More Than Expected - by Clover Bay
As Hermione approached the ancient castle that is Hogwarts, she almost couldn't believe that a few short hours ago she was packing and bidding her parents goodbye. Having only stayed with them for a part of the summer while job hunting, Hermione was filled with a feeling of nostalgia rather than homesickness as she left. In her mind, she had only been visiting since she had essentially moved away years earlier to earn her Charms Master's degree.
Now, here she stood, ready to begin a new chapter in her life - Professor Granger was about to take her place among Britain's elite educators. She couldn't stop the grin from blooming on her face as the excitement overtook her. Even the butterflies in her stomach couldn't compete with the thrill of being at Hogwarts for the first time as a teacher.
Two little house elves met her inside the enchanted front doors of the castle wearing stark white togas bearing the Hogwarts crest. Their greeting was friendly, if not a little shy, before they scampered away with her luggage promising to have everything sorted when she found her living quarters later.
Despite having read Hogwarts: A History, nothing could prepare her for her first sight of the Great Hall; it was magnificent with its high beams, cathedral style architecture that included several stained glass windows, house banners decorating each wall, and the enchanted ceiling - it was easy to see why the book had failed to convey just how wonderful it really was. She wouldn't envy the task of trying to put something so magical into words.
The professors and staff were milling around, greeting one another after the long summer break and commiserating over the end of their vacation. Despite what the students thought, they enjoyed their time out of school as much, if not more, than the kids. As she observed those around her, Hermione saw that many of them retained that excited expression connected to the beginning of a new school year. Several appeared to have been teaching for decades, yet they looked as happy to be there as Hermione.
It wasn't long before informal introductions were made. For the most part, she was pleasantly welcomed, though she couldn't shed the feeling that some were reluctant to say much more than the casual hello. Logically, Hermione understood that the others would be more comfortable around one another since they had known one another for so long and had many shared experiences. Of course she was an outsider, but she aimed to rectify that soon; unfortunately, only time could bring about the experience she would need.
She looked around, secretly hoping to see Professor Snape somewhere among the smiling faces; she felt a small pang of disappointment until she saw him enter through a side passage accompanying the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. He had a stern, closed off expression that reminded her of the interview last month. When they made eye-contact, though, she felt a small measure of comfort at the fleeting smile that he gave her before changing back to the almost blank look as he sat beside the Headmaster.
Even though it had been more than a week since their last trip to Diagon Alley, she had instinctively sought him out. The mixed emotions that welled up within her when she thought of him confused her. She admired him for his position within the school and was grateful that he had helped her gather the things she would need for her classroom. She classified him as a friend, a work friend, but more than the new colleagues she had just met. There was something else . . Hermione genuinely enjoyed his company and that, more than anything, made his gesture all the more meaningful.
The square meeting table in the center of the Great Hall quickly started to fill and Hermione sat next to a friendly-looking witch who had been one of the more welcoming faces. She introduced herself as Pomona Sprout and, as they got settled in, Hermione thought to herself what a relief it was to meet someone so willing to help. More than once she had to lean toward Pomona and ask for clarification on something only to have the witch kindly explain certain Hogwarts' procedures.
Throughout the morning's meetings, everyone was reminded of their deadlines and assignments: turn in a year-long syllabus before the start of school, weekly lesson plans by eight on Monday mornings, patrol schedules for the first term, detention protocol, on and on it went. Hermione diligently took notes; unlike many meetings that became mundane and monotonous the longer it wore on, this one almost had too much information. Everything the headmaster and deputies said seemed important. Hermione thought she would have so many notes she would be sorting through them for days. But, finally, the meeting ended with enough time for her to find her office before lunch.
After navigating the moving staircases and long hallways, she located it at the end of the second floor corridor. On the outside of the thick wooden door, a gleaming engraved name plate bearing the words Professor Hermione Granger - Charms Master greeted her. She skimmed her fingers along the grooves of her name, tracing the letters almost reverently as she read them again. Slowly turning the knob, she welcomed the slightly musty smell of the books that lined the shelves in what was now her office. The small window on the east wall allowed light to stream into the room, illuminating the tiny dust particles that clung to the air. An ornate, mahogany desk and matching chair looked like lonely islands in the middle of the office, but she could fix that with a few personal touches. So, she set about her task of tidying and settling her remaining things into their new homes.
She lost track of time while working and probably would have missed lunch if it weren't for the knock on the open door. Turning toward the sound, she saw the tall, black-robed figure of none other than Professor Snape and invited him in. His ghost of a smile returned as he stepped fully into the office and approached her.
"It's shaping up quite nicely," he remarked as he scanned the partially furnished and decorated room.
Hermione hastily replied that, "It's not finished yet, but . . ." Her pause made him wonder if he had said something wrong, until she continued in a lighter tone, "If I can take the closet I was offered during my internship and make it presentable, just wait and see what I can do with this place." Her impish smile had him nodding as his face softened. That hard look slipped into the one she remembered from the Leaky Cauldron.
"Consider it break time, then. Lunch will be served in the Great Hall in a few minutes so we should probably start that way." He let her pass as he followed her and then waited for to happily lock the door to her new office.
Severus enjoyed talking with her so much he almost rounded the corner into the Great Hall with a smile. Keeping himself closed off from the rest of the professors usually helped him avoid useless conversations about idle nonsense. The last thing he wanted was to be pestered through the teachers' equivalent of the opening feast. He let his hair fall forward to cover his face as he held her chair at the head table.
Hermione missed the change in his outward emotions as she wondered where she was supposed to sit. Probably at the end of the table since she was the newest edition to the Hogwarts' staff. She hesitated to follow him until she saw the empty chair he slid back for her. As she walked forward, she noticed that there were engravings on the backs of the seats; apparently, the professors sat according to their teaching disciplines instead of seniority, as she had previously assumed. She barely caught a glimpse of the 'Charms' seat that had a wand with sparks shooting out of it on the back before she relieved him of his self-imposed duty. She was even more surprised to find that Severus's seat was directly to the right of hers. This was something she could definitely get used to.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully reviewing! ~Clover