Rebirth

Chapter Two- An Offer

The lovely young woman stepped out into the misty evening, which seemed to beckon to her with its soft moistness. Who was she to deny the call of nature, Jenna Wilkes thought smilingly to herself.

Life really was going splendidly for Jenna, which was a big change from what it had been not so long ago. As she walked outside of Hogwart's doors, she nodded in a friendly manner to Argus Filch, who for some reason had taken to the girl in a fatherly way. It had been a shock to all the staff members at Hogwarts, who knew Filch to be a crotchety and rather twisted, vengeance-seeking old man.

Though she didn't know it, Jenna attracted people to her with her sweet and confiding nature. All those who knew the girl personally wondered how such a wonderful girl had been molded from such a sordid past.

She had grown up as the younger daughter of the well known Wilkes family. Though her parents had never been actual Death Eaters, they had supported the Dark Arts fanatically, donating endless amounts of Galleons to support Voldemort's cause. Her father, Jonathan Wilkes had been the ringleader in the family, rambling on and on about the superiority of the purebloods. Julia Wilkes, his wife, though she did not voice her opinions as frequently as her husband, was also a firm believer in this.

Jenna had always been a disappointment to her family, however. She was always a singing, happy child who dreamed about fairies and was more interested in Charms work than Dark Arts. Her older brother Jermaine would call her a veritable sissy, because she cried whenever their father killed something in their presence.

Every night, she would be afraid to sleep, and have nightmares about her father doing terrible things to her. Some of these things were real, but Jenna refused to dwell on it.

When she had gone to Hogwarts, Jenna found it a wondrous haven where she was able to be herself and know she was safe within the old walls. She was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to the Wilkes' disgust, but she was truly happy for the first time in her life. She made many close friends, who all admired her hard-working and cheerful spirit. Her best friend was Dahlia Derkins, whose parents grew to love Jenna as though she were their own daughter.

And now that she had been hired as the new Charms teacher, Jenna really felt that her life was going to perfect. Her blood parents had been packed off to Azkaban for their contributing to an illegal and dangerous practice. And though the scars of her past were still imprinted on her flesh, Jenna Wilkes knew she was all right. Life was good.

That was what she was thinking until she saw the strange figure standing on the Hogwarts grounds, swaying visibly as he raised his wand and pointed it towards himself slowly. Instincts flaring, Jenna drew her wand and screamed, "Accio wand!"

*

Hermione untied the thick envelope from the owl, and absent-mindedly handed it an owl treat. As the owl hooted in thanks and left her cottage, she looked at the Hogwarts seal on the envelope, and wondered what it could possibly contain. With a small meow, Crookshanks leapt from her lap and walked into her tiny kitchen, probably to nibble at some food.

She opened the envelope impatiently and withdrew a creamy sheet of writing paper. Immediately Hermione recognized the fine-steel script handwriting of Professor McGonngall and a smile sketched itself across her face.

Dear Ms. Hermione Granger,
I adress this letter to you, hoping it finds you safe and good of health. How have you been these past few weeks? I heard from Professor Sewell that you have done exceedingly well with the Remedial Classes that you were offered, to make up for last year. This, of course, was of no surprise to me. You were one of the most gifted students Hogwarts has ever seen.

However, I have written to you not merely to congratulate you, or in hopes that we may exchange letters frequently. There is a small matter that I would like assistance on, if you wouldn't be averse.

As you know, we lost many friends and professors two months ago. Although Hogwarts has been admirably rebuilt, I find that there is quite a shortage of able teachers available. We were lucky to fill most of the empty spots in our staff, and acquired new teachers for the subjects of Muggle Studies, Charms (Filius Flitwick has decided to retire), Potions (so has Horace Slughorn), and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

There is still an open spot for Transfiguration Class. I myself will not be able to teach the class, unfortunately, as my time will now have to be focused on Headmistress duties. It would be a great favor to me, Hermione, if you were willing to take the post. There is no one who would better fulfill the role. Please reply as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Minerva McGonnagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts

When she finally put down the letter, Hermione sank deeper into the comfortable cushions of her couch, her mind swirling with the possibilities. It was true, she would absolutely love teaching. The witch hadn't been sure yet where she should turn after she had finished with the Remedial classes she had been taking, but Hermione would probably have wanted to work in an educational field, being the bookworm that she was.

Transfigurations had always been one of her favorite subjects, after all. It came naturally to her, more so than Potions or Herbology. The pay at Hogwarts was exceedingly high, as well, and not many people were offered positions. That in itself was a great flattery to Hermione's talents.

And to be honest, if she were to become a Professor at Hogwarts, it would give her an excuse not to be able to see Ron as often as she normally did. Perhaps then they would gradually drift apart, without having to hurt any feelings.

Yes, all in all, she supposed that it would be a wonderful idea to take on the post. She would answer the Headmistress at once. Taking a quill, Hermione smiled broadly for the first time in weeks and began to write.

*

"Minerva, are you sure that it's a good idea?" Severus Snape drawled, jetty eyebrows raised at the new Headmistress with a look on his face that clearly shouted that he knew it was going to be disastrous.

Through clenched teeth, Minerva McGonnagall replied, "I have no doubt that Hermione Granger will be an excellent teacher, Severus. You taught the girl yourself, and you know she was the best student of her year!"

"Most of the teachers you hired are barely out of school themselves, and that includes Miss. Granger," Snape said coldly. "At any rate, I do not see how Miss Granger will be able to teach anything to the little numskulls, because she'll be answering every one of her own questions!"

Grittily, the Headmistress spat out at the tall man before her, "You are still a snivelly bastard, Severus Snape. I don't know why you might be any different when I heard you were really on the side of the good."

Severus smirked at her, feeling like himself for the first time in a long while. "Well, that was your mistake, and I can see you're not quite done with them. Believe me, next year's students are going to have the lowest grades Hogwarts has ever seen." Before he could get verbally attacked, he said smoothly, "I'll excuse myself, Headmistress," and swept out of the room, chuckling to himself when he heard muffled curses behind the closed door.

He had meant every word, though. Though admittedly Miss. Granger had been one of the better students, with a mind like a sponge, Severus did not believe she would make a good Professor. She was such an annoying little know-it-all and too preoccupied with obtaining more knowledge for herself that she wouldn't be able to teach properly. Besides, the chit was a timid little thing that wouldn't say boo to a goose, Snape snorted. No one would take her seriously. Minerva had made a mistake with Granger.

At any rate, Severus Snape was in a pretty good mood. Soon enough he would be preoccupied with tormenting students and smirking over Miss. Granger's misery that the despair that grew daily would be muffled. He sobered up at the reminder of his undeniable loneliness. It wasn't something Severus cared to address, even to himself, but he had to admit that with Dumbledore gone, he hadn't a single person to talk to with sincerity. It was a despondent thought.

Still walking down to his dungeon quarters, he was assaulted suddenly by a levitating body. Rubbing his head, Snape scowled at the body. "What the hell?" he snarled, realizing the body was none other than one of the idiotic Weasley twins.

"Professor Snape," gasped the panting young woman, who he recognized as a former Hufflepuff student of his, as well as one of the new teachers hired by McGonnagall. "I found him trying to kill himself, and I think he's very ill!"

"The drama never ends with the Weasleys," he muttered under his breath, as he followed the young woman to Poppy.