A/N – I don't take credit for any of the characters in this piece…apart from Professor Singlia and aspects of her go to my friend Cazz. I just changed her name and some of her story. I hope you like her, or hate her…I'm not even sure if I like her.
A week passed before they were back in History of Magic again. But strange rumours had been circulating the castle. The rumours were surrounding Professor Binns and his History of Magic class. Ron heard Pansy Parkinson whispering to Draco that she had seen a woman entering Binns' office and she certainly hadn't been a ghost. Pavarti Patil said that her sister Padma, who was in Ravenclaw, hadn't seen Professor Binns in her History of Magic lesson two days before. Instead a woman—the same woman Pansy had seen?—had taken the class.
"Padma said it was actually interesting!" Pavarti told them, eyes wide.
Even more news came on the morning before Harry, Ron and Hermione's next History of Magic lesson when Fred and George sat down beside them at lunch.
"Have you guys had History of Magic yet this week?" George asked, stealing a sandwich from the pile on Ron's plate and tossing it from hand to hand absent-mindedly.
Hermione shook her head, while Ron tried to grab the sandwich back unsuccessfully.
"Well, you boys are in for a treat you are" Fred chuckled, stealing the sandwich from George. "Not you Hermione, unless you swing in that direction"
"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, frowning at the twins. Fred and George grinned, looking at each other with a 'should we tell them?' kind of look.
"Let's just say, the new Professor is a much better view than Professor Binns, if you get my drift" Fred said, breaking the sandwich in half and handing George a piece. And with that, the two of them swung their legs over the bench they were sitting on and stood up.
"See you, folks" George called as they headed over to where Lee Jordan was sitting at the opposite end of the table.
"What are they on about?" Ron asked, turning to Ron and Hermione after staring at Fred and George's retreating backs. "What new professor?"
"It was all very cryptic" Hermione agreed, still watching the twins as they sat down with Lee and started talking animatedly, undoubtedly about this mysterious new professor. "But I suppose it hasn't something to do with what Pavarti was saying, about that woman"
"Looks like you got your wish, Ron" Harry teased, remembering Ron's comment about an attractive, young History of Magic teacher.
"But why on earth did they sack Professor Binns?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "He's been here for ages, if they were going to let him go you would think they would have years ago, wouldn't you?"
"Don't question it Hermione!" Ron said, looking at her, astonished that she was still considering the subject.
"Yeah, maybe now we won't have to copy your notes" Harry added, grinning at his friends.
Hermione smiled—they were probably right, now she wouldn't have to fight to stay awake.
"Wow!" Ron stopped in the doorway of the History of Magic classroom, eyes fixed at a point ahead. Harry joined him, following his eyes. "Fred and George weren't exaggerating then" he said, freezing there as well.
"What are you two goggling at?" Hermione said, trying to see past them. They made way immediately and Hermione saw what was going on.
Standing beside the blackboard was a woman, obviously the woman that everybody had been talking about. Her hair was long, cascading down her back like a discoloured waterfall. It was red, just as natural looking as Ginny's and Ron's so she obviously hadn't coloured it herself. Her robes weren't traditional, instead they were purple with flowers around the hemline and cuffs and she was wearing black boots that looked like they had been purchased in a muggle store.
When she turned, her eyes were a piercing blue, almost too blue and they were large and almond shaped. She was wearing pink lipgloss and had earrings in the shape of diamonds hanging from her ears. All in all, she was a bizarre appearance but even Hermione could see why the male population were so fascinated by her, she was better looking than McGonagall, after all.
The new professor saw the class standing in the door way and her face broke into a smile. She ushered them in and three gold bracelets slid up and down her thin wrists.
"Welcome, welcome" she said, and though Hermione had expected her voice to be high-pitched, almost like Umbridge, her voice was a little deeper than average but husky and inviting. "Come in, fifth years. I'm Professor Singlia and I will be your new teacher for History of Magic"
The Gryffindors all moved slowly to their seats, sitting down as if stuck in slow motion. They were all looking at each other, nervously shifting their eyes around the room. It had been decorated in a rather peculiar way. The drapes weren't drawn across the windows as they so often used to be and their colour had been changed, they were now purple. Decorations such as magical moving flowers covered the walls and some rainbow coloured streamers were hanging from the ceiling.
"It looks like Loony Lovegood threw up over this place" Ron whispered, not wanting to break the silence by speaking at a regular volume.
The entire class sat in silence for several minutes. They looked at Professor Singlia and Professor Singlia looked at them. It was a long and awkward few seconds.
Finally, Lavender Brown slowly put her hand in the air.
"Yes, Miss…?" Professor Singlia prompted, smiling warmly at Lavender. Lavender blinked several times, dropped her hand and said, "Brown, Professor"
"Ah, well then…yes, Miss Brown?"
"W-what happened to Professor Binns?" Lavender asked, voicing the question that was on everybody's mind. Where was Professor Binns? They were all grateful for a change but it was confusing none the less.
Professor Singlia laughed, a gravelly laugh that sounded out of place coming from such a feminine face.
"It was…suggested that Professor Binns take a bit of a…shall we say…vacation" she told them, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled.
Hermione raised her hand next.
"What kind of 'vacation'?" she asked, without waiting to be called upon. The scene was fairly reminiscent of the first Defense lesson of that year. "I mean, he's going to stay around the castle of course, the ghosts can't leave"
"These questions, if you strongly desire to know the answers, will have to be brought up with Professor Dumbledore" Professor Singlia told her, lightly. "For I simply teach and have not a word to say on the matter." She turned to the blackboard on which she had written her name and 'History of Magic'. "Now, questions about your former educator aside, let's get to some learning. I would like you all to tell me where Professor Binns left off"
40 minutes later the Gryffindors left the classroom feeling rather dazed. Professor Singlia had been amused when they had been unable to come up with an answer as to where Binns had left off and had begun to talk to them about Goblin Rebellions and everything that Professor Binns had always made seem incredibly dull. Professor Singlia turned it all into a story, making it seem more like a fairytale than something they were forced to be learning for exams.
"She's remarkable" Ron commented as they headed towards Gryffindor Tower.
Hermione looked at him, fighting back a laugh.
"Just because it's the first History of Magic lesson you've been able to stay awake through does not mean she is remarkable. However, she is rather good isn't she?"
The boys nodded eagerly and they continued chatting about the past lesson until Hermione turned unexpectedly after receiving a rather shocking tap on the shoulder from behind. The three of them turned at once to face the woman of the hour, Professor Singlia. She was smiling at Hermione in a rather frightening way, and there were obvious discussion points behind her clear blue eyes.
"Yes, Professor?" Hermione asked, looking up and down at Professor Singlia's rather interesting choice of attire. Now that they were out of the classroom and away from the Professor's satisfactory teaching, Hermione had to admit she wasn't very impressed with her dress choices. They were so irresponsible for a teacher, and why had Dumbledore employed someone so young?
"Hermione, I assume you are…Hermione Granger, I mean." Hermione also noted the Professor's informal way of speaking, calling students by their first names, really? However, she merely nodded.
"I would like a word with you, could you come back to my classroom, please?"
Incredibly curious as to what Professor Singlia could possibly want to say to her, Hermione began to follow her. Harry and Ron stared as she left but carried on their way after decided it might be better not to follow.
Professor Singlia trotted back along the corridor towards her classroom, never seeming to walk in a directly straight line. When she reached the door, she held it open for Hermione to walk through and then locked it behind her. Hermione didn't quite know what to do with herself, should she sit down?
"Take a seat, Hermione, please!" the Professor insisted, taking one herself.
Hermione took her seat, the same one she had sat in during class and stared at the Professor for a few moments. But it seemed Professor Singlia was waiting for her to speak first, so she did.
"What is it…Professor?" Hermione asked, sliding her book bag off her back and setting on the floor as quietly as possible.
"Well, Hermione…" Singlia began, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk. "I hear you are a very capable student, top in everything except…" she checked a piece of paper in the cluster on her desk. "Defense Against the Dark Arts. Okay, then…you are in Gryffindor house and good friends with Harry Potter"
"Is this just a background check, Professor?" Hermione asked, getting more confused by the minute as Singlia confirmed all her little facts about Hermione's school life.
"No, no" Singlia told her, laughing that grainy laugh once again. "No, I am merely evaluating the facts before I share my news"
"News?"
"Yes, Hermione, news!" Singlia said, her voice holding a hint of joy. "You, my girl, are one in a million. This has never happened before in the history of Hogwarts but…Dumbledore has made it my job to inform you that…you have been relocated to Slytherin house"
As soon as the words were out of Professor Singlia's mouth Hermione's whole world froze. Had she really just been told she had been moved into Slytherin? Hermione Granger, a Slytherin, it was laughable. She loathed them; she hated them and everything they stood for. And nobody had the power to relocate someone but the Sorting Hat and when had the Sorting Hat had time to re-evaluate her?
"Professor—you, you have to be joking!" Hermione said, realizing now that she had jumped to her feet and was feeling dizzy. "Tha-that's impossible! How?"
"Once again, my dear, your questions are best brought up with the Headmaster" Singlia sighed, dreamily. 'I was in Slytherin house, you know! But what with the Gryffindor, Slytherin rivalry I can see how you are a bit stunned. Now, the Headmaster has instructed me to make sure you are packed within the next fifteen minutes and you will move into the Slytherin dormitories tonight. I will meet you at the mouth of the stairs down to the dungeons in fifteen minutes, see you then"
Professor Singlia stood up, effectively ending their conversation. Hermione grabbed her bag, glaring at Professor Singlia. On any normal occasion Hermione would be polite to a teacher such as this, but after just being told this horrifying news she figured exceptions always come about. Singlia waved a hand to instruct Hermione to leave and Hermione stalked out, moving as fast as she could for Gryffindor tower.
"Firecracker" Hermione stated, blankly to the Fat Lady who clicked her tongue but swung open to let her through anyway.
As she stormed through the Common Room, ignoring Harry and Ron as they stood up, baffled and tried to get her to stop, Hermione knew that this would all end soon. Her eyes would stop blazing, her heart would stop pounding and her anger would subside. But she didn't want to get to that point. If she did she knew the tears would come. This was her being torn away from her friends and forced to get to know people that teased her, that irritated her and that she simply loathed. Draco Malfoy was going to have a field day. This wouldn't normally worry her but on normal occasion she had Harry and Ron with her, she was alone and vulnerable.
When she reached her Dormitory she found Pandora Gold, Pavarti Patil and Lavender Brown all sitting there. Lavender and Pavarti were engrossed in conversation while Pandora was flicking through Witch Weekly looking bored. The minute Hermione entered, all eyes dashed towards her.
"Goodness, Hermione…" Pavarti said, blinking in surprise at Hermione's livid form. "What happened?" But Hermione didn't answer, instead she went straight to her chest of drawers and started packing her trunk, trying to keep the anger inside her so she didn't break down in front of her ex-dorm-mates.
"Where are you going?" Lavender asked, kneeling on her bed and staring at Hermione, looking curious.
"It's none of your business" Hermione muttered, tossing the last of her belongings into the trunk and pushing it shut. "You'll find out soon enough I suppose" and she stood up, slamming the door behind her as she left.
The next time she entered the Common Room it was harder to dodge Harry and Ron. The minute they saw her trunk they rounded on her asking question after question.
"What's going on, Hermione?"
"Are you leaving?"
"What's with the trunk?"
"Leaving Hogwarts?"
"Did something happen with your parents?"
"You're actually leaving us?"
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Hermione exclaimed, staggering and almost dropping her trunk on Ron's foot. The two of them looked at her, stunned into silence.
"Does this have something to do with what Professor Singlia was talking to you about?" Harry asked, frowning and looking from Hermione to the trunk.
"Yes" Hermione sighed, feeling the anger subside at last, as much as she fought to keep it within her. "It was a message from Dumbledore"
Ron and Harry looked at each other; they obviously hadn't been expecting to hear the Headmasters name. Hermione thought she saw something significant in Harry's eyes but it was gone within a moment.
"What did he say?" Harry asked, speaking slowly as if trying to figure it out in his head.
"Professor Dumbledore, for reasons he doesn't seem to feel I deserve to know, has decided to move me into Slytherin house" Hermione said, letting the bitterness seep into her tone as she bit her lip to keep the tears to herself.
The looks on her friend's faces made her truly treasure her two best friends. Ron looked furious; he looked as if he would gladly punch Professor Dumbledore if he had the chance while Harry just looked stunned, as if he almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"This is nuts" Ron exclaimed, sitting down on an armchair and glaring at the wall. "Dumbledore can't do that! Isn't there some rule or something somewhere that says he can't do this?" Hermione almost laughed.
"Dumbledore can do whatever he pleases I assume, within boundaries that Umbridge is beginning to set. I don't think there's anything we can do Ron, if there was I would be doing it"
Harry was still looking dazed and bewildered. His mouth tightened at Umbridge's name though.
"We'll miss you, 'Mione" he said, speaking slowly still. "Really…"
Feeling choked up, Hermione replied.
"I'll always be here"
It was all so corny and without even thinking Hermione flung her arms around Harry, fighting even harder to keep back to tears. When she pulled away, she noticed Ron was standing beside them again and she proceeded to wrap her arms around him too, breathing deeply.
"I have to go" she said after a few minutes of hugging and escaped as fast as she could. She was about to face the Slytherins—Draco, Pansy, Heidi Fernandez, Crabbe and Goyle and she would have to have a brave face on when she saw them instead of the tear soaked face she was developing now. Putting down her trunk, she whipped her eyes with the back of her hand and then carried on down towards the dungeons.