Disclaimer :Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling

Hello! My newest story. I hope everyone loves it.

"Hermione Granger." called Professor McGonagall.

Hermione hurried up to the Sorting Hat, and placed it on her head, careful not to ruin her curls. She had used a special spell to tame them and look acceptable.

Hmmm. Very unique. A mind quite unlike any muggleborns. You seem to have a hatred for your parents! That's new. But where to place you? I know! SLYTHERIN!

Hermione walked down primly and took her seat next to a blonde boy and a pretty black haired girl. Across from her was a dark boy, and next to him was a blonde girl and a black haired boy.

"I'm Draco." the blonde boy said.

"Blaise." said the dark boy.

The black haired girl was Pansy, the blonde girl was Daphne, and the black haired boy was Theo.

"I'm Hermione." she smiled.

"That's a nice name." said Pansy.

Two brutish looking boys joined them.

"This is Crabbe," said Draco gesturing to the one on the left, "and Goyle."

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "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! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered except for the Slytherins, and Hermione looked at him uncertainly.

"Is he mad?" she inquired.

"No, just odd. Potatoes?" said Blaise.

Hermione's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

"Why are peppermint humbugs on the table?" she asked.

"Dumbledore likes them." said Daphne, taking a dainty bite of her beef.

A pearly ghost covered in blood and chains rose next to them.

"Welcome to Slytherin." he stated in a mournful tune before floating away, and Hermione stared.

"Never seen a ghost?" Theo teased.

"No actually, never." she fidgeted, looking down and taking a bite of her pork chops.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…

Hermione took a treacle tart and turned to the conversation, which was about Draco's family. Apparently they breeded rare creatures, and his father owned the world's only albino peacocks.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of two redheads at the Gryffindor table.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Hermione noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the two redheads, who Hermione had learned were the Weasley Twins, were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

"Are we horses?" Daphne muttered, and Hermione giggled.

The Slytherin First Years followed a boy named Elan Parkinson down the winding staircases to the dungeons, where he stopped in front of a plain wall.

"Serpens." he said, and the wall slid open, revealing the dungeons.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

"Hello." said Parkinson. "I'm Elan Parkinson, the fifth year prefect. Next to me is my counterpart, Jessie Hooper. Our sixth years are Camelia Fudge and Harrison Carrow. Our seventh year prefects are Kayla Mulciber and Antony Stevens."

Kayla picked up. "I want everyone to say their name for me."

"Draco Malfoy."

"Blaise Zabini."

"Pansy Parkinson."

"Daphne Greengrass."

"Theodore Nott."

"Tracy Davis." said a petite brunette.

"Crabbe"

"Goyle"

"Millicent Bulstrode." grunted a girl who resembled Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hermione Granger."

"Granger?" frowned a 3rd year. "That's not a name I've heard."

"It's not." said Hermione, taking a deep breath. "I'm a muggleborn."

Instead of the outburst she expected, there was silence.

"Well now you're Slytherin's muggleborn." said Antony. "Rule 1 of Slytherin is we protect our own. I'll call Professor Snape just to be sure."

Five minutes later a dark haired pale man with sallow skin and greasy hair walked in.

"I hear we have a muggleborn in our house." he said in a silky tone. "Tell me why you deserve to be in our house."

Hermione frowned. "You want me to tell you my private life and feelings?"

Snape looked surprised for a fraction of a second before smoothing his face down. "In a way."

"My name is Hermione Granger. When I was six, I learned that I could move things with my mind. In my world, it's magic, and I could only dream about it. I sought to control it, and in a year, I could. I was so excited." Hermione laughed bitterly. "I ran down to my parents and showed them. But instead of awe or joy, I only saw fear."

Some Slytherin's faces flashed with sympathy.

"I quickly learned that they were scared, and I lost the only support I had. In primary school, I was known as a bushy haired buck-toothed beaver. My parents had been the only people I could go to, but I lost them. Even when I got my Hogwarts letter, they spent hours trying to get me to give it up. Be normal, they said."

Hermione's eyes flashed with anger.

"What they didn't seem to understand is that magic is a part of my, just as much as my eyes and ears. Even if I had a choice, I would never get rid of it. I hid for years after that, seeking refuge in books. When I found that I could come here, I lept at the chance. I want to prove to my parents that they were wrong. That they were wrong to push me away, that they should never have been scared. Honestly, I'd much rather be a witch than a muggleborn, and I want nothing to do with that world."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked around, hoping for acceptance. She found it. She saw pity, sympathy, kindness, and even pride in Professor Snape's face.

"Well done." he said. "I believe that you have been accepted into Slytherin.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled, and Draco grinned at her.

"Ok." said Harrison, breaking the silence. "To bed!"

Hermione walked to the dorm, and she took her hair out of the spell. Her hair popped back into a frizzy mess.

"Whoa." said Pansy. "Your hair!"

"Yeah." Hermione sighed. "I had to use a spell to tame it."

"I have some taming shampoo you could borrow." offered Daphne.

"I'd love to borrow it." Hermione smiled. Pulling on a ratty purple t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she tied her hair up.

"Don't you have anything better?" sneered Tracy Davis, who was in a silky silver nightie.

"These are comfortable." said Hermione shrugging, before she closed the curtains around her.

"Lay off." she heard Millicent say in an annoyed voice.

Slowly, Hermione drifted to sleep.