As always, thank you to my incredible beta, FalconHonour.

TW: Parental verbal abuse and disownment.

Hermione sat down for her first breakfast as a Second Year. Reaching out absently, she grabbed a piece of French Toast at the same time as Ginny Weasley. They looked up at each other and giggled, before each grabbing a separate piece of toast. The red-head looked up at Hermione, contemplating something, before taking a bite of toast.

"You said you had a good feeling about me last night."

The way that Ginny said it was part question, part statement.

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, it's a bit of a story, but we've got time. That is, if you want to hear it?" Ginny gestured for her to continue. "You know all the stuff you were told about Magic last night? I mean, I know they couldn't tell you absolutely everything, but what they did...did you… believe in any of it?"

Ginny grinned. "Yeah, I thought it was really cool. It's a lot to take in but it kind of makes sense…I dunno, magic's always felt a bit like…" she trailed off, searching for an explanation. "Whenever I did accidental magic, I could always feel the magic right before something happened. And Fred and George taught me some hexes on the train ride. I could feel the magic then, too. Actually, in some ways, I can feel it in the air all the time. Not much, but it's there. It's kind of like a shifting mood, if you know what I mean. Does that make sense?"

"Sure," said Hermione, "There aren't many people who can feel magic, but it's well documented that some can. Things like that aren't actually that uncommon. I mean, just looking at my own year,Theo and Daphne have a soulbond. And I've got something too, but it's a little bit weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Last Samhain, there was a troll that got into the castle. My friend Hannah and I were in a bathroom, because she was upset about something-" she paused, "something that someone had said to her."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "By somebody, do you mean Ron?"

Hermione grimaced, "Yeah. So we were in there during the Samhain feast, so we missed the memo that there was a troll in Hogwarts. It ended up wandering into the bathroom we were in, and we...defeated it, for lack of a better term. During the fight, I was casting spells I didn't know. They were just coming out of the back of my head. And then I realised it happens in class too -I always get the spells on the first try, but it's not just because of skill. It's because there's something in the back of my mind that, I suppose you could say, guides me in what to do. I guess I just kind of follow it whenever it pops up. When I saw you for the first time I felt a connection with you. There was something telling me that you were a friend." Hermione shrugged. "So I followed it."

Ginny smiled, "Well I'm glad you did."

Before either of them could say anything else, Pansy slid into her seat, swiping an orange off Daphne's plate. Daphne, who had just sat down too, glared at her friend, but said nothing as the dark-haired girl turned to Ginny, "Weasley. Where'd you learn the hex you hit Montague with last night?"

"On the Hogwarts Express. Fred and George taught me."

Pansy drank her coffee, sizing Ginny up for a moment, "You want to learn more?"

There was a hint of challenge in her tone and Ginny answered it with a lift of her chin, "Sure."

Pansy stared back. "What do I get out of it?"

Ginny tilted her head, "Insider information on something happening to Ron this morning."

Pansy cracked a smile, and started laughing, "You're a firstie after my own heart! Call me Pansy."

"Then you can call me Ginny," the younger red-head replied.

Just then, Theo, Blaise and Draco came and sat in their spots. Draco tossed a glance at Hermione after seeing where Ginny had seated herself. Hermione flashed him a smile.

"Is that everyone here?" Ginny asked. Upon receiving Hermione's nod, she looked around, and then smirked. " So , Ron and Harry took Dad's modified Ford Angelina to Hogwarts after missing the Express. Professor Snape told me that they weren't expelled-" the table groaned, "But they've both got loads of detention and Dumbledore wrote to their families last night. So that means that Mum knows, and she'll be mad . She's bound to send a Howler."

Draco looked delighted, "There's the mail arriving now!"

The owls flew in, and sure enough, a red envelope was delivered to the Gryffindor.

"— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —"

The boys looked as if Yule had come early, and Theo was frantically writing down each word that came from the screeching letter.

"— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED —"

"Oh sure," muttered Ginny, "Let Harry get away with everything. Like he did this summer." Hermione looked at her curiously, but she shook her head, "Later."

"— ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

The entire table of Slytherin burst into laughter-even Ginny. Hannah-and numerous other members of Hufflepuff - had their lips pressed together, like they were trying to hold in laughter. Titters escaped from Ravenclaw, and the way the Weasley twins were acting over at the Gryffindor table, it was as if they had been told the funniest joke of all time. The laughter eventually died down, and the chatter returned, with a noticeable uptick in mentions of the names 'Harry Potter' and 'Ron Weasley'.

The group of Slytherins then took to opening their letters and parcels from home. Draco grinned at his assortment of candies, reading through a letter from his parents, and holding an unopened letter addressed to a 'Ginny Weasley' , written in Narcissa's loopy script. Speaking of Ginny, Hermione looked over to the girl to see her staring at a letter, ashen-faced.

She threw the letter down onto the table and dashed out of the Great Hall. Hermione tentatively picked it up.

Ginevra,

I cannot believe that my daughter was sorted into Slytherin. I thought I had raised her right, but I suppose somewhere along the line, she went off the path. Goodness knows when, but maybe it was when the Malfoys offered her better supplies, and she decided to sell herself out like a cheap whore on Knockturn Alley. I had half a mind to march up to Albus Dumbledore and demand that you be resorted, but I imagine that would do no good-no matter where you ended up sorted, you would try to be friends with those Death-Eater spawn. You were already defending them after only meeting them once. But remember, to them, you will always be no better than scum on their shoes. No matter what you try, they'll never let you into their world.
Your father and I just about died of shame all over again when we were informed of your sorting by Percy. Ronald may have stolen the Angelina and brought an inquiry down upon your father, but that will eventually pass. Having a child in Slytherin? The shame of that lasts forever.

Do not try and write back, defending your decisions and your new friends.

Do not expect to be able come home for Christmas, or Easter break-or indeed, next summer. You can stay with one of your new friends.The only reason we're not pulling your funding from Hogwarts is that it has been prepaid in full. You will be paying us back the 1000 galleons we spent.

You are no daughter of mine; you are nothing but a disappointment.

Molly Weasley

'Friends' was underscored so heavily the quill had nearly torn the parchment. The anger and cutting sarcasm positively dripped from the parchment.

Hermione teared up reading the letter. She couldn't imagine how Ginny felt, getting something like that from her own mother. Her head snapped up and she caught Draco's gaze. "Get Professor Snape."

With that, she dashed out of the hall, intent on finding Ginny.

Fred and George Weasley sat at the Gryffindor table, laughing about the Howler Mum had sent Ron.

"Did you see his face when he saw the letter?"

"Red as a tomato!"

"Never mind a tomato. He was on fire!"

"It's not that we're all that much better," George grinned at Lee Jordan, who was laughing at the twin's antics.

"Took the car for a spin ourselves many-a-time this summer."

"'Cept we didn't get caught-"

"Other than once-"

"But that was Ron's fault."

"See, we were sneaking Potter back in, but he and Ronniekins were being far too loud, and woke Mum up."

"Should've taken Ginny along."

"At least she knows how to be sneaky."

George looked at the Slytherin table as he spoke, just in time to see his sister drop a letter and race out of the Great Hall. "Fred, d'you see that?"

"Ginny? Yeah. Reckon we should go and find out what's wrong?"

"Got it." George turned to Lee, "Hold the fort while we're out."

Lee gave them a mock salute, "Sure thing."

Fred looked for Percy, but he was notably absent from the table. He settled for Ron, taking George along with him. "Ron!"

Ron looked up at them and said waspishly, "What?"

"Ginny's upset. You and Harry are going to come with us and figure out what's wrong so we can cheer her up."

"No!" exclaimed Ron, "She's a slimy snake. She's in Slytherin . Whatever she gets, she deserves."

George and Fred's faces turned stony. George turned to Harry. "Potter?"

Harry shook his head, without looking them in the eyes, his gaze settled on his plate.

"I see how it is," George's voice was hard. He and Fred stalked to the Slytherin table, where Daphne Greengrass, Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were sitting, whispering feverously amongst themselves.

Fred cleared his throat. The second-year Slytherins jumped, before each squaring their shoulders, their faces each shifting into a blank mask. "Relax," Fred said, "You don't have to hide anything from us. We saw Ginny leave the Hall after reading a letter."

"Who sent it to her?" George's tone, was lacking any accusation, made the second-years relax, with the exception of Pansy, who glared at the red-heads.

"And why would we give you her letter? For all we know, you're just going to go after her and make her feel worse."

"We wouldn't!" Fred swore.

"I'm sure your younger brother would," sneered Pansy, "What makes you two any different?"

"She's our sister ," George shot back.

"Oh, well excuse me. It's not like you've defended any of us Slytherins before. How was I to know that your sister would be any different?"

Fred barked out a laugh, "Sure, it's not like I've been half in love with Emmeline Rosier for the past year or anything!" He went bright red as he realized that he had said that rather loudly. In fact, most of Slytherin was now staring at him. Including Emmeline. He flushed and ran his hand through his hair, self-consciously, "Look, just tell us where she went. We've known that she thought she'd be sorted into Slytherin since the middle of summer. She's our sister, no matter what."

Pansy eyed them warily, before, at a nudge and nod from Daphne, the only other older sibling among them, handing them the letter. Fred and George scanned the paper, their faces falling at the exact same moment, as if they were a mirror image of each other. When they finished, they turned to each other and seemingly had a silent conversation. They nodded grimly, before turning back to the Slytherins.

"Alright, well, if one of you can get a Professor-" said George.

"Draco's ahead of you, there," inserted Theo.

George nodded. "Good. We're going to go find Ginny now, then."

The two dashed out of the Great Hall.

Emmeline Rosier was having a wonderful morning, thank you very much for asking. Quidditch practice was poised to start soon, and the only open position on the team was Seeker, so they could easily practice as a team even before try-outs. It would be fantastic - they'd be able to beat Gryffindor this year, no question

She was drinking a strawberry smoothie, and exchanging answers for her Charms Summer Homework with Chelsea Travers, her best friend.

"What did you talk about in your essay?" Chelsea asked, as she poured syrup onto her waffles.

"I chose to do mine about the theory behind Banishing Charms," shrugged Emmeline, "You know, where something goes, once it's banished. I did a bit of reading up on Muggle science actually - the Law of Conservation of Energy. Hermione put me up to it. She might only be twelve, but she's got a scarily good head on her shoulders."

Chelsea laughed, "Ravenclaw much?"

Emmeline snorted, "Only for Charms and Defense."

"Speaking of your cousin, what are Fred and George Weasley doing talking to her friends?"

Emmeline furrowed her brow. "Where's Hermione, come to that? Draco's not there either, nor is that new Weasley girl-Ginny, wasn't it?"

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "I think. You and your names."

"What? I think knowing every single person's name is very advantageous," she sniffed.

"Shut up-I'm trying to hear what they're saying-"

"Sure, it's not like I've been half in love with Emmeline Rosier for the past year or anything!" burst one of the twins-Fred, Emmeline thought. She could tell them apart-Merlin knows why anyone else couldn't.

And then the words caught up with her.

Fred Weasley was half in love with her.

" What?" she hissed to Chelsea.

Chelsea rolled her eyes again, "As if I haven't been telling you the same thing for the past year." A Cheshire-Cat grin unfolded across her face. "Do you like him? You always avoid that whenever I tell you that he has a thing for you."

"No," Emmeline denied vehemently, "I mean, sure he's brilliant and all once you get through the stupid veneer of his Gryffindorish-ness and his pranks, which are ridiculously clever, even if they're for the stupidest of things. And he's a good enough Beater, I suppose, even if he plays for Gryffindor . And sure, he's got really nice hazel eyes, but his smirk is absolutely infuriating, and the way he messes up his hair is just-" Chelsea was looking at her pointedly. "Oh shit . Oh fuck. Blistering buggering fuck!"

"So, you do fancy Fred Weasley, then, Emmeline?"

She was met with a groan from the dark-haired girl.

Ginny sat in the bathroom, crying her eyes out, as the words from her mother's letter echoed in her head.

Cheap whore. Scum on their shoes. They'll never let you in. Lasts forever. Shame. Shame. Shame. No daughter of mine. Disappointment. Disappointment. DISAPPOINTMENT.

"STOP IT!" Ginny screamed, holding her hands over her ears, as she rocked back and forth.

Hearing the scream, Hermione came racing into the bathroom. She looked around frantically before spotting Ginny in the corner. She rushed over to her.

Without thinking, Ginny threw herself into the older girl's arms. Hermione enveloped the girl into a hug, making gentle shushing noises into the red-head's hair.

"I-I knew they wouldn't be h-happy," Ginny hiccupped through her sobs, "But-but-" she trailed off into another wave of tears.

"Let it all out," Hermione said gently. Before she could say any more, however, Fred and George Weasley burst into the bathroom. Hermione eyed them suspiciously, continuing to hold Ginny, "You'd better have not come here to make her feel worse."

"Godric, no," one of the twins said fervently.

"She's our sister!" said the other.

"What is it with Slytherins and your suspicions?"

"We take care of our own," Hermione said firmly, and raised an eyebrow, "And forgive me for worrying that you're anything like Ron Weasley."

"Fred? George?" Ginny lifted her head, sniffling.

Their faces broke out into what Hermione would describe as relief. Ginny stood up abruptly and rushed towards the two, and they cocooned her into a hug. Hermione looked onto the scene with a small smile on her face. She loved her family more than anything-she couldn't imagine her entire family turning her back on her, so she was glad that her newest friend hadn't lost everyone.

The first class of term for the second-year Slytherins was Herbology with Professor Sprout and Ravenclaw, so they all dutifully trudged out towards the greenhouses. When they arrived, Professor Sprout was approaching the crowd. Her arms were covered in bandages, and she was accompanied by Professor Lockhart. Hermione looked at the direction they were coming from - the Whomping Willow looked awfully beat up from the car Weasley and Potter had decided to drive into it.

Hermione had left Ginny when Professor Snape showed up and promised that he would find some arrangements for her that day during her free period. The Weasley twins had looked on, astonished.

Professor Snape had then turned to them and said drolly, "Close your mouths, you'll catch flies."

The twins were positively astounded, which made Hermione laugh. "He's not that bad when you get to know him."

She had then flounced off, leaving the odd convention in the girl's bathroom, to Draco who was waiting outside holding her schedule.

Hermione was taken back to reality by Lockhart's loud voice, accompanied by his equally loud robes: "In turquoise!" Daphne had drawn back in disgust.

"Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happened to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels . . ."

"Sure, that's likely," snorted Theo, "It was a plant specially bred in the 70s. The only one in existence is here."

Daphne's eyes lit up and she kissed Theo on the cheek quickly.

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" Professor Sprout announced, albeit far less cheerfully than she normally did. She was obviously just as scornful of Lockhart as Daphne was.

Everyone broke out into excited murmurs as they trekked towards Greenhouse three-they had only ever worked in Greenhouse one before, which contained the safest and least interesting plants. Greenhouse three was a step up-more dangerous, and therefore, more interesting. When they all settled into the Greenhouse, there were a set of earmuffs in front of each seat. Hermione eyed them curiously.

Professor Sprout's disposition seemingly returned to normal at the absence of Lockhart, as she exclaimed cheerfully, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

Hermione grinned-this wasn't always covered in Herbology, so she was glad to be one of the years that did learn about Mandrakes. She raised her hand. "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It's used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Slytherin," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

This time it was a Ravenclaw-Padma Patil-who raised their hand. "A Mandrake's cry kills anyone who hears it."

"Precisely. Take ten points for Ravenclaw, then, Miss Patil," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young. They won't kill you, but they will knock you out for several hours." She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. There were maybe a hundred little purplish-green plants growing in rows. "Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout. Once everyone had grabbed a pair, she smiled. "When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs on." Hermione slid the earmuffs over her ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

Hermione looked around at her friends and grimaced as the Mandrake was pulled from its bed. It was a rather disgusting plant that looked like the ugliest baby Hermione had ever seen. It reminded her of the images in the warnings against inbreeding that Pure-blooded parents would show their children. It looked like a Gaunt - a cadet branch of the Slytherin line, which had died out about fifty years ago. The portraits of the last family members had displayed horribly malformed jaws, sallow skin, bugging eyes, and pig-like noses. It was a clear warning: don't marry your cousin every generation for two hundred years, because you'll end up looking like this sorry lot.

Professor Sprout thrust the green, ugly Mandrake baby into another large pot, and buried him in compost, so that only the leaves of his hair were visible, and gave them all a thumbs up, before taking off her pair of earmuffs.

"As I said, our Mandrakes won't kill you yet, but they will knock you out, so as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething." She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.

Hermione ended up in a group with Draco, Pansy and Blaise.

"I think the Mandrake looked a bit like a Gaunt, didn't it?" Hermione giggled.

Pansy snorted, "I'm surprised Sirius looks as good as he does, seeing as his parents were cousins." She made a face.

Draco rolled his eyes, "At least it only happened once, rather than a bunch of times, generation after generation. I honestly think it's because the both of them were so awful that they had nobody else they could marry."

"Better than falling in love with a cousin," Blaise said, "That's just- ugh . Who are the Gaunts, anyways?"

"Super inbred descendants of Slytherin. They're all dead now, though," said Draco.

After that they didn't have much chance to talk. They snapped their earmuffs back on, and proceeded to concentrate on the Mandrakes.

Somehow, in her demonstration, Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but they didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth, and Hermione imagined that even Neville wouldn't enjoy this when it was Gryffindor's turn. And on that note, as the class ended, they rushed to Potions with Gryffindor.

AN: Ok, so I know I normally post on Fridays but I'm super busy tomorrow morning so I decided I would post this week's chapter today instead. Also, I will be posting next week on the 18th, but I will not be posting on the 25th or the 1st, or the weeks of either. This is just to let me be able to write without deadlines and get really far ahead in terms of chapters-right now I'm writing Chapter 21, but I'd like to get as far ahead as I possibly can, as it makes life a bit easier for me to feel like I don't have to deal with hard deadlines or anything.

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