The Sorting and the Settling
A/N: Hello! I know you didn't expect an update again so soon, but I am procrastinating collegework!
After a very awkward and silent trip on the carriages, Tom left Hermione with the first years outside the great hall so she could be sorted. She fidgeted nervously, purposely trying to avoid the calculating gaze of the deputy headmaster. Hermione felt a push on the walls of her mind, she whipped round and glared at Dumbledore, hastily throwing up her occlumency shields. He held her stare for a few short moments before huffing and clearing his throat to gain the attention of everyone about to be sorted.
"Attention first years! And our lone fifth year..." He rambled into a speech that was a near replica of the one McGonagall had given when she first arrived at Hogwarts in 1991. Hermione just tuned him out, there was nothing he would say that she didn't already know, and to be perfectly frank, she didn't give a lick about anything the manipulative old coot had to say. The doors to the great hall opened, revealing the grand room to the eager eyes of the first years. Hermione did her best to appear entranced by the grandeur, knowing it would be even more suspicious if she had no reaction to the room. One by one, the first years were sorted into their houses, notably Augusta Crouch (who would one day become a Longbottom) was sorted into Gryffindor. Finally...
"Smith, Mia" was called. Hermione stepped towards the three-legged stool, while the sorting hat was placed on her head.
"Ah, Miss Smith... or should I call you Granger? Yes, I can see I have sorted you before, my dear. A Gryffindor? Yes, you do have a noble heart, perhaps you were once self-sacrificing and no doubt you are brave and stubborn to a fault. Hmm, yes, you most certainly are a brave girl, I have seen inside of Mr Riddles mind. If anyone can show him how to love, it would be you, Miss Granger. Yes. Gryffindor suited your previous purpose. But not anymore... A word of advice my dear, keep Albus Dumbledore at arms length, you cannot complete your task with him heavily involved in how you spend your time. You certainly were a Gryffindor, but no longer... better be... Slytherin!" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and silently walked over to Tom and his acquaintances over at the Slytherin table.
"Are you ok?" Tom asked looking directly into her eyes, his gaze piercing through her, "You were up there for nearly 7 minutes, I think that's the longest hatstall since Dumbledore."
"It didn't consider anything other than Slytherin, I'm not sure why it took so long..." There's something she isn't telling me, Tom thought, "And?" he asked impatiently. She levelled him with a stare that simply said, I will tell you later. The rest of the table watched their interaction with curiosity, who on earth was this girl? Why does Tom appear to know her so well? What did the hatstall mean? They tried to figure her out, her plain looks giving them no indication of anything special, but the girl must be powerful given the amount of time she was sat on the stool for. Hermione looked up from her conversation with Tom, to see the rest of the house nodding respectfully towards her when they caught her eye, perhaps this hatstall set her off on a good stead, since they obviously saw it as a sign of power.
"I think that you'll quite suit this house, my dear" Tom said simply, before they tucked into their meal in relative silence.
The Slytherin Common Room
Clearly, the Slytherin fifth years ran the house this year, as the other students cleared the common room in relative haste as soon as they took their seats on the leather couches by the fire.
"My... friends." Tom started, "we have a lot to accomplish this year, and I am quite certain Miss Smith will be an excellent addition to our house. I know her quite well, you see, and I think you'll find she is quite the accomplished witch." He twisted his arm around her waist, silently staking his claim over her before the rest of the group, she noticed. Perhaps her goal of becoming his paramour would be quite an easy one to achieve, she just hoped that no horcruxes and army building came in that territory.
"Mia." a girl with smooth black curls addressed her, "I'm Casseopia, do you want me to show you to the dorms?" Casseopia seemed polite enough, the very picture of pureblood perfection.
"That would be lovely, thank you Casseopia." Hermione replied, maintaining an even and polite tone. Casseopia stood, along with Violetta Bulstrode, Belvina Black - who Hermione would later discover was the cousin of Casseopia. Hermione silently followed them out of the common room, whispering a goodnight to Tom as she left. It would be strange living in a room all year with a group of girls after getting used to sharing with Tom over the summer.
"Mia, sit down at that desk over there, I'm going to teach you some charms to keep that nest on your head in control, it is completely unbecoming, whilst you tell me all about how you know Tom and why he was silently daring anyone to try and get their hands on you." It was Violetta who spoke this time. Well this one is certainly straight to the point isn't she, Hermione thought snarkily, although she was quite grateful to have someone show her how to deal with her uncontrollable curls.
"Well, I came back to England from the continent, my parents were killed in the Grindlewald conflict, you see, and I wound up at some muggle orphanage - which is simply awful - and I met Tom there, he's about the only friend I have." Hermione decided to take an equally direct route of speech as the Bulstrode girl, she didn't see any point beating around the bush when the girls in this dorm clearly seemed to value a to the point approach.
"I see." was all the girl said, before showing Hermione a charm to make her curls sleek and bouncy instead of frizzy and unruly. The girls quickly went their separate ways after that, the pureblooded princesses had much to discuss, but at a later date without this stranger there to overhear. Hermione took the hint, and headed to her four-poster and shut the curtains around her.
A/N:So we've met the main people now, and I promise the romance will pick up in the next few chapters. Seems like the house are sizing our Mione up at the moment!