Dumbledore was waiting for her. He had felt her presence in Hogsmeade, and knew she would have stopped to see Sirius. Naturally, he had sent Remus to ensure her safe passage into the castle.

Hello, Albus, her mind called out. Long time no telepathically see.

Hermione. So good to have you. The password is "Toffee beans".

See you in a moment.

No one could hear, or see, or understand the bond that she and Albus shared. No one even knew about it. Albus and Hermione shared an incredibly powerful gift; the ability to communicate telepathically. This was rare in the wizarding world. Hermione only developed the gift because of the circumstances under which she was returned to life after the incident her 7th year. It had been an unexpected side effect, similar to the way that Harry Potter acquired some of the talents of his would-be killer as a baby. Dumbledore had used his telepathic abilities to coax her back, call her into the land of the living after Severus brought her, shaking violently himself, into Hagrid's hut that fateful night. The depths to which Albus had to go to find Hermione inadvertently left a trace of his powers in her mind. She was unable to use them as powerfully as he, but she could communicate with him when in close proximity to him. She could not hear others speaking unless she had their express permission in blood, because naturally the gift could be perverted to dreadful ends…she could read someone's thoughts if she had their permission, but was magically bound to never use it unless she had a blood relationship with them. She had never used this charm to bind herself to anyone, so her telepathic powers were only useful in the presence of Dumbledore. She had also never let on to anyone that the headmaster really was omniscient, mainly because he did not use his gift unless it was truly necessary. He didn't spy on anyone. His powers did not extend to the outside world, either. He could not communicate with anyone further away than the Three Broomsticks. Minerva was the only other person on earth aware of the gift, and even she didn't know about Hermione.

Hermione arrived in the headmaster's office. Memories flooded over her. The night Ron died, the night that she nearly died; she had sat here, catatonic, while Harry and Snape had to spit out the story of what happened. It was weeks before she could tell her side of the story, and the grisly details made even the impassive Severus Snape blanch. Ugh, she thought, I need to push this out of my mind.

"Child," Dumbledore said, "It's never far from any of our minds."

"I know, Albus." She stepped forward to hug the man she now thought of as her father, thanks to the untimely deaths of her parents. "It is just resurfacing a little more painfully now that I'm back."

"That's natural. You can always talk to me."

"Thank you, Albus,"

"Severus would be good to talk to, also, since he was there." Before she had a chance to retort, he continued, "Tea?"

"No, thanks," she squashed her dismay at the continued and constant scheming in Albus's skull, "I'm having tea with Severus in a few minutes."

"Ahhhhhhh." Albus chuckled. He knew that Snape was down in the dungeons positively fussing over making things just right, not that he'd ever let Hermione know. He also noted the fact that Hermione was using Severus' name, and wondered if that was his idea or hers. Best to not look too far into that one.

"I intend to get right to work. Did Severus tell you that I will be available as scholar-in-residence for any students that need extra projects or help?"

"Indeed…most generous of you, Dr. Granger."

"Most generous of you to offer me lab and board for a time. Thank you."

Albus waved his hand. "I think Severus is expecting you. There will be time to catch up later. You know where to find me," he trailed off, pointing to her head. She smiled and turned to descend to the dungeons. "Oh, Dr. Granger?" She turned. "Harry owled me about his contact's suspicions regarding your tea partner. While I'm certain there's no merit to the story, Harry requested I loan you one of my Sneakoscopes."

"Hmm, I think that's silly…but, all right…"

"Just be warned about hidden Sneakoscopes. You may find out more than you bargained for." And with that cryptic answer, he turned away.