Two:

"Severus, I notice you've ditched the eighteen-hundreds threads." Hermione sweetly intoned.

"Pardon?" Severus asked, stopping to cock his head and glance at her curiously.

"Never mind. I was commenting on your suit. I don't think I've ever seen you wear one before." Hermione said, again going for sweet sarcasm.

"I just returned from Muggle London." Severus said curtly, continuing on his path. He stopped in front of a large stone Gargoyle and nodded once to it. It opened, revealing a moving staircase.

"No password?" Hermione asked, this time genuinely curious.

"Not for me. The password is skittles," Severus answered blankly.

"I see."

"Hermione!"

Albus Dumbledore rushed forward from behind his desk. He attempted to shake our heroine's hand, but she would have none of it. She instead glared at him furiously. Albus twinkled at her, only succeeding in infuriating her more. He gestured for her to take a seat. She sat. Severus sat next to her. They sat together, in silence.

"One of the only witches who will stand up to me, Hermione." Albus chuckled.

"You had me FIRED!" Hermione yelled, loosing all self-control. "I loved my job! But did you consider that? NO!"

"Hermione, there has been some very hard times since you left."

"Why do you think I left?" Hermione snapped.

"Miss Granger we have lost yet another DADA teacher." Severus said.

" Rampaging hippogriff? Snortermark feeding gone awry?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Infected flobberworm." Albus said, hanging his head with sadness.

"I'm not even going to ask."

"The fact remains, Miss Granger, that I am taking over the position, leaving the Potions position open." Severus said.

"And why not hire one of your Slytherin rejects?"

"Because I want the best." Albus said firmly.

"You can always go home, Miss Granger."

"Thanks to you to, I no longer have a home, and I've already rented out my apartment. So, I'm stuck here in miserable, bloody raining England."

"We are in Scotland, Miss Granger."

"Oh, sod off!" Hermione jumped up from her chair and glared at Albus. He nodded softly.

"Severus will show you to your room."

Hermione followed Severus out of the office, sulking to herself. The nerve of those men! That was the problem! They were men. They thought they always knew what was best for a woman. Well, not this woman. She makes her own decisions.

"Miss Granger, your room. You may set your own wards of course." Severus said, stopping in front of a rather well hid portrait down the hall from the Potions Dungeon.

Hermione merely nodded and he led her inside. A room furnished in mostly black, with gray and silver accents sparsely placed around the room, greeted her. She noted the deep black wood, smooth to the touch. When her eyes finally graced the large four-poster bed on the raised platform in the corner of the room, she nodded in approval.

"You may change whatever you like."

"I like it fine the way it is." Hermione said blankly.

"You bathroom is through the door on the left, sitting room through the right but it can also be accessed through the portrait of Salazar Slytherin." Severus said silkily.

"Thank you."

Hermione pulled her suitcase out of her pocket and returned it to its original size. She waved her hand once and all of her clothes arranged themselves in the various drawers of the dresser or hung themselves in the bureau. Severus regarded her curiously. Let him think about that little trick, Hermione thought smugly.

"Impressive." Severus admitted reluctantly. He bowed to her and left the room.

~*~

Kick. Jab. Punch. Duck, Roll, spin. Lunge. Roundhouse. Uppercut. Thrust.

Hermione had beaten her punching bag to the point of death before finally sitting down cross-legged on the floor, her hands resting softly on her knees. She emptied her mind, and attempted to contact Sandy Carson, her protégé.

Sandy…Sandy, you up?

I am now! An annoyed voice grumbled in her head.

Good. Now, when was the last time you practiced?

The day before you left… the voice admitted meekly.

Are you connected to the Floo?

Yes. Why?

I'm coming to get you. Stay put.

Hermione stood up and crossed the room to the large, ornate fireplace that graced the wall across fro her bed. Well, what used to be her bed. She threw some powder into the flames and called Sandy's name. A tired looking face appeared, surrounded by a mass of unruly blonde hair. Hermione grinned. Sandy stepped out of the fireplace and glared at her before turning to survey the room.

Hermione had turned her bedroom into a makeshift practice arena. All of the furniture was either shrunk or transfigured, leaving the room covered in large blue mats that stretched across the floor and up to the ceiling. A punching bag hung in the corner, opposite a bar along the wall.

"Hmm…. Not bad." Sandy yawned.

"Heads up, Blondie!" Sandy ducked just in time to miss the fist Hermione had thrown. She came back up grinning…the game was on.