Chapter 36
Friday March 8th
Hermione slapped her alarm off. Scratching her head, stretching and yawning, she said, "Dobby!" and the house elf appeared.
"Yes Miss?" Hermione got out of the bed and leaned down to him.
"I'll be having breakfast in my chambers this morning. I'll have whatever is being served in the great hall this morning. And, oh, a nice big cup of coffee. Thanks Dobby."
"Be right back, Missis Mionee."
She performed her usual morning rituals and got dressed. Dobby arrived minutes later with food and she ate. She wanted all available energy for today. She had to make a good impression. Looking tired and stressed out for the biggest event of her life (so far) was not a good way to make an impression. She smiled as she thought of Severus. Last night he had alleviated a great amount of stress by bringing her to orgasm four times, and not passing out this time. Last night with him, he had been different. He was more vocal and more passionate than before. A good different!
She whistled as she got dressed. She dressed in a white poet's blouse and slim, knee-length beige skirt. i This should be professional enough. I'll have my robe on anyway. /i Grabbing her robe and satchel, she left to go to the Headmaster's office to await her escort. She ran onto her friends on the way, all of them wishing her good luck. She got a knowing grin from Ginny.
At the gargoyle, she muttered "Humming Harpy" and the gargoyle let her pass. She ascended the stairs, knocked and opened when "Come in, Miss Granger."
"How does this morning find you, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked lightly.
"Good, thank you." she replied. Do I have the 'I've been gloriously shagged' look? she wondered.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
"No need to be Miss Granger. You have earned this interview through your hard work. You would not be getting this interview if they didn't think so."
At that point, a wizard in a royal blue Ministry robe suddenly appeared in the room. In his mid-thirties, he walked to Dumbledore and shook hands.
"Headmaster, good to see you again."
Dumbledore nodded his head. "Same to you, Mr. Caulfield. May I present Miss Hermione Granger." Dumbledore said gesturing to Hermione. This was not was Mr. Caulfield was expecting. He expected to see a bookwormish, dull, know-it-all girl before him. Not the attractive, sensual, bright eyed young woman looking at him. He was pleasantly startled. He cleared his throat. Wait till the boys see this! he thought.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Granger. My name is Henry Caulfield, Department of Magical Research." The two shook hands. "Ready to depart, Miss Granger?"
"Yes Mr. Caulfield." she replied putting her robe on. He took a teacup from his pocket and said, "Take the handles, Miss Granger. We will be there in moments."
Popping in at the ministy atrium, Hermione found herself off balance as Mr. Caulfield was steadying her. "We don't travel much at Hogwarts Mr. Caulfield." she replied a little embarrassed.
"Please, call me Henry. You say Mr. Caulfield, and I want to turn around to see if my father is there." They laughed.
"I feel the same way. Some of the first years call me 'Miss Granger' and I think my mother is standing there."
"Well, let's check in. You need a visitor's pass."
At the reception area, she signed in on the visitor's log, had her wand registered, given a visitor's tag that read H. Granger, D.O.M.R. Interview and was ushered to a corridor to the left. She looked on the walls that had paintings of various witches and wizards of research renown. They reached a set of large oak double doors that had a sign above them that read:
Department of Magical Research
Matthias Longley-Chief Wizard
"It's one of the oldest departments isn't it, Henry?" Hermione inquired.
"Quite right, Miss Granger. Fifty points to Gryffindor." He joked.
She chuckled. "Oh? Are you a Gryffindor alumni?" she asked.
"Oh no, Ravenclaw."
He opened the door to a receptionist inside a small waiting area.
"Ahh, Hannah. This is Miss Granger, here to interview with Matthias."
He motioned to some chairs. "Wait here for a bit, Hermione. He will be with you soon."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes I'm afraid, I have a potion brewing. I might see you at lunch. Have fun Miss Granger."
Hannah the receptionist and Hermione sat in silence for a few minutes. Hermione took a book from her bag and started to read. She felt Hannah looking at her and looked up.
"Is there something I can do for you, Miss.." Hermione started.
"Oh, Hannah Rayford. I apologize for staring Miss Granger. You're just not what we expected."
Hermione was puzzled. "Excuse me?"
As Hannah opened her mouth to explain, the doors to her right opened and a man a little younger than McGonagall walked straight to Hermione. He too was wearing a royal blue robe. She stood up.
"Well well, Henry wasn't lying. What a pleasant surprise. I'm Matthias Longley." He held out his hand.
"Hermione Granger." she replied.
"Shall we start the tour?" he asked. Holding the doors for her, she walked through. She was bombarded with a cacophony of smells. A few people were at tables mixing potions and flipping through stacks of parchment. She quietly sniffed and could make out nine distinct scents. She rubbed her nose.
Whew! Who's using all that sandalwood?
As if hearing her thoughts, he laughed and said,
"I know, someone spilled the sandalwood liquid base not long ago."
"Miss Granger, how many scents can you make out?"
"Nine sir."
"Good. That was close, there's twelve. The sandalwood can overwhelm the olfactory glands."
Hermione stopped and got a good look at the lab. It knocked her socks off. All the equipment was pristine, top of the line. The cauldrons, beakers, vials, spoons, everything. Her eyes shined as she looked over every detail. She was enchanted.
"What do you think, Miss Granger?" Mr. Longley asked.
"Please call me Hermione, Mr. Longley. I think this is fabulous. After seeing all this, that potions classroom I have to return to Monday morning will seem kind of dinky."
She was introduced to the witches and wizards working at the lab tables. They chatted for a bit, and she was shown to an equipped lab table.
"If you decide to apprentice here Hermione, this table is yours."
She was speechless. "Next is our library. Follow me please."
Another set of double doors opened to a library that made Hermione want to cry. "Oh my." she said quietly. i I've died and gone to heaven! /i
"Impressed Hermione?" he asked.
"More than you know." she replied.
"My office is this way."
Walking halfway through the library, taking a right, they went into a modest, slightly cluttered office. Pictures of a woman with six children adorned the office. Various plants decorated the office. He opended a drawer and took out a folder and opened it.
"Ah, here it is. Hermione Granger, aged nineteen. Blah blah, so on and so on. Let's get to the brass tacks Hermione, why do you want a potions mastership?"
"I want to be the best in the field I have chosen sir. I guess I decided to pursue potions in my second year when I made a mistake with a polyjuice potion-" she started.
"Pardon the interruption Hermione, but you attempted a polyjuice potion your second year?" he asked.
"Yes sir."
"What was the result?"
"The potion was successful for my friends. For me, however, it was not. Let's just say that every year for Christmas since then, I get a bag of cat food as a gag gift. Ever since then, it was nothing less than perfection in regard to potions."
"I see." he replied amused.
"And in regard to research, why that?"
"Last summer I became interested in developing a potion that builds a resistance to cruciatus curse." she said simply.
"Ahh, yes. That's quite ambitious. I remember reading that in this letter from Severus Snape. He recommends you very highly. He sent this letter in November." He was holding a letter. "All of the professors have marvelous things to say about you. Of course, even without these recommendations, your grades speak for themselves. You are to be congratulated on your hard work. I must warn you, you will be expected to dedicate yourself to three hard years of work. Are you up to it?" he challenged.
"Absolutely." She replied.
"Good. That's what I like to hear."
"Now to the basics. Should you decide to seek employ here, you will be starting out as a class three apprentice, one of the lowest pay grades. I'm often told by the other apprentices that it's enough to live on, but that's it. You won't get rich, but you won't starve either. The pay is offset by perks offered by the ministry to its employees. Here they are." He handed her a pamphlet:
Employment with the Ministry of Magic offers the following:
Free Medical Care (St. Mungo's)
Departmental Working Robes
Lunch Buffet 365 days of the year
Relocation Assistance
Legal Aid (if needed)
Free Tickets to Quidditch World Cup (up to four per employee)
Discounted Holiday trips to dozens of locales
Fully Equipped Gymnasium with pool
For other departmental specific benefits, contact the supervisor. Thank you for your interest in the Ministry of Magic!
"Assuming that you finish your apprenticeship, and awarding of your master's certificate, a permanent position will be offered along with a substantial pay raise." he continued. She nodded her head. A buzzer sounded on his desk. He picked up a handset and answered it.
"Yes, I'm on my way." He said quickly.
"Hermione, would it trouble you too much to wait in the library for a bit? Something has come up in the lab."
"Of course." Does a bear shit in the woods?
She was left in the library and admired the thousands of books. She went to the first shelf and looked to the titles.
Advancements in Hellebore, 12th Edtion
Adventures in Asphodel! No thanks, had enough adventures in asphodel already! thinking of the potion debaucle earlier in the term.
Alarming Incidents in Potions History
Around the Cauldron, Stories for Children
She laughed as she read some more titles. She took down the Alarming Incidents book and started reading. Halfway through the book, which was quite entertaining, Mr. Longley tapped on her shoulder.
"My apologies, Hermione. I did not mean to abandon you for so long."
"That's quite alright. I'm at home in a library."
"Care for some lunch?" he asked. "You'll get a chance to see the buffet."
Goodness, lunchtime already! she thought.
Arriving in the cafeteria, she saw dozens of chatting, laughing or arguing wizards and witches. She was guided to a table, was told to get a plate from the buffet and help herself. She and Mr. Longley chatted while they ate. They removed their robes and several wizards, young and old, looked her way approvingly. She looked to her right and saw Mr. Weasley wave at her. She smiled and waved back, then Mr. Weasley came to the table.
"Ahh, Arthur. How's the wife? How are you today?" Longley asked.
"Fine, Matthias. My goodness Hermione, what a surprise to see you here today. Ron didn't tell me you were coming. Anyway, what do you think?"
"Great so far, Mr. Weasley."
"Please sit Arthur." Longley offered. He did and they talked.
Longley listened to the two as they talked. He watched Hermione. She would be a welcome addition to the department. She was intelligent, confident, enthusiastic and was definitely easy on the eyes. Her youth and vigor would be a breath of fresh air. Her eyes danced as she talked about the labs and library. i Surely the lovely creature is being courted by someone! Henry is dying to know! /i
After a few more minutes of conversation, Arthur had to leave.
"Hermione, how do you know Arthur?"
"Oh, his son Ron and daughter Ginny are some of my best friends."
"Ronald Weasley? The Ronald Weasley friends-with-Harry Potter- Weasley?"
"One in the same sir." she smiled.
"Let me guess, Harry Potter is the other best friend?"
"The best, Mr. Longley."
"So you are part of what's being called "The Golden Trio"?" he asked.
Hermione was blushing. She was embarrassed.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Hermione."
"That's quite alright sir. It happens a lot." she said as she munched on a dinner roll.
Another wizard not much older than Hermione approached the table.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you. But you are Hermione Granger, are you not?"
"Yes. And you are?" she replied.
"Will Stadler. I was a seventh year when you were third year. Wow, you've changed. House Hufflepuff at your service." He said with a bow. "My friends and I were wondering something. If it's not too much trouble, could you autograph this?" he said handing her a copy of the same quidditch magazine with her picture and the silly caption. She put her fingers on the bridge of her nose.
Longley leaned over and looked at the picture and caption. His surprise over Hermione was growing by the minute.
"My goodness, that's you Hermione. That picture is all over the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Longley said.
"Please say you're joking." she replied.
"No, Miss Granger. I work there. I see it everyday!" Will said. "So, will you sign it?"
She couldn't very well levitate and blow up the magazine right there in the ministry of magic cafeteria, so swallowed her aggravation and said with a sigh,
"Alright, Will, do you have something to write with?" Smiling he handed her a thick quill.
As she was finishing her chocolate covered raspberries, she was told lunch was over. Back in his office, he said,
"Okay Hermione I have just one ot two more questions than we can wrap this up. You must have some lucky young bloke waiting on you back at Hogwarts. Which brings me to what I hope is not too personal a question," he said carefully.
"Go ahead, Mr. Longley."
"Are you in a relationship Hermione? Oh dear, that didn't come out right. My apologies. What I mean is, if you are in a relationship, would he understand the commitment necessary here?" She smiled as she thought of Severus.
"Yes, I am a relationship and he fully supports what I do," she said looking him the eye.
"That's good to hear. I know that your focus is potions, but you will be expected to assist in other areas from time to time such as herbology, charms or arithmancy. Is that acceptable?" he asked.
"Certainly Mr. Longley."
"Good. So now, are you, Hermione Granger, ready at this time to accept the position of apprentice third class here in the Department of Magical Research? I'll give you some time to think about it."
"I need no time sir. I would be delighted to accept," she said with a big smile.
"Excellent! You will start a week after you graduate. Is that enough time?" she nodded her head eagerly.
"Fine. Please see Hannah on your way out about a few matters. See you in June, Miss Granger. Do well on your NEWTS and enjoy the rest of the school year. Have a good day Miss Granger." She rose from the chair and they shook hands.
In the reception area, she found Severus talking with Hannah.
"Professor!" she exclaimed, eyes twinkling. She was positively on cloud nine!
"Miss Granger, I am to accompany you back to Hogwarts. Are you quite ready?"
"Yes, just about. Mr. Longley said Hannah would have something for me."
Hannah handed her a stack of parchment, books and pamphlets.
"Read up on this stuff and fill out the parchment. It's no hurry, just have them ready when you come back here. See you in June, Miss Granger. Have a good day."
"Thanks so much." Severus and a practically dancing Hermione left the office.
Back in Longley's office, Henry Caulfield came to the office door.
"Well, how did it go?" he asked.
"That charming young lady will be joining us in June, Henry. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but she is taken. And by the look on her face when I asked about it, it is obvious that it's serious. You owe me one for asking her that. Besides, you're too old for her." Longley said with a grin.