In Another Universe

Chapter 1

"You wanted to see me, Dr. Shacklebolt?"

"Ah, Dr. Granger! Please do come in," the deep voice beckoned her from inside the office, and Hermione Granger stepped primly inside and shut the door behind her. This was hardly the first time she'd been in the Head of University's office: at age 25, she was already one of the most achieved students to have ever gone through the university: she had already completed her PhD in Linguistics, and had breezed through her three degrees about three times faster than the average student would have. For this, she had no explanation other than sheer love of learning: it came naturally to her, impassioned her, gave her a reason to be. So what to others had seemed like unmanageable coursework, to her had been a delectable challenge. And Dr. Shacklebolt, thoroughly impressed with her, had hosted her in his office numerous times, finding her a charming student to just sit and chat with.

But she could tell today he hadn't called her in just to chat: he sat behind his desk with his back ramrod straight and his hands folded over the table, like she had seen him pose whenever the matters he addressed were serious. As she sat down, her mind started racing: had he called her here to dismiss her? To tell her he was giving her class to someone else? To —oh, God— scold her? Her fears were unfounded: this was only the first year she joined the faculty at the University, and with summer scarcely over, she hadn't even gotten a chance to teach a class yet, much less to screw one up irrevocably. But her worries were common: accustomed to success, she dreaded anyone being disappointed with her. But then Dr. Shacklebolt cracked a small smile, and her unease largely vanished, though a trace still bubbled at the pit of her stomach.

"Don't worry, Dr. Granger," Shacklebolt, who knew her all too well, assured her. "I haven't brought you in for anything bad— in fact, quite the opposite."

The worry gurgling in her stomach quickly morphed into an excited nervousness: what did he have in store for her? She sat a little straighter in her chair and waited for him to keep talking.

"I'm sure you've heard about our new initiative to promote the University—"

She had heard of it— but it hadn't been good. The University's PR department kept churning out failed advert after failed advert, and even Granger, who seldom kept up with social media, could feel the university's popularity declining. Her grimace must have said it all, because Shacklebolt grimaced as well and continued: "Yes, granted, it has been a catastrophe. But, over the summer, me and Professor McGonagall thought out a potential strategy to get the University on better standing— mainly, not to let the PR team take the reins by themselves anymore."

This had piqued Granger's interest: Professor McGonagall, an eminence in the Humanities department and one of her thesis supervisors, stood behind this idea, so she was eager to hear it. After all, anything would be better than those dreadful adverts, but still, if McGonagall's name was tied in...

Shacklebolt continued: "We want to launch an academically-focused campaign, one that highlights different members of our University and what their experience is like in it. Particularly, we want to highlight young scholars, particularly grad students, much like yourself, who are already pursuing higher fields of study and are still in their twenties, to highlight what a great offer the University is for young, ambitious students. Besides, to take the focus away from pure appearance marketing and actually focusing on our academic offer, I think, will set us apart from most of these other schools."

Granger agreed: it was why she had chosen this university, after all, since it was the only one that seemed to offer itself on the basis of its academic strengths rather than the charms of its location, campus, student life, or food scene... In her mind, you went to uni to study, and so academics should be at the forefront. She knew Shacklebolt knew her opinion on this, and furthermore, that he agreed.