Story Title/Link: Flashbacks and White Flags

Special Rule: Incorporate the colour white and the meaning behind it in your story: Innocence

School and Theme: Ilvermorny, The Shrieking Shack

Main Prompt: [Word] Drama

Additional Prompts: [Setting] An empty classroom

Year: 7th year

Wordcount: 939

Michelle didn't know how she had gotten into this mess. All she knew was that she collapsed from a flashback when Hermione was called up to get sorted.

She was in the Year 4 classroom during break, waiting for one of her best friends to arrive so they could work on their dance. Though, when Hermione arrived, she said something Michelle never would have expected.

"Why do you want to do this? I don't even know why you like dancing, it's so easy. I mean, you can do arabesques perfectly, do triple turns, and perfect split leaps, and find it easy. So why do you do it? And why do you force me to dance with you? I could be spending this time reading, but no, you have to make me dance and make a fool of myself. No wonder nobody likes you, you're so controlling."

With tears in her eyes, threatening to leak out, Michelle replies, "I want to do this because I enjoy dancing. And it's not easy, it's very difficult. I had had to work for years to get my moves right, and you go and degrade my hard work. I dance because I find it easier to express myself through dance, and someone who doesn't dance wouldn't understand. I am not forcing you to dance with me, but I would enjoy dancing with you, and I would accept it if you don't want to. I am not controlling, I am simply working hard to make sure the dance is the best it can be."

"You know, maybe I should never have become friends with you. You never see my side of a story, you don't even try. You always see the side of the story the teachers see, the side that shows stupid behaviour. I'm not going to try to be your friend anymore, from now on we are only classmates, nothing else," and with that, Hermione left the room.

Michelle just broke down. She had never been a very emotionally strong person, and this was enough to crumble the already cracked walls she had built. She cried for about 10 minutes, before standing up, dusting herself off, wiping the tears away, and starting to dance.

By the time the bell rang, Michelle was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She quietly left the room and headed for her classroom.

When she woke up, Michelle found she was in the Hospital Wing, with the Professors at the other end of the wing, talking in hushed voices. When Madam Pomfrey noticed she was awake, she immediately came over and cast a few diagnostic spells on Michelle.

"Alright, you're good to go, but do stay out of trouble. I don't want to see you in here within the next month, or, heaven forbid, the next week."

With that, the professors came over and Professor McGonagall said, "Right, Miss Waters, are you feeling well enough to start classes tomorrow?"

"Yes, Professor, but wouldn't I need to be sorted first?"

"Right you are, Miss Waters," Dumbledore cut in, "You can be sorted tonight, presuming you are well enough."

"As you all may have noticed, one person was not sorted last night. To fix this, we are going to sort her now, so that she may join her housemates and classmates tonight, after staying the night in the Hospital Wing. Could you please come up, Miss Waters!"

Hermione gasped and put her head in her hands. Michelle walked up to the stool that Professor McGonagall set out, and put the Sorting Hat on her head.

'Hmmm, let's see… Undying loyalty… A sharp mind… A burning desire to prove others wrong… But the one thing that stands out is your bravery… Oh, you would do so much to save another, as you have demonstrated already, with your mother… I believe I have made a decision… Yes… You will be great in…'

The whole hall was staring at Michelle, as she was the first hatstall, which was taking longer than 5 minutes to be sorted, since McGonagall, who took 5 and a half minutes. But Michelle had already taken 10 minutes! Suddenly, the Sorting Hat called out a house.

'GRYFFINDOR! Good luck, child…'

The Gryffindor table roared in applause, along with the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. The only table that remained seated and silent, was the Slytherin table.

Everyone started eating and were quickly finished with both dinner and dessert.

Up in the dorm, Hermione cornered Michelle so that she could apologise for what she did.

"Look, Michelle, I'm sorry for what happened a few years ago, but can we put it behind us? I didn't mean it, and I really regret saying what I did. Could we please put it behind us and be friends again?" Hermione bit her bottom lip and waited for Michelle's response.

"Hermione, what you said broke me. You knew I was never very emotionally strong, and yet you still said what you did, and it was harsh. It broke the walls I had built up, and I don't know how well I've recovered from that. I have tried so hard to put it behind me, I've told myself that it's in the past, but I can't seem to leave it behind. I'm struggling to forgive and forget, but I'm trying so much, it hurts. I'm doing my best, but I don't know if that's going to be enough. We can put up figurative white flags though?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I said what I did. Let's put our white flags up."

Smiling, Michelle and Hermione went to bed, with white pieces of fabric on their bedside tables.