The Library
Rating: K+
Characters: Madam Pince, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley (in later chapters), and Harry Potter

Authoress Note:

I wanted to write something involving Madam Pince and Hermione Granger that had a bit more substance to it than the last piece I wrote. The fact it tied itself in to another fiction I am working on happened on its own, hence the Chemistry and Biology classes she's taking and the fact she's in some third year courses as a second year.

Her class schedule looks messed up; She's taken some classes ahead of time. This is based off something that I am intending to write; I will do my best to have it up here shortly (within a month), if I can find a good, fast beta, I will send in what I have a piece at a time and post them as I get them back until waiting until it's all finished.

I also have another Harry Potter fiction that I am working on that's sitting at 15,000 words already and is only on chapter two so when I post the one that is tied into this one shot I'll let you know.

This will probably turn into a grouping of one shots revolving around the other fiction but that is not a definite yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter Universe, Characters etc. However I do own the Advanced Institute which was of my own thought.

Hermione Granger breathed a sigh of relief when she found herself in the library at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the first day of her second year and she was already piled on with homework, not including her summer potions essay Professor Snape was making her rewrite. He wasn't happy she had managed to get into Year Three Potions as a second year.

She nodded to Madam Pince as she walked by, earning a rare smile from the stern librarian as she entered her study corral in the back of the library. Her first order of business was to add her classes to her planner, she rummaged through her bag, pulling up a thick black book that was her lifeline.

Dipping her quill in the ink she began to write:

Mondays

Year One Care of Magical Creatures (first period)

Year Three Transfiguration (third period)

Year Three Potions (fourth period)

Year Two Defense Against the Dark Arts (fifth period)

Tuesday

Year One Care of Magical Creatures (first period)

Year One Chemistry (second period)

Year Three Potions (third period)

Year Two Astronomy (midnight)

Wednesday

Year Two History of Magic (morning)

Year Four Herbology (afternoon)

Year One Biology (fourth period)

Thursday

Study of Ancient Runes (first period)

Year Two Transfiguration (second period)

Year Three Potions (third period)

Year Two Defense against the Dark Arts (fourth period)

Year One Care of Magical Creatures (fifth period)

Friday

Year Three Potions (first period)

Year Two Charms and Year One Study of Ancient Runes (second period)

Year Two Defense Against the Dark Arts (third period)

Trigonometry (fourth period)

For Care of Magical Creatures she had an essay to write on Kneazles, which thankfully Crookshanks was part Kneazle but it was due Tuesday morning so she knew it was of some importance.

In Transfiguration, an essay on the importance of OWLs was due in their Thursday class meeting, and what OWL combinations got them to what career choices, length set at 'respectable for a third year' whatever that meant.

Potions meant a rewrite of her summer essay which had taken her a week to research and write. The red note scrawled across the top stating 'Rewrite in your own words with your own ideas. For once an OPIPION rather than a fact is desired. Use fact ONLY to back up why you came to your opinion.' Plus an essay on Wolfsbane, that if wasn't up to OWL standards, would be returned and rewritten again!

Defense Against the Dark Arts however was going to take the longest by any means. Professor Lupin stated that their background knowledge was lacking due to incompetent teaching and was spending the first two weeks going over the first years curriculum. The first week would focus on the defense against spells and the second week would focus on defense against dark creatures. It was the first day and she had three essays to turn in Thursday and two more due by Friday, but they were long in length instead of having to write multiply essays at one time for a class, which has harder than the latter.

That put her at eleven essays all due by or before Friday, not counting what she would acquire Tuesday and Wednesday before most of the others were due, thankfully Tuesday and Wednesday where her light days, so she would have time to knock out most of it before it was due.

The first order of business would be the Knealze essay as it was due tomorrow and held personal interest to her as Crookshank looked to be part Knealze. Leaving her study corral for a moment she managed to find the 'Magical Creatures' section pulling down two books that looked to hold promising for something on Knealze's. Stopping by the Potions section to look for a book on 'Wolfsbane', she inwardly chuckled at the potion Snape had chosen for them to start a theory project on for their third year. She had brewed it successfully over the summer. Remembering that 'Most Potente Potions' was in the restricted section she settled her books down in her corral before beginning the task of finding Madam Pince.

Madam Pince was restacking books that careless students had left out when she noticed Hermione Granger heading her way, no doubt wanting in the Restricted Section. Hermione was one of the few students she didn't worry about when it came to her precious books. She had seen the way Hermione cared for her own school books, she knew she would never mess with a book that wasn't her own. While she knew Hermione wrote in her own books, making notes and such as she read, she always did it with a Muggle pencil so that it could be erased where she to loan the book out or, Merlin forbid, give the book away.

As Hermione began to speak she continued shelving books.

"Madam Pince, we're working on a theory paper for Year Three Potions, Wolfsbane Potions to be exact, may I get a copy of 'Most Potent Potions' from the Restricted Section?" she asked, knowing the Hogwarts librarian wouldn't turn down her request.

"I take it knowing Professor Snape, he conveniently forgot to give out passes for anyone that wasn't a Slytherin?" she asked as she made her way towards the Restricted Section, Hermione following quickly on her heels.

"Yes ma'am." Hermione said, apparently Madam Pince was used to Professor Snape's antics after all these years.

As they reached the Restricted Section she motioned for Hermione to stay in place as she entered the Restricted Section alone, returning a few moments later with two rather large tomes, levitating before her.

"The top one is 'Most Potent Potions' the last one is 'Dangerous Potions and Their Uses and Theories.' I have one more book that will be of use to you that is in the Advanced Potions section." As they walked back to the potions sections, the tomes levitating behind her, Madam Pince spoke again.

"They've told me you're attempting ten courses this year, plus your work for the Advanced Institute." Hermione was surprised she knew this, but guessed it was prudent for them to tell her, as she was her guide to research.

"Yes ma'am. I like learning and I couldn't decide which courses to take as I haven't full decided on a career yet." She knew it made her sound like a swoot but it was Madam Pince she was talking to, if she wasn't re-shelving books, and scolding children for being too loud, she was reading something.

"Your first course of action needs to be a new bag with a weightless charm and an ever-extending charm or you're going to hurt your back. You can mail order it from Galdrag's Wizardwear in Hogsmeade Village, or you can obtain one on your next trip, which is this Saturday I think and here is your book you needed. Now if I may offer a piece of unsolicited advice?" she asked, turning to face Hermione at the young girl's nod she continued.

"Get your work done early if at all possible so that you will not risk falling behind. If you were to fall behind with this workload you wouldn't be able to catch up. I open the library at eight, which you know, but I'm usually here by six in the morning, and while the library usual closes at eight, I'm usually still here re-shelving books until at least ten or just reading, you are welcome to come use the library during those times should you need it. It would be better to sleep when the rest do and then turn your time turner back eight hours and let your 'real' self sleep while your 'time traveler' works. Your next order of business is to do two schedules, one for your regular schedule and one for your studying to plan out your time turner hours per week as they will age you slowly but surely and when Mr. Potter joins you I will need a copy of his class schedule as well as yours, but I'll do them both at the same time. Speaking of Mr. Potter, when will he be joining you?" she asked, knowing he more than likely should have been here by know.

"He was finishing dinner when I left, he should be here shortly. Oh! There he is." She said motioning behind her as Harry entered the library; his book satchel looking like it was going to explode.

"Mr. Potter, I will tell you the same thing I told Miss Granger, get yourself an extendable bag, fast, before you are having to levitate all your books to your classes, I will leave you both to it, should you need another book from the Restricted Section, just let me know and I'll allow you to go pull it yourself this time."

With this Madam Pince walked back to shelving the precious books that were waiting on her.

"How was your first day of classes?" Hermione asked, noticing Harry looked well rested after a decent night's sleep.

"It went well. I had my Defensive Theory Class today with Snape during his free period, it actually went pretty well after he quizzed me to death and when I mean quiz I mean a fifty question test and two essays, all within a two hour block but apparently I came out knowing more than he expected me to." Harry said, running a hand through his unruly hair, causing Hermione to reach out and attempt to tame it, earning her a swat of the hand.

"You and I both know that's impossible." He said before looking at the stack of books next to Hermione.

" There's always Madam Pimpernelle's Beautifying Potions in Diagon Alley, you know we could go whenever we wanted, especially since we need books for our research from Flourish and Blotts if Tomes and Scrolls doesn't have it at Hogsmeade."

"Speaking of books, did you get a copy of Most Potent Potions? We need it for our potions…" he trailed off as she held up the thick book she had been reading for his inspection, showing him the book questioned about. "Of course you do. Snape told me that would be a book worth having in a collection if we're serious about the Advanced Institute, so that will go on the list to get for Hogsmeade this weekend."

With that he went in search of Madam Pince, to give her a copy of both his schedule and Hermione's and to obtain a copy of 'Most Potent Potions' to check out for himself, when he approached the desk she was sitting behind she actually smiled at him before levitating a stack of books his way.

" I believe these will be what you're looking for Mr. Potter." She said, waving her wand over them to check out the four books that she transferred to him. Glancing at the spine of the books he noted that all three potions books Hermione had retrieved earlier where there as well as the book he had to write a three-foot scroll on for his Defensive Theory course.

'For a librarian she knows a lot about what's going on in the castle.' Harry thought before placing his books down on the table next to Hermione.

"She had them ready for you, didn't she?" Hermione asked, never taking her head up from the notes she was taking for her Potions essay.

"Of course she did, you're her favorite student, which by extension makes her like me." He said, chuckling softly as to not annoy any patrons.

"I suppose, now Essence of Dittany will be covered in our next Potions class, so when we finish this Wolfsbane essay, let's do some cursory notes on it before we move on, I would do your Defensive Theory work and I'll work on the notes for the Essence of Dittany." Hermione stated this plainly, knowing that by now that Harry would follow her word without question; he had learned that she knew what she was talking about over the summer.

They worked in silence from five that evening until eight, when Madam Pince began clearing out the library. Harry stood as to go but Hermione raised her hand to stop him.

"Madam Pince said we could stay as late as ten. We've gotten the Wolfsbane Essay written, your Defensive Theory essay written, and our summer essays rewritten. So that leaves the essay on the OWLs and at least one of the Defense Against the Dark Arts essays, if not two of them as the OWLs essay shouldn't take but an hour or so to complete start to finish."

Harry closed his eyes thinking for a moment before commenting.

"Let's do the OWL essay first as that will require very little research and then start the research for the Defense essays, and what we don't finish we can go back to the dormitories, go to sleep, and then reset the timer turner and go to the Room of Requirements for a few hours."

Hermione agreed with his assessment as they went in search of a book related to the OWL and NEWT subjects that were offered at Hogwarts. It took them twenty minutes of searching but they found the 'Educational Material' section and pulled down the two most recent looking books on OWL and NEWT level course work and material, both by Whiz Hard Books, so they had to at least be somewhat useful in information.

As they had expected it took them roughly forty minutes to come up with a decent outline and only about twenty minutes to write the paper to their satisfaction level and Professor McGonagall's standards. Hermione and Harry rolled and placed within their notebooks for Transfiguration.

Irma Pince watched as Hermione Granger and Harry Potter left the library in quick succession at exactly ten that evening. She had evades dropped on what little conversation they had had most of the evening and began the task of pulling them a few books down from the shelves, stacking them high enough that it would frighten most scholar's, let alone students but she knew the duo could handle it.

The fact they had both been accepted into the Advanced Institute was a feat in itself.

Madam Pince stopped walking momentarily to breathe deeply, loving the smell of old and new books as she walked further into the shelves, pulling books at seemingly random to let the two teens browse through.

They had a thirst for knowledge that even she couldn't quench. If she had allowed them they would still be in the library browsing books and writing papers until their little bodies couldn't take it anymore. She hadn't seen such a sight of academic prowess since Lily Evans and Severus Snape had been going through Hogwarts together. It was such a shame that they had fallen out.

It was the beginning of their fifth year, the first big test in most classes was in two days and it was more than likely going to be a practical for the OWL. It was early for a Saturday morning, around eight am when most students would be in bed or outside on the grounds as it was still early enough to be a nice day outside but for a sole red headed girl that made her way through the library with a determined stride. Lily Evans nodded to Madam Pince as she entered before going to her usual niche in the back of the library, pulling out her planner from her bag. Opening it to the current date she glanced back at the previous week before setting to her mind on doing her Advanced Arithmancy work. A look at her syllabus told her that she would need Arithmancy for the Advanced OWL Student, while not the required textbook; it was a supplemental reading that she knew she'd need for her project. She set out towards the Arithmancy section, scanning the tall shelves before she summoned the book down to herself. Turning around she ran head first into Severus.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as the book flew from her hands only to be caught by her dark-haired friend.

"Drop something Lily?" he asked as he handed the book back to her with his usual self satisfied smirk on his face.

"I was wondering where you were during breakfast." Lily said, having not seen her friend at his usual spot at the Slytherin table.

"I wanted to get a start on my Arithmancy work and my Potions assignment." He said as if the answer should have been obvious, holding up a Master's level potions book.

"I'm not surprised. Now speaking of the Arithmancy work, can you believe the amount of work that was assigned during the first week? This OWL is going to be tough but it will be worth it."

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy Evans." He said this as if he was stating the obvious as they began their walk back towards their usual table.

"True." She said before turning her eyes to the book that has caused them to collide. First she skimmed the table of contents before beginning to jot notes down in her neat script. They worked in silence for hours until she finished her notes, automatically making a copy of them for Severus so he wouldn't have to waste the same amount of time she did reading the book. Although he didn't verbally thank her he returned her favor, knowing how much she loved potions, he knew she wouldn't take the time for recreational reading with OWLs this year.

Madam Pince watched the young children interact with intent, they never spoke unless they were in the confines of the library but she could tell that Severus carried a torch for the young witch. The way the interacted made it obvious to any observer. She wondered how long it would be before Potter would come between them.

When Hermione woke the next morning she showered before dressing in her robes. A look at the clock told her it was five-thirty which meant she had ten minutes to gather her bag and meet Harry downstairs before they would use the time-turner to go back seven hours so they could get some more work done on their essays. She had long sense mastered the art of braiding which allowed her to pull her hair back and keep it out of her face for long periods of time.

She exited the stairs at exactly five-forty and was glad to see Harry just exiting the boys' dorm at the exact same time carrying his satchel and another satchel which he handed to Hermione.

"I took Madam Pince's advice and had Gladrags overnight an owl order for two weightless, extendable bags. I didn't know what color to get you so I figured Gryffindor colors where safe." He said; glad to see the smile that was crossing Hermione's face before he was smothered in a hug.

Once the time turner had been used they found themselves back in the confines of the library at their usual table. They worked for a solid eight hours; taking breaks here and there as they rewrote essays and started on new ones that had to be turned in at least a week ahead of their peers. Madam Pince kept checking on them periodically and was glad to find the pair steadily working even into the late hours of the night.

She watched as Harry pushed a stray lock of hair out of Hermione's face that had fallen loose and as Hermione reached over and absent mindedly rubbed Harry's hand when they thought no one was looking.

It was amazing what one could notice within the confides of the library.