Hey guys! I'm so happy that so many people liked the first chapter! It meant so much! It made me even more excited to write this story! Here's chapter two for you! I've decided I'm going to try my hardest to update every weekend. Right now I'm only working Sundays, you know with the slow winter months and all, but that may change soon. I'll let you all know. WARNING! I am not a Ron Weasley fan whatsoever. As of right now I haven't decided if I'm going to make him a total jerk or not, but please beware of possible bashing in future chapters. But for now, enjoy!

Hermione bounced excitedly where she stood in front of the living room window, her eyes never straying from the sky. Her taller body leaning forward in anticipation as her longer, more tamed curls fell in her face, causing her to blow them away. Today was June 1st. This meant that Hermione's letter would be coming in today. Kingsley had informed them that kids that had early birthdays got their letters on June 1st along with a visit from a professor. Hermione was beyond excited, having been waiting for the past three years for this.

And what an eventful three years it's been.

After the kiss her mother and Remus had shared on New Year's, Hermione's life had drastically changed. The two had immediately gotten together, much to the relief of all of their friends. They had decided to take things slow, going on a few dates. But after a few months of taking things slow, Remus had moved in, much to Hermione's pleasure.

Hermione and Remus were closer than ever. She saw him as a father figure and he saw her as one of his own. They still had their little dates in the park every Wednesday, neither willing to give those up. Hermione was a little sad that they wouldn't be able to do those anymore when she went of to Hogwarts, but she knew they'd make up for it when she came back.

When Remus' parents had found out that he was now dating again (thanks to Kingsley) they had immediately demanded to meet the Grangers. So the three went to the Lupin's for dinner and everything had gone well. They both took an immediate liking to Jocelyn and absolutely adored and doted on Hermione. Later that night Hope had informed Jocelyn that, though there were very few, she was the best girlfriend that they had met.

Kingsley and Rose visited daily, and they finally met Rose's mother, Annaliese, who had gotten along swimmingly with Jocelyn and Armelle and was now also a regular visitor. Hermione and Rose were inseparable, going everywhere and doing everything with one another. Rose had gotten her letter on her birthday, which was on Valentine's Day, a fact that Rose hated to admit. Rose had grown a lot over the past three years. She was now a whole two inches taller the Hermione, which she she hated because she thought that made her a 'giant'. Gone were her braids, her hair now just ask curly as Hermione's, but a little shorted. Her fiery attitude was even hotter than before, but that was only when you got on her bad side.

After the New Year's dance Kingsley and Armelle had gotten a lot closer. But what started as a friendship slowly turned into romantic feelings and before they knew it Kingsley had asked her out on a date. They have now been dating for the past six months and they couldn't be happier. He had even told her about the wizarding world after Rose had a spurt of accidental magic, blowing up the water pipes in the Grangers house.

Calvin had quickly taken Rose under his wing, happy to have another sister in his life. Last year Calvin graduated high school with flying colors and will now be starting college for the Culinary Arts this upcoming September, something that surprised everyone because no one knew he had an interest in it. Hermione was just happy that he was going to school the same time she was, that way she didn't have to deal with missing him not being around her home or the bookstore.

And now here they were, three years of a pretty good life later, with the day they've all been anticipating for finally arriving. Hermione had been studying nonstop for this moment; reading and researching all she could about the magical world. She already knew all of the first year spells; their pronunciation and wand movements. Now all she needed was a wand to practice them.

"Mia," Rose groaned from the couch behind her. "Will you please stop jumping up and down like a hyperactive puppy? You're making me feel sick."

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to look at her best friend. "I'm just excited. I've been waiting for this day forー"

"For three years, I know, I know," Rose groaned, throwing her head back. "I wish this letter would get here already so I can stop hearing about it."

Hermione glared and put her hands on her hips. "Leave me alone. I'm just excited."

Rose picked up her head and grinned. "I know you are. I'm just teasing," she said, standing up and moving to Hermione's side at the window. "I'll admit, I'm excited too. All my life I've heard stories of my parents' and Kingsley's experience at Hogwarts. And now I'll get to make my own. And," she threw her arm around Hermione's shoulder, "with my best friend."

Hermione grinned, throwing her arm around Rose's waist. "Ditto," she said. "I've always thought I was a freak for what I've been able to do. When I found out that I wasn't, that there was a place that I belonged, a feeling of completion came over me. This is who I am supposed to be. A witch."

Rose smiled, which only grew when she looked out the window. "Then this is where your story begins."

Hermione looked out the window and grinned when she saw the owl heading towards her house.

"And so it begins."

xxXxx

Jocelyn watched as Hermione and Rose talked excitedly about Hogwarts as they ate their lunch and sighed. Don't get her wrong, she was beyond happy that Hermione was getting such an amazing opportunity. But she was sad that her daughter was leaving and worried about her entering a whole new world by herself.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she smiled contently as she leaned back into the familiar, warm body.

"She'll be okay, you know," Remus whispered in her ear. "She's a strong little girl, that one."

"I know she is," Jocelyn sighed. "I just wasn't expecting her to be leaving me until she was eighteen and going to college. I never expected this. Not that it's an unwelcome surprise." Jocelyn smiled back at Remus. "I just hope this turns out to be great for her."

Remus smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead. "It will be." At that moment the doorbell rang and everyone paused. Hermione and Rose shared an excited look, hoping it was who they thought it was.

"I'll get it," Remus laughed, separating himself from his lovely girlfriend and walking into the foyer. As he neared the door he grinned, knowing that whoever was on the other side was in for a surprise.

He finally opened the door and his grin widened when he saw his old Transfiguration professor, Minerva McGonagall, standing there.

"Remus?" McGonagall said surprised, staring at the man in front of her in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he said, chuckling at her startled expression.

McGonagall pulled out her list of muggleborn addresses and flicked through them. "I didn't know you lived in this area. Silly me, I must have gotten the wrong house."

"If you're looking for Hermione Granger, which I am assuming you are, then you have the right house," he says with an amused tone, causing McGonagall to look up in confusion.

But before she could ask a voice boomed from behind Remus. "Are you from Hogwarts?!"

Remus looked behind him and moved to the side to allow McGonagall to see the little girl standing there with a large smile on her face. Behind her stood an equally excited Rose and an amused Jocelyn.

McGonagall looked absolutely shocked at the question, glancing at Remus questionably. "Yes, I am. My name is Minerva McGonagall," she said to the little girl.

"Pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, bounding up to Remus' side. "I'm Hermione Granger," she said, sticking out her hand. McGonagall was once again shocked by her manners as she shook her hands. "Remus has told me all about you and other teachers at Hogwarts. He's also taught me all about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. I'm so very excited to see it all! Did you know that there are a hundred and forty two staircases in Hogwarts? I read that in Hogwarts, a History! I also learned that the ceilings in the Great Hall are enchanted to look like the night sky! I can't wait to see it! Remus saysー"

Rose walked forward and, throwing her arm around Hermione's shoulders, covered her best friends mouth. She smiled charmingly up at the professor. "Sorry about that. She's a rambler." Hermione nodded in agreement behind her best friend's hand.

McGonagall, after getting over the initial shock, chuckled a little. "That's quite alright, child. Tell, me dear Hermione, how do you know Remus?" she asked, looking up at the man.

Rose removed her hand and Hermione said happily. "We met in the park when I was eight. Now he's dating my mum!"

Rose smirked and turned to look at Jocelyn, who pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, but she was wearing a smile which told them that she was amused.

McGonagall's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Remus, who looked to be enjoying this immensely, and then Jocelyn, who seemed both amused and embarrassed.

Suddenly a deep chuckling came from behind her and she turned to see Kingsley Shacklebolt standing there with a large grin on his face. "Minerva! Lovely to see you!" he boomed.

"Kingsley," McGonagall said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, my niece Rose," he said, gesturing to the still smirking girl, "and I are having dinner with Remus and the Grangers."

McGonagall nodded, remembering how close Remus and Kingsley had gotten after the Potters' death.

"Why don't you come in, Minerva," Remus chuckled. She nodded and they all filed inside the house and into the living room. McGonagall didn't miss the way Remus immediately went to Jocelyn, gently pulling her into his side. She also didn't miss the tender look they shared and she couldn't help but smile.

Hermione and Rose sat on either side of McGonagall as she took a seat on the couch. They smiled up at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Minerva, this is Jocelyn, Hermione's mother," Remus introduced the woman.

Jocelyn smiled warmly and held out her hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Minerva smiled, already getting a good feeling about this woman. If Remus cared this much for her then she had to be something special.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," McGonagall said, shaking her head.

"You're here to tell me about Hogwarts, right?" Hermione asked happily.

"Well, I was here to inform you that you were a witch, but it seems like Remus already beat me to it," McGonagall said, looking at Remus.

Remus shrugged. "I was here during an episode of accidental magic," Remus said.

"I blew up a sandbox," Hermione said innocently.

"It was so funny!" Rose laughed, high fiving Hermione behind McGonagall's back.

"Girls," Jocelyn sighed. She shot a look at Remus and Kingsley, who were also laughing, and they immediately quieted.

McGonagall continued, "I was also going to tell you about Hogwarts, but by the looks of it you already know most about it. So I guess my job here is done." At Hermione's put out look McGonagall felt bad. "But, I can answer whatever questions you have." At this Hermione immediately perked and Rose tried not to groan.

They'd be here for a while.

xxXxx

Two hours later showed Hermione still asking away. McGonagall was astounded by her curiosity and the intelligence level this little girl showed, and knew that she'd grow up to be someone great.

"Okay, Hermione," Jocelyn finally interrupted, "I'm sure McGonagall has a whole list of children she has to visit, so we should be letting her go." It was true, McGonagall did have a few more kids to visit today.

Hermione pouted slightly, but nodded in understanding. She smiled at the older woman. "Thank you for answering my questions," she said politely.

McGonagall gave her a soft smile. "You are very welcome child. I hope both of you," she smiled at Rose too, "have a great time at Hogwarts. I shall see you both September 1st."

She stood to leave and Remus stepped forward. "I'll walk you out."

Together they started towards the foyer.

"Goodbye!" Hermione and Rose shouted.

McGonagall turned and waved. "Goodbye children. And good luck."

Remus led McGonagall into the foyer and stopped by the door.

"You care very deeply for those two girls," McGonagall said with a fond smile.

Remus smiled happily. "I do," he admitted.

"It's nice to see you happy. It's been a while since I've seen you this happy. You deserve it. "

Remus looked at the direction of the living room and smiled a smile full of love. "They are my family. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I'm glad you got it," McGonagall said, patting his shoulder.

Remus looked at her, slight worry in his eyes. "May I ask a favor from you?"

McGonagall tilted her head. "Anything."

"Look after her," he said, motioning to the living room. "With her being a muggleborn I know there will be kids who look down at her. She knows about who she is and I've warned her about the beliefs that some have, but I still worry. She's a strong girl, and I know she has Rose, but I just want to make sure . . ." he trailed off.

McGonagall looked at him, the worry and love for that little girl evident in his eyes. "You have my word," she said sincerely.

Remus nodded, some of his worry vanishing. "Thank you," he said.

McGonagall nodded. "Goodnight, Remus," she said, opening the door to leave.

"Goodnight, Minerva," he replied, and watched her as she left.

He sighed, willing his worries to go away, and headed back into the living room where his family was waiting.

xxXxx

Hermione was excited. No, scratch that. Hermione was beyond excited. So beyond excited that she couldn't even think of a word to describe it.

It had been three days since Professor McGonagall had visited and they were finally going to visit Diagon Alley to get her school supplies.

"Come on, Remus!" Hermione said impatiently, but the older man just laughed. Rose smirked from her place on the couch, her clutch purse strapped around her right wrist full of her money. Calvin sat on the arm of the couch with a large, amused grin on his face. Seeing as Kingsley and Jocelyn both had work today Rose was coming with them to do her shopping and Calvin wanted to tag along to see what the magical town looked like.

Calvin had grown a lot over the past three years. He was even taller now, standing only an inch below Kingsley. His features were more defined, and his muscles were more toned. He even had a little stubble growing on his chin. Gone was a boy, now stood a man . . . sort of. Manchild, maybe?

Remus laughed as he entered the living room. "Okay, okay, I'm ready Miss Impatient," he teased. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, but smiled in excitement.

"It's really not that exciting, Mia," Rose said, standing.

Hermione looked at her. "Maybe not to you because you've been there a million times."

Rose nodded. "True," she agreed, stepping to her side.

Calvin also stood. "Well, I'm just ready to check out the fine lady witches," he laughed, rubbing his hands together.

Hermione and Rose both scrunched up their noses in disgust.

"Gross," Hermione said.

"Pig," Rose added.

Calvin just laughed at them and threw an arm over both of their shoulders. "Just wait until you hit puberty, kiddies, and the hormones kick in," he teased.

"Ew!" they both exclaimed, knocking his arms off their shoulders, causing Calvin to laugh even harder.

"Can we go now," Hermione asked, looking up at Remus.

Remus nodded, not wanting to think about what will happen when Hermione reaches puberty. He opened the pouch full of floo powder. "Rose, you've used the Floo Network before, right?" he asked, and Rose nodded. "Okay, you'll go with Calvin while I'll go with Hermione. Remember to say 'Leaky Cauldron' very clearly." Rose nodded in understanding, taking a handful of floo powder. Hermione turned to Hermione and grinned. "Ready?"

Hermione gave him an 'are you serious?' look with her hands on her hips. Remus laughed and held out his hand. She took it and together they stepped into the fireplace. "Okay, Hermione I want you to take some floo powder, throw it on the ground, and yell 'Leaky Cauldron'," Remus instructed.

Hermione nodded, taking a handful of floo powder. When Remus put the rest in his pocket and nodded she threw it on the ground and yelled "Leaky Cauldron!"

Suddenly it felt as if the floor had dropped from under them and Hermione squealed as she dropped down, air hitting her body and blowing her hair all over the place. She felt like being on a rollercoaster without actually sitting. Suddenly it stopped and luckily Remus was able to catch Hermione before she fell. As they stepped away from the fireplace Hermione kept her eyes closed, trying to push down the bile that was fighting to come up.

"Hermione, dear, are you alright?" Remus asked, kneeling down to her height and rubbing her back. Hermione stayed still for a moment, trying to breathe. Finally she nodded and opened her eyes. Her eyes met his and she immediately felt calm. "I'm fine," she reassured.

Remus nodded, his worry vanishing. "Good," he said, hugging her closely.

The fire roared behind them and they turned just in time to see Rose step out and Calvin face plant. The two girls immediately started to laugh and Remus fought hard not to.

Calvin groaned and stood, putting a hand to his hand as the other dusted off his body. He glared at the giggling girls. "Oh yeah, just laugh it up as I suffer from a painful headache," he mocked.

"We planned to," Rose giggled. Calvin stuck his tongue out at her, an action that she copied.

Remus chuckled and placed a hand on Hermione's back. "Ok, let's get moving," he said. They started towards the back exit, Remus nodding to Tom on his way out. They entered the back alley and Remus pulled out his wand. Hermione's face brightened. She loved watching him do magic.

He tapped five different bricks with his wand and slowly they started to move. The wall started to shift and the next moment there was a doorway. What was on the other side was something had Hermione and Calvin in awe. On the other side was a huge town with buildings all different sizes and shapes and so colorful that it was almost hard to look at. There were stores with the weirdest names like 'Twilfitt and Tatting's' and 'Slug & Jiggers Apothecary'. The streets were filled with people dressed in robes and carrying shopping bags, some that made weird noises as they walked by. Things were flying and bouncing around. Owls were flying in the skies, and adults were doing magic with their wands. All in all, it was even better than what Hermione had imagined.

Rose looked at the two and smirked. "Speechless. I like it," she said. Remus chuckled as the two glared at her.

"This is amazing," Hermione said, turning back to the view in front of her.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, the wizarding world is pretty awesome." The two laughed.

Remus pulled out a pouch of coins and handed them to Hermione. "I already have money for you, so there's no need to go to Gringotts. Do you remember how our currency works?"

Hermione nodded. "There are 17 Sickles in a Galleon, and 29 Knuts in a Sickle. This means there are 493 Knuts to a Galleon," she states proudly.

Remus smiled proudly down at her. "Good. Then let's get going," he said and started to lead the group down the road. "First thing's first; robes."

Remus led them to Madam Malkin's and Hermione gasped upon entering. The place was beautiful and Hermione never thought she'd love the sight of a store filled with dresses.

Rose on the other hand was not happy, hating dresses with a burning passion.

"Hello dearies. Hogwarts I presume?" a plump lady asked and the girls nodded. She led them to a pair of stools and asked them to stand on them so she could get them measured.

Calvin decided to look around the store, finding wizard clothing weird and intriguing. How can they wear these everyday? he thought, picking up a purple robe for women. This doesn't look remotely comfortable. Maybe I should get this for my mom, though, so she can match Kingsley. He started laughing to himself, still looking at the robes in his hand. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts he didn't notice the girl walking up to him from behind.

"That doesn't really look your color," a teasing voice said and Calvin swiftly turned around. He came face to face with a girl that seemed to be around his age, possibly younger. She was a petite girl with tan skin and brown eyes that seemed to twinkle with mirth. But what stood out most to Calvin was her short, bright pink hair. Calvin was never usually into girls who dye their hair outrageous colors, but he thought it worked for this girl.

After getting over the initial shock of her sudden appearance he smirked and looked at the dress. "What a shame. How about pink? Would that suit me better?" he joked, picking up a pink set of robes.

The girl laughed and Calvin grinned.

"A sense of humor. I like it," she laughed.

"Why, thank you," Calvin said, bowing. He grinned as she laughed again.

"So, I'm going to take a guess and say that you're a muggleborn," she said, looking down at his outfit.

He put back the dresses and shook his head. "Close. Just a muggle," he said, shrugging. He pointed to where Hermione and Rose were being fitted. "My sisters are starting Hogwarts this year."

The girl looked at the girls and raised her eyebrows when she saw Hermione, looking between her and Calvin.

Calvin laughed and answered her suspicions. "Neither one of them are actually my blood sisters. They're practically my sisters, so I just call them that." A look of understanding came to the girl's face and she smiled sweetly. "The brown haired girl is Hermione. She's a muggleborn. And the other one is Rose. She's a pureblood pain in my butt," he joked and the girl laughed.

"And what about you?" she asked, turning back to him. "What's your name?"

"Calvin Garza, at your service," he said, bowing dramatically.

She laughed again, a sound that Calvin was coming to like.

"Nice to meet you," she giggled. "I'mー" she glanced at the door and paused, wincing. Calvin looked at see an older lady waiting impatiently at the door, looking right at the girl in front of him. "in trouble," she finished. She looked at him remorsefully. "I have to go. But it was great meeting you!"

With that she started to hurry away, but Calvin caught her elbow. "Wait, I didn't get your name," he said.

The girl looked at him and smiled playfully. "See, I could tell you my name, but that'd be too easy," she said. "I guess you'll just have to wait until we meet again."

Calvin looked at her, stunned. "If we meet again," he emphasized.

She smiled sweetly. "We'll meet again," she said matter-of-factly. She turned to walk away again and this time Calvin let her. He watched, both stunned and amused, as she walked out with who he guessed to be her mother, apologizing profusely to the annoyed woman and tripping on her way out.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked as she came to stand beside him.

Calvin shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

xxXxx

The next hour went by in a blur. They visited Scribbulus Everchanging Inks to get quills, ink, and parchment. After leaving that store they headed over to the Apothecary to get potions supplies. Rose had practically ran inside when they arrived, dragging Hermione along, and looked at all the potion ingredients with hunger in her eyes. Rose was most excited for their Potions class. Her mother had a mastery in potions and her love for the subject had obviously been passed down to her daughter.

After having to drag Rose away from the store they headed to the one store Hermione had been waiting to go to.

"Flourish and Botts!" she squealed when they arrived and quickly ran inside.

Calvin groaned. "We're going to be here forever," he moaned and Remus grinned.

When they walked inside they spotted Hermione sitting in one of the rows with a book open in her lap already.

Remus chuckled. "Hermione, dear, we need to get your school books," he said softly. Without looking up Hermione quickly handed him her supply list and promptly shushed him.

Calvin snorted and Rose rolled her eyes, amused. Remus chuckled and stood. "I guess we're on book duty," he said, turning to the others.

They laughed and left Hermione to her book.

Muffliato (muf-lee-AH-to), "muffle", Eng. to deaden a sound, making it more difficult to hear Fills the ears of target persons near the caster with an unidentifiable buzzing, so that the caster can hold lengthy conversations without being overheard

"Excuse me."

Hermione looked up at the person who interrupted her reading. In front of her stood a tall, brown skinned boy that seemed to be around her age. He had kind brown eyes and a small afro on his head.

He smiled down at her apologetically and said, "Sorry to interrupt you, but I need a book that you're sitting in front of."

Hermione immediately stood up and moved out of his way. "I'm so sorry! I probably shouldn't be reading in the middle of the aisle anyways," she said hurriedly.

The boy grabbed the book he was looking at and turned to her with a kind smile. "It's okay. Honestly," he reassured her. He held out his hand. "I'm Dean Thomas."

Hermione smiled shyly and shook his hand. "Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you," he said. He motioned to her book. "So what's this book that's captured all of your attention?"

Hermione immediately brightened, all of her shyness disappearing. "Oh! This is just the Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk. I was just rereading it because with most of the kids who are starting Hogwarts having been born into the wizarding world I didn't want to be behind on anything," she explained hurriedly.

Dean's eyes lit up. "Are you a muggleborn?" he asked excitedly. Hermione nodded. "Me too! Oh, it's so great knowing someone who's in the same boat as me," he sighed happily. "How did you take all of this?"

"Actually I've known since I was eight," she told him. He tilted his head in question. "Well, you see, I might have blown up a sandbox in the middle of a park and the sand might have stuck onto this mean girl and her cronies." Dean started laughing at the image and Hermione smiled. "This man, who is now dating my mom, explained to us what happened and what I was."

Dean calmed down and scoffed. "Lucky you. The biggest thing I've done was make fire ants in the school playground chase this kid that was bullying my friend until they finally caught him and burnt him. And I had to deal with everyone calling me a freak for the rest of the year," he said, but he laughed through the whole thing, showing Hermione that it no longer bothered him.

At that moment Rose came running around the corner. "Mia, Remus says it's time to go."

"Okay, I'll be there in a second." Rose nodded and ran off, not before shooting Dean a curious look. Hermione smiled at him sadly. "I have to go," she said, but then she perked up. "Hey, find me on the train! We can sit together."

Dean smiled brightly. "Sounds like a plan. See you then!"

"See you! Bye!" Hermione waved before running out of the store to where Remus, Calvin, and Rose were waiting.

"Okay, now that the bookworm has re-entered the real world," Remus joked, and Hermione blushed, "it's time to get the final thing on your list."

The girls grinned widely. "Wands!" they exclaimed together.

Remus laughed. "That's right. Let's head to Ollivander's."

They walked to the small, rickety looking shop. Upon entering they saw that the room was filled to the ceiling with boxes upon boxes of wands and there were dust covering the walls. Rose started to sneeze and glared at the dust accusingly.

"Why, hello," a soft voice said and they turned to see an elderly man come from behind a shelf of wands. "I am Ollivander. First years, I assume?" he asked kindly and Hermione and Rose nodded. "Delightful! Let's get started, shall we?"

To say it was easy would be the understatement of the year. Rose had gone first. She had gone through twenty wands, each one even more dastardly than the next. After a half hour full of colorful blasts and sneezes she finally found her match; eleven inches, oak wood, and a dragon heartstring core. Afterwards Calvin took her outside to get her away from all the dust.

Hermione's had taken even longer to find. An hour of endless tries and no matches. At one point she started to think that she wasn't a witch at all and this had all just been some cruel joke. But when Ollivander had handed her her thirty seventh wand her hand seemed to warm up. When she waved it gold sparks flew out the end and she immediately perked up in relief and happiness. She had found it! She had found her wand!

"Ten inch cherry wood with a phoenix feather core," Ollivander said jovially. Hermione smiled in relief at Remus and he rubbed her back.

Hermione was over the moon. She finally had the one thing that proved all of this was real, that this was who she was and where she was supposed to be.

Hermione Granger is a witch.

xxXxx

The rest of the summer had flown by pretty quickly after their Diagon Alley trip, and before they knew it, it was September 1st.

Hermione smiled as she packed the last book in her trunk, thinking back on her summer. She had been determined to both study for her first year of Hogwarts and spending as much time with her family as possible. She'd go with her mother and Remus to the bookstore everyday, where she'd have just as much fun as she'd always had. She'd help Calvin work most of the time, seeing as she saw her mom and Remus at home. Calvin started Culinary school September 20th and he was beyond excited, but he would miss everyone dearly, never having been away from them for so long. She still kept up her Wednesday tradition with Remus in the park, something she'd miss dearly at Hogwarts. Most of the week the Garzas, Kingsley, and Rose would be at the Granger's house for dinner.

But now it was the day they'd been waiting for and though Hermione was excited, she was also very nervous. What if the kids there didn't like her like the kids here didn't? What if she was behind everyone else? What if she couldn't be sorted? What if she was kicked out for not being smart enough? What if she didn't make a good witch?

Hermione looked out of the window, more 'what ifs' filling her head.

What if she didn't belong?

xxXxx

"Remus!" Jocelyn's panicked voice rang through the house, and Remus immediately stood, rushing into the foyer.

"Jocelyn?!" Remus yelled worriedly. Jocelyn came flying down the stairs, her eyes wide in panic. "Jocelyn, what's wrong? Did something happen? Is Hermione okay?"

"She's not here!" she cried, running her fingers worriedly through her hair.

Remus froze. The wolf in him growled. "What do you mean she's not here?" he asked stiffly.

"I mean she's not here!" she snapped. "I went to her room to see if she was almost ready to leave and she wasn't there! I checked everywhere and she is nowhere to be found!" she yelled hysterically.

"Okay, Jocelyn look at me," Remus said firmly, taking Jocelyn's hands in his own. Her tear filled green eyes connected with his and the wolf inside him whined. "It's going to be okay. She probably got nervous and ran off somewhere to clear her head. That's what you do, right? When you're stressed?"

Jocelyn closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. She took a few deeps breaths before nodding her head. "Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, that's what I'd do."

Remus nodded comfortably. "Okay."

Jocelyn nodded, calmer now. "Okay, but where would she go?" she asked.

Both adults thought for a moment before Remus' face cleared in understanding. "I know where she went."

xxXxx

Hermione willed the worried thoughts to leave her head as the calming wind blew through her hair. She sat stiffly on the bench as she watched the little kids scream and laugh as they played on the playground.

"I thought you'd be here,"

Hermione didn't need to look to know who had just sat beside her. It was the same person who sat on this bench with her every Wednesday.

"You gave us quite the fright when we couldn't find you."

Hermione winced, regretting her sudden leaving without telling them.

"I didn't mean to scare you guys," she said, her eyes never leaving the playing children. "I just needed to clear my head."

"I understand," Remus said softly, joining her in watching the kids play. "You're nervous." It wasn't a question.

Hermione narrowed her eyes in thought. "All i've ever known is the muggle world. What if I don't belong in the wizarding world? What if no one likes me at Hogwarts? What if I fall behind everyone just because I'm a muggleborn? What if I can't even get sorted and get kicked out the first night?!" she fretted, her voice edging the tone of hysteria.

"Hermione Granger, you listen to me right now," Remus said with such a firm tone that Hermione immediately looked at him. "First off, there are going to be people at Hogwarts who aren't going to like you. Whether it be because of your intelligence or because of your blood, there are going to those petty kids that are going to try to make you feel less than you are. That's just life. But you are strong and smart. You are kind and warm. You are so much than those kids will ever be, and that's all you need to remember, Hermione. Don't ever let anyone tell you who you are. You know who you are and you decide who you want to be. Do you understand?" Hermione nodded, her eyes starting to swell up. "Good. second of all, you are a witch, Hermione Granger. You were born to be a witch. And fall behind? If anything you'll be ten steps ahead. Everyone starts Hogwarts knowing just as much as the next person, no matter what their blood status is. But you? You've been studying for this since you were eight years old. So if anything, you're three years ahead of everyone."

Hermione laughed tearfully and nodded her head in understanding. Now that she thought about it, she never had anything to worry about. Remus was right, there were going to people who didn't like her. But she was stronger than she was when she was eight years old. She could handle it now. And she prided herself on her knowledge. It wasn't something she should be ashamed of. So she was going to walk into that school and walk out on top.

She smiled up at the man who had become her father figure. "Thank you."

Remus smiled and wiped her tears. "You're welcome, my child," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug. "Now, I believe there is someone at home who is very worried about you," he said.

Hermione winced again, knowing she was in for it.

xxXxx

Hermione looked at the train station as they pulled into the parking lot. This was it. In a few minutes they'd be boarding the Hogwarts Express and heading towards their new lives.

Calvin sat in the back seat with Hermione, gripping her hand tightly. Calvin was taking this harder than he let on. Hermione was the person that had pulled him out of his depression. She'll never truly understand how much her birth had saved his life. And now they were separating for the first time in eleven years, and Calvin was filled with sadness, though he wouldn't let it show and ruin her day. He'd miss her dearly, and even Rose, who he had grown to view as a little sister.

As they parked they all filed out of the car. Remus grabbed her trunk and they walked into the train station where they found Kingsley, Rose, Annaliese, and Armelle. Rose had said goodbye to her father that morning, who couldn't take the day off of work to see his daughter off.

"You girls ready?" Kingsley asked. The girls shared an excited smile and nodded. With that they grabbed a trolley for their trunks and headed towards the barrier between platform nine and ten.

They reached the barrier and Kingsley turned to them. "Okay, you guys know the deal, right?" he asked. Everyone nodded.

"And you're sure we're going to be able to get through?" Jocelyn asked nervously, playing with Hermione's hair from behind.

Kingsley nodded. "I'm positive."

Jocelyn nodded, reassured.

Hermione looked up at Calvin, who still had a tight grip on her hand. "Come through with me?" she asked.

Calvin smiled softly down at her. "Try and stop me," he tease and she laughed lightly. He held out his hand to Rose. "Come on, brat. You too," he said.

Rose glared playfully, but still took his hand. "Only because you asked so kindly," she sarcastically and Calvin grinned.

They held hands and together they ran towards the barrier. They closed their eyes when they were about to hit the wall, but they felt no impact. They opened their eyes and gasped at the big, red train in front of them that said 'Hogwarts Express' on it. They were early, so not a lot of people were there yet.

The rest soon came through, Remus pushing the trolley with their trunks on it. The next few minutes passed with ease. Kingsley and Remus helped the girls find an empty compartment and load in their trunks.

It was the departing that was the hard part.

After the girls settled their stuff in the compartment they went back out onto the platform to say their goodbyes.

Hermione immediately ran into her mother's arms, tears flowing down both of their cheeks.

"You grew up so fast," Jocelyn cried quietly, clutching her daughter tightly to her body. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Me too," Hermione sniffed.

Jocelyn backed away and gently framed her daughter's face with her hands. "My beautiful baby. I hope you have a great time at Hogwarts. Mommy loves you so much," she said, kissing her nose.

Hermione smiled tearfully. "I love you, too."

Jocelyn gave her one more kiss before moving away. Calvin stepped in front of her, tears in his eyes.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "Calvin . . . are you crying?"

Calvin kneeled down so he was her height. "Yeah, Little Bit," he said, wiping at his eyes. "I am." He placed his large hands on her tiny waist and pulled her closer. "We've been together for eleven years. Now we're being separated. What am I going to do without my bright, ray of sunshine every day?" he joked lightly, getting a small giggle out of the girl in front of him. "Now you listen to me," he croaked firmly, "if anyone over there messes with you, you tell me. My muggle butt will be over there faster than you can say 'Calvin is the sexiest best to ever live'"

This earned him even more laughter out of Hermione and a scoff out of Rose, who had just separated from her mom.

"Yeah, cause she'd ever tell such a lie," Rose said.

Calvin grinned. "You'll miss me too, brat," he said.

Rose shrugged. "Maybe a little bit," she teased.

Calvin laughed before turning back to Hermione. He brought the girl into his arms and hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent that was purely her. "I'm going to miss you so much," he whispered.

Hermione hugged him just as tightly. "I'm going to miss you too."

Calvin finally let go of her and grinned down at her. "Go kick some ass," he whispered.

Hermione gasped. "Language!" she scolded.

Calvin laughed. "I'm going to miss that too." He kissed her forehead before backing away.

Lastly Remus came forward and the tears that she had just wiped away came back. She ran forward and jumped into his arms. He held her tightly to himself, not wanting to ever put her down.

"Remember, my dear. You are strong. You are smart. You are beautiful. Always remember that," he whispered to her. Moony whined and whimpered inside, not ready to let his pup go.

Hermione nodded from where her head was buried in his neck. "I will," she said softly. "I love you, Moony."

Remus smiled while his wolf howled. "I love you too, dear. So very much." He kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes. "Thank you for coming into my life."

Hermione smiled sadly. "Thank you for staying in mine."

Remus smiled tearfully and kissed her once again before placing her down on her feet. He backed away and stood beside Jocelyn, holding her crying body to his side.

Hermione quickly said goodbye to Kingsley, Armelle, and Annaliese. They looked at the time. Two minutes until the train leaves. With one more tearful goodbye the two girls climbed aboard the train and quickly went to their compartment. As the train started to move they hurried to the window and waved their last goodbye. Their family waved back, the women blowing them kisses. They kept waving to their family until the train left the station and they were no longer in sight.

The two girls looked at each other.

"So it begins," Rose said.

Hermione sighed and nodded happily. "So it begins."

xxXxx

"Bleh!" Rose cried, spitting the bean out of her mouth and swiping at her tongue.

Hermione laughed from her seat across from Rose, taking another bite out of her chocolate wand. A woman with a trolley full of sweets had come a few minutes ago and both girls had immediately bought as much as they could.

"Spinach!" Rose said angrily, looking down at the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans accusingly. "Who came up with this nasty stuff?" she asked.

Hermione giggled again. "You've been eating those since the day you were born, Rose. You knew what you were getting yourself into," she said.

Rose stuck her tongue out at her, but this just caused Hermione to laugh even more.

At that moment the compartment door opened again and the girls looked to see Dean Thomas grinning in the doorway.

"Dean," Hermione said with a wide smile, standing up to greet her new friend.

Dean stepped in and hugged her tightly, taking her by surprise. She hesitantly hugged him back, not quite sure to do with the unusual situation.

Dean laughed and stepped back. "Sorry, I'm a hugger!" he said joyfully. Hermione's awkwardness vanished and she laughed. "But it's great to see you again," he continued. "I literally just went all over the train trying to find you."

"Well, here I am!" Hermione said excitedly, a happy feeling filling her body after hearing the fact that he had been looking for her. She turned and motioned for Rose to stand. "This is my best friend, Rose Wriley. Rose, this is Dean Thomas."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said sweetly. "You're not going to hug me too, are you?" she asked cautiously.

Dean just laughed cheerfully. Hermione felt a pang in her chest, Dean reminding her a lot of Calvin. "No," Dean said. "Next time," he promised and Rose looked wary. "Oh!" he suddenly said. "How rude of me. This is," he turned and paused, seeing no one behind him. "Well, there was someone there. Excuse me for a moment," he said, disappearing. He suddenly appeared again. "I promise I'm not crazy," he said, then shook his head with a charming smile. "Well, not that crazy." Then he was gone again.

Rose laughed lightly, looking at Hermione. "I like him," she said. Hermione nodded in agreement.

Dean was back, but this time he had a boy trailing behind him. The boy was short, only an inch or two taller than Hermione, and had a slender body. His hair was short and the same light brown color as Hermione's. He had green eyes that looked at them cautiously as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"This is Theodore Nott," Dean introduced.

"Theo," the boy said quietly, nodding to the girls in greeting.

"Theo," Dean corrected himself. "He doesn't talk much, but that's okay, he's cool." Dean grinned at Theo, whose lips quirked up a little at the corner.

Hermione smiled sweetly at both boys. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Theo," she said kindly and Theo looked at her. "Would you boys like to join us in here?"

"I thought that had been the plan we made," Dean joked and Hermione laughed. The girls moved back to their seats and the boys entered with their trunks. Dean, who was taller and stronger than any of them, easily placed their trunks onto the top racks.

"Jelly bean?" Rose asked him as he sat beside her.

Dean smiled and happily took one. Rose watched in anticipation as he ate it. "Mmm, Cherry," Dean said happily.

"Seriously?!" Rose yelled incredulously, looking down at the box in her hands accusingly. Hermione laughed as Dean looked startled at her exclamation. Theo shook his head from his place beside her, smirking as if he had an idea why she was so bent out of shape.

"Did I do something wrong?" Dean asked worriedly, watching Rose glare at the candy box.

Hermione laughed again and shook her head. "No. She's just mad that she's only been getting the bad tasting ones," she explained. Dean tilted his head, confused. "When they say every flavour bean they mean every flavour bean."

A look of understanding came to his face and he turned to Rose. "Well, maybe you ate all of the bad ones and now all that's left are the good ones," he tried to cheer her up.

Rose looked thoughtful, still glaring at the box. Finally, with hesitance, she took another bean and popped it into her mouth. Less than a second later she spit it out. "Mayonnaise?!" she yelled in disgust, swiping at her tongue once again.

The others, even Theo, roared in laughter as Rose continued to bat at her tongue.

xxXxx

The train ride to Hogwarts passed uneventfully after Rose's bean incident. They spent the time getting to know one another and talking about Hogwarts.

"I'll be a Slytherin," Theo said quietly. Hermione had quickly learned that Theo wasn't quiet because he was shy, but because he just had that mysterious, silent nature. "My whole family has been in Slytherin, so there's no doubt I will be too. But I wouldn't mind it."

"I might be a Slytherin," Rose added. "My father was a Slytherin while my mom was a Gryffindor. They had a hard time dating, you know, with the rivalry between the two Houses." Rose had explained the rivalry to Hermione and Dean, and Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes. The Houses fought because their founders did? How ridiculous and immature. "But they're still together today, which gives hope."

"But, isn't the sorting based on you and not your family?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, but I have the Slytherin traits. Cunning, sly, ambitious, a good planner and thinker. Then again, I could also be a Gryffindor; I'm brave, courageous, and a risk taker. I guess we'll see."

"Well," Dean started, "I think I'll either be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff."

Theo scrunched his nose. "Why a Hufflepuff?" he asked.

Dean shrugged. "Well, I'm friendly to everyone and a hard worker."

"You're also happy all the freaking time," Rose joked and Dean grinned.

"That too," he said.

Theo stared at him with a thoughtful expression for a minute before shaking his head. "Nah, you'll be a Gryffindor," he said confidently.

Dean quirked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Theo shrugged. "I just know," he said.

Dean laughed. "I guess we'll see," he mimicked Rose's earlier words. He turned to Hermione with a grin. "What about you, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged and looked at Rose. "What do you think?" she asked.

Rose smirked. "You'll be in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," she said with confidence. "You've got the brains and love for learning of a Ravenclaw but the courage and loyalty of a Gryffindor."

Hermione smiled before it dropped in thought. "But if I do end up in Gryffindor and you end up in Slytherinー"

"What's going to happen?" Rose finished, and Hermione nodded. "Nothing. Our friendship is way too strong to be broken up by some stupid school rivalry. Hermione and Rose against the world, right?" she said with a teasing grin.

Hermione smiled, her worry leaving. "Right."

Dean started sniffing and wiped away an imaginary tear. "That was so beautiful," he sobbed. Rose punched him in the arm and he laughed. Theo shook his head at his friend.

Suddenly the compartment door opened and they looked up to see a small, chubby boy with short, brown hair and brown eyes standing there. He had tears streaming down his face and a worried expression.

"Excuse me," he said sadly. "Have any of you seen a toad?"

Dean shook his head. "Sorry, mate, no toad in here."

Neville let out a wail of despair and Rose's eye widened in surprise. "That blasted toad going to be the death of me!" he cried. "I've looked all over the train for him, but he's nowhere to be found! Oh, my grandmother is going to kill me!"

The girls stood and went to his sides. "Don't worry, uh . . ." Rose trailed off.

"Neville," the boy sniffed, wiping his tears away.

"Neville," Rose said.

"We'll help you," Hermione finished. She turned to the boys. "Won't we, boys?" she said sternly, placing a hand on her hip. Rose smirked, knowing that neither boy actually had a choice.

Dean jumped up and yanked Theo out of his seat. "Of course, m'lady," Dean bowed and Hermione smiled. Theo reluctantly nodded. Neville looked up in hope.

"Good," Hermione said. "Neville, Theo, and I will start left. Rose and Dean, you guys go right."

"Aye aye, captain," Dean said, saluting to Hermione. He walked into the hallway and looked at Rose over his shoulder. "Coming, sweet cheeks?" he teased, walking away.

Rose rolled her eyes and growled. "Call me that again, I dare you," she said, marching after him.

Hermione and Theo looked at each other before shaking their heads.

Neville looked between the two nervously. "Honestly, yo-you don't have to help me look," he stuttered.

Hermione smiled at him kindly. "Don't be silly. You need help and we're here to help you. So let's go." With that said she grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the compartment. Theo trailed after them, arms crossed and still shaking his head.

What kind of friends had he made?

xxXxx

A half hour passed and the toad was still yet to be found. They had gone door to door with no luck. They had gotten different reactions; annoyance, sympathy, mockery, but ultimately they had gotten the same answer. No. Theo was growing aggravated, Hermione was tired, and Neville became hopeless.

"This is hopeless," Theo muttered. "We're never going to find that toad."

Hermione shot him a glare as Neville whimpered, but he just shrugged it off.

"We still have one more compartment," she said.

Neville looked at the compartment and shook his head. "No, I already checked that one," he said dejectedly.

Hermione looked at him sympathetically. "Well, there's no harm in checking again." With that said she opened the compartment door to see two boys. One was a lanky kid with red hair and dirt on his nose. The second was a scrawny boy with messy black hair and glasses.

The boys looked up as they entered. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said in a demanding tone. She was tired and aggravated, so the time to be pleasant was over.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said the redhead.

Hermione looked at him and noticed his annoyed expression. "Just double checking," she said. She took notice of the wand in his hand and her curiosity peaked. "Are you doing magic? Let's see then," she said, taking a seat across from him. She had met the redheaded twins earlier on their search and the friendly duo had told her about their big, pureblood family. She could only guess this was their younger brother. If anyone should know how to do spells, it would be him.

Both boys looked taken back and Theo couldn't help but smirk at Hermione's bluntness.

"Er ー okay," the redhead said, clearing his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He proceeded to wave his wand, but nothing happened. The rat by his side didn't change, but stayed peacefully asleep.

Theo snorted from where he was leaning against the door frame. Hermione stared at the redhead, highly unimpressed. Even Neville looked embarrassed for him, momentarily forgetting about his toad.

"That's not a real spell," Theo drawled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the redhead.

The redhead glared at him and glowered at his wand. "Stupid spell. My brother, George, gave it to me."

Hermione started to giggle. "Oh, that boy with the twin? What was his name, Fred?" she looked at Theo for confirmation, and he nodded. "Oh, even I know not to believe those two." The redhead glowered at her, which she chose to ignore. "I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, but it wasn't a surprise when I got my letter. My mother is dating a wizard who helped me through my first spout of accidental magicー"

"Really?" the black haired boy interrupted, scooting forward a little.

Hermione nodded happily. "His name is Remus Lupin. They've been dating for three years now. He's taught me a lot about the wizarding world."

"Lucky you," the boy said sadly.

Hermione tilted her head. "Are you a muggleborn, too?"

He shook his head hesitantly. "Well, no, but I've never known about the wizarding world."

Hermione looked at him questionably before something on his forehead caught her eye. She gasped when she saw what it was. "You're Harry Potter!" she exclaimed. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century." Theo rolled his eyes as the bookworm he's gotten to know the past few hours came out.

"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione hurriedly. She always spoke quickly when she was stating facts or got excited. Hermione finally came down from her quick high and noticed how uncomfortable he looked. She felt guilty, remembering that his parents had died to save him and the world. "Not that books are always true," she said, even though it pained her to do so. "I mean, to know someone and their story you have to actually get to know them, not believe a book written by someone who's never even met the person."

Harry looked at her in surprise before smiling gratefully. She turned to the redhead to get the attention off of poor Harry. "And you are?"

He looked surprised at the sudden change of subject. "Uh, Ron Weasley."

Hermione nodded. "Anyways, as I was saying before, I was ever so pleased, of course, when I had gotten my letter. I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is! I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

Even Theo looked at her, stunned, as she rambled on. He wondered if this was a regular thing and made a mental note to ask Rose.

"Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I'm kind of hoping I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far one of the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad eitherー"

Theo swiftly covered her mouth and smirked at the boys. "Sorry about this one. She tends to ramble." Ron was staring at her, looking overwhelmed, while Harry looked amused.

Hermione pushed Theo's hand away, glaring up at his amused face. "Anyways," she said, turning back to Ron and Harry, "we'd better go back to looking for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

With that she stood and exited the compartment, once again dragging Neville out with her. "Oh, by the way, you have some dirt on your nose," she told Ron on her way out.

Theo chuckled lowly and slowly made his way out behind them. He paused as he heard Ron tell Harry, "Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it." Theo frowned as he closed their compartment door. He was glad Hermione hadn't heard. She came off as very strong and confident, but he knew under that was a fragile little girl.

He trailed after the other two, vowing to himself to protect Hermione from anyone that'd try to do anything against her.

xxXxx

The three had met the other two back at the compartment, toadless. Neville, defeated, gave up. He thanked them for their help before leaving to go back to his compartment.

The next hour passed uneventfully. After changing into their robes they all found different ways to keep busy. Hermione buried herself in one of her books, Rose doodled on some paper, and Theo taught Dean how to play Exploding Snap.

Finally a voice came onto the intercom telling them that'd they'd be arriving soon. With that said they packed their stuff in their trunks, which would be staying on the train to be brought to their rooms.

After a few minutes the train came to a full stop and it didn't take long for the corridor to fill with excited children. As they joined the kids in the corridor, holding onto one each other so they weren't separated, Hermione became anxious. She clutched onto Rose's hand tighter and Rose squeezed in understanding.

Finally they exited the train and they all sighed in relief.

"That just reminded me why I hate people," Theo muttered and they couldn't help but laugh.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a voice boomed and they all looked to see a giant man that had to be at least eleven feet tall. Hermione's eyes widened, slightly with fear, and Rose squeezed her hand in comfort. They walked over to where he was standing and all the first years crowded around him. "Are all ye firs' years here? Okay, follow me!" he shouted and started walking down a path. The kids followed after him through the thick trees, slipping and sliding a few times. Rose laughed when Dean fell on his butt, but he just laughed along with her. The group turned around a bend and the path opened.

"Wow," all four whispered as a huge, black lake was revealed. The stars reflected in the water, making it look even more beautiful. On the other side, on a high mountain, sat a beautiful castle with many towers and turrets, its windows glittering with light. It looked like a picture straight from a fairytale book.

"No more'n four to a boat!" shouted the man. The four quickly claimed a boat together; Hermione and Rose in the front, Theo and Dean behind them. "FORWARD!" the giant shouted after checking they were all in a boat. All at once the boats glided forward. The kids couldn't take their eyes off the great castle. They neared the cliff the castle sat on and the giant shouted, "Heads down!". They all quickly bent their heads and the boats sailed through a tunnel which, Hermione assumed, was taking them right under the bridge. When they were out of the tunnel the boats stopped at a small harbor.

Looking up Hermione saw the front entrance of the castle and grew even more nervous. The children exited the boats and onto the rocky ground.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said the giant, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. The four smiled happily, glad he had found his toad.

They trailed behind the giant as he led them up to the huge, oak doors. They entered the castle and all were amazed. The whole front entrance was illuminated in bright light and had a high ceiling. There were portraits covering the walls and they were moving! Hermione had been told about the moving pictures, but to see them for herself was a totally different thing. As they walked up the grand staircase some smiled at them and waved. Hermione turned her attention to the top of the stairs and there stood at women dressed in green robes, her black hair tied up and covered by her pointed hat. Hermione smiled as she met McGonagall's eyes. The woman smiled swiftly to her before the sterm expression came back.

"Firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the giant said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take it from here," she said and Hagrid nodded. He walked through the oak doors behind her. Loud voices came rang through the foyer before Hagrid shut the door behind him. The children all looked up at Professor McGonagall as she spoke, "Welcome. The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

The four shared a look, all thinking the amount of time they were expected to share with their house was a little excessive.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here your house will be like your family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend time in your house common room. While at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, and rule breaking will lose house points."

Hermione hung onto every word. She was determined to win her house as many points as she could. Rose took one look at her face and snorted, causing Hermione to glare at her.

"At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

Rose gave Hermione a pointed look, which made her smile.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place shortly." She finished and walked into the Great Hall. The foyer filled with chatter as they waited.

Hermione turned to Rose, a worried expression on her face.

Rose gave her a warning look. "Don't even start with the 'what ifs' again. We're best friends. That's a fact that will never change. You could wake up one day and decide to be the next Dark Lord and I would be right there next to you. No house is going to change that," she said matter-of-factly. "And Dean, if you start to pretend cry again I will slap you."

Dean, who was standing behind her, had been reaching to wipe away a fake tear, but paused. He laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Only met me a few hours ago and already you know me so well."

Rose rolled her eyes and shrugged off his arm. She smiled warmly at Hermione. "We are going to be just fine," she reassured her.

Hermione smiled, feeling a little calmer now. "We will be just fine," she repeated with a nod.

Suddenly someone screamed behind them and they swiftly turned. They gasped; about twenty ghost glided through the back wall, pearly white and slightly transparent. They seemed to not have noticed that they were even here. They glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed them.

Nobody answered, not quite knowing how to react.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"I like them," Dean whispered.

"Give me a few days and you can be just like them," Rose whispered back. Dean grinned, unfazed.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

The first years scrambled into a line. Hermione stood behind Rose with Theo behind her and Dean in front of Rose.

Hermione shook a little, her nerves coming back. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped a little. "It's going to be alright," Theo whispered in her ear. Hermione smiled at him gratefully over her shoulder before facing forward again.

They entered the Great Hall and many gasped. Hermione had never seen anything so beautiful. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.

Hermione whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Rose turned to smile at her while Theo chuckled lowly behind her.

These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, and the first years spread out in between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. They faced the front where there was a stool with an old, raggedy hat on it in front of the teachers table.

Rose scrunched her nose in disgust. "That's the Sorting Hat?" she whispered. Hermione smiled fondly and rolled her eyes.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Hermione laughed joyfully as she clapped. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." They heard Ron not so quietly whisper. Theo rolled his eyes and Hermione giggled. Theo looked at her and smiled a little. He had spoken to Dean on the boat. He had told the other boy about their meeting with Harry and Ron and what Ron had said when they left. Both had made a promise to each other that they would protect both girls no matter what. In just a few hours the four had grown quite close, so neither boy would allow anything to happen to either girl.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. Rose and Hermione held each other's hands tightly. Rose reached out and took Dean's while Hermione took Theo's, surprising both boys but neither pulled away.

"Abbott, Hannah!" McGonagall started.

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Hermione saw the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. She could only hope her house would be just as welcoming.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

Theo looked over at Dean. "Still think that could be you?" he asked.

Dean looked at the Hufflepuffs and shrugged. "You never know."

"Oh, but I do," Theo smirked.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table on their left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, and Rose felt bad for the girl's unfortunate bad name. "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on their right exploded with cheers. Hermione could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling, causing Lavender to blush.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became the first Slytherin.

The closer they got to her name the more nervous Hermione got. What if she couldn't be sorted? What if Rose made new, better friends and didn't want to be around her anymore? What if her house hated her?

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hermione noticed that for some the hat shouted out the house at once, but for others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," a sandy-haired boy, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she stood frozen for a moment.

"It's time, Mia," Rose said softly. "You'll be okay."

Theo squeezed her hand reassuringly while Dean shot her a gentle smile. Hermione took a deep breath before nodding. Reluctantly she let go of their hands and slowly made her way through the crowd and up to the stool. Picking up the hat she sat down and, shooting McGonagall a small, nervous smile, she placed the hat on her head and closed her eyes.

Hello dear, a voice suddenly rang through her head and she jumped slightly. Do not be scared my child, just the Sorting Hat here. Now, let's get you sorted, yes? Let's see . . . hmm . . . you are a very intelligent young lady. This is one of the most advanced minds I've seen since I sorted young Lily Evans. Your thirst for knowledge is almost overwhelming. You would excel in Ravenclaw. But . . . you are also very brave. You also have the loyalty of a true lion. The willingness to protect your loved ones is strong and powerful. Yes, you'd do well in Gryffindor. Hermione smiled. Rose was right. Yes, I see nothing but greatness in your future, surrounded by family, friends, and success. Now where to put you . . . I shall go with . . .

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Hermione grinned widely and opened her eyes. As she took the hat off she saw Rose and Dean cheering madly for her while Theo just smirked and clapped politely. Hermione smiled, knowing he was happy for her.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Miss Granger," McGonagall said quietly.

Hermione smiled brightly up at her. "Thank you, Professor," she said. With a final wave to her friends she joined her new house, who were all cheering madly. She took a seat next to, who looked to be, the oldest Weasley at Hogwarts.

"Welcome to Gryffindor!" he said cheerfully, holding out his hand. "Percy Weasley."

Hermione shook his head happily. "Thank you, and nice to meet you."

She turned to watch the rest of the ceremony. When Neville Longbottom, the boy who had lost his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Hermione was wildly surprised, but clapped happily with the rest of her house. Neville, in his nervous excitement, ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Neville sat in front of Hermione with a happy grin.

"Malfoy Draco!"

A short, pale boy with platinum blonde hair that was slicked back swaggered up to the stool. The hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

The boy smirked and went to join his friends "Crabbe, Vincent," and "Goyle, Gregory," at the Slytherin table. Looking at them Hermione got the feeling that they were the type of kids Remus had warned her about.

Not many first years were left now.

"Nott, Theodore!"

Hermione immediately sat straighter. Theo calmly walked up to the stool and took a seat. Theo shot her a quick, sad smile, seemingly to already know his fate, before placing the hat on his head.

Surprisingly his sorting took a good three minutes before the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Theo took of the hat, his expression stunned before it turned blank, and walked over to his cheering table. He sat across from Millicent Bulstrode and as far away from Draco Malfoy and his friends as possible.

Hermione sighed sadly, but she guessed she knew it was coming. I mean, Theo had even told them it was going to happen. But she didn't give up hope that he wouldn't let the rivalry between their houses get in the way of their new friendship.

The names continued. "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil", who were sorted into different houses, and then "Perks, Sally-Anne".

"Potter, Harry!"

The hall went silent. Then the excited chatter rose.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

Students all over the hall craned their necks to watch as Harry nervously put the hat on his head. Hermione grimaced, not realizing how bad his fame was. She couldn't imagine being in his shoes, and immediately felt bad for her reaction towards him on the train.

He sat there for a minute or two before the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table erupted with loud, happy and excited cheers. Harry took off the hat, looking relieved, and made his way over to the table. The Gryffindors were in uproar; Percy got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Harry laughed as he sat between Neville and George and across from Hermione. Hermione smiled brightly at him, which he returned.

There were now only five people left to be sorted. Rose, Dean, Ron, a blonde girl, and another brown skinned boy who was almost as tall as Dean with no expression on his face.

"Thomas, Dean!"

Dean hugged Rose before jogging up to the stool. He shot both Theo and Hermione a quick grin before placing the hat on his head. A moment later the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Hermione jumped up with the rest of her table, happy to at least have gotten one of her friends in her house.

Dean grinned widely as he took off the hat. He winked at Theo, who gave him a look that clearly said 'I told you so', and blew Rose a kiss, who rolled her eyes, before running over to Hermione and crushing her in a hug. Hermione laughed joyously, ready for it this time. They separated, Dean taking the seat beside her.

"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. After a second under the hat it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed onto the seat next to him. Hermione tried to hide her slight disdain as she clapped with everyone else, not being the fondest of this boy.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy next to her.

Rose looked at the last boy standing beside her. He met her eyes and nodded in greeting. She smiled slightly and nodded back, before they both faced the front.

"Wriley, Rose!"

Hermione, Dean, and Theo immediately snapped to attention, each holding in their breaths. Rose took a deep breath and walked forward to the stool. She sat down and shot a gentle smile to the worried Hermione before placing the hat on her head.

Hermione watched anxiously, gripping Dean's hand tightly. A few minutes passed and Hermione grew scared, wondering what was taking the hat so long.

Finally it made a decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Hermione's heart fell. Dean looked at her sadly as she stared at Rose. Rose slowly took off the hat and looked at her. She shot Hermione a gentle, but confident, smile and blew her a kiss.

Hermione smiled sadly, but warmly, at her. Somewhere in her heart she knew this would happen. Anyone with two eyes could have seen it. Rose was witty and cunning. She had more determination and ambition in one finger than some had in their whole body. She'd make the perfect Slytherin. But that didn't stop the sadness seeping into Hermione's heart as she watched Rose walk over to her cheering housemates and to her new home. Her home that was not with Hermione.

But Hermione put on a brave smile and clapped with the rest of the hall as she watched Rose sit next to Theo at the Slytherin table.

And as "Zabini, Blaise," joined them she repeated Rose's words in her head.

We are going to be just fine

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I got emotional just writing it. Ultimately the main group here will be Hermione, Rose, Dean, Theo, and I'm thinking of two more people. Please review and tell me what you think! I absolutely love hearing from you guys! And if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see in this story please let me know!

Love,

Oliviaa Rose