Summary: There are many alternate universes that branched off from each other, differing in many different ways. The most powerful enchanters and enchantresses of which there is only one in all of these universe holds the seat of Chrestomanci. Hermione is about to find out that that she is destined to hold the power to maintain the balance in all of these universes.

A/N: Thank you for your review SereniteRose! I really don't know if this story is a good idea. :( But I have to write it down.

The Next Chrestomanci

Incendiary

Enchanters' magic is highly tied to their emotions and passions. One can akin it to a fire, the brighter and bigger it is, the harder is it to control. Thus, control of one's emotions and passion is often one of the first lessons taught to powerful enchanters.

Hermione is getting frustrated. It wasn't that she was incapable of learning the spell or enchantment, her problem is control. Wizards and witches use wands to use as focal point of their magic to be able to cast powerful enchantments and spells. While they brew potions to simulate or to create more stable and consistent effects similar or even more complicated than most common spells. Enchanters don't and shouldn't need these. But Hermione's spells are too powerful and scattered.

The last tutor ran away in fear when Hermione couldn't return turn him back from being a lizard and he almost got eaten by her cat, Crookshanks, and just when he managed to escape, Chrestomanci's dog, Aramis, played with him until he passed out before Hermione managed to get him from the dog's grasp.

Even Chrestomanci couldn't turn him back because of Hermione's powerful spell. She had to calm down enough, focus enough and remember the magical theories she'd recently learn to turn him back. She took three days.

Only another enchanter is immuned from another enchanter's spell or at the very least throw it off. This is why Hermione now accompanies Chrestomanci everywhere, even when he is summoned so he could throw in a lesson or two.

They discussed magic theories as he explained these in relation to the situations he handles while he also let her fix things that can easily be dealt with, making it handy for her when she finally takes over the mantle of Chrestomanci. Kenji found his young apprentice to be very intelligent and insightful.

Chrestomanci realized something in span of time he was teaching Hermione and that is she reacts better and faster when she needs to defend herself. So he used dueling to get his lessons in every now and then, it also serves as his exercise seeing how one also needs to be quick on his feet to duel. But he'd forgotten something, something dangerous that Eric Chant warned him time and again, his weakness is manifesting itself once more.

Hermione, used to dueling due to her experience in the second wizarding war managed to dodge and pin him with her body. Her face was flushed with exertion, she was panting slightly and he could see the droplets of sweat trickling down her neck as her body laid on top of him. He can smell her distinctive smell, she doesn't use perfume or colognes like most women he knew and the musky scent of her sweat added to… No he doesn't want to think about it. He tried, the smallest spell. His magic was flickering.

"Ready to give up?" Hermione teased. He gave a small smile and nodded, before she could react, he turned them over and quickly got up, setting her to sit up. "Another round, Chrestomanci?" Hermione asked. He shook his head. "No, I am a very old man after all. I tire easily." He joked. Hermione scrunched her nose at his remark. "Bollocks! You're only 87, hardly an old man for a nine-life enchanter, you're still an infant." She remarked brushing herself.

He laughed and commented how if he was still an infant he'd need a nap now. But the cogwheels of his mind were busily turning. The last time this happened was with Shen-rou. He frowned at that. The clock struck 7:00 pm and dinner would be served. Hermione grabbed his arm, cheerily chatting about a magical theory she'd just read.

He tried to cast a fireball with his other arm, and only a small fireball was conjured before flickering into nonexistence. He closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath even though his young apprentice didn't notice his reaction. He has to place a distance between them before this gets worse.

He convinced himself that what he feels for her is not love. He is old enough to be her grandfather. He is merely lacking female company in the past few years due to the strain of work. Maybe he should put some distance between them for a while. Perhaps a vacation in one of the worlds occupied by nymphs…

He would later be able to control his emotions and was capable of doing magic around her, but he wouldn't touch her again and had put a physical distance between them. He didn't think Hermione would notice the real reason but he kept on grousing about being defeated. All dueling lessons have ceased with the excuse that she had learned all she could from him in the art of battling with magic seeing that he's not much into that.

Judicious Chrestomancis

To explain Chrestomanci's work, one can see the office as a sort of magical UN, but even better because the position can only be held by a powerful enchanter or enchantress, thus having the power to actually enforce the rules.

Unfortunately, it is not as set as the UN and is thoroughly reliant on the one person handling the job. Every Chrestomanci who sat have their own different styles.

Of the more recent ones, there's Gabriel DeWitt, who have died earlier than he should due to some… Let's better not get into that now, but he was a man who took a personal approach to things.

Then, there's Christopher Chant. Christopher Chant gazes vaguely at things or people he is concentrating on: the vaguer the look the more he's thinking. Christopher is known to get people's names wrong. He only gets people's names wrong when he doesn't care about them or they're not important to him. His deceased wife, Millie says he is obsessed with his clothing and he makes everyone else get only the finest silk shirts when she says he could fix it all by magic anyway. In her opinion his downfall is laziness and having an over-inflated ego.

Then, there's Eric Chant. A bit disorganized and a bit bedraggled, he was the worst dressed as his (father's cousin who later on became his sort of adoptive father), Christopher was the best dressed Chrestomanci. He might be all of these, but he was the kindest and most humane of all mentioned. But that is not to say he did not inherit the cunning that seems to be prevalent in his family. Also, the former Chrestomanci did and admittedly owns up to being selfish. He said he often thought of his welfare before others, a good whack from Christopher Chant used to clear it up and later, a nudge from his former apprentice will snap him out of it.

Lastly, there's Kenji Yamamoto. He is diligent, hardworking and fair. Well appearance-wise at least. He was actually so lazy that Eric Chant used to box his ears every once in a while to force him to study magic theories. He preferred to play video games and laze around with his guitar. He's stopped playing for a long time now, doing his work as diligently as he is expected to.

The Chrestomanci travels through the Related Worlds, which have distinct Twelve Series. He or she is sometimes summoned and at times the pressing imbalance in magical environment leads him or her in that world. If one must be technical and, Kenji knows one of his predecessors, Christopher Chant would insist on if he'd known, what he did on Hermione's world, interfering with the local strife goes against the usual function of the office, seeing as it was a war amongst the locals. One can even see that the distinct definition between magical and non-magical humans was in itself a belief of superiority of one over the other. It logically follows that there would be sub-strata in this hierarchy and a small group of people would establish dominance in this respect.

While Eric Chant, his immediate predecessor would have taken the very action he'd taken (he'd used the illegal splitting of soul of Tom Riddle Jr. as an excuse to do what he did) out of sympathy but Christopher Chant, he'd assume would remove the distinct line between magical and non-magical by removing the memory reversal spells placed on muggles.

Why didn't he do that? Not only because he is lazy, but that would still be interfering with the local politics. He sighed as he and Hermione waded through the mountains of paperwork on his desk.

Kindling

Of course it is impossible to put distance between him and his apprentice, even if he assigns her to accomplish tasks by herself once in a while. He kept on reminding himself that she doesn't see him that way and instead of lusting after his ward, he should concentrate on bringing out her full potential as a powerful enchantress and the next Chrestomanci.

She didn't help much either. The way she nibbles on her pen as she is lost in thought, or how she would absent mindedly play with her bushy curls or even how carelessly innocent she is with her person, all drives him to distraction. He often thought that 18 years old are at least aware of their sensuality and their person but Hermione seemed to have not have much experience in this regard. He presumes it's the distance of worlds between her and her ex-boyfriend.

Then there's her sweet disposition. Yes, she can be bossy at times or even downright bookish in her knowledge of the world, but he finds these things oddly endearing. She often asks if he'd eaten his meals or if he'd rested between work.

He finds himself enchanted with her. He's too old to have a crush or at least that's what he tells himself. While he knows he is not in love with Hermione (not yet, or so his traitorous mind tells him), he can't help but feel happy in her company. He couldn't even dismiss it as a lack of female companionship seeing that he sought out other females only to compare them unjustly towards his young and innocent ward.

He tucked in Hermione's hair into her ears as she is too absorbed the theory she's reading. She is, by now comfortable enough with him that even such physical closeness does not bother her.

He often asks himself how she actually sees him. His real form and face, one he dons in the castle is still that of a twenty year old man, but outside and while at his work as a Chrestomanci he wears the appearance of a middle age man. He is, of course, far older than both appearances. He tells himself he is a sick man for falling head first for a young woman who only sees him as an old mentor.

Love

She always found magic wonderful and they rarely have time to enjoy it between her lessons, work and of course the normal routine of eating and sleeping. The office of Chrestomanci which had been around far longer than the human history of most world holds great responsibility and knowledge. But it is not all work even for this office.

Chrestomanci replicated the night sky of his home world 12-C in one of the sitting rooms. Hermione was speechless with awe and just sat down on the blanket she'd laid on the floor. He sat beside her. She glanced at him from the side and as she did before, found his face to be nothing less than beautiful.

His straight nose is a distinct feature on his face, but he has such lovely almond shaped eyes and what she'd come to see a very kissable thin lips. She knew he'd never notice her. But a girl can dream can't she?

She didn't know when she started feeling this way. Perhaps she'd even begun feeling this way on the first few months of her stay, even when she was with Ron, even if she wouldn't have admitted it then. Some would say it was his power or even his obvious good looks. But no, Hermione is not that shallow. She finds him funny and witty, even when he is being sarcastic and droll.

He cares for her, builds her confidence and guides her through this new strange and wonderful world. Maybe it's the close proximity but Hermione can't stop herself. She tapped his arm to give him his sandwich and of course, she didn't see the night sky he'd set up flicker momentarily. He took the sandwich and quickly took a bite, looking back and ensuring that the sky he'd set up is well in place.

Hermione sighed. They'd always be mentor and apprentice. He may or may not get married like his predecessors, but she knew he'd never see her in the same way she sees him. She tells herself she should stop pining for a man who would only see her as his young apprentice as he calls her.

A/N P.S.: I think you're seeing just what his weakness is.