Chapter 1- The Announcement

Disclaimer: If I owned this, this would have been part of the books. Is it? No. Therefore, it ought to be clear that I do not own the HP franchise.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were back for the sixth year at Hogwarts, and they were not prepared for the sudden announcement that Headmaster Dumbledore would make. After his speech, welcoming Horace Slughorn as Potions Professor and Severus Snape as the new DADA professor, he announced that the sixth year students would be taking part in a parenting class. "All the sixth years," he said, "would be paired up randomly, and live on an enchanted lane inside of Hogwarts with houses and everything. Each family would have between five and seven children to take care of by the end of the year, including a simulated pregnancy." The sixth years mouths dropped open, five to seven children? That was a lot. Ron didn't look horribly concerned. As one of seven, this parenting class would be easier for him than for Hermione, Harry, or even Draco. McGonagall came up. "I will now read the names of those who shall take part in this parenting class," The Great Hall was deathly quiet, waiting for the sixth years to be called.

McGonagall read clearly, and it was easy to understand her. "Miss Millicent Bulstrode. Miss Tracey Davis. Miss Daphne Greengrass. Miss Pansy Parkinson. Mr. Vincent Crabbe. Mr. Gregory Goyle. Mr. Draco Malfoy. Mr. Theodore Nott. Mr. Blaise Zabini." That was all the Slytherins. McGonagall started in on the Gryffindors, "Miss Lavender Brown. Miss Hermione Granger. Miss Pavarti Patil. Mr. Seamus Finnegan. Mr. Neville Longbottom. Mr. Harry Potter. Mr. Dean Thomas. Mr. Ronald Weasley." Next came the Ravenclaws, "Miss Mandy Brocklehurst. Miss Sue Li. Miss Padma Patil. Miss Lisa Turpin. Mr. Terry Boot. Mr. Michael Corner. Mr. Anthony Goldstein." Lastly, she read the names of the Hufflepuffs, "Miss Hannah Abbott. Miss Susan Bones. Mr. Justin Finch-Fletchley. Mr. Ernest Macmillan. Please come to the Parenting Class in Room 6-C at nine a.m. Monday. Your pairings will be announced Monday. They will include interhouse pairings. That is all." Dumbledore waved his hand, and the food appeared on the table.

Ron dug in as usual, but Hermione was worried. "Harry… Ron." she said softly, "How are we going to study for our other classes? And how do we get paired up? By luck?" "I don't know." said Harry. Ron said only, "Mmgphph." His mouth was full. Suddenly Hermione thought of something… "What if we get paired with Slytherins? Like…," her heart raced with dread… "Malfoy?" Harry gasped. "If that happens, we get to murder someone, so don't worry 'Mione." Hermione was a little consoled by his blunt answer and began to eat… The next days would hold acute worry for her.

That night, Lavender asked her, "Hey, Hermione, who do you think you'll be paired with?" "Hopefully a Gryffindor, any Gryffindor. Let me guess, you want to be with Ron?" "Of course," smiled Lavender, "and Pavarti here wants to be with Seamus. But we could literally be with anyone." Hermione's smile ceased to exist. She said moodily, "I know, right! Merlin's pants, I could be with Malfoy of all people." Lavender raised her eyebrows. "I highly doubt it. I think Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Snape are doing the sorting, so I doubt they'd put a couple who would fight more than they cared for the children." Hermione tapped her desk for a minute before saying, "That's what I'm afraid of. Malfoy and I both care a lot about grades. We have the best grades in the entire school. If this project is being graded, the professors know we'd try to get along just to get a good grade for the project. That's what sucks about having basically perfect grades, except in Divination and Potions. He has basically perfect grades except in Charms and Transfiguration, where I beat him by 2%. He still has an O though, lucky bastard."

Pavarti seemed stunned at Hermione swearing. "Sorry," said Hermione, "I'm not really myself." "I can tell," said Pavarti rather dryly. She liked Hermione, but it was just… really startling for her to be swearing. It was the total opposite of her prefect mind. "So," said Parvarti, "Are the prefects this year still the same… with this parenting class going on?" "I don't know," said Hermione wearily. "Who are the prefects again?" asked Lavender. Hermione sighed before responding. "For Gryffindor, myself and Ron. For Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan. For Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, the git, and Pansy Parkinson, who's almost as bad. For Ravenclaw, your twin, Parvarti, Padma, and Anthony Goldstein. I'm gonna go to bed. I'm exhausted." She flopped down on her bed.

Pavarti took went to sleep, but Lavender went and took a shower. Hermione wondered what the next day would bring. When Lavender came back in, she asked casually, What classes are you taking, 'Mione?" Hermione sighed, thought for two minutes, then responded, " Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Apparition, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy." "Wow!" said Lavender, "I'm taking Charms, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures, since we can drop classes in our sixth year." Hermione smiled at her friend and roommate before drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

The next day, Hermione rose early, around six thirty. She dressed carefully, wanting to make a good impression among her fellow Parenting Class mates. So, she dressed neatly in a checkered skirt which fell two inches above her knee and a pale blue blouse. She pulled her black school robes around her. Pulling out the new textbook, called Parenting 101 that the head boy and head girl of the year, Cho Chang and Cormac McLaggen had given them last night. She shrunk it, stuck it in her skirt pocket along with her wand, and slipped out of the room around seven, leaving Lavender and Pavarti still sleeping soundly.

She went to the Great Hall where only a few people were up. Professor McGonagall was overseeing the breakfast. She was the only professor there. There were only sixth years at the breakfast. There was a sign on the wall, which read that the sixth years would each get their own table to eat at with their "spouse" and "children," which would disappear after the class was over in May.

She was not surprised that there were a lot of sixth years. They were eager to get to class on time, and also happy that Parenting class was the only class for today. When partners were announced, they would make a timetable so that they would never have a class together, so that they could care for their family at all times. For now, they had no classes. She went to the Gryffindor table and sat down, glancing at all the small tables which were not yet in use. She then looked at her mostly empty table. Only a sleepy Seamus Finnegan was at the table. Hannah reprised the Hufflepuffs, and Sue Li, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot were the sleepy Ravenclaws. Looking bright, refreshed, and cheery, all the Slytherins sat at the table- five boys and four girls. Hermione didn't know how they did it, but secretly, she rather envied them for being such amiable (as amiable as Slytherins get) morning persons.

Pavarti slouched into the Great Hall along with Susan Bones around seven thirty. Others came slowly in, tired, around eight. The last people came in at eight thirty, Ron, Justin, and Leanne. They stuffed their mouths quickly, swallowing and chewing again. At eight-fifty-five, the sixth years headed as a group to Room 6-C, the prefects leading. Hermione felt her heart clench in anticipation of what was to come…

A/N: Please Read and Review! I have read many of this genre, and I feel that Pansy is always put with Harry or Ron, and that Luna is also included a lot. She, however, is a Ravenclaw a year younger than Harry. I have also added a couple characters, Amanda and Leanne. Only their first names are given in the official HP books, so I added last names and made them both Ravenclaws. Again, please Read and Review! This is my first attempt with a Dramione. I am trying to make it VERY SLOW BURN!