Nowhere but Up
Prologue
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, sans for the plot. Oh, and JK Rowling is Queen.
Hermione's POV
I have to remember to be quick. Headmaster Potter would want me to be out before his wife got there. Oh, he makes me so angry, though! 'Why did he marry Lavender Brown?!' I thought to myself furiously. 'She's such a git and a total girly-girl.' But, you know, I didn't do much better. Actually, I didn't do any better, because I never actually got married.
A drawling voice erupted from behind me. "Hmm, it seems the Mudblood has made something of herself, doesn't it?"
'Malfoy.'
"Isn't it customary to say hello to someone when you see them? Or do Muggles have less manners than I thought?"
'Don't turn around, just keep walking. Why do I want to talk to him anyway?'
"Excuse me!" He reached out his hand and jerked me around by the shoulder. "Well, well, well, it seems you're not quite as bad looking as I would have thought you to become."
I kept on looking at my feet. Not until he spoke the last bit of his sentence did I dare look up into his face. He may not have known this, but I had the biggest crush on him since seventh year. He became Minister of Magic, and I became the new Transfiguration teacher after McGonagall had passed on.
"Pardon?" I said stupidly, giving him a disbelieving glare. "What did you say? I didn't quite catch it."
"I said," he replied with a smirk that I just wanted to rip off of his face. "You're quite pretty, not at all what I would have expected from a Mudblood."
I smiled sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you noticed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business with the headmaster."
"Yes, I hear dear old Wonder Boy made headmaster after Dumbledore croaked. So how is he? Horrible, I hope." Malfoy wore a nonchalant look; it was almost as annoying as his superior smirk. But I held my tongue, about that at least.
"Oh, he's married. To Lavender Brown. They've got two kids. Sirius and James. Ron's both their godfather. Parvati's their godmother. How have you been?" I wiped some invisible lent off of my robes absentmindedly. I was quite angry when I found out that Parvati Patil had become Harry's sons' godmother and I hadn't even been considered for the opportunity.
"Quite well, Mudblood. Still no wife, though that fat oaf Pansy Parkinson won't leave me the hell alone. You know what it's like to be idled so much, right Granger? Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you don't know." He screwed up his face, trying to look as superior as he possibly could, and let out his annoyingly harmonious laughter. "But I've become the Minister of Magic. Fudge was a fool and never should have gotten it. I will turn the wizarding world around. But what would a muggle-born fool like you know a true leader when you see one?"
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him. "I really must be going now, Malfoy." I said, starting to walk down the corridor. It felt good to know that I'd just turned my back on Malfoy, as I had done about a million times during my Hogwarts schooldays, but this was different. He didn't grab my hair or hex me like he normally did. Yes, he called me a Mudblood, but I'd gotten used to the fact that I was muggle-born and there was absolutely no need to feel bad, and I felt proud to be one.
'So Malfoy's finally starting to grow up. Well, that's always good to know.' I thought as I entered Harry's office. To my dismay, Lavender was already there, sitting on his lap and cuddling the two baby boys in her arms while Harry tickled their noses.
I cleared my throat loudly, and they both looked to me. Harry pushed Lavender off his lap, adjusted his glasses, and shuffled some parchment on his desk. Lavender placed the two babies in their carrying baskets and smiled at me. Her face was worn, probably from the lack of sleep you acquire when your husband stays at Hogwarts and you have two babies to tend to.
"Hermione, you're late." Harry spat at me. Since his seventh year, he had stopped being the Harry I once knew, and became this new breed of himself that I didn't much like. "Well, have a seat, have a seat. I don't want to be kept waiting very long."
I smiled in an annoyed sort of way, lifted my robes as I ascended the steps onto the platform his desk was on, and sat down on a gold armchair across from him. "Yes, well, I ran into an old friend."
He smiled wide. "Oh, Ron is here? I wanted a chance to tell him-"
I cleared my throat again and he stopped speaking at once, staring back at me, looking insulted. "No, not Ronald Weasley. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster." I was fed up with him and his assumptions. Always Ron! Whenever Ron went to visit him and was late, he didn't throw a fit, even if Lavender was there. Whenever Ron said he ran into an old friend, he wouldn't go,
"Oh, Hermione?"
but would instead say,
"Yes, and who would that be?"
I hated working for him. But that was a minor price I had to pay to do what I loved to do - Transfiguration. Lavender looked at me menacingly. She was about to say something, but Harry put up his hand and stopped her. "Well," he said, looking at me straight in the eyes, "who was it?"
I shook my head. "That is my business."
"OH?!" Lavender couldn't hold it in any longer. "YOU ARE SO JEALOUS OF ME BECAUSE I MARRIED HARRY, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY YOU'RE BEING SUCH A LITTLE PRAT! WELL, LOOKIE HERE, MISSY! HE ONLY HIRED YOU AFTER MCGONAGALL DIED BECAUSE I ASKED HIM TO!"
Harry glared at her, then at me, then back at Lavender. "Lavender, I'll ask that you hold your tongue. Now, I'm sorry to boot you out like this, but please take Sirius and James and leave. Professor Granger and I have some business to attend to."
Reluctantly, Lavender picked up the two baskets filled with the twin boys, gave Harry a peck on the cheek, and left the room. "Hermione," he said, once he was sure his wife had gone. "Why do you persist? I try everything to get you back as a friend, and all you do is pull away! What do you hope to accomplish my doing this?"
"Nothing. That's what you want to accomplish, isn't it? Anyway, back to the matter I came here for."
"Yes, yes. Mustn't forget that. Now, why did you come here?"
I pulled a piece of parchment from an inside pocket of my robes and handed it to Harry. "This is my letter of resignation. I will be leaving at the end of term in three weeks. Until then, Headmaster." Getting up, I wiped a few more invisible pieces of lent off of my robes and strode across the room to the door. I heard it click, and when Harry did not stop me after a moment, I looked back at him, smiled, and walked out of the room.
Prologue
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, sans for the plot. Oh, and JK Rowling is Queen.
Hermione's POV
I have to remember to be quick. Headmaster Potter would want me to be out before his wife got there. Oh, he makes me so angry, though! 'Why did he marry Lavender Brown?!' I thought to myself furiously. 'She's such a git and a total girly-girl.' But, you know, I didn't do much better. Actually, I didn't do any better, because I never actually got married.
A drawling voice erupted from behind me. "Hmm, it seems the Mudblood has made something of herself, doesn't it?"
'Malfoy.'
"Isn't it customary to say hello to someone when you see them? Or do Muggles have less manners than I thought?"
'Don't turn around, just keep walking. Why do I want to talk to him anyway?'
"Excuse me!" He reached out his hand and jerked me around by the shoulder. "Well, well, well, it seems you're not quite as bad looking as I would have thought you to become."
I kept on looking at my feet. Not until he spoke the last bit of his sentence did I dare look up into his face. He may not have known this, but I had the biggest crush on him since seventh year. He became Minister of Magic, and I became the new Transfiguration teacher after McGonagall had passed on.
"Pardon?" I said stupidly, giving him a disbelieving glare. "What did you say? I didn't quite catch it."
"I said," he replied with a smirk that I just wanted to rip off of his face. "You're quite pretty, not at all what I would have expected from a Mudblood."
I smiled sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you noticed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business with the headmaster."
"Yes, I hear dear old Wonder Boy made headmaster after Dumbledore croaked. So how is he? Horrible, I hope." Malfoy wore a nonchalant look; it was almost as annoying as his superior smirk. But I held my tongue, about that at least.
"Oh, he's married. To Lavender Brown. They've got two kids. Sirius and James. Ron's both their godfather. Parvati's their godmother. How have you been?" I wiped some invisible lent off of my robes absentmindedly. I was quite angry when I found out that Parvati Patil had become Harry's sons' godmother and I hadn't even been considered for the opportunity.
"Quite well, Mudblood. Still no wife, though that fat oaf Pansy Parkinson won't leave me the hell alone. You know what it's like to be idled so much, right Granger? Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you don't know." He screwed up his face, trying to look as superior as he possibly could, and let out his annoyingly harmonious laughter. "But I've become the Minister of Magic. Fudge was a fool and never should have gotten it. I will turn the wizarding world around. But what would a muggle-born fool like you know a true leader when you see one?"
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him. "I really must be going now, Malfoy." I said, starting to walk down the corridor. It felt good to know that I'd just turned my back on Malfoy, as I had done about a million times during my Hogwarts schooldays, but this was different. He didn't grab my hair or hex me like he normally did. Yes, he called me a Mudblood, but I'd gotten used to the fact that I was muggle-born and there was absolutely no need to feel bad, and I felt proud to be one.
'So Malfoy's finally starting to grow up. Well, that's always good to know.' I thought as I entered Harry's office. To my dismay, Lavender was already there, sitting on his lap and cuddling the two baby boys in her arms while Harry tickled their noses.
I cleared my throat loudly, and they both looked to me. Harry pushed Lavender off his lap, adjusted his glasses, and shuffled some parchment on his desk. Lavender placed the two babies in their carrying baskets and smiled at me. Her face was worn, probably from the lack of sleep you acquire when your husband stays at Hogwarts and you have two babies to tend to.
"Hermione, you're late." Harry spat at me. Since his seventh year, he had stopped being the Harry I once knew, and became this new breed of himself that I didn't much like. "Well, have a seat, have a seat. I don't want to be kept waiting very long."
I smiled in an annoyed sort of way, lifted my robes as I ascended the steps onto the platform his desk was on, and sat down on a gold armchair across from him. "Yes, well, I ran into an old friend."
He smiled wide. "Oh, Ron is here? I wanted a chance to tell him-"
I cleared my throat again and he stopped speaking at once, staring back at me, looking insulted. "No, not Ronald Weasley. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster." I was fed up with him and his assumptions. Always Ron! Whenever Ron went to visit him and was late, he didn't throw a fit, even if Lavender was there. Whenever Ron said he ran into an old friend, he wouldn't go,
"Oh, Hermione?"
but would instead say,
"Yes, and who would that be?"
I hated working for him. But that was a minor price I had to pay to do what I loved to do - Transfiguration. Lavender looked at me menacingly. She was about to say something, but Harry put up his hand and stopped her. "Well," he said, looking at me straight in the eyes, "who was it?"
I shook my head. "That is my business."
"OH?!" Lavender couldn't hold it in any longer. "YOU ARE SO JEALOUS OF ME BECAUSE I MARRIED HARRY, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY YOU'RE BEING SUCH A LITTLE PRAT! WELL, LOOKIE HERE, MISSY! HE ONLY HIRED YOU AFTER MCGONAGALL DIED BECAUSE I ASKED HIM TO!"
Harry glared at her, then at me, then back at Lavender. "Lavender, I'll ask that you hold your tongue. Now, I'm sorry to boot you out like this, but please take Sirius and James and leave. Professor Granger and I have some business to attend to."
Reluctantly, Lavender picked up the two baskets filled with the twin boys, gave Harry a peck on the cheek, and left the room. "Hermione," he said, once he was sure his wife had gone. "Why do you persist? I try everything to get you back as a friend, and all you do is pull away! What do you hope to accomplish my doing this?"
"Nothing. That's what you want to accomplish, isn't it? Anyway, back to the matter I came here for."
"Yes, yes. Mustn't forget that. Now, why did you come here?"
I pulled a piece of parchment from an inside pocket of my robes and handed it to Harry. "This is my letter of resignation. I will be leaving at the end of term in three weeks. Until then, Headmaster." Getting up, I wiped a few more invisible pieces of lent off of my robes and strode across the room to the door. I heard it click, and when Harry did not stop me after a moment, I looked back at him, smiled, and walked out of the room.