Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this fiction belong to JK Rowling, her heirs and assignees, except for those who belong to me.

Author's Notes: I want to thank GrammarPolice for her beta and SlytherinsHeirx for his brilliant Britpicking. Thank you to the readers of this lengthy endeavour for all the lovely reviews.

Chapter Eighteen

"Come in, Hermione. Please come in," Minerva said, opening the door to her office. "I'm glad you asked for this meeting."

"Did you mean what you said last night?" Hermione asked breathlessly. "About my starting an apprenticeship with you this morning?"

"The first day of the new year is a traditional time to begin an apprenticeship," Minerva said with a smile. "I thought we might want to go the traditional route."

"My Potions classes..."

"Hmm, yes. We will have to ask Severus to return to teaching all the Potions classes since you will have started to work with me. Perhaps we should have him up here as well." She took a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the fire. As the flames turned green, she called, "Severus Snape."

His head appeared in the flames, looking a sickly green colour. "Yes, Minerva?" he asked warily.

"Would you step through please, Severus? Hermione and I need to discuss the next term's scheduling with you."

"Hmmm, yes, I thought that might be the case. Stand aside, if you please." His head withdrew and the next moment he was stepping out of the fireplace, brushing the soot from his robes with an annoyed look at the Headmistress. "Your chimney flue needs cleaning, Minerva. There is entirely too much soot in it to be effective."

"I'll make a note of that for the house-elves," Minerva said, smiling. "Please, take a seat. Would you like some tea, Severus? Hermione?"

Assured by both that no tea was necessary, Minerva started the meeting. "I am prepared to offer you a contract of apprenticeship, Hermione, to begin from today. Your duties will include teaching the first through fourth year Transfiguration classes..."

"What happened to Babakitis?" Severus interrupted. "I couldn't help but notice he wasn't at the staff party last night."

"Well... no..." Minerva sighed. "As I understand it, he went home to Athens for the holidays and was exposed to dragon pox. His nephew, I believe. I received notice from his Healer in Greece yesterday but didn't want to ruin everyone's good mood. He won't be coming back to England or to Hogwarts. Therefore, Hermione, I would have you teaching the lower classes while I take the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. classes, if you are willing."

"That sounds fine to me if it's okay with Severus," Hermione said, turning to him. "I wouldn't be able to teach Potions as well, though. Not without a Time-Turner." She giggled at the sight of his glaring dark eyes.

"Absolutely not," Severus said scornfully. "You won't need a Time-Turner because I'll take all the Potions classes again. I'm sorry your Greek didn't work out, Minerva. Better luck next time."

The Headmistress pulled a contract out of the top drawer and laid it on the desk. "It's a standard contract for apprenticeship, Hermione. You'll still have your room, board and remuneration. Of course, as a Potions master, we can fudge it so you receive a higher amount than you would as just a regular apprentice, but not by much, I'm afraid. The Ministry is already up in arms about having to pay you Master rates now."

"So soon?" Hermione was shocked. "But..."

"A copy of your Master's scroll was forwarded to the Ministry as soon as Minerva and I signed it last evening, if you will recall," Severus said with a smirk. "I'm surprised that someone was actually working today and saw it."

"Yes, well," Minerva said. "Percy Weasley..."

Hermione snorted in laughter. "Of course it would be him. Who else is so dedicated to brown-nosing the right people that he would come in when everyone else is having a holiday?"

"Miss Granger, please," Minerva admonished, though she did smile. "Mr Weasley was an excellent student and is a dedicated public servant." She grimaced. "Although perhaps he is a wee bit too dedicated if you ask me. I could have waited until tomorrow to hear the Ministry's complaints rather than be woken by them first thing this morning."

"Headache, Minerva?" Severus asked politely.

"Hangover, Severus," Minerva said pointedly.

"I do have some remedies that the other teachers had asked me to brew for them in light of their plans for last evening," he said scornfully, pulling a vial out of his robes. He double-checked the label and handed it over the desk. "This should help."

"Thank you." Minerva breathed a sound of relief and, swallowing the potion with a grimace, she sighed again as the hangover remedy began to work.

"That's much better. It's too bad Kingsley doesn't have a competent potions brewer living on site. Maybe he would have had a hangover remedy to take before he Floo'd me complaining about Mr Weasley's early morning call."

"Won't the Ministry be suspicious if I sign an apprentice's contract with you this morning after getting a Master's scroll last night?" Hermione asked, biting her lower lip in nervous habit. "I don't want to get you or Severus in trouble."

"Bless you, dear, but no," Minerva said. "The Ministry has no say over whom I take as an apprentice. If you could have managed it, this contract would have been signed last October and they couldn't have done a thing about it. However," she continued, "you cannot witness this one, Severus. They might definitely suspect collusion if you do."

"I concur," Severus said. "Might I suggest Filius?"

"Excellent suggestion," Minerva said as she walked over to the hearth and, throwing a handful of powder on the flames, called out, "Filius, are you there?"

"Yes, Minerva?" he asked as his green, glowing head showed up in the fire. "Ah, good morning, Hermione, Severus."

"Good morning, Filius," Minerva said. "Could you come up to my office, please? We need you to witness Hermione's apprentice contract."

"With pleasure." Flitwick beamed at the thought. "Does this mean I get the next chance?"

"We'll see." Minerva smiled at his enthusiasm. "That's up to Hermione. Come through now, if you please."

In short order, Hermione signed her name to another apprentice contract. Minerva signed it as her sponsoring Master, and Filius signed as the witness to both their signatures being made without duress. With a flip, the parchment rolled itself up and vanished, presumably to reappear on the appropriate desk at the Ministry to be filed.

* * *

...One month later...

"Minerva, Filius. Come in, please," Hermione said, opening the door of the Transfiguration classroom in response to a light tap. "Is everything all right?"

"Quite all right," Minerva said, smiling. "I'm about to pull a 'Severus'."

"I'm... I'm sorry?" Hermione asked, her brow wrinkled in confusion. She looked back and forth between the two professors. "What's a 'Severus'?"

Filius bounced excitedly on the tips of his toes, his fingers tucked into his waistcoat pockets. "May I be the one to tell her, Minerva, please?"

"She's my apprentice, Filius," Minerva said archly. "Wait your turn." With that, she pulled a tied parchment scroll out of the sleeve of her robes and handed it to Hermione.

Totally flustered by now, Hermione unrolled the scroll and read the words, their meaning not dawning on her until she had finished. "Are you serious?" she gasped. "This says I'm..."

"Officially a Transfiguration Journeyman, yes," Minerva smiled warmly at her. "Congratulations. Now, if you'll sign the journeyman contract, I will do so as well and Filius can witness it for us."

Her hands shaking with excitement, Hermione quickly signed the parchment, then offered the quill to Minerva, who signed with alacrity. Filius continued to bounce until it was his turn to sign the scroll. Turning solemn, he took the quill and signed "Filius Flitwick, Magister Cantionis" in swooping letters across the bottom of the scroll. That done, the contract rolled itself up and disappeared once more in the direction of London and the Ministry.

"Won't they wonder what's going on up here?" Hermione asked nervously. "First Severus gives me Journeyman status after two weeks and Mastery after only four months. Now you've pretty much done the same. What are they to think?"

"Nothing at all," Minerva said. "As I told you at the beginning of this year, apprentices and journeymen are the concern of their Masters only. The Ministry has only to file the contracts and scrolls, as they are registered, for their records."

Filius reached up and shook Hermione's hand earnestly. "Congratulations, my dear. I do hope you'll give me the next chance when it comes up." He smiled. "After all, Septima didn't put her bid in until after I did."

Hermione laughed. "I promise," she said. "If I decide to try for a Charms mastery, you'll be the one I come to for my apprenticeship."

"Good to know, good to know," Filius said, repeating himself as he bounced on his toes again with excitement. "Oh dear. Look at the time." He pulled his pocket watch out and displayed it. "I've a class to teach. Thank you both for allowing me to witness this." With that, he tucked the watch away and was out the door before another word could be spoken.

"Speaking of classes..." Hermione began.

"Yes, dear, I know," Minerva said. "We both have classes to teach as well. I will offer my congratulations once again and see you at dinner." She sailed out the door after Flitwick just as Hermione's first-year Gryffindor/Slytherin students entered the classroom and took their seats.

* * *

Draco Malfoy

Hermione

* * *

Hermione Granger

Draco

* * *

Ferret,

Herms

A/N: Thanks once again to AmyLouise of DownUnder for the Latin translations. Any misuse of the words is my own fault. I'm not a Latin scholar. Sorry.

magister = teacher

cantio = incantation or enchantment