Chapter Two
"Something's wrong," says Ginny. Hermione nods. They are more than a dozen students into the sorting and not a single one has been sorted into Slytherin. Hermione's attention is glued to the staff table.
Headmistress McGonagall's face is tight with tension. Hermione watches as the headmistress turns to the Deputy Headmaster, Professor Snape. Snape's face is cold and impassive as ever, but he gives his head a little shake at the headmistress. Clearly they have no idea what is going on with the sorting hat.
The sorting hat continues to sort the first year's into Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Griffindor. When a few first years from old pureblood families aren't sorted into Slytherin, that table begins to make a scene. The headmistress has to stop the sorting momentarily to put a stop to the ensuing chaos. They don't quiet down until Snape rises silently from his seat, scowling them into submission.
When the last fist year is sorted, McGonagall rises from her seat. "Well," she says, "This is an unexpected development. I will be discussing it with my staff and the board of governors. Meanwhile, I would like to welcome you all back to… "
Hermione stops paying attention to the speech that follows. Her head is whirling. Could the sorting hat just do away with the Slytherin house? It could, apparently. Simply by not sorting anyone else into Slytherin, that house will cease to exist within a few years. Personally, she does not think it is a bad idea. How many innocent students had felt pressured to support Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters simply because they had been sorted into Slytherin House? How many students had cultivated their own prejudice and cruelty, justified by the values of that house?
McGonagall concludes her speech and Hermione automatically claps along with the rest of her fellow Griffindors. As the food appears upon the golden plates before them, the table breaks into a buzz of conversation about the bizarre behavior of the sorting hat. "What do you think, Hermione?" Ginny says, loudly enough to be heard over the din. The table goes quiet and most of the students turn toward her, waiting for her answer.
Hermione balks at the sudden attention for a moment. Then, resigned to her role, she squares her shoulders and draws in a breath. "I don't know how this happened, but it is a good thing. I know that Salazar Slytherin was a founding member of Hogwarts, and that Slytherin House has existed for thousands of years. I imagine there will be plenty of pushback against the sorting hat by some of the old Wizarding families. But the values of Salazar Slytherin, namely his ideas on purity of blood, nearly destroyed the entire British Wizarding community. I don't think we can afford to justify or indulge those ideas by giving them a place at Hogwarts."
House Griffindor gives her a standing ovation, and Hermione is surprised, and pleased. As her house tucks into the feast, the conversation around her turns to quidditch. But Hermione has a knot in her stomach. She knows the old Wizarding families will not simply let Slytherin House fade into history. Not without a fight.
Tuesday at lunch Hermione and Ginny have to break up a fight between two fourth year girls, and it makes them late to potions. They bring a note from Poppy in the infirmary to excuse their tardiness. Any other class and Hermione wouldn't have bothered, but it's Snape. She knows he likes rules. He likes enforcing rules. Especially when it comes to insufferable know it alls.
Hermione is still extremely apprehensive as she enters the dungeon. She trembles like a first year as Snape rounds on them as soon as they step across the threshold and into his domain. "Twenty points from Griffindor… each," says Snape. "Take your seats."
Hermione holds out the note to Snape, but he makes no move to take it from her hands, so she is just standing there holding it out like an idiot. "Pardon the interruption, Prof-" she says, but she doesn't get to finish.
"Twenty more points!" Snape says, "Take your seats, you self righteous little twats, or it will be a hundred points and a month's of detentions."
Ginny takes her seat. She needs her potions Newt to enter auror training next year. Hermione needs a potions Newt, too, but she doesn't need Snape's instruction to sit the exam. Inwardly, she starts composing the apology letter to house Griffindor she will have to write for the points she is about to lose.
Hermione looks into Snape's black eyes. Inwardly, she is weeping at his treatment of her. It's her first day of classes all over again, and her brilliant teacher hates her. But she isn't twelve anymore. She's almost nineteen, and she's fought in a war, and she doesn't wear her emotions all over her face anymore. She had hoped this year, after everything that has happened, would be different.
She tries to summon up some anger at his bullying, but she finds she is only deeply sad. Sad that he has sacrificed so much, saved so many lives, and – in the end- failed to save himself.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Professor. But I won't let you bully me any more," Hermione says. Then she steps around him, places the note from Madam Pomphrey on his desk, and leaves his classroom.