Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. JK Rowling does, and I am eternally jealous of her.

Hermione gave a quick glance around her as she walked briskly towards to the brick barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 at the King's Cross Train Station in London. It had been three weeks since Dumbledore had asked her to accept the position as Potion's mistress at Hogwarts, and after many days spent fretting and sleepless nights, she had finally decided to take up the position. Of course, she had discussed the situation with Harry and Ron first, and spent a particularly long time talking it over with Ginny. Since her introduction to the Weasley family during her first year at Hogwarts, she had been so close to Ginny that they could be sisters, and Mrs. Weasley often posed as a surrogate mother as well. Not that there was anything wrong with her own parents, of course, but they were Muggles and therefore didn't know much about the wizarding world, though they did try to learn as much as possible about it. She also took the time to discuss Dumbledore's offer with Mr. Weasley, and he seemed to think that taking the position would be good for her. Harry and Ron had been somewhat hesitant about the fact that she would have to work with Snape, claiming that they would rather have themselves subjected to the Cruciatus curse than work with the "bloody git". However, they agreed to support Hermione in whatever decision he made, though Ron claimed that if Snape so much as raised his voice to her, he would come and hex him 5 different ways.
Now it was the day before the start of term, and Hermione was taking the Hogwarts Express to school so that she might get settled in before the students came. Once she arrived at the Hogsmeade station, she decided to walk to the school rather than taking one of the carriages that had been offered to her there. It had been so long since she had been up at the castle that she had rather forgotten how beautiful it was, and it was a gorgeous day. Once she arrived at Hogwarts, she was met at the door by Albus Dumbledore. "Good afternoon Miss Granger! How are you?" he asked in a pleasant voice, his eyes twinkling just as they had before.
"I'm quite well," answered Hermione. Just being back inside the school made her heart race, she had many pleasant memories of the castle. "And you?"
"I'm getting along tolerably. Please allow me to take you to your rooms, I'm sure you would like to get settled in," Dumbledore answered, offering her his arm, which she took gladly.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."
"Oh, please call me Albus; I am no longer your Professor. I'm sure the other staff members feel the same way."
"Alright". Hermione watched as Albus led her down a hallway she had never been in before. After making several turns and going down two flights of stairs, the pair finally stopped outside a large painting of a ballet dancer.
"These will be your chambers from now on. I hope you find them suitable, and if you need anything, you can of course call upon me or any of the other teachers. You are allowed to pick your password, and you will be asked to change it every month"
"I'm sure the room will be very nice. Hmm.what will I make my password?" Hermione wondered out loud. "I suppose it will be 'daystar', as that was the name of the house I lived in as a child. Yes, that will do". Once Hermione repeated her password, the door swung open to reveal an absolutely enormous room. The walls were painted a rich ivory color, and it was decorated with cushy red arm chairs and a gold border along the walls, at least the part of the wall that wasn't covered with books. Bookshelves of all sorts covered almost every inch of the room, and Hermione gazed around it in sheer delight. She turned back to Dumbledore. "I love it!" she gasped. "It is absolutely perfect."
"I am glad that you find it accommodating. If you wish, I will leave you to settle in now," he answered, and with a smile, left the room.
Hermione walked through the door on the other side of sitting room, and found herself inside what was to be her bed chambers. That room was painted the same color as the sitting room, but the bed was dressed in gold covers instead of the red furnishings in the other room. Her bathroom was painted in gold, with crimson and gold tiles, and red towels. There was an enormous bath, a toilet of course, a golden sink, and a vanity with a mirror above it. Hermione smiled at the effort that must have taken place by someone (house elves, no doubt) to make this room comfortable to her. It was certainly the most Gryffindor room that she had ever seen. Quickly, she opened her trunk that contained all of her clothes, and with a simple flick of her wand, they flew into her magnificent wardrobe. About an hour later, she emerged from her room and wondered around through the hallway. She was in an area of the castle that she had never been in before, and it was truly fascinating. She noticed one door that did not have a portrait over it, it looked like another classroom. Curiosity took over her, and she opened the door and walked inside.
"Are you lost, Miss Granger?" asked a cold, sarcastic voice that she had heard many times before. Across the room stood her former Professor, Severus Snape. He looked at her with a sneering expression, one that was by no means unfamiliar to her and instead of backing down in fear like most people did, Hermione stood up straighter, and walked briskly and confidently towards him.
"No, I am not lost. I just got here earlier this morning, and since I have never been in this part of the castle, I was eager to explore it. Although I must say that if I did meet anyone, I was hoping that they would have slightly better manners," she answered coldly. "After all, we are supposed to be working together now, and I think it would add quite a lot to the working environment if you could try to be more polite."
"You forget, Miss Granger, that it was not I that wanted a working partner. I still feel that I would be fine on my own; I do not need or require help or company, let alone from an insufferable know-it-all like you. Yes, I see that you have not changed, nor are you likely to. I'm surprised that by now you do not have your hand up waving in the air, desperate to share you arrogance and intelligence with me, knowing full well that I do not care to hear anything you have to say. You may leave now," he said, his face colder than ever.
Hermione turned on her heel and left the room, careful not to show that her confidence was fading. She walked back into her chambers, and threw herself down on the bed, wondering how this arrangement was ever going to work out.