The Beginning
“Who did you get this time?” The young blond asked the boy next to him, mouth full of candy.
The curly-headed boy made a face and held up his card. A moving portrait of Albus Dumbledore showed on the card.
The blond snickered and showed his card, which held the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, causing the other boy to groan.
“Must everything be a competition with you two?” Across from the two boys sat a girl with a bob that sat neatly above her shoulders.
The curly-headed kid stuck his chocolate-covered tongue at her, making her gag.
The blond opened his mouth to snark back when the compartment door slid open. All heads turned to the door to see a bushy-haired girl with rather large front teeth standing in their compartment.
“Could I sit here?” The girl asked rather nervously. “All the other compartments are full.”
She looked around to see five people already sitting, staring at her.
“I can go find another one-” She began to turn around.
“No have a seat,” a dark-skinned boy said, smirking at the girl amused.
The girl took a seat by the window, sitting next to the curly-headed boy. She smiled at the group.
“I’m Hermione Granger! Both my parents are muggles, so you can imagine the surprise when I got my letter in the mail. What was more surprising was that the letter was delivered by an owl!”
Everyone stopped talking at that and looked at the girl, all stunned. Hermione moved uncomfortably in her seat, waiting for someone to speak.
“You’re muggle-born?” Asked the curly-headed boy. Hermione just nodded and his eyes lit up.
“Fascinating-”
“Theo, don’t treat her like she is a zoo animal!” The girl with a bob screeched. “I’m Pansy, Pansy Parkinson. That’s Theo,” the curly boy waved at her. “The blond there is Draco. And this is Daphne and that’s Blaise.”
The blonde girl, Daphne, smiled warmly at her, and the boy, Blaise gave her a smirk. Hermione let out a relieved sigh.
⭒❃.✮:▹
Hermione stood beside Theo as they watched Draco talk to the one and only, Harry Potter. When Draco had found out he was on the train, he made them tag along on his wizard hunt. Now they stood in the doorway of his compartment.
“You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” Draco smirked at the brunette.
He stuck his hand out, waiting for Potter to grab it and shake it.
Harry looked at Hermione and Theo then back at Draco’s hand. He took a step back, away from the trio.
“I think I can tell who the wrong sort is for myself, thanks. Especially if your friends are beavers.”
Theo gasped dramatically at the nickname while Draco frowned, pink seeping up onto his cheeks.
“I’d be careful if I were you, Potter. You might end up like your parents with an attitude like that,” he looked beyond Potter and sniffed, “Especially around rifles like the Weasleys.”
At that moment, an overwhelmingly red-headed boy stepped out from behind Potter, looking as red as his hair.
“Watch your mouth, Malfoy!”
Draco stepped up and sneered. “Was that a threat, Weasley?” The boy stepped up to Draco, proving to be quite a few inches taller than the blonde.
Hermione was beginning to get worried. She didn’t know how far Draco would go, and quite frankly she didn’t want to know.
“Draco, let’s not waste our time, we are going to be at Hogwarts soon.” Draco sent one more sneer to each of the boys before turning around to Hermione.
“Let’s go,” he muttered.
⭒❃.✮:▹
Everyone wiggled nervously as they stood in line, waiting for their names to be called. Hermione was a smart girl for her age, but even she was nervous about many things.
What if she gets separated from her new friends?
What if she can’t make new friends?
What if no person or house accepted her?
What if
What if
What if
Hermione knew better than to play the what-if game, but right now she was freaking out.
“Hermione Granger!” Everyone turned to look for who was up next. The crowd parted and she was met face to face with the sorting hat. As she slowly walked up to the stool, she was hit with more what-ifs.
What if she were put into Slytherin like her new friends?
Would they shame her for being muggle-born?
Or would they take her in?
She sat on the stool and felt the weight of the hat being put onto her head.
“Well, Well, Well, such a bright mind for a young one. Maybe Ravenclaw would be good for you.:
She grimaced, hoping the hat didn’t yell out Ravenclaw.
“But you don’t want that, do you? No. You want something darker, something that can make you feel powerful but will also challenge your mind.”
Darker? Powerful? This worried her.
“I think I’ve seen enough. And I think that in the future, you will better understand what I’ve said. Good luck in the den.”
“SLYTHERIN!”
She stood, and walked to the only table cheering for her. She saw Theo jumping in the air and Draco cupping his hands around his mouth, hollering.
For a moment she felt proud. Proud to have a house that accepted her and friends that would care about her. Then she heard the booing. She heard the slurs and the yelling and the name-calling. She almost thought it was too much. She almost felt like turning and running out of the great big doors and getting a ticket right back to the station. Then she felt someone tug her arm.
She turned and saw Draco giving her an encouraging smile and at that moment, that was all she needed.