A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Masteries~
-x-X-x-
Bah! Who is he kidding? Even without Hermione to show off to, he'd be hard pressed to want to truly hide his capabilities at this point. After all, whoever his hidden killer really was, they would learn soon enough of his survival, if they didn't already know he'd been seemingly unharmed by their assassination attempt.
And surviving that sort of Dark Ritual would give them far more information than passing some Ministry Exams, Harry figured. So… why not, in the end? Why not show off just a little bit?
-x-X-x-
Hermione Jean Granger did consider herself quite the studious witch. Words like 'brilliant' and 'genius' had been thrown around by her Professors throughout her years at Hogwarts, but she tried not to have too big of a head about things. What she was, in the end, was a bookish sort of woman. Plain and simple.
Of course, her years at Hogwarts hadn't always been the best… in fact, early on Hermione had struggled because of her nature. She was a bookworm of a muggleborn witch who probably should have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Unfortunately, she had read the entirety of the latest edition of Hogwarts, A History in the weeks prior to arriving at the castle and all these years later as an adult, she could acknowledge that that specific edition had a Gryffindor Bias to it.
As a result, the impressionable young lass that Hermione had been at the time had made her mind up and decided she HAD to be a Gryffindor, just like Albus Dumbledore before her. And the Sorting Hat… well, it had obliged.
This, it turned out, was a mistake. Being a studious Muggleborn Gryffindor had put Hermione in the crosshairs of not one but two Houses. First, House Slytherin and their enmity with House Gryffindor meant that all of the Slytherin Purebloods treated her like shit every chance she got, calling her names like 'mudblood' and seeking to sabotage her in classes like Potions.
But to make matters even worse… her own House turned on her. House Gryffindor, despite being home to such visionaries like Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, was controlled by nothing more than Quidditch Fanatics and idiots who mistook their own stupidity for bravery by the time Hermione came along.
No worse was this than the Weasley Boys in her experience. Ron Weasley was the one Hermione had to put up with the most of course, but Percy Weasley, despite being a Prefect never did anything to rein his younger brother in.
And George and Fred Weasley… well, the pranksters didn't always shy away from messing with their own House, suffice to say. Smacked of laziness in Hermione's humble opinion, but what did she know? She was just the one who had to deal with it.
The only tolerable Weasley was the one Weasley Girl, Ginny… or Ginevra as she went now that they were all adults. Hermione still had a friendship with Ginevra Weasley to this day in spite of her oafish brothers. Not that they talked much about all of that considering all of her brothers and father were dead.
Regardless, this tangent was all to say that Hermione knew her stuff when it came to the books and the curriculum and proper studying. Whether she was actually brilliant or not was neither here nor there when she'd managed to pass every single one of her NEWTs with Outstandings across the board. And in fact, it was Madam Marchbanks who had been her proctor for those exams as well.
However… it should be said, NEWTs were not the same thing as Masteries. In fact, it couldn't even fully be claimed that a Mastery was to a NEWT what a NEWT was to an OWL. No, the gap between the former was actually even greater than the gap between the latter.
In the end though, it did make some sense. Lord Hallows was trying to bring an entirely new vocation to the British Magical World. One that was exceedingly commonplace in the muggle world sure, but even still… to let him run around being some sort of Wizard Private Eye… well, it made sense they would want to confirm he knew what he was doing.
That said, as Harry puts the finishing touches on an entire cauldron of Veritaserum, it takes every fiber of Hermione's being not to stand there with her jaw dropped and eyes wide in disbelief. And the Potions Mastery was the fifth exam he was taking after Marchbanks had put him through his paces for several hours now… and the fifth Hermione was pretty sure he was going to pass with flying colors.
They'd started with Defense Against the Dark Arts, in which Harry had cast every spell that Marchbanks ordered of him without complaint… in fact, without a word at all. To be fair, silent casting was the least that one could be expected to be capable of if they wanted a Mastery in Defense. Still, the power and precision behind his spellwork was… impressive to say the least.
After Defense had come Transfiguration… and things went much the same there. Charms too. The 'Big Three' when it came to casting spells… well, suffice to say there wasn't a spell that Griselda Marchbanks knew which Harry Hallows could not cast. The aged witch had even thrown out a few that Hermione herself didn't recognize, but Harry had still cast them without complaint.
One would think he would stop after obtaining three Masteries from the begrudging Head Examiner of the WEA. But instead, the Wizard Lord had just flashed a slightly cheeky grin and asked if they could continue on with Herbology and Potions next. He'd even had the temerity to say he would collect the ingredients he needed from the Ministry's gardens for the Potions Exam.
… and then he'd done exactly that. It was obvious at that point that Griselda was expecting him to falter as they made their way to the Ministry's gardens. After all, a Magical Lord wouldn't be used to getting down on their hands and knees in the dirt, right?
Well, wrong. Harry had handled the Herbology Mastery just like he did the first three. Quiet competence combined with a surety of purpose. His movements were pristine, his every action was beyond reproach, and much like he promised, he only took exactly the ingredients he would need for the Potions he needed to create.
How he knew which potions Marchbanks would ask of him, Hermione didn't quite know. And yet… here they were at the tail end of a three Potion Regimen. First had been the Draught of Living Death, an advanced but common potion that Hermione herself had been taught to make back in her Sixth Year. Second was the Draught of Peace, an OWL Level Potion.
And finally… well, finally there was the Veritaserum. Harry had actually started brewing all three of them at the same time, but Veritaserum took the longest of the three, so it was no surprise that it was the last to complete.
Stepping up alongside him, Madam Marchbanks stares down into the cauldron for a long moment before letting out a disgruntled sigh.
"Pass."
Unlike OWLs and NEWTs with their rubrics, Masteries didn't have Outstandings or Exceeds Expectations. They were older than that system of grading. Instead, they existed on a simple Pass or Fail scheme… and Harry Hallows had just passed his fifth and final Mastery. As far as the WEA and indeed the entire Ministry was concerned, Lord Hallows was now a certified and registered Defense Master, Transfiguration Master, Charms Master, Herbology Master, and Potions Master.
Hermione finally lets her mouth open a little bit as she just stares at the slightly amused wizard in disbelief. He, in turn, flashes her a quick glance before smiling at Madam Marchbanks.
"If I wasn't so pressed for time, I would have been glad to brew up a batch of Felix Felicis for you, Madam. Alas, I'm sure none of us want to be standing around waiting for six months."
Griselda lets out an actual snort of amusement at that joke. THE Madam Griselda Marchbanks… laughs at a joke. Hermione's jaw drops a bit further in response to that, even as Griselda shakes her head and sighs.
"You're something else; Lord Hallows. Truly something else. Not since the likes of Albus Dumbledore… no. Not even then, truth be told. Albus grew into his power. At your age, even he could not have given a performance like this. I suppose if any wizard is going to flaunt the slow demise of our world and survive against all odds… it will have to be you."
Harry's smile becomes more affectionate and genuine and he graces the Madam with a quick bow.
"Your kind words are greatly appreciated Madam Marchbanks. As is your stalwart service to our world. I swear to you… I'm not going anywhere any time soon."
Huffing, but definitely with less actual acrimony than she'd shown before, Griselda outright smiles.
"See that you don't Lord Hallows. Ah, if only I were a hundred years younger I'd climb you like a damn tree and-"
Hermione's jaw clicks shut and her eyes bulge as she squeaks in alarm at the words coming out of the ancient witch's mouth. The mental image is enough to have her clearing her throat rather vehemently to cut the older witch off… or at least remind her that Hermione is in the room.
The look Marchbanks gives her in response is piercing, but after a moment she just smirks and signs the paperwork on her clipboard with a flourish. Then, she holds out the last of five Certified Masteries to Hermione, who is already holding the first four in her grasp.
"Very well then. You may take this paperwork back to the Minister's Office to get it all filed properly. But as far as the WEA is concerned Lord Hallows, you are everything you've proven yourself to be today. Let me know if you have any trouble from here on out."
Hermione scowls a little at that. Of course he won't have any further trouble, what is she even talking about? He's jumped through every hoop that's been asked of him… and then some! Indeed, Harry has gone above and beyond to prove himself capable of his preferred vocation, beyond a shadow of a doubt!
"I will Madam Marchbanks. Thank you for your time."
He was also the height of graciousness, all the way to the end. Hermione holds her tongue in the face of his gallant words and as he starts to head out, she quickly falls into step behind him. However, just before they can escape…
"Oh and one more thing, Lord Hallows!"
Hermione resists the urge to scream, even as she and Harry turn back to see what Madam Marchbanks wants from him now. The ancient witch just smiles grimly.
"It's been seven years now since I stepped down from my seat in the Wizengamot. And four years since I was forced to retake said seat when my youngest grandson passed and I was left the last remaining member of House Marchbanks."
Hermione winces, feeling a pang of sympathy for the older woman. Not that it was an uncommon story in the British Magical World these days. Every Pureblood and Half-Blood had lost somebody. Hermione was lucky in that there wasn't any wizards she was particularly close to, but even she had close ties to witches who had in turn lost family members and friends.
Still, where was Madam Marchbanks going with this? Fortunately, they don't have to wait much longer to find out.
"The Wizengamot will almost certainly be clamoring to get your measure in the coming days, Lord Hallows. Your claim to Lordship, for instance, entitles you to a seat within our government. There will be those who welcome you like a breath of fresh air, those who seek to control you like a prized peacock… and even those who are so short-sighted they will see you as nothing but an enemy."
Hermione glances to Harry as Griselda's grave words wash over them both. He looks to be listening to the older witch with the seriousness her warning deserves.
"I can promise you I will support you, whatever happens. You've earned that much by showing an old witch something new today. However, I can't promise you that my voice will mean much. Be ready, Lord Hallows. Because the wizard's curse isn't the only threat you face in these Isles."
With a sense of finality and having said her piece, Griselda turns back to the cauldron full of Veritaserum to begin the process of storing the powerful Truth Serum in a case of empty small vials she pulls out from under the table.
Hermione glances between her and Harry for a moment longer, but in the end the Wizard Lord lets the ancient witch have the last word, turning silently to continue making his way back to the elevator. Hermione follows, not quite sure what to do or say in the face of all… of that.
Still, she knows one thing for certain… she's going to have quite the story to tell Ginevra when they meet up later tonight for their weekly soiree!
-x-X-x-
Funnily enough, Harry hadn't thought of the Wizengamot too much before now. So he had to thank Griselda for the reminder, because an all-witch Wizengamot could either be a boon… or it could be more annoying than all of the mixed gender Wizengamots he'd dealt with in past universes.
Still, as they arrive back on Level One of the Ministry and Hermione gets him his finalized paperwork in a bit of a daze, Harry is feeling pretty good about himself all the same. There's something to be said about a good, hard day's work, after all.
Gracing a lightly blushing Hermione Granger with one last smile and a wink, Harry heads out without checking in on Penny. Always leave them wanting more and all that, right?
As he heads home though, he does find himself wondering if dear Fleur will be back yet from France… or if he might be alone for a little while longer this evening.
-x-X-x-
The Vote:
[X] Fleur has returned from France by the time he gets home - 68%
[ ] Fleur hasn't quite returned from France by the time he gets home - 32%
-x-X-x-
Also my newest long-form fic, which will update weekly every Wednesday going forward, just launched! Check it out for me if you have the time!
Somewhere to Belong (DC/Multi)
-x-X-x-
If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!
If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on .com/Cambrian
Thanks for reading!