It was an early June morning when Hermione received her eighth letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting its golden rays over the grassy fields surrounding the Burrow. The young woman sat perched on the front steps of the grand magical home, a steaming cup of tea gracing her lips as she skimmed through her well-loved copy of Important Modern Magical Discoveries.
After monetarily thanking the delivery owl, Hermione eyed the unexpected letter with great confusion before pealing back its wax seal. Although she never officially completed her education at Hogwarts, she hadn't expected to be reenrolled following the events of the Second Wizarding War. Three years had passed since the battle had left Lord Voldemort and unfortunately, her beloved school, utterly destroyed. Professor McGonagall, now headmistress of the institution, had announced a temporary closure of Hogwarts for reconstruction. Despite having magic as an aid, restoration of the school to its previous glory had taken far longer than expected.
An involuntary grin pulled at Hermione's lips as she gazed upon the familiar curly font. She had loved her time as a student at Hogwarts and would be lying if she said she didn't often wish to return. The abrupt ending to her studenthood was certainly disappointing. Hell, she didn't even get to take her N.E.W.T.s! Perhaps Hogwarts was offering a redo year to those who wished to forego such an opportunity.
Dear Ms. Granger,
We are pleased to offer you an interview for a staff position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please respond in a timely manner informing us of your interest and availability.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hermione was completely dumbfounded by the two mindblowing sentences. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined such an invitation. Minerva McGonagall, one of the most powerful and revered witches alive to date, considered her to be qualified for a position at Hogwarts! Or for an interview, at least. She had always been confident in her academic and magical abilities, but to receive an interview felt too good to be true. She had to respond immediately!
Jumping up from the front steps with newfound energy, Hermione burst through the front door in search of some parchment. "Stay there," she called after the owl, not wanting to wait until the following morning to send her response letter. "I'll be right back!"
After quickly locating her stash of writing essentials, Hermione started her letter off with a passionate and quite longwinded page of thanksgiving, wanting to ensure that McGonagall was aware of her deep appreciation. She then went on to express her enthusiasm for the interview and her desire to fulfill the attributes looked for in an employee of Hogwarts. Following those paragraphs, she began detailing her availability down to the minute, sure to include evening and night hours to provide plenty of flexibility. It was at this point in the letter that a half-asleep Ron Weasley stumbled down the stairs in search of the noisy evildoer who woke him.
"Bloody Hell, Hermione! It's so early."
"Sorry," Hermione mumbled, entirely preoccupied with her urgency to respond to the headmistress.
"What's that?" Ron asked, taking note of Hermione's letter that was beginning to resemble an essay. "Feel bad for the bloke getting that in the mail!"
Usually, Hermione would be quick to construct a witty clap back, but her spark of enthusiasm could not be extinguished, even by Ron's grouchy sarcasm. "You'll be happy to know that I'm writing to Professor McGonagall. She has offered me an interview for a position at Hogwarts!"
"You're kidding," Ron gasped, suddenly freed from his zombie-like state. "They want you to teach at Hogwarts?"
"Maybe! Although they didn't explicitly say I'd be fulfilling a professor position," she responded thoughtfully.
"That's amazing, Hermione!"
In a moment of excitement, Ron instinctually went to pull the young woman into his arms but froze at the last second. Hermione's cheeks burned with embarrassment. The atmosphere between them had been awkward deciding to end their romantic relationship, despite promising to maintain a friendship. After a small moment of uneasiness, Ron resorted to a few gentle pats on her back before heading back to the pantry in search of some breakfast.
"At first I thought they were going to have us back as students," Hermione mused, hoping to break the tension as quickly as possible. "It looked so similar to the acceptance letters we received each summer as kids."
"Let me take a look," Ron mumbled through a food-stuffed mouth, happy to relieve the awkwardness as well. Hermione nodded toward the refolded letter to her left, granting him permission to examine it. While he read it over a few times, Hermione was able to put the finishing touches on her own letter.
"Done! I hope the owl's still here."
"Best hope so. It'd take a century for Errol to get that thing all the way to Hogwarts."
Sure enough, the mail owl had stuck around and appeared quite anxious to be on its way. Hermione graciously thanked it once more before sending it off to Professor McGonagall. "Should I send an extra? In case this one gets lost," she asked Ron anxiously.
"Relax, Hermione. Have some faith in the little guy!"
By now, the sun had made its full appearance in the sky. Warm air and a gentle breeze replaced the chilliness of the early morning, promising for a beautiful summer day. Hermione sighed, embracing the calming atmosphere in hopes of alleviating her nervousness. Over the last several years, her self-esteem had grown remarkably. Through achieving exceptional marks in school to hunting down and destroying Horcruxes, she truly regarded herself as an achieved witch. However, envisioning herself as equal to wizards like Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Minerva McGonagall seemed outright impossible. "Well, maybe that prat Trelawney," she scoffed to herself.
Returning inside to fetch her own breakfast, Hermione watched as Ron ran about the magical home readying himself for another day at the Ministry of Magic. Despite their disagreements with the once-corrupt governing body, he and Harry had both pursued careers as Aurors following the war and thus found themselves employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In the last few years, the Ministry had undergone significant reform under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebolt. Rid of dementors, pro-pureblood laws, and other corruption Voldemort had brought about, it was now a reasonably enjoyable organization to work for.
"See ya," Ron called as he climbed into the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder. As per usual, he was dressed in a hand-me-down suit that barely covered his wrists and ankles. Hermione smiled and waved, remembering the days when she would leave the Burrow alongside him. Following the war, she had also been employed by the Ministry of Magic and had worked tirelessly to further her cause for the better treatment of house-elves. The movement, at first, was a success, for the reformed Ministry was excited to work toward diminishing old pureblood biasses among wizards. However, as time passed, enthusiasm for the cause slowly died away until wizards were back to ordering elves around like nothing ever happened. Hermione, feeling frustrated and betrayed by the Ministry, decided to leave and pursue the cause from a different angle. The problem was that she had yet to discover said different angle.
During both her employment and unemployment, the Weasleys had been gracious enough to provide her with both a home and a family. With both of her own parents now completely unaware of her existence, the housing arrangement was a saving grace following the war. When Ron had asked his mother and father about taking her in, Mrs. Weasley had laughed, expressing that she'd already readied one of the vacant bedrooms for their new housemate. Even after Hermione and Ron had broken up, the Weasleys insisted she stay. "You're family, Hermione. Don't you dare think about leaving!" Mrs. Weasley had ordered when Hermione first started dropping hints about moving.
Now that the employment opportunity of a lifetime was on the horizon, Hermione couldn't help but fantasize about leaving the Burrow to reside at the grand Hogwarts castle once more. Her residence there would certainly be different from her time as a student, but perhaps for the better. She'd likely have her own living quarters, not to mention an all-access pass to the restricted section of the library! A mischievous grin played at her lips as she imagined the top-secret literature she'd finally get her hands on. With permission, that is.
Grabbing her freshly poured bowl of cereal, Hermione returned to her perch at the front steps of the Burrow. It was too beautiful a day to remain inside and a tiny piece of her hoped that an owl, by some miracle, might arrive within the day with news of her interview.
"Professor Granger," Hermione whispered, testing the strange title out on her lips. It felt oddly natural. Perhaps she was meant to become an educator all along.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review letting me know what you think and if you would like me to continue writing this story! Next chapter, I plan to introduce my most beloved HP character, Snape.