Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 7
House: Gryffindor
Subject: Transfiguration
Category: Standard
Prompt: 5. [Profession] Professor
Word count: 1,376
Warnings: EWE — Epilogue? What Epilogue?
Demanding Perfection
Hermione never thought that one day she would return to Hogwarts. It felt different to walk through the gates, not as a student anymore, but as a professor. It was very different being seated at the Head Table facing all the smiling faces of the new students, instead of trying to see what the professors would come up with for them this year.
She had been teaching for six years already, and she could say that it was one of the best decisions of her life. Watching Harry entertain James Sirius while they were having dinner made her smile without realising.
"A galleon for your thoughts, love," Harry whispered in her ear, not wanting to disturb their colleagues. James Sirius was already a nuisance by himself, and Hermione knew that Harry didn't want to attract any more attention..
"Just thinking how different it is to be sitting here at the Head Table instead of being at Gryffindor table." Hermione smiled at Harry, who kissed her temple. She could feel everyone's eyes on them, but this time, she had a feeling it was because of the display of affection instead of Harry being the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Good morning, class," Hermione said to the group of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first years. She smiled, seeing the little boy Luna and Ginny had adopted was sitting in the front row. "Welcome to your first Transfiguration lesson."
Usually, Hermione showed impressive transfiguration skills in her first class, but since she was pregnant — it was her seventh month — Harry had kindly suggested to her that she think about doing other things for her students. She had scoffed at the idea of not being able to do everything she had done before she was pregnant, but Harry had a unique way of showing her his view — that's how she had ended up as a professor.
"Transfiguration is magic which changes one object into another," Hermione started her lecture, seeing the way that her students' faces lit up when she started talking. "What I'm going to teach you is how to do it properly, like turning a match into a needle."
Hermione then proceeded to show her students how to do it, prodding the wooden match with her wand so it morphed into a shiny, delicate pin. Seeing how eager the students we're to try the magic for themselves, she handed out the box of matches and let them have a go. She tried to help the students when they needed it, but with her baby bump in the way, it was easier to stay seated whenever it was possible. It was that way that her son found her.
"Mummy?" came the voice of the three-year-old James Sirius as he opened the classroom door. Everyone turned to look at the adorable toddler, who wan towards his mother. "Daddy said that I can stay with you!"
"Oh, did he now?" Hermione muttered to herself, thinking of ways to get back to her husband later, thinking how he loved to rile her up when James was in one of their classes. "Why don't you say hi to the students, honey? Remember how we talked about barging into Mummy's classroom?"
James looked crestfallen, but Hermione knew that it was just a show for the class.
"I just missed you and my sister," James said, giving Hermione what she liked to call 'Marauders' look': big eyes with a small pout. Harry was always falling for that trick.
"You know that look only works on your dad," Hermione said, motioning for James to come near her. She whispered conspiratorially in his ear, "We'll use it together to have our favourite meal for dinner."
James giggled, and Hermione smiled at the carefree sound; she couldn't help but melt at the differences between James' and Harry's childhood: James and his sister were going to grow up surrounded by love and people that cared about them.
"How do you feel about helping Mummy teach the transfiguration spell to the students? You think you're up for the challenge?" Hermione asked, chuckling when she saw the face that James was doing. "But don't try to steal my wand."
James pouted but agreed to help her with the lesson; the first-year students were delighted to see James since those who had older siblings had told them how strict Professor Potter could be. Everyone in the classroom could see how Hermione doted on her son, but she tried not to show her emotional side to her students — just like her predecessor.
"All right, class, for homework, I want you to write two feet of parchment about the uses of Transfiguration in other areas, not only for studies." Hermione tried to give them something easy for their first homework assignment, but after so many years, she still couldn't.
"I expect perfection!" James piped in from her side, and everyone burst into laughter, while Hermione just stared mortified at her son. Where was he learning things like that?
Hearing the bell signal the end of class, Hermione waved her students out of the room, while she stayed back to have a little conversation with James about proper manners while in her classroom.
"You have to stop teaching those things to our son," Hermione said to Harry later that night as they were walking back to their chambers. "I don't think Minerva would find it funny for much longer."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said, looking like a lost puppy. He held a sleepy James in his arms, and it took everything in Hermione to not jump on him — damn those hormones! "I didn't teach him about the perfection line, even though I did think it was funny."
"Harry! You can't say things like these! Think about the example you're giving James or what you're going to teach our daughter. I know that I have always been a perfectionist, but I don't want my students or even our daughter to have that pressure on them early one." Hermione cradled her bump gently while glaring at Harry, who smirked at her. "What if it makes them afraid to ask questions? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You look adorable when you're angry, you know that?" Harry kissed her cheek, making her blush bright red. "But in all honesty, it wasn't me who said anything to James about asking for perfection."
They both walked in silence, trying to think about who would have taught James about expecting perfection from students. It wasn't until they were almost at their chambers that Harry came to a conclusion that made sense.
"This sounds like something that his favourite nanny would say," Harry said, laughing a little as he thought about Minerva teaching those things to James. "I always knew that McGonagall had a mischievous side."
"I can't believe you still can't call Minerva by her name," Hermione said, turning to him before she realised what he had said. "Wait, are you trying to say that Minerva is the one who taught James about asking for perfection from the students?"
"You have to remember that she taught not only the Marauders but also the Weasley twins — not to mention all the shenanigans we got up to when we were teenagers." Hermione tried to wrap her mind around her favourite teacher being this mischievous, and Harry enjoyed her bewilderment more than he should.
"I never thought that Minerva could do something like that," Hermione murmured, entering their chambers. "This sounds like she's trying to get to me after all of the questions I asked her in first year. I'll have to rethink a lot of things."
"Don't worry your pretty head about it, or else our little girl is going to be agitated all night and somehow, this is going to be my fault in the end." Harry kissed her lightly on the lips and went to put James on his bed.
Hermione smiled at his retreating form, thinking how they were lucky to have found a second home in Hogwarts and to have found each other along the way. Sighing, she went to her room, knowing that she had some lesson plans to change — Minerva and Harry couldn't have all the fun, after all.