A/N: Hello, sorry this took a bit longer. Though I do now have broadband on ALL of my computers! So look out for sooner updates…

- CHAPTER FOUR –

A Lonely Evening

Hermione quavered for a moment as she walked along the familiar passage, at the end there was a small group of students standing in front of a portrait of a corpulent woman. "Semper eadam," she heard a boy's voice call out,

"Naturally," replied the Fat Lady and swung forwards to reveal the portrait hole. Hermione sped up and climbed through just it before the portrait was about to close.

She stepped into the circular common room, unnoticed by the groups of excited students eagerly catching up on news. She walked quietly to her favourite chair beside the fire; she stared into its white-hot embers for a few seconds before standing up and speaking quite suddenly so that many people around her jumped.

"Welcome to and back to Gryffindor," she spoke proudly, "I am your new Head of House, Professor Granger. I just thought I'd catch you before you all go off to bed, I wish you all the best of luck for this year, and I encourage you to come and speak to me in my office whenever you need to. I'm here to help and I really want to get to know you all well this year." She thought she saw several people sniggering out of the corner of her eye, "Good night." She said and walked to the portrait hole, she turned for a second and saw Isolde standing quietly in a corner; she gave her a quick smile and climbed back through into the corridor.

She walked to the corridor where her new office was, as she walked down it she saw the shadow of a figure standing in one of the adjacent classrooms. Her curiosity overtook her and she peered around the door, Snape was standing at the end of the classroom by the blackboard, he held his head in his hands and was muttering under his breath. Hermione thought it could have been an incantation but she wasn't sure.

She coughed quietly and he span round, immediately tight lipped, though any colour he might have had in his face was drained. "Granger," he sneered,

"I just –" but her words were cut short,

"Out of my way Granger, I have better things to do than listen to you." He swept past her, his black robes billowing behind him.

She sighed and walked out of the classroom and towards the door of her office. She pressed her ring against the keyhole and heard a musical whir, the door swung open and she stepped inside. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the huge pile of timetables she would have to hand out the next day; she walked towards the door in the corner of the room. Again she put her ring against and heard the same musical whir as it opened.

She slid her shoes off and walked barefoot over the soft red carpet of her sitting room. She went into the bedroom and unbuttoned her robes, laying them on her magnificent four-poster bed with scarlet velvet curtains much nicer than the ones in her old dormitory. She put on her nightdress and sent the robes into her wardrobe with a flick of her wand, straightened neatly.

She went back into the sitting room and sat on the sofa, gazing up at the portrait of Godric Gryffindor over her fireplace, looking splendid in robes of crimson and gold taffeta. He was pretending to be asleep, but every now and again his bright eyes opened a fraction to inspect her. Contemplating she thought it must be one of the loneliest nights of her life, she heaved a deep sigh and went back into the bedroom. She lay in bed hearing for first time in a long time only her own breathing, for so long had she shared a bedroom she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be so alone.

She writhed around in her huge bed, it was so big she didn't know where to lie, eventually she settled herself and closed her eyes, and she was almost sinking into sleep when a huge chime sounded. A clock somewhere was chiming midnight, she swore under her breath whilst the strikes continued. Then finally they stopped and all she could hear again was her own breath.

No sooner than she had closed her eyes, the bright sunlight seemed to be straining through a gap in her closed curtains. Hermione sat up and stretched, rubbing her eyes blearily. She climbed out of bed and pulled some robes out of her wardrobes; she dressed and stood before her mirror.

She looked at herself; dark shadows under her eyes and hair that spread out in all directions. She grabbed a brush and started pulling it through her hair in vain, no matter how much she brushed it she still looked like somebody had just dragged her out of a hedge. She drew her hands up to her head, catching her hair in her fingers and hastily trying to pull it into a rough sort of bun. She fastened it and sighed; the mane had gone, the shadows had not. She went into her small bathroom and washed her face, but it just made the shadows clearer.

She left her rooms and went back into her office; she grabbed the pile of timetables and put them into her bag, before hurrying off to the Great Hall.

Only a few students were eating breakfast, but she was the last member of staff to arrive. She felt her face flush as the many scornful pairs of eyes stared at her. She took her seat and hastily grabbed a piece of toast, stuffing it down her throat without even bothering to butter it. She felt much better with a bit of food down her and pulled the timetables out her bag as more students began to appear.

"Hermione," Professor McGonagall was speaking to her, she looked up and blinked, "would you like some assistance handing the timetables out? I don't know if you've acquainted yourself with all of the Gryffindors yet."

Hermione thought for a second, certainly she had very little idea who any of the Gryffindors were, but what would the other teachers think if Professor McGonagall was helping her?

As if she had read her mind, McGonagall lowered her voice, "We've all been there Hermione, no one would think any less of you."

Hermione smiled, "OK then, thanks, shall we get started?"

Professor McGonagall left her seat, "Who would you like to do first?"

"First-years, I know a few of them, and they're fairly easy to spot." Professor McGonagall smiled and Hermione picked up the pile of timetables. She shuffled them so that the first-years were at the top; luckily all the Gryffindor first- and second-years had the same timetable so she didn't have to look for individuals.

It got more difficult with the third-years, who each had a different timetable, but soon the pile was lessening and had Hermione met most of her house.

"Save the sixth-years until last," Professor McGonagall advised, "they're the most complicated." Hermione glanced at the timetables which had the student's name and a list of subjects they would be able to take with their OWL results.

Once she had done the seventh-years she took the first sixth-year's timetable from the pile. "Rachel Bones, not related to Susan by any chance?"

"Yes, a cousin I think," Professor McGonagall said absent-mindedly whilst pointing out a tall red-haired girl amidst a crowd of friends. "She's a bright girl, but definitely a Gryffindor." Hermione went over to her, following Professor McGonagall's instructions and confirmed her NEWT choices, she pointed at each of them with her wand and gave the timetable a final tap and the girl's lessons appeared.

Eventually she had finished, she glanced up to the staff table, where Snape, who had finished handing out his timetables about twenty minutes before her, was watching her closely. She stared back at him and he smirked showing a glimpse of his crooked yellow teeth. What fun her parents could have with those incisors, she thought as she left the hall for her first lesson.

A/N: Sorry that was a bit shorter than usual. I have just seen the most terrible thing – those of you who know me will know how much I adore HP Lego, I have just seen the new Goblet of Fire sets and almost cried. There are two things that made my mouth hang open – a man with a wooden leg and funny eye called, wait for it, Willy One Eye! Please don't tell me Mad-Eye Moody has been changed, and the other thing is a certain Nagini, no not a snake, a PERSON! With weird black stuff on his face. I really hope the film isn't like the Lego even though the Lego's based on it… Anyone who knows anything about this should speak up, oh and yeah the chapter, you could say something about that too if you want.