Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter.
Chapter 4
The next few months go by rather quickly. Hermione's offered a newly created position in the ministry, not long after Ron left the Burrow. She would still be an Auror, but her intellect would be put more to use. She is now officially an Auror Mentalist, what muggles call a Profiler.
When Minister Shacklebolt approached Professor Gibbs, the Head of the Healer Institute, about creating an accelerated independent study for Hermione to complete in three months, he laughed. There is no way the coursework could be completed that quickly, but he eventually agreed to do it.
Apparently Shacklebolt proposed a wager. The two had been best friends while at Hogwarts, but were always very competitive with each other. No one knows the exact details of the bet but Shacklebolt won. He knew it would be an easy win with Hermione Granger as the student.
The Advanced Mentalist coursework is usually completed in two years. It is similar to what muggles call psychology, which it includes. But it also involves teaching the nuances of dark magic and curses, and its impact on the caster and the victim. In addition, it teaches advanced potions and how to identity those under the influence, and long term issues and side effects of potion abuse.
When Hermione met Professor Gibbs for the first time, he told her she would fail. She smirked and told him she had never failed anything and wasn't about to start now. He liked her straight away. She met with him an hour each week where he would test her cumulative knowledge. She once compared it to having weekly O.W.L.S. Hermione poured herself into studying. It thrilled her to be learning again. It also took her mind off of Ron.
Professor Gibbs regretted his wager with Shacklebolt after his second week of testing Miss Granger. She is the brightest witch he had ever met.
By the fourth meeting she was so far ahead in her studies, he told her to take the week off. She refused. Two weeks and two months in and she had completed everything, including additional, more advanced work. She would ask poignant questions and at times they challenged him. Sometimes he couldn't answer straight away.
Professor Gibbs practically begged her to complete the remaining healer programs at an accelerated pace and come teach at the institute. Hermione was flattered but politely refused. He told her if she ever changed her she knew where to find him.
Hermione is excited about her new position. She was hesitant to accept when she was offered a place in Auror training. She had only applied to appease Ron after he was accepted. Did she want to chase dark wizards the rest of her life? She wasn't sure. Did she want to go back to Hogwarts and complete her seventh year? Yes. It would be amazing to go back and be a normal teenager with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Hogwarts without the threat of Voldemort would be brilliant. That ideal was shattered with Shacklebolt's offer to Harry to become an Auror. Ron was jealous and pissed off that he had to apply but Harry didn't. Although Ron finally applied after overhearing Harry tell Hermione he'd be miserable without his best friend there. Ron had no idea that Harry was actually referring to her. He didn't hear the first part of the conversation where Harry said he'd rather go back to Hogwarts with her if that's what she was going to do. When Ron was accepted into training, she knew she'd never dissuade him from attending, especially since he didn't want to go back to school. She knew he would make a huge fuss if she and Harry decided to postpone it to go back for their 7th year.
Hermione knew Harry preferred Auror training, but he never tried to make her feel guilty for wanting to go back to school, telling her after everything she deserved his loyalty. Whatever she decided to do, he would do it too and be happy with the decision. Her only valid argument with Ron against starting training was needing to take their N.E.W.T.s. When the Minister told her with the completion of the training and their prior real world experiences they would automatically be given O's on the required N.E.W.T.S. for Aurors (Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions and Transfiguration). Those scores would give her the ability to do anything she wanted, but of course she also sat for her N.E.W.T.s in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, getting two additional Os.
Hermione had considered returning to school without the guys. At the time she thought Ginny would be there too. When they went to the Battle of Hogwarts Memorial Service, she realized she couldn't face going back to the place where she had seen so many people die. She has some wonderful memories there, but the bad outweigh the good. When Ginny made the Hollyhead Harpies quidditch team, she knew she made the correct choice. Plus, she really is a damn good Auror.
A/N: Review please!
Edited August 2019 where I fixed a discrepancy I created in a later chapter.