Chapter 2 - Interviews

The classroom was eerily silent, which ordinarily would have been strange. However, Hermione had surprised her student that afternoon with a written quiz, so they all had their heads down and were working diligently. The scratch of quill against parchment was actually rather soothing after a day of teaching classes to the entire lot of seniors in the College studying potions. It had only been two weeks since that night in the Three Broomsticks, and she had been doing some serious thinking.

She had owled Albus that morning, letting him know that she was going to be visiting him at Hogwarts that afternoon after work. Hermione was going to apply for the teaching position at Hogwarts. It had once been her dream to teach there, so the Arithmancy position being open was like a dream come true, and the perfect opportunity. This way, Emma would be closer to Minerva and Albus.

At Union College she had only taught Potions and teaching Arithmancy would be a refreshing change. She looked out at the classroom and then at her watch, counting down the seconds until she could end the quiz and dismiss everyone for the afternoon. The anticipation was killing her, metaphorically speaking.

'Alright everyone – put down your quills and pass your exams to your right and the people on the end of the row shall bring the piles to me,' she said firmly, casting a hard look at all of them.

The students hurried to comply, all eager to get home after a day of classes. In less than ten minutes, all of the exams were in Hermione's briefcase, and not a student was left to be seen in the classroom. Sighing heavily, she left the classroom and walked the short distance to the child care area to collect Emma. When she arrived, Emma appeared to be eagerly awaiting her arrival, stretching her arms out in welcome. Grinning, she picked up her daughter and kissed her cheek.

'Sweetheart, I missed you all day,' Hermione cooed, repeating the words she always spoke to her daughter when she collected her from child care.

'Mummy!' Emma squealed excitedly, which may have meant 'me too' or that she wanted some food – perhaps both.

'Okay we will go to Hogwarts first to see Uncle Albus and Aunty Minnie – wont that be nice?' she replied as her daughter stared at her with a toothy grin.

Walking cheerfully to the nearest Apparation point, she went to the Hogwarts front gates from there and then walked with Emma up to the castle. When she got inside there were students everywhere as classes had obviously only just finished for the day. She spoke the password 'lemon drops' to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, and Emma giggled and made baby noises on the spiraling trip up the staircase. She knocked on the door and it opened magically for her as though the castle sensed that she had her arms too full to hold Emma and open the door too.

'Albus I'm sorry I'm a little late,' she apologized, quickly bustling into the room.

'Good afternoon, Hermione – it was no problem,' the older wizard replied in good humor. 'I was just talking to Severus.'

It was then that Hermione realized that they were not alone in the office. Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts and her former Professor, stood out of the way, near the fire, a scowl on his face and arms crossed. Hermione almost gasped and wondered if Emma was scared at all. She, however, didn't make a sound, so Hermione just assumed that she was fine.

'Professor Snape, what a surprise,' she said politely, as Albus took Emma.

'Your daughter is looking very healthy,' he said gruffly, indicating Emma who was giggling and pinching the Headmaster's nose.

'Oh, yes she is wonderful,' Hermione replied with a slight smile at him, for his polite behavior, remembering a time when he had been less than civil.

'You are looking well also, but perhaps you have not been sleeping so well?' he asked in a straightforward manner, his voice droll.

'It is mid-term exam period, so most of the Professor's at Union are more tired than usual,' she answered softly.

He nodded and Hermione assumed the chair nearest to her, with Snape also sitting down in the other free chair once she was seated. He was, after all a gentleman, if nothing else. Eventually Emma made her way across Albus' desk to her, and scrambled onto her lap – then they got down to business.

'So Hermione, what brings you down here this fine afternoon?' Albus asked, even though the weather beyond the trappings of the castle was most obviously the grey and dreary tones of autumn.

'I'd like to apply for the position of Arithmancy Professor,' she answered.

'Done – the position is your,' Albus said immediately.

Hermione gaped at the Headmaster in shock. 'But Albus…' she began.

'Come now Hermione. Everyone knows that you are the best that there is,' Albus hurried to reassure her. 'I would have no one less qualified replace Professor Vector. Although I must confess, Minerva and I had rather hoped you would come to us.'

'You mean this was all planned out?' she asked a tad indignantly.

'Albus and Minerva have a rather annoying tendency to plan out people's lives for them without their knowledge or consent,' Snape said pointedly, looking at Albus with a stony glare.

'I would prefer to think of us as merely nudging people in the right direction,' Albus said calmly, as smile in his blue eyes.

'Its damn manipulation,' Snape muttered darkly. 'Honestly Miss Granger, I would have thought someone with your level of intelligence would be more than capable of deducing this before now.'

Hermione felt a stab of anger, but decided to brush it off. Snape couldn't help but be a sarcastic bastard at times. 'Well I've been rather too busy to think on it,' she said coolly. 'Us College Professors do not have the same amount of time to sit around and think leisurely as simple school teachers do.'

'Touché.'

Albus watched their exchange with a twinkle in his eyes. It was all rather ideal if he had anything to say about it. The two of them were so alike – intelligent beyond belief with introverted personalities and maturity beyond their years. He hoped that once they had gotten past their former dislike of one another, they would eventually become a couple. That way, the two of them would be happy, and Emma would have a father and possibly even siblings.

'Come now, my children – let's stop this bickering and act like mature adults,' Albus said loudly to get their attention.

Severus glared at Albus, and then opened his mouth to say something rude back when he felt and unexpected tug on his right trouser leg. Startled, he snapped his mouth closed and looked down, only to find Hermione Granger's daughter clinging to his trousers. She looked up at his face briefly, before stretching her arms out expectantly, obviously wanting him to hold her.

'It seems you have an admirer Severus,' Albus teased, making Snape flush a little on his cheeks.

Snape frowned down at the girl who seemed unfazed by this. She was so much like her mother. 'Go back to you mother, child,' he said gruffly, trying to extricate his leg from her tiny fists.

Hermione leaned towards Snape to try and pick her up, but Emma squirmed and would not budge one iota. Hermione eventually got her up, but Emma wriggled free in mid-air managing to land just where she wanted to be – on Snape's lap. Everyone looked on in shock as the little girl snuggled closer to the black clad form of the impenetrable Potions Master.

'This is absurd,' Snape said in disbelief as Albus began to chuckle at the sight of Emma's pastel clothing in contrast to his black.

Hermione's eyebrows rose higher on her forehead than she remembered them ever being raised before, as a baby in pastel snuggled into Severus Snape. Emma obviously had no idea what she had gotten herself into, but remained happy to sit contentedly on Snape's lap. Hermione thought her looked very human like that.

'Emma, why don't you come back to mummy and leave the good Professor Snape alone,' she suggested in a very motherly, coaxing tone.

Emma shook her head vehemently. 'No – Daddy,' she squeaked, her words still a mixture of real and baby talk.

Hermione gasped, and Snape's eyebrows rose faster than you could say 'Ethiopia' in an expression Hermione had never seen before. Was it horror? Albus, meanwhile, watched on thoughtfully. Perhaps having Emma present would be a the catalyst to the beginning of a relationship between them. Emma was certainly a perceptive baby for one so very young and innocent.

Snape plucked her from his lap quickly, his face a mask of indifference once more, and held her out to Hermione. 'For Merlin's sake – take her back,' he said, his voice taking on a slightly raw tone.

'She just called you her daddy,' Hermione said weakly, unable to stop herself from voicing the obvious, even as she accepted Emma back into her arms.

'She should not say things like that at all,' Severus said sharply, rising from his seat and storming over to the fireplace.

He threw in some Floo powder and was gone from the office. Hermione sat back and tried to comprehend what had just happened. Albus regarded her from over his half-moon glasses. What Emma had said just then, had started the process, acting as the go-between for a little while.

'Please forgive Severus his temper,' Albus urged softly. 'He was just a little startled, and by dinner he would have forgotten.'

'I certainly hope so, or Gryffindor's will be suffering this week,' Hermione agreed with a heavy sigh.

'On a lighter note; will you accept the teaching position here at Hogwarts as of the end of the Christmas break?' Albus asked.

'I'd love to,' Hermione answered with a nervous smile.

a/n – I have written the first five or so chapters for this story but have yet to type them up. This will unfortunately be a long process to get from paper to word document. In any case, I hope you are enjoying my story so far, and please feel free to review.