Chapter 7 – Another Sorting
HG
It was time to go back to school. Hermione had gone early to the platform so she could pick an empty carriage and take a moment to herself. Summer had been so busy, that after she said goodbye to her parents, she chose one of the compartments in the back of the train. Still not tall enough, she needed to step on the seat to place her trunk on the rack above her. As she stood on the seat, she grabbed her book out of the trunk and hopped down. She sat down next to the window, so she could watch everyone arrive. She knew she had time, the others mostly took the first compartment they saw. So, they probably would look for her once the train started moving. With one eye on the platform and one eye on the book, she started reading. She saw Lee arrive first, getting a compartment for the rest of them as usual. A few minutes later Cedric had arrived, he soon joined his friends that were waiting for him near one of the doors of the train. Alicia, Angelina and Katie followed each other close when they arrived. Lee had opened the train window and yelled at them. The girls said goodbye to their parents and joined Lee on the train. And to no one's surprise the Weasley gang just made it by a minute. Quick kisses goodbye and they hopped on the train before the whistle could blow.
HG
"Take care of your brother!" Their mum called out as he and Fred hopped on the train. The doors closed just as Ron entered, heaving his trunk. The twins turned to look at him.
"Well, see you!"
"Oi, where are you going?"
"We already have friends, mate." Fred clapped him on the back, and they strutted the other way. They had seen Angelina and Lee waving from a compartment with a strange look on their faces.
"Lee looked weird, right?" George asked as they walked the hall.
Fred nodded. "Yeah, and Ange was making weird gestures, wonder what's that all about."
They walked further down the hall and with a grin and too much flare, they opened the compartment door. The occupants all looked frightened at their sudden loud entrance.
"For fuck sake, can't you two just walk in?" Alicia shrieked.
"You should know us by now, Al." Fred grinned, sitting down next to her, rubbing her head with his knuckles.
"Where's Hermione?" George asked looking around the compartment.
"We don't know!" Angelina sighed. "That's why we were signalling you."
"Oh, that's what it was about." The twins looked at each other.
"Lee." George started. "You were here first; did you see her?"
"No, but it's Hermione. She would tear off her parents' head if there was a chance they would be late."
Everyone mumbled their agreement and the twins rose from their seat.
"She must be -"
"On the train already -"
"Reading or something -" The twins said.
"Or maybe she's with Diggory?" Katie asked.
"No, I saw him arrive, he went to sit with his mates, two doors down." Lee answered.
"We'll check anyway." George said already opening the door again. When they both stepped out and closed the door behind them, George whispered. "I just hope none of the Slytherins went after her."
Fred's eyes went wide in concern before he gave short nod and started their search on the moving train. Being the popular Weasley twins, the past many friends and admirers, more girls than before actually, but they shrugged it off as they went on with their search.
HG
Hermione heard the door open, and she put her book down with a smile, thinking it was one of her friends that had found her, but it wasn't. It was a scrawny boy, with tousled raver black hair and round spectacles. His clothes were faded and too large as he glanced in her compartment, looking lost.
"Hi, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."
"Yes, sure." She said as she waved her hand to the seat in front of her. "First year?"
"Yeah." He said looking around and out the window in amazement.
"Muggle born?" She asked when she noticed his amazement.
"Not really but raised by muggles."
"Me too, I mean I'm an actual muggle born. This is my second year. I'm Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter." The boy gave a small smile.
"H-Harry Potter?" She repeated surprised, as she remembered what she read about him. But she shook it off quickly, not trying to embarrass him. "Nice to meet you. Just wait until you see the castle."
They talked about the sorting, but the twins said she couldn't tell any of first years how it works. They had told their brother Ron, they had to fight a dragon. So, Hermione kept her mouth shut, but reassured him everything will be fine. They were just talking about classes when the door slid open again.
"Oh, hey Ron." Hermione said as the youngest Weasley brother appeared in the doorway.
"Can I sit here? My brothers won't let me sit with them, and the rest is full."
Hermione and Harry nodded their heads and he walked in, placing his trunk next to Harry's. He sat down next to Hermione, looking at Harry.
"I'm Ron Weasley."
"Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter?" Ron repeated it just like Hermione. "Do you have the ..." He pointed at his head; Hermione nudged his side.
But Harry smiled, brushing the hair of his forehead. "Scar? Yeah."
Ron rubbed his side as he glared at Hermione. "Why aren't you with my brothers, anyway?"
"I got here early and wanted some peace and quiet." Before she could elaborate the doors slid open for the third time. The twins looked surprised around the compartment; their eyes flickered between the three. "Fred, George." Hermione jumped up and gave them a side hug as she stepped between them.
"We've been looking for you for hours!" Fred dramatically sighed.
"The train left less than an hour ago, stop being dramatic." She laughed.
"Want to sit with us or stay with ickle Ronniekens?" Fred grinned as his younger brother glared at him.
Hermione looked from Harry to Ron. "No, I'll go with you." And with that, Fred dragged her trunk from the rack, intentionally hitting Ron on the back of his head. "See you later, Harry." She waved at the raven-black haired boy, she turned to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, did you now? Right there." She said pointing at the side of her nose before she turned and walked out of the compartment.
"Why were you sitting with Ron?"
"I wasn't. I was sitting in an empty compartment when Harry showed up and then Ron."
"Why didn't you sit with us?"
"I wanted some peace and quiet. It been such a busy summer and now school, I needed a moment alone." She said as she walked between the twins. The twins tried to understand that, but it was hard as they were never alone. Not only did they grow up in a big family, but they always were at each other's side. So, they just hummed in response as they guided her to the other side of the train.
HG
Hermione sat next to Katie at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, the buzz of all the kids filled the room as they waited on the new first years. She was talking to Katie quietly when she heard Angelina speak up.
"Oi, Weasley. Isn't your brother starting this year?"
"Ron, yeah. We told him the sorting involved battling a dragon." Fred laughed so loudly; people turned to look at him.
"You're horrible." Angelina said but couldn't hold back the smile that formed. Hermione looked past Angelina, to the Hufflepuff table and she saw Cedric sitting there talking to his friends. His eyes glanced over the Gryffindor table and when he found her, he waved, making his two friends in front of him look back. Hermione waved back, getting the attention of her friends at the Gryffindor table. They turned or craned their necks to look at the person that caught her attention, before they all waved to Cedric themselves. When they turned Angelina and Alicia shared a look.
"When did Cedric get so handsome." Alicia said, waving her head in front of her face. The twins and Lee frowned as they looked back to Cedric.
"He looks just the same as last year." Lee huffed; the twins agreed.
"None of you looks the same as you did last year. All of you, including Cedric got quite the growth spurt." Katie said, looking over them all. "Hermione and I have to crane our necks to look up you guys." Katie chuckled, Hermione couldn't help but agree, glad that she wasn't the only one who saw the changes. "But not only taller, your faces are different too." Katie stood up and leaned forward, tilting Angelina's chin. The girls locked their eyes and didn't tear them away. The others looked at them confused but were interrupted when Dumbledore appeared in front of the teacher's table and announced the first years. Katie and Angelina cleared their throats and looked everywhere but each other. Hermione noticed the strange behaviour but didn't want to ask in front of the others, so she turned her head to the small room in the corner of the Great Hall where she knew the first years were waiting for McGonagall to open the door.
The door opened with a loud creak, and all heads turned to the frightened 11-year-olds. Her eyes scanned the crowd and saw the two familiar faces of Harry and Ron. Ron's hair stood out immensely against Harry's. The boy who had been looking for his toad on the train, Neville, right behind them. The toad was actually hiding under Lee's seat, making him jump when it hopped forwards. Another boy stood out against the rest, his platinum blonde hair, smoothly pulled back. He whispered something to the two larger blokes next to him, who snickered dumbly.
Professor McGonagall stopped them in front of the steps to the platform, where the sorting hat was placed on the wooden stool. The Professor took out a piece of parchment from her robe and rolled it open as she called out the first name.
"Abbot, Hannah." A girl with long blond hair in a high ponytail walked forward as McGonagall picked up the hat. She saw the lips of the professor move, probably telling her to take a seat. The girl hopped on the stool, and she placed the hat on her head. It was quiet for a moment, as they all knew the hat spoke to her, and only her before he called out. "Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuff table burst into applause as the professor took the head of and the girl ran to the yellow filled table.
Suddenly the twins started to laugh, the group all looked to them, before following their gaze. Their brother, Ron was glaring at them from the group when he figured he didn't need to battle anything. Lee started to laugh to while the girls just shook their heads with a smile, turning back to watch the sorting.
The first one to get sorted into Gryffindor was a girl with dark blonde hair. The table started clapping loudly as the girl made her way to the table, sitting down next to Percy, one of the new prefects that year. Neville was also sorted into Gryffindor, hopping down the stool with his toad in hand, and the hat still on his head. Laughter broke out in the great hall as Neville walked back to the professor, his face burning red.
Then the Great Hall went quiet before it filled with whispers when Professor McGonagall called out.
"Potter, Harry."
The raven-haired boy, slowly climbed the stool, feeling all eyes on him. He was glad the hat covered his eyes, so he didn't see the curious looks thrown at him. Hermione watched him, like all the others in the room.
"Maybe he'll beat your record." George grinned as the hat took his time.
"Gryffindor!" The hat suddenly called out.
"Not just yet." Fred chuckled, checking his watch. The table burst into cheers when Harry was sorted into Gryffindor. The twins' voices loud over the cheering crowd.
"We got Potter, we got Potter!" They cheered, they quieted down when Professor Dumbledore raised his hand. The group of first years was starting to thin out, until there were only two left, Ron and a boy with a pointed face and dark skin.
"Weasley, Ronald"
The three Weasleys craned their necks as they looked at how their younger brother hopped on the stool. The hat didn't take long to sort him into Gryffindor and even the twins, who teased their brother relentlessly, both jumped up with Percy as Ron walked over to the cheering Gryffindor table. Then the last one for that year was called up to the steps.
"Zabini, Blaise." The dark-coloured boy walks up the steps his eyes flickering over the four different tables as he had no idea in which house he would be sorted into. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on the boy and his eyes disappeared behind it. The room was quiet as the last boy was getting sorted. The minutes ticked by, taken longer as Harry. When the hat finally called out Slytherin, George whispered. "On the second as long as you, Hermione."
Hermione gave George half a smile before she turned back to the now newly sorted Slytherin boy. The boy, Blaise, looked conflicted by the sorting hat's choice as he walked to the cheering green filled table. Her eyes followed the boy, why she was so intrigued with him, she didn't know. But still her eyes followed him until he took a seat at the end of the table. She quickly averted her eyes when the boy looked up from the table, locking his eyes with hers.
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