"What happened?" Hermione asked Dumbledore as they walked into the school.
"This is why they do not allow time turners to be given to just anyone," Dumbledore paused. "You need to be resorted. Headmaster Dembit has already instructed me on what to do about you."
They walked into the Headmaster's office and retrieved the sorting hat. Dumbledore placed it on Hermione's head.
"SLYTHERIN!" it yelled.
"That was fast," he mused.
"Slytherin? That cannot be right!"
"The sorting hat is always right. You were put in Slytherin for a reason," Dumbledore smiled.
"So, what class do you teach?"
"Care of Magical Creatures," he said.
"Is Hagrid still here?"
"Oh, no, he was expelled a few years ago," Dumbledore looked at her with interest.
"Oh..." she sighed.
"Here," Dumbledore said a spell so her robe and uniform matched the Slytherin's.
"Um... Thanks, I guess," she said, not sure what she was supposed to do.
"Let's go to the feast," he said, taking the sorting hat with him.
They entered the Great Hall, where everyone, except the first years, was already seated.
"Hey! Come sit over here!" she could hear Tom call, but pretended she did not hear him and sat down as far from him as possible. She was bored out of her mind. She, again, gratefully ate her meal and waited for the Prefects to be announced so she could go to her room. She still did not even know what she would do about clothes and her other belongings.
"This year's Head Boy is Anthony Victor," Dembit said, he waited for the applause to subdue to announce the Head Girl. "The Head Girl is Emily Scravitz," he again waited for the applause to become quieter. "The Prefects are as follows: Lenore Burmingham for Gryffindor; John Doner for Ravenclaw; Fred Lavowski for Hufflepuff; and Hermione Granger for Slytherin!"
Hermione applauded, but it took a minute for it to sink it that SHE was the Prefect for SLYTHERIN. As soon as she realized, she stopped clapping and stared down at the table.
"Would all Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl please come up here?" Dembit asked. Hermione watched the five other students get up, and she slowly followed, but walked over to Dumbledore.
"Is this a joke?" she asked him.
"No... Why would you be asking me?" he replied
"I don't know..." she decided she would drop it and walked over to Headmaster Dembit. The others had already left with their passwords.
"The password to the Slytherin common room is Basilisk. Although you are a Prefect, you have to sleep in the Slytherin rooms. You will only be here for one year, and for a reason, letting you sleep in the Prefect rooms would ruin the future."
"What are you talking about?" she gave him a puzzled look.
"You will find out before the end of the year. Now, go and take the first years to the common room! It is in the dungeons behind the statue of the garman, or half-human half gargoyle. You will know what it is when you see it," he smiled and dismissed her. She walked over to the Slytherin table and gathered the first years. She began to walk out of the hall but felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped. She turned to see Tom.
"What?" she asked and brushed his hand off her shoulder.
"I am going to the common room, so I decided I'd follow you." She walked faster than usual to get to the common room.
"The password is Basilisk," she yelled so that everyone could hear her. She turned to the statue and said the password. The statue moved to the left and let them in. "Follow me!" she yelled and walked to the stairs. "Tom, you want to send the boys to their room?" she asked.
"Sure - WAIT! How do you know my name?" he smirked.
"Um... Lucky guess? Now, girls, follow me!" She brought them to the girls' dorms; the first door was labeled "Hermione Granger," so she already knew where she would be sleeping. She walked to the end of a hall. "Here are your dorms. Pair up in fives and share a room, okay?" Hermione walked back to her room but was, once again, blocked by Tom.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" she screamed.
"You know who I am, don't you?" he smirked again.
"I do not know what you are talking about," she said and reached for the doorknob, but his hand got there first.
"Yes you do."
"No, I don't, now let me into my room!"
"There is something about you," he paused and studied her. "No new student has ever become a Prefect just like that," he snapped his fingers.
"So?" she asked, becoming very impatient.
"I'll find out soon enough," he smirked again then walked away. She opened the door to her room and walked in. It was smaller than the regular dorms, but that was because she was the only person sleeping there. It was not extremely small; it was still large for a one-person bedroom. She smiled and lay down on the bed.