Author's note/ Disclaimer: Here it is folks. The second Chap. of my pathetic story. I'm not going to post a third chapter unless i get 5 reviews so PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSSEEEEEEE review. if u review my story i'll review something of yours. disclaimer is the same as last time- I don't own any of the characters except Professor Mallony and the gobblesnaps. etc. etc. etc. (anna and the king- etcetera etcetera etcetera) please excuse my strange humor.

Chap. 2

"Before we began, there is something you ought to know," Professor Mallony cleared her throat and surveyed the room. "I am a strict teacher, I am a fair teacher, I am not a very nice teacher and you do not want to get on my bad side. Also, my job is to teach you how to defend yourself against the Dark Arts. I will do that but defending yourself is not easy. No, you must be very precise if you are defending yourself in any situation concerning Dark Magic. The Dark Arts are very powerful. Oh, very powerful indeed and are very hard to defend your self against, but you must learn how, otherwise there will be absolutely no hope for you. None whatsoever. Do you all understand me?" She stared challengingly at Hermione. "Girl, tell me your name."
"Hermione professor." Hermione quivered under her Professors glare.
"I don't suppose you have a last name now, do you?"
" Granger, Professor. Hermione Granger."
"Well, Miss Granger, do you know any defense against the dark arts?" Professor Mallony raised one eyebrow.
"I think so, Professor" Hermione glanced up at Professor Mallony meekly.
"You think so, do you. Don't you know so?"
"Well, we haven't exactly had very good Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, Professor, so I don't know whether what I've learned is valid or not." Hermione gained courage with every word.
"Very good answer. For a second I thought that you wouldn't recover." Professor Mallony gave a queer sort of laugh, if you could call it a laugh. With her low, raspy voice it was more like a cough.
"Very good. Now shall we began our lesson for today? Yes, we shall..." the professor paused for a moment and ran her fingers through her long, fiery auburn hair. "Where to start, where to start.... Ah, yes. We shall start with some basic defense techniques. I assume that you all know how to disarm someone? Yes, Miss Granger, how do you?"
"Expelliarmus"
"Very good, Miss Granger, well done. Now you will learn how to expel a curse. Listen well, when an opposing wizard raises his wand you-" What you do nobody found out because at that moment the door opened and Professor McGonagal entered.
"Excuse me for interrupting, Julia, but I really must speak to Miss Granger." Professor McGonagal gave a distracted glance at Julia Mallony and turned her attention to Hermione." Can you come with me, Miss Granger. It's very important." Hermione looked questioningly at Professor Mallony. The latter nodded and Hermione left with Professor McGonagal.
The two walked in silence until they reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagal gave a sharp rap on the door.
"You may enter.." Dumbledore's voice echoed from behind the door. "Ah, yes. I'm glad you were able to make it. You may leave Professor." Dumbledore hardly even acknowledged Professor McGonagal's presence. "Miss Granger, I believe?"
"Yes, sir." Hermione gave him a baffled stare.
"I suppose you're wondering why you're here, aren't you?"
"Yes, sir. Could you please tell me?"
"Of course, of course. Sit down child." Hermione sat in a fuschia, overstuffed arm chair with a rather alarming thump. She glanced at it doubtfully. "Yes, I've been meaning to get a new chair for a while, but it is so hard for one to find the time to do such things, is it not." Dumbledore gave a hopeless sigh.
Hermione not sure what to say to that just sat there, somewhat uncomfortably. Obviously Dumbledore didn't expect an answer.
"Something very important has come up. Oh, yes, something very important. You are the one for this task I believe, yes, yes, I think you are." Dumbledore gave her a disconcerting, appraising glance. " I wasn't quite sure, but yes, you are the one."
"Um, excuse me Professor," Hermione started, and continued after an acknowledging nod from Dumbledore, "But, if you wouldn't mind, could you please tell me what the, um, task is?" She looked at the maroon carpet and back up at Dumbledore's astute face.
"Of course, child, of course, " He smiled kindly at her. "I'm not sure if you know yet, but there have been certain rumors, there is a new threat to the magical world." He paused and solemnly continued. " This threat is far worse than it seems, but you must realize that even the great wizard's are sometimes lacking in some logical methods. It was you, I believe who made it through Snape's enchantment guarding the Sorcerer's Stone?" Hermione nodded and blushed while he continued. "Yes, I thought so... Someone, no one knows whether it is a wizard, a witch, or a muggle has been causing trouble. Yes, unfortunately the key to finding out who exactly it is needs logic. What's more is that it needs the simple reasoning of a child. Adults minds are too cluttered up for them to figure out anything. Why someone hasn't invented an unmindboggling potion or enchantment I don't know." At this last sentence Dumbledore shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh as if the world was hopeless.
"If it's not a problem, Professor, would you please tell me what I have to do?" Hermione felt bad for asking but Dumbledore was starting to aggravate her a little bit.
"My deepest apologies. How stupid of me." Dumbledore shook his head again." You must, for now at least, watch for any unusual signs, in our world, and perhaps more importantly in the Muggle world."
"But, how? In the Muggle world.... I know my parents are Muggles but I really don't have--"
"--much communication with the Muggle world." Dumbledore finished her sentence for her. "I know, that's why I'm going to give you this." He held out a small golden tube, shaped somewhat like a telescope.
"What is it?" Hermione stared with wonder at the somewhat whimsical object.
"Ah, that is the question, is it now?" Dumbledore smiled and continued, "It is a televiewer. Through it you can view parts of the Muggle world. The only catch is that you have to be slightly familiar with that part of the world... That's one of the reason's that I chose you, you lived in the Muggle world for a fair part of your life...."
"I see, " Hermione didn't really see, but she felt that would be the best response. "Uh, how do you work it?"
"I'm afraid, my dear girl, that you'll have to figure that out for yourself. I don't quite have time to explain it, " a loud, urgent knock sounded on office door, "As you can see, I have some urgent business to attend to. I trust you can find you're way back to your dorm?" He paused and glanced at her.
"Of course, Professor." Hermione picked up the televiewer, rolled it around in her hands lost deep in thought. Then she snapped back to the present and started towards the door.
"Just go to the great hall, supper time is about to began." Dumbledore called after her as she exited. Professor Mallony burst into his office as she left, and she could hear the murmur of voices behind her.'
"I wonder what urgent business Professor Mallony had with Dumbledore, and what just went on in there?" Hermione sighed to herself and shook her head with bafflement. She became so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn't even see Ron, until she bumped into her.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I honestly didn't see you!" Hermione gave an apologetic look at Ron, and picked up the televiewer.
"It's okay, honest." Ron paused then gesturing at the telescope, "What's that?"
"Oh! It's a televiewer. Dumbledore gave it to me. I'll tell you and Harry about it after supper." She gave Ron a friendly smile. "Are you on your way to the great hall now?"
"Well, I can be. Actually I was coming to find you." Ron paused and grinned. " I was afraid you'd gotten lost or a troll had gotten you." Hermione smiled ruefully at this mention to their first year at Hogwarts.
"That seems like such a long time ago, " She sounded almost wistful.
"It does, doesn't it." Ron smiled at her and seemed to be about to say more, but they had arrived at the great hall. They walked in and sat next to Harry and the Weasly twins.
"Hey, Hermione. Where've you been?" The twins and Harry looked up as she sat down.
"In Dumbledore's office. I'll tell you all about it, later." Hermione stated this with a slightly secretive manner. No more was said for a long time because the food appeared, and everyone busied themselves with devouring the various delicacies.
After dinner, everyone went to their respective common rooms. Harry, Ron, Hermione, George and Fred all sat themselves around the cozy fire.
" So, Hermione, what did old Dumbledore want with you?" Fred asked the question which was on everyone's tongue.
"Well, since he didn't ask me to keep it a secret, I guess that I can tell you." She paused, "Do any of you know of the new threat to our world?" everyone shook their heads no, "Well, I guess they've been trying to hush it up. The thing is, they don't know whether it's a muggle or a wizard..." she proceeded to tell them all of what Dumbledore had told her. She showed them the televiewer also.
"That's a fine piece of work!" The twins gazed at the small golden tube with awe.
"How do you make it work?" Harry looked up at Hermione.
"I don't know! Dumbledore didn't have time to tell me. He said that I'd have to figure it out by myself. Mallony burst in when he was going to tell me." She looked around at her friend's faces.
"What did Mallony want, I wonder." Ron's face had a look of extreme confusion. "Oh, well..." he shrugged and left it alone.
"Fred and I'd better be off to bed, you too, Harry. Quidditch practice at 4 am tomorrow." George stood up and started to the dorm.
"4 am!!! For once I'm glad that I'm not on the Quidditch team! " Ron stared unbelievingly at the three.
"Yeah. See you all at breakfast." Fred, George, and Harry climbed the stairs to there dorms.
"Um, Hermione, can I ask you something? " Ron glanced at Hermione with a slightly guilty manner.
"Of course!" Hermione smiled at him.
"Um.....areyoustillgoingoutwithKrum?" He said that so fast that Hermione had to ask him to repeat it. "Are you still, um,...you know, going out with Krum?"