Well, because I got quite a lot of reviews, I thought I'd be nice and give you another update. I have to say I'm loving writing this one although I have a feeling it will go on for longer than I originally planned, hopefully you won't mind though! This one is a bit descriptive but it needed it, it's out the way now, so there shouldn't be many more like it.

Hope you like it :D

Step ;)


Chapter 5

Hermione woke up and was, for a second, confused as to why she wasn't looking at her dormitory ceiling. Suddenly all the memories of the previous day flooded back to her and she moaned quietly as she envisaged the day that was looming in front of her.

'What was that for?' Ron asked with a smile.

'What was what for?' Hermione replied as she sat up and pulled the covers off her.

'You moaned. What was the moan for?'

'Oh, that. It was nothing, I was just overwhelmed with memories from yesterday and didn't quite manage to keep my disbelief and frustration inside.'

Ron was slightly taken aback by the full and honest answer Hermione had given him. 'Oh, right. Your robes are on the cabinet, how long do you need to get ready?'

Hermione looked at Ron and saw he was already fully dressed and ready to go down to breakfast.

'How long have you been up?' she asked.

'About fifteen minutes.'

'What time is it?'

'Quarter past eight.'

'You could have woken me! We're supposed to see Professor McGonagal before lessons start,' she said, slightly irritated as she stood up and took her robes off the cabinet.

'Actually I couldn't. Madam Pomfrey insisted I let you sleep until half past eight or until you woke yourself up.'

'Oh…ok.'

She started walking towards the bathroom at the far end of the hospital wing.

'Remember not to shut the door!'

Hermione stopped and turned to Ron.

'But…how will people know not to come in?'

Ron smiled, 'Don't worry about that, it's charmed to recognise when someone's in and stops anyone else from going in or being able to see in whilst you are. Madam Pomfrey told me.'

'Oh, well that's ok then.'

She turned and finished her walk to the bathroom. She emerged five minutes later and walked back to her bed.

'You don't have to-'

She stopped and smiled.

'What?' Ron asked. 'Why are you smiling?'

'I was just about to say you don't have to wait for me, but…you do.'

Ron smiled, 'Well, technically I don't, but I'm getting pretty tired of collapsing everywhere!'

'Me too. I won't be a minute.' She picked up her wand, which had arrived during the night along with her robes, and flicked it at the curtains which were drawn back. They instantly surrounded the bed, shielding her from Ron's view.

Ron was quietly impressed by Hermione's spell work; they had only been doing non-verbal spells for three months but she could now do the majority of the spells she regularly used without having to say the incantation.

Five minutes later and Hermione emerged from behind the curtain ready for the day.

'Ready?' Ron asked.

'As I'll ever be!' Hermione replied.

'Oh come on, it won't be that bad.' Ron said as they started walking towards Madam Pomfrey's office. They reached her door and she came out to greet them.

'How are you both feeling?' the nurse asked them both.

'Fine,' they replied in unison.

'Is your head hurting dear?' she asked Hermione.

'No, not anymore. Can I take this off?' she pointed to the bandage around her head.

'Just let me have a quick look at your injury.'

Hermione stood still as Madam Pomfrey inspected her head wound.

'Hmm, well the skin has knitted together so there's no risk of infection. I don't think you need it needs to be covered anymore; just don't aggravate it by touching it or scratching it.'

'I won't.' Hermione promised.

'Can we go now?' Ron asked impatiently.

'Yes you can. Just don't do anything silly, I don't want to see you two in here again.'

'We won't,' Hermione said.

They left the hospital wing together and made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione took a nervous glance over the four tables, hoping against all hope that their 'situation' was still unknown by the majority of the school. She sighed when she didn't see anything that struck her as different. Malfoy was holding court over on the Slytherin table but that was normal behaviour, the group of sixth year Ravenclaws seemed to be discussing various essays they had been set and the Hufflepuffs were just eating.

Ron and Hermione sat on opposite sides of the Gryffindor table sitting themselves next to and opposite Harry.

'How are the happy couple this morning?' Harry said with a huge grin on his face.

Hermione glared at him.

'Don't even start saying things like that!' Ron snarled.

'Sorry,' Harry said, still smiling.

'Won-Won!'

Lavender came across to Ron and squeezed herself between him and Neville. Hermione thought she heard Ron whimper quietly but a smile found its way on to his face fast enough.

'How are you feeling? Are you in pain? How come you didn't come down earlier? I've been waiting ages for you!' Lavender asked without breathing in between the questions.

'I'm fine; we've only just been let out by Madam Pomfrey. She wanted to check we were all right before she let us go.'

Lavender threw a quick glance at Hermione who quickly started pouring milk into her bowl of cereal, trying to ignore the scene which was unfolding in front of her.

'Did you have to wait for her?' Lavender said, loud enough for Hermione, and most of the people around her, to hear. Hermione sighed.

'Er…yeah I did. Look Lavender, I've got something I need to tell you.'

'Ah, here you are Weasley, and you too Miss Granger,' Professor McGonagal came up to them from the staff table. 'If you wouldn't mind coming with me I'll show you to your er…' she looked at the people around Ron and Hermione, and realised only Harry was likely to know what was going on, 'your…extra study area.'

Lavender instantly looked confused and looked at Ron for some sort of explanation. She got none as Ron stood up, as did Hermione, and they followed McGonagal out of the Great Hall, Ron giving the bacon he had been eyeing up since he sat down a sorry glance as he walked away.

Hermione noticed and handed him three slices of toast from the pile she had managed to grab as she stood up. He grinned at her and wasted no time in munching into all three of them.

They followed McGonagal through various corridors; only Hermione noticed where they were going, Ron being far too interested in his breakfast.

McGonagal stopped in front of a large portrait of an elderly, serious looking wizard wearing a large hat and olive robes.

'Edward, you are to permit these two students to the staff wing when they give you the password. However, it won't be the password that the rest of the staff use,' she turned to Ron and Hermione, 'you will have your own to let you in. The password is sporadic.'

The painted wizard frowned, 'May I ask why these two students are being permitted to gain access to the staff wing Professor McGonagal?'

'They are victims of an accident with a potion and fall ill when they are separated; therefore, they need their own shared and halved room to sleep in. There is no room in the boys dormitory for Miss Granger, and I highly doubt she would be comfortable sleeping in there, and as you well know Edward, boys are not permitted into the girl's dormitories.'

'I understand professor.'

'Now, if one of you would care to try out your new password…'

'I'll do it,' Ron said. 'Spoladic!'

Hermione barely managed to suppress a giggle.

'What?' Ron asked, slightly confused as to why the portrait hadn't let them through.

'It's sporadic, Ron, with an r not an l!' Hermione said quietly, still with a smile on her face.

Ron went red.

'Oh,' he muttered.

'Quite right my dear,' Edward said and swung forward revealing a large doorway.

'Mind the step,' McGonagal said as she led the way through the door.

Hermione and Ron followed her through another series of corridors, and when they reached the end of one they climbed the wide staircase up seven floors.

Hermione was out of breath when she reached the top and clutched a stitch in between her ribs. Despite her age, Professor McGonagal could – apparently – still climb stairs as well as someone half her age.

'Do try to keep up Hermione!' Ron said with a smirk on his face.

Hermione scowled at him but at the same time tried to slow her breathing and alleviate herself of the stabbing pain in her side.

'Professor,' she said, still gasping for air, 'why are we so high up?'

McGonagal answered her without slowing or turning round.

'The staff quarters are quite large Miss Granger, and there are only a few residences on each floor. The floors below us are all full so you are to be residing on this floor.'

'Oh,' Hermione said quietly, realising she would probably be getting quite physically fit very quickly.

McGonagal stopped in front of what appeared to be an area of normal, stone wall.

'Now,' McGonagal started, looking sternly at Hermione and Ron, 'I must insist that what I am about to tell you is not shared with anyone else. The teachers of this school deserve their privacy outside of teaching hours and I do not want them to be disturbed because you gave away the method to getting into their private residences. Is that understood?'

Under the glare McGonagal was giving them they were hardly going to say no.

'Yes,' Ron said.

'Yes Professor,' Hermione replied.

'Good. You will see on the wall a stone which is raised from the rest slightly. To enter your room you need only place your hand on the stone and say the password you are about to choose. The door will then appear and you will be able to enter it. If you would be so kind as to choose a password the both of you will remember.'

Hermione turned to Ron.

'Well I suppose it should be something we can both remember easily-'

'How about 'Quidditch'?'

'But it shouldn't be something extremely obvious either.'

'But if it's not obvious how am I going to remember it?' Ron asked.

'How indeed!' Hermione said quietly. 'How about something that is related to Quidditch but isn't one of the balls, teams or positions?'

'Yeah ok…like what?'

'Merlin Ron, do I have to think of everything?'

'Well you normally do so why change a habit of a lifetime?' Ron said with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Fine! How about the last name of a famous Quidditch player?'

'Oh you would want to bring Vicky into the situation wouldn't you?' Ron snapped.

Hermione sighed impatiently, 'Merlin above! Actually, Ronald, I was thinking about that woman Professor Slughorn is endlessly harping on about. What's her name? Gwen…Gwenog Jones! How about 'Jones' for our password?'

Ron was still scowling at Hermione. 'Fine, we'll use that.'

Hermione turned to Professor McGonagal. For a split second Hermione thought she had seen amusement in the Professor's face, but after she had blinked it had disappeared.

'Right, well now you have your password if you would both be so kind as to place a hand on the raised stone I will perform the spells that make this room open to you two and you two alone. If you would say your password together after I count to three the charms will be cast.

McGonagal flicked her wand various times and Hermione noticed the stone was starting to warm up and had taken on a blue tinge.

'After three. One – Two – Three.'

'Jones,' Hermione and Ron said simultaneously.

The stone grew slightly warmer and then went cold, losing its blue tinge at the same time.

'There, the spell is complete, if one of you would be so kind as to open the door.'

Hermione's arm had started to ache and she had already let it drop to her side. Ron said the password and a doorway appeared before their eyes. He went to open it but the door was locked.

'One password to a miserable old sod, seven flights of stairs, another password and a hot rock and we still can't get in!' he exclaimed.

'A simple Alohomora will do the trick Weasley!' McGonagal said sternly.

'Oh, right.'

He took his wand out from his robes and without consciously thinking about it performed the spell non-verbally. To his surprise (although he did his best to hide it) the door clicked open. He grinned broadly and put his wand back into his robes.

McGonagal preceded them into the room and the door shut behind Hermione with a loud thud and a quite click.

'As you can see the room has been split in two. You each have a bed,' she pointed with her wand at two four-posters, identical to the ones they had in their dormitories, 'and they both have a set of curtains around them should you wish for privacy from each other. Your wardrobes already have your robes and other clothes in, and you each have a desk. Should you wish to put them together and make a larger working space you are more than welcome to do so. You are both quite adept at the hover charm so should have no problem moving them around.'

McGonagal briskly turned and walked to the left of the room where there was an opening.

'This doorway leads to your bathroom. It is charmed in the same way that the bathroom in the hospital wing was charmed this morning. Sensors around the door detect when someone is in and an imperturbable charm is activated stopping anyone else from coming near or being able to see in. I think that is all that there is to show you. Do you have any questions?'

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then looked back at McGonagal. They both shook their heads.

'I don't think so Professor. Hermione said.

'Right, well in which case I must lay down a few ground rules.'

Her expression turned stern and rather scary.

'You are both Gryffindor prefects and I expect you to continue to behave in a way that matches that title. You are not to bring anyone else to this room, unless you have my permission. May I remind you that this is the staff living quarters and as such should be treated with respect. If I hear about any immature or…raucous behaviour then I will not hesitate in finding you alternate living arrangements. This privilege has been extended to you because Professor Dumbledore believes, as I do, that the two of you are mature enough to recognise it as such and understand it is not to be abused. I will be most disappointed if a member of staff tells me you have sullied the good name of Gryffindor house, as you know I have high expectation of my prefects.'

She took a deep breath and looked at the two Gryffindors stood in front of her. She knew her speech was probably unnecessary, but this way they couldn't argue that they hadn't been told to behave. She was just covering her back in case of any 'incidents' that may arise.

'Well, if that's clear then you may go to your lessons. If I'm not mistaken you have Defence Against the Dark Arts now, is that correct?'

'Yes Professor,' Hermione replied, 'Won't Professor Snape be angry with us for being,' she checked her watch, 'ten minutes late?'

'Professor Snape is well aware that you might be late for this morning's lesson as I told him so at breakfast. The staff have been made aware of your situation and you will find that they will be most sympathetic to your needs, not that your lessons will be affected greatly.'

Ron raised his eyebrows, not believing that Snape would try and help them in any way, or that he wouldn't dock points from them for being late this morning. Professor McGonagal seemed to read his mind.

'If Professor Snape takes points from Gryffindor house because of your lateness, I would ask that you tell me and I will rectify the situation.'

Ron beamed.

'However I will do nothing about points taken for your cheek, Weasley, so watch your tongue!'

Ron's smile slipped and he looked determinedly at the floor.

'You both may go, but remember the trust Professor Dumbledore is showing in you. Please don't disappoint him.'

'We won't Professor,' Ron said genuinely.

'I'm glad to hear it Weasley, now collect your books and get to your lesson.'