Not long after the students returned to Hogwarts and their classes, Harry was held after by his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He finished packing his things, waved off his friends, and retook his seat at the front of the room. Achesan leaned back against the front of her desk, watching him, as they waited for the rest of the students to leave. When the door had closed behind the last smirking Slytherin, Achesan spoke.

"I've noticed that you're reasonably advanced in my subject, Mister Potter."

Harry blushed. "Thank you, Professor."

"No thanks necessary," Achesan said, waving him off. "It's not a compliment, unless you want to take it as one, just an observation. And also why I've been assigning you extra work. Mister Potter…Harry, I'm not just a professor, I am what is known as a Defense Master. I've got a letter of commendation from the Ministry and everything. Do you know how one becomes a Master of their subject?"

Harry shook his head. He'd honestly never given it any thought, having never met another Master besides Severus.

Achesan rubbed the back of her head, mussing her long hair. "Typically, one becomes a Master by enduring an apprenticeship. This can last anywhere from a few months to a few years, dependent on your level of skill, your dedication, and the attendance of your Master to your studies. Mostly the apprenticeship is like Muggle university. You study your chosen field under the guidance of your Master, advancing and improving your skills. There's a lot of research involved, too, like the extra assignments I've been giving you. The Master you train under becomes your Master, and you assist them in their field of Mastery. Sometimes you live with them, other times your Master provides you with a living. Now, Master's are hard to come by for an apprenticeship. Professor Snape, for example, is the only Master I've heard of as having studied under Master Kwan, who is a Master of Defense, Alchemy, and Potions. Do you understand so far?"

Harry nodded, mentally cataloguing this new information about his dawn companion.

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

"Not really," Harry admitted a little bashfully.

Achesan sighed. "Harry, have you thought any about what you would like to do, after you've left Hogwarts?"

"No," Harry said. "I once thought of being an Auror, but I haven't got the Potions NEWT to qualify, and I no longer wish to pursue the subject, anyway. Once I'd spoken with actual Aurors and discovered what the job entails, it no longer seemed like the right fit. I haven't thought anymore about what else I could do, yet, besides teaching. I had a club in Fifth Year where I taught a bunch of other students Defense, and I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoy Defense, even the research part you've been giving me lately. I figured I'd go to my Head of House sometime this term and ask her what my options might be."

Achesan hummed noncommittally, nodding. "What would you say if I offered you a way to pursue them both, teaching and Defense?"

Harry straightened in his chair. "I'd say you'd caught my attention, Professor."

Achesan smiled. "I'd hoped you'd say that. Harry, I'm in the market for an apprentice; someone whom I can pass the knowledge I've gained over the years on to. You're the first wizard, or witch for that matter, who I've seriously considered, and I've even been testing your dedication to the craft. You have to have noticed that you never received any form of grade for your extra assignments." Harry nodded that he had. "You did the work without any sort of reward. That's an important aspect to being an apprentice, which can often be a thankless job. As my apprentice, you would be able to study Defense freely, and, since I plan to remain at Hogwarts for a few more years, at least, you would also be assisting me in the classroom. Were you to agree, your apprenticeship would begin as soon as you stepped off the train at King's Cross. I would offer a fair wage, and you would accompany me on my travels to study dark wizards and creatures…and occasionally guarding the odd village from one or the other."

Harry chuckled with his professor, though he didn't doubt that it could happen.

"I want you to give this some serious thought, Harry. I don't expect an answer today, or even next week. Once you dedicate yourself to a Master, even before the actual apprenticeship begins, you're contractually obligated to see it through," Achesan finished.

The Wizarding Savior felt his thoughts spin dizzily as he considered what he was being offered. It was the chance to pursue his interests, but more than that it was a chance to do so under the guiding hand of someone who knew what they were doing. If it was anything like the work he'd been doing since that first Hogsmeade weekend, he definitely knew he wanted more. The only question was whether he could invest himself so completely. She'd already said being an apprentice was often times a thankless job. Could he dedicate himself without grades to tell him if he was doing good work?

Harry stood, shouldering his messenger bag. "Thank you, so much, Professor Achesan," He said delightedly. "It's a lot to think about, and I can guarantee that I will be thinking about it. I can have an answer for you before the Leaving Feast, unless you need it sooner."

"No, I will make no such demand on you," Achesan assured him. "It's a very important decision, and you shouldn't feel rushed in making it. However, I will continue to give you some extra work. I realize you have your NEWTs to study for, so they won't be as in-depth as they have been up 'til now, but I feel it will help you make your decision. Being an apprentice is hard work, and not to be taken lightly. I feel that maintaining your grades while performing these extra tasks for me will give you an idea of the dedication it requires. For now, you may go. And feel free to ask your friends for advice."

Harry gave a stiff nod and turned towards the door. He knew, even before he reached the corridor where Hermione and Neville were waiting to escort him to lunch, that he wouldn't mention this to them just yet, if at all before he'd made the decision. It was an incredible opportunity, and he knew without asking that Hermione, at least, would pressure him to take it. He didn't want anyone biasing for or against it before he'd had his own time to mull over the pros and cons. One good that his discussion with Achesan had wrought, was that he was now no longer on the fence about Quidditch. He didn't have the time to waste chasing a golden ball on a broom if he was being groomed for an apprenticeship.

-Break-

For the next few days, Harry used his morning's with Severus to subtly query what the man's own apprenticeship had entailed. The more he heard about apprenticing, the more the idea appealed to him. The way Severus spoke of his Master, Master Kwan Henley, was…inspiring. He held nothing but affection for the wizard, even when he spoke of the hardships he'd endured during his studies. It made Harry worry that he wouldn't find as much enjoyment from his time with Master Ailin Achesan. However, the enjoyment he still got from the research assignments she was giving him suggested he very well might. And it was a chance to see the world, if only on the summer.

Outside of this new undertaking of thought, Harry was catching heat from his Quidditch team over quitting less than halfway through his last season. Ginny was the only one on his side, having seen the amount of pressure he was under from his classes. He'd happily passed the Captainship on to her shoulders, and she'd taken the badge seriously. Her first act had been to replace her own brother with McClaggen, feeling none of the obligation Harry had to keep the terrible redhead on the team. Harry had caught hell from his former best friend for his own little sister's decision, but had felt none of it, too busy with the work of acing his NEWT reviews, completing the assignments Achesan gave him, and dealing with his ever-evolving relationship.

Neville, who refused to acknowledge Harry's insistence that he'd made the decision alone, took credit for his boyfriend defecting from Gryffindor's Quidditch team. Harry, after trying and failing on three different occasions to correct this false interpretation of self-importance, decided to let the larger Seventh Year take the blame if he wanted it. It got the team off his back, at the least. The downside to this new imagined image that Neville held, of being able to influence Harry's life as he saw fit, was that it led to an abrupt increase in pressuring Harry to take their relationship to the next level. He had yet to go as far as actually pushing the issue, but it was definitely mentioned less-than-subtly on several occasions.