All characters and subject matter taken from and used in the following are
from Harry Potter and therefore owned by J. K. Rowling.
A/N: Well here we are again! Sorry this fic really is turning into the fifth Harry Potter book, longer and longer then no news, ah well no news is good news and I like to think it will be ready before next year sometime. anyway here is chapter 4 please R&R.
Hermione walked to Dumbledore's office feeling worried, after all she was about to ask the most important man in her training something that only the bravest students dared to ask - and very few ever got what they had asked for. She reached the stone gargoyle that signified the entrance to the headmaster's office and looked around, "Pear drop" she commanded. As the goblin sprang to life to allow her past she heard a muffled gasp behind her. "Who's there?" she said earnestly - it was only a matter of time before she had to get to bed or be accompanied back to her sleeping quarters by a teacher, and she certainly didn't want that, "Who's there?" she asked more forcefully lighting her wand and pointing it the most likely hiding place.
"Malfoy? Again?" she said in relief and slight amazement. The amazement was caused by the fact that she was trained to hear things other people couldn't hear and see things other people couldn't see and she had missed Malfoy - who had obviously been following her for sometime. "Yes it's me Granger," he said emerging with his usual sly grin in place. "Late night meetings with the potions teacher, and now knowing the password to the headmaster's office . if I didn't know better I would say that the battle against the dark forces has caused the so called good guys to enlist the help of Mudbloods." The drawling sarcasm in his voice and the way he appeared not to remember their little confrontation in the kitchen corridors truly irritated Hermione, "And if I didn't know better Mister Malfoy," she retorted letting the sarcasm linger in the air for a while before continuing the sentence with a smile, "I would say that hard-hearted Mudblood-hating Draco Malfoy was stalking me." Having said all she needed to and not wishing to be pushed into scaring Malfoy again she turned her back and started towards the moving spiral staircase up to Dumbledore's office.
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Malfoy stood in his hidden corner gaping at Hermione's back, or rather where Hermione's back would have been if it hadn't departed up the spiralling staircase ten minutes ago. "Get a hold of yourself you stupid git." Malfoy muttered aloud as he tried to get his bearings and return to the Slytherin dungeons before a teacher came and escorted him back. "Talking to yourself again Malfoy?" Draco groaned inwardly, just what he wanted when he was standing outside the headmaster's office lost in thought, "Hello Weasel, is Potty not with you? You shouldn't leave the common room without an escort, you know, you could get damaged, and we wouldn't want precious Potty's favourite trinket harmed in anyway, would we now?" Malfoy turned his back on Weasley thinking 'you could have done better, you could have really gone for him, he was on his own you idiot!' Ron watched the Slytherin's back retreat in silence. He had been looking for Hermione and was on the brink of giving up when he'd spotted Malfoy and thought he would have some fun, but the annoying brat was walking away with a positively thoughtful expression.
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An hour or so later Hermione emerged with a grin. She had some complex emotions simmering under the surface but the predominantly evident one was happiness. Her other emotions were a mixture of apprehension, excitement and worry. She was apprehensive about what Harry and Ron would say about the decision and the number of questions they would ask, maybe causing her to reveal her secret. But she was excited nonetheless, because the decision would make it easier to practise her skills in a quiet and stable environment. And finally she was just plain worried, she knew that Malfoy was still watching her, but she had her own ways of finding out where Rita Skeeter was and what exactly she was doing. All that research in the library about magical methods of bugging the year before last had not been fruitless. She had found a long forgotten spell to keep track of witches and wizards, which could be set to report at intervals between every minute and every month. But even though she could prevent Rita from finding the 'truth' - as the journalist would no doubt put it - Hermione was still worried that Malfoy might figure out exactly what she was doing and tell the whole school. That would destroy everything because to the rest of the school she was meant to be normal, happy, hardworking Hermione.
As Hermione walked back to the common room she hoped the boys wouldn't be too upset about her plan. "Hey, Hermione!" Ron and Harry shouted in unison from behind her. She turned around and the two boys greeted her with a happier than usual hug and a more enthusiastic sounding, "What've you been up to?" "Never mind that," she said, a little worried about the boys' delighted mood "What are you two so, to put it mildly, happy about?" "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, have you not learnt just to ignore our moods and get on with telling us where you've been?" said Harry, grinning wildly. It suddenly struck her, "You've been practising Cheering Charms again, haven't you?" She was glad that they would take her news better than if they had been bored, irritated or, trying to find out the Quidditch results, these being the usual moods Hermione could find Harry and Ron in when she returned from the library. "This is the perfect time to tell you then, I'm moving out." The last word hung in the air as if it was one of Professor Snape's last minute tests, uncomfortably surprising and unwanted. "What?" Harry exclaimed, as Ron gabbled, "Leaving Hogwarts? What is it? Have you been offered a job somewhere or are you just too clever for the teachers?" "Stop it both of you, you're overreacting, I am not moving out of school, I am just moving out of Gryffindor Tower. I thought that because I am still doing so many lessons it would be best if I had somewhere quite and peaceful to work, the library really is too noisy now with that Talking Book service for people who need to find things quickly!" "So you're not moving out of the castle?" Harry checked recovering first, and sounding more than a bit relieved. "But can we still come and visit and stuff?" "And 'stuff'?" repeated Hermione "what 'stuff'? All you two ever do is visit me and distract me from my work. But, yes, you will be able to come and see me, I'll only be a minute away in the locked room along to the right of the fat lady's portrait." After having assured them for the fifth time that she was not leaving the castle, that she was moving of her own free will and that no, she wouldn't stay in Gryffindor tower any longer just to please the two of them, Harry and Ron accepted the facts. They made a deal that they would collect Hermione for breakfast in the mornings and they would spend their Sundays together. This was in return for the boys not bothering Hermione on Saturdays or five o'clock in the evenings. It felt strange timetabling her free time as well as her school time but it had to be done, otherwise who knows what they would find if they simply walked in.
Someone, most likely, a house-elf had already moved all her luggage to her new room but no doubt because of the confusion of four other girls' things in the dormitory, a few things had been left behind. Harry and Ron helped her pack her small bag with the remaining bits and pieces and followed her into her neatly furnished room. "Wow Hermione, this is some room," said Ron as he deposited Hermione's bag on the neat couch. "Well Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall thought it best if I had as much space to myself as possible, so I have a bedroom, a bathroom and a living room. I also have direct access to the house-elves in the kitchen in case I can't make it to a meal. I know," she exclaimed delightedly as a thought occurred to her, "why don't we use this great facility right now? It's dinnertime and we've definitely missed our chance for good food, so I extend to you the offer of a top class dinner in my new living room. What do you think?" she added with a smile. "Great!" the boys exclaimed together and the three sat down as one on a comfortable and roomy couch. Hermione went to the corner and reached in a box which nobody had noticed before. She cleared her throat and commanded, "Those who serve and wish to serve come before me now and serve." As a house-elf appeared and bowed a discussion was sparked about the incantation not needing a wand or to be translate into Latin. Hermione decided not to ruin the boys' dreams of all spells becoming English and not having to lug wands around. She, however, knew that a simple system of pipes made her voice travel to the kitchens and the only words house-elves could understand in this country were English! Once the meal was finished and the house-elves had cleared the remnants away Hermione stood up, "Well I am sure you two enjoyed that meal as much as I did and would like to go and get on with any homework you have. Please note that it is a Tuesday night and it is definitely after five o'clock. So please leave and let me work. I will see you tomorrow at breakfast." As the boys got up to leave by the door they had entered through she continued, "there is no need to go out and back on yourselves there is a perfectly serviceable passageway to the Gryffindor common room from my closet. I don't keep anything in the closet and if you go through the door which appears when you ask it to you will find a set of stairs leading to the Gryffindor common room. Goodnight." She finished with such strength on the 'goodnight' that Harry and Ron had no choice but to leave. As Hermione walked into the one room she hadn't included in the tour she once again wondered how Harry and Ron would react if she were to tell them her secret. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to and the more she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. She was glad however that the boys had reminded her of cheering charms. These small spells that left you with a great feeling of contentment. 'Harry has never been able to master them - when nervous, he always manages to overdo them,' she thought to her self with a chuckle. She walked to the corner of the room to one of the three pieces of furniture the room possessed - an old fashioned writing desk. She took out a list on which were written some very everyday things like chocolate, toffee and butterbeer, but the list also had some strange things on it, spells, objects and other things which all seemed to have the same effect, a warming happy feeling. To the list she added Cheering Charms, thus completing her 'comfort' list, this contained all the things that would make her feel better after prolonged confrontations with things like Dementors, and worse. Hermione moved into the centre of the room and took out her wand. Pointing it at a big old wardrobe next to the desk she muttered a spell which caused the doors to open and a target and other training aids to fly out and set themselves up. "Useful, really useful" she said, wondering just how long she would remain here.
A/N: Thanks for your patience this is finally going somewhere! I just have to add R&R or you won't get any more from me. I'm sorry I need to know people care or I just can't write any more.
A/N: Well here we are again! Sorry this fic really is turning into the fifth Harry Potter book, longer and longer then no news, ah well no news is good news and I like to think it will be ready before next year sometime. anyway here is chapter 4 please R&R.
Hermione walked to Dumbledore's office feeling worried, after all she was about to ask the most important man in her training something that only the bravest students dared to ask - and very few ever got what they had asked for. She reached the stone gargoyle that signified the entrance to the headmaster's office and looked around, "Pear drop" she commanded. As the goblin sprang to life to allow her past she heard a muffled gasp behind her. "Who's there?" she said earnestly - it was only a matter of time before she had to get to bed or be accompanied back to her sleeping quarters by a teacher, and she certainly didn't want that, "Who's there?" she asked more forcefully lighting her wand and pointing it the most likely hiding place.
"Malfoy? Again?" she said in relief and slight amazement. The amazement was caused by the fact that she was trained to hear things other people couldn't hear and see things other people couldn't see and she had missed Malfoy - who had obviously been following her for sometime. "Yes it's me Granger," he said emerging with his usual sly grin in place. "Late night meetings with the potions teacher, and now knowing the password to the headmaster's office . if I didn't know better I would say that the battle against the dark forces has caused the so called good guys to enlist the help of Mudbloods." The drawling sarcasm in his voice and the way he appeared not to remember their little confrontation in the kitchen corridors truly irritated Hermione, "And if I didn't know better Mister Malfoy," she retorted letting the sarcasm linger in the air for a while before continuing the sentence with a smile, "I would say that hard-hearted Mudblood-hating Draco Malfoy was stalking me." Having said all she needed to and not wishing to be pushed into scaring Malfoy again she turned her back and started towards the moving spiral staircase up to Dumbledore's office.
********************
Malfoy stood in his hidden corner gaping at Hermione's back, or rather where Hermione's back would have been if it hadn't departed up the spiralling staircase ten minutes ago. "Get a hold of yourself you stupid git." Malfoy muttered aloud as he tried to get his bearings and return to the Slytherin dungeons before a teacher came and escorted him back. "Talking to yourself again Malfoy?" Draco groaned inwardly, just what he wanted when he was standing outside the headmaster's office lost in thought, "Hello Weasel, is Potty not with you? You shouldn't leave the common room without an escort, you know, you could get damaged, and we wouldn't want precious Potty's favourite trinket harmed in anyway, would we now?" Malfoy turned his back on Weasley thinking 'you could have done better, you could have really gone for him, he was on his own you idiot!' Ron watched the Slytherin's back retreat in silence. He had been looking for Hermione and was on the brink of giving up when he'd spotted Malfoy and thought he would have some fun, but the annoying brat was walking away with a positively thoughtful expression.
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An hour or so later Hermione emerged with a grin. She had some complex emotions simmering under the surface but the predominantly evident one was happiness. Her other emotions were a mixture of apprehension, excitement and worry. She was apprehensive about what Harry and Ron would say about the decision and the number of questions they would ask, maybe causing her to reveal her secret. But she was excited nonetheless, because the decision would make it easier to practise her skills in a quiet and stable environment. And finally she was just plain worried, she knew that Malfoy was still watching her, but she had her own ways of finding out where Rita Skeeter was and what exactly she was doing. All that research in the library about magical methods of bugging the year before last had not been fruitless. She had found a long forgotten spell to keep track of witches and wizards, which could be set to report at intervals between every minute and every month. But even though she could prevent Rita from finding the 'truth' - as the journalist would no doubt put it - Hermione was still worried that Malfoy might figure out exactly what she was doing and tell the whole school. That would destroy everything because to the rest of the school she was meant to be normal, happy, hardworking Hermione.
As Hermione walked back to the common room she hoped the boys wouldn't be too upset about her plan. "Hey, Hermione!" Ron and Harry shouted in unison from behind her. She turned around and the two boys greeted her with a happier than usual hug and a more enthusiastic sounding, "What've you been up to?" "Never mind that," she said, a little worried about the boys' delighted mood "What are you two so, to put it mildly, happy about?" "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, have you not learnt just to ignore our moods and get on with telling us where you've been?" said Harry, grinning wildly. It suddenly struck her, "You've been practising Cheering Charms again, haven't you?" She was glad that they would take her news better than if they had been bored, irritated or, trying to find out the Quidditch results, these being the usual moods Hermione could find Harry and Ron in when she returned from the library. "This is the perfect time to tell you then, I'm moving out." The last word hung in the air as if it was one of Professor Snape's last minute tests, uncomfortably surprising and unwanted. "What?" Harry exclaimed, as Ron gabbled, "Leaving Hogwarts? What is it? Have you been offered a job somewhere or are you just too clever for the teachers?" "Stop it both of you, you're overreacting, I am not moving out of school, I am just moving out of Gryffindor Tower. I thought that because I am still doing so many lessons it would be best if I had somewhere quite and peaceful to work, the library really is too noisy now with that Talking Book service for people who need to find things quickly!" "So you're not moving out of the castle?" Harry checked recovering first, and sounding more than a bit relieved. "But can we still come and visit and stuff?" "And 'stuff'?" repeated Hermione "what 'stuff'? All you two ever do is visit me and distract me from my work. But, yes, you will be able to come and see me, I'll only be a minute away in the locked room along to the right of the fat lady's portrait." After having assured them for the fifth time that she was not leaving the castle, that she was moving of her own free will and that no, she wouldn't stay in Gryffindor tower any longer just to please the two of them, Harry and Ron accepted the facts. They made a deal that they would collect Hermione for breakfast in the mornings and they would spend their Sundays together. This was in return for the boys not bothering Hermione on Saturdays or five o'clock in the evenings. It felt strange timetabling her free time as well as her school time but it had to be done, otherwise who knows what they would find if they simply walked in.
Someone, most likely, a house-elf had already moved all her luggage to her new room but no doubt because of the confusion of four other girls' things in the dormitory, a few things had been left behind. Harry and Ron helped her pack her small bag with the remaining bits and pieces and followed her into her neatly furnished room. "Wow Hermione, this is some room," said Ron as he deposited Hermione's bag on the neat couch. "Well Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall thought it best if I had as much space to myself as possible, so I have a bedroom, a bathroom and a living room. I also have direct access to the house-elves in the kitchen in case I can't make it to a meal. I know," she exclaimed delightedly as a thought occurred to her, "why don't we use this great facility right now? It's dinnertime and we've definitely missed our chance for good food, so I extend to you the offer of a top class dinner in my new living room. What do you think?" she added with a smile. "Great!" the boys exclaimed together and the three sat down as one on a comfortable and roomy couch. Hermione went to the corner and reached in a box which nobody had noticed before. She cleared her throat and commanded, "Those who serve and wish to serve come before me now and serve." As a house-elf appeared and bowed a discussion was sparked about the incantation not needing a wand or to be translate into Latin. Hermione decided not to ruin the boys' dreams of all spells becoming English and not having to lug wands around. She, however, knew that a simple system of pipes made her voice travel to the kitchens and the only words house-elves could understand in this country were English! Once the meal was finished and the house-elves had cleared the remnants away Hermione stood up, "Well I am sure you two enjoyed that meal as much as I did and would like to go and get on with any homework you have. Please note that it is a Tuesday night and it is definitely after five o'clock. So please leave and let me work. I will see you tomorrow at breakfast." As the boys got up to leave by the door they had entered through she continued, "there is no need to go out and back on yourselves there is a perfectly serviceable passageway to the Gryffindor common room from my closet. I don't keep anything in the closet and if you go through the door which appears when you ask it to you will find a set of stairs leading to the Gryffindor common room. Goodnight." She finished with such strength on the 'goodnight' that Harry and Ron had no choice but to leave. As Hermione walked into the one room she hadn't included in the tour she once again wondered how Harry and Ron would react if she were to tell them her secret. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to and the more she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. She was glad however that the boys had reminded her of cheering charms. These small spells that left you with a great feeling of contentment. 'Harry has never been able to master them - when nervous, he always manages to overdo them,' she thought to her self with a chuckle. She walked to the corner of the room to one of the three pieces of furniture the room possessed - an old fashioned writing desk. She took out a list on which were written some very everyday things like chocolate, toffee and butterbeer, but the list also had some strange things on it, spells, objects and other things which all seemed to have the same effect, a warming happy feeling. To the list she added Cheering Charms, thus completing her 'comfort' list, this contained all the things that would make her feel better after prolonged confrontations with things like Dementors, and worse. Hermione moved into the centre of the room and took out her wand. Pointing it at a big old wardrobe next to the desk she muttered a spell which caused the doors to open and a target and other training aids to fly out and set themselves up. "Useful, really useful" she said, wondering just how long she would remain here.
A/N: Thanks for your patience this is finally going somewhere! I just have to add R&R or you won't get any more from me. I'm sorry I need to know people care or I just can't write any more.