Chapter 10 No we can't be teachers
*************************Headmaster's office Hogwarts**********************
September 9, 2005
A week had passed since the dual funerals for the Grangers and Percy. The wake that followed had been interminable for Hermione, as the muggle friends of her father's who had thrown it for their good friend, did not know the truth. They had been told that the Grangers had been killed in a gas leak and that they had died peacefully in their sleep.
Not that the most evil Dark Wizard in the world had commanded their death as a means to strike against both muggles and the forces ranked against him at the same time. People that she didn't know would come up to her and offer advise on how to get though it and that it was a shame that such accidents happen. Hermione would have not gotten through all of her classes, in this last week, if it hadn't been for Harry and her new brother Ron, who along with her were studying to become Aurors for the Ministry, to support her in the classes.
McGonagall's N.E.W.T. level transfiguration class had been particularly hard as the assignment had been to transfigure a music box into a camera and have it work at the end. Aurors were often called on to deal with complicated items laid as traps by the ones they pursued. The problem came about when Ron started his box playing. It had been a song that Hermione's mother had used to sing her to sleep with. Harry had to hurriedly take her into the hall to let her calm down for a second, when she had broken into tears again.
They had gotten though the week though and now Dumbledore had called them into his office, neither knew what it was about, and both were wondering what either of them could have done recently, but since most of their trouble also involved Ron, they weren't too concerned, since he was not here. The office was filled as usual with Dumbledore's normal overflow of stuff, from shining silver instruments pilled on tables, to open books scattered about to several varieties of muggle and wizard candies in bowls on the various tables and shelves. The portrait of Phineas Nigellus, Sirius' grandfather, nodded at Harry as they entered while the rest were doing their usual possum act to try to pick up gossip. Fawkes the Phoenix was looking resplendent in bright gold and red plumage; he must have just gone through a rebirth. Harry and Hermione had chosen old overstuffed chairs in front of Dumbledore's huge desk. They sat talking softly to each other while they waited.
They started to stand as Dumbledore and Remus walked in from Dumbledore's quarters behind the main office, only to sit back down at a wave. Dumbledore took his seat behind his massive desk, and Lupin perched on a corner.
"You are wondering why you are here?" Dumbledore began looking alternately at Harry and at Hermione, his eyes twinkling as if only he knew the punchline to a particularly funny joke.
"Yes, " Hermione answered for both of them.
"Well as you know I have not been able to find a competent person to fill the position of Defense against the Dark Arts. I do not have the time available this year to fully teach the course myself as I did last year to attempt to make up for Umbridge's damage to the curriculum. So I have decided to use the resources at hand. I will continue to teach the course to the sixth and seventh year students as they both are NEWT level classes. As to the younger students, I am proposing that Lupin return on a part time basis to teach the 4th and 5th years, while Tonks teaches the third years. I have received permission for Tonks to do so from Arthur in his role as Minister of Magic.
"What about the 1rst and 2nd years? Are they not getting taught?" Hermione wondered. I wonder whom they dug up for that? Probably some no account like Professor Trelwany. Just as long isn't Umbridge.
"Funny you should ask that question, Miss Granger. As Head Boy and Girl I formally require that you assist the school in this matter and that you Miss Granger take the second year students and Mr. Potter teach the first year class."
"But Professor, we haven't even graduated." Exclaimed Harry as next to him, Hermione just looked shocked. How could I teach was echoed in each's thoughts. I screw up and get the ones I care about hurt. How can I teach these little kids to stop some one like Riddle? Both of them looked at each other, each reading the fear in their eyes.
"Harry, you and Hermione are more qualified to teach that class then almost any Auror in the Ministry. You both achieved record scores on your OWLs in DADA. With two O+s, the only other people to ever achieve that high a grade on those exams were..."
"Sirius and my father" Harry interjected, flashing suddenly back to a conversion at an earlier time with Moody. "And you see where that got them!"
"And myself." Dumbledore finished. " You two also unfortunately have more experience in this role than almost anyone here."
"Professor I wasn't good enough to stop them at my house." Hermione whispered. Harry reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, she glanced down and then over at Lupin before returning to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked into eyes that were filled with a mix of fear and guilt. He flinched inside but continued. "My dear, you and Nymphadora, went into a house that was your home, a place that you felt secure..."
"But" Hermione interjected.
"Let me finish please, Mione", Hermione's eyes went wide at the use of her nickname that usually only Harry or very rarely Ron used, everyone else used Herm or her full first name, but she motioned for him to continue.
"As I was saying you went into a house that you felt secure in, with your wands not in hand or holstered as if you were expecting trouble. You fought through the shock of events and out of ten to one odds without either of you sustaining great physical injuries. You have the skills. Remus, Tonks and myself will be glad to help with any difficulties but these are your classes to teach." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and looked at the pair of them over top of his half-moons, which had slid down to the very tip of his nose.
"Harry?" She asked though knowing him, she knew the answer.
"It's up to you love, I'll do whatever you decide, if he kicks us out I already have a house for us to live in." Harry responded with a somewhat forced smile though inside his emotions probably matched hers.
Hermione gave him a small smile, then turned to Dumbledore, the decision made in that instant. "Ok then we'll do it."
"Excellent, then, I will expect your lesson plans before classes on Monday." Dumbledore responded with a grin.
A/N: Okay that chapter was incredibly short, I really don't know why, so as recompense I will upload chapter 11 at the same time.