Someone is going to have a heart attack from shock. I actually got down to writing this chapter! Every review since I first posted told me to continue, and so I have. I have no idea where to take the plot from here, and as I am so unreliable with updates I think I will just leave it here for now. This is in celebration of my finishing high school - My last EVER school exam was this morning. I'll be a graduate this time next week. And so, this (very slow in coming) chapter is dedicated to anyone and everyone who has read both chapters when i posted them!
Molly Weasley answered the door when Minerva knocked.
"Minerva, dear, lovely to see you," Molly actually seemed genuinely glad to see Minerva.
"Molly, how are you? Could I speak to you about Hogwarts, darling?"
Molly agreed, letting Minerva into the house warmly. She place the pretty blue flowers on the mantelpiece, adding them to the garden that bloomed around the smiling photograph of Fred Weasley.
Sitting comfortably by the coffee table with a ginger newt, Minerva broached the topic which had brought her here in the first place. "Molly, darling, I am in a bit of a conundrum with my staff this year. To put it simply, I have barely half the teachers I need to run the school. You have exceptional skill in many areas, and I feel that you could be a valuable asset to the staff at Hogwarts."
"Where is this going, Min? I'm not leaving my family just to earn a few extra galleons."
"You wouldn't be leaving your family, Molly. Bill and Fleur are in Shell cottage, Percy and Arthur I'm asking to teach as well, and Ron and Ginny are going to finish school this year. George is welcome to live at Hogwarts if he wants to, and if he opens a shop in Hogsmead I could easily get him assistants for almost every day.
"All I'm asking is for you to teach Potions for a year."
Molly heaved a sigh. "Ok. On one condition."
"Yes?"
"I refuse to go anywhere near the dungeons."
Minerva was so overjoyed that the Weasley matron had agreed, she actually jumped up and hugged Molly. "Thank you Molly, I swear you won't regret this!"
Then Minerva jumped up and called up the stairs, "Percy! Percy! I have a business proposition for you!"
Molly laughed as her son's excited face popped around the corner of his room, which he'd moved back into after the demise of Voldemort.
Molly discretely left as Minerva started convincing Percy to teach Arithmancy.
It literally took one sentence to convince him. "Percy, you were one of two students who have ever received an O in your arithmancy OWLs. Teach it for me, please?"
A little flattery never hurt anyone.
Ten minutes later, Minerva found herself in the hated Ministry Atrium. She signed herself in, then took one of those terrible grilled lifts down to Arthur's office. The lift was crowded and smelt funny.
Minerva knocked on Arthur's office door, and entered when she was told to come in. "Arthur," she said pleasantly.
"Minerva," he returned. "I hear you've roped my wife and son into teaching for you."
Oh no. That tone was dangerous.
Minerva hurriedly changed her tactics. No more pleasantness – this was time to fight, so she went on the defensive.
"I hardly roped anyone into anything! They both accepted of their own free will, and you would do well to do the same!"
Oops. She hadn't actually offered him the job yet.
"What?" Arthur asked. "Do the same?"
Minerva sat on an abandoned chair slightly dejectedly. "Well, as you obviously don't like my school, you wouldn't want to teach Muggle Studies for me. I'm wasting my time here. Until later, Arthur." Minerva nodded to him, stood up and started to walk out, but let an evil smile cross her face when Arthur spoke.
"Muggle Studies? Of course I'll teach Muggle Studies! Why didn't you say so in the first place!"
Minerva literally bounced with excitement as she turned give him a tight hug. "Thanks, Arthur. Be there on the first! Just so you know, you're telling Kingsley, I'm not facing his wrath again."
With that, Minerva was gone, leaving Arthur to wonder when she'd gotten on the gentle Auror's bad side. He concluded that it must have had something to do with Tonks.
Minerva left the Ministry with a satisfied smirk on her face.
Then she ran into Kingsley.
Literally.
He was not pleased.
"Minerva!" he thundered. "How could you let her get hurt again! I told you last time, if she ends up in hospital one more time I'm going to put you there!"
Minerva shrieked and ran screaming through Muggle London.
True to his word, Kingsley did put Minerva in hospital. Although technically it was a muggle mental hospital and he also got her out of it, claiming her to be his 'deranged great-aunt'.
Two days later, Minerva recieved an owl from Neville. It was a short letter stating his acceptance of the herbology role.
..
Firenze had assumed that he was getting all the Divination classes, so he didn't actually need to be spoken to, but Minerva did so anyway. She felt obliged to get to know all her teachers, regardless of whether she liked their subjects.
Lastly, she to talk to Filius about his becoming Deputy, and to Remus, as Tonks wouldn't teach transfiguration if he didn't teach defence.
Filius was overenthusiastic about being Minerva's Deputy. Minerva left the little wizard to his scribbling, as he (for some obscure reason) wanted to shuffle the timetables around. Something about not putting seventh year Charms last on a Friday…
Or fourth year Defence only at the end of the week…
..
Remus Lupin lived in Grimmauld place with Harry and Teddy this summer, since Tonks was still in hospital and Harry didn't want to intrude on the Weasley's mourning. Harry took Teddy to the park while Minerva talked to Remus.
"Remus, please. You're the only decent teacher we've had in eleven years, the only teacher who the students actually learnt from. You were the teacher whom most students remember when they think of Defence. Please teach them? For me?"
"Minerva, I'm flattered that you would want me to teach, but I have Teddy and Tonks to think about. I can't let Teddy grow up practically without his father."
"Tonks has said that she'd teach Transfiguration if you were to teach, too."
"But Teddy? Whatever would we do with Teddy during the day?"
The argument continued for a considerable length of time, as Minerva couldn't come up with an acceptable place for Teddy to be during teaching hours. .
"Poppy Pomphrey? The staffroom, there's always at least one teacher there…"
What seemed like hours later Minerva finally said something to Remus' liking.
"Ok, fine, I'll do it. See you on the first," Remus finally conceded.
Minerva, for the life of her, couldn't remember what she'd suggested that he'd actually agreed to.
