Sarah Beth~
Now that Eleanor's trial was over, things began to fit into their normal groove once again. We would go to work at the Brew, go home, have dinner, and, more often than not, partake in activities that I now felt comfortable doing now that we were wed.
Business was going well. We had an abundance of loyal customers, and, because of the mellow atmosphere of the coffee house, we had lots of business from people from out of town, as well. Besides some random fatigue I had been feeling, everything was perfect.
That is, until one morning when I found a thick, official looking envelope on my door step, long after our mail had been delivered for the day. I looked around, then took the letter back inside the house with me and closed the door.
Ashley wasn't home, and I was thankful. The emblem in the wax seal told me exactly where it was from, and I knew exactly what was inside. Even so, I got a butter knife from the kitchen and worked open the seal. I pulled out the thick parchment, unfolded, and read it. I had been right.
Sarah Beth Cumberland Carter,
After sorting through submission and possibilities, we have decided to offer you the position of Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Given your history, you have the experience and knowledge, we feel, to teach this subject the correct way, and with correct information, an experience that students had not had in the past.
We are very aware of your newly marital status, and we hope that this does not sway your decision. The staff has discussed this situation, and we are willing to compromise with you upon further discussion.
If you are even slightly interested, I ask that you contact me, so we schedule a meeting and work out details of your employment.
Have a nice day, Mrs. Carter,
Minerva McGonagall
I put the letter down, and sat up on the counter, weighing the situation.
One one hand, she was correct. A lot of my Muggle Studies I had taken was very, very wrong, and I could teach it a lot better than the teachers of the past. After all, I was married to a Muggle, and I had been living here for a while...
But I also wasn't sure that I wanted to leave here. After all, relatively, I had just gotten here. I wanted to stay longer. I had worked so hard to get here, and I didn't want to just leave everything behind. It was hard enough keeping my true identity hidden from everyone, and it would be even harder if I were working at Hogwarts.
And also, there was the matter of Ashley. I couldn't just leave my husband, and I wasn't sure they would let him stay at Hogwarts with me. After all, I had never heard of a Muggle ever staying at Hogwarts, so I had no idea if it were even allowed. I didn't want to leave him for that long, anyway. I loved him way too much.
Of course, the letter did say that they were willing to compromise. Maybe that meant they would bend the rules for me?
Who knew. I could help the children, but at the cost of leaving Ashley for a few months at a time.
Maybe I could just talk it out with him.
