A/n: I know it's been about 6 months since I've written. This is due to 1) lack of inspiration, 2) Word not working on my computer, 3) being sick, and 4) having already written this whole chapter out and then losing it when my computer decided it was going to shut down Word ! And I have decided to tab my paragraphs now. Hhhooookay.

She quickly hopped out of the carriage as to avoid any further contact with him. She knew that in the future, nothing she did would be able to block their relationship, but for now it was easy: walk away from him.

He was slightly disappointed when she left so quickly. Now that she was, in essence, one of them, why couldn't she be near him? Not only did he feel weaker than her, he felt she was still hiding something from him. After he had been completely open around her, he completely let his guard down for Christ's sake and she still acted like nothing happened when she confided that unbelievable secret in him.

She walked into the Entrance Hall and quickly into the Great Hall. As soon as she opened the doors, a predicament came up. Where would she sit? She obviously would not give him the satisfaction of knowing, well thinking, she was dependent on him. She stared at the 4 long house tables. She saw Harry and Ron sit down. Ginny was following close behind. For a fleeting instant, there was a pang of regret for fighting with Harry and Ron. Then she remembered that even if they hadn't fought over summer, whenever they found out, it would happen, and be ten times worse that it was. She walked deeper into the Great Hall and reluctantly took a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, close enough to everyone else so it didn't look obvious, but far enough so she could have her own privacy.

She was halfway paying attention during the sorting, but by the time Dumbledore was giving his welcoming speech, she was gone. She thought back to the fight with Harry and Ron and how if they would have found out, it would have been ten times worse. Then she thought about how they will react when they find out. What will everyone do? What will they say when they know she is out of earshot? What if the only people who actually like her are rotten Slytherins. And what if those rotten Slytherins were only pretending to like her because of her status. What is they didn't like her at all, either?

Sure, she was the daughter of the most powerful and dark wizard alive, but she still had worries. By now, she was frantic. She wanted dinner to be over with so she could just go to her room. But that would mean being near him. Now, as much as she would like to deny it, he was the one who knew her best. He had known her for 7 years. Yes, they hated each other during that time, but he still knew her. Enemies need to know what makes the other tick. And now he knew about her true heritage.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when loads of elaborate food appeared in front of her. She slowly ate some food and was relieved when she got the chance to stand up to go talk to Professor McGonagall about her dorm situation. She stood up and was slightly shaken when she realized she would have to walk past Harry and Ron. As soon as she walked by, Harry smirked at her.

"I see you are too frightened to sit with us Hermione?" He said as if expecting the whole room to burst into laughter and then looking slightly ashamed when he only got a laugh from Ron.

Hermione continued walking by while muttering about how she was not frightened, just that she could not lower herself to sit with those people, if she could even call them people when they acted more like dogs...especially around food. They looked shocked and Harry shook it off by putting his fork of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

Soon, she was at the head table. She asked Professor McGonagall what to do and she said she would have to wait for him to be done eating. She looked towards his table to find that he had already been staring at her. She motioned for him to come over, seeing as it looked as though he hadn't even eaten.

He had been watching her walk up to the head table. He had been watching her during the small spat between her, Harry, and Ron. He watched how they were shocked by something she said in return. He watched her speak to Professor McGonagall. He watched her wave over to him. Wait, what? His eyebrow instinctively rose and he himself rose out of his seat at the table.

As he approached the table, she gave him an impatient look. He walked closer before she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the table. He looked taken by surprise. She looked up at Professor McGonagall waiting for an answer. She told them to walk to the 3rd floor and it would be behind an old painting of a girl named Carrie in her backyard. The password would be coluber et leo. She quickly thanked the professor and grabbed his arm and led the way to the exit of the Hall. As soon as they were out, she let go and continued to quickly walk on her way to the 3rd floor.

She knew she would have to tell him the whole truth soon, and she figured the sooner the better.