School has started and so chapters will be coming a bit more slowly. This book is coming to an end, and then I will be updating Discovering Death before posting the sequel. Any guesses on the name?

Editing because there is no April 31st. Thanks to griffin blackwood for pointing that out.

April 30, 1991

Over the next few weeks, Project Potter began to slowly form, but it was eclipsed slightly by the upcoming end of year tests. Hermione had begun spending every free second in the library, poring over textbooks and frantically copying everything she deemed important.

"Hermione," Tracey said in a sing-song voice. "Hermione."

"I'm studying, come back later," Hermione said distractedly, her eyes scanning a Transfiguration book.

"Hermione," Tracey repeated, slightly more urgently. "It's nine o'clock."

Hermione finally looked up from her book. "So? The library doesn't close until nine thirty."

Tracey gave her an incredulous look. "Hermione, it's Beltane tonight."

"No, no," Hermione chanted, shaking her head. "It's still April. There's about a week left to go."

"It's April thirtieth," Tracey insisted.

"But I haven't prepared!" Hermione exclaimed, horrified. "I didn't read up on Beltane! I don't know what to do!"

Tracey shook her head at her friend. "It's alright. You just need to show up and the older girls will help. Now come on, we're gathering in the dorm."

Slightly panicking, Hermione quickly shelved her books and followed Tracey back to the dorms. Daphne, Pansy and Millie were gathered in the middle of the room, waving their wands in elaborate flourishes at a basket lying on the floor.

"Orchideous coronam!" Daphne cried as Hermione and Tracey entered, flicking her wand at the basket. A bunch of flowers burst from the tip of her wand and formed into the shape of a crown, which lay in the air for a few seconds before falling lightly into the basket.

"Nice one," Pansy said appreciatively.

"Are you guys making flower crowns?" Hermione asked curiously. She dumped her bag on her bed before joining the other girls in their circle.

"Uh-huh," Millie nodded. "I haven't been able to do it so far, and Daphne and Pansy have only been able to do one flower each, though."

"Can I try?" Hermione asked. She rolled up the sleeves of her robe and pointed her wand at the basket. "Orchideous coronam!" she cried, watching proudly as a perfect crown made of brightly colored flowers formed in mid-air.

"How did you get the different flowers?" Daphne gasped. "And colors?"

Hermione shrugged. "I just visualized them in my mind."

"Orchideous coronam!" Tracey tried, but only yellow flowers appeared. "I'm still stuck with buttercups."

"Well at least you got something better than pansies," Pansy grumbled, brandishing her wand and trying the spell again. "See?"

Hermione flicked her wand again, smiling as the multi-colored flowers appeared. She let herself forget about the upcoming exams as she prepared for Beltane, a luxury she hadn't even realized she needed.

~ Slytherin ~

As eleven and twelve year olds, they were only allowed to participate in the beginning of the Beltane celebrations. The younger girls, all wearing flower crowns, danced around a decorated maypole. Some of the older girls joined them, but Hermione couldn't find Jade or Rhea in all the commotion. She did see Julianne, though, who danced a little before joining some older girls. But after the dance, Hermione, along with the other girls in her year, was sent to bed.

"I can't wait until we're old enough to celebrate properly," Tracey sighed, flopping on her bed.

"Why would you want do?" Millie wondered aloud, wrinkling her nose a little. "My cousin told me there's a lot of blood and scary things happening. I don't want to do that."

"Your cousin was probably lying to you," Pansy informed her haughtily. "My mum told me that there's something special and secret that boys and girls do."

"Like rituals?" Millie asked hesitantly.

"Something like that," Pansy said smugly, clearly pleased that she knew something Millie didn't.

"My mum said that it's just a big sleepover," Daphne chimed in. "Only instead of just girls, there are boys also."

Hermione kept quiet. Before leaving for Hogwarts, her mum had sat her down and given her The Talk, and she had a pretty good idea of what the older students would be doing that night. It seemed as if none of her classmates knew about it though, and she didn't want to be the one to have that awkward conversation

with them.

"Has anyone done the Potions homework yet?" she asked, interrupting the conversation. The girls stopped trying to guess as to the older kids' activities.

"Hermione, Snape just assigned that today," Daphne said, rolling her eyes lightly. "No one besides you has even started it."

"Draco has," Pansy chimed in. "I saw him working on it downstairs earlier."

"Ooh," Tracey teased. "Pansy and Dray-co."

Pansy blushed. "We just hang out sometimes!" she protested.

It was true. The Slytherin first years had split into two groups, and the two mainly ignored each other outside of the dorm room and meals. Hermione, Daphne and Tracey had formed an instant connection, with Blaise joining them most of the time. Draco, Pansy, Millie, Crabbe and Goyle were the other group, with shy Theo Nott either joining Hermione and her friends or sitting by himself. He would sit with Draco in classes with double desks, but for the most part, Theo preferred to be alone.

Double desk classes were a bit tricky, as they had to find a seating arrangement that everyone would be happy with. Daphne and Tracey had immediately paired up, as had Millie and Pansy. Hermione hadn't wanted to sit next to either Crabbe or Goyle, and after a couple days of sitting with Theo, had switched to a permanent seat next to Blaise. Draco, after pouting over the seating change, had grudgingly sat next to the quiet boy, leaving Crabbe and Goyle to blunder their way through the classes together.

The seating worked well, especially during History. Hermione and Theo were the only two to pay attention in Binns' class, and when he wasn't teasing Hermione or drawing her small pictures, Blaise would chat quietly with Draco or take a nap on the desk. Crabbe and Goyle dozed off one minute they entered, and the other four girls shared fashion magazines and gossiped.

And for the first time in a long while, Hermione felt that she belonged.