WM's Foreword: I am new here and I admit this isn't much. I didn't even watch the part three of the movie yet but rest assured, I will soon and I am making efforts to obtain the five books and read them to lessen my mistakes. Before you read, my warning is that this is a bit crazy and simply comes from my disturbed imagination. But I hope I get some feedbacks. Enjoy reading.
Note: italicized – flashbacks; "—" – conversation; '—' – thoughts
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Tainted
---Winter's Masquerade---
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Start Anew
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Darkness was everywhere, swallowing almost all visibility with its cloak. Yet upon its shroud, creatures moved steadily, surely. The dimness was their ally, their symbol.
"My Lord," one cloaked figure addressed as he knelt upon a looming figure. "The prophecy may prove to be unstoppable. Darkbringer and Akasha have both perished – losing the key in the process."
At the news, the air was filled with tensed silence, almost as if it was reflecting the sudden immense displeasure the lord experienced. "Upon whose hand?" The question, although simple, was asked icily.
"We have not known his name, my Lord. But we perceive him to be a very strong Auror—"
"I see," the ominous lord cut in coldly before turning to a young man of silvery hair standing but a few feet away. "A possible solution to this Lucius would be?"
The young man almost flinched at being addressed but refrained from doing so. But then his eyes hardened as if he was suddenly reminded of the Dark Mark imprinted on his left inner forearm by the replaying news in his mind.
…Darkbringer and Akasha have both perished…
"Death to those who are a threat, Lord Voldemort."
The Dark Lord seemed pleased with his answer. And so it would be. Wizards of considerable power would have to be eliminated and the prophecy prevented…
------
Their laughter permeated the walls of the Grangers' kitchen.
"I know, I know!" The brunette girl, Hermione Granger, exclaimed as she tried to wipe the wide grin that was gracing her face. "I didn't think she'd fall for that one!"
Her friends, a boy with messy raven hair and another boy with noticeably red hair, laughed harder, clutching the table as if their life depended upon it.
"And I thought if you all slept over that show you'd eventually stop finding something funny about it," Mrs. Granger commented, setting away the plate that used to contain their breakfast.
Me. Granger, for a few seconds, gazed up from his newspaper, noting the wide grins that the three teenagers had. He smiled unconsciously, thinking of how much these youngsters deserved to be as happy as they were that moment. They worked very hard for the peace that many were enjoying now.
"Don't you think that you should start early today if you want to reach the skating rink without too much people in it?"
Hermione, still with the smile, nodded at her father before looking alternately at her friends. "I think dad's right. The last time we went there, it was too full of people already. We can't keep on postponing this activity."
"Mione's right," the redhead said, smile still present and brightening his freckled face. "Besides, I can hardly wait to learn how to skate!"
The raven-haired male nodded with excitement, green eyes shining. "I know what you mean, Ron."
"Well it's settled then. Off you go, kids," Mrs. Granger said.
There had been much fuss then, the teenagers doing their last minute preparations. Eventually, after saying goodbye, off they went, three very good friends out to enjoy the summer vacation they very much deserved.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged smiles then, happy by the mere thought that the three were even alive.
------
Their entire day was spent frolicking about in the mall's ice skating rink. The two boys were finally enjoying the activity after spending hours of abusing their behind from falling over and over again.
"Bloody hell! This is actually enjoyable!" Ron Weasley exclaimed.
Hermione just grinned and turned to the raven-haired boy as he less than gracefully skated past her. "How are you finding this, Harry?"
Green eyes seemingly smiled as Harry looked back and waved. "Fun!"
"Bloody hell!"
Raising a brow, the brunette turned to the redhead Ron and saw him in an undignified sprawl on the ice. "And I thought you were actually getting this." At her friend's scowl, she shook her head and looked at her wrist watch. "It's already four o' clock in the afternoon. We haven't had lunch yet."
Ron, struggling to stand, sighed. "I suppose the hunger is what keeps me falling."
"Just try standing, Ron. I'm off to get Harry." With that, she gracefully glided away towards her other friend, Harry Potter.
A few minutes later found them munching away on muggle food, talking about the activities they'd be engaging for the rest of the summer before they get back to Hogwarts for their final year.
"Shopping tomorrow?"
Both boys exchanged a look at the suggestion.
"I suppose it would be alright. Muggle shopping can be fun especially since we have something to spend."
Harry nodded and dropped his voice. "I'm glad that the Ministry of Magic decided to give us muggle money for all that we did. By the way, Mione, thank you again for inviting us over to stay for the summer."
Hermione just smiled. "We're friends."
"And we've been through a lot," Ron piped up. "Merlin knows we need a break. Five years of Voldemort's menace and not to mention six years of Slytherin torment! You would think that after the Dark Lord encounter during fifth year, Malfoy and his lackeys would stop getting us in trouble. Sixth year was just awful!"
They barely noticed the weak smile Hermione gave at Ron's statements.
"Remember when they ventured into the Forbidden Forest and nearly got themselves killed? We rescued them and what did they do?" Ron asked, not really expecting an answer. "Bloody hell! They got us in trouble! We didn't win the House Cup last year because of all the trouble they put us through! I should very well like to give them a taste of their own medicine."
Harry agreed. "They would surely straighten up after they get a dose, right Mione?"
"Hopefully," she offered almost hesitantly but then perked up as if a thought or a disagreeable memory crossed her mind. "But knowing how dense they could be, I doubt a dose would be enough. They'd need the six years worth of nuisance they caused us to even notice slightly that it's time to grow up. Really, they are so self-engrossed!"
"You're right," Harry acquiesced.
"But really," Hermione said in a tone of mild irritation. "We should not be thinking about them and should simply enjoy our time—"
"Before we go back to Hogwarts and start our daily war with them," Ron finished. "Honestly, they really need to be taught how it feels to be picked on! I mean everything they do to anyone outside Slytherin is simply disgusting! They treat everybody like rubbish!"
The rave locks of Harry Potter waved in the air slightly as he shook his head. Ron obviously did not catch on that it was simply time to change the topic.
------
Time breezed by too quickly for the Golden Trio – namely Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger – that they found themselves at loathe at the fact that their immensely enjoyed vacation was almost up. They had had too much fun that it was simply impossible for them to think of anything else but to bask in their hard earned happiness.
It was just the day before it was time to go to Diagon Alley that the Granger residence received a call from the mall they had hung around in for that vacation. Apparently, Hermione was asked to claim the prize for the raffle that the mall had as one of its promo to get the customers coming.
When they had shopped during that vacation, they were given a certain number of tickets as merits for the amount of cash they spent at the mall. The three had then agreed that they would fill it up under Hermione's name since had it not been for the Granger family's invitation, both Harry and Ron would not have been there anyway.
After getting the prize which was a three-piece set jewelry, the three had opted to give the prize to Hermione's parents but the grown-ups had simply smiled and said that the prize was meant for them, seeing as how it was a three-piece set.
The following day after breakfast, they were sitting by the dinning table, the prize laid out in front of them.
"Alright," Hermione began. "There is a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a ring. Hm, they all look like they're designed for female wear. Who will have what then?"
"Uh, I think it would be best for Mione to have the earrings," Ron suggested, his face contorted into a grimace at the mere thought of either he or Harry having the said jewelry.
Harry smiled. "So that leaves the ring and the necklace. Who gets what?"
The three pondered the question, staring at the some sort of an almost black precious stone that was set in platinum.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
The two boys nodded and started to play. The winner would get to pick what jewelry he would get.
"You always get the luck!" Ron exclaimed after a few minutes as he pouted in a way that was simply Ron-like.
The other boy just grinned and took the necklace, putting it around his neck and tucking the jewelry under his shirt.
"I get to wear the ring! It looks like a girl's ring! I'll never hear the end of it if anyone in Slytherin sees it!"
"Oh stop complaining, Ron," Hermione interrupted. "Who cares what they think anyway? As long as you aren't doing anything wrong, there's nothing to be bothered about."
"Mione's right, Ron. There is nothing to feel bothered about. Just war the ring. It will be our remembrance of this fun vacation and especially our remembrance of each other."
Still frowning, Ron slipped the band of platinum into his left ring finger. "I suppose this is better than having none at all. And now that I think about it, it looks expensive and it's what it stands for that matter most."
"That's our Ron," Harry and Hermione had said simultaneously, earning a smile from Ron.
"Are you three done arguing?" Mr. Granger's voice interrupted from the next room. "It's time to go to Diagon Alley."
The Golden Trio looked at each other and together, strode out of the dinning area.
------
"Too bad it really had ended," Ron muttered, looking at the scenery passing by almost grumpily.
"Really, Ron," Hermione said, trying to placate the redhead. "Don't you miss Hogwarts at all? Don't you miss the classes?"
Ron's face fell. "Classes? Ugh!"
Harry offered a small smile. "Don't you miss the Gryffindor common room? Don't you miss quidditch?"
At the last question, Ron brightened up. "That I miss."
Hermione rolled her brown eyes. Boys and their obsession with quidditch. She could never hope to understand that part of them. Ever.
Turning to look at their other companion, Hermione noticed that Ginny, Ron's younger sister, was still busy listening to her CD player that the redhead girl took interest in when they met up at Diagon Alley.
'I should've brought a book here with me instead of putting them all in my trunk,' Hermione thought sullenly.
The trip to Hogwarts for most part was filled with discussions of quidditch and soon, Hermione found herself drifting to sleep. The boys didn't mind and kept talking. It wasn't till they were in their destination that they actually woke her up. But they were surprised though when she gave a start, beads of sweat matting her dark brown hair to her forehead.
------
"Are you sure you're alright?"
She rolled her eyes. "For the umpteenth time, Ron, I am alright."
They were in the Great Hall, waiting for the first years to enter and for the sorting ceremony to start. She was sitting in the middle of Harry and Ron, who since the time she woke up, had been asking if she was alright. Ginny, who was sitting across from them, just gave her a questioning look, not daring to add to the pestering the brunette was already dealing with.
"Do you remember you dream?" Harry asked suddenly.
Hermione turned to him, her expression growing thoughtful. "Not exactly. I don't even recall having one."
At that, Ron gave a frustrated grunt. "You woke up all sweaty and agitated, Mione. And now you tell us there wasn't a dream? Really! How stupid does that sound?"
Irritated as Hermione was at Ron's frustrated tone, she knew her friend was only concerned and therefore she couldn't take it against him. No matter how she wanted to close this topic, she realized that her friends would not drop it unless she satisfied their inquisition. But how could she do so when even she had no idea what made her start? Besides, what was the bid deal anyway? It was not like she had some warning of some sort about something bad that could happen.
She had the sudden urge to bury her face in her hands but refrained from doing so. Instead, she unconsciously looked over to the Slytherin table, her mind barely even comprehending where she was staring blankly at. So unaware was she of being in her own mind that she did not realize the seconds that ticked into minutes until—
"Mione!" Ron exclaimed, nudging a tad too hard on her shoulder that she ended up bumping Harry's.
"What?" She asked, turning her eyes to Ron.
"Have you even heard a word I said?"
She blinked, her mind drawing a blank. "You said something?"
"I knew it! Either you have a thing for Parkinson, Malfoy, or Zabini! You've been staring at them and nodding with intervals as if you've been listening to me. Is there something you're not telling us about?"
To say that she was bewildered was an understatement. Did she really stare and nod all that time? Or rather, did that time actually pass? She couldn't even remember drifting away.
'Someone must be using some memory charms on me,' she thought with slight frustration. Sneaking a glance back at the Slytherin table to confirm Ron's allegation; she saw Pansy Parkinson glare at her, Blaise Zabini smirk at her, and Draco Malfoy raise a brow at her. Her face heated up then and she turned to Ron. "I really have been staring, huh?"
Before Ron could respond, the enormous double doors of the Great Hall opened and in marched the first years. There was something odd however.
Some of the students looked as if they could be in other higher years. This fact did not miss the attention of the students and did marvelously in arousing curiosity. Soon enough, questions were being exchanged among students from all four houses.
"I think I know why Mione had a start," Ginny began, discreetly pulling the earphones from her ears. Her eyes fixed on a particular girl who stood towering among most of the girls.
The Golden Trio looked at each other before looking back at Ginny and then following her gaze, fixing it on a girl who stood with an air of amusement bordering on contempt. Her shoulder-length jet-black hair flowed down like a waterfall. The girl's eyes swept around the Great Hall in mild curiosity, a smirk soon forming on her lips as her gaze fixed on the Golden Trio, specifically on Harry Potter. Her unreadable blue eyes locked with Harry's probing green ones.
"I have a very bad feeling about this," Ron said slowly, noticing the staring contest.
"Why don't I like this?" Hermione almost moaned in despair.
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, began his warm welcome of everyone. He soon spoke about the first years' sorting ceremony and thereafter said that there were going to be visiting students from other school that would be staying that year. His voice however was lost to four Gryffindors and one unknown student.
Everything came back to them only when there were murmurs filling the Great Hall.
Harry broke the eye contact first and looked around, noticing the mixed expressions on everyone. "What did I miss?" He asked, looking at his friends.
Ginny gave a blank look, Ron a shrug, and Hermione a confused look.
"Can you believe this?" Neville Longbottom, a long time friend of theirs in Gryffindor, spoke up. "They're sorting us again!"
The four inattentive Gryffindors looked at each other before exclaiming "What?!" in shock.
"Have you not been listening? Professor Dumbledore said that they noticed most students were dragging certain houses down because of too much house hostility. Because of that, they had arrived at that decision during our vacation."
"When did the professor announce this?" Ginny asked immediately.
Neville gave a shocked expression. "You weren't really listening? Everyone's been sorted already. Well, except us Gryffindors but—"
"Bloody hell! It's been that long?!"
"It seems like it," Hermione commented, eyes darting around the room in search of the girl. She did not even notice the girl get sorted, so how it was that three quarters of the school were already resorted she did not know.
"Ginevra Weasley," Professor McGonagall called.
Ginny stood up hurriedly and soon enough gave her friends a mighty jolt of shock.
"Ravenclaw!"
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, not believing his ears.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a shocked glance and looked back as Ginny gingerly made her way to the Ravenclaw table, confusion in her eyes.
Time passed and soon Harry was called. He still ended up in Gryffindor, much to Ron and Hermione's relief. When it was time for Ron, he gave his friends a reassuring smile that disappeared as soon as he was resorted into Ravenclaw.
"Harry, I'm nervous," Hermione whispered when she was called to be resorted.
The raven-haired Harry gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. Even if you get resorted, I'm sure you won't end up in Slytherin so it couldn't be that bad."
They both snuck a glance at the Slytherin table and noticed that most of the students that used to belong there were still well… there.
"Merlin forbid!" Hermione exclaimed, earning a small laugh from Harry.
The moment she sat down on the chair, she blinked back at the students staring at her with no amount of small disbelief. Befuddled, she looked at Harry who looked back with alarm. She turned to both Ron and Ginny who were sharing the alarmed look of Harry. Panic beginning to well within her, she looked at Professor McGonagall.
The said professor looked at her with surprise and took a full minute to recompose her self. "Well, Miss Granger, I am thoroughly surprised. Do join your new house."
Hermione's brows met. She didn't notice what happened. She had just sat down so why was it seemingly as if she's been there for more than a minute? "I'm already sorted?"
The Slytherin table snorted.
Snape raised a brow at her. "Miss Granger," he said dully. "I suggest you go join my house now and stop holding up the resorting ceremony."
Only the Slytherins had an amused reaction. Most of the students were still in shock as Hermione was when she realized from Snape's statement where she was just resorted to.
"I can't be in Slytherin!" She exclaimed before she could stop herself.
The head of the Slytherin's house narrowed his eyes in displeasure, though when he spoke his voice was still monotonous. "I feel the same way, Miss Granger. However, it is where you belong at this moment. Now, move away."
Still reeling from shock, she forced herself to look at the Slytherin table and not flinch at the twisted look they gave her. She forcefully moved her body towards the table and noticed that Gregory Goyle, one of Malfoy's bulky bodyguards, moved from his seat beside Malfoy who gave her a raised eyebrow and a mocking look. He tilted his head slightly, indicating the seat beside him.
'I haven't lost my mind yet, you arrogant bastard,' she thought with aggravation as she moved towards the first years. 'You'd only mock me there. Stupid prick!'
Sitting down beside one first year Slytherin, she mulled over what had happened. 'Slytherin? How could I be in Slytherin?!' She looked at Harry and then at Ron and Ginny. The other three were doing the same and many students noticed that the four of them kept alternately staring at each other in desperation.
"What did I do to deserve this?" She unknowingly muttered, drawing the attention of the first years near her.
"What's wrong with being in Slytherin?" One first year asked, followed by other first years that looked at her with questioning looks.
She looked at them as if they grew a dragon head. "What's wrong? Slytherin is the worst house for a Gryffindor to be!"
"You aren't a Gryffindor anymore," another said.
"I know. And it's awful!"
The first years looked at her with mixed sympathy and bewilderment.
She shook her head. They wouldn't understand yet. They weren't caught in the house rivalry yet. But sooner or later, they'd know. And she'd be even more alone – a Gryffindor stranded in Slytherin territory.
Even as the headmaster was saying something that caused reactions from the students, Hermione heard not. She was in her own world, still not able to grasp the situation she and her friends were in.
"What did I do to deserve this?" She bitterly asked once more to no one in particular.
