Disclaimer: I don't own anything
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Forever Never Ends
Chapter 5
"Welcome back, Hermione Granger."
She was in absolute shock. No, she was petrified. This was the first time in eleven years that she had heard her name. Her real name. Hermione Granger. She stood there, looking stupefied at the man for a moment, and then her face broke into the first real smile she had had in years. That simple smile transformed her from the weary looking young woman she had been a moment earlier into a radiant school girl, who was enjoying the wonders of everyday life.
"Professor Dumbledore!"
"Miss Granger, I suppose you are very tired from your long journey. Would you like me to show you to your room?"
Hermione nodded quietly and began to follow the headmaster as he led her up the grand staircase, through hallways that she had never known were there and up countless numbers of stairways. Finally, they arrived at a large portrait of a blooming waterlily. Dumbledore flicked his wand once, and the portrait swung open to reveal a secret passageway. At the end of the passageway there was one single door.
"Behind the door are your new quarters. You may use whatever measures necessary to insure your privacy."
Hermione stepped inside the hole behind the portrait. "Thank you, Professor, for everything."
Dumbledore sighed, but still wearing a faint smile on his aged face. "Miss Granger, you cannot hide forever. I am proud that at last you have made this decision. Dinner is at six o'clock in the Great Hall. Might I suggest you get some rest before that time."
With one last smile, Professor Dumbledore swung the portrait back into place and left.
Hermione made her way gradually through the lighted passageway. She ran her fingers along the smooth tan colored wall, enjoying the texture. When she arrived at the door, she put a hand up to the knob, turned it, and pushed the door open. What met her eyes was breathtaking. Behind the door was a spacious and luxurious room with a large bed and beautiful furniture. On the wall to the left, there was a door. Hermione approached the door and preceeded to open it. Inside was a magnificent bathroom with a humongous bathtub and shower.
Liking her new room a lot, Hermione sat down on her new bed and rummaged in her suitcase. Soon, her hands found what they were searching for. She held the letter that she had received that morning, and started to read through it again, just to make sure everything was real and this wasn't just a dream.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear Ms. Granger,
Due to the untimely retirement of a professor, the school is in need of a new teacher for the class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. I believe that you are a well-suited candidate for this position. If you would like to accept this offer, please either send a return owl immediately or arrive at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by no later than April 10. We will be awaiting your answer.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster
It had to be real. This couldn't be a dream. To be certain, she pinched herself hard on her left arm, and waited as the pain faded away slowly. She didn't wake up.
Feeling much reassured, she climbed into bed and fell into the only real sleep she had gotten in years.
~
There was a loud knock at his door. He decided to ignore it and continue the mountains of paperwork that he must finish by the next day. These days the Ministry was very busy. The whole wizarding community was preparing for the day that Voldemort would suddenly attack again. Voldemort had disappeared twelve years ago, but numerous sources informed them that he had been secretly gaining power these past years and would attack soon. The paperwork strewn all over his desk was of codes, messages and other important information that he must decode.
The knocking on his office door became more persistent. He didn't need to look up to hear the doorknob turn and the door creak open. He was going to kill him.
"Dammit, Blaylock, well you just fucking leave me alone?!" he yelled, not looking up from his desk.
There was no answer. He looked up from his work at the intruder.
Shit.
He rubbed his temples.
"Ron! Why have you been in such a foul mood in the past few weeks? And treating me like scum!"
"I'm sorry, Parvati, I didn't know it was you. I thought it was that idiot Blaylock again."
Parvati walked towards her frustrated husband. She reallocated some of the papers off his desk and created a clean space where she then sat down on.
"I hope you're not mad at me. I was just…passing by…and I decided…that maybe I should…come and see you!"
"No, no, of course not. What's the real reason you're here?"
Parvati hesitated for a moment, but then continued on confidently. "Oh Ron! I've got the best idea!"
"For what?"
"I miss my friends from Hogwarts terribly and some of them I haven't seen in years, even if I still keep in touch with all of them. But writing letters is just not the same as talking to them face to face!"
"So?"
Parvati grinned. "Well, I know that maybe you won't agree with me. But…I want to throw a Hogwarts reunion at our house."
"Go ahead," Ron said, not giving a thought to it.
"Alright, but I need your help."
Ron sighed deeply. "Parvati! What could I possibly help you with?"
"Oh do stop sighing Ron! It makes me feel like a pest! Alright, as I was saying, I want to invite all our friends over…but I'll need help finding some of their addresses."
"And you think that just because I work at the Ministry I'll be able to get those addresses for you? Well, guess what, you're wrong."
"Please, Ron, this means so much to me. Besides, there's only one person I really need help finding, just one person. Please?"
Ron thought about this for a moment. Well, she just wanted him to find one person. It shouldn't take up too much of his time. So he nodded. He opened his desk drawer, reached in, and pulled out a notepad.
"Name?"
"Hermione Granger."
Ron was so started he nearly jumped a foot in the air. He and his wife had never brought up the subject of her before. He didn't want to talk about it. It brought unpleasant memories that he didn't want to remember. Just the thought of her made his anger burn.
"I don't know! Maybe she did the whole world a favor and drowned herself. I wish she did!"
"Ron! How could you say that, she was one of your best friends at school!"
"Things change! People change!"
"Please?"
"You know what, the whole reunion thing is a bad idea, Parvati! Go home and bake something for goodness sakes."
She ignored his comment stubbornly and continued on. "You must know something about her whereabouts!"
Ron was getting very frustrated. No, more like enraged. "Dammit Parvati, I have no idea! After graduation she just disappeared, okay? No one could find her, and her parents couldn't even find her! The whole wizarding world was looked for her! For all I know she's dead!"
"Fine, don't help me. I'll just find out by myself!"
"How can you solve a mystery that even experts couldn't?"
"That's my business!"
"Parvarti, get out of my office. I want to finish my work."
"Fine, Ron, have a great day!" And with that, Parvarti spun around and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Yeah I will, thought Ron as he slumped down and rested his head on the desk. Dammit Hermione, why'd you do this to me?
~
Hermione awoke from her sleep feeling refreshed and energetic – a feeling she hadn't experienced in years. She gave a big yawn and stretched her body. She glanced at the large oak grandfather clock that sat vigilantly in a corner of her room. The oak color matched perfectly with the cream colored walls. The clock read five forty five. She would need to hurry in order to clean up and arrive on time for dinner.
She removed the crisp blue business suit she was wearing and searched for something suitable to wear. When she left the wizarding world, she had disposed of all her robes because she would no longer have need for them. But she could not bear to snap her beloved wand, so she had kept it locked away.
She opened her suitcase and attempted to find something to wear. All the other professors would be dressed in wizarding robes. If she didn't wear robes, the others would scrutinize her. But she had no choice but to put on some of the muggle clothing she had brought with her. After all, they couldn't blame her if she really didn't have any robes at the moment. She dressed herself in a pair of dark blue jeans and a white v-neck shirt. If the other teachers didn't approve, well, they would just have to deal with it.
Picking up the brush from her suitcase, she began to brush out her silky brown hair. Yes, silky. No longer was her hair a tangled bushy mess. In the summer before her seventh year, she had cast a spell on her hair so that it would stay smooth and shiny. The spell was permanent, and still bore its effects even after she left. But of course, there were some flaws in the spell. For instance, sometimes if her hair was wet, it would curl a bit, or sometimes if she was stressed, it would also curl. Her hair was of medium length, a falling to a few inches below her shoulder. Although she was rather quiet and non-social in the muggle world, she still tried to keep herself looking as good as she possibly could.
After she was ready, she put a few locking charms on her room, and began to make her way down to the Great Hall. This journey was hard for her. She had no idea what people would think of her. She didn't want anyone to hate her. But she was curious and wondered which teachers still taught at Hogwarts.
Hermione was a good memorizer, and had no trouble finding her way to the Great Hall from her room. The door to the place was open. She peeked in and saw that all the other teachers were already seated, but had not started eating.
Probably waiting for me.
She knew she was late. She wanted to be on time to make a good impression, but it just didn't happen. She didn't care anymore. Hermione straightened her back and courageously stepped into the room.
~
"Albus, I heard that you've already hired a new person to fill in the spot of Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Minerva McGonagall.
"Yes, it was unfortunate that Fleur had to resign due to the fact that her husband Bill received another job offer in Egypt, and she was obligated to move there with him."
"But their child, Jonathan, he will be staying here to finish school, will he not?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes, he will be living with his uncle."
"Very unfortunate that she had to resign," said Flitwick. "She was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts the school has had in a century!"
"Oh, the students will sure miss her," said McGonagall, sadly.
All the teachers were seated in the Great Hall discussing about the new mystery teacher, and waiting for her to arrive before they would start eating.
"Albus, are you sure this new person will be sufficient enough to be able to live up to Fleur? Defense Against the Dark Arts is a very challenging class to teach, and very important in life," Snape said, giving his usual sneer.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I have absolutely no doubt that the young lady taking Fleur's space will be able to teach as well as her, if not, better."
"Yes, well someone should teach her to come to dinner on time!" said Snape, getting a bit frustrated because his stomach was growling.
"Albus, who is this mystery person you have hired? Maybe you should have consulted the rest of us before you made your decision. I'm not very sure that I might agree with your decision," said McGonagall.
"Oh, rest assured, you will love her!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
At that exact moment, the staff saw a young lady step nervously into the Great Hall. She was dressed as a muggle and seemed a bit unsure of herself. All of the teachers thought she looked terribly familiar. Brown hair. Blue eyes. She looked so familiar, but they couldn't put a name on her.
Dumbledore stood up, smiled, and held a welcoming hand to her. She walked nervously around to him and took his hand.
"May I welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Miss Hermione Granger."
They all gaped.
McGonagall was the first to recover from this surprise and patted the space beside her. "Do sit down, Hermione."
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said as she took her seat.
"I believe that you may call us by our first names, Hermione, seeing that you are no longer a student. You are now part of the staff."
"Yes," she said as she nodded.
Hermione was expecting a flood of questions, not that she would ever answer them. But, much to her delight, nobody asked about her past. If they had asked, she would have lied. The conversation was light and cheerful.
Hermione asked why there were no students on the campus and yet school didn't end until the end of June. They explained to her the reason. One month before, a child had accidentally fallen out the window on one of the towers. She did not die, but was gravely injured. By the order of the Ministry, all of the students at Hogwarts were sent home early. The administration cast a few spells over the castle that would prevent any more students from having such unfortunate accidents.
After an hour, a few of the teachers muttered some excuses and left. Hermione followed suit. She began to make her way up to her room, thinking about how the school stayed basically the same after all these years.
"Hermione."
She was startled to hear someone say her name and spun around to face the speaker. The greasy black hair, menacing black eyes. It was Snape.
"Prof-I mean, Severus, did you call on me?"
Severus blushed and his eyes softened. "Uh…I was just thinking…that…uh…maybe…uh…I could…uh…walk you back…to your room."
Severus Snape could not remember the last time he had blushed so red. After first seeing her, he could not take his eyes off her during dinner. The years had changed her, he could tell. She no longer acted like such a know-it-all, but was rather shy and conservative. He had to admit to himself that he was rather attracted to her.
Hermione smiled gently at him. The years certainly had changed her. The hate for Severus had worn off and she decided to give him a second chance, just as Dumbledore had given her one.
"Sure," she said, and her face turned the same color as Severus'.
She continued walking toward her room, with Severus tagging along beside her. They were both quiet, and felt uncomfortable. Finally, Severus attempted to try and start a conversation.
"So, uh, why are you dressed like-like…"
"A muggle?"
He nodded.
"Well, I haven't got any robes."
"Why not?" he asked dumbly, even though the answer was apparent.
"After…well, I just don't have any," she didn't want to say anymore. The conversation was heading towards a subject she did not want to hit at the moment.
"Are you going to always dress like this?"
Hermione laughed. She couldn't believe that Severus thought that she was going to going to wear muggles clothes forever. "Heavens, no! I'll be going down to Diagon Alley sometime in the next few days, maybe tomorrow, and get something suitable to wear."
They arrived at the portrait of the waterlily.
"Well, uh, I better get going," said Severus. "Well, good night."
"Goodnight, Severus."
He watched as Hermione waved her wand, and the portrait swung open. She climbed in slowly, and waved at him before she closed the portrait.
Severus walked back to him room, thinking about her the whole way. He liked the way that she said his name. He couldn't believe she said goodnight to him. He wondered what she thought of him. Even though their conversation was short, he enjoyed every minute of it. Maybe she did too.
God, Severus, you are such an idiot, she probably hates you
He stopped walking and sighed. Yes, she probably hated him. After all, he certainly wasn't the nicest teacher to her back in her days at Hogwarts. He wished that he could make it up to her somehow.
Severus found it hard to sleep that night. He liked Hermione, but he knew that she would refuse him. It was almost two o'clock before he finally was able to fall into a deep dreamless sleep.
TBC
A/N: Hey everybody who has read this, please review!!! Thanks bunches to people who have reviewed!! If you haven't you should, hehehehehe!!!! *sniff* please?? Alright, I'm acting stupid. Well, I always act stupid, hehehe.
