Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I do not own the places. I don't own anything J.K Rowling thought up, all I own is the plot.
Authoress' note: I want to dedicate this entire story to the biggest Harry Potter fan I know. She's worse than me! Luli, I hope you like this story!
Chapter one: The Sorting Hat's song
Slowly the Hogwarts Express rolled into platform 9 ¾. Hermione stood next to Harry and Ron with Crookshanks in her arms.
"Happy to start a new year?" Ron asked her.
She smiled. "You bet. I've got a feeling this year is going to be great."
"Hey guys!"
"Hey Neville." They greeted back.
He waved at them and stumbled over his shoelaces.
"Oh no…" Neville muttered as the books in his arms spilled all over the tiles.
Hermione pushed Crookshanks into Ron's arms and quickly helped Neville to pick up his books.
"Thanks."
She smiled. "No problem. Are you going to sit with us?"
"…Yeah! Yeah okay."
He followed her back to Ron and Harry. They were discussing who the new Quidditch captain would be. Neville greeted them again.
"Hey Harry, Ron…Had a nice holiday?"
Harry smiled. "It was great Neville. I got out of the Dursley's house after two weeks and spent the rest of the holiday's at Ron's. We got to see Puddlemere United play the Westminster Weasels."
"Yeah Neville, it was great!" Ron said excitedly.
Neville nodded sadly. "So I've heard. I listened to the radio…Gran did have tickets, but we couldn't go. I heard it was one of the best matches of this season."
Hermione laid her hand on his shoulder. "But you did have a nice holiday?"
He nodded.
The doors of the train opened and parents all over the platform frantically started to kiss their children goodbye. Over the loud talking, mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard.
Ron quickly sank through his knees and boarded the train. Harry grinned, took Hermione's hand and followed Ron on the train.
They found a compartment at the front of the train and installed themselves on the benches. Neville stumbled in moments later, his books clenched in his arms.
"Don't you have a bag to put those in?" Harry asked as he put his arm around Hermione's shoulders.
Neville shook his head and pulled a belt out of his pocket and tied it around the book stack.
"I forgot to pack those, my gran handed them to me just before I met up with you."
He put the package in the overhead storage rack and let himself fall down onto the bench, next to Ron.
He yawned and stretched out. Then he looked at Hermione and Harry.
"Hey…are you two…?"
Harry smiled as Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah…amazing what the summer holiday can do for you." Harry said with a grin on his face.
Neville looked at them with a thoughtful expression on his face. At that moment the door of their compartment opened again. It was Ginny. She had a thunderous look on her face.
"Stop smirking Ron." She said immediately.
Ron straightened his face.
"I wasn't smirking!" He said, trying to sound hurt. "…Did mum get you?"
She snarled at the idiotic grin on his face. Ginny sat down next to Neville and sighed heavily.
"I wasn't as lucky as you were. You were near the train. Before I could wrestle my way towards it, mum had pulled me into a hug. By the way…"
She dropped something in Ron's lap.
"This is for you."
Ron unwrapped the package and groaned. "I hate corned beef! Couldn't she give me cheese or something?"
Ginny shrugged and unpacked her own lunch.
"What?" Ron said unbelievingly. "You've got cheddar and I've got corned bloody beef?"
"Ron! Watch your language." Hermione said menacingly.
Ron let himself fall back into his seat, muttering something about 'language' and 'cursing'. Hermione sighed but smiled as Harry kissed her cheek.
Neville looked at his watch and got to his feet. "I'm going to see if I can find Seamus. I've got some chocolate frog cards for him. Promised to give him Queen Mab."
"Alright. See you later then." Harry said merrily.
Neville waved and left the compartment, just as the lunch witch tried to knock on the door. The result was Neville getting hit on the nose.
"Oh sorry love. I hope it doesn't bleed…"
"No, no…I'm fine, really…excuse me…" he brushed past her and left the others looking a bit bemused.
"Is there anything on the trolley you want, loves?" the lunch witch asked.
Ron bought a few cauldron cakes and the witch left the compartment again.
"…Did Neville just get hit on the nose?" Ginny asked giggly.
The others nodded vaguely.
"That boy really is a bit of an unlucky type, isn't he."
"Ginny, you shouldn't talk like that. It's not his fault that little accidents like that happen." Hermione said.
Harry looked at her. "Hermione…I know you're right that we shouldn't, but…'little accidents'? Did you see the dungeons after that potion we had to make with volcanic rock?"
"Yeah, it looked like a bombsite" Ron added. "We don't mean to be mean, it's just the truth. He's a nice bloke, but accidents like that just always happen to him."
It was silent for a while. Finally it was Ginny who broke the silence and opted to play a card game. They smiled and Hermione pulled a deck of cards out of her coat pocket and dealt the cards. After a few rounds of poker and another hour of talking, Harry looked at his watch.
"Aren't we there yet?"
Hermione looked out the window. "No…not yet. But half an hour should do it."
"You recognise these fields? You can actually tell how long it's going to be by looking out the window?" Ron asked unbelievingly.
Hermione shrugged. "I just recognised the hills and the little chapel back there. We always pass it, so it's easy to recognise this part."
Harry laughed. "That's Hermione for you…You know, you're probably the only student ever who noticed that."
"Well, that's what you like about me, isn't it." She said with a grin.
He laughed an kissed her.
Suddenly a loud bang outside in the corridor alarmed them. They jumped to their feet and raced to see what had happened.
They found Dean, his wand pointed at the open door of a compartment.
"Dean! What happened?" Ginny squealed.
But before Dean could answer, Harry had seen the inside of the compartment. Neville was inside and looked shaky. Mafloy, Crabbe and Goyle looked dazed.
"I found the three of them cornering Neville in the compartment." Dean said coolly.
Neville climbed out of the compartment.
"T-Thanks Dean…" he stuttered.
"Come on, Neville. Let's get out of here." Said Ron as he took him by his arm.
"Yeah, and as soon as we reach Hogwarts, go to McGonagall and complain before Malfoy beats you to it and complains to Snape." Dean added.
Neville glanced back at the smoking Malfoy and his cronies.
"Come on Neville." Ron urged.
When they reached their own compartment again, they felt the train slow to a crawl.
"We're here!" Hermione said excitedly.
They took their things and stepped out onto the platform where the carriages awaited.
"It's so strange to see them like this, isn't it." Hermione whispered.
The others nodded, except for Dean.
"See them like what?"
Hermione looked at him. "Remember that lesson last year…about thestrals? These carriages are pulled by thestrals and…we can see them. We all saw someone die last year…so…now we can see them…"
Neville shuddered. "They look so…terrifying."
Harry and Hermione stepped on board of a carriage and soon the others followed. It was a bit tight, the six of them cramped together, but it fitted. Especially when Ginny sat on Dean's lap and Hermione on Harry's.
Hermione yawned and leaned against Harry's chest. A new year at Hogwarts was about to begin.
-
"Oh, come on! Let those first years hurry up." Ron said impatiently, rubbing his stomach.
"Ron, it's raining out there, thunder and everything. It's not their fault that crossing the lake is taking a bit longer." Hermione said. "Besides, you had some lunch with you. So why didn't you eat that?"
"I hate corned beef! It makes me want to throw up."
"Ron!" Ginny hissed indignantly. "That's disgusting."
"No, corned beef is disgusting."
The oncoming argument was interrupted when the doors of the Great Hall swung open and McGonagall entered with a load of frightened-looking first years.
"Finally." Ron muttered.
McGonagall walked to the front of the Hall and settled the Sorting Hat on it's stool.
It was silent for a few moments as everyone looked at it expectantly. Then the hat opened it's mouth and began to sing.
"I might just look a piece of junk,
an old and dirty hat.
But I'm the one who'll sort you all,
please remember that.
Now I didn't always have this job,
for when the Founders were still here,
they chose the students all themselves.
According to their own idea.
Hufflepuff, the gentle lass,
took the workers of the lot.
While Gryffindor, bold and brave,
took those who would've valiantly fought.
Slytherin, the shrewder one,
took those of cunning and brain.
For no one can be dumb,
and cunning all the same.
And then there was fair Ravenclaw,
who chose the wisest of them all.
But should these Houses fight themselves,
Hogwarts, then, may fall.
But do not fear each other,
just be vigilant and alert.
For he, who once would save you,
will now alone bring hurt.
Remember these words, heed them well,
but don't let them get you down.
For now 'tis time to eat and drink
and be merry without a frown."
The students applauded as the song had reached it's end. But Hermione looked thoughtful.
"That was rather a dark song…" she said to no one in particular.
"What do you suppose it meant?" Harry asked.
Hermione shook her head. "I…don't know. But don't you think it meant to say 'fight among themselves' instead of 'fight themselves'? I mean, that would only be logical…wouldn't it? We all seem to keep that hatred for the Slytherins alive…which, by the way, shouldn't be like that. Remember the song last year? It told us to burry the hatchet. But we didn't. And look what happened."
"Hermione, don't be so worried. It's just a song." Ron said.
But Harry shook his head. "You don't think that the hat was warning us, Ron?"
"Nope. Just a song."
It was silent for a while, in the background, people were getting sorted.
"Please let them hurry up…" Ron urged in a pleading voice.
When finally the last student had been sorted into Hufflepuff, Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Another year to make new friends or meet up with old ones. I hope you all will enjoy this year to the fullest and, of course, that you'll pick up a few things during lessons as well."
He winked.
"Mister Filch told me that no items have been added to his infamous list, that can be viewed in his office. The Forbidden Forest is, of course, off limits, hence the name. Well, I think that's enough for now...Dig in!" He finished.
"Amen." Ron muttered.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Every year it was the same.
"Ron?" she said sweetly as she watched him pile up food onto his plate.
"Yes?"
"Don't eat too much. It's unhealthy. And you always end up feeling sick."
He looked at her indignantly, but started laughing. She was right. Every year it was the same.
