Hi guys! Welcome to the second chapter of the story! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be returning to Uni soon (Christmas hols can't last forever!) and therefore I won't have as much time to write and get chapters out so please be patient. I will try and write and post whenever I can and I've already planned this story in full so I know exactly where it's going.

Also a heads up, any magic spells in Italics are of my own inventions and therefore belong to me. Other than that, they belong to J.K. Rowling. Anyhoo, it's late, almost 6am, I have yet to fall asleep and am kind of tired.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter II

Harry and Hermione sat in the train compartment, chattering excitedly as they awaited the arrival of the rest of their friends. There were only supposed to be six to a compartment, but Harry had the brilliant idea of expanding the car and with a little spell courtesy of Hermione, the compartment grew. Slowly, their friends trickled in; at first it was Theo then Daphne and Pansy, followed by Blaise and finally Draco. They were all dressed in their Hogwarts uniforms, despite not being anywhere near the school. That's just how excited they were. Eventually, after what seemed like hours to the eager students, the train whistle blew and they were on their way towards Scotland, where Hogwarts resided.

Eventually, the confectionary trolley lady arrived and between the rich young children, they managed to almost buy out the entire trolley. Merrily they scoffed down the various treats, pumpkin pasties, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Sugar Quills, Chocolate Frogs etc. Suddenly their compartment opened and they saw a short, chubby and round-faced brunet haired boy standing in the doorway. He looked nervous, twiddling his thumbs anxiously but his eyes held a worried look.

"Well what is it?" Draco snapped, causing the boy to jump and look at him in fear. Hermione glared at Draco, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Hermione asked kindly, noting that his eyes were frantically darting around the room.

"I'm looking for my pet toad, Trevor. He somehow managed to escape his terrarium. Have you seen him?" the boy asked timidly and Hermione shook her head.

"No, we haven't I'm sorry. Would you like us to help you?" Hermione questioned gently and the boy looked at her with wide eyes.

"Um I don't want to be a bother" he replied and Hermione smiled brightly at him.

"It's no problem! Come on, we'll help" Hermione said, getting up and turning to her friends, looking at them expectantly. The boys groaned while the two girls shrugged; they knew it was better to go with Hermione than attempt to say no and trigger her temper. The boy looked at her gratefully, introducing himself as Neville Longbottom before describing his pet.

"Alright, I guess we'll split up. Neville and I will look in the far south, Blaise and Daph, you head out towards the far north. Theo and Pans can go towards the middle north and Draco and Harry towards the mid south. Is that clear?" Hermione said, everyone nodding before splitting up, entering each compartment and asking questions.

"Thank you for helping me" Neville said, his voice filled with gratitude. Hermione smiled brightly, her honey eyes shining.

"It's alright!" Hermione replied cheerily as she knocked on another cabin before coming out empty handed.

"I never got your name" Neville replied and Hermione berated herself at the social faux pas.

"I'm sorry, guess we never introduced ourselves did we? I'm Hermione. The guy with the scruffy black hair and green eyes with glasses is Harry. The point blonde is Draco. The dark skinned boy with brown hair and brown eyes is Blaise and the light skinned boy with brown hair and blue eyes is Theo. The blonde girl was Daphne and the other black haired girl was Pansy" Hermione introduced, Neville nodding his head as he committed their names to memory. They knocked at the next compartment and entered, Hermione immediately stopping as she realised it held three boys, and to her utter dismay, one of them was a Weasley.

"What do you want Black?" Ron snapped, sneering at her and she noticed Neville tense up next to her, regarding her in astonishment.

"Neville here lost his toad and we're looking for it. Have you seen it?" Hermione asked politely, ignoring the tone of the young redhead.

"Even if we did, the last thing we would do is help the likes of you, Satan Spawn" Ron spat out and Hermione let out a small smirk.

"Spawn? Didn't know that your vocabulary was so developed. Tell me Weasley, did you manage to finally scrounge up enough money to buy a dictionary?" She taunted letting out a small laugh, as he immediately blushed red.

"Come on Neville; Trevor isn't here," Hermione said, turning to exit until she was stopped by Ron's next words.

"You aren't seriously going to follow her are you Longbottom? She's the daughter of a Death Eater" Ron said and once again Neville tensed, unsure of what to do.

"Are you as brainless as you are poor? My father declared neutrality. He's not a Death Eater" Hermione said, knowing full well what she'd said was a lie. But in order to make it a believable lie, Tom had removed her father's Dark Mark and therefore if he ever had to prove it, he simply had to show people his forearms. Neville seemed to relax at her comment.

"Let's go check another compartment," Neville said and Hermione smiled at the boy, glad that her newfound friendship with the boy wasn't affected. Although, she wondered if he'd stick around after he found out the truth about her parentage. But then again, if she told him about Dumbledore, maybe he'd see where they were coming from and she could convince him to join their side. Hermione's eyes twinkled in determination. Yes, that's exactly what she'd do.

"You'll regret this Longbottom. I'll make sure of it" Ron threatened ominously. Neville and Hermione choosing to ignore the boy.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Soon you will enter the Great Hall and will be sorted into your houses. The house you are sorted into is important; it is where you will reside for the next seven years and where you will foster most of your friendships; though we encourage interhouse unity. There are four houses…" McGonagall began, Hermione spacing out. She'd read 'Hogwarts: A History', she already knew this. Instead of paying attention, she decided to think about where she and her friends would end up.

She was guaranteed a spot in Slytherin, as were Pansy, Blaise and Draco. Daphne could easily end up in Hufflepuff she was both kind and loyal but she could just as easily end up in Ravenclaw, the girl was dead clever. However, she was also ambitious and cunning enough to be a Slytherin. Hermione hoped it was the later. Then there was Harry, who in her mind teetered on both the edge of Slytherin and Gryffindor. He was courageous, loyal and brave and every Potter that preceded him had been a Gryffindor. But he had the makings of a Slytherin; the boys had ensured that as they were growing up. Theo was another dark horse; he could easily end up in Ravenclaw, some Notts were known to do so, but most of them ended up in Slytherin and once again, she hoped it was the latter. Then there was her newest friend Neville Longbottom, he was pureblood and would freely be accepted into Slytherin, but Hermione wasn't going to kid herself. She placed her bet on Hufflepuff; he really was the sweetest boy she'd ever met.

She was brought out of her musings when the large doors opened up and McGonagall, finally done with her own speech, led them inside. Hermione was floored instantly. She'd read about the Great Hall, but to see it in real life was simply astounding. It was magical. Hundreds of floating candles were strewn across the room, giving everything a warm glow. The ceiling was charmed, much like her own bedroom, except she'd recalled reading that it showed the weather outside. Hers only showed her a night sky; Astronomy was her favourite non-magical subject after all. There were four long tables; each holding the members of a different house and at the end was another long table going horizontally that she assumed was where the teachers sat. She spotted Dumbledore immediately, her face turning into a scowl before she reformed it into one of stoicism. She couldn't let him see the animosity she had towards him. Immediately they stopped, Dumbledore welcoming them all. Then McGonagall began calling out names, ready for the sorting. Hermione paid attention to the people who were in her year, noting the house they were sorted into.

"Hermione Black" McGonagall called and Hermione walked up towards the older witch, her head held high. She was a Black. She could do this. She sat down on the chair, and tried not to feel intimidated by the hundreds of eyes on her.

Ahhh, I see young Tom Riddle had an heir after all came the voice in her head and Hermione immediately stiffened, fear coursing through her.

Do not fret child, it is not my place to reveal the secrets of others. I will keep yours. The castle has long awaited the return of another heir. Granddaughter to Tom Riddle; from the Le Fay bloodline. Both strong Slytherins who did well in their house. Morgana was under the tutelage of Salazar during her time here. I wonder how they'd react to the news that someone that linked their two bloodlines together existed. And I see, you have learned of the treachery Albus has caused. Indeed, for a Gryffindor, he turned into a rather sly one didn't he? But that is not why we're here. We're here to discuss your house. Now where would we put you? You'd do well in all houses. Your kindness and loyalty matches that of a Hufflepuff. Your intelligence and wit would suit you a Ravenclaw. Your courage and bravery is akin to that of Gryffindor's. However, there is really only one place for the Heir of

"SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat called out suddenly and the table full of Slytherins cheered and clapped, wolf whistling.

They'd snagged the Black Heir.

Hermione's heart pounded as she joined the table. She was sure she was going to be placed here, but what would have happened if she'd been sorted into one of the other houses? She collapsed on the bench in relief before she continued watching the Sorting. A few more students were sorted and eventually they got to Daphne, who ended up in Slytherin after all. Hermione clapped the loudest, greeting her friend with a hug as the blonde sat down next to her. Next out of her friends was Neville and Hermione was surprised when he ended up in Gryffindor. Maybe there was more to the boy than she'd seen. Hopefully, despite their houses, they'd still be friends. The hat barely touched Draco's head before he was sorted into Slytherin. She watched her pointy blond friend saunter up to them with a smirk. Then came Theo, next was Pansy both ended up in Slytherin. After Pansy, was the two Patil twins, one of them in Gryffindor and the other in Ravenclaw. Finally, it was Harry. She watched him nervously walk to the hat and as with her it took a while, Harry's eyes widening in fear before slightly shaking his head.

"Slytherin!" The hat yelled and Hermione could see the look of relief on his face. Her group of friends cheered as Hermione joined them. She looked towards the head table and noticed that Dumbledore was looking at them in shock, no doubt confused as to Harry's sorting. He looked at her with a small glare before turning back to the sorting. Finally, the last person to be sorted was Blaise and once again, he'd ended in Slytherin.

"Sweet! All of us in one house. These years are gonna be legendary" Blaise said as he joined them, everyone agreeing with them.

Of course, their group weren't the only Slytherins. There was a half-blood witch named Tracey Davis along with another pureblood witch Millicent Bulstrode. There were also two big brute of boys named Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, both purebloods too. She knew their parents supported her grandfather, but they were part of the outer circle and therefore she hadn't grown up with them. It didn't help that Eleanora and Alexander had fallen out with the Goyles and Crabbes, when the former two had gained favour and joined the Inner Circle instead of the latter two. Not that it was Ella or Alex's fault, it was just that Crabbe Sr. ad Goyle Sr. were both idiots and not Death Eater's her grandfather wanted to trust with his inner most secrets; like her birth for example.

"I almost thought we'd be split up, it took the hat a while to sort Hermione and Harry" Pansy said, turning to the both of them with a frown.

"It wanted to put me in Gryffindor. I managed to convince it to put me here though" Harry said quietly and everyone looked at him in shock.

"Heaven forbid you end up as a Gryffindork" Blaise snorted, everyone laughing with him.

"Hey! Neville's in Gryffindor" Hermione defended and everyone shrugged.

"Yeah Longbottom, not Harry" Theo said, emphasising their names and causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

"What about you Mione? Why did it take so long to sort you?" Daphne questioned.

"It said I could be in any house I wanted. I had characteristics of them all. But ultimately, I was destined for Slytherin because you know" Hermione said off handedly, knowing they'd get what she meant.

"Wait! You mean it knows? About everything?" Theo questioned and Hermione nodded.

"It's fine, it said it'd keep it a secret. Something about awaiting my return. Don't worry. It's sorted" Hermione said cryptically. Eventually, the feast finished and they were lead to their common room and dorms by an older prefect. They took in their surrounding with awe. They were in the dungeons sure, but it was still somehow warm and cosy. Hermione chalked it up to a bunch of heating charms. There was a beautiful ornate fireplace and comfy armchairs and sofas littered around the room.

"What the fuck do you think you're playing at Potter?" Hermione was distracted from her perusal of the common room when a boy, around fifth year Hermione noted, walked up to them before poking his finger hard into Harry's chest. His face was set into a scowl and begrudgingly; Hermione admitted he was fairly attractive. However, those treacherous thoughts were snuffed by the aggressive stance he had against Harry.

"Barkridge enough! Slytherin's look after their own. He's one of us now" a girl admonished, trying to calm down the older boy. Hermione's eyes narrowed. The Barkridge family, pureblood, but not one of the Sacred Twenty Eight and definitely aligned to her grandfather.

"Shut up Hart. I want to know what the poster boy for the Light Side is doing in our common room. You're not welcome here Potter. Half-blood scum like you should not be in Slytherin; this house is for the pure, real Wizards only. I don't care if you are a Potter, your blood traitor of a father married a filthy mudblood anyway" Barkridge sneered and she could see the rage in Harry's bright green eyes as the boy insulted his dead parents. Hermione gracefully moved to stand in front of Harry, looking up at the boy with defiance and arrogance.

"Tell me Barkridge" Hermione all but spat out his name, "who do you think you are to walk up to my cousin and tell him he doesn't belong here? He's a member of the House of Black. His father, my uncle adopted him officially as a baby both in terms of the law and magically. He's a Black in all but name and blood. I will not have the likes of you speak to him that way when he is in a class several above your own" Hermione seethed, glaring at the older boy who looked at her in confusion before his eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that Black. You and your father are filthy blood traitors. You may not be on Dumbledore's side, but declaring neutrality is almost as bad. I may not be a member of the Sacred Twenty Eight, but I am better than you. I'm going to teach you exactly where you stand," Barkridge threatened, whipping out his wand and pointing it at her. Without even thinking, Draco, Theo, Harry, Blaise, Pansy and Daphne had whipped out their own wands, aimed right at the older boy.

"You even think about it and you die" Theo threatened, not liking the way the boy was threatening his cousin. However, before anyone could say anything else, they heard someone spell 'Prae Dolore' and before they knew it, Barkridge dropped to the floor and began screaming. Everyone in the common room turned their eyes to the caster, gulping at the look on Hermione's face. Her eyes were glinting dangerously, flicks of red only adding to the threatening display. However, they were her only feature that betrayed any emotions; the rest of her face was passive, as if torturing someone was a daily occurrence for her. She currently had out her wand and a deep purple light constantly streamed from it and attached straight towards the head of the weeping, screaming boy who was clawing at the hardwood floor of the common room.

"I'd like to introduce you to one of the Black family spells. Created by my ancestor Lunaria Black. It's not illegal as the Ministry don't know about it and therefore I can get away with doing this for as long as I want. This spell is one that specifically attacks the mind, causing an excruciation amount of pain. The incantation itself stems from the word 'agony' and that's exactly what it does. It causes such an agonising pain that you would never even be able to comprehend it without feeling its effects. However, unlike the Crucio it doesn't affect the body. Only the mind and thus, leaves no physical evidence. Clever isn't it" Hermione said, looking at the boy with cold eyes. Suddenly his screams stopped as Hermione relented her spell, the boy panting as his muscles twitched, regarding her in fear as she stepped closer to him. He desperately wanted to crawl away but he had no energy to do so.

"You'll remember this day the next time you even remotely think of speaking to me like that again or even pulling out your wand on me. But you're right, you did show me exactly where I stand and that is here, above you. Do not make the mistake of angering me again Barkridge, or it will be the last thing you do. I don't need an Avada to kill you, there are far more painful and deadly curses littered through the Black library that would kill you slower and in torturous ways. Never forget that I am Hermione Andromeda Persephone Black, Heir to the the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, daughter to Regulus Arcturus Black, Head of House Black and I am far better than you could ever dream of being" Hermione said, her voice was cold and barely above a whisper but it cut through the thick, shocked silence of the room. She snapped her head to the rest of the members of Slytherin, some of them regarding her with fear, others with admiration.

"Anyone else have an issue with Harry being a part of Slytherin?" She questioned and everyone shook their heads frantically.

"That's what I thought. Now to deal with you. Sanitatem mentis" Hermione spelled, a warm yellowish white glow escaped her wand and Barkridge stopped twitching, his breath calming down as she healed him.

"Next time, I'll leave you to the equally harsh after effects of the curse Barkridge. This act of mercy is a one time only" Hermione said before turning away, her black curls bouncing slightly as she walked up the stairs and towards where she assumed her dorms were.

"Black is one scary chick mate" a sixth year Slytherin commented, looking at the retreating eleven year old witch in awe and admiration. Such acts of power were lauded in Slytherin.

And after that incident, there was no doubt about exactly who would be ruling Slytherin house for the next seven years.

"Our first lesson ever is Potions! With Severus" Daphne gushed towards her group of friends. After Hermione's display of power a couple of days ago, it was well known that their group of friends were the top dogs of Slytherin. And it wasn't just because of Hermione, their group also consisted the Malfoy, Potter, Zabini and Nott heirs. The Parkinsons and Greengrass' weren't as high on the Sacred Twenty Eight but they were high enough and close enough to the rest of the group and no one wanted to get on their wrong sides of some of the most powerful and influential families in the Wizarding World. Draco for one loved the power he got from bossing around the older students. Slytherin had also learned that while Hermione was terrifying and fierce force of nature, she was also the kindest and sweetest member of the group. She was delightfully cheerful and helpful unless you angered her. Something none of the Slytherins ever wanted to do again.

"We have to call him Professor Snape here Daph, even if we grew up around him. He's our professor and so we need to give him the respect that comes with that title," Hermione admonished causing the boys to laugh.

"Mione, you're such a swot," Blaise said affectionately and she smacked him playfully in response.

"Come on, let's make our way to the dungeons" Harry said, standing up and causing everyone to follow him. As they entered the classroom, they looked at each other questioningly.

"We have to split up into pairs. But there are seven of us" Pansy whined, she didn't want one of them to feel left out.

"It's fine. Draco and Harry, Pans and Blaise, Theo and Daph. Those are the pairings," Hermione said and everyone looked at her in shock.

"But that leaves you out Seph!" Draco moaned and she smiled at him mischievously.

"Don't worry, I've got a partner" Hermione said before taking a seat at an empty desk, in the front of the classroom. Harry and Draco were on her right, with Pansy and Blaise behind them, while Theo and Daphne were behind her. They continued chatting amicably between themselves until the Gryffindors arrived.

"Ugh, if it's not bad enough we have to be in the dungeons for potions, we've also got it with a bunch of snakes" Ron moaned slinking into his seat next to Cormac McLaggen, Dean and Seamus next to them on Draco's side. Parvati and Lavender had also paired up. Neville shifted from side to side nervously, unsure where to go.

"Aww looks like traitor Longbottom is all by himself, just like the Black Spawn. Tell me Black, do your little posse hate you too?" Ron taunted, Hermione turning at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well no, as a matter of fact, I was saving this seat for Neville" Hermione said, waving the boy over. Neville looked at her in surprise, before nervously taking a seat next to her.

"Hi" He muttered timidly and Hermione smiled brightly at him.

"Hey! How are you finding your first days at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, pulling out her cauldron, potions kit and book.

"It's alright. The Gryffindor common room is nice but… never mind" Neville said, shaking his head before pulling out his own equipment.

"But what?" Hermione questioned, curiosity brimming in her yellow eyes.

"Ron's not happy that I left with you on the train. The other three boys don't like me much either so you know… its just a bit lonely up in the tower" Neville said quietly and Hermione's eyes hardened before she turned around, sending Ron a hateful glare.

"I'm sorry. If you hadn't befriends me, you wouldn't be in this position" Hermione said, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"No! It's okay! Please don't be upset. I'm glad I left with you. You were nice to me more than can be said for the people in my own house… despite everything" Neville said, eyes wide, he didn't want her to be upset because of him.

"Despite everything? What do you mean?" Hermione asked, watching the boy look at his lap, twiddling his thumb.

"Well you know… my family are considered blood traitors, and you're a Black. I'm sure Malfoy, Zabini and Nott don't like me much either. Also I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin. I was sure that once we were sorted, you wouldn't want anything to do with me" Neville said in a rush before blushing nervously, he flinched slightly, as if waiting for her to tell him he was right and she was just playing him when she asked him to join us. Instead however, he was surprised when she let out a comforting smile, patting him lightly.

"Don't worry so much Neville. It doesn't matter to me if your family are blood traitors. The war ended a long time ago, you know with Voldemort killing the Potter's and in turn disappearing" Hermione said, sticking to the story Dumbledore had told everyone despite it being a complete lie. He'd managed to twist it so that it was her grandfather who attacked the Potters due to the prophecy and when he tried to kill Harry, the curse bounced of due to a mother's love or whatever. At least that was the explanation for Harry's scar. Hermione mentally snorted, 'The Boy Who Lived', what a farce; as if anyone could survive the killing curse.

"And Draco and the boys like you enough. They're just a bit closed off; it takes a while for them to warm up to you. But you can understand that right? Everyone thinks their parents are Death Eaters and so everyone judges them. In order to protect themselves, they appear cold and heartless; but they are wonderful once you get to know them. As for the house rivalry, well didn't Professor McGonagall tell us that Interhouse Unity is a thing we should strive for? We're friends Neville, don't worry about anything else" Hermione said determinedly, and Neville beamed brightly at her.

"Thanks Hermione…" Neville said, he look apprehensive of his next words, but gathering his Gryffindor courage he continued, "You're not what I expected you know… everyone says Slytherins are horrible and mean and they practice Dark Arts and believe in blood purity. But you're really nice" Neville finished with a blush and Hermione smiled brightly before letting out a snort.

"Well, they're not wrong. We do come off as horrible but that's more of a defence mechanism. Also we do practice the Dark Arts. In fact, everyone practices the Dark Arts" Hermione snorted and Neville looked at her in alarm.

"It's true! The Aurors, students, even Dumbledore himself. Quite frankly, you'd be hard pressed to find a witch or wizard who hasn't practised the Dark Arts at some point in their lives. Hexes, jinxes and curses are considered part of the Dark Arts. Aurors throw all sorts of hexes, students jinx each other frequently and I'm sure Dumbledore allows us to learn different curses such as the full body binding curse in DADA. They all just seem to overlook the fact that all those spells are in fact affiliated with dark magic. They scorn us for practising the Dark Arts freely but have no problem in using them when it suits them. Hypocrites, the lot of them" Hermione grumbled to herself, her brows furrowing.

"Oh. I never thought of it like that" Neville said, a thoughtful look on his face. He had never thought of it like that and now he could see where Hermione was coming from. It was hypocritical to shun Slytherins or anyone affiliated with the Dark Arts, even though members of the light used them just as much. Hermione was internally pleased; Neville was a lot more open minded and he seemed to agree with her. There was hope for their friendship after all.

Wow! Hermione was hella intense, but she's a strong independent character who don't need no man. And she's a Black and won't have anyone be horrible to her friends and family! Also don't you just love Neville, other than Hermione, Draco and Slytherins, he's like my favourite character. Much love to Longbottom 3

Please leave me some wonderful review guys!