A/N: So… This has been rolling around in my head for a while so I decided to give it a shot. Here goes…
Harry Potter stepped quietly into the dining room of the Burrow, trying not to make himself noticed. A month had passed since the Battle at Hogwarts, since Voldemort had died, and since Fred had been murdered. He took his place between Hermione, who was trying to transfigure a mosquito into a fly, and a very dejected-looking Ron.
"Oh, Harry, more mail is here for you," Mrs. Weasley said. She handed him a small pile of letters. He went through most of it quickly, discarding the fan mail and such, but then he came upon the last two letters.
The first one was embossed with a dark purple Ministry of Magic seal, and read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted into the Auror program at the Ministry of Magic. Please contact us by July 2nd. Training begins September 1st. We await your post by owl.
Sincerely,
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic
Harry stared at the letter. Delighted that he had been accepted into the program but curious about the second letter, he put the Ministry letter down and turned over the second piece of mail.
Ron leaned over and grabbed the MoM letter. "Bloody hell, Harry, that's amazing!" he exclaimed. Harry grunted, staring at the other piece of post in his hand.
Hermione stopped what she was doing and said, "Harry, that's great! You've always said you wanted to be an Auror! Congragulations!" When Harry didn't respond, she turned her eyes to the letter Harry was holding. "Is that a Hogwarts letter? You don't suppose… are they inviting you back to finish 7th year? I didn't get one!" She yanked the letter out of Harry's hand.
It was the exact same size as the Ministry letter. The seal, however, was a crimson red and had a particular crest on it: the letter H, surrounded by a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle. Hermione ripped it open and read aloud:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall (Order of Merlin, First Class)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Term begins September 1st. We await your owl by no later than August 1st.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress
A note was written neatly on the back:
Harry,
I know this is not your choice profession, but as usual, we have an opening for a certain position. And, as usual, we would only expect you to stay one year. But the teachers here all agree that you would be most fit for the job. Please consider it.
Best wishes,
Professor McGonagall
"What do you think, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"I dunno," replied Harry. "I never really wanted to be a teacher… and seriously, I would be teaching kids just a year younger than me! I don't know. That just doesn't seem right."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "But Harry," she said, "It would be just like DA! Remember how much fun that was? And you were so good at it! Oh, Harry, give it a chance!"
Ron smiled. "Wow, mate. That's… that's something. I say go for it!"
Hermione handed the letter back to Harry. He turned it over in his hands, contemplating. "It would only be for a year," he mused. He took a deep breath. "Ok," he said. "Ron, can I borrow your owl?"
Ron jumped up excitedly. "Sure thing," he said and dashed upstairs. At that moment, Ginny walked down the stairs slowly, obviously still waking up.
"What's going on?" she said, rubbing her eyes.
Harry handed her the Hogwarts letter. "Take a look," he said. She read it quickly and a small smile formed on her face.
"That's great, Harry! Wow, you should do it!"
"I guess I'm going to…" Harry trailed off as Ron came down carrying Pig. Harry turned over the piece of parchment, and underneath Professor McGonagall's note, scribbled,
Professor McGonagall,
After much persuasion from my friends, they have convinced me that I would be happy to fill the position for the year! It would be an honor. Thank you for considering me, and I will be there September 1st.
Harry Potter
He stuck the note back in the envelope and sealed it with his wand. He handed the note to Pig and the tiny owl soared out the window. Harry let out a deep breath. "Ok then," he whispered to himself.
He stood up and grabbed the pile of discarded mail. Heading towards the trash bin, however, one letter fell out of the pile. It was addressed to Hermione.
"Here, Hermione, this one's for you," he said and handed her the letter. She took it and gasped. She quickly opened it and a bright smile lit up her face.
"It's- I've been accepted, too! To teach Muggle Studies! To replace Professor Burbage… Oh…" she stopped, and a tear slid down her face as she remembered that the previous professor had died. She regained her composure and said, "Ron, Harry, should I? It would be such a wonderful opportunity! And…" she stopped short, wondering about Ron. "Ron," she said carefully, "I don't want to, I mean, I don't want us to… just… leave. What about- what about you?"
Ron's smile faded a bit as he realized what she meant. That she and Harry would be gone for the year, at Hogwarts, teaching, while he would be stuck home doing who knows what. Before he could say anything, George, who was sitting at the other end of the table, put down his newspaper and said, "Hold it, mate, you're not going anywhere. I'm not closing down our- I mean my- I mean… I'm not closing down the shop. And I sure will need someone to help me. You in?"
Ron's smile lit up again and he said, "Yeah, sure, George! I mean, I sure don't want to go back to school."
Harry looked at Hermione and let out a breath of relief. "Well all right then!" Harry said. "I suppose this year is going to be very interesting…"