A/N: OK, apologies if this contains multiple song lyrics, I'm about to write this and Live 8 in Hyde Park (which should have finished at 9.30pm) is still on (10.40pm) and Robbie Williams just played, and it's currently Pink Floyd! I am awe-struck! I don't why I'm writing this now, I'm sure it will be an interesting chapter. But U2 playing One – the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Update Sunday morning – it finished at midnight, just amazing, historical and poignant. Ok, I'll shut up now.

In My Place

Hermione was sitting on her bed, with the curtains drawn, thumbing the pages of a catalogue, looking for Christmas presents. She had decided to get Spiritus a rocking cradle which might help him to get to sleep a bit better. Harry would get a book called Forces of Light which featured him as well as Dumbledore, Moody, Merlin, and many other famous Dark Wizard fighters. She was giving Ron ?. But she didn't know what to get Severus, she'd given him the watches last year; and they were so expensive, she'd never be able to afford something like that now she had to buy things for Spiritus.

She had been trying, she really had, but Severus still wasn't happy. She filled out the order form which then enveloped itself; she got up and set off to the Owlery. She walked steadily before she could hear footsteps coming behind her.

"Hermione!" she heard an only too familiar voice, and she quickened her pace, darting around the next corner and behind a tapestry. Through a chink in the fabric she could see an auburn-haired woman skid to a halt beside the tapestry; her onyx eyes scanned the corridor, "Hermione? Are you there?"

She sighed and walked away. Hermione waited a few minutes to make sure she'd gone and then extracted herself from the tapestry. She glanced behind her and then ran straight to the Owlery. She picked her owl and sent the order off quickly, then went back to the common room through a secret staircase hidden behind a landscape.

She was just about to speak the password when Ron and Harry came out of the portrait hole. "Hey Hermione, we were looking for you, have you had breakfast yet?" She shook her head, "come on then."

"Three weeks of bliss," proclaimed Ron,

"Ron, you still have loads of homework, what about that really long Charms essay? Or the Defence Against the Dark Arts one?" Hermione folded her arms and tutted,

"Come on Hermione, it's Christmas; be nice to me for a change. And besides homework isn't supposed to be done until the day before it's due." Ron laughed at her,

"You do remember we have NEWTs this year, you'll find it very hard to get good marks if you carry on like that."

"Well I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't have my own private teacher to help me." Ron jeered,

"Ron! You said that really loudly, and besides, we hardly ever talk about work!" she said indignantly, her face growing purple.

"Cut it out you two," Harry muttered.

"Sorry Harry," they said simultaneously, and then glared at each other.

"I'll see you later," Harry began to walk away,

"But Harry, you haven't had breakfast yet."

"I'm not hungry, and there's someone I've got to see." He walked down the corridor, Hermione saw Professor Dee beckoning Harry to follow him.

"Professor Dee?" she pondered, "Why is he going to talk to Professor Dee?"

"No idea," Ron muttered and his stomach rumbled, "Let me in there, I'm hungry."

"Alright, it's just I didn't know Harry was conversing with Dee."

"Well Seamus said he'd heard something about Dee conversing with angels." Ron said distractedly as he sat down.

"What!" Hermione looked at him, "Angels? Ron, angels don't exist,"

"How do you know?" he munched on a piece of toast,

"Well…well I don't know, but I don't believe that angels exist. Why would Dee want to talk to them anyway?"

"Don't ask me, you're Miss Know-It-All."

"Fine," she scowled at him and drank a glass of orange juice. She looked up at the staff table, even though she knew Severus wouldn't be there. She waited for Ron to finish his toast and then stood up.

She took his arm and pulled him away from the table, he tried to protest but she carried on walking. "Where are we going?"

She put her fingers to her lips and held out the silver snake on her palm. It guided her yet again to a blank wall, in a different part of the castle than last night.

"Where are we?" Ron gaped as the wall slid open to reveal a door, "Where are we?"

She smiled and let the snake become a key. She heard the familiar click and opened the door. Ron goggled at what lay in front of him.

"I bet you never thought you'd get into here," she chuckled,

"Never…" she put a finger under his jaw to shut it.

"Hermione? Is that you?" there was a lot of scuffling coming from the lounge. Severus emerged, "Why are you here now? You might meet me."

"You're not teaching today," Ron looked around sheepishly as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, of course not, I get so confused with this all."

"Well don't worry, you can go out and enjoy yourself. Ron and I are going to take charge, aren't we Ron." She fixed him with a piercing gaze. Ron gulped and nodded.

"Ok then. Just don't go into the lounge," he fastened his black cloak.

"Why not?"

"I…I made a bit of a mess in there, I'll come and clear it up later, just leave it. He'll probably want to be fed in about an hour. See you later." He swept from the hallway, slamming the door loudly behind him. There was a small scream.

"Oh thanks Severus," Hermione sighed; he did have to wake Spiritus up. "Come on Ron,"

She led him into the bedroom where Spiritus was bawling away, "he's hungry," she said, "get him out of his crib and try and cheer him up, I'll just go and get a bottle." She went into the kitchen.

As she tapped the milk formula with her wand she heard footsteps down the hall. "Ron? Don't leave him," there was no answer, but the footsteps quickened. "Ron?" She heard the door click open; she ran to the kitchen doorway and just caught a wisp of auburn hair disappearing around the corner.

A/N: My keyboard is playing up, particularly the shift key. It's very annoying. Well I hope you rocked all over the world and will think about the 80 or so children who have died in Africa whilst you read this.