Hermione sighed, as she sat under the shade of a towering beech tree, near the edge of Black Lake, which was her favourite relaxing spot on the Hogwarts grounds. She came here to either study, read, or simply escape from all the inane boy talk, that Harry and Ron engaged in.

The young witch was disheartened to realize that even though the troll incident last year had forged a camaraderie between the three of them, and they talked, and sometimes studied together, she wasn't entirely accepted by the wizards, and it showed. Whenever she and Ronald had an argument, Harry always took the redheaded boy's side, and it did not seem to matter whether he was right, or wrong.

They also did not seem to understand that she was a girl, not another boy. Their occasional rough-housing that they involved her in made her wince, as her female anatomy was particularly sensitive in certain places, and definitely not well equipped for boy bonding. It irritated, and annoyed her that they did not have the common sense to be gentler with her, however she remained quiet.

Her sense of self-preservation, and keeping up the pretense of being content with the situation as is, was more of a Slytherin trait, than a Gryffindor value, but she could not help it. When she put the Sorting Hat on, it had a long muttering monologue, pondering where to place her.

"Ah, Miss Granger, you have a very intriguing mind, indeed." The Sorting Hat chimed, and she was so startled by the foreign presence in her head, that she almost toppled off the stool she had to sit on to be sorted.

She had so many questions and thoughts flooding her, that the tattered headpiece chuckled.

"Calm down, Miss Granger, I cannot focus on sorting you properly, if you are fretting over how it is possible that an old worn-down piece of fabric shaped into a hat can talk and think for himself." The magical artifact chided her softly, but then a feeling of unbelievable warmth had engulfed her, as the object explained its origins. "You see, the noble Founders; Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin combined their magical essences, and their strikingly different personalities, and created me. I am their magical echo, if you will, with the ability to see which House would benefit the students the most. The Founders firmly believed in you younglings needing like-minded companions to bloom, and grow into your magical abilities."

Hermione's breath hitched, as she learned something new, and she couldn't help but ask a question that she was curious about. "Did they name you? I highly doubt you enjoy being referred to as 'Hat'." She thought mentally.

The Sorting Hat was merry with mirth. "I knew you were precious, Miss Granger. Yes, I do have a name, but few bother to ask. In fact, you are the first to do so, since the time Professor Snape was a student himself."

The twelve year old's eyes widened slightly in surprise, which might have seemed comical to those, who were watching her sorting. "I can't believe people aren't curious about you." She mumbled.

"Well, not everyone is as inquisitive as you are, Miss Granger, and the youth is usually anxious to join their House, which reminds me that I should not be entertaining you with fabled tales of my creators, but sort you."

"Wait!" She pleaded softly. "Will you please tell me your name? I would like to know."

"Very well, Miss Granger. My given name is Ezeriah."

"That would mean your essence is masculine, is it not?" She hummed, as her mind quickly analyzed the name. "Very fitting that the Founders bestowed upon you a name, that means 'all-knowing'." She mused.

"You are certainly perceptive, and you have a bright, inquisitive mind. Your thirst for knowledge - both forgotten and told - would serve you well in Ravenclaw, indeed." He muttered, and paused for a few moments, scanning her further. "You have ambition to spare, and underneath it all are layers upon layers of resourceful cunning. You have the mind of a trickster, Miss Granger, and that would benefit you in Slytherin, quite effectively well."

She flinched, and Ezeriah sighed. "You are quite the hard working honey-bee, and possess the determination to prevail against all odds, but you would not be happy in Hufflepuff, I can tell."

Hermione furrowed her brows, and was about to ask why ever not, but Ezeriah pushed on. "Ah, your will is strong, and whenever life brings you down, you bravely march onwards, like the fiercest lioness protecting her cubs."

The frizzy-haired girl blinked. "Ah, hm, yes, well." The Hat mumbled to himself. "It better be Gryffindor!" He sang out loud, and the relief was visible on her face, as she went to join her new House mates.

She remembered her elation at joining the nest of the lions, and her disappointment still tasted bitter in her mouth, when she thought about how even her own House mates picked on her, and alienated her, as soon as she opened her mouth in their classes.

Weren't Gryffindors supposed to inspire loyalty to one another?

Apparently being a bibliophile, and incessantly waving her arms to answer the Professors' questions, was as annoying here, as it was in her non-magical school. After a few weeks of being treated like she was merely a living-breathing encyclopedia, she tried to reign in her need to prove herself worthy to be here, but she was already the resident know-it-all bookworm, and nothing was going to change that, thus she simply tuned out the remarks, and spent even more time in the Library.

Being friendly with Harry and Ron did little to build up her confidence, as she just could not shake that they only tolerated her, because she lied for their sake, and now they had someone to help them with their coursework.

She was somewhat closer to Harry, but she did not feel secure in their friendship, because he simply dropped her company, whenever Weasley opened his mouth. She often thought that Potter was no better than an attention-seeking puppy when it came to his desire for Ron's acceptance and affection, but then she felt terribly guilty for feeling that way.

She closed her eyes briefly, and exhaled softly. Her mind was in shambles, since Luna Lovegood approached her a few days ago. Hermione found it hard to concentrate on anything other than what they have discussed. The small blonde witch both intrigued, and intimidated her. She had taken to studying her, along with the whole school, and she had noticed things that thoroughly shocked her.

The brunette witch realized that Luna was an infinitely more complex character, than what their peers had assumed at first glance. With her eyes open, she had the brainwave to also attempt to send out small magical tendrils to aid her observing skills, and what she saw, and felt around the first year had astounded her. She had become conscious of the fact that Miss Lovegood was powerful. She got the sense that she had a very bright magical core, still expanding.

Hermione smiled when she noticed that even though Lovegood was a Ravenclaw, she seemed to hide both her curiosity, and the depth of her intelligence under the persona that she projected outwards. Her eyes trailed her gaze, and she watched her observe the Slytherins, which naturally prompted her to do the same.

This made her realize that the Slytherins were incredibly private people. Their faces seemed to hold the same detached expression, and she barely witnessed a flicker of identifiable emotion on their faces, that could reveal anything of their true feelings, or thoughts. It was like they were groomed to hide themselves from the world.

There were a few lower-year Slytherins, who had trouble with keeping their impassive masks on, namely Draco Malfoy, and his hanger-ons, Crab Apple, and Gooseberry. The platinum blond wizard had a temper that rivaled Ronald Weasley's, and he had some serious daddy issues. When she scanned him with her magical senses, she was intrigued to find that his core barely flickered, and she wondered why that was, and if she sensed it right, or he was obscuring himself from curiosity.

She got the impression, that Malfoy's lackeys had some sort of mental blocks, but she could tell that they had physical strength, and could pack a magical punch, if they trained.

Hermione briefly wondered how she was suddenly able to get a magical read on her peers, but she waved it off as her eyes being truly opened by someone, who could eventually turn out to be a genuine friend.

She continued with observing the Gryffindors next, and she was disappointed to find that she could read their emotions as easily, as her precious books. This made her feel highly uncomfortable. Was she also this ridiculously obvious to read as well? That had to change.

Her further observations about Harry and Ronald surprised her, and made her feel betrayed. She noticed that the two wizards seemed to have a brighter smile when she was not around them, and there was a slight strain in the air, when she joined them. Hermione realized that the only time the boys were genuinely happy to have her around was when they had to study, or when they forgot to do an assignment, and she was there to quickly solve their problem.

She swallowed her tears, and pretended not to notice the truth, donning a mask of obliviousness, that she supposed would serve her well in the future.

If there was one skill she learned from the Slytherins, it was subterfuge.

She had the opportunity to test how unconcerned she could appear to be yesterday, when Malfoy and his bootlickers had accosted her.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had gleefully blocked her way, with malicious smirks on their faces. Hermione hugged her books tighter against her chest, and relaxed her mind, getting ready for the insult storm that would inevitably follow.

"Where do you think you are going, mudblood?" Ferret boy asked snobbishly. "Don't you know that you need our permission to even breathe the same air that we do?"

Hermione's eye twitched with annoyance, as she attempted to push past the morons, with an exasperated huff.

Crab Apple, and Gooseberry forcibly pushed her, and she fell to the ground, landing on her arse with a thud. The three of them sneered, and laughed at her, while Malanga's wand was drawing a pattern in the air, shooting a string of mud at her face, clothes, and books.

She blinked and sputtered, as the elected spokes-wizard of the Fruit Bowl Squad decided that he had something to say.

"Finally you know your place, mudblood." He snickered, as he twirled his wand between his fingertips. "It's really a shame that Potty and his pet Weasel side-kick aren't here to see your natural state. Muddy, and prostrate in front of our feet, like all the filthy mudbloods deserve to be."

Crab and Goose guffawed, and slapped their boss on the back, as a sign of a good job done.

Hermione wiped the mud from her eyes and mouth, grabbing her wand, and cleaning herself and her books gracefully, then she stared at the three idiots with pity in her eyes.

"You know, Professor Snape might actually be right when he says that he is surrounded by dunderheads. He just might not realize that the biggest bumbling buffoons in his classroom are his prized Slytherins." She chimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Malfoy's pale face flushed with anger, and he had pointed his wand at her, and his hanger-ons were about to do the same, when a certain Professor just happened to witness the whole scene.

Hermione snickered to herself at the memory of their dumbstruck faces, when Professor Snape actually deducted House points from them. Granted, he also took points from Gryffindor, for her cheek, but she thought that was a small price to pay for her amusement.

She paid more attention to the Slytherin Head after that incident, and subtly observed him in the Great Hall. She realized that his face was stoic, and his gestures seemed unnaturally practiced, like he was functioning on autopilot. He was stiff, and way too attentive. Their eyes connected a couple of times, when she watched him, and even though that chilled her to the bone, she did not stop. She sent out her magical tendrils, and her eyes widened slightly, when he did the same to her.

They scanned each other carefully, and after a few seconds, they mutually withdrew. She realized that her Potions Professor was definitely more than what he seemed. His magical core was brighter, than any other she had sensed so far, yet there was a darkness in him that made her stomach churn.

This particular event was what drove her out of the castle to have some fresh air. She hoped Professor Snape would not seek her out over her actions, because that would be an awkward situation, that she did not wish to participate in.

She heard footsteps in the distance, and looked up, only to have the colour rapidly draining from her face. There was the saying 'When you think positive, good things happpen.'. Well, Hermione Granger could attest that the opposite was just as true.

She thought negative, and something very bad was about to happen: Severus Snape was fast approaching, his black robes cascading around him, like obsidian mist, and she panicked.

A/N: Plot twist? What will happen next, I wonder. Any guesses?

Thank you for reading, and the interest the first chapter received. I appreciate it! :)