DISCLAIMER: Nothing's ours. If it wasn't created by the great J.K. Rowling, it was inspired by her.
SUMMARY: Hermione has always wanted to be a Hogwarts professor, and seven years after her graduation, her dream has the chance to come true when a teacher retires and she is offered the open position. However, Hermione's elation quickly vanishes when she learns just what she is being asked to teach - Divination! All of a sudden, she isn't so sure about this dream... or about some others she's been having lately... or about a certain Potions instructor who seems to be having some unusual dreams of his own...
THE AUTHORS: Freelancer and Galileo. We're putting it up on Galileo's account because we're too lazy to start a new one and because he only has two stories up as opposed to Freelancer's 25+. Understand? ^_^ We plan to alternate writing the chapters. Freelancer will begin.
~~~
CHAPTER ONE: PARVATI'S WEDDING
- written by freelancer -
~~~
"Parvati, hold still."
Parvati Patil let out a contended sigh and smoothed the bodice of her elegant white wedding gown with her hands. "I can't help it, Hermione," she said. "I'm so excited! I'm getting married!"
Hermione Granger stuck a few more pins in her mouth and nodded. She was helping the excited young bride with a few last-minute alterations to her dress, and she couldn't doing it very well with her moving around. Parvati's wedding was the seventh she had attended since graduating from Hogwarts seven years ago. First was Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater, who were married the summer after she graduated. The next year, it was one of her two best friends, Harry Potter, and his longtime girlfriend, Cho Chang. The third wedding was that of her other best friend, Ron Weasley, to the current bride's twin sister, Padma. Number four was two more of her school friends, Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. Then, Fred Weasley, another one of Ron's brothers and a professional Quidditch player, married another professional Quidditch player and former Hogwarts student named Angelina Johnson. Last year's wedding linked the last two people anyone ever thought would get married, and although there was a lot of opposition to Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy's relationship in the beginning, there was now no doubt that they truly loved each other and were meant to be. And now, Parvati was getting married to her Hogwarts sweetheart, Neville Longbottom. Hermione was almost certain that she was the only one of her friends who was still single.
Parvati sighed again, and a wide smile crossed her face. "Thank you so much for being here, Hermione," she said. "I know how busy you are and all-"
"Even I can make time for my friend's wedding," Hermione interrupted, removing some of the pins from her mouth and sticking them in the hem of the dress. She worked in the department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic as a low-level diplomat, and her job was both important and time-consuming. It was also stressful and quickly lost its excitement. She wanted to find another job, but she was so accustomed to the one she had that she didn't know if she would be able to make the transition if the opportunity ever arose.
"I'm so glad you came," Parvati said, "even if you couldn't be one of the bridesmaids."
"Sorry," Hermione said for probably the hundredth time since telling Parvati that she wouldn't be able to actually be in the wedding. She wanted to, but she didn't have enough time. Just being here was pushing the limits on the time she was able to spare.
"It's all right," Parvati said dismissively. "I told you that I understand." She said that, but there was something in her tone that made Hermione think that she was still a little bit hurt.
"Finished," Hermione said, sticking the last pin in place.
Parvati smoothed the skirt of her dress and smiled. "Thanks." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, and her smile grew so wide it threatened to split her face in half. "Just think. In a few minutes I'm going to be Mrs. Neville Longbottom. I'm so happy... I almost can't believe this is happening!"
A grin of her own appeared on Hermione's face. "Neither can Neville. On my way over, I passed Harry and Ron, and I heard them say that he was so nervous he couldn't even hold still."
Parvati chuckled. "Sounds like me."
"Yes, it does." Hermione stood up and took a few steps back to get a good look at her. The hem looked much better with the alteration. It had been too long before, and Parvati was tripping over it when she first put her dress on earlier that day.
"How do I look?" Parvati asked.
"Wonderful," Hermione replied. "Neville will take one look at you and think, 'By Merlin, I'm not getting married to a woman, I'm getting married to a goddess!'"
"That wouldn't have anything to do with my namesake, would it?" Parvati inquired with a teasing smile. Both she and her sister were named after goddesses in Indian mythology.
"You know, I didn't even think of that, but now that you mention it..."
Parvati laughed. Her laugh was full of energy and delight. "Oh, I'm so happy!" she said. "I've got to hug something!" Since Hermione was the only person nearby, she hugged her. "How much longer until the ceremony begins?"
Hermione glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. "Twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes," Parvati repeated, and sighed. "What I wouldn't give for a Time Turner right now."
A knock on the door caught the attention of both women. "Who's there?" asked Hermione.
"It's me," came Ginny Malfoy's voice. "Can I come in?"
"It's your house, Gin," Parvati said, smiling. "I don't think you need to ask."
The door opened, and the pretty, red-haired woman stepped inside. Ginny and Draco had offered their estate as a place to have the wedding, and it was going to be held in the garden. Ginny was about two and a half months into her first pregancy, as one could see from the small bulges around her waistline. The blue velvet dress she was wearing did little to hide the weight she was gaining from the life growing inside her, but at the same time, she had never looked more radiant in her entire life.
"Hi, there," Ginny said, flashing them both a smile of greeting. "Is everything all right?"
"No," Parvati replied. "The suspense is killing me! Were you this excited when you married Draco?"
Ginny smiled and nodded. "I was very excited, but worried at the same time. A lot of people didn't like Draco, even after all that's happened."
Hermione and Parvati exchanged knowing looks. They had been among the ranks of the Draco-haters once, but their animosity toward him vanished in their seventh year, when he proved himself to be a good person deep down inside by risking his own life to save Harry's during the final battle with the dark wizard Voldemort. Because of Draco's actions, Harry was able to defeat Voldemort, and the shadow that had been over the wizarding world for so long was finally lifted. Voldemort, however, wasn't the only casualty in the final showdown, and Harry wasn't the only one to kill someone. Draco, too, took the life of someone who would have killed them all otherwise - his father's. At that moment, it became clear that Draco was evil by nurture, not nature, and for seventeen years, Lucius Malfoy had been raising his son to be a powerful dark wizard. That ended, though, when Draco looked deep inside his heart and found the good that not even Lucius could destroy.
Ginny clasped her hands together, took a deep breath, and said, "But anyway, that's all in the past, and there's no doubt about who Draco is now. Let's not worry about it anymore. Parvati, this time tomorrow, you'll be honeymooning in Tahiti, and Hermione, you'll be..." She stopped when she realized that she didn't know exactly where Hermione was going to be.
"In my office at the Ministry of Magic, buried in paperwork," Hermione answered. "I may take a day off, but my job doesn't."
"Ever thought about getting a different job?" Parvati asked quietly.
"I have," Hermione admitted, "but what would I do? I don't know how to do anything but be a diplomat."
"You're versatile," Ginny said. "Who knows? Maybe you'll switch jobs, meet that special guy, and before you know it, the eighth wedding in eight years will be yours." She paused, then said, "Well, ninth, if you count Draco's mother's remarriage, but I don't count that in our stats because she wasn't in our group at Hogwarts..." About six years earlier, Narcissa Malfoy had gotten married again, this time, to her old boyfriend from Hogwarts, Sirius Black. Their relationship was an interesting one. Social obligations forced Narcissa to marry Lucius, whom she could tolerate, but never really liked, and Sirius was so angry that he stopped speaking to her. Then, he was framed for the murder of thirteen innocent lives and sent to Azkaban. Narcissa, however, was told he was dead. When his name was cleared shortly before the fall of Voldemort and he was able to live publicly again, she was, needless to say, quite amazed, and it wasn't long before they realized their old feelings for each other never really went away.
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not quite sure that there's a man out there for me."
"Look, Hermione, just because things didn't go well with Viktor Krum-" Ginny began.
"It has nothing to do with Viktor Krum!" Hermione interrupted. She could feel her ears turning red. In a way, it had a lot to do with Viktor Krum. For two years, they dated, and then suddenly, it was, "Sorry, Hermione, I met someone else." The incident destroyed her confidence in her ability to love and to be loved.
Parvati gave Ginny a look of warning to stay away from the sensative subject. Ginny kept her mouth shut.
Hermione gave herself a few moments to cool down, then said, "Seriously, though. Look at my job. I barely have enough time to devote a few hours to a good friend's wedding. What makes you think I would have the time or energy to get involved in a serious relationship?"
"You could always try to find someone at work," Ginny suggested.
Parvati snorted from trying to hold in laughter, and Hermione smiled as well. "Noble effort, Gin," Hermione said. "Have you seen any of the men in my department? They're all old, bald, and married. There's one cute intern a few years older than me, but all I know about him is that he's engaged to a girl over in Communications. I don't even know his name."
"That's it," Ginny said. "Hermione, we're finding you a new job. You've told me you don't like it, the hours are horrible, and it doesn't even pay that good. You're an expert in law, and I'm sure Draco could get you a spot in his-"
"I don't want to work for Draco," Hermione interrupted. Draco was a successful lawyer who opened his own firm two years ago. "Not that I have anything against Draco, of course, but I don't think being a lawyer would be any less time-consuming than being a diplomat."
"It would pay better," Parvati commented, and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"It's not about money," Hermione said.
"Hermione, you're impossible," Parvati said. "It's not about the hours. It's not about the work itself. It's not about the money. What, for the love of cheese, is it about?"
A perplexed look crossed Ginny's face, and she looked at her friend. "'For the love of cheese'?" she repeated.
Parvati shrugged. Hermione did, too.
"Okay, Hermione," said Ginny. "Tell us the truth. What have you always wanted to be?"
Hermione spotted a loose strap on Parvati's dress and instructed her to hold still. "Actually, I've always wanted to be a teacher," she answered, pinning the strap back into place.
"A teacher," Ginny said thoughtfully. "You know, that's really funny, because on my way over, I overheard Professor Dumbledore mentioning to Ron that they'll be needing a new instructor this next term. Apparently, a teacher retired, and they haven't found anyone to fill the open position."
Hermione was so surprised that she accidently stuck herself with one of the pins. "Really?" she asked, and began sucking on her finger. "Did he say what subject?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, but I can find out, and if you want, I'll even volunteer you for the job."
That was the best news she had gotten in weeks. "Thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, and hugged her friend. "Ginny, you're a saint."
Ginny figured that she had been forgiven for the Viktor Krum comment. "No problem."
Parvati giggled.
"What?" Hermione and Ginny asked in unison.
"Nothing," Parvati replied, then looked at the ceiling and sighed. "I'm just happy."
~~~
The wedding itself took place in the garden. Neville was so nervous he almost fainted, the rings were lost and located five minutes before the ceremony started, and Parvati started choking right before she and Neville were supposed to kiss, but other than that, everything ran smoothly. Hermione was enjoying herself so much that she completely forgot about the vacancy at Hogwarts until Albus Dumbledore himself approached her at the reception. "Hi, Professor," she said, smiling at the elderly headmaster. "How are you?"
"Fine, thank you," he returned. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure."
The two of them moved off to the side, and Hermione asked Dumbledore what was on his mind. "A certain individual overheard me telling her brother that there is an opening at Hogwarts for another teacher," he began. "One Ginny Malfoy, I believe."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was her. She told me."
"Well, then she has probably also told you that there are no applicants."
"No, but she implied it. She just said that you haven't found anyone."
"Would you be interested in the job?"
"Yes!" she blurted out without thinking. "I'd love to! I've always wanted to be a teacher."
"Excellent. Welcome to the staff, Professor Granger. I'll send you the materials as soon as I get back to Hogwarts. We'll need you there about two weeks before the term starts, and - oh, I'll send you a letter with all that information."
Hermione was so happy she thought she was going to explode. "Thank you. My life has meaning again."
"You're quite welcome." He excused himself and began to walk away.
It was then that Hermione realized she didn't even know what she was going to teach. "Professor Dumbledore!" she called.
Dumbledore stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
"What subject will I be teaching?"
"Oh, dear, I never said that, did I?" Dumbledore said. "Divination." He smiled at her and continued on his way.
Hermione's heart sank. Divination? Oh no...
~~~
A/N: What do you think? Is this worth continuing?
SUMMARY: Hermione has always wanted to be a Hogwarts professor, and seven years after her graduation, her dream has the chance to come true when a teacher retires and she is offered the open position. However, Hermione's elation quickly vanishes when she learns just what she is being asked to teach - Divination! All of a sudden, she isn't so sure about this dream... or about some others she's been having lately... or about a certain Potions instructor who seems to be having some unusual dreams of his own...
THE AUTHORS: Freelancer and Galileo. We're putting it up on Galileo's account because we're too lazy to start a new one and because he only has two stories up as opposed to Freelancer's 25+. Understand? ^_^ We plan to alternate writing the chapters. Freelancer will begin.
~~~
CHAPTER ONE: PARVATI'S WEDDING
- written by freelancer -
~~~
"Parvati, hold still."
Parvati Patil let out a contended sigh and smoothed the bodice of her elegant white wedding gown with her hands. "I can't help it, Hermione," she said. "I'm so excited! I'm getting married!"
Hermione Granger stuck a few more pins in her mouth and nodded. She was helping the excited young bride with a few last-minute alterations to her dress, and she couldn't doing it very well with her moving around. Parvati's wedding was the seventh she had attended since graduating from Hogwarts seven years ago. First was Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater, who were married the summer after she graduated. The next year, it was one of her two best friends, Harry Potter, and his longtime girlfriend, Cho Chang. The third wedding was that of her other best friend, Ron Weasley, to the current bride's twin sister, Padma. Number four was two more of her school friends, Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. Then, Fred Weasley, another one of Ron's brothers and a professional Quidditch player, married another professional Quidditch player and former Hogwarts student named Angelina Johnson. Last year's wedding linked the last two people anyone ever thought would get married, and although there was a lot of opposition to Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy's relationship in the beginning, there was now no doubt that they truly loved each other and were meant to be. And now, Parvati was getting married to her Hogwarts sweetheart, Neville Longbottom. Hermione was almost certain that she was the only one of her friends who was still single.
Parvati sighed again, and a wide smile crossed her face. "Thank you so much for being here, Hermione," she said. "I know how busy you are and all-"
"Even I can make time for my friend's wedding," Hermione interrupted, removing some of the pins from her mouth and sticking them in the hem of the dress. She worked in the department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic as a low-level diplomat, and her job was both important and time-consuming. It was also stressful and quickly lost its excitement. She wanted to find another job, but she was so accustomed to the one she had that she didn't know if she would be able to make the transition if the opportunity ever arose.
"I'm so glad you came," Parvati said, "even if you couldn't be one of the bridesmaids."
"Sorry," Hermione said for probably the hundredth time since telling Parvati that she wouldn't be able to actually be in the wedding. She wanted to, but she didn't have enough time. Just being here was pushing the limits on the time she was able to spare.
"It's all right," Parvati said dismissively. "I told you that I understand." She said that, but there was something in her tone that made Hermione think that she was still a little bit hurt.
"Finished," Hermione said, sticking the last pin in place.
Parvati smoothed the skirt of her dress and smiled. "Thanks." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, and her smile grew so wide it threatened to split her face in half. "Just think. In a few minutes I'm going to be Mrs. Neville Longbottom. I'm so happy... I almost can't believe this is happening!"
A grin of her own appeared on Hermione's face. "Neither can Neville. On my way over, I passed Harry and Ron, and I heard them say that he was so nervous he couldn't even hold still."
Parvati chuckled. "Sounds like me."
"Yes, it does." Hermione stood up and took a few steps back to get a good look at her. The hem looked much better with the alteration. It had been too long before, and Parvati was tripping over it when she first put her dress on earlier that day.
"How do I look?" Parvati asked.
"Wonderful," Hermione replied. "Neville will take one look at you and think, 'By Merlin, I'm not getting married to a woman, I'm getting married to a goddess!'"
"That wouldn't have anything to do with my namesake, would it?" Parvati inquired with a teasing smile. Both she and her sister were named after goddesses in Indian mythology.
"You know, I didn't even think of that, but now that you mention it..."
Parvati laughed. Her laugh was full of energy and delight. "Oh, I'm so happy!" she said. "I've got to hug something!" Since Hermione was the only person nearby, she hugged her. "How much longer until the ceremony begins?"
Hermione glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. "Twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes," Parvati repeated, and sighed. "What I wouldn't give for a Time Turner right now."
A knock on the door caught the attention of both women. "Who's there?" asked Hermione.
"It's me," came Ginny Malfoy's voice. "Can I come in?"
"It's your house, Gin," Parvati said, smiling. "I don't think you need to ask."
The door opened, and the pretty, red-haired woman stepped inside. Ginny and Draco had offered their estate as a place to have the wedding, and it was going to be held in the garden. Ginny was about two and a half months into her first pregancy, as one could see from the small bulges around her waistline. The blue velvet dress she was wearing did little to hide the weight she was gaining from the life growing inside her, but at the same time, she had never looked more radiant in her entire life.
"Hi, there," Ginny said, flashing them both a smile of greeting. "Is everything all right?"
"No," Parvati replied. "The suspense is killing me! Were you this excited when you married Draco?"
Ginny smiled and nodded. "I was very excited, but worried at the same time. A lot of people didn't like Draco, even after all that's happened."
Hermione and Parvati exchanged knowing looks. They had been among the ranks of the Draco-haters once, but their animosity toward him vanished in their seventh year, when he proved himself to be a good person deep down inside by risking his own life to save Harry's during the final battle with the dark wizard Voldemort. Because of Draco's actions, Harry was able to defeat Voldemort, and the shadow that had been over the wizarding world for so long was finally lifted. Voldemort, however, wasn't the only casualty in the final showdown, and Harry wasn't the only one to kill someone. Draco, too, took the life of someone who would have killed them all otherwise - his father's. At that moment, it became clear that Draco was evil by nurture, not nature, and for seventeen years, Lucius Malfoy had been raising his son to be a powerful dark wizard. That ended, though, when Draco looked deep inside his heart and found the good that not even Lucius could destroy.
Ginny clasped her hands together, took a deep breath, and said, "But anyway, that's all in the past, and there's no doubt about who Draco is now. Let's not worry about it anymore. Parvati, this time tomorrow, you'll be honeymooning in Tahiti, and Hermione, you'll be..." She stopped when she realized that she didn't know exactly where Hermione was going to be.
"In my office at the Ministry of Magic, buried in paperwork," Hermione answered. "I may take a day off, but my job doesn't."
"Ever thought about getting a different job?" Parvati asked quietly.
"I have," Hermione admitted, "but what would I do? I don't know how to do anything but be a diplomat."
"You're versatile," Ginny said. "Who knows? Maybe you'll switch jobs, meet that special guy, and before you know it, the eighth wedding in eight years will be yours." She paused, then said, "Well, ninth, if you count Draco's mother's remarriage, but I don't count that in our stats because she wasn't in our group at Hogwarts..." About six years earlier, Narcissa Malfoy had gotten married again, this time, to her old boyfriend from Hogwarts, Sirius Black. Their relationship was an interesting one. Social obligations forced Narcissa to marry Lucius, whom she could tolerate, but never really liked, and Sirius was so angry that he stopped speaking to her. Then, he was framed for the murder of thirteen innocent lives and sent to Azkaban. Narcissa, however, was told he was dead. When his name was cleared shortly before the fall of Voldemort and he was able to live publicly again, she was, needless to say, quite amazed, and it wasn't long before they realized their old feelings for each other never really went away.
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not quite sure that there's a man out there for me."
"Look, Hermione, just because things didn't go well with Viktor Krum-" Ginny began.
"It has nothing to do with Viktor Krum!" Hermione interrupted. She could feel her ears turning red. In a way, it had a lot to do with Viktor Krum. For two years, they dated, and then suddenly, it was, "Sorry, Hermione, I met someone else." The incident destroyed her confidence in her ability to love and to be loved.
Parvati gave Ginny a look of warning to stay away from the sensative subject. Ginny kept her mouth shut.
Hermione gave herself a few moments to cool down, then said, "Seriously, though. Look at my job. I barely have enough time to devote a few hours to a good friend's wedding. What makes you think I would have the time or energy to get involved in a serious relationship?"
"You could always try to find someone at work," Ginny suggested.
Parvati snorted from trying to hold in laughter, and Hermione smiled as well. "Noble effort, Gin," Hermione said. "Have you seen any of the men in my department? They're all old, bald, and married. There's one cute intern a few years older than me, but all I know about him is that he's engaged to a girl over in Communications. I don't even know his name."
"That's it," Ginny said. "Hermione, we're finding you a new job. You've told me you don't like it, the hours are horrible, and it doesn't even pay that good. You're an expert in law, and I'm sure Draco could get you a spot in his-"
"I don't want to work for Draco," Hermione interrupted. Draco was a successful lawyer who opened his own firm two years ago. "Not that I have anything against Draco, of course, but I don't think being a lawyer would be any less time-consuming than being a diplomat."
"It would pay better," Parvati commented, and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"It's not about money," Hermione said.
"Hermione, you're impossible," Parvati said. "It's not about the hours. It's not about the work itself. It's not about the money. What, for the love of cheese, is it about?"
A perplexed look crossed Ginny's face, and she looked at her friend. "'For the love of cheese'?" she repeated.
Parvati shrugged. Hermione did, too.
"Okay, Hermione," said Ginny. "Tell us the truth. What have you always wanted to be?"
Hermione spotted a loose strap on Parvati's dress and instructed her to hold still. "Actually, I've always wanted to be a teacher," she answered, pinning the strap back into place.
"A teacher," Ginny said thoughtfully. "You know, that's really funny, because on my way over, I overheard Professor Dumbledore mentioning to Ron that they'll be needing a new instructor this next term. Apparently, a teacher retired, and they haven't found anyone to fill the open position."
Hermione was so surprised that she accidently stuck herself with one of the pins. "Really?" she asked, and began sucking on her finger. "Did he say what subject?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, but I can find out, and if you want, I'll even volunteer you for the job."
That was the best news she had gotten in weeks. "Thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, and hugged her friend. "Ginny, you're a saint."
Ginny figured that she had been forgiven for the Viktor Krum comment. "No problem."
Parvati giggled.
"What?" Hermione and Ginny asked in unison.
"Nothing," Parvati replied, then looked at the ceiling and sighed. "I'm just happy."
~~~
The wedding itself took place in the garden. Neville was so nervous he almost fainted, the rings were lost and located five minutes before the ceremony started, and Parvati started choking right before she and Neville were supposed to kiss, but other than that, everything ran smoothly. Hermione was enjoying herself so much that she completely forgot about the vacancy at Hogwarts until Albus Dumbledore himself approached her at the reception. "Hi, Professor," she said, smiling at the elderly headmaster. "How are you?"
"Fine, thank you," he returned. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure."
The two of them moved off to the side, and Hermione asked Dumbledore what was on his mind. "A certain individual overheard me telling her brother that there is an opening at Hogwarts for another teacher," he began. "One Ginny Malfoy, I believe."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was her. She told me."
"Well, then she has probably also told you that there are no applicants."
"No, but she implied it. She just said that you haven't found anyone."
"Would you be interested in the job?"
"Yes!" she blurted out without thinking. "I'd love to! I've always wanted to be a teacher."
"Excellent. Welcome to the staff, Professor Granger. I'll send you the materials as soon as I get back to Hogwarts. We'll need you there about two weeks before the term starts, and - oh, I'll send you a letter with all that information."
Hermione was so happy she thought she was going to explode. "Thank you. My life has meaning again."
"You're quite welcome." He excused himself and began to walk away.
It was then that Hermione realized she didn't even know what she was going to teach. "Professor Dumbledore!" she called.
Dumbledore stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
"What subject will I be teaching?"
"Oh, dear, I never said that, did I?" Dumbledore said. "Divination." He smiled at her and continued on his way.
Hermione's heart sank. Divination? Oh no...
~~~
A/N: What do you think? Is this worth continuing?