Chapter 1

Chapter 1

With her letter delivered, Hermione quickly made her way to the Apparition point just past the Hogwarts gates. She needed to get away from here for a while. She Apparated to Godric's Hollow, where she hoped to find Harry or Luna at home. A distraction was just what she needed, and her friends could always be counted on to provide it. Besides, what could the headmaster do to her? Fire her? She smiled wryly. He'd have done that a long time ago if her contract had allowed it, she knew, but she had never given him grounds. Now, of course, to fire her would only create more headaches for him, as he'd have to figure out how to cover her lessons for the next three months instead of spending that time finding her replacement for next year.

"Harry? Luna?" she called as she knocked and then let herself in. Seconds later, Harry appeared from the direction of the kitchen.

"Hermione?" Harry replied, clearly surprised to see her there. "Won't Snape have your head for being off grounds in the middle of the week?" he asked curiously.

As she returned his welcoming hug, Hermione smiled at the way his thoughts mirrored hers. "Well, considering he has my letter of resignation, I'm not sure he has much to threaten me with." She paused for a moment, considering, before adding, "Though given half a chance, I'm sure he'll find something."

"You resigned?" Luna asked. "Are you sure you should have done that? You love teaching."

"I do love teaching," Hermione agreed. "But Hogwarts isn't the only school in the world, after all, and I finally realised today that not even my students are worth taking constant abuse and criticism. I'm tired of beating my head against a wall. He's never going to let the past go, he's never going to respect me. He just hates me too much, and he doesn't want a fresh start. If there's one thing I learned over the years, it's that some things simply are what they are, and no matter how I might wish it otherwise, I can't change them."

"This isn't like you, Hermione, to just give up," Harry said softly.

"It is now," Hermione said. "And it didn't even take three years this time. Look how long I tried to make Ron stop cheating on me, or how much I struggled to win house-elves rights they didn't even want." She shook her head. "I'm tired, Harry. When I was at Beauxbatons, people didn't care that I was Muggleborn. They didn't care who my friends were, or what house I was from. They liked my passion for learning, and for teaching. They liked me. Here, people refuse to look past my history."

"Not everyone is like that," Luna pointed out. "The rest of the staff adores you. Even the Board of Governors is thrilled with your performance. They aren't going to be happy you've resigned."

"She's right, Hermione," Harry said. "At the last meeting, even Lucius Malfoy admitted you've been a terrific addition to the staff. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but they were already debating how much of a pay rise you were likely to demand to sign a new contract. Lucius wanted to offer it before the NEWT and OWL scores are posted because he was confident they would only enhance your bargaining power."

"That's all very gratifying, Harry, but it's not enough anymore. He insulted me in front of a student today. He's never done that before – it's a new low, even for him. In front of staff, yes, but they're used to it by now, and he's not all that much nicer to them, is he? But today he swept into my office without even a knock while I was working with a student on her independent study project, and he told her to watch out I didn't steal credit for her work. What did I ever do to deserve that?" Hermione was near tears at the thought that anyone, even Professor Snape, would think she could be so dishonest.

"Nothing," Luna soothed.

"He's a git," Harry said, her staunchest ally as usual. "Always has been, always will be. I'm sure your student didn't take it seriously."

"She might have. She's Slytherin, and no matter how nasty he gets with everyone else, he still favours them, and they all think he's some sort of God. The Saviour of Slytherin, they call him." She sighed. "They've stuck with me despite all that because I was a good teacher and because he didn't actively discourage it, but now ... How can I teach in a school where the headmaster is actively trying to undermine my authority and ruin my reputation?"

After a short silence, Luna asked, "What will you do next?"

"Finish out the year, of course, and start networking to find another position as soon as possible. Madame Maxime will help, no doubt, as will Minerva and Filius as soon as I tell them. I probably ought to write to Septima, too. Even though she's retired, she still keeps her toe in, so she might hear of something."

"You're lucky you have the income from the matchmaking service to keep you going in case it takes a while," Harry mused aloud.

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, who knew that would turn out so well? I certainly didn't. I only agreed to do it because it was a challenge. I never expected her to make such a success of it." It was true. She had agreed to develop an algorithm for Lavender's business venture in exchange for a percentage of (then-hypothetical) profits. Within a year, as Lavender rode the post-war marriage boom to success, Hermione had realised she had seriously underestimated the other girl's business acumen. She had had a steady stream of income for the past seven years as a result.

"I hope you don't go too far from home," Luna said softly. She and Harry exchanged a glance before she continued. "We're finally pregnant, and we want you to be Godmother."

"Really?" Hermione was delighted. They had been trying for so long. "That's wonderful news! Don't worry, even if I wind up in Australia, you won't be able to stop me visiting constantly! I'm so thrilled for you both!" She took in their happy faces. "When are you due? What do the Healers say? Tell me everything!"

Severus allowed himself a private celebratory toast to his good fortune before turning his attention to the business responsibilities generated by the resignation of any professor. Normally, he hated paperwork of any kind, almost as much as he hated Board of Governors meetings and fundraising events, which he avoided as often as possible. The one good thing to come of that snakebite during the final battle was that he could frequently use his poor health as an excuse to avoid things he preferred not to do. He usually sent Minerva in his stead to at least half of the Board meetings, which had the added benefit for him of keeping him out of the company of the Boy Who Wouldn't Die (who had somehow wound up on the Board two years ago).

As for the fundraisers, Filius was far better at the ego-stroking that resulted in large donations to Hogwarts at such events, so Severus rarely made an appearance at any of those. He suspected the Board was rather more pleased than not with that particular arrangement. Even Lucius, the current Chairperson (and how he had managed that with his colourful history, Severus couldn't begin to guess), no longer made any effort to get him to show up for much of anything, really. He assumed this might be due to his having told Augusta Longbottom to her face that her grandson was the worst student ever to cross through Hogwarts' gates, and that he would certainly not recommend the boy for an apprentice post at Durmstrang.

How he had later regretted that decision – if he had helped the boy go to Durmstrang, Sprout wouldn't have gone around Severus to hire him as her apprentice, and he wouldn't constantly be forced to see the boy in the Great Hall. Between Longbottom and Granger, it was hardly a surprise that Severus had no appetite.

Still, it might have taken him two years longer than he had hoped, but he was finally to be rid of Granger permanently, and without a subsequent trip to Azkaban. Perhaps now he would turn his attention to persuading Longbottom to move on, too.

Severus finished his drink after a final salute toward the letter that was still lying on his desk. He glanced at the clock and decided it wasn't so late that he couldn't Floo-call Lucius immediately.

When the other man answered, Severus said, "Might I have a word, Lucius? I have news."

"Certainly, Severus, why don't you come through and have a drink?"

Why not, indeed?

He stepped through, brushed his robes out of habit, even though Lucius had long ago charmed his Floo to automatically Scourgify the robes of his guests as they stepped into the room. Wouldn't do to have people tracking soot across the Aubusson carpets, after all.

Once they were settled with an excellent brandy, Lucius asked, "So? What news?"

Severus smirked and handed him the letter. "We need a new Arithmancy professor for next term."

Lucius didn't look at the letter. He stared at Severus, and he didn't look pleased. "Where is Professor Granger going?"

Severus shrugged. "I have no idea, nor do I particularly care, so long as I don't have to have her underfoot at Hogwarts."

Lucius scanned the letter before replying. "Good, she doesn't say she's accepted another position, so we may be able to persuade her to stay."

Severus stared. "Why on earth would we want to do that? I've just spent nearly three years persuading her to leave!"

"Severus, I know you don't like the woman, but really, where's your good sense?"

"My good sense is perfectly fine, thank you very much. Where is yours?"

"Severus, you really need to get over whatever she did to you when she was a student. She's one of the best assets Hogwarts has."

Annoyed at Lucius's patronising tone, Severus snapped, "You're either having me on, Polyjuiced, or insane, Lucius. She's a pain-in-the-arse insufferable know-it-all who had the gall to blackmail me into hiring her in the first place. I cannot believe you expect me to take that without retaliation."

"Blackmailed you? Granger?" Lucius looked extremely sceptical. "That doesn't sound at all like the Granger I know. I can see where you might find her an insufferable know-it-all, although frankly, she's no worse than you in that regard if you ask me. But blackmail?"

"Yes, blackmail," Severus said firmly.

"With what, for Merlin's sake? After the trial, everyone already knows your entire history. What's left?"

Severus flushed. "Never you mind, Lucius. I just got rid of one blackmailer; I'm not giving you the means to be another."

"Well, in any event, you better not have got rid of Professor Granger. Or rather, you'd better be able to get her back," Lucius insisted firmly.

"Why? What's so great about Granger that you're so determined to keep her after all the energy I expended to make her leave?" Severus couldn't believe they were arguing about this. He hadn't thought Lucius liked the woman any better than he did.

"If I had known you were trying to get rid of her, I'd have put a stop to it ages ago. Look at the facts: she's a war heroine, which increases Hogwarts's prestige and draws both students and donations; she's also an excellent instructor, which is obvious if you look at the trend in both Arithmancy scores on Ministry exams since she joined the faculty and in enrolment in her elective courses. She's published no less than two articles per year in her field for the past five years, several of which were considered groundbreaking." None of this was news to Severus; he had reasons for wanting her gone that outweighed all of this. Lucius seemed to recognise his unwavering resistance, because he continued, "In addition, she's Muggleborn, which can only be considered an asset in the current political climate, and she's well-connected personally and professionally. She wouldn't have had to blackmail anyone into hiring her, Severus – every magical school in the world would have been clamouring to obtain her services! It was our good fortune that she nostalgically chose Hogwarts. And you decided to actively work to get rid of her? I ask again, Severus, where is your good sense?" he finished, rather more dramatically than necessary, in Severus's opinion.

"She's insufferable," he repeated stubbornly. "And whether she needed to blackmail me or not, she most certainly did so. I was there; you weren't."

"Be that as it may, have you considered your own self-interest in all this, or have you been so obsessed with your plan to make her leave that you've failed to see the big picture?"

"What big picture?" Severus asked reluctantly.

"When OWL and NEWT scores rise, how does the Board react?" Lucius asked with a long-suffering sigh.

Severus shrugged. "They give pay rises to the instructors responsible, probably."

"Well, obviously, and if you had been at the last Board meeting, you'd have realised we were discussing how much of an increase to offer Professor Granger for her contract renewal." Lucius paused, probably for dramatic effect, Severus thought. "But it's not just the instructor who gets a pay rise, Severus. It's also the headmaster."

Bugger.

Lucius continued. "And if the instructor perceived as largely responsible for both improvements in Ministry exam scores and increases in enrolment and funding leaves – due to a petty campaign of vitriol by the headmaster – just how pleased do you expect the Board will be with said headmaster?"

Bugger, bugger, bugger.

Still, it was done now. "So what do you expect me to do, Lucius? She's resigned. It's done. I'll come to the next Board meeting and make nice with the Governors."

Lucius shook his head. "It won't matter. If word gets out that you drove her away, as it certainly will considering her best friend is on the Board and isn't known for his discretion, you most likely won't be headmaster for long enough to get back on their good side."

"Are you sure she carries that much weight with the Board? She's a pain in the arse. Look at that whole SPEW mess when she was in school."

"Good gods, Severus, are you really stuck that far in the past? It's certainly true that she's stubborn and passionate about what she believes in, but she's learned a little more tact. People listen to her, and what's more, most of them like her. Can you say the same?"

"People listen to me," Severus grumbled.

"Yes, but they don't like you, because you make no effort to show them anything likeable," Lucius asserted. He paused before adding, "Look, I know you have it in you to be charming, but I haven't seen you make even a token effort in years. All else equal, most people side with those they like. And in this case, I'm not sure you have as much pull as she does to start with."

"I'm headmaster, she's a mere teacher." Severus was grasping at straws and he knew it, but he wasn't giving in on this unless he had no other choice.

"She's a war heroine with no hint of scandal in years and clear, unassailable allegiance to the winning side. You're an ex-Death Eater who killed a beloved wizard and who might or might not have been playing both sides to be sure he landed on his feet regardless. Or at least, that's how the public sees it."

"I can't change who I am, Lucius, and this has served me well so far."

"You've managed to succeed despite your attitude, not because of it." Privately, Severus supposed he agreed, but he wasn't about to admit it. Lucius added, "I take some responsibility for the fact that you haven't had to temper your sharp edges, because in my gratitude for everything you tried to do for Draco, I smoothed things over for you when necessary. But I'm telling you, between Granger's popularity and Potter's influence, I won't be able to fix this. The Board will have your job, and I won't be able to stop them. The only way I can see out of this is if you refuse to accept her notice and you persuade her to stay."

"I doubt there's anything I can do at this point. She's notoriously stubborn."

So was Lucius, apparently. "Perhaps, but if you tried, you could probably turn her around. She probably loves teaching – play on her Gryffindor nature – the idea of moulding young minds has to have appeal to her. Charm her. Apologise to her. Do whatever you have to, but get her to reconsider. Make it a long contract if you can. You can always go back to being a git once she's committed to her position."

"Are you sure there's no other way?" Severus rubbed his suddenly aching temples.

"Positive. Who knows? Maybe once you get to know her, you'll find she's not such a bad sort. I find her quite an interesting conversationalist, myself."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "You're not trying to get me to keep her at Hogwarts for your own reasons, are you Lucius?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Severus."