"Excuse me?" a girl asked. I was whisked away from my daydreams to see a girl at the door. She was very tall, had brown hair and eyes that barely betrayed the fact she had been shy very recently. She looked very familiar…

"What is it?" Ron asked. The girl looked him over. Her eyes lit on the wand he had taken out.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then." She sat down. I looked from Ron to the girl as Ron cast his spell, and the girl let loose a string of advice. Finally, I could take it no longer.

"Do I know you?" I asked. Why was I so blunt?

"…No, I don't think you do. I'm Hermione Granger. And you are…?"

"Harry Potter."

"Really? I know all about you."

"Just five seconds ago, you said you didn't know him!"

"Uh…"

"Ron Weasley," Ron prompted.

"Yes. Well Ron, I know Harry Potter by name, but not by sight."

"That explains it. Thanks."

"Pleasure. Anyway Harry, I'll need to be going. I need to see my sister. And you two need to get changed. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione left the room.

"So… what did you think?"

"I think it's weird. She stirs some faint memory within you, and yet neither of you know where exactly that memory came from."

"Yeah… I guess so."

I was standing in line for the Sorting.

"Granger, Hermione!" Professor McGonagall called on the register. Hermione walked onto the stage, turned and sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat was lowered onto her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Hermione left the front of the hall, and sat down with two empty seats to either side.

"Granger, Amber!" I looked up. Amber walked towards the stool. At a distance, a redheaded girl, with a taller, shyer sister, named Amber? It was more than I dared hope.

Please let it be the Amber I'm thinking of…

She turned.

Yep, it was the Amber I was thinking of. Amber Granger, huh? Nice name.

She perched on the stool. Subconsciously, I crossed my fingers…

"GRYFFINDOR!" Good thing, too. It looked like Hermione really needed her sister. I was smiling in their direction for so long, I wasn't paying attention.

"Potter, Harry!" That got my attention. I got onto the stool in a hurry, and jammed the hat on my head.

Hm… difficult, very difficult… Courage. Not too dim, either. A very just individual. And a thirst to prove yourself… you'd make a valuable anything.

Really, Mr Sorting Hat? That's the first time anyone's called me valuable.

First time, Mr Potter? I believe, not so deep down in there, there was a time before now.

Someone… thought I was good for something?

That Granger girl. A very bright girl, eager to bring sunshine into the darkest of caves. She saw you, hanging on by a thread, and took pity on you. I don't normally confide the opinions of others while Sorting, but she actually asked if I could send the black-haired boy from the zoo to wherever she winds up.

She asked that? How did she know I was here?

Her sister told her. She wasn't very pleased that her sister lied to you. I'd tread carefully around that one.

Anything else you wish to tell me? Or can I go and meet Amber for the first time?

My apologies, Potter. I appear to have kept you far too long. It is time for me to Sort you. Seeing your best qualities, it wouldn't have taken Amber to get me to put you in GRYFFINDOR!

Being directly under the Hat shouting that word wasn't a very comfortable experience. I took the Hat off, passed it to McGonagall, and went to sit down next to Amber.

The Sorting finished, Dumbledore stood up to give his speech.

"I have a few words to share with you before we begin our meal. They are: Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!

"Thank you."

Everyone applauded as Dumbledore sat down, inviting the students to eat their meals.

"So, Amber, how have you been?"

"Oh, hi, uh…"

"Harry Potter, Amber. I told you that."

"Thanks, Hermione. Anyway, Harry, I've been somewhat worried. When I got the letter for Hogwarts, I was moping that you probably wouldn't be coming. Hermione, quite unusually, went to go look for you to see if you were indeed invited. I was over the moon."

"Glad someone's happy to know I exist. Can you pass the chips?"

"Sure thing. And what exactly is this business about people not caring about you?"

"Well, the Dursleys have virtually abused me for the past ten years. Unluckily, I doubt there's enough evidence for a trial."

"I hate when that happens. Anyone have the salt?"

"Why are you guys talking about side dishes and condiments in the middle of discussing abuse?"

"Because it's a very unpleasant subject. Gravy?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's precisely because it's unpleasant that it shouldn't be discussed so… so casually!" Hermione got up and sat down elsewhere.

"Are you OK, Amber? You look really pale…"

The first-years were being led to the dormitories by a school Prefect. In our case, it was Percy Weasley, brother to Ron. Glad for someone that wasn't a complete stranger.

"Halt. There's a presence to be detected."

Muohohahahahahaha…

"I'm sure of it. PEEVES! Show yourself!" A portly man shimmered into existence to the left of the group. He would have been unnerving enough by that even without his lack of discernible legs.

"Hello there, mr perfect prefect. And, are these ickle firsties? Oh, what fun!" 'Peeves', as Percy had shouted, had adopted an oily cackle as his chosen mannerism. The words themselves fitted this vocal pattern. He charged at us.

It was to his incredible misfortune that he appeared to be charging in Hermione's direction. No one saw or heard precisely what happened, or how, but Peeves had suddenly appeared at Amber's feet, with barely enough focus to understand Amber's glare.

"No need for such a fuss, missus, my lady."

"Go away, Peeves." Amber was speaking with a tone I had heard once before: when scolding the Dursleys. Like that time, it had cowed the person she was pointing her rage at, and earned support from the surrounding crowd.

So wait, does that make me as important to her as Hermione?

Don't count on that being a good thing until you get the measure of her.

Yeah, some dexterity may be necessary. Only the bits where Amber isn't just another character in a scene make an appearance, but assume everything else in the books occurs unless it is directly obvious that it didn't.

Also here, this story is to be told from Harry's perspective only. Multiple perspectives only gets confusing. And most alternate perspectives you'll want are the chapters I've given. There will be a bonus section for other perspectives, but after I've finished all three of my current projects.

And, when Harry has a bond to Hermione's sister, it really is a challenge to figure out how to distance Hermione from Harry.

Neither can live while the other survives.