AN- Well after a year since I last updated, here is the next chapter. I don't really have an excuse. I could blame it on a number of things; my missing muse, my sudden dislike of this story and where it was going, my disinterest in writing, etc, but I won't. It's my own fault, and I'm truly sorry for those who I kept waiting.

Now on to what you really want to read.

Again, I don't own anything, apart from Madelyne and anything you don't recognise as J. K. Rowling's.

Chapter 9

"And we come, at last, to the Room of Requirement," Sirius Black stated with a dramatic and slightly over-the-top flourish and bow.

Hermione Granger could not help but cover a snigger, and Severus Snape, noticing the caught snigger, gave the petite brunette a wry smile.

"Errr, not meaning to be rude, Sirius," Madelyne Harper queried, blushing prettily, "But where exactly is the, umm, Room of Requirement?"

"First name basis already," Hermione whispered to Snape, standing on tip-toe so that her mouth was somewhere near the vicinity of his ear. Unfortunately, this meant that Hermione's body was almost flush against the Headmaster's, and when Snape chuckled in reply, Hermione could feel the rumbling of his chest thrum right through her body. The feeling was extremely disconcerting and Hermione shivered in response before hastily stepping away.

"Right here, my dear," Sirius replied pointing over his shoulder.

Madelyne's expression was puzzled, "Where?"

Hermione tried her hardest not to laugh, but it was simply too much. She covered her mouth to smother her giggles with no success; laughter bubbled from her throat, catching Sirius' attention. He gave Hermione a perturbed look before turning to the door of the Room of Requirement.

"Oh bugger!" Sirius cried upon realizing that the door was not actually there, instead hung a portrait of a buxom brunette who was smiling girlishly at Sirius. Noticing that his hand was, after reaching for the non-existent door handle, in the vicinity of the brunette's impressive bosom, Sirius snatched it away before blushing. "I… err… I think I took a wrong turn," he conceded, looking quite adorably shame-faced.

"Yes Black," Snape cut in, not able to help but drawl. "That would have been about three corners ago. I believe you were too interested in your… errr… sight-seeing duties, and went left instead of right."

"Right, right," Sirius began. "Then Headmaster, how about you lead us back to our destination then?"

Snape nodded his head in assent before turning curtly on his heel, "If you'd follow me then."

"Oh Mister Black," the busty brunette called from her portrait. "Do come back and visit me. It is awfully lonely in this hallway," she stated, breathily fixing Sirius with a coy glance, "Oh, and bring your friend along too. The tall, dark one. I do so love the company of delightful men such as yourselves." She glanced appraisingly at both males.

Severus' cheeks went decidedly pink, and he coughed in embarrassment. "Yes, well…"

"It would be our pleasure, my dear," Sirius replied chivalrously before turning to a blushing Snape. "Lead on, good friend."

Turning on his heel once again, Snape glided off down the hall at quite a speedy pace, it must be said. Hermione had to jog to catch up with the Headmaster.

"Why Severus," she smiled, "I do believe she likes you."

"Here we are Sirius," Severus turned to the slightly shorter man, "you may take over."

"Oh yes, thanks Severus. So, Ms Harper, as I was saying before, the Room of…" Sirius paused, looking around him (Hermione could not help but think he looked like a dog chasing its tail, a quite accurate description in all honesty), "Severus, where in Merlin's balls is the bleedin' door?"

"Oh for goodness sake Sirius! You might have thought to do some research before taking us on this headless chicken trail." Here Severus and Sirius shared perplexed looks, headless chickens? "You have to walk from here to that window sill three times whilst thinking about what you wish the room to provide," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, with just a touch of know-it-all-ness.

"Oh, right then." Sirius turned to Madelyne. "You just sit yourself down here," Sirius waved his wand and immediately a plush dark blue velvet chair appeared. Sirius helped Madelyne to her seat, before turning to Hermione. "Where do you want me, my dear?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous fashion.

Hermione rolled her eyes but could not help the grin that spread across her face. Severus, who was watching interestedly, rather thought that it was one of the loveliest smiles he had seen, and then almost immediately told that annoying voice in his head to go do… whatever it was that whimsical annoying voices did. There was nothing particularly lovely about Hermione Granger, not when she smiled, nor when she laughed, not even when her eyes flashed so brilliantly when he angered her and certainly not when she was in deep thought, a slight frown upon her face, her lip caught between her teeth as she worried it, one hand unconsciously running through the long curling chestnut mass that was her hair and… Oh bugger! Shaking his head to rid his thoughts of all things to do with that, that, that short…lovely, infuriating, lovely know-it-all, Damn! Severus turned to see Hermione looking at a large tapestry on the wall, as Sirius took ridiculously long steps, walking in the vicinity Hermione had indicated, whilst Madelyne Harper giggled becomingly.

"Interesting tapestry, that one," Severus stated, walking over to Hermione who glanced over her shoulder at him and gave one of her annoyingly lovely smiles. The tapestry in question being of prancing, club wielding trolls in pink ballerina costumes (a quite horrific sight to be sure), depicting the ludicrous experiment of Barnabas the Barmy and his attempt to create 'ballerina trolls': a ridiculous effort, and an even more ridiculous concept.

"Quite," Hermione agreed, "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at trolls in quite the same light. I do believe that had I seen this portrait before that incident with the troll in my first year, I might have burst out in giggles instead of screaming for help. Foolish it may have been, but appropriate none-the-less." She glanced up at him with a wry smile.

"Yes, I never did understand why on earth a sensible young girl such as yourself would have imagined she could take on a full sized troll on her own, especially a first year." He looked at Hermione pointedly. "No matter how smart she may have been."

"Why Professor, I do believe you gave me a compliment, back-handed though it may have been."

"Do not attempt to sidestep the question Ms Granger," Severus replied in a voice not uncommon to that which was used in his days as Hermione's Potions Professor; however, the slight warmth in his eyes belied the sternness of his expression.

"Well, I didn't really decide to go after the troll at all. Harry and Ron, well, Ron mainly, had upset me and I, being the sensible witch that I was, decided to have a good old cry in the girls toilets. Harry and Ron, under the illusion that they might catch the troll…" (at this Severus snorted), "somehow managed to lock the bloody thing in the girls toilet with me!"

Severus, unable to help himself, burst out in deep chuckles yet again.

Hermione, finding the sound quite enchanting and, not a second later, shaking her head at the absurdity of that thought, continued, "I only said I went looking for it because, after all they did save my life, and I did want them to be nice to me, but above all, well, you did look as if you might 'Ennervate" the damned troll and set it on Harry as punishment." Here she paused for breath. "Why you made me explain this to you is beyond me, as we both know that you already knew this, you insufferable man." Hermione, realizing she had just insulted him, reacted in an action that was instinctual from her school days, and clamped her hand over her mouth in shock. Expecting the worst, she glanced warily up at Snape, only to see that he most definitely had a pleased smirk on his face.

"Insufferable man I may be, but I do take so much pleasure from hearing you, you insolent know-it-all, admit you were in the wrong."

"In the wrong!" Hermione exclaimed with some enthusiasm. "I was certainly not in the wrong. I am never in the wrong." Taking into consideration Severus' sharp look, Hermione amended with, "Well hardly ever."

"That, my dear, can be debated…"

"I've done it!" Sirius bellowed, interrupting Severus and Hermione's soon-to-be argument. "Come on, you two, there's a party waiting to be organized!"

And with that Sirius gestured to Ms Harper to enter through the doorway, before ushering a despondent Severus and a thoughtful Hermione in too. There was a gasp from Madelyne, upon entering the lavishly decorated 'room' and even Severus made a noise of what was considered to show he was impressed, yet Hermione remained silent. She had not even noticed the room. She was far too preoccupied.

He called me 'my dear'!

AN- Okay I know I promised a party, but this chapter was getting a bit full on. But the party will certainly be next chapter, I promise (where have we heard that before?).

Thanks for reading and please do review, you have no idea how much they spur a reader on.