Promise

CHAPTER 4

In the great hall, Draco sat at the Slytherin table with his housemates. He was staring across the hall at the Gryfindor table. He watched his favorite little lioness talking with her friends. She was sitting beside the weasel, who was busy stuffing his face and laughing at something potter said. He loved watching her face light up when she smiled. Draco looked down at the ring on his finger. It had stayed on his finger since the day he had first put it there. His heart still ached every time he thought about the day he lost her.

"What's wrong mate?" Blaise's voice pulled Draco out of his musings.

"Nothing" he told his best friend. Blaise had been his friend since he was just a kid. Along with Pansy and Theo, they had been a close group of friends. Once upon a time, they had known her too but they had also forgotten her like his parents. As Draco was thinking this over, the head-mistress's voice claimed the great hall's attention.

"To all Hogwarts' returning students, Welcome back. And to our new students, we welcome you warmly," head-mistress McGonagall began,

"Since the end of the Wizarding war, the magical world has undergone many changes. So the other professors and I have decided that Hogwarts will also undergo a few changes this year. Many of you have changed greatly after the end of the war. You have all matured and have come to understand things that, perhaps, you are too young to understand. For many of you, the houses you are in now no longer reflect where you belong. In light of this, this year, not only the first years, but everyone will be sorted into a house. For some of you, nothing will change but for others, you will be calling a new place home for the rest of this school year."

There were gasps all over the great hall. People immediately started whispering about it.

"Who do you think will leave?" Pansy asked. Neither Draco nor Blaise knew how to answer her.

"Let the sorting begin." McGonagall's voice announced. The first years went first, all being sorted into their respective houses. Next, the second years went. Slytherin lost a few members to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. While many Gryfindor switched with Ravenclaw. Next were the third years and after them, the fourth years. The fifth years came after them. Hufflepuff lost a lot of members to Gryfindor and Slytherin in fifth year. Sixth years went next. When Ginny's name was called, most of the Gryfindor table held their breath. Ron, Hermione, and Harry especially prayed they could keep her in Gryffindor.

"Slytherin" the sorting hat announced.

There was a look of pure shock and horror on Ginny's face as she made her way down from the podium. As soon as she reached the bottom, she broke out in tears. Hermione ran forward to catch her friend. She held onto her and led her to the end of the Slytherin table where some of the new Slytherins were sitting.

"Shh, Ginny. It'll be okay, you'll be okay." Hermione told her.

Ginny eventually calmed down and gave hermione a weak smile. Hermione was still worried but she trusted her friend. Ginny was a strong girl, she'd be okay, hermione told herself. Hermione returned to her seat in time to hear that Daphne Greengrass had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Finally it was the seventh years turn. They all looked terrified as McGonagall began reading out names.

"Fredrick Alridge" the head-mistress called out.

The boy was from Hufflepuff and he looked terrified as he went up to be resorted. Luckily for him, he was put back in Hufflepuff. A cheer went up from that table as they got to keep another member.

"Lavender Brown" McGonagall said. Lavender also looked scared but unlike the boy before her, she had to change houses.

"Hufflepuff" the sorting hat proclaimed.

It went on like that for awhile. Name after name, house after house. Some people crying in relief, others crying in despair. People losing housemates they'd known since year one. Others gaining housemates that were once rivals. It was heartbreaking for hermione to watch how many people cried for their friend's sakes. Eventually it was Hermione's turn. The entire hall quieted as one third of the golden trio walked up to be re-sorted. Hermione held her head up high until she reached the sorting hat. When it was placed on her head, it began to hum before saying a rhyme.

She ran away.

She couldn't stay.

They wanted her head,

they wanted her dead.

But her actions we can't condone

for this little hope is returning home.

Everyone in the hall was silent as the hat finished it's rhyme. Even the professors weren't quite sure what the hat meant. Finally the hat made it's decision about her house.

"Slytherin"

Hermione felt her heart break into little pieces at that one word. Surely if she didn't belong in Gryfindor, the only other option for her was Ravenclaw.

Go home little hope

he's waiting for you.

Go home little hope

His love is still true.

The sorting hat cackled with glee as it repeated the second rhyme over, and over again. Hermione slowly made her way to the Slytherin table. She sat beside Ginny and took the other girl's hand. They both were quiet as the rest of their year got re-sorted. Harry and Ron both stayed in Gryfindor and Luna joined them. Neville got sorted into Hufflepuff as well as both Patil twins. Astoria Greengrass joined her sister in Ravenclaw. Dean Thomas was the only other Gryfindor who got sorted into Slytherin. Draco, Pansy and Blaise all stayed in Slytherin but Theo was moved to Gryfindor. Amazingly, both Crabbe and Goyle were both put into Hufflepuff. Instead of insults and snide remarks from their fellow Slytherins, they got looks of sympathy and understanding. It scared Hermione to think about what must have happened to them for their fellow Slytherins to be understanding about being sorted into Hufflepuff of all houses. Finally, the sorting ended. There were miss-matches of uniforms everywhere.. Hufflepuffs at the Slytherin table, Ravenclaws at the Gryfindor table. It was frightening to see how many students had changed since the end of the war. McGonagall stood up and spoke to her students.

"Will the prefects please escort everyone to their new dorms. I understand that your numbers are uneven at the moment but that issue will be resolved at a later time." she said.

As she finished, all the prefects stood up to address their housemates, new and old.

"Would the two heads please stay here" McGonagall added.

Hermione looked at both Dean and Ginny. They were both prefects. Ginny had stopped crying and looked more like her regular self again. Hermione noticed that everyone's uniforms were changing to those of their new houses. Hermione watched as her normally red tie turned green and her Gryfindor emblem turned to Slytherin. As hermione watched the prefects lead the other students out of the great hall, she noticed that Ginny's red hair looked like it was trying to burn away the green on her new uniform. Then, she was alone with Malfoy and McGonagall. McGonagall stepped down from the podium to talk to them. When she spoke, it didn't sound like their head-mistress, instead, it sounded like another war veteran praying for peace.

"With the re-sorting, many new problems will arise. People who have considered each other enemies for years will now have to be housemates. I hope and pray that together, the two of you will be able to control them."

Then she dismissed them and they made their way to their new home.