~Perfect Harmony~
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Enjoy!
~Welcome to Hogwarts~
What was it about her? A mudblood was dictating his thoughts. Imagine what his father would say if he knew! Of course, his mother would secretly tell him rubbish about mudbloods being the same as everyone else. He most definitely couldn't find it in himself to view them quite the same way as she did, but he also couldn't find it in himself to admit that to her even though she most likely already knew. It would pain him to see the hurt look on her face. He wanted to be who she wanted him to be. He wanted to be kind and loving and friendly the way his mother was, but at the same time he still admired his father. Lucius Malfoy was distant and cold, but he held their family together. He was the reason they had what they had. He always did what he had to do to ensure them a comfortable living. One wouldn't do that for his family without caring at all about them, would they? That's what he believed, but he knew his mother thought differently. He knew she wanted to be with someone she could just be herself around, but there were times when duty called, and you had to put on a façade to get where you wanted to. Yet, he loved his mother and never wanted her to change. Would she despise him if she knew just how like his father he had already become?
Living in a split home wasn't easy for young Draco Malfoy. That was one reason he was happy to be here at Hogwarts. He needed to get away and start figuring things out for himself. Perhaps he would find his own voice and be the person he wanted to be, although something told him that his mother's worst fears about him turning into his father were likely to come true. He'd been thinking like Lucius Malfoy for quite some time now, after all. This was why he was so hung up on this bushy brown-haired mudblood, who already seemed just as intelligent as he himself thought he was. She'd already taken hold of a powerful wand, stood up for both herself and someone else in a rather dignified [if not completely annoying] way, and from what he saw, spoken to Harry Potter like an ordinary person and demanded him to put his robes on. And he knew she knew who the famous boy was, because he'd heard her say so herself. He wasn't even sure she knew he'd been there.
The craziest thing about her was that she seemed to know exactly who he was. Not just his name, but what it stood for. Though she never said anything, he knew that she knew exactly who his family was: a pristine pureblood line, one of the highest to be honest. The problem was…he didn't know anything about her, including her family name. He didn't even know her first name, not that he particularly needed to. All he knew was that she had a great wand that he was still jealous of, a mane of bushy hair, and that she was going to a pain in the neck as long as she was around.
As they slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade Station, everyone stood and began to grab their things. He, too, grabbed the bag he'd brought on board that held his wand, his change of clothes, and a bit of money his parents had given him for the trolley and made his way out into the crowd, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. Their parents had been close to his father, apparently, and his father had instructed them to keep close to Draco and get him anything he needed. As he'd thought earlier, they were practically his lapdogs. He felt vaguely sorry for them at first, seeing as their time at Hogwarts would be spent following his every order. As the train ride progressed, however, he began to realize that these two rather large blokes had no brain at all and needed to be told what to do. Otherwise, they would stand still for hours just looking at each other blankly. It was quite ridiculous, actually, and soon Draco began to feel more sorry for himself rather than these two. His father hadn't instructed them to help him so much as sentenced Draco to babysitting duty.
The half-giant oaf named Hagrid seemed to be the one conducting the first years, to Draco's misfortune, and up front and center were Potter and Weasley. Potter seemed very delighted, as though the giant was someone incredible, and the red-head stared in awe. Draco found it disgusting that they would look at someone so low-class with admiration, especially when they had treated him as though he were filth from the bottom of their shoe. The more he thought about it, the more infuriated he became, and so he threw his bag at Goyle. "Carry that for me, will you?" he demanded rather than asked, making his way up front with them in tow. As of right now, he wanted nothing more than to just get inside the blasted school.
That's when he noticed a tuft of bushy brown hair hovering over a frail frame. It was the mudblood, still accompanied by the Toadless Wonder. What was his name again? It didn't matter really; he could just continue calling him degrading names. Still, it would help to know the surname. His father always said the more information you obtained, the faster you can break a person. The Toadless Wonder seemed to be hitting it off with the mudblood. Perhaps if he could break the round boy, he could break her, too. Someone needed to put her in her place.
Hermione Granger stood in the crowd of first years with Neville, trying desperately to console him after having failed to help him find his toad. "Erm…it'll be alright. I'm sure he'll turn up at some point. I mean, how is your grandmother going to find out, anyway?" Neville was close to tears by this point, and Hermione had never really dealt with this sort of thing before. She'd always been with older children who would rather fight and scream than sit and cry. She didn't think he was low or pathetic for crying. She just wasn't sure how to get him to stop.
To be quite honest, she was disappointed that she had to be separated from the Weasley twins. As treacherous as they were, they were the first people to introduce themselves to her and they knew her cousin Eliza. She felt somewhat close to them, if only a bit, but it was enough for her to wish they were there with her. Neville was a nervous wreck and when she was around these kinds of people, it made her more nervous than she already was. The twins made her forget that she had just stepped into an entirely new world that she had yet to actually experience aside from books and tiny spells she'd used in her bedroom. She really wished she had some of the tea Eliza had made for her earlier that morning.
The large man in front instructed that they follow him, and the crowd began to move slowly but surely. She couldn't have expected much more from a group of children on their first day of school. Of course, there were many more muggleborns such as herself who were quite nervous, not knowing what to expect. When she was nervous, however, she became equally excited. And so, in her excitement, she'd dragged Neville along with her to get as close to the front as possible. She ended up bumping into someone's shoulder, but she merely mumbled an apology and kept moving, not looking back to see who it was.
Draco Malfoy watched as the brown-haired girl who'd bumped into him hurried away with nothing more than a mumbled apology, the Toadless Wonder in tow. What was her problem? It's as though she enjoyed bumping into him every chance she got. This time she hadn't even stopped long enough for him to tell her to watch where she was going as he had two times prior. To be honest, those first two times were his fault. This time, however, he would have actually had the right to tell her to watch her step had she given him the chance. She hadn't, though. She had walked right past him, dragging the Toadless twit along right behind her.
Crabbe stepped up to ask if he should do anything about her, but Draco just halted him with a raise of his hand. "Just let it go. We can pay the mudblood back later. After all, we have 7 years to taunt her." And he planned on doing a lot of it. "...if she lasts that long," he smirked. He needed to be rid of her invading his thoughts, and taunting her was going to do just that.
As Hermione got to the front, she noticed several students, including Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, step into several small boats that were wading in the water of the vast lake. The large man was yelling orders, "No more 'n four to a boat!" Hurriedly, she pulled Neville into one and looked around. "Geez, Hermione," Neville panted, and that's when she really got a good look at him in the dim light of the lamp attached to the front. His face was red and he was gasping for air. Had she really been going that fast? She hadn't thought so. "Did you have to drag me around like that?"
"Oh, Neville," she frowned. "I'm so sorry. I suppose I was just very excited. I am a muggleborn, after all. I've never had an experience like this before. The only magic I knew of until recently were tricks such as pulling rabbits out of hats."
Neville looked at her with obvious confusion. "Why on earth would you want to pull a rabbit out of a hat? That seems a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"
"And bringing a pet toad to school and losing him the second you step foot aboard the train isn't a bit ridiculous?" she retorted, although she seemed more amused than anything at the moment. Now that Neville was coming out and speaking to her about more than how he'll be in trouble if he doesn't find his toad, she found him much more comfortable to be around. As he spoke of all the magic he'd grown up with, she listened wholeheartedly. She liked the fact that he was willing to share something about his life with her. She vaguely thought, given his timid and somewhat cowardly demeanor, that he was most likely to be put in Hufflepuff so she doubted they would be put in the same house, but she truly hoped to be his friend. He seemed to like her well enough.
She was explaining to him what exactly a dentist was when she realized Neville was looking past her in awe, so she turned her head...and she supposed her face looked just as dazed. There it was. Hogwarts...a real life castle, and she would be taking classes of witchcraft within its walls. She would be learning magic in a castle. A beautiful castle, surrounded by beautiful greenery and a giant lake she could come out to sit around. Even though it was dark and she could barely see anything other than black, she knew all of this. It was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. Suddenly, her nerves as well as her excitement began to sky rocket and she felt her body begin to shake. "Hermione, are you alright?" Neville asked.
She turned to him with the brightest smile on her face and said, "Neville, I don't think I've ever been more alright in my life."
Hermione Granger hadn't been the only one in awe of the glory that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A few boats away from her own, Draco Malfoy was staring at the enormous building, his mouth slightly ajar. He'd heard stories of its greatness, but to actually be here was unbelievable. The tales, the pictures, the books...nothing came close to describing this feeling. He was already thinking of all the things he would be doing whilst here. He would first work on staking his claim of authority in the Slytherin house, then the rest of the school. His father will be proud to see all the accomplishments he'd make on his own. And when things started to become too stressful, he could just walk out here by the lake to let his mind wander. He'd find a quiet spot no one knew about and make that his safe haven, as he used the garden at home. A Malfoy needed his privacy, after all.
One thing he would never admit to, no matter who it was, was that he was excited about the library here. He'd seen pictures of it, and couldn't wait to get his hands on some of the books that would be available to him. If he could find a way, he'd like to read a few from the restricted section. Honestly, to put a restricted section so close to a bunch of curious first years was like telling a 6-year-old not to eat from the cookie jar. Sometimes they would do it merely because they weren't supposed to.
"Heads down," called Hagrid as they reached the low hanging cliff that led to a tunnel underneath the castle. Soon, they reached what seemed to be an underground cavern and everyone tumbled out of the boats onto a pebble shore. Hagrid began to check each and every boat when he heard someone mention losing a toad. Turning to the nervous looking boy accompanied by a girl with great brown bushy hair, he boomed, "Oy! You there!" They both turned to stare at him, slightly frightened by the sudden call. Pulling out the toad he'd found earlier from one of his many pockets and raising it up, he held it out and asked, "Is this yer toad?"
A look of utter relief washed over the boy's face and he ran up, calling, "Trevor!" Hagrid handed him the toad before the boy quickly ran back to the girl he'd been with.
"See, I told you he would show!" Hermione said, patting him on the shoulder. Neville was just too happy to speak, so she figured she'd let him alone to have his moment. She really didn't think it was as big of a deal as he'd made it out to be; then again, if she'd lost something precious to her then she'd be more than delighted to have it back. As they were led through the path, Hermione became lost in thought of what she should expect throughout this year away from home in a world she's only been introduced to two months prior. It was all very exciting, really, until she thought of what would happen if she were put into Hufflepuff or Slytherin. If she were put into Hufflepuff, not only would she be taking a blow to her pride in her intelligence and character; she'd practically be handed to that blonde Malfoy boy on a silver platter. And if she were somehow put into Slytherin, no matter how wonderful her cousin Eliza is, she would probably be bullied in her own house. They'd force her to do their homework for them and make fun of her just because she was a muggleborn. She wouldn't give in, of course, but she wouldn't have a particularly good time, either.
Ravenclaw would be nice, seeing as she could blend in with all of the other know-it-alls. The problem with that was that for one, every know-it-all is extremely competitive and they get jealous over the tiniest thing; for two, she didn't really want to blend in with them. She didn't want the limelight; that was hardly the case. However, she wanted to be her own person. She wanted to be Hermione Granger, the muggleborn girl who happened to be one of the smartest students in school. Eliza had told her how some families still looked down upon her kind, and she was determined to prove that muggleborns deserved to be here just as much as they did. She was a witch, and she would become a darn good one if she had anything to do with it. And if she were in Ravenclaw, people may try to say she was tutored or cheating from her peers. She couldn't have that. No, none of those houses would help her. And that is why she had to be put into Gryffindor.
They finally reached the large, oak front door of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid looked over his shoulder at all the tiny first years and asked, "Everyone here? You there," he nudged Neville. "Still got yer toad?" Neville nodded, frightened by the overly large man. Hagrid nodded back, then raised one colossal-sized fist, knocked exactly three times and stepped back.
As soon as he finished, everyone watched as the doors magically swung open to reveal a tall, slender woman of age adorned in beautiful emerald green robes that reminded Hermione of her cousin Eliza. On her face she wore and impassively stern gaze that tipped Hermione off. She knew who this woman must be.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the giant man who'd led them there. Hermione secretly grinned in triumph at having guessed correctly.
Professor McGonagall nodded and said, "Thank you, Hagrid." She said she would be taking over and many watched as he walked away before turning their attention to the elderly woman as she stepped back to let them into the entrance hall. Hermione tried not to look more astonished than she been this entire time, but she couldn't help it. The entrance hall was half the size of her house, and that in itself was a lot. Her house was definitely much larger than the average-sized house, which was another thing she was determined to keep secret from everyone at school. If people knew she was from a wealthy family, she'd probably get people trying to cozy up to her and wouldn't be quite sure whether they could be trusted with her friendship or if they were just using her for her money and status.
As she continued to get caught up in her own thoughts, Professor McGonagall led them into a smaller chamber off to the side of what Hermione could only guess was the Great Hall where they would be eating, and then turned to face them all at the top of the steps so everyone could see and hear her. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." She continued to tell them about how your house would be like your family and that you would have class together and the like. Then she went on to talk about house points. Hermione was hanging on her every word, thinking of all the different ways she could acquire house points as quickly as possible. She truly was hoping for Gryffindor. It was the only house that made sense for her to be in to accomplish everything she hoped to, and both Professor McGonagall as well as the headmaster were in Gryffindor.
She finished by telling all the first years that the Sorting Ceremony would be taking place soon. "I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." That was all Hermione needed to hear. As soon as Professor McGonagall disappeared, Hermione turned to Neville and began talking about all the different spells she'd learned over the summer. As she was getting on a roll, however, something cold whooshed passed her and she screamed in surprise.
And she wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to have been screaming as a ton of transparent beings came out of nowhere. "Are those...ghosts?!" she exclaimed. Eliza had not once mentioned that there were going to be ghosts! Hermione could never have imagined that they actually existed; now here they were, talking and laughing and...and...and floating about! A few were talking about forgiving someone or thing called Peeves , but many of the others advised against it. Apparently, this Peeves was a trouble ghost of some sort. And if there were such a thing as ghosts now, Hermione was willing to bet that Peeves was a poltergeist.
As a ghost known as the Friar began talking about being the ghost of Hufflepuff, Hermione turned back to the front just in time to see Professor McGonagall had returned. "Move along now," she snapped. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to begin." She ordered the first years to form a line and in they went. Hermione clasped her hands tightly together, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her nerves.
Draco Malfoy decided to glance at the ceiling as they entered the Great Hall, and gasp. It was the sky! A few spaces ahead of him, he heard the bushy-haired girl speak as though she'd heard his thoughts. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in 'Hogwarts, a History.'" The bloody know-it-all. She managed to suck out the fun in his life, and the nutty thing was that she didn't even know she was doing it. He had a sinking feeling that by the end of the week, he would barely be able to contain his urge to hex her into oblivion. Would that be legal?
Up front, Professor McGonagall was placing a four-legged stool in the center of the risen floor. The staff was sitting at a long table overlooking the Hall, and it made Draco feel a bit edgy. He didn't like the idea of being watched. As he finished his thoughts, he noticed the professor place a rather disgusting-looking pointed hat on the stool and he groaned. That was the famous Sorting Hat? Looking around, it occurred to him that most of the first years probably didn't even know what that thing was. After all, alumni weren't really supposed to tell anyone about it. It was meant to be a surprise for newcomers. Lucius, however, found it childish to keep children in the dark about something so silly. Draco was inclined to agree with him on that one, although his mother seemed a bit displeased. She thought his father was sucking out the fun of being a first year.
At that moment, the hat decided to come alive and sing:
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty
But don't judge on what you see
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me
You can keep your bowlers black
Your top hats sleek and tall
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be
You might belong in Gryffindor
Where dwell the brave of heart
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaww
If you've a ready mind
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (Though I have none)
For I'm a thinking cap!
Everyone cheered at the end, and Hermione smiled. It may have been a dirty looking hat, but it had a wonderful mind to come up with that song. Also, she was quite happy that all she had to do was put it on. She faintly heard the Weasley brother tell Harry Potter about wanting to kill Fred for making him think it was something painful. She couldn't help but smile. Those twins were something else, alright. She nearly felt bad for Ron Weasley, having brothers who tricked you to no end, but he really should have known better by now seeing as he'd lived with them his whole life. It made her question his intelligence, just a bit. She scanned the Great Hall and her eyes fell upon said twins and she waved slightly at them, happy to see they were Gryffindor. Hopefully she would soon be sitting beside them once more. They noticed and nodded at her, one grinning as he sent a wink her way. She mouthed 'Fred?' and his grin grew just a tad. That was a yes. She had been trying to tell them apart, and she seemed to be catching on quite nicely. Fred was more mischievous, while George was more laid back. That, by no means, meant that he let Fred think everything up. On the contrary, he was the brains behind their little plans. Fred may come up with the ideas, but George found the means to make it happen. They worked in perfect harmony. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back as she rolled her eyes and turned back to the Sorting Hat.
Now came the sorting. Professor McGonagall instructed them to come up and sit on the stool as the hat was placed on their heads once she called their name from the scroll in her hands. As it went in alphabetical order, Hermione knew she's have to wait a bit. So she started wondering where she'd be placed for about the hundredth time since hearing about Hogwarts. As she recalled the Hat's song, she realized exactly what each house was about. Gryffindor was for the brave of heart. Hufflepuff was for the loyal and hardworking. Ravenclaw was for those wise and witty. And Slytherin was for the cunning and manipulative. The bit about finding your true friends baffled her, though. As far as she knew, they were cowards. That's why they had to be cunning, because they couldn't take things head on.
'Brave of heart.' Something sounded vaguely familiar about that sentence. That's when she remembered Ollivander. He had told her only a brilliant mind and a pure heart could handle the wand currently in her possession. So where did that leave her? A brilliant mind could mean cunning or witty, which puts her in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin. A pure heart could mean loyal like Hufflepuff, or brave like Gryffindor. How did Eliza have such an easy time deciphering where she would be placed when she herself was at a loss. Perhaps it was the whole 'people view you differently than you view yourself' thing. Though now that she thought about it, perhaps Eliza had merely told her that so she would stop asking questions.
"Granger, Hermione." Her head shot up in surprise. So soon? Perhaps she'd let her mind wander longer than she had assumed. In her haste, she nearly ran all the way up and jammed the Hat upon her head before Professor McGonagall had the chance to gently place it there. She was hoping it would be quick so she could get it over with. Thoughts of Gryffindor ran through her mind before the Hat finally screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!" Relief washed over her and she hurried on down to the twins just as she'd hoped she would and they seemed to be smiling just as much. They welcomed her warmly as she sat down beside them, Fred being closest. He put an arm around her in a triumphant side hug before ruffling her bushy hair, succeeding in making it even more so.
Draco Malfoy watched as the mudblood, whose surname just so happened to be Granger, rushed down to the Gryffindor table as everyone from her table cheered. He sneered; just another reason to hate her. His father had always spoken of the Granger's with the utmost loathing. The young Malfoy heir never understood why their supreme family had to stoop low and make business with low life muggles, but his father had always told him that it is a necessity. Perhaps it were fate that they would end up in rival houses. She seemed to be very cozy with the Weasley twins, whom he'd had the displeasure of meeting when his father had brought him to work. The Ministry of Magic liked to have 'bring your child to work' day every so often for some awful reason. While in a sense, it was a good learning experience for a Malfoy to see what he was in for as he grew old enough to enter his profession, he had to deal with riff raff such as the Weasleys. Thankfully, they only allowed up to three children. His father told him they had installed that rule specifically for the Weasleys, who had more children than they could hope to afford. So Arthur Weasley always brought his three eldest who happened to now be the twins and that Percy prat. Percy was a stuck up little know-it-all who thought he was better than everyone else, and Draco found it disgusting. As for the twins, well...he'd brought along headache solutions for that.
"Malfoy, Draco." He looked up as his name was called, then strode up the few steps to take his seat on the stool. There was a slight fear as to what would happen if he were sorted anywhere other than Slytherin, but he needn't worry for the Hat had no sooner brimmed his neatly gelled hair before calling out, "SLYTHERIN!" He knew it. He had too much Slytherin blood to be put anywhere else. He caught the gaze of Hermione Granger and smirked, making his way down slowly at first just to hold her gaze before strutting his way down to the table of screaming Slytherins. They knew who he was now. A Malfoy. And that was why they were cheering so loudly, he knew it. They knew who would soon be holding power; they knew his family name. After all, almost every single one of their families had done business with the Malfoy's more than once in their lifetime.
When the Toadless twit was called, Draco was slightly interested to know he was a Longbottom. Part of him felt sorry for the round bloke. It had been his aunt, after all, that had tortured the boys parents until they went nutty and had to be put into a permanent psychiatric ward at St. Mungos. It was no wonder the rounded boy looked so frightened when he saw him on the train earlier today.
Then he heard it. "Potter, Harry." Suddenly, everyone was whispering in the Hall, and when everyone whispered at the same time, it wasn't exactly quiet. People began to question the accuracy of the name, wondering whether it were truly the famous boy-who-lived or just a brat with the same name. Many were straining their necks to get a good look at his forehead, wondering if the lightning bolt scar were truly there. Draco rolled his eyes, but paid attention, no less. He was interested to see where he'd be put, although he were almost positive what house it would be seeing as where his filthy mudblood mother and his pompous father came from. He was slightly shocked to see the Hat taking a particularly long time with him. Shouldn't it be blatantly obvious where he should be? Perhaps the stupid thing was asking for an autograph. Could it do that?
Hermione sat nervously, watching. Why was it taking so long to place him? It wasn't like she was hoping for him to join her house as many of the others seemed to be doing in the Great Hall. She was more nervous for him. After all, she knew enough about him to know that this was all still just as new for him as it had been for her. It must be nerve wracking to have to sit for so long with everyone's eyes on you, knowing more about you than you knew about yourself. As she thought all of this, her eyes fell upon a particular professor. He bore a purple turban and seemed to be fidgeting quite a lot. It was then that she realized he was the one from the Leaky Cauldron. He'd been the one she'd sensed earlier in there, but now that she got a good look at him, she began to doubt the sinister feeling she'd felt around him then. He seemed too feeble and frail to be anything dangerous. If anyone up there looked dangerous at all, it would be the professor sitting a few seats away from him with his long hooked nose and greasy black hair, wearing all black robes without a trace of a smile there at all.
Suddenly, the Hat screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the loudest cheer of the night boomed throughout the Great Hall, Hermione cheering as loud as her little lungs would allow her to without damaging her vocal folds. She may not be like the other students here who just wanted a famous person in their house, but it didn't mean she wasn't excited to have him, either. She couldn't help her laughter as the twins jumped up and down, screaming, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" After a moment, everyone else seemed to simmer down and so she rolled her eyes and pulled them back down by their sleeves. They all greeted Harry welcomingly, a prefect named Percy who also happened to be a Weasley brother shaking his hand triumphantly as he reached the table. Harry nodded towards her and the twins, and then he sat down as they all waited for Ron.
Draco sneered at the table. They were being ridiculous. Just because Potter was some stupid celebrity didn't mean anything. After all, he was famous for something he didn't even remember! He didn't do a bloody thing; it was a bit of luck, or something, but it had nothing to do with Potter himself. It infuriated Draco that the scar head was getting attention without even trying. In that moment, Draco Malfoy declared war upon him. And as he watched the last Weasley brother join their cozy little union, he declared war on him, too.
The headmaster stood then, silver white hair draping over his robes as he walked up to look out over the Great Hall and each student inhabiting it. "Welcome," he said, a raspy tone full of age and wisdom showing through. It was the first time Hermione had really taken a notice to him, but there was something twinkling in his eye that made her feel warm inside, even from this distance. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet. I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddmint! Tweak!" Everyone stared at him in silence-everyone except the Weasley twins, who hollered and applauded while mentioning 'words of wisdom' and the like-thinking he would perhaps explain what those words meant. Instead, he smiled, bowed and said, "Thank you!"
Slowly, everyone else began to clap, and then they, too, were cheering. Hermione wasn't sure whether to laugh or be worried. Eliza had said Dumbledore was the greatest wizard living today, but she was having doubts. Before she could say anything, however, Harry spoke her thoughts. "Is he...a bit mad?"
Percy, who had decided to sit right between them, answered. "Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" Hermione shared Harry's confusion of the sudden offer, until suddenly an abundance of food appeared upon the golden dishware. Potatoes, turkey, every kind of gravy, corn, beans...and then dishes she'd never even seen before were appearing before her very eyes and she couldn't help but once again be blown away by all the magic in the air...literally. Not even trying to hide her delight any longer, she tried to get a little bit of everything. She didn't want to fill herself up on too much, seeing as classes started tomorrow and she didn't want to make herself sick before school even started. Perhaps she should ask Percy the Prefect for a map later as well. She didn't want to be late to class just because she couldn't find her way through the castle. That wouldn't be a good way to start her life as a witch.
As the feast progressed, she learned who was pureblood, half-blood and muggleborn, and she got to hear amazing stories. Percy Weasley turned to her as he finished talking Harry Potter's ears off, trying to get a background check of everyone who had entered his house this year. "Hello, we haven't been formally introduced, have we? I'm Percy Weasley," he stated, offering his hand cordially. He seemed a bit pompous, but she didn't quite mind it. At least it let her know that she could count him to know the answers to any questions she may have. And so, she took his hand with a smile. "I see you've already met my three younger brothers. Our two eldest, Charlie and Bill, have already graduated and our little sister, Ginny, will be starting next term."
"I'm Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you. I suppose you already know my cousin, Eliza, from what the twins have said. And yes, Fred and George are certainly interesting. If I might ask, exactly what does a prefect do and how do you become one?"
He seemed fairly pleased to see someone taking such an interest, especially so early in the school term. "Well, it all depends on your academic progress, as well as your class conduct. You are eligible to be a prefect in your fifth year, in which case they'll send you a badge and a congratulations letter along with your school letter each summer. Once you are chosen, you hold the title of prefect until you graduate. There are times when someone will decline the offer, and they have to choose a different prefect, of course."
"I see," Hermione hummed. "So is there a prefect for each house? I see there are six badges within each house, so does that mean a boy and a girl are picked from each house every year during their fifth year and then they just hold onto that title until they graduate?"
Percy was surprised. "You've a good eye young lady," he complimented, and she couldn't help but smile and blush a bit.
It was then that the twins decided to glare mockingly at their elder brother and drape their arms around Hermione's tiny shoulders. "Is this bloke giving you trouble?" Fred asked.
"Wouldn't want people to think you were harassing the little lady, now would we?" George chimed in.
Together in perfect sync, they both smirked and said, "It would reflect badly on our family, you know."
Hermione rolled her eyes at their games, but then she saw how red Percy was becoming. Was their entire family short-tempered? She was beginning to think that the twins were the only ones in the bunch with a sense of humor. "Stop it, you two!" she laughed, shrugging them off. "I am trying to have a nice, serious and civil conversation with the only sensible person in your family as of late." Although, she'd yet to meet the parents or the two eldest brothers, and she'd only seen the sister for a mere five seconds before George, who she had thought was Fred until he was 'outed' by said little sister, pushed her away.
The compliment had made Percy go pink in the ears, and George grinned. "Uh-oh, mate," he chuckled, nudging his identical. "I think we might want to watch out for this one. He may try to steal your bride-to-be." Fred lightly pushed George and they had a good laugh. Hermione shook her head with a smile on her own face before turning back to Percy.
"Funny bunch, they are," she commented. "Anyway, prefects. What were you saying about them?"
Percy cleared his throat and continued. "I was merely complimenting you on your vigilant abilities. Now, there is also a Head Boy and Girl who are in charge of the prefects. There are only two Heads within the school at one time, and they are chosen in their last year here. They aren't always chosen from prefects, although they usually are. I suspect I'm in line for Head Boy in my final year, mind you. Logically speaking, not being arrogant or anything," he added quickly, although it didn't seem at all sincere. Hermione just let it go, though. She was busy thinking of everything she would be doing to ensure she got Head Girl in her final year. It would be the cherry on top to a perfect ending. But first she had to get through these next 6 years before she started worrying about her 7th.
Draco Malfoy was eagerly digging into his feast when up came a ghost covered in what appeared to be...blood? And he'd chosen to saddle right on up to Draco. The reason became quite evident once he started talking. "A Malfoy, eh?" he drawled, creeping the bloody hell out of Draco. All he'd wanted was to eat in peace, and now he had to sit and be taunted by some bloody ghost...a very bloody ghost. "Your father and I go way back, you know." Ah, there was the answer. "And your grandfather. And your great-grandfather. And your great-great grandfather. And your..." and he went on and on and on until Draco couldn't take it anymore.
"Alright, I get it!" he groaned, causing many to stare at him. At the moment, he didn't care. "May I eat now?"
"You will not talk to your house ghost in that tone, young Malfoy." Before the Bloody Baron could finish his threat, another ghost came over and started idly chatting with him. In mere seconds, the Bloody Baron had forgotten about the young Malfoy, letting him get back to his food in peace.
Hermione was speaking to Percy about her excitement to start classes, particularly Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, when Harry clamped a hand right over his scar as his face twisted in pain. It was subtle, so not many people noticed, but Hermione and Percy were quite worried. "What is it?" Percy asked.
"N-nothing." Hermione didn't buy it for a second, but she couldn't go prying into other people's problems. The scar held dark magic; of course it was bound to be doing funny things every so often. Perhaps he didn't say much about it because it happens often and he's used to it. She wouldn't know. Then Harry turned to Percy and started asking about the greasy-haired professor in all black talking to the purple-turban professor. Percy mentioned how he, Professor Snape, was the Potions master who had been after the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Apparently, he knew a lot about the Dark Arts. That struck a wrong chord with her, and she was sure it did with Harry as well. She would be sure to keep a close eye out for him.
The end of Chapter 4, finally! Thank you all for reading so far and I hope you're enjoying it! Please review and tell me your thoughts~