Chapter 9: From place A to B

"Miss Granger, are you ready to go?" Severus asked while making sure everything looked the way it had been before.

"Yes, sir," Hermione said and looked up at him wondering how magical people traveled long journeys, "er- what are we going with?"

"You'd normally go with the Hogwarts Express but since that's not possible now... we're going to side-along apparate," Severus explained and saw the puzzled look on her face, "It means you travel instantly from one location to another, without traversing the space in-between but with another person."

"So it's almost like teleporting from place A to B?" Hermione wondered, "Is it uncomfortable?"

"It might be, some people may vomit the first time," Severus said looking somewhat disgusted. He opened the front door, "If that was all we're going."

"Yes, I think that was all," Hermione said and stepped outside Severus following her close behind.

"Miss Granger, take a good grip on my right arm and make sure you don't let go of it," Severus told and Hermione did as she was instructed. The next thing she felt was Severus' arm twist away from her and she re-doubled her grip. The next thing she knew everything went black. She was pressed very hard from all directions; she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore as if there were iron bands tightening around her chest; her eyeballs were being forced back into her head, her eardrums were being pushed deeper into her skull, and... when Hermione finally opened her eyes they were standing in front of huge entrance gates. She felt slightly dizzy but what surprised her was that she didn't feel nauseous at all.

"You may let go of my arm, and follow me, Miss Granger, we are going straight to the headmaster's office," Severus said scowling, and began to walk the path towards the castle at such a pace that Hermione had to run next to him. The doors were open and they walked - or if Hermione had something to say about the pace ran - through the entrance hall up the stairs and through three different corridors.

"Sorry, sir, could you please walk slower, I can't run much longer," Hermione panted trying to keep up, and sighed with relief when Severus slowed his pace so she didn't have to run. They walked up some more stairs and through some more corridors and soon they were standing in front of an enormous gargoyle.

"Sherbet lemon," Severus spoke the giant gargoyle moving out of their way and revealing spiraling stairs. Hermione followed as Severus lead the way up the stairs to a massive circular room. Hermione looked around totally amazed, there were a number of exciting silver instruments on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits, and to her horror, they were snoring. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and sitting on a shelf behind it, was a shabby, tainted hat. In her opinion, it was the ugliest object in the room.

"Ah, Severus I see you made it back to Hogwarts already," Dumbledore said and Hermione's eyes fixated on him. The man looked like he had lived for at least 100 years. The man looked very old, he had a silver beard and silver hair... he looked more like Santa Claus than a wizard.

"Headmaster," Severus replied bowing his head in acknowledgment.

"And you must be Miss Granger," the old man said his eyes twinkling like huge stars behind his half-moon spectacles.

"Obviously, sir," Hermione replied getting a tiny nudge from Severus.

"I see Severus has already been rubbing on you," the old man teased - his eyes now twinkling twice as much as they had before - gaining a scowl from Severus. Hermione blushed and looked down, she hadn't meant to be disrespectful, she just had no idea how to reply.

"I'm sorry, sir, I err- didn't mean to be disrespectful," Hermione replied defensively still looking down at her feet.

"Ah, not to worry, you're not in trouble, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Could you tell me why you didn't make it to the Hogwarts Express?"

At that exact moment, Hermione's head shot up. She had no desire of telling the headmaster about what her parents had done before leaving her home alone. No desire to relive that embarrassment. "I'd prefer not to, sir," she replied her voice icy.

"I see. Well if that's all, we're going to sort you into your house," Dumbledore spoke, standing up and walking around his desk towards the shelf where the ugly hat was sitting, "As you might know already there are four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The house you're sorted in is also your 'family' for the rest of the year. You may earn points for your house or lose them by misbehavior."

"Excuse me, sir? But what do you mean by earning points, I mean how do you earn them?" Hermione asked curiosity dribbing from her voice.

"You may earn points for knowing the correct answer to a question for example. Does that answer satisfy you, Miss Granger?" Severus spoke before the headmaster could answer her question.

"Yes, err- thank you, professor," Hermione responded awkwardly.

"If that's all, we can start the sorting," Dumbledore said and to Hermione's horrification, he had the ugly hat in his hand. What was the hat going to do? "Please take a seat, Miss Granger. You might be wondering what this hat will do if I am right. This rather old and battered hat is called the sorting hat. Usually, you'd try it on during the sorting ceremony in the great hall but as it is that you couldn't make it there in time, you'll be sort-"

Before Dumbledore could finish his sentence a tall black-haired witch wearing emerald-green robes ran in, "Am I late?! Did it happen yet?!"

"Minerva, if it had happened already Albus wouldn't be holding the hat and explaining what is happening," Severus replied silkily rolling his eyes.

"Oh, well very well then," she panted.

"As I was saying before Professor McGonagall interrupted us," the Headmaster continued cheerfully his eyes twinkling with mischief, "you'll be sorted here in my office. If you're ready we may sort you into your house."

Hermione nodded eagerly as a sign she had understood what he had told. She liked professor McGonagall, she seemed motherlike and Hermione could swear that McGonagall had to be from Scotland, the accent was just too clear. But McGonagall also seemed the type of teacher not to cross. As the hat was lowered into her head, Hermione felt like her heart was about to bounce out of her chest. The last thing she saw was uninterested-looking Professor Snape.

"Hmmm, difficult... very difficult... Plenty of knowledge, I see. And a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... Very interesting, indeed... Ambitious too," Hermione heard a small voice say in her ear.

A/n: Next chapter is going to be fun :D sorry for the wait