Hermione Granger beamed as she heard the Sorting Hat shouting out the name of her House.
She was a muggle-born witch. The first time she got to know about Hogwarts was when she received her Acceptance Letter. She knew nothing of magic, then.
She knew nothing of the wizarding culture, people, and events.
It had caused her immense pain, given her innate curiosity.
So, the moment she went to the Diagon Alley with her parents, to buy the necessary items as needed in Hogwarts, Hermione didn't waste even a moment.
From the courses that were offered at the School to the Books and their authors; From the history to the ongoing research; From the famous figures to the trending wizards and witches. Hermione had tried her best to know it all.
It was then she had come across the most trending witch of these times.
Well, she had come across her face and popularity right after stepping onto the cobble paths of the Diagon Alley. But it was reading about her that had instilled life into the tales and boasts.
Darcie Malfoy - The Princess of Diagon Alley!
For those who like reading, there were endless things to read and learn about an 11-year-old girl.
11-years-old… She was the same age as Hermione!
The fact had struck her like thunder. Instead of causing any jealousy or envy, it had only broadened Darcie's image in Hermione's heart.
Darcie's deeds did that to people.
Jealousy and Envy only resulted from seeing someone achieving something that you wouldn't but could.
No such emotions existed in many people's hearts when they learned of Darcie for the first time.
Because if those emotions existed, then it would be like envying the birds for flying or envying the wind for flowing. These things didn't make sense.
It was also the reason that among all the people who admired and idealized Darcie, those who were around her age numbered the most.
Hermione too had fallen into the grand trap, then.
She considered herself Darcie's greatest fan!
So… why wouldn't she want to join the House that Darcie would join at Hogwarts, as per the article published over thirteen times in the Daily Prophet? So… why wouldn't she go join the Slytherin's table, skipping on her toes, her cheeks going red in joy?
Hermione was not where she was supposed to be.
But she was exactly at the place she wanted herself to be.
And, more often than not, more than values and morals, one's choices mattered the most in one's life.
*
*
"You would know that better than anyone, no?" the Sorting Hat commented, chuckling, "Kai Stormborn."
Suddenly all information regarding Hermione Granger that Black had forgotten flooded his mind. These memories were related to the girl getting sorted into Gryffindor and the events centered around her in the main storyline.
Black couldn't help but frown.
"You cheated," he said finally, his dark eyes going darker. "You withheld information."
"Hahaha!" The Sorting Hat guffawed. "Of course, I cheated. Of course, I withheld information. The question is, even if I had not cheated or had revealed everything, would that have made any difference?"
Black remained quiet, facing the flat answer.
No. It wouldn't have. He would still have declared her a Gryffindor.
"Let's move on," the Sorting Hat said, flicking the rim of its hat. "You have only lost one round."
Black looked at the screen and grinned. The next few students that were about to get sorted were familiar to him. Surprisingly, he still had memories regarding them.
"We will skip most of the students, of course," the Sorting Hat said, smirking.
Black gave the hat the flattest stare.
"What?!" the Sorting Hat asked as if offended. "OK. Tell me. Would you devour their Tales if given the chance? No? Are they what you call Major Side Characters? No, right?"
A vein pulsed on Black's forehead. But what could he do?
Neither the game nor the rules were his… yet.
…
Next came Neville Longbottom's turn.
When the Sorting Hat flashed past his life, Black instantly said, "Slytherin."
True to Kai's guess, Neville was about to open his mouth and ask to be sorted into Slytherin, when something odd happened. Because of his natural hesitation, he just couldn't utter the words. When he opened his mouth, only a whimpering sound hummed around him.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat declared.
…
Boom!
Black smashed his fist on the counter. "You are cheating!"
The Sorting Hat shrugged his shoulder. "I just took advantage of his hesitation," it said. "If that's cheating, then aren't you the greatest cheater?!"
Black was about to say something when he saw the next student approaching the stool.
He went silent.
Shockingly, the Sorting Hat also joined him in this silence.
It was as if they were about to play the most dangerous round and neither of them could afford to make a mistake here. Not with this piece at play.
Then, without any warning, the video screen began showing the boy's life.
*
*
"I heard… she has You-Know-Who's blood in her…"
"I heard so, too…"
"I heard differently. Madam Roinchollet said she saw her at the St Mungo's Hospital's fourth floor. I am telling you. The girl's half-mental!"
The 7-year-old Draco Malfoy heard the talks, hidden behind doors.'
Tears streamed down his cheeks. The knuckles of hands had gone white by the way he was clenching them in fists. His eyes were squeezed shut. But when he opened them, red veins were running within them as if it had been ages since he hadn't cried.
After half an hour, the three ladies were screaming as their faces gained yellow, puss-filled blisters.
"What were you thinking?!" Lucius Malfoy thundered, slamming the stick on a table. "Do you know what have you cost me today?!!"
Draco remained quiet, his eyes clearer than ever.
…
A fist hit his mouth, blood spurting off his nose.
The 9-year-old Draco threw his hands and legs in retaliation. But what could he do? There were three of them against him, and all were two years older and bigger.
"You…" Draco said, clawing at one as the other two held him from both sides. "You… take back… your words. Or my father…"
Slap!
The boy shrugged off Draco's hand and slapped him across the face.
"Your father won't say anything," he told Draco, sneering. "You know who's supporting him at the ministry these days? My father! And did I say something wrong? Your sister's a freak! Everyone knows it. You dare punch me for saying the truth? Hold him."
Slap!
Draco gritted his bloodied teeth, anger boiling in his eyes.
The boy slapping him made a fist then, grinning ear to ear with the other two boys.
Suddenly, the light in the room flickered, going dark.
All the windows of the room were closed. The party going on downstairs also wasn't loud enough for the voices to come here.
Yet, a wind slithered into the room, coiling around the three boys.
It chilled their spines.
They lifted their heads and saw her standing at the door, her poisonous green eyes becoming greener. "Let him go," she said, walking in, "if you want to live…"
The boys panicked. The monster herself had come to them.
They threw Draco on the floor and ran away, taking another door, falling off each other now and then.
Draco lifted himself and sat down on his knees, rubbing off the blood with his thumb. He looked over his shoulder. "If you want to live?"
Darcie chuckled.
When he was going away, she said, "How many of them are you gonna fight anyway? It's the third time this month already. You don't have to stand up for me…"
"It's not about you!" Draco snapped, biting through the pain.
…
Draco kicked and pushed his way through the crowd from the grounds as he realized his sister was still on the train.
He kicked a long boy right between the legs when the other guy refused to budge.
His heart was thumping wildly.
"Dobby!" Draco cried for the tenth time. However, his words failed to penetrate the Bounded Field. "I am so gonna kick your ass…" he muttered, twisting his lips. "I don't care what Darcie says anymore… Move away, you filth!"
But shouting and clawing meant nothing now.
Boys and girls, twice his size, were running haphazardly around him.
Someone's knee struck him right in the stomach and Draco fell, holding it with both hands. And once he went down, there was no difference between him and the earth.
The tip of a girl's shoe split his lips.
A fat boy stepped on his ankles and twisted them flat.
Before Draco's body could process the pain, more and more shoes fell all over him, burying the scream welling up in his heart.
It was then he heard it.
Roarrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
With most of the students avoiding the path to the train, when Draco lifted his head now he could see it through the blood in his eyes.
The dragon was so large that it felt like it was standing right in front of him.
When the Hebridean Black's colossal jaws opened, brimming with purple fire, it also reflected two silhouettes in Draco's eyes.
Even though the dark figures were tiny, he recognized them.
… Darcie Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass!
Draco crawled using his hands. Why her?! Why always her?! Why must she always stand in front of everything?! Why does she always… smile?!
"Ah…" a pained scream oozed out of his mouth as he tried to stand up and then fell right back.
Draco took a deep, bleeding breath and looked up.
Purple fire was boiling in the dragon's mouth.
Why her…
Why her…
Why her…
The purple pillar of fire fell on them like a waterfall.
"WHY ITS… ALWAYS… YOU?!" Draco shouted, stood up, took a step, and… disappeared.
CRACK!
*
*
The Great Hall had gone silent.
7 minutes had already passed.
The Sorting Hat was quiet. The students were quiet. The teachers were quiet. Draco was quiet.
The folds of the Sorting Hat suddenly shifted and it roared.
"GRYFFINDOR!!!"
**************
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