Chapter 1 New Positions Filled
Professor Granger had her nose buried in a book yet again. She hadn't changed much during the four years since she had graduated from Hogwarts. She was still a bossy bookworm who thought that books held the answer to everything. Little did she know that this year that theory was going to be shot all to hell.
Hermione Granger was now the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had had the position for four years and loved her job. She found the students challenging and the work fun. Her students adored her, because although she did give them loads of homework and she was very strict she was compassionate and fair. If one of her students came to her with a problem she would listen to them and try to help them find a solution. The older girls especially loved her because she wasn't much older than them herself and she still remembered what it was like to be their age and have serious (or what seemed serious at the time) guy troubles. She remembered all too well what it was like to still be in school and be mooning over some guy who didn't seem to be even slightly interested in you whatsoever. She had been like that with none other than her best friend Harry Potter for a long time. Soon, however, she had realized that she had her feelings for him mixed up. She had fancied herself in love with him when really he was more of a brother to her. She smiled as she remembered feeling like a prat when she had realized what her true feelings for him were. She had had relationships on and off since then, but there hadn't been anyone that had really gotten under her skin yet. She had begun to wonder if that would ever happen to her. Now she simply focused on her career and let her life flow. She knew that she would find someone when the time was right and not a moment sooner no matter how hard she tried.
So here she was yet again, enjoying a book on her way to Hogwarts. After dwelling on her thoughts for a good bit of the trip she let out a frustrated sigh. Why could she never just let things be? She always wanted to dig deeper and deeper, tearing at old wounds. She decided to close off her mind for a little while and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for the remainder of the trip. All that she noticed was the rather bumpy ride of the carriage as it made it's way up the lanes towards Hogwarts. Slowly she allowed herself to drift with the comforting rocking of the carriage and soon found herself at the entrance of the great castle. She stepped out of the carriage while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stretched her arms up over her head and turned to levitate her things in front of her, up the steps, and into the castle.
Without a second thought she set her bags against a wall and headed towards the Great Hall for dinner. She knew that she was earlier than she was supposed to be, but she had always been that way. Hermione Anne Granger would much rather be early for an occasion than late. As she entered the Great Hall she felt herself relax and knew that a smile lit her face. She was home. Since childhood this had been the only place that she had felt safe enough to call home. She headed to her regular seat next to Dumbledore and stretched her tired legs out under the table. She crossed her dainty ankles and pulled a novel out of her bag. She began reading and was soon caught up in the story of a brave knight named Lancelot, a noble king named Arthur, and a beautiful queen named Guenevere. She was caught up as the two men fought for the fair lady Guenevere and how they all fought together for the safety of Camelot, the great kingdom of king Arthur. She loved this story because it was one of the only muggle novels in which the woman was as strong willed and powerful as she thought herself. She was so engrossed in the meeting of the knights of the round table that she did not notice the people entering the Great Hall. She was startled out of her dreaming when she heard Dumbledore softly clearing his throat.
She sent the headmaster a sheepish smile as she gently marked her place and laid her precious book back in it's resting place in her travel bag. She stood and offered her hand to the man whom she had known all of her life. As he took her offered hand she noticed how much older he was getting. The lines around his eyes and mouth had deepened. The sparkle was still there in his eyes but it was fading slightly. His hand was slightly papery in her grip and his smile was one of a proud grandfather who knew that time was short. She smiled back at this man whom she had always thought of as her own grandfather. She had always respected his opinion and his strength. He was a fair and good man and she desperately hated the thought that she might one day lose him. After all he had played such an important part in her life since she was a young girl.
"How are you Professor?" Hermione asked the older man as she watched the twinkle become brighter. It was almost as if he knew something that she didn't know.
Dumbledore simply smiled at her. "Wonderful as usual. Lemon Drop?" he asked the last bit as he pulled a small bag of muggle candy out of his pocket. At the slight shake of her head he shrugged his shoulder and popped one into his mouth. "I've always been rather fond of them myself. They remind me of some of my old students. Sour at first but after a while they become slightly easier to bear and then, before you know it, they are some of the sweetest things." he smiled his old smile as he spoke this riddle to Hermione.
Her brow furrowed for a quick second before she schooled her features again. She smiled at him and started to sit back down in her seat when she noticed that there was someone else in the hall with them. Not just one person either; there were three of them. A very handsome man with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes that reminded her of Dumbeldore's. He was built very much like a Quidditch player. His muscular frame was held with an air of confidence and he looked like a kind and intelligent man. She knew immediately that her students would like him very much, especially the older girls. Next to him was another handsome man. He had short, shaggy black hair and large green eyes. He wore small, black framed glasses. He was also of muscular build and carried himself with a certain confidence. He looked as though he knew what awaited him in the classroom and he was prepared to take on the challenge without a moments hesitation. The third member of their party was a woman. She looked to be about Hermione's own age maybe a year or two younger. She had dark auburn hair that fell to her waist in loose curls. Her brown eyes were large and amazingly bright. They looked like the kind of eyes that you could sink into. She had a dainty figure standing at about five foot two inches and had curves in all the right places. She was stunning.
After her quick observation of the new comers Hermione straightened next to Dumbledore and waited patiently for the trio to reach the teacher's table at the front of the hall. She had a professional smile fixed on her face and was making a quick mental summary of each in her mind. She was slowly judging their character by the way that they carried themselves and the aura that they gave off. She could tell immediately that they were all very powerful witches and wizards. They had to be if they were accepted into Hogwarts staff, but that was not the only reason. Hermione could sense something from each of them. She couldn't quite pin point what each was but she knew that each of them had a very strong characteristic trait that their magic reflected. She tried to open her mind to their auras a little more. Dumbledore had taught her how to read people by broadening her mind during her last year at Hogwarts. She had become quite good at the art. Indeed the only witch or wizard that she had ever met that could block her searching was Dumbledore himself. Most witches and wizards could not even sense when she looked into their aura. She was so good that she could get in and out without even making anyone suspicious. All of a sudden she stumbled back and had to grip the table in front of her to regain her balance. She touched a hand to her cheek and felt that it was warm. She had been probing into the blond haired man and she had all of a sudden felt as though someone had slapped her through the face. Her eyes met his for one brief second and she recognized triumph and warning shining in the deep blue orbs. He knew. She was stunned beyond speech. How could he possible be so strong as to know?
Dumbledore watched the exchange between Hermione and the new teacher. He had known all along that she would automatically search their new additions. He had also known that the dark haired man and the young woman would not suspect a thing but he hadn't been so sure about the other man. He had noticed something very strong pulsing from him. Of course, since he knew Hermione's curiosity he knew that she would not heed that as a warning but would read it as a challenge to probe deeper. He had seen the slap. It had taken everything in him not to lash back out at the man with his own mind. He had also wanted to laugh at the look on his young Hermione's face. She had finally met her match and she was shocked that it would be in the fair haired man standing before them. He saw the shock cross her face and then the realization dawning in her eyes. When he noticed the silent challenge that they had exchanged he couldn't help but smile. This was going to be a very interesting year for Professor Hermione Anne Granger.
A/N: All right. This is one of my older stories. It was on harrypotterfanfiction so if you recognize it don't be alarmed. I simply decided to post it on here since I do most of my writing here now. I hope that you all enjoy it. Let me know what you think. If you liked it... If you didn't. Constructive criticism is welcome as always, but I can't stand flames and will respond accordingly. Til Next Time... Bria