Chapter 4
Hermione arrived at the apparition point with all her belonging shrunk in her pockets. She kept thinking back to dinner at the Potters. It was a great night of fun, dinner, and drinks. It had been a nice distraction from the packing and organizing she had done. She walked the rest of the way to the castle and was met at the door by Severus.
"Severus! This is a pleasant surprise," Hermione cried.
"Don't get all sentimental on me girl. Minerva sent me to show you to your quarters. It seems she has been called away to deal with a particularly lively group of gnargles, "Snape replied in a teasing tone. Since Hermione had saved his life that night of the battle, he and she had been meeting regularly. He had even been the one to help her cope with the loss of her parents after they'd been killed by death eaters. He offered his arm and led her toward the dungeons.
"I'm afraid the only available quarters are down here as Minerva is still using hers," Snape said. He led her past his door and turned the corner. He told her the interim password and left her there to choose a new one. "Just say it to the portrait when you're ready and we will all be meeting in the great hall at 7 for dinner," Severus patted her arm and left.
She stood staring at her portrait. It was of a tall man with dark brown hair and green eyes. He didn't move like other portraits. She got right up to it and was a mere inch away when the portrait exclaimed, "Oy! Why you so blooming close muggy? Choose a pass and be on with it!"
Hermione jumped back shocked but quickly recovered enough to say, "Do NOT call me muggy. The password is Polyjuiced Pomfry."
The portrait laughed at her and swung to reveal her quarters. They were small and cozy. There was a living room with a small kitchen set off to the side. There was one door on the far wall. She went over to the wall and opened the door to find an unexpected sight. The room she stepped into was impossibly large judging from the outside of her rooms. It had a large canopy bed with a comforter in Gryffindor red. Of to the side of the bedroom was another door. Behind this door was the bathroom. It was a large bathroom with an enormous tub. Her first thoughts were that two people could fit in that tub. Hermione went back out to the front room and began to relieve her robes of her belongings, among them a cage containing a very unhappy Crookshanks.
"Well Crooks," she said as she let him free of his cage, "This unpacking will take me well to the 7pm meeting." Crookshanks looked unhappily at her for his long journey shrunk in her robes, and bounded off to the couch. "Some help you are," She said after him.