchel waiting on the floor. She grabbed the bag and went to her bedroom, where she opened her wardrobe and piled all her clothes on the bed. She murmured another shrinking spell, and her clothes joined the books. She then went to the bathroom and repeated the process.
Finished packing, she set the bag by the front door and double-checked the flat for any other items she might have missed. The ministry would send elves over before giving the place to another employee, so even if she did leave anything, it would be returned shortly. She paused in the kitchen for a moment, considered making something to eat, and quickly decided to wait until Hogwarts, where she could get a wonderful hot breakfast without having to make it herself.
When she was satisfied that she hadn't left anything, she picked up the bag and left the apartment, locking and warding it behind her. She moved quickly down the stairs and out the front door, slipping down a deserted side street. Making sure no one else was nearby, Hermione concentrated and she was gone.
Hermione stood in awe, staring at the castle from across the lake. It had been many years since her last visit to Hogwarts, and suddenly a flood of memories came rushing back to her. She took a moment to sort herself out before continuing.
She pushed through the heavy doors into the castle and passed no one as she made her way to Dumbledore's office, pleasing herself by only making one wrong turn on the journey. She slowed as she approached the stone gargoyle, suddenly remembering that she didn't know the password. Her brow furrowed in thought as she paced by the gargoyle.
"Lemon drops?" she called, unsurprised when nothing happened. "Gummy worms? Jelly beans? Peppermint snaps? Orange --"
The stone wall sprung open, and for a short moment, Hermione thought she had stumbled upon the password, until something -- someone slammed into her, knocking her backwards. She stumbled for a few steps, but maintained her balance and turned to see the Potions Master himself, Severus Snape, sprawled ungracefully on the floor.
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A/N:
This is my second attempt at this story. The first one kept giving me too many problems so I scrapped a lot and reworked the rest, and it seems to be flowing much smoother this time. I hope to be uploading at least a chapter a week, possibly more.
Please, read/review ... even if you don't like it, constructive criticism is always welcome. If you do like it, I love to hear encouragement! Thanks for reading so far!