Author Note: I've been stuck for so long on To Turn A World On Its Head that I've decided to actually start another fanfic. This one has been floating around in my head for a while, so I've actually started to write down. I just hope I'll be able to finish it.
Feel free to review. And constructive criticism is always welcome. I'll try to keep my notes right at the end of each post (unlike this one), so you can get on with the story if you just want to read that. Also, I have no beta at this moment in time. Anyone who wish to apply for the job can PM me :)
Disclaimer: I think we all know the stuff that usually comes here. I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am just borrowing it for my non-profitable pleasure - and hopefully yours as well!
Now, on with the story!
Summary: An insidious threat against the wizarding world has been made, but few are even aware of it. At the call of Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, alumnis from Hogwarts gather to face the new enemy. But people have changed over the 11 years since the end of the previous war. None more so than one Hermione Granger-McGonagall
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Severus Snape gratefully changed the sign on his door to 'closed' and locked up for the night. He was quite happy to have finished what had been close to the day from Hell. His shop assistant had called in sick this morning, which had forced the dour wizard to work in the shop - serving dunderheads who could not distinguish between powdered bicorn horn and crushed bezoar.
He had hoped for a quiet lunch, but had been interrupted when an owl from Minerva had requested his presence at Hogwarts this evening. Apparently, the Headmistress had an urgent matter discuss with him, something so sensitive she could not put it in her letter. The afternoon had been further ruined by the fact that the Ministry had decided that a surprise visit to check on Severus's stock was necessary. Apparently, someone had told them that Severus was involved in some illegal activities. Of course, the Aurors had found absolutely nothing, but Severus was still extremely annoyed.
For a moment, he considered simply ignoring Minerva's summon. He was tired, and only wanted to sit in his armchair by the fire, sipping a nice Firewhisky while reading the latest Potions journal. Only he had little doubt that the Scottish witch would track him down and berate him for not showing up. The two of them had a cordial relationship, and Severus preferred to keep it that way. The older witch could be quite scary.
And so, Severus Snape took one last glance around his shop and his laboratory, checked his wards to make sure no one would be able to enter in his absence, and then went up to his flat above the shop. He quickly grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it in his fireplace.
"Hogwarts, Headmistress's office."
Severus stepped through and was not really surprised to see the Headmistress sitting at her desk, with two cups of steaming tea, his black and strong, hers white and sweetened. He purposefully kept his eyes on the older witch, avoiding the eyes of the portraits lining the walls - one of them in particular.
"I'm so glad I didn't have to come and get you."
Severus couldn't help it and snorted. He knew she would have done it too, scolding him like a five-year old in the process.
"So what is happening, exactly, for you to attempt the impossible and put the ex-Death Eaters and the members of the Order of the Phoenix in one room?"
Minerva sighed deeply, and Severus instantly became alert.
"We have a huge problem, and I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. I'm hoping that seeing the problems from different angles will give me some insight."
Severus sat on the chair opposite Minerva and reached across her desk for his tea. He took a sip from his cup and set it back down.
"Explain."
"The Ministry of Magic has been interfering with Hogwarts more and more over the years. I think they are trying to take over, although I am not entirely sure why. And the last thing I want is my students under the rules of the likes of Umbridge."
Severus couldn't help but agree with this sentiment. He still remember those few months where Umbridge had near total control over the school. And although Severus had tried his hardest to cut all ties with the school over the years, he still cared enough to not wish a repeat performance.
"So what have they been doing?"
"Horace, Pomona and Filius have been looking to retire for a while. And as much as Mister Slinkhard is a great author on the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he is a poor teacher at best. So I need four new teachers, and the Ministry has sabotaged all my efforts to find replacements until now.
Luckily, I managed to get in touch with Mister Longbottom a few months ago. Pomona has been apprenticing him through the summer. I have contacted Mister Potter and Mr Malfoy Junior to take over Defense and Charms respectively. And I hope to convince you to return as our Potions Master."
"You cannot be serious, Minerva."
"Sadly, I am. And I have very little choice in the matter. The Ministry has made very sure of that. I cannot ask Horace, Filius or Pomona to postpone their retirements any longer. And I really could not justify keeping Slinkhard on."
Severus narrowed his eyes at the Headmistress and shook his head.
"Find someone else."
"There is no else, Severus."
"What about your little know-it-all? I'm sure she would be delighted to show off for a while."
Severus frowned as his old friend laughed.
"I would not inflict Hermione's teaching methods on my students. I value them too much. I have asked her to come and lend a hand as a kind of teaching assistant, to help Harry, Draco and Neville settle in their jobs, so to speak. But she cannot teach per say. And I would rather not have her on the pay roll either."
"Why ever not?"
Severus watched as the Headmistress reclined in her seat and looked off in mid-distance - quite a feat as they were currently sitting in her office, and the curtains were drawn across the only window. She sighed and returned her gaze to his after a few seconds.
"Let's just say that Hermione is not teacher material and leave it at that for now. Plus, I would like someone in the school who is not directly affiliated with it. Look, all I'm asking Severus, is that you at least consider coming to the meeting. There are several things that I would like to talk about with the others and your input would be invaluable."
Severus could already see that Minerva was desperate. She had to be if she was asking him to come back to teaching. And now, not only was he being forced to return to the place he had tried so hard to avoid for the past decade or so, but he was going to be saddled with the most imbecilic students he had ever had the displeasure to teach. Although teach was most definitely too strong a word in his mind.
"I'll come to your meeting. But I still reserve the right to refuse your teaching post."
Minerva sighed in relief and nodded.
"I can only hope that convincing Hermione to give it a go will be as simple."
"Why would your golden girl not help?"
"Oh, it's not a question of her not helping. It's more that she really doesn't want to set foot in Britain any longer than she has to. And I want her to stay with us for a year, without pay."
Severus was curious about the Granger girl, if he was honest with himself. She had been a bright student in her time at Hogwarts. But after the war, she seemed to have dropped from the surface of the Earth. He knew she had kept in touch with Minerva since the older witch often mentioned her name during their conversations. The little witch had also apparently sourced many of the Christmas and birthday presents Minerva had given him over the past ten years. Granger had even added a card every now and then, with words that if he needed more supplies he could ask Minerva to get in touch. He had never taken her up on the offer, but knew Granger might well deliver should he ever ask.
"You never said what it is your little cub does for a living."
"Why Severus, are you interested in the exploits of a past student?"
Severus couldn't help but smiled at his old friend's tone.
"Not really. Only you talk about her often enough, but never go into details."
"Well, let's just say that my darling adopted daughter values her privacy just as much as you do yours. She would not be happy with me if I went and spilled her secrets to everyone who asks."
Severus chuckled slightly and finished his tea just as the clock struck seven.
"Should we go?"
"Lead the way, Severus. The Great Hall should be ready for us all."
Severus stood and politely held the door for the older witch. Minerva smirked at him and made her way down the spiral staircase. The pair walked silently through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. Severus would not have admitted it to Minerva, but he had already accepted her offer.
Hogwarts had been the first real home he'd had. Even with the Marauders making his life a misery most of the time, he still felt better here than he'd ever done at Spinner's End. In fact, the very first thing he had done after the war was to sell that poor excuse for a house, and bought his shop - which had come with a laboratory and a small flat above. If he had the opportunity to help the school again, he would take it. He refused to admit that the last ten years had mellowed him. He preferred to see it as finally being his own man. But of course, Lucius would probably argue the point. Never the less, Severus intended to help, even if it meant putting up with The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Annoy-Him.
As the pair neared the Entrance Hall, they could already hear the arguments. Severus smirked as Minerva let out a sigh. As they rounded the corner leading to the final flight of stairs, they had the perfect view of Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley at each other's throats again. Their wives both had a restraining hand on their husbands, but were still glaring mightily at the other. Minerva huffed as she started going down the stairs.
"If you boys could wait until the end of this meeting before you start letting the spells fly, I would be really grateful."
Severus very nearly laughed as both Lucius and Arthur stepped back, looking like children who had just been told off - although Lucius was obviously doing a better job at hiding it than the Gryffindor patriarch. Severus slowly followed the Headmistress down the stairs. As he reached the last step, the Entrance Doors opened to admit Potter and Draco, along with their wives and children.
Severus frowned as he watched Scorpius and the Potter brats being led this way by their mothers. Although they weren't fighting, they were not talking either. Severus had seen Potter and Draco develop a certain relationship through their work as Aurors, but it had never reached the point of friendship.
"Now that most of us are here, shall we go and sit?"
Minerva waved in the direction of the Great Hall's doors. Severus took the lead and walked through them. The Great Hall's ceiling displayed the late summer night sky beautifully. Severus snorted and took a seat at the single table in the middle of the hall. He looked up as more voices joined the others outside and watched as the Potters came in, followed by the Weasleys and the Malfoys. Longbottom brought up the rear, speaking in undertones to Minerva.
As everyone took their seat around the table, Severus couldn't help but observe that old allegiances still held true, although the newest generations didn't seem as separate as one might think. Scorpius was obviously quite curious about the young Lily Potter. Maybe it had to do with the fact that both his cousins were boys. The children were quickly sent to play in a corner, with a couple of House Elves watching over them. Then Minerva took control.
"I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to come here tonight."
Minerva was interrupted as the doors of the Great Hall opened once more and Kingsley Shacklebolt along with Ronald Weasley and Theodore Nott came in.
"Ah, I hope you three will not get in trouble for coming here tonight."
"I suppose being Head of the Department does have its advantages," Kingsley replied with a small smile as the three took their seats opposite Minerva.
Severus looked around and noted that only one empty seat was left, directly opposite him. He assumed this was for the Granger girl, if she decided to show up.
"I need to talk quite candidly to all of you. As you know, the Ministry has made it hard over the last few years to find competent staff for the school. I am lucky to have found replacements for Herbology, Charms and Defense, even if only for a year. Although I hope all three of you will consider making the move from your other careers permanent by the end of the school year," and Minerva inclined her head to Longbottom, Potter, and Draco.
"I'm still hoping to convince Severus to to come back as our Potions Master. This would give me a full staff for the coming year. But it doesn't help us to understand why the Ministry is trying to make things that complicated for the school. And so, I would like to know if any of you have heard of anything that could explain this."
Minerva's words were met with silence and Severus sighed. He wasn't that surprised.
"With all due respect, Headmistress," Lucius started, "we are the last people who would know."
"Maybe so, Mister Malfoy. But you have contacts, both in the Ministry and in the business community. And you may not be as trusted as you once were, but you are still a man it is good to have on side when trying to deal with some departments of the Ministry. Have you heard any rumors that could explain their behaviors?"
Lucius shook his head and Minerva turned to Arthur Weasley.
"You have left the Ministry, but you must still be friendly with some people."
"Sorry, Minerva."
The Headmistress looked at the others, who one by one shook their heads. Severus himself had nothing to say. He had made sure to keep a low profile over the years, and that included avoiding asking too many questions. Now, he had a feeling he might regret this. As Minerva sat back in her seat slightly, the doors opened again.
"Nice of you to show up."
"Oh shush, Minerva. You know damn well I was rehearsing this afternoon. It's not as if I can just disappear without a word. You would have a veritable army showing up to find out what's happening."
Severus frowned at the woman making her way to the last seat. She wore tight black jeans tucked into boots, a navy shirt, a red leather jacket, and a small dark blue backpack hanging from one shoulder.
"Auntie Mione!"
Well, that answered that question. Severus watched as the oldest Potter brat ran straight into the arms of the Granger girl. She picked him up and spun him round, laughing as he planted slobbery kisses over her cheeks.
Severus took the time to study the woman in front of him and compare her with the little chit he remembered. She had certainly grown and filled out very nicely. Bushy brown hair now hung in ringlets way past her hips. She still wasn't tall, even with the heels on her boots, but she definitely had an athletic frame. And although the five-year-old Potter brat couldn't be that light, she was strong enough to toss him in the air without any apparent strain.
"Thank you for my birthday present Auntie Mione. It was the best present ever!"
"Best present so far, kid. You should see what I have planned for Christmas!"
Severus turned his head as he heard Ginevra Potter groaned.
"Please, tell me it's something quiet. What possessed you giving my son a drum kit for his birthday!"
"It is the prerogative of an auntie - and a godmother may I add - to give to her nephews and niece totally inappropriate presents and watch from afar as they wrecked the chaos children were designed to produce."
Granger delivered that little speech with a smirk that could only be qualified as evil directed at both Potter adults. She then looked around with a small frown.
"Where is my oldest nephew by the way?"
"Apparently, it is uncool to hang out at school during the summer holidays. Ted opted to stay home with Kreacher."
Granger smothered her bark of laughter by burying her face in the brat's chest. She then whispered something in his ear and the child wriggled out of her arms and rejoined the others in the corner.
"So, I assume this is not just a friendly chat and all," Granger said as she dropped herself on her chair, looking expectantly at the Headmistress.
"Do you happen to know what the Ministry is up to?"
Granger's incredulous look was answer enough, but she felt the need to expand. "You're asking me? The woman who left England ten years ago to live thousands of miles away in the hope of escaping the British wizarding world. The woman who until recently only accepted owls if they came from you?"
"And also the woman who has links with people very high up the US Government."
Granger smiled as she sat back in her chair. She reached for her bag and pulled a small device from it. Severus still was just enough in touch with the Muggle world to recognize a mobile phone, but he had never seen one without any buttons before.
"You do realize that this is a long shot, Mum. Even if they have some kind of knowledge about what's going on, they don't have to tell us. Hell, Michael probably will end up in trouble just because I'm about to call him and ask."
Minerva nodded and Granger pressed her right index finger to the phone, then slid it across a few times and gave it a few taps before bringing it to her ear. Severus caught Minerva's eyes and the older witch shook her head slightly before returning her gaze to her daughter. Someone must have picked up the phone as Granger started to chat away.
Severus glanced across the table. Out of everyone present, only Minerva and the Potters seemed completely un-phased by Granger's behavior. Probably, they had been the only ones in contact with her over the last decade or so. Severus didn't count a few cards from her real contact. He seemed to recall that the Weasley youngest boy had been going out with her until their very public break up. He had laid the blame solely on her shoulders and given several interviews to the Prophet. Granger had disappeared not long after, probably gone to lick her wounds. Except that she never returned after that.
"You want what?!"
Severus returned his attention to Granger as she looked at Minerva, clearly unhappy about something. She made a sound at the back of her throat and then sighed.
"Give me five minutes. I'll call you back."
Granger threw her phone onto the table in apparent disgust, then leaned her elbows against the table, head in her hands, muttering under her breath.
"I take it Michael knows something."
"The flipping idiots were just waiting for my phone call. They want to cut a deal," came the muffled reply.
"Let me guess. They want access to your latest invention."
Severus frowned as he looked between the two women sitting in front of him. A glance around the table confirmed to him that no one else knew what they were talking about. Granger groaned as she rubbed her hands down her face. She looked up at Minerva and Severus could see that, just like him, there was nothing Granger wouldn't do to help out Minerva - even if the Headmistress was already shaking her head.
Granger pursed her lips as she looked across to him, then down the table to Lucius, Arthur and Potter in turn. She tapped her fingertips to her lips a few times before reaching into her bag once more. She set a pad of paper on the table and started to scribbled furiously over it with a pen. Several times, she crossed out her words or made annotations to what she had already written. She was well on her way to fill her third page before Minerva cleared her throat pointedly. Granger smirked, but carried on writing.
"Department of Magic has been after the patents for a while now. I've been refusing to give them over, since I don't really feel comfortable giving away that much power to any one nation. Obviously, they're going to try now. And knowing Michael, he might even try to get it all for free."
Granger finally sat back and looked over her notes.
"You don't happen to have a scanner, do you?"
Minerva chuckled and didn't answer. Granger smiled back at her and waved a hand in the air. A very large silvery bird of prey appeared.
"Go tell Sarah that I'm going to fax her some pretty urgent paperwork in a couple of hours. They need to be dealt with ASAP. Also I need to make sure all my patents are bulletproof."
The bird bowed its head and took off, flying straight through the wall. Then Granger duplicated the papers in front of her several times. She slid the first bunch across to him, before sending the other three copies to Lucius, Arthur and Potter.
"Look these over, tell me if you are interested in investing. Mister Malfoy, I understand that bringing Muggle technology to the wizarding world might not be your ideal investment but give it a thought anyhow. Mister Weasley, you can pass on your copy to George if you're not interested. I'm sure he will be. You can also make a copy if you both would like to invest. The offer will only be open for a few days. After that, I'll just go with those of you who have accepted - or even alone if I have to."
Severus looked down at the papers to discover it was a partnership agreement. It would make him an investor in whatever hare-brained scheme the Granger girl was planning. He sat back and watched as Lucius was reading through the contract. His friend was much faster at grasping the basics of that kind of things.
"Miss Granger, what is it you are proposing to develop exactly?"
"Not develop, Mister Malfoy. Mass produce." And the Granger girl tapped one finger onto her phone. "Electronics don't mix well with magic usually. This is because the wave fields generated interfere with each others. But I spent a few years developing several ways around it. To avoid boring everyone with details, let's just say it involves transferring energy between the wave fields.
"I've patented every single little devices that is needed to make electronics work alongside magic. I've been happily upgrading existing devices for my personal use. Now, I'm not saying that these will be of great interest to everyone in the wizarding world. All I will say is that I stopped counting early in my first year the number of times my parents wished they could just give me a phone call rather than writing letters. And I know that I hate Flooing because it always make a mess.
"The US Department of Magic has been dying to get me to sign over a license to them because in theory, my research can be used to created more effective shielding devices - and since they are still fighting in the Middle East, they're hoping this could be used to at least protect their soldiers more effectively against road-side bombing. I've got nothing against that, but I know that the technology can also be used to create weapons rather than just shields. So if I have to license them the patents, I want to make damn sure that they aren't the only ones with access to the tech."
Severus took another quick look at the contract. The sum Granger was asking for seemed quite low considering what she had just told them. He knew that there were usually more Purebloods than Muggleborns starting at school each year. But most Halfbloods were raised in the Muggle world before making the switch. So this kind of technology would also appeal to them.
Everyone seemed to jump as Granger's phone started ringing. The young witch picked up the phone off the table and smiled at the screen.
"Hey Sarah! No, I haven't lost my mind. It's just been taken out of my hands… No, but I think I might be able to secure some investors… Yes, I know I don't need external fundings and that I would make more money going it alone, but I don't need more money and I can't be bothered to go into business. I'd rather enjoy myself, thank you very much…"
As Granger carried on her conversation, Severus leaned slightly towards Lucius.
"So?"
Lucius nodded slightly. "It's a very interesting deal, given that it seems she doesn't really need any of us. I think she expects one of us to run the business, while she steps back as a silent partner. She would be making a lot of money because she'll be earning both from the licenses of her patents and as a shareholder of the business. And it obviously works…"
The fair wizard indicated the witch opposite them, speaking animatedly to that Sarah person. Severus nodded as he looked at the younger witch. She must have felt his gaze on her because she turned and raised an eyebrow at him. Finally she said her good-byes and put the phone down.
"You lot don't need to sign right now, you know. Just keep it in mind. Now Minnie, what is it you think is happening, because I doubt you would have put all of us in the same room unless you had a damn good reason."
Minerva smiled slightly and nodded to her adopted daughter.
"As I was saying before you arrived, the Ministry has been making things very complicated for me by stopping me from finding the staff I need to run the school."
"Keeping you busy. Distracted, maybe?"
"That is what I'm afraid of, yes. They were doing the same to Dumbledore back in the days."
"And you don't have anything else?" Granger asked looking around the table before settling her gaze back onto Minerva. The Headmistress shook her head and Granger sighed as she picked her phone back up, tapped on the screen a few times and brought it to her ear.
"Okay, you have a deal. Non-commercial, non-exclusive license, limited to the US. That's what I'll give you. You want more, the government has to cough up."
She was silent for a few moments before she hang up and put the phone down once more.
"Michael will send me what they have. He says it's not much, but it might shed some light on the situation." The woman sat back slightly in her seat. "So what now?"
Minerva shook her head slowly. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see what your contacts know." The Headmistress stood and smiled to everyone round the table. "Thank you all for coming and indulging an old lady. I really hope this was just a wasted trip."
"So where am I sleeping?"
Severus frowned as Granger stood and beamed a bright smile at her mother. Minerva frowned, but Granger simply grinned back at her. Minerva simply shook her head and signaled her daughter to follow her. Severus watched they left, noticing how Granger stood very close to her adopted mother, her hand hovering on the small of her back. He then leaned back into his seat and watched as the others visited for a while, discussing this short meeting of sorts.
"You think that there is more to it?"
Severus turned to look at Lucius. "Maybe. I think it's worth trying to find out. I know I'll try."
Severus stood, gathering the contract Granger had given him, shrinking it and putting it in his pocket. He then nodded to Lucius, turned and started to walk out of the Great Hall. He nodded to Arthur and Molly Weasley as he left. Once outside the castle walls, Severus breathed in deeply. He had already been through two wars. He didn't feel like fighting a third. Maybe, just maybe, Minerva was wrong and the Ministry were just making pests of themselves. But then again, he knew that far too many of his once brothers had taken positions in the Ministry.
With a sigh, Severus started the walk down the path to Hogsmeade. He had worked too hard to see it all come to nothing. He may not want to fight, but he would if he had to. He would not let Hogwarts fall if he could help it
