DISCLAIMER. None of the characters used are a creation of mine. They belong solely to JK Rowling.
Minerva McGonagall stood before her students commanding every bit of attention she deserved.
As she gave out instructions to the students in her Scottish baroque, Hermione was transported back to the time she had first been sorted. She had been so fearful and anxious.
But today as she listened to her favourite teacher speak so elegantly and boldly, she was reminded of the day Hogwarts had fallen to the dark forces and how her teacher's body had lay on the castle grounds broken and beaten.
The students filed away in a single line and followed the professor into the Great Hall. Hermione kept her head down, not daring to look at anything around her for she knew if she did she would only be brought face front with memories she would rather push into the farthest crevices of her mind.
She could feel the pure, unadulterated happiness that seemed to be oozing out of the children around her. In that moment she truly did feel alienated. Once again the feeling of not belonging to this time came to her.
As the Hat was placed in front of the school and its song begun, Hermione counted till ten and slowly opened her eyes. She found that she was standing right behind Sirius and James and apparently Remus.
So she chose to focus solely on the three boys and how they looked entranced by the Hat and the ancient magic surrounding them.
Peter beside her was an entirely different matter. Instead of staring hard at the Hat he was looking around himself, soaking up everything his eyes lay upon.
Hermione sighed. She had had enough of self pity. Yes, she had fought in a war. Yes, she was still healing but she couldn't keep on running away from everything. She should be grateful of the second chance she had been granted and make the most of it.
What she wouldn't have given to be with Harry right now. They were supposed to be in this together.
'Okay. You're twenty two years old. Suck it up.' She said to herself.
She looked at each child walking up to the stool and having the Hat be placed over their head. She saw how the kids trembled and fumbled as they made their way.
She almost smiled at their antics.
She made one last effort at carefully examining the student body. No sign of Harry.
Perhaps, next year.
As Professor McGonagall called out, 'Black, Sirius' the young boy strutted up to the front of the entire student body and plopped down onto the stool in that carefree manner of his that made everything he did look so effortless.
The crowd watched on and as the Hat shouted, 'Gryffindor!' there was a silence so profound that had settled across the hall that everybody heard the meowing of the cat held in the hands of Filch, the caretaker.
Even the teachers seemed perplexed and out of their depth. Dumbledore, on the other hand, merely smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.
Sirius got up from the stool and smirked at the Slytherins who were the most surprised.
The Heir of the purest of all pureblood families had just been put into the House of the reckless.
Despite his demeanor and knowing how much he had wanted this, Hermione could still see the nervousness on his face as walked towards the Gryffindor table who looked at him as if he was the strangest creature on Earth. She knew he feared rejection.
Hermione muttered, 'Oh honestly.'
She clapped her hands with so much enthusiasm that the hall eventually picked up apart from the still very much stunned Slytherin table.
James patted Sirius on the back as he passed him and the Sorting continued.
Hermione saw a red blur of hair when Lily Evans joined the Gryffindors. She particularly avoided looking at her.
Seeing James had been painful enough but if she was to look at Harry's mother and see the greenest green in the world she would fall apart.
Very soon it was Hermione's turn.
McGonagall called out, 'Lestrange, Hermione.'
Peter squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear, 'Doesn't matter where you go.'
Hermione nodded at him gratefully. She would be losing all her friends today. She knew soon Peter would be a Marauder and James and Sirius' inhibitions would keep him away from a slimy Slytherin such as herself.
Hermione gingerly sat on the stool and looked at the students in the Hall. There were so many of them. Much more than had been in her own time. She wondered why.
As soon as the tip of the Hat touched her head, she was startled. She almost fell out of her seat.
'Ah, Miss Granger. Curious. Curious, indeed. Never before have I met someone as unique as you. You seem anxious. He will find you. But beware, never let the darkness consume you for one day there will come a time when you shall be tmepted.
Now where to put you? There's enormous wit here. Also bravery and loyalty. Ah, ambition too. You are still as courageous as ever if not more. Living among snakes shall be a difficult task for the Lionheart in you but seeing as you have made your choice..
'SLYTHERIN!' the Hat yelled.
There were cheers only from one side of the Hall but Hermione didn't mind. How could she? She wouldn't matter to them anyway.
Peter smiled encouragingly at her as she passed him and her heart truly did reach out to this boy who would be hated by everyone he loved one day.
She was greeted by her brother who hugged her tight and introduced her to all his friends while the sorting went on.
'This is Antonin Dolohov.' He pointed towards a dark haired boy with a permanent sneer on his face. Although his face seemed to turn a slight bit politer at the prospect of meeting someone of such purity in blood and importance. Her name and status would ensure that nobody, Slytherins alike, would ever question her. It would always grant her immunity.
Dolohov placed a chaste kiss at her knuckles. Apparently pureblood tradition followed even into school.
'Melinda Gracehawk.' He blushed a slight shade of red as he pointed at the gorgeous blonde sitting beside him.
Hermione smiled and shook her hand, 'Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Gracehawk.'
Melinda shook her head. 'Oh none of that, please. Call me Melinda.'
Rab held Hermione's hand, 'Papa and Rolf will be so proud of you, 'Mi. Slytherin is going to greatly benefit from your mind.'
Hermione gave him a tight lipped smile, avoiding his inquisitive eye. However, Rab had the uncanny ability of reading her expressions very well.
'Are you not happy?'
'I am. Very much so,' she said.
'You needn't be daunted by the prospect of the animosity we are shown. It's only the Gryffindors you need to look out for. The other two houses aren't that .. forward about their distaste towards us. Besides, this isn't the entirety of your life. It will never decide who you are.'
Hermione bit her lip and proceeded hesitantly, 'Rab, do the Dark Arts ever attract you?'
Rab frowned, 'They do but not for the purpose of torturing others or causing harm to the weak. They interest me because they're magic too. It's how we use them. I could use a very dark spell to save someone's life one day. Would you disapprove of that?'
'Never.' She herself had done the very same thing after all. 'But that's not what I meant.'
'I know you didn't. I won't turn into some dark wizards.' He laughed. 'Give your brother some credit, 'Mi.'
With that he turned to his friends and Hermione found that the Sorting had long ago finished and a variety of food adorned the table.
She filled her plate with some meat and filled herself a glass of butterbeer.
She turned to her right and saw she was sat beside a boy with greasy black hair and a hooked nose.
Severus.
'Hello. I'm Hermione G.. Lestrange.'
Well that would be the first and the last time she would make that mistake. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought about this but then again she could hardly be blamed. She hadn't introduced herself like that in the two years she had been here.
Severus nodded politely. He wouldn't pass up the chance of befriending a member of such a powerful and a presitigious family despite the fact of however desolete he may be feeling at having been separated from his best friend, Lily.
Slytherin house was known for its self preservation. He would make allies.
'Pleased to meet you. I'm Severus Snape.'
They made small talk for the remainder of dinner after which they left for the dorms together, following the Slytherin fifth year prefects.
Rab caught her hand and wished her a good night before leaving for his patrol.
As she left the Hall she saw a very annoyed Sirius who refused to meet her eye. Peter looked at her apologetically. James could be seen stealing covert glances at the beautiful redhead as Remus very carefully walked behind him.
Hermione forced herself not to think about it. She wasn't here to make friends. She was here to save them.
The Slytherin common room was as uninviting as Harry and Ron had once described to her.
She had eventually sought out her dormitory and had reached her bed. The girls around her, it seemed, were enraptured by her. They would be, given that her social status placed her above everyone else in the House orher than the Malfoys and the Blacks.
Good. They wouldn't bother her.
The girls made small introductions and silly curtsies which caused bile to rise up Hermione's throat.
She was repulsed by the idea of sharing a dorm with Alecto Carrow, Diana Parkinson, Felicity Bulstrode and Gertrude Burke.
Hermione quickly changed into her nightlclothes and shut herself from the others by pulling her curtains close.
She tightened her grip on her wand and cast various silencing spells on her bed as well as some strong wards. She could not afford the other girls snooping around her stuff of hearing her screams at night as a result of her nightmares which might be far dispersed and few but still very much present.
She settled into her bed and lay down. It had felt good to do so much magic in a day. It had felt.. liberating.
She cast various other complicated spells just because she could. It thrilled her. It felt almost as if a long lost part of her had been returned to her.
She drifted off to sleep with a cluttered mind. Dreams filled with Harry running away from her and Sirius sneering at her broken body at his feet plagued her.
The next morning at breakfast, Hermione was discussing the various uses of potions with Severus when the owls decided to fly into the Hall.
An elegant black owl settled before her. She immediately recognised him as her family owl Talon.
He deposited a letter to her and coming from behind her, Rab fed the owl some treats.
'Must be from Papa. Go on. Read it.'
Hermione opened the letter to find her grandfather's neat scrawl.
Dearest 'Mi
I cannot begin to express how ecstatic it makes me feel to find out you have been placed into the ancient House of Slytherin. I am certain you will only ever bring pride to your family. I eagerly await your letter by the end of this week giving this old man every tiny little detail about your new home.
Do convey my regards to your brother Rab and my heartiest congratulations to Sirius for becoming a brave Gryffindor just as he had wished to be. The Blacks will certainly be a bother for a while but I am certain the boy will rise above it all.
Your truest
Papa
She handed the letter over to Rab who read it diligently.
He commented, 'It really is sad about Sirius. Walburga will never let him hear the end of it.'
Just as he had finished speaking an ugly shriek filled the Hall as everyone halted to hear what it had to say.
'Sirius Black. You have brought shame to our family. It saddens me to call you my son for you are nothing but. You have not only caused my poor heart such great grief but been an insolent, thankless child with no sense of propriety. Wait till you return and I shall personally carve out..'
Before the entire student body could find out just how cruelly Walburga planned to punish her son, the Howler burst into flames as Hermione quickly muttered a spell.
James had on his face a look of complete disgust at what had been said about his new friend but looked gratefully at Hermione however reluctantly. House prejudice was truly posionous.
Peter silently commended her ability and Remus looked surprised at seeing such a display of skill by a first year.
Hermione chided herself at drawing attention but she wasn't going to let some deranged woman humiliate Sirius.
She looked at Sirius' haughty but slightly crestfallen face and tried to console him.
'Papa sends his congratulations and wishes to tell you to remain courageous in the face of everything your family is going to throw at you. He's certain you will make it through.'
Sirius looked away from her.
She went on, 'Sirius, don't be disheartened. She has always been barmy. You said so yourself, remember? She knows nothing.'
Sirius would still not look at her.
Hermione turned away, now truly hurt at the way he was ignoring her.
'I'm sorry,' she muttered and left.