Chapter 4: The Hat's Song

*Year one*

Hermione's heart raced as struggled to keep up with Hagrid as she, and the other first years, approached the looming castle, their eyes all wide with excitement. Yes, the castle looked magnificent from afar, but it was nothing compared with how it looked up close.

The front door its self was a sight for eyes, it was a tall grand door made of the finest richest oak any of them had ever seen. Carved delicately into the wood were small circular patterns and intricate designs that spread across its surface like vines snaking their way across a wall. Hagrid pushed it open and they all walked in.

Once inside the castle, the student's amazement didn't end, but was simply halted at the sight of a tall woman standing before them. Like stated previously the woman was tall, and her body was sheathed in long maroon dressing robes. On top of her head she wore a tall pointed hat that bent downward 3/4ths of the way up.

"First off," The woman began as she looked out across the faces of all the students. "I would like to welcome you all, I am Professor McGonagall." The students said nothing. "Now, when you enter hall, you will walk to the front of the room and…"

"TREVOR!" Neville's voice exploded through the castle, cutting McGonagall's words short, her eyes landed on him, irritation written in her eyes. Hermione weaseled her way to the front of the group so that she was standing to the right of Neville; his toad was clutched in his pudgy little hands. He looked up at McGonagall with embarrassment.

"stand there quietly until your name is called, then you will walk forward to be sorted." Her voice rang out once the hall was quiet once more. You will then go and sit with the other members of your house." And with that, she left the room.

For a moment, nobody knew what to say, and they were all afraid to speak. Professor McGonagall was one of those people who knew how to frighten even the strongest of people. "So it's true then." Everyone froze as a snide voice rang out over the silence, and a small blond headed boy made his way to the front of the group. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

The eyes of the group, from that point on, were glued on the two boys as the glared at each other. Harry didn't like this boy; there was nothing about his greased back hair, smart arse smirk or arrogant attitude that screamed 'I want to be friends.' And so a feud was born.

When Harry turned down Blondie's request for friendship, the boy smirked. He didn't take nicely to being told no, he'd never been told no once in his pampered little life. While everyone else began to talk amongst themselves, he spun around quickly, but this time he faced Hermione.

"Who are you?" The blond boy sneered, raising an eyebrow in question. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew her from somewhere, it was the same gnawing feeling that sent Hermione's mind reeling. His expression softened the longer he studied her. "Do I know you?"

"I don't know if you know me or not, I already told you that." She told him curtly, her head held high. "I look a lot like my aunt Amethyst, maybe you know her?" Hermione suggested with a shrug, she wasn't going to waste her breath coming to a conclusion.

"I told you I don't associate with muggles," the boy growled angrily, but Hermione wasn't going to hear it any more.

"My aunt is a witch; she attended the school in France, Beax…" Hermione trailed off not knowing quite how to pronounce the name. "It doesn't matter," she said dismissively as she swatted at a stand of hair that had fallen before her eyes.

It was as Hermione lifted her arm, that the boy finally began to put two and two together. When Hermione had made that small action, the sleeve of her cloak had slid down her arm, revealing the silver charm bracelet she wore around her wrist. The same bracelet Drake had given her all those years ago.

The boy's thoughts were cut short as the doors leading into the great hall burst open, revealing a haughty professor McGonagall. "We are ready for you now, you may follow me." The children silenced themselves instantly and quickly did as told.

The great hall was a vast and beautiful room, and it had always been Hermione's favorite. As she looked around it for the first time, she couldn't help but ogle at every detail and marvel in all of its glory. The longer she looked around the room the quicker she caught on to the distinction of the houses, they were all color coated; even a fool would know. After a moment she turned her attention from the students, all in green, yellow, blue and red, to look up at the ceiling. Above her, against a star covered night sky, was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, thousands of tiny floating candles hovered above all the tables, all lit with gleaming fire. She wished she could watch all night.

Hermione only came to a stop when she ran into the back of Neville, whom she hadn't seen stop, and it was only than that she realized that every eye was on them. She didn't really know what to expect, unlike most of the other children, Hermione hadn't grown up with stories of 'sorting' ceremonies or magic. All she had was what Drake had told her of. What if she had to complete a test? She didn't really know anything.

When I call your name, please come forward and sit on the stool," Professor McGonagall said to them as she pulled a large piece of parchment from within her cloak. She straightened her glasses and began to read off names. "Abbot, Hannah" Hermione watched as a small frail looking girl walked towards the front of the room, her hands shaking as she sat down. Hermione gasped in shock as the old woman place a large old hat atop of Hannah's head.

Hermione had never seen anything like it, the hat was old, and it had patches covering every hole and scratch, but something about this hat screamed magic. Upon closer inspection she could have sworn that it had a face.

Hermione jumped in fright when the hat called out a name, the hat definitely had a face. The name it called out wasn't a name she'd heard before, was Hufflepuff a name at all? Was it a house? Despite the question's she had, Hermione continued to study the girl, watching the way she had stood before running off to a table lathered in yellow.

Hermione watched as several other students' names were called some of them joining Hannah, while others joined a blue clad group called 'Ravenclaw', or red cloaked bunch named 'Gryffindor.'

"Granger, Hermione," Her heart was pounding by the time they called her name.

"Ah, you are a smart one.' Hermione nearly shrieked, she had barely sat down when the hat had been placed on her head,' but you are as brave and ambitious, maybe even more… You are cunning and can be sneaky. You would do well in Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Gryffindor. It better be…" The hat paused "GRYFFINDOR!" His voice was heard across the hall, Hermione's cue to stand up. A wide smile spread across her face as she headed toward her table. Gryffindor table.

"Malfoy, Draco." Professor McGonagall called out a few names later, and at the sound of his name, Hermione glanced up curiously; only to see the boy from the train sauntering forward. "Slytherin!" The hat cried out almost instantly, urging the boy to join cheering mob of green. 'Drake' her mind sang happily. Could that be her Drake? But she had little time to ponder it now.

Pansy Parkinson, a pug faced Slytherin, came next on McGonagall's tall list, then along came Anna Porter, another Hufflepuff. When the next name was called the entire hall fell silent, not even the ghosts uttered a peep. Hermione knew that Harry Potter was 'the stuff', everyone knew him, every house wanted him; and she knew that everyone, especially the professors, had been waiting for this exact moment for the past ten years.

Hermione held her breath as she watched Harry lower himself onto the tiny stool, and she watched him flinch as the hat addressed him. Having come from a similar back ground as Hermione, the hat talking to him had been the last thing he expected it to do.

It took several minutes for the hat to make his decision, and Harry seemed to be listening closely to what was being said to him, he even seemed to be pleading with the hat. "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry let out a sigh of relief when he heard what word the hat had spoken, and he gladly stood to join his table.

"WE GOT POTTER! SUCK ON THAT, SLYTHERIN!" A boy with bright red hair, who was sitting a few seats down the table from Hermione, shouted. Laughter erupted at Gryffindor table.

Other names were soon called, names like Roberts, Stokes, Weasley and Zabini, but soon the ceremony had ended, and sorting was through with for another year.

After the tables had settled down Professor Dumbledore, the man who had come to Hermione's house, Stood up at the staff table, and looked merrily our across the sea of students. The way he stood seemed to command silence from the student body, and not a soul spoke as he listed of rules, and told wise tales. Everyone clapped once he was finished, and the feast had begun.

Instantly, huge mountains of scrumptious food appeared on the tables in front of them. Hermione was amazed at how much food there really was, there was more than enough to feed every child in the world three times. It having come from thin air, she wondered how and where it had come from.

Hermione ate in silence, only speaking when spoken too; and she was almost afraid to speak then. She wanted the others to like her. She wanted acceptance. Her silence gave her plenty of time to think about everything that had happened. Was Draco Malfoy her Drake? Maybe it was a question time would tell.

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Draco was sitting next to Pansy Parkinson. Pansy was a small girl with long black hair and a scrunched up face, many say she had the appearance of a pug. Pansy and Draco had been friends for many years, their families were close and so it was expected of them. So when she noticed Draco's eyes shifted across the room, she instantly knew something was up.

"Draco?" Pansy asked him as she studied him "What has you being so quiet?"

"Oh, it's nothing really." Draco lied, "I thought I saw a friend of mine earlier." He looked down at his plate. In all honesty he had no idea what he saw. He didn't know if that girl was Hermia. Her having the same bracelet meant nothing.

"Well what was this person's name?" Pansy asked with a smile, Draco had never really talked about any of his other friends. Pansy brushed her black hair out of her eyes.

"Hermia," He told her as he jabbed a fork into his mashed potatoes.

"Hermia? There wasn't a Hermia on the roster…" She said looking crest fallen. Draco knew that she was completely right.

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A/N: Well there was chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed it. Please Review

~Taylor