Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of other characters. The plot is mine, and the people you don't recognize are mine.

A/N: from now on, every other chapter will be flashback, ok? But this one isn't.

I'm sorry, I promised that I would post this chapter earlier if I got lots of reviews, which I did (yay, happy me!), but ff.net was being a pain and it wouldn't let me in cuz it kept saying that the server was busy.

Thanks to the people who reviewed: Scegan, Fuu Houoji - I went to your site, but nothing is up yet!, Escritora, tanya, mrs. fred weasley - this story is definitely hermione/draco, I think snape is sick, Gwen, Merusa, missdragoness, IlUvDrAcOmAlFoY, Marigold - I'm sorry you were disgusted with the hermione/snape, I think that's sick too, but I originally added him in to make conflicts, Tara, dez, Nessa, CuTiE-bLuE-jEwEl, Melissa Potter - you've my 100th reviewer!, Sandra - you're not 100, but you're 101, which is also a great number!, Shirazuki, Wendy, Impressed, and susie asparagus - ron is married to parvati, so parvati is alex's mom.

And of course, thanks to my new beta - whoz penname I don't know and need to find out! But you know who you are! And tell me your pen name!

Please read the A/N at the end of the chapter, it deals with the complaints about the hermione/snape thingy. Alright, read, read, read!!!

~

Forever Never Ends

Chapter 11

It was the night of the first day of school. The teachers sat at their table in the front of the Great Hall, while the returning students were seated at the table belonging to their house.

Hermione was situated between Minerva and Severus, although Minerva had just left to retrieve the new first years. Everyone was talking quietly, patiently waiting for the professor to return with the new students. They did not wait long, however, because just minutes after she left, Minerva came back, leading a group of nervous looking children to the front of the hall. The place hushed as everyone studied the new students closely, wondering which child would be sorted into which house.

Hermione glanced around nervously as the sorting hat began to sing its song. Much to her pleasure, the song this year was shorter than it ever had been in all her years at Hogwarts. Listening to the song had always been a bore for her while she attended school. But now, it felt wonderful to hear the old Sorting Hat again, and it made her feel very much at home. She chuckled at the thought of how much she hated the singing of the Sorting Hat back in her days in Hogwarts. Hermione sighed and tried to find the pretty girl that she had met in the pet store at Diagon Alley a few months before.

After a few moments of searching she found her.

The girl from Diagon Alley was conversing with two young boys. One had black hair and the other had flaming red hair. Both of them looked oddly familiar to her.

Well, of course they are…I probably went to school with their parents.

She wondered which of her friends could possibly be the parents of the girl. They most likely had to be one of her friends. The only people who she didn't associate with were the Slytherins, when possible, and she knew that this child, with her friendly ways, could not have been born to a Slytherin family. Maybe the girl was a muggleborn, like herself.

Well, I'll find out soon.

The sorting soon began, and Minvera pulled out a large, rolled up scroll of parchment. She unrolled it, slid on her reading glasses, and began to read off the names.

"Zaplod, Daniel!"

Hermione smiled to herself as the small boy stepped up to the sorting hat. She realized that Minerva was reading the names off backwards. She figured that McGonagall probably got bored and decided to do something different for a change.

A moment later, the hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

The professor called another child up. She was sorted into Hufflepuff.

About two more children passed, and then, "Weasley, Alexander!" was called.

Hermione's head shot up. She wondered if this could possibly be Ron's child… Ron, her childhood friend. Or, perhaps this child belonged to another one of the Weasley's. After all, there were many members of Ron's family, and this could easily just be his nephew. Alexander Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, and Hermione wasn't at all surprised.

When she heard, "Potter, Christopher!" she was already prepared. She knew that Harry and Cho must have had married soon after his graduation. After all, there wasn't a person in the world that didn't know they were engaged during his seventh year. She wondered how they were doing now, and what kinds of jobs they all held.

Their son was also sorted into Gryffindor.

Twenty more names were called. And then came, "Malfoy, Rebecca!"

Hermione was stunned and she gasped as her eyes darted up. She definitely had not expected this. But, deep in her heart, she knew that he must have had a child, though she tried to deny it. He had hurt her, and now hearing "Malfoy" being spoken opened old wounds.

Get a grip!

Hermione looked around the small group of children left, trying to figure out which one was his daughter. Her eyes widened at the girl who stepped forward; it was the same girl she had met before at the pet shop. Hermione couldn't believe her eyes, but could not deny to herself that this definitely was Draco's daughter.

I should have known…the hair…

The girl climbed onto the tall stool and Hermione saw her take a deep breath. She looked terribly nervous. Minerva put the hat on her head and the whole school waited anxiously for the hat's decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

All the students gasped, even some of the Professors were taken aback. People started whispering excitedly. The Malfoy family was known to be very closely connected to the Dark Arts and had all been in the same house; Slytherin.

"Oh, dear," said Minerva, as she lifted the hat off and checked to see if it was still in working condition.

The girl, apparently very surprised herself, walked towards the Gryffindor table looking like she was in a daze. She was greeted by her friends, the two boys whom she had been talking to earlier, Alex and Chris.

Hermione had to admit that she was very astonished. Not only was this Malfoy child a kind person, but she had also been sorted into Gryffindor.

Since when has a Malfoy ever been in Gryffindor?

Obviously everyone else was thinking the same thing. The hall was quiet and there was no clapping for this new addition to the Gryffindor house. As if to relieve the tension in the silence, the two boys she had been talking to started clapping loudly. And soon, the whole hall joined in a very uneasy applause.

The sorting continued on, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Half an hour later, when the sorting was finished, Dumbledore gave his usual speech about not wandering into the Forbidden Forest and such and such. Then the feast began the tables were filled with plates and bowls full of the most delicious food.

Everyone had seemed to have forgotten little mishap during the sorting. That is, everyone except Hermione. She had so many thoughts running through her mind that she didn't even pay attention to the food she was eating. She scooped a spoonful of the delicious chicken soup into her silver spoon and brought it to her mouth, except, it hit her nose instead. She was obviously too preoccupied, but her thoughts were shattered as she quickly dabbed her nose with the napkin that had been sitting on her lap.

After the feast, Severus walked Hermione up to her room again. This was becoming quite common, as she and Severus were getting to be better friends. Over the months before school started, he had helped her tremendously. Everyday the two of them would sit at her desk in her classroom or at a table in the library, and he would help her relearn and study the things she had forgotten.

Tonight, their conversation was rather dull, due to the fact that Hermione was deeply lost in her own thoughts. Severus saw that she was rather preoccupied so he remained quiet, muttering a sentence or two once in a while. He wondered to himself what she could possibly be thinking about.

Severus had quite a nasty shock today too, upon watching the young Malfoy girl being sorted into Gryffindor. He thought the hat might have been getting a bit old. What really stumped him was that Dumbledore had not looked surprised at all and had not done anything to fix it. He thought that if he were the headmaster, he would have immediately put her into Slytherin, assuming that the Sorting Hat had made a mistake.

His thoughts soon wandered back to Hermione, and he watched her as she walked quietly beside him. Everyone loathed him, he knew that already. Aside from Dumbledore, she was his only friend. His only real friend.

~

Rebecca and her two friends chattered excitedly as they and the other first years followed the Gryffindor prefect Elise Spinnet up to their house dorms. Well, they were all happy and excited, but Rebecca wasn't sure what she felt.

The whole day had been terribly…strange: First of all, she had become friends with a Weasley; someone her mother told her not to associate with. Well, she wasn't sorry. Alex and Chris were her two new best friends at school. But then, she was sorted into Gryffindor.

At first she thought it was a mistake, but then, seeing that no one was about to do anything to help the matter, she accepted her fate. But the most bizarre thing of all was what the sorting hat had said to her…

"Ah…Miss Malfoy…where shall I put you? Hmm…difficult…very difficult…"

Put me where I belong.

"Where you belong? Hmm… plenty of your father in you: cunning, sly, daring, stubborn, yet compassionate…but also plenty of your mother…hmm…brilliance, wisdom, courage…where shall I put you? Such a difficult decision to make…Slytherin…or Gryffindor? Which side shall prevail?"

Please, just put me where I belong.

"A brave heart, daring, and full of courage…kind, caring and sympathetic, and of course, lots of intelligence…your mother's side does shine through…then it's settled…you belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

When Becky arrived in the common room, she didn't even stop to take in her surroundings, like most of the other first years did, but slowly headed up towards her room, which she shared with four other girls in her year. When she got there, she quickly changed into her pajamas, climbed into her bed, and drew the curtains. The Sorting Hat's words repeated in her mind as she lay there, slowly falling asleep.

Slytherin…and Gryffindor; Father…and Mother…

She thought deeply, still very confused. The Sorting Hat said it had put her in Gryffindor because of her mother's influence…

But Mother was in Slytherin…

Very puzzled, but perhaps even more tired, Rebecca soon drifted off into sleep, her thoughts still playing in her mind.

TBC

A/N: alright, so dealing with the whole Hermione/Snape issue. I must remind all of you that is this a Hermione/Draco story, so Snape is a very minor character. Right now, Snape and Hermione are just FRIENDS. And they're most likely going to remain that way. So don't worry, this will definitely not be Hermione/Snape. It's Hermione/Draco!!!!! I think that Hermione/Snape is nasty becuz Snape is gross and he's like centuries older than her. So I guess my main point here is that this story is Hermione/Draco, and Snape is just a FRIEND. Gosh I'm getting repetitive.

In case some of you haven't caught on yet, every other chapter will be a flashback, ok?

And of course, if you would like me to send you an email every time I update, please tell me so by emailing me at princessmegan917@aol.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me

Ok, im really bored so I will make you guys a deal:

5 reviews = update on Monday, 10 reviews = update on Friday, 15 reviews = update on Thursday, and any more than that = update on Wednesday

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!