A/N- Thank you to all of you who reviewed, favorited, or followed, I greatly appreciate it and welcomed all compliments as well as critique. I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but I'm American, so I'm not aware of tons of British sayings and all, so forgive me for that. For the people who reviewed-

April (Guest)- I'm glad, and really hope you enjoy it. :)

sakura2m- Of course, I love JaMione and it doesn't get enough love. Please note that while it will eventually be JaMione, James will still ask Lily out and all, and Hermione will have interest in other boys. Thank you, and you too, stay safe and don't forget to get exercise and talk to people digitally.

Magiclover (Guest)- Thank you and I hope you have as much reading it as I did writing it.

the3littlewords- Thanks so much, your review greatly inspired me to write more and have some fun with it.

v-less- Thank you, and I'm glad.

Gabby (Guest)- Me too, and I hope you love it.

Guest 1- Thanks :)

Guest 2- Thank you so much for the feedback, it was really helpful when writing the third chapter. And you're right with a lot of it, first of all, I agree that it is super long descriptions, and I promise it will get better as the story continues. Second, you're absolutely right, the Petunia does seem off and weirdly reasonable with Hermione being a witch, I made her this way because I think her main problem with Lily being a witch was that she was discluded from everything because of Snape. In this, Hermione is a lot more open with Petunia and tries as much as possible to include her and make sure she feels wanted. However, don't worry because there will be some conflict later with Hermione and Petunia, more with Petunia and Lily, and even some with Lily and Hermione. And with Richard doting on Hermione the way he does, I tried to make it contribute to the fact that Hermione wants to avoid conflict and is super sweet and innocent, definitely the peacemaker between Petunia and Lily. With the fact that Hermione didn't seem to notice her accidental magic, I will get to later as I already have a plan about that. Thanks again for your review, and I hope this cleared things up, please leave another review saying if it did, and if not, I will try to go into more depth without giving away the story.

Disclaimer- Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me, sadly, but to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, and in extension, the Warner Bros.

Once Hermione had gotten on the train, she and Lily found a compartment where they sat, talking about what was to come.

"Oh, do you think you'll be in Gryffindor? You might be in Ravenclaw?" Correction, Lily was talking about what was to come, Hermione was happy looking out the window, as the station left and they were met by the cityscape. After about ten minutes, Lily stood up.

"I'm going to find Severus, do you want to come?"

"No, I'm okay," Hermione told her. When Lily hesitated, she said firmly, "go, I'll be fine."

Hermione went back to staring out the window, contemplating what house she was going to be in until a sandy-haired boy peeked his head in.

"Hello, do you mind if me and my friends sit here?" He asked. He had kind brown eyes and a white scar on his left cheekbone.

"My friends and I." Hermione automatically corrected, then blushed and nodded, "err, sorry, please, make yourselves at home."

"Brill," he said then came into the compartment all the way, and smiled, "I'm Remus by the way, Remus Lupin." Following Remus there were three other boys, they were about the same height as Remus, about a quarter of a foot taller than her, except the last one, who was around the same height as her. The first had slick black hair that fell to his square jaw and striking grey eyes. He had a small smirk playing on his thin lips. The second had messy black hair that stuck up a little in the back and warm hazel eyes surrounded by thin wired glasses. He, like the first, had thin lips but instead of a smirk, she saw a cocky grin on his face. The third had chubby cheeks and dirty blond hair that was kept short. He had watery blue eyes and a small mouth that was pinched tightly into a smile.

"Oh, where are my manners," Remus exclaimed, "this is Sirius Black—" He gestured to the boy with long dark hair. "This is Peter Pettigrew—" He gestured to the smaller one. "And this is—"

"James Potter," Hermione said softly. Remus looked confused as the others took their seats, James and Sirus next to her and Remus and Peter on the other side.

"Err, yeah, that's James." He said uncomfortably.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Hermione Evans." She held out her hand to shake, to which Sirius caught as brought to his lips. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Evans as in Lily Evans?" James asked. When Hermione nodded, he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, "and would I be right in assuming that's where you've heard about me from." Hermione nodded again. He blushed.

"So, you're Evans' sister." Sirius grinned at her, "now, I don't know if you heard from your sister, but she and James…" He trailed off. Hermione laughed.

"Yes, I'm well aware of their… relationship." Hermione told them, and in turn, they all looked shocked. "Yeah, James chases after her like, and I quote, a desperate, arrogant, prat. But I don't believe that's entirely true."

"You don't?" James smiled lopsidedly.

"Nope," the younger said, popping the 'p'. "Lily's not always the best judge of character. I mean, she's friends with Snape." Her lips curled in disgust.

"You don't like Snape?" Peter asked. Hermione shook her head.

"He's not very friendly to me or our older sister, Tuney."

"Petunia?" Hermione looked at Remus. "Lily always says that Petunia hates her." Hermione's eyes flashed.

"Does she?" Hermione's lip curled into a snarl. The sweet, knowledgable girl in front of them turned into a furious young woman. "If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with my sister." Before she could even get up, the girl in question came to the door.

"Hermione, why are you sitting with them?" Lily's voice came from the door where she stood, Snape slightly behind her. Snape glared when he saw the four boys.

"Nevermind that, why are you telling everyone that Tuney hates you?" Hermione snarled, her voice low and cold.

"Perhaps we should talk about this alone?" Lily glanced at the four boys sitting with Hermione.

"Oh? Then maybe you should ask your shadow to leave. If Snape stays, then so can they."

"Mione," Lily tried.

"It's Hermione, now answer my question." The boys all whipped their heads back and forth like a tennis match. "How could you? Did you know that after you left last year, Tuney stayed up in her room and cried for days? Of course not, you never seem to look past your nose on these sorts of things. You didn't even write to her last year. You didn't even write to me." Hermione's voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. Lily reached out.

"Hermione," Lily went to hug her but Hermione stepped out of her reach.

"Go, LIly, just go." Lily looked ashamed, and glanced guiltily at Hermione, then turned on her heel.

"You'll regret that," Snape told her, then followed Lily before she could respond. Once the door was slammed shut, Hermione slumped back down in her seat, swiping at her eyes relentlessly. Sirius, who was sitting next to her, patted her back and turned her to face him.

"I'm," Hermione gulped, "I'm sorry you had to see that. I just—" She broke down, tears rolling down her face.

"Hey, hey it's okay." He said, stumbling as Hermione launched herself at him, hugging him tight and burying her face in his neck. Her thin frame shook as she sobbed. Sirius looked at Remus with panicked eyes as she sobbed against him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth whispering murmurs of comfort. After a while, her sobs softened, and her breathing evened. She pulled away from Sirius, blushing.

"Err, sorry. And thanks." She told him, looking at her feet.

"Yeah, of course, anytime." He said, then seriously asked, "are you okay? I've never seen someone stand up to Lily like that."

"I guess," Hermione said nodding, "I'm normally the peacemaker between her and Tuney. I never really lash out like that. Could we talk about something else? I'd rather forget about that." Sirus nodded and proceeded to tell her all about the pranks that they did last year. She laughed and by the time the train stopped, her argument with Lily was in the back of her mind.

Once Hermione had met Hagrid and had crossed the lake, in a three-person boat with two others, a girl and boy, who she learned was Kingsley Shacklebolt and Jenny Boot, who had an older brother in Ravenclaw, Nathanial Boot. She quickly made friends with them as they made their way across the cold lake in the warm evening air. They made their way to the Entrance Hall where a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood. She had a very stern face and Hermione recognized her at Professor McGonagall from Lily's description of her.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Once Hagrid left she led them to a small room next to a banquet hall, and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts, 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. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered on several children's clothes that were ruffled or people who had some candy on their faces.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." Hermione gulped as they were left alone.

"What house do you want to be in?" Asked Jenny. "I would love to be in Ravenclaw with Nathan."

"I'd rather like to be in Gryffindor, that's where my mum was," Kingsley told her, then looked at Hermione. "What about you?"

"Well, Lily is in Gryffindor so that would be nice, I suppose." She kept chatting with them, but her mind was far off, wondering about how the next few years were going to go.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.

Hermione made eye contact with Lily who smiled at her hesitantly, she looked away. Her eyes then found the hazel eyes of James Potter and smiled. He smiled back, as did Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Hermione faced back to the front as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Hermione smiled softly as she thought about how Petunia would crinkle her nose up at the look of it. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to 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 at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

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!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Evan."

A pink-faced boy with blond hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause --

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Hermione tuned out how the others were getting sorted and instead focused on her fate.

She thought idly about how she could possibly be in Ravenclaw, but what she really wanted was to be in Gryffindor. An elbow to her ribs, courtesy of Kinsley, shook her out of thoughts.

"Evans, Hermione," McGonagall called. Hermione took a deep breath and sat on the stool. Before the hat fell over her eyes, she saw that Jenny had been placed in Ravenclaw, as she wanted. Hermione started when she heard a little voice in her head.

"Hermione Evans, the little sister of Lily Evans. Hmm, what to do with you, what to do. Very clever, you'd do well in Ravenclaw. But, your heart is also in the right place, you're destined for great things, that's for sure, but where to put you?

Hermione saw memories flash before her head and saw what had happened on the train. "Ahh, so you stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves, very well, better be— GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last bit aloud.

McGonagall took the hat off her head and Hermione slowly walked to the table that had burst into cheers.

"Hermione, love, over here!" The Hall quieted as Sirius Black, prankster extraordinaire, already taking Hogwarts by storm, yelled and gestured to the quiet girl. Everyone was even more shocked, but none more than Lily, as she hurried over to him, and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Shut it, and scooch over." Hermione then slipped in between him and James and smiled at them. Before McGonagall could say the next name another voice filled the hall.

"Hermione," Lily called, "I saved you a seat."

"Oh, err, sorry Lily, but it's alright if I sit here right?" Hermione replied, awkwardly.

"Actually, mum told me to watch out for you," Lily told her, then gave a nasty glare to Sirius, "and I don't think that they are a good choice of company." The Hall silenced again as Hermione called back in the same matter-of-factly tone.

"Actually, mum said to make sure I don't get hurt, and I'm pretty happy here, so…" Hermione trailed off. The Hall watched as Lily turned steadily redder, they had witnessed enough of her temper last year, when she shouted at James Potter.

"Hermione—" Lily was cut off by a sharp voice.

"She's made it quite clear that she's fine where she is, Evans," Sirius spoke up. Lily turned even redder, and huffed but sat back down and faced forward again, refusing to look in her sister's direction for the rest of dinner. The Hall still looked shocked and glanced between the sisters, but McGonagall recovered first and hurried on to the next name.

After the rest of the first years were sorted, Kingsley sorted into Gryffindor, to which she told him to sit on Sirus' other side and leaned across Sirius to talk to him, they listened to Albus Dumbledore's speech.

"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. Hermione smiled and started talking with Kingsley and the second years that had claimed her. Hermione gasped as she looked around. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he 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. Hermione eagerly loaded her plate and was lost in laughter and talking.

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

"Ahern -- 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 the second years that Hermione sat with.

"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."

"What's quidditch?" Hermione asked James.

"Wizarding sport." He grinned. "I'll explain it all later."

"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 Prewett twins, who Hermione had learned were Gideon and Fabian, who was two years older than her, 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!" Hermione blinked and in a second, everyone was off making their way to their common rooms.