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Some have wondered about Hermione's background; this will be explained in the near future.

Disclaimer: All characters and setting references to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling.

More Than Expected - by Clover Bay

The Hogwarts' professors gathered in a small antechamber behind the Great Hall. As a gesture of solidarity, they always met before the opening feast and entered together. They also chose to wear their own university graduating robes, complete with colorful sashes draped along their necks and trailing down their backs. Hermione proudly wore her robes for the first time since graduating with her Master's degree; the blue, green, and white colors of her sash designated her studies in the area of charms. All around her she could see the different color schemes: Transfiguration -gold, red and white, Astronomy -black, purple, and gold, Divination - black, grey, and white. Hermione had to turn away from the others to hide her laughter at seeing Trelawny and her noble art of divination being portrayed as grey and murky. On and on they went until she finally saw the Potions' sash -black, white, and ironically enough, green. It was almost surreal for her to see such a bold symbol of her acceptance and belonging to such a prestigious group of distinguished faculty. As the Professor gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment, she sent a covert smile in his direction as they prepared for the feast.

Even though the students had yet to arrive, the staff took great care in entering the Great Hall and arranging themselves to meet the students approaching in the carriages. Power seemed to radiate from the head table once its occupants were seated. It looked like ripples of heat waving through the air on a hot summer day, barely visible yet clearly noticeable. The castle, too, had a certain charge about it, the inherent magic tingling in excitement.

Hermione had never felt anything like it. But, before she could consider it anymore, the doors were magically heaved open and students started spilling into the Great Hall. The noise level escalated until the door finally closed behind the last student. The pent up magic quickly silenced the crowd without so much as a word from the staff or the headmaster. The excitement never left their faces as the relative stillness overtook them, only to be broken by the arrival of the first years led by Professor McGonagall. Hogwarts' newest students missed the stern look she projected to the rest of the school. Many were concentrating on keeping up with her swift strides and trying not to fall on the hems of their new robes. One by one they were sorted into the various houses, each receiving great applause as they were welcomed officially. Even the most shy student exuded confidence at hearing the cheers.

Hermione watched it all with eager eyes and a rejuvenated sense of hope for the new school year. The Ministry's edict was beyond her control at this point and she refused to let it sully her first Hogwarts' feast - the first of many she thought optimistically.

To her right, Severus caught her attention with the slightest of gestures. "Remember your game face," he all but whispered in her direction without taking his eyes off of the sorting. "Didn't you say no smiling until Christmas?"

Of course she had. In a moment of idealistic teaching theory, she told the Professor that she wasn't going to 'smile until Christmas' in an effort to establish a no-nonsense reputation and head off potential problems from the students who might think she was soft. She smirked in his general direction at the thought of him using her own words against her. Touche'. Round one to Professor Snape.

Little did she know, but the students were covertly sizing up the new face at the head table. Just as some had begun to form an opinion of her, she pulled a Snape-like smirk that had them rethinking. Three of the house tables had members with blanched faces and others with looks of incredulity at the idea that there were two people capable of producing such an imposing expression.

With her game face firmly in place, Hermione enjoyed the feast while watching the interactions among the students. There was so much potential in each of them, simply waiting to be challenged. Her optimism, though, was tempered with practicality; the brunette haired boy sitting at the Gryffindor table carried a mischievous look on his face as he seemed to be plotting with the boy beside him. A pack of girls at the Hufflepuff table were giggling uncontrollably as the boy across from them was gesturing wildly with his hands, which were twice their normal size. Dotted along each of the tables she saw similar expressions. Each house was bound to have its own segment of challenging students.

Severus turned to her near the end of the meal. "In a few moments, the headmaster will give a series of announcements, introduce you, and then dismiss the students to their houses. The heads of the four houses will meet in the common rooms to speak with them before curfew."

"Since I'm not a part of any of the houses, what should I be doing during this time?"

"It is always prudent to have professors patrol the hallways and guide any first-year stragglers in the direction of their dorms."

"Sure, I can do that." She paused to look over the tables again before voicing her next question. "Does anything else happen tonight? I didn't see a meeting listed but there may be something that's just expected." She focused on her dessert as she waited for his reply. She wanted to talk with him some more before retiring to her rooms but she didn't want to be an imposition.

Surely he read too much into her question. She couldn't possibly want to spend more time with him. Clearing his throat, he decided to pass that decision back to her. "Well, it's very informal, but sometimes we end up congregating in the lounge. Play a game of cards or two." He failed to mention that he rarely returned to the upper part of the castle after meeting with his house. Severus cast his glare toward a couple of Slytherin third-years who were shoving each other at the table to distract himself from overanalyzing her answer. Of course, this in itself was overanalyzing. He wondered how conversations with Hermione could affect him so much.

The confidence in her voice returned when she answered. "Well, then, I guess I'll meet you there and we can prove that our Spades' wins weren't a fluke."

He glanced in her direction and saw a smirk adorning her face. She truly was using her game face - smirk, never smile in front of the students. "I'll see you in the lounge at nine." He was prevented from saying more when Dumbledore approached the podium and began addressing the students.

Okay, so that was a tiny cliff-hanger, but this will be another double-posting so there won't be much of a wait to continue our story. Hope to hear from you again - or for the first time from some of you! Clover