A/N: I will try to keep things as clear as possible because there will be a lot of P.O.V.-changing within the story… I have done my best to break it up visibly so you will not find yourself too lost (I hope).

Chapter Four: The Next Morning

Severus decided he would eventually have to learn her name, seeing as how he would be spending a lot of time with her as the school year went on. The morning after the disastrous dinner reception, he knocked on her door. He heard her scrambling out of bed, muttering what could only be obscenities. When she finally opened the door, the glare she leveled at him drew a sharply raised eyebrow.

"I suppose we got off on the wrong foot, so to speak, last night. I would like to know what to call you this morning at breakfast other than 'Gryffindor.' What is your name?" Severus waited for her answer, and she hesitated before giving it.

"My name is Hermione Granger," she stammered.

"Well then Miss Granger," he drawled easily, "I will see you at breakfast. Dumbledore said he had a specific task for us to undertake during our time without student interference." With that, he turned and walked down the corridor. Before he reached the end of it, however, he turned around to find that her door was still open.

"In regards to the password, I rather like it. I think it will be acceptable. Don't you agree Miss Granger?" he called down to her. She barely nodded her acquiescence and went back inside her rooms.

Severus walked down to the Great Hall, and waited for the arrival of everyone else. He was naturally an early riser, and usually had a good twenty minutes to himself before anyone else made an appearance. This morning was no different. Severus drank his tea and watched the sky change on the ceiling, waiting for everyone else's day to begin.

When Hermione heard a knock at her door, she desperately tried to stay asleep, but the knocking was unrelenting. Contrary to popular belief, Hermione Granger was certainly not a morning person. She swore a little as she got up and made herself decent. When she opened the door, she was more than a little shocked to find Severus waiting outside.

When he had asked for her name, she felt a momentary panic flare up. What should she tell him? The truth or something else? She made the decision that she had not heard otherwise, and so she responded with the truth, not entirely sure it was the right decision. As he turned around to leave, she watched him stride confidently down the hall. Even in his youth, he possessed a grace all his own. She barely heard what he had said about the password. She truly did not care what it was, so long as it kept others out from her personal chambers.

Hermione had discovered something that had made her a little uneasy the night before. She had tried to set her own wards that would give her some extra protection and privacy, but found that they lasted no longer than a minute, and the door did not have a lock on it. She resolved to ask Dumbledore about the situation over breakfast.

She made her way down to the Great Hall where Severus was already waiting. She found that he had risen early enough that he, and now she, were the only people there. She pulled out a chair next to him and received an amused look in return.

"All these chairs and you sat next to me. What, did you enjoy being verbally accosted last night Miss Granger?" Here he was, a peer, yet he still refused to call her by her given name. It was incredibly frustrating.

Hermione leveled an amused look of her own at him and said, "I thought I heard you mentioning getting off on the wrong foot this morning, so I figured that you would want to rectify the situation as soon as possible, and please, call me Hermione."

Severus nodded curtly, and proceeded to ignore her as the faculty made their way into the Great Hall.

'Well, I guess being ignored is better than what happened last night,' Hermione thought. She resolved to show no annoyance with the situation, and instead turned to Dumbledore. Once she had his attention, she asked, "Sir, is there any reason I cannot set my own wards in my room?"

"We do not allow that, especially in the Head Students' Corridor. If a member of the faculty, or even your counterpart, should have need of you, it would take far too long to get the wards down. Most situations need to be dealt with in a rapid manner, and the way things are set up now is, in my opinion, the best way to handle things."

"So that explains the lack of a lock on my door as well, doesn't it?"

"My dear, you are surprisingly astute. You must trust that Severus will not invade your privacy unduly, just as you will respect his privacy. Now, I have to speak with you two after breakfast. I have something two projects for you to work on during this 'free' week."

Hermione finished her breakfast in silence. Dumbledore's eyes had been twinkling when he mentioned her working with Severus. That was never a good sign; it usually meant he was up to something.

A/N: Thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed, I truly appreciate it! I plan to update often, as I do not like when I have to wait interminable amounts of time to read a finished story. With that said, enjoy the next couple of chapters.