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Chapter 17: Not a Fool

It was later that morning when Tonks and Remus came down from their apartment with Teddy. The Slytherin guests took him out into the garden with Harry as they could see it was time for a serious discussion with Hermione to occur. The Twins had left earlier to open up their Diagon Alley store hoping to pick up some last minute school customers.

Tonks after making two teapots set out a tray for Remus and Hermione and tray for everyone else. Remus took his tray round to Hermione's patio while Tonks took hers out into the Garden.

"Okay Kitten why are we not sure?" he asked her as she joined him.

"I don't want to be a burden," she responded.

"You don't want to be a burden or you don't want charity?" he replied. Sitting quietly and looking over his cup of tea at he watched her trying to find the words to describe her doubts.

"Kitten. Pride does not feed you and it makes it difficult to buy books. Food becomes difficult to purchase when you have a false sense of pride. So is it pride that is holding you back?" he asked looking at her with is direct amber eyes pushing her to seriously consider his words.

"No it is not pride. But I don't want to be a burden. I don't want to trade on my name I want to earn my place. I don't feel that I am suitable for the position as I am not qualified to teach," she responded.

He shot out a bark of rich laughter. "You have tutored for years. You have a wealth of experience. You have a wide range of knowledge and I pretty damn sure that you could of have taken your NEWTs when you did your OWLs and got a stack of Outstandings" he advised her. The rest of guests had turned to regard the pair when Remus Lupin had laughed aloud before Tonks had distracted them back to some antics of Teddy.

"Well it is just .." she started and then stopped before saying the one word "afraid".

"Your afraid?" Remus asked reading her body language and was surprised by her admission. "What are you afraid of?"

"That I will muck up someone's education and therefore their life. That I will get things wrong. That my advice will be wrong and I will destroy someone's chances," she admitted.

"Hermione you won't be alone. It is not like what you and Harry were facing in the Triwizard tournament. You will have your professional colleagues to help guide you as you learn the ropes. Tonks and I will be there. Minerva, Pomona, Filius and the rest of the academic staff will all be there to support you. You will not be alone that is where the staff lounge comes in handy," advised Remus still regarding her with the same steady eyes trying to read the witch.

"So you are saying I need to admit defeat and accept the position," she asked.

"Yes. We will all be with you. Tonks will be able to work with you for a while to get your defences stronger," he advised.

"Why for a while? Is she going somewhere?" asked the curious witch picking up on his phraseology before regarding the witch who was his wife and a very good friend.

"That is not my place to tell and life is not always black and white. She does have a career as an Auror," advised Remus but he had a secret little grin as he watched his wife and son playing with Harry and Hermione's guests in the garden.

Leaving her son with Harry, Tonks came down the garden path to the patio area where Remus and Hermione were drinking their tea. "So has she said yes?" inquired the metamorphic witch as she put her arms around her husband's shoulders while regarding their mutual friend.

Pulling her down onto his lap he held Tonks giving her a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before turning to regard the young witch. " I am not sure if I have convinced her," he told his wife.

"Yes I will take the job", Hermione advised the pair finally admitting defeat. She could accept it now or she could be badgered for days. She was tired as she had not slept much at all worrying about the threat from Ginny and every other crackpot who would have a pot shot at her now she was an easy target.

Tonks stood and then came up beside the young witch. "Thank you and we love you" Hermione was advised as the woman hugged her. "Everyone here is worried about you and only want what is best for you. Teddy would miss his Mia if she went and did something silly."

"Pansy! We have to go clothes shopping again?" called Tonks. To which the Princess of Slytherin whipped her head around to gaze at Tonks before let out a whoop of joy. "Yes she is going to take the job! Teacher's clothes shopping!" was the excited response. There was the groan from the two young men at the thought of being dragged round the shops clothes shopping as the official bag carriers.

"Come on Teddy," advised Harry as he carried the almost toddler back to his parents, " You have this to look forward to when you are older. As a boy you get to be the official bag carrier for whatever woman is round. Mother, Grandmother, Girlfriend, Aunt or Sister and eventually I supposed it could be for a daughter."

Pansy had gone into fashionista mode. "Well the black robes from Madam Malkin could do as your teaching robes. We just need a couple more suit pieces to mix and match a little more. Jeans are not a teaching uniform," she stated. "So Muggle we go – it will be off to Harrods we go. The quicker we go the quicker we come home" she advised the groaning males. "Remus and Teddy can stay home and mind the fort so it is the three ladies of the residence and you two louts" she informed them.

"Oi who are you calling louts" inquired the blonde who was fashionably dressed and could possible be a male model in a magazine.

"Come on lets get organized and get going," demanded the excited witch.

"You know you caused this," advised Draco Hermione before he followed her in to get his coat.

Hermione wrote a short acceptance note and borrowed Harry's new owl to send her acceptance up to the Headmaster in Scotland. At the end of the week he would have a new Study Skills Tutor moving into the castle at the same time as the Lupins.

oOoOo

It was a relatively quick trip to Harrods as Pansy was on a mission. When they had been there the other day she had seen certain items and now with Harry present to be the banker for the shopping trip she proceeded to load Hermione up to the point were the witch just said whatever was necessary to get her out of the changing room and out of the store. It was surprising what Pansy had got past Hermione's sensibility radar with the assistance of Tonks, Draco and Harry.

Of course there was a side trip into a large Waterstones for a coffee from their cafe and a selection of books to add to Hermione's collection. This time they where there for books on Study Skills and learning difficulties. Hermione was going to be prepared as she was sure that there were some who were suffers of specific learning difficulties (SpLD) but she had never seen any recognition or adaption for alternative learning needs in any magical classroom. There was no way that there was not going to be some dyslexic students in the magical world as there were likely to be more individuals with a SpLD than there were magical people.