Ah! Back after so long. And i apologise. I really do. I have been changing cities and couldnt get much time to write this story, which requires some serious thinking from my side. Read on.
"Get up, Ron," Harry cried out as he bolted to the bathroom.
"Good morning, Harry," Ron mumbled at the blur and went back to his sleep, promptly.
"Shouldn't we wake him up?" Nevilled asked Dean. "He will be late to the class."
"I'm not sure," Dean said, looking at Seamus for support. "What if he gets angry?"
"I would say he will get enough of that if we don't wake him up," Seamus answered. "It's Potions, guys."
They looked at each other. No one made a move. They were not yet sure of how to treat the two celebrities they had gotten to share their room with. Since Harry and Ron were already friends, they hadn't had much interaction with either of them in their two days of Hogwarts.
"I'll go wake him up," Neville said. Gathering his courage, he went up to Ron's bed and shook him lightly.
"What, Harry?" Ron mumbled.
"It's Neville," Neville answered. "Wake up, Weasley. You'll be late otherwise."
Ron just rolled off to the other side.
Confident by lack of any scolding, Neville stated. "It's Potions this morning, Weasley."
That had the desired effect. Ron bolted from his bed. "Potions?"
Three heads nodded in unison.
"Bloody hell." Ron shouted as he hurried towards the bathroom. "By the way, Neville, it's Ron," Ron said from the door of the dorm. "Thanks."
Neville smiled. Ron wasn't that bad … maybe even Harry was also like that.
"Had it not been for Neville, I would still be sleeping," Ron was telling Fred and George. "He saved me from Snape's wrath."
"Professor Snape, Ron," the twins chorused together.
"Oh, shut it, you two," Ron said, biting into a toast.
"What were you doing up late?" George asked.
Ron gave him a sheepish smile, but it was Harry who answered him. "World Chess Championship Book, year 1975."
"If you read half the number of books you read for chess, you would be top of the year," Percy commented from somewhere down the table.
"Hey, Neville," Ron called out, ignoring his brother, "Thanks buddy."
Neville gave him a shy smile. He looked around for a seat.
"Sit with us," Harry said, scooting to make place for Neville.
Hesitating for a minute, Neville decided to go for it. He really didn't have much options.
"My brothers, Fred and George," Ron introduced the twins, who gave Neville an identical grin. "Though you will never be able to tell the difference. You know my brother Percy; he's a prefect."
Four set of eyes rolled. Neville was feeling relaxed with every moment.
"He's Neville," Harry introduced Neville to twins. "Our dorm and year mate."
"And my life-saver," Ron added for good measure.
"Let him over-sleep sometime before Potions," Fred or George whispered in Neville's ear. "That would teach him a lesson."
However, Neville had decided he will always help Ron – he was after all his first friend.
"I think I'll drown myself in the lake if one more person comes up to me and asks for a photograph," Harry complained.
Harry and Ron had been fielding fans all through the day, as usual.
Ron laughed. "I thought you were getting used to the fanfare."
Harry glared at his friend.
Ron ignored the glare. "Though it must have been irritating for Neville."
"It's okay," Neville answered shyly.
"You know, Neville," Ron said thoughtfully, "You don't have to be shy around us. We're friends. I know it was bothering you; you looked uncomfortable when I dragged you in every photo."
True, Ron had flatly refused for a photo with fans but he had dragged Neville in each one; Harry was of course in every one.
"Well," Neville didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry," Ron said sincerely, "But I didn't want you to feel left out. You wouldn't stay away from us due to this?"
Neville immediately shook his head. The more time he was spending with these young celebrities, more he liked them. Especially Ron, who didn't complain about anything except homework and less time for sleep.
He definitely wasn't going to leave them for such a trivial reason.
"How about we go to kitchens for pastries?" Harry suggested and the three of them made a run for the kitchen.
"I'm selected as a reserve for the team," Hermione announced to her dorm-mate as she entered the room.
"Congratulations," MaPoi said. "You are the only one, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "How did you know?"
"Your captain was babbling about it in the common room," MaPoi answered. "You must be good."
"I am," Hermione answered before taking a towel and heading towards the shower.
MaPoi smiled at the girl. She was confident of her capabilities, something MaPoi always liked in people. Though the best part about her was that she didn't pry in other people's lives. In fact, so stringent followers were both of them of this that they didn't know much about each other's background.
MaPoi sighed. Her instincts told her that the girl was reliable, but...
"Oi!" Hermione shouted from bathroom.
"Yes?"
"I forgot my hair-wash potion. Left drawer. Thanks!"
MaPoi got up and handed Hermione the said item. She will observe the girl. She will wait and watch.
"Hey Loony! Did you find the nargles?"
Blaise heard the voice before he turned the corner to witness the scene. It was the Lovegood girl. She was being followed by her fellow housemates, if the uniform was any indication. And they were calling her names. Luna, as usual, had a dreamy smile on her face.
"Hello, Luna," Blaise moved forward.
Luna gave him a smile. "Hello to you too. How are you?"
"Great!" Seeing two of them together, the pranksters scattered away.
"Thanks," Luna said.
"You noticed?" Blaise asked, embarrassed.
Luna just smiled. "So, how are you settling in? Liked Hogwarts?"
"It's good," Blaise shrugged. "The teachers are good too. You?"
"I like it very much," Luna answered happily. Blaise was surprised. He knew she was being teased by her classmates and yet she liked it here. And here he was, missing Hermione and thus spoiling what could be great time in Hogwarts. Guess it was time to make some new friends.
"I was going to library. Would you like to join me?" Blaise asked nonchalantly.
"Thanks. I would love to."
Together, a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw made their way to library and a long friendship.
Hermione warily made her way to the Headmistress' office. This would be her second meeting and first lesson. She had just made introductions and fixed the time for the lessons in the first meeting.
"Hermione Lily Snape. Centaur. First Year."
Hermione had spent fifteen minutes fighting with the door, on her first visit, which refused to open on being knocked. Apparently, you had to say your name, house and year and the door would let you in if Headmistress was expecting you ... even if she wasn't in.
"Please have a seat, Miss Snape." Sophie's cool voice instructed the moment Hermione walked in.
"Good evening, Professor." Hermione took the proffered seat.
"You are ready?" Sophie asked, ignoring the pleasantries.
Hermione nodded.
"You have shown the ability to control water," Sophie started. "I'll show you the extent of your power so that you understand how important it is to not only keep it secret, but also not misuse it."
Hermione nodded.
Sophie rose from her chair. She walked around the table and stood in the empty space behind Hermione. Hermione turned to watch her.
Sophie stood erect in the middle of the room, a calm and yet a powerful look on her face. She looked invincible and totally confident of her powers, whatever they were. In that moment before she witnessed the most incredible thing, Hermione wished she could look like Sophie one day in her life.
Suddenly the air was heavy with moisture. Hermione felt the humidity in the air and soon the roof above Sophie started leaking water. Before it reached the floor, Sophie had it under control. It was like a cyclone with Sophie in the centre. Soon, the water was revolving at such a high speed that Hermione could feel the gravitational pull towards it. Before she could be sucked into the cyclone, it turned to ice, temperature of the room falling suddenly.
The ice sculpture broke itself into pieces and Sophie struck small ice-knives into the walls of her room. She didn't give Hermione time to appreciate her handiwork; the ice sculpture melted and was boiling in a second, at Sophie's wand.
Another second and Hermione found herself surrounded by hot boiling water. But instead of fear, she felt an incredible rush of power, of adrenaline. She could control water like this. Water would be her slave and she the master. Hermione stretched her hand to touch the water rushing towards her. She had never felt so confident, so commanding. She smiled and even before water could touch her, it froze and then it was gone.
With the same smile on her face, Hermione looked up at Sophie ... with a proud look. The smile vanished when she found Sophie frowning at her, a cold look on her face.
As if jolted from an illusion, Hermione came back to senses.
"Did i do that?" she asked. "Did i convert that hot water into ice?"
"You converted it into ice," Sophie agreed in her cold voice. "But you lost yourself to exhilaration, so much so that you ignored the rushing ice towards you. I vanished it before it could kill you."
Hermione frowned. She was expecting a bit of appreciation for her work. She had never been able to do something like this before. Sophie's cold behaviour was getting on her nerves.
"You need to learn to focus and concentrate before we go any further," Sophie was talking to herself. "Lesson dismissed for today. Come here tomorrow at the same time."
Though thoroughly confused, Hermione didn't dare question Sophie's order. Silently, she walked out of the office, a smile of achievement on her face. Her first achievement. Her first taste of power.
Sophie stared after the girl thoughtfully. The girl had extraordinary power, no doubt about it. But the girl's reaction to the show of power was ... not healthy.
Was it safe to teach this girl such a powerful magic?
She would have to talk about it with Dumbledore.
And the topic of change in colour of girl's eyes was the one she would start with.
A/N: Reviews are appreciated.