A/N Alright, here is a long one for ya'll almost 5,200 words so I hope you enjoy it.
Hermione was, again, up early. She went for her run and raced to get ready for breakfast. She wanted to support Ginny as soon as she could. Therefore, she needed to eat and have her meeting with Headmistress McGonagall as soon as she could. After eating quickly, Hermione set off. In little time the gargoyle statue was in front of her, then she was climbing the stairs.
"Ms. Granger, I knew you would be early." McGonagall smiled at her while letting her in.
"Sorry, it's just that I'm trying to support Ginny as much as possible with her tryouts, this weekend."
"I understand. However, you may be here for a bit, depending on what you decide. I've been looking into all the options that I thought could help you but that you would also be interested in. The option I found that I think will most fit you has only been offered to three other people. Basically, it will let someone who is rather advanced take the N. E.W.T.S early and then if you decide you hate your score you can continue your classes and retake them at the end of the year. They would be a bit different if you retook them, of course. So that they would be fair. However, if you are happy with your scores you can keep them and graduate early. If there are some scores you want to keep and some you want to retake you could continue taking the classes for the ones you want to retake and then be free for the other hours of the day. This would give you some time to start teaching a few classes, this year if you want to ease into it. If you keep all of your scores you could go full time but still have your N.E.W.T.S. and be able to prove that you didn't get it handed to you." McGonagall looked at her waiting for her to think it through.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to take the tests and see what happens," Hermione admitted. "I need to send word to Ginny that our meeting is going to take a while, though, since she is expecting me."
"I will let you use my owl, I promise that they will move as quickly as possible, though. Since it is just you and them, we will be able to do all of this in a sit-down atmosphere. I have Wiggle setting up a classroom for us, that way it will be comfortable, and you will have everything we could need. I will be there the whole time to make sure that everything is conducted professionally, as well. I will not have anyone badgering you about last year or anything else. I'm sure they will have you brew at least one potion so we will try to start that first so that any time that is downtime on the potion they can be asking questions to get through it faster."
Hermione sent a short letter to Ginny letting her know that she was going to be held up in the office for a while and would explain everything as soon as she could. The ministry officials arrived almost as soon as she had sent her letter. They walked as a group down the corridor to the classroom that Wiggle was still setting up.
"Hello, Wiggle, how are you doing today?"
"I'm very good, miss, just making sure everything is to your likings." The little elf bowed to her.
"I'm sure it is," Hermione kneeled down, "if there is anything else that we need may we call you?"
"Of course, miss, that is why I am here." Wiggle grinned at her before popping away.
The first thing Hermione was asked to do was to brew a potion, Amortentia, of course, they would pick the one potion that she would never bother with herself. It made since she wouldn't have needed it last year and they knew that. It wasn't too much of a secret that Hermione did everything she could possibly do to survive. Brewing Amortentia was not something she had time for. She got to work immediately, she had spent some time memorizing the potion and how it worked and that would help her now. Hermione already had a cauldron ready and there was a small cabinet next to the desk full of ingredients. Hermione started pulling out what she would need in the order that she would need it. The last two things she needed were not in the textbook she had studied.
"Wiggle, can you come here please?" She asked to the shocked looks of everyone on the room.
"Yes, ma'am?" the elf asked.
"I need a few things." Hermione bent down and told Wiggle. Wiggle left, and Hermione started working as if nothing had happened. "is it possible that this test will be verbal? I want to get through it as quickly as possible." Hermione told the officials.
"It is," one piped up "We will use a quick quotes quill to record everything in case we need it for the record, but we will mostly just go as we can and grade you as soon as possible."
"Perfect, and can you introduce yourselves?" Hermione asked. If she was going to spend the day with them she wanted to know their names. It didn't take long, and the questions began. Mr. Franks was as his name stated, he was very to the point. Question after question about potions was asked. He seemed to doubt some of Hermione's, so she would elaborate and tell him why she would do something different than the textbook. She sliced, diced, shredded, measured and prepared everything she could and got everything ready to go into the potion as much as possible. Ten minutes after Wiggle left, he reappeared. "Thank you Wiggle," Hermione took the things he had gathered for her.
"I don't understand." Mr. Franks told her.
"Well, you see the cauldron here? It's pewter which works okay but a gold cauldron not only speeds up the process but also makes for a… I won't say a better result but a stronger result." Hermione told him.
"What are the other things?" Mr. Franks asked.
"Peppermint oil and an Eternity Red Rose," Hermione stated simply, no explanation given. Mr. Franks seemed to be waiting but Hermione pretended not to notice. She Set the gold cauldron up and got to work adding ingredients. The fourth step was the first step she had altered. 'stir six times' turned into stir clockwise five times then counterclockwise two times. She glanced up under her bangs to see if Mr. Franks noticed. He did. His mouth had fallen open and he snapped it shut. He tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows. Hermione was going to show him that her alterations were correct. After adding only four Rose Thorns, not five, Hermione added the correct amount of Peppermint Leaves but then added three drops of the Peppermint Oil. Hermione crushed the three Ashwinder Eggs before adding them in slowly while stirring five clockwise and two counter, repeatedly. Hermione mixed the Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust together in a bowl just before adding it in quickly. Last, Hermione added in all the rose petals from her Eternity Rose. She stirred through the pattern once more and abruptly pulled the spoon out at her twelve o'clock position. She turned the flame down to medium heat and checked the time. It was five to nine. She would check to potion starting in twenty-five minutes, it was supposed to take thirty but better to be safe.
For the next bit of time, Hermione fielded questions from Mrs. Millan, all about transfiguration. Hermione went really in-depth with all of the questions she was being asked and only made it through about eight or nine before she started checking the potion, thankfully it only took a glance. Not quite ready but close. She answered another question and was halfway through the second when she stopped explaining how crucial the wand movement was for transfiguration, in general, before she jumped off the counter she had settled on. Hermione turned the fire off and carefully moved the cauldron to a different burner when it was in place she sat back on the counter she had been on and continued where she had left off as if nothing had ever happened. The potion needed to cool for an hour before they could do anything. Within the next hour, she finished the questions for transfiguration and had moved on to Charms. Hermione started bottling the potion into a ton of tiny phials while answering questions. She made it through questions for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy before she checked the clock. It was almost noon.
The questions started for Herbology and Hermione made sure to explain the answer for herbology and to throw in extra tidbits about how some things related to Potions as well. Wiggle popped in with food and Hermione thanked him before continuing with her answers. She didn't really care about eating, she just wanted to get through the test. As soon as Mrs. Hightower finished her questions Hermione got nervous, she knew the Defense questions were next.
"I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to pry about what happened last year, I'm very aware that there are books out there telling what happened, I'm also aware that they probably aren't the most accurate. However, I will need to know your abilities when we get to the practical stuff. However, for now, I just need to ask questions about the technical side of things." Mr. Aims told her.
Hermione relaxed a bit; the man was very kind and reminded her of every grandpa you would see in a nice family movie. He moved as quickly as he could through his questions and Hermione was surprised when he had finished. It hadn't felt like he had been asking questions very long. Hermione was handed two papers for Ancient Runes and she read the translations out loud without using her book once. For Arithmancy it was just a couple short predictions that she had to read the numbers for. Herbology was simple, she just had to identify a few plants and tell a bit about them. It was right at one and Hermione could see the break in the clouds. Just three more practical's and she was done.
"Mrs. Granger, how many of the spells in Charms can you perform?" Mrs. Abernathy asked her.
"All of them," Hermione answered. "I mean, all of the ones in the book and some extra stuff that I have been picking up by myself." She clarified.
"You expect me to believe that you can perform all of them?" Mrs. Abernathy seemed to have some sort of glint in her eyes.
"Yes, I can perform every spell in all of my books," Hermione stated simply.
"Show me, start at the back of the index and work backward towards A until I tell you to stop."
Hermione started and worked backward after about forty spells, several of which were from the end of seventh year Mrs. Abernathy stopped her and had her try two more before congratulating her with a huge smile.
"Thank you," Hermione told her.
"No, thank you, it has been an honor to get to sit in on your exam, today. You are an amazing witch and I cannot wait to see where you go.
Transfiguration was next, Hermione showed them everything that was thrown at her. Changing her appearance, changing someone else's, changing objects into animals and animals into inanimate objects. The only thing Hermione refused to put out there was that she was studying books to become an Animagus. She really hadn't had much time as of late but when they had been holed up for days she had been reading about it. Now that she was back at school she planned to ask McGonagall for help. When it was time for Defense Hermione got a bit nervous, again. She performed a lot of spells that she knew would be expected like her Patronus and some things like shielding and disarming. She had a lot of spells shouted out for her to perform. The last thing was a duel with the official. Hermione didn't think it was a normal occurrence, but they set up and bowed. Hermione moved around as fast as she could, thank gosh for all her morning runs, and erected walls to help protect her. She faked the instructor out when he dodged a stinging hex Hermione erected a wall and made him think she had moved closer. When he went to try to immobilize her she jumped out and used Petrificus Totalus. As soon as he was down Hermione unpetrified him.
"You did a good job, Ms. Granger, you always have to be ready for everything." Mr. Aims said
"Thank you, I try to be prepared," Hermione turned around to see what was next when her want was knocked out of her hand. She turned on the spot to see that Mr. Aims was catching her wand. Wordlessly and wandlessly, Hermione performed the Leg-Locker curse and an Expelliarmus to get her wand back.
"I didn't say that the test was over, before, however, it is now. I'm glad to see that you are so adept at Defense." Mr. Aims smiled at her. "I'll have your results ready soon."
"Thank you, I can't wait," Hermione smiled.
"Ms. Granger, you may go watch the rest of today's tryouts." Headmistress McGonagall told her.
Hermione raced off as fast as she could. It wasn't quite two, so she knew there was likely to be a few hours left for today. Up in the stands, Hermione found a seat pretty close to the field. The weather was perfect, and Hermione found herself smiling. She watched as Ginny showed maneuvers to a somewhat large group. They were covering basic flying and Hermione would have found it odd if she hadn't watched tryouts before. There were a lot of students but what shocked Hermione was the fact that a few of the kids were first years. Hermione watched curiously to see how they would do. By the time Ginny blew her whistle and called everyone down, it was clear that everyone was exhausted. Ginny told the group if she called their name to step forward. Hermione watched as about twenty people stepped forward.
"Anyone whose name I didn't call, you are dismissed." Hermione heard Ginny tell the group. "If you are still standing here, that means you have an invitation to come back tomorrow." About half of the group started trudging away. "I understand that you all probably already have homework for this weekend. You need to at least start it, tonight. I will not put up with failing grades on my team. In the future, our practices won't take up so much time, making it easier to do your homework. If you choose not to come back tomorrow that is fine, a little heads up would be appreciated, though. You're dismissed."
"Oh my gosh, Ginny! You are doing amazing!" Hermione was actually excited about the team, this year. She had always watched when the boys played but now that Hermione felt free from Voldemort she felt like she could really enjoy everything about life, now.
"Thanks! I feel like we're going to have an awesome team, this year. Did you see the little first year, he actually has potential, and Anthony Greens, he has really good aim, he's a second year. I'm going to have to run through so much in my head, tonight and see what all I can do." Ginny was a bit lost in her thoughts as they went to leave the pitch.
"Excuse me." The little first year that had made it through caught up to them. "I was wondering if there is anything I can do to better my chances at getting a position on the team. Like if there is anything I can work on?" He asked.
"Honestly, you're doing pretty good. Who taught you to fly?" Ginny asked him.
"I kind of taught myself, that's why I was asking, I'm sure I'm probably doing something wrong."
"Let's take a closer look. Put your broom down and summon it."
"What do you mean?"
Ginny put her broom down put her right hand over it and said 'Up' to get it to come to her.
"Oh, I see." The boy repeated what Ginny did and the broom jumped into his hand on the first try.
"Now mount your broom and hover, Nathanial"
The boy straddled his broom and kicked off, he was doing well but occasionally wobbled just a bit.
"Move your hands a bit further up on the broom," Hermione told him to Ginny's incredulity. Nathanial looked at Hermione a bit surprised but immediately did what he was told.
"You might also try to relax a bit, I know it's not the easiest thing in the world, but your back is perfectly straight and that can be bad. Even if you are a pureblood you must learn to slouch on a broom. Ginny threw in.
"Oh, I'm not a pureblood," Nathanial told them. "I'm a muggle-born, today is just my first time on a broom." He told them with a bit of a grimace.
"What!" Ginny was mad. "You could have been seriously injured doing the things we did today! You should have told me!"
"I'm sorry, there were other first years, so I thought maybe it was just normal or something." He looked like he might cry. "I've just read about Quidditch, the first book I picked up other than my school books was about quidditch, so I wanted to try it. I've always wanted to play a sport, but no one ever let me play with them at my old school."
"Well," Ginny took a deep breath and let it out. "You did well, today. You are obviously a natural when it comes to flying. I will make a deal with you."
"Okay." Nathanial was listening intently.
"Don't fly without someone watching you, I mean like me, Hermione, or Madam Hooch. She's the flying instructor. You did really well, today, as I said. You have a real chance at this if you don't make the team I will let you practice with us and be a backup. I will warn you that we don't use a back up very often, if at all, but you would still get to practice and that could almost ensure you a spot for next year. You also have to keep your grades up, just like everyone else on the team, because if we needed you I still wouldn't put you in if your grades suck. If you need help you can come to find me, I can always help my team out."
"Really, that's it? I just have to be supervised and I get to be a reserve?"
"I mean you might still make the team… but yeah you will be a reserve at the least."
"Thank you!" Nathanial hugged Ginny, enthusiastically before turning to Hermione and doing the same. When he saw the shocked look that Hermione had he apologized. "Sorry, my mum is a hugger so we all are, as well."
"How many siblings do you have?" Hermione asked as they walked back to the castle for supper.
"I have four older brothers and five older sisters," Nathanial said proudly.
"That sounds amazing, I'm an only child," Hermione admitted.
"I'm the only girl and the youngest of seven." Ginny told him "It's a love-hate thing. I love the big family, I hated all of the hand me downs that I had until this year."
"My family is pretty well off, someone back in the line invented something to do with classifying fingerprints and he invented the Galton Whistle to test hearing levels and he wrote a ton of papers that help people solve crimes. His name was Francis. He was really smart, he even wrote the first book on geniuses called Hereditary Genius.
"I studied him in Primary, could you imagine what he could do with all of the technology today?" Hermione asked.
"It would be crazy to see, but maybe he wouldn't have been as smart if he had it so easy when he was growing up." Nathanial reasoned.
"Or, if he were surrounded by the people of today instead of who he had." Ginny threw in.
"Yeah, he was a half-cousin to Charles Darwin who is a great, great, half grandpa or something to me. We have a lot of really smart people in my family and I was worried I wasn't going to be one of them but now I know that I was destined for something, too." Nathanial grinned.
"Well you better get supper, so you can do your homework and get some rest, you have a big day ahead of you, tomorrow."
"I'm actually done with my homework, I was able to do it in class, mostly. I finished it last night. I will go eat and talk to my friends before I turn in early, though. Thanks for all the help ladies, I'll see you two later." He sprinted off to the Great Hall, presumably to find his two friends that he had tried out with.
"He seems really sweet," Hermione noted.
"He is, he was actually really helpful all day. Honestly, he has a pretty big shot at making the team. I would have never guessed he had never flowed before." Ginny admitted. "Enough about me, what was going on, today?"
"Want to eat in my dorm?" Hermione offered
"Yes, I want to know what you're hiding." Ginny grinned.
"In that case, do you want to sleep over?" Hermione laughed.
"Yes!" Ginny bounced up and down. "Let me go drop my stuff off and I'll grab some clothes and pajamas!"
About a quarter of an hour later Ginny and Hermione were sitting her common room in front of the fire in their sweats. Hermione had grabbed her two-way mirror for when Charlie called, and they had asked Wiggle to bring them supper.
"Is there anything else?" Wiggle asked.
"Is there any way to get an extra mattress in my room?" Hermione asked. "Ginny is spending the night, if not I will just enlarge my bed."
"Wiggle will see what Wiggle can do, ma'am." The elf bowed and disappeared.
"So, what happened today?" Ginny inquired.
Hermione told her all about how Headmistress McGonagall new she was thinking of teaching and how the only reason she came back was to get her N.E.W.T.S. so that if she changed her mind in a few years she would always be qualified to do whatever she wanted, not just by her name. She told Ginny that McGonagall had set up for her to take her N.E.W.T.S. early but that if she hated her scores she could retake the N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year, that they would be different. How, if she wanted to keep some scores and retakes some she was allowed and could teach part-time at that point. She spoke of the potion and all the practical and theoretical tests along with the officials. Before long Ginny was clued in.
"So, if you like your scores are you going to teach?" Ginny had asked the most important question; the one Hermione had been asking herself.
"It all depends on your brother."
"What? Why? You need to do what's right for you." Ginny pushed her.
"I know, what I mean is, If I will be allowed to go off campus and visit him then I probably will. I have the agreement that I can go to Hogsmeade pretty much whenever I want to, now. I just have to let my Head of House know or McGonagall, for now obviously I tell McGonagall. If that would change I wouldn't want to teach. I want to see Charlie. I want to spend time with him and get to know him better. I really think he is the one for me and I'm not letting some job get in the way of that. I would rather be able to see him and be bored but enjoying my last year, than to start teaching and having a challenge and not get to see Charlie." Hermione Clarified. "I think Charlie is what is right for me."
"When do you get your results back?"
"I'm not sure, they made it sound like it would be quick so hopefully by Monday." Hermione had a rather large knot in her stomach.
"How about we eat and then we can worry abo-" Ginny was cut off with a sharp knock.
When Hermione opened the door, she found Headmistress McGonagall and all the Ministry officials.
"I apologize to intrude on your private time, but I thought you would want your results," McGonagall told her.
"Of course, come in."
"Ginny would you mind le-"
"No, I will be telling her anyway, so she can be here." Hermione found that she really needed her friend all the sudden.
"It looks like you got O's in everything, then. They couldn't mark you any higher but some of them tried to." She looked pointedly at the group.
Hermione and Ginny started squealing and jumping around, holding each other.
"A few of the officials wanted to say a couple of things to you." McGonagall Admitted. "That is why so many are here, actually. We only needed two witnesses."
Hermione grinned and waited. Mr. Aims told her that he loved her technique and how she was able to thin so fast on her feet. Mrs. Millan told her that she was glad to see someone with such a grasp for Transfiguration and told her to consider becoming an Animagus. Mr. Franks was the one who surprised her the most. He told her that his real last name was Frankston and it clicked. He was a great potionier that had written several of the books that she had studied. He was the reason that she understood how the potion ingredients worked together the way they did.
"Would you mind terribly if I asked you to sign my copies of your books?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"I would love to, I feel like I will be asking the same thing of you in a few years." Mr. Frankston told her.
"I will gladly do it. I didn't understand anything about potions until I read your books. I just read the page and tried to do what it said. Now, I know why it works the way it does, and I can alter so many potions to make them easier, more stable or stronger. It is really amazing what you taught me over the last year." Hermione told him after getting her books from her bookshelf.
"So why did you take the offer of taking your N.E.W.T.S. early, obviously there is a reason because you could have studied more this year, instead." He asked.
"I'm thinking of teaching." Hermione stated "However I refuse to go forth without my credentials.
"Of course, a smart witch always takes the proper steps." Mr. Frankston smiled. "Please tell me you will be teaching Potions, we need spectacular teachers to teach children what we can to make them great potionier's themselves."
"I'm not sure what I will be teaching, yet. It will also depend on quite a few details if certain terms cannot be met I would rather just go home or spend the rest of the year studying." Hermione admitted.
"I'm sure that you can be very persuasive to get what you want, but we all must bend a bit, sometimes."
"I understand that but there are just a couple things I won't budge on, but I can see what we can figure out." Hermione made it plain she meant business and she really didn't care if she started teaching now or later or, if some terms couldn't be met, never.
"I guess we will take our leave now that we have been able to have our word with you." Mrs. Hightower told her. "It was lovely meeting you, I wish you well."
"Thank you," Hermione told her.
When everyone but McGonagall left Hermione turned to her for their inevitable conversation.
"So, what are the terms that need to be met?" she was asked.
"I need to know about my freedoms to go off the grounds. I will not take the position if I cannot leave." Hermione answered bluntly but politely.
"If you are not in class or on rounds you can go off grounds whenever you want. It is nice if I get a courtesy message so that I know how long you will be gone but that's about it."
"I can start whenever you are ready, then. I will do whatever classes you need me to cover until you have things figured out. After you get someone hired for one of the vacancies I will take the other until the end of the year."
"Are you wanting to take Professor Slughorn's position after he retires at the end of the year?" McGonagall asked her.
"Surprisingly, I think so." Hermione grinned. "I didn't think I knew so much but after today I feel like I got a slap in the face for a wake-up call."
"I will see you after supper in my office, tomorrow, then. We will go over the finer details, don't worry it should be relatively fast." McGonagall Smiled at her. "Enjoy your evening."
When Hermione turned to Ginny she started jumping again.
"I can't believe you're going to be a teacher, now!" Ginny smiled.
"I can't believe the freedom I'm going to have… and the restrictions." I won't be able to support Gryffindor so openly or I could get accused of favoritism. However, I can go see Charlie more." Hermione smiled putting her hands to her chest, "I miss him like crazy and it's only been a few days." She admitted. "I can't wait for him to call so that I can tell him." The girls sat back down to eat and were surprised to find their food still hot and the pumpkin juice still cold.
A/N If you have any guesses on where this is going, I would love to hear them. Other than that, if there is anything you want to throw out there just let me know. Can't wait to update this again for ya'll! I love seeing the numbers skyrocket, of how many people have read the story, and I love seeing the reviews. Ya'll make my days a lot brighter.