{2-A Close Eye}

Hermione knew she was found out as a girl, but she wasn't sure if he would have directly stated it out like he did. Really, she just thought that he would have cast her out on her bum and told her to play elsewhere.

"Sir, I-"

"I can see right through your enchantment, clever as it is. I would be worried you would attack me, but the fact you went through such great lengths to merely disguise yourself as a student makes me curious as to your motives."

Honestly, Hermione didn't even know her own motives, bar the fact she had just wanted to have a normal year at Hogwarts. Of course, that was completely impossible now, and she suddenly had twenty years to merely just kill time. It was too bad she couldn't get away with being a first-year and get seven of her years out of the way. Of course, being a seventh-year, she could easily do more research on time-travel and attempt to get herself back home, but even for her that was a stretch. Doesn't mean she wouldn't try.

"I merely want to learn, Headmaster."

More narrowing of the eyes, and Hermione nearly rolled hers.

"And yet you know me. You had to have asked for me directly with some familiarity for DeLancey to even allow you past him and into the castle."

"It's not hard to hear about you, Sir."

"You know more than that, but I am a man of many secrets, Miss-"

"Granger," Hermione blurted out, cursing her good nature and wondering just how she was to keep herself private in the future. Of course, she knew how time worked, and obviously Dumbledore didn't mind too much, for he never mentioned anything in the future, and even gave her a time-turner to use in third year!

"Right, Miss Granger. As I said, I too possess many secrets, so I shall let you to yours. If I find that comes back to hurt me, beware that I will not take kindly to it, and you will find yourself in a great deal of misfortune."

Hermione nodded vigorously.

"And what name have you chosen for yourself as a boy?"

"Florizel Granger."

"Ah, your parents fans of Shakespeare, by any chance?"

Hermione was surprised and not all at once, that Dumbledore knew who Shakespeare was, but nodded regardless.

"Well, then, I suggest you sit down, and we'll get you sorted, then."

Hermione wondered how the sorting hat would see her when it was placed on her head. Would it be true to her original Gryffindor and out her even more to Dumbledore, or would it re-sort her just to watch her squirm?

A whole new wave of nerves hit her, and she wondered exactly how this was going to go. Dumbledore reached for the hat and then gingerly walked back over to her, placing it on her head and stepping back, a smile of satisfaction on her lips. With all the first years coming, she was surprised it wasn't already in the Great Hall.

The hat mumbled some things to itself, mostly about her various traits that had come out, but it did not seem to recognize that she'd been through this process before. It felt odd, reliving her eleven year-old dream that hadn't ended. The only difference was, there was no pressure to make friends or be liked, no, she had all that waiting for her back in her time. Here, she would merely lay low and hope no one noticed her.

"Well, I think it'll be, GRYFFINDOR!"

Dumbledore clapped, pride in his own house showing blatantly as he took the hat back and placed it on the table.

While Hermione was proud to have been reassured that she hadn't suddenly changed houses over the years, she gained another set of worries which seemed to come in waves as older ones were diminished.

The Potters, Sirius, Professor Lupin, and Peter were all in Gryffindor house along with her, and she would have to room with the boys! Oh, dear Gods above, she'd completely forgotten that being a male she had to room with men! Her blush deepened knowing one of them was Harry's father.

Hermione looked at Dumbledore, who seemed to have asked her something, because he was amused at her looks.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I didn't hear what you might have said."

"I figured as much, you seemed lost in your thoughts. Anyways, Miss Granger, I think you know how rooming here works, as with any school, therefore I think it's best we set up special quarters for you."

Hermione had wanted anything but to make a spectacle of herself by having her own rooms.

"Professor Dumbledore, I really don't think that's necessary. I'll just let everyone think I'm strange, I don't mind. I didn't plan on making any friends, anyways," Hermione insisted, but Dumbledore did not like the back-talking.

"Miss Granger, I cannot allow you to dorm with the other boys, it is inappropriate, and I will not have any words on it. What I think we'll do is place you into your own room in the towers. No one will know, we'll place a few charms on it, and that way you can relax and take your enchantments off. Hopefully you do good things with these enchantments, Miss Granger, don't go giving them out to the wrong people."

Hermione breathed out, a little more relaxed now that she was going to have her own room. It gave her a sense of ease as she agreed to Dumbledore's plans. Maybe she would have a rather normal year at Hogwarts. As Florizel, that is.

"Good, let's get you, and the hat, to the feast then. Did you leave your belongings somewhere, or do you have none?" He asked her suspiciously, and Hermione breathed in quickly, wondering how she was going to explain her damned purse.

"Uh, I have a lot in this Satchel, Headmaster, more than you'd think."

"Right then," he said happily, motioning for her to stand and follow him over to the door.

She got up, feeling very shaky as she smoothed over her shorts and shirt, them feeling like men's clothes that hung wrong, but looked just fine to the normal witch or wizard. Hermione wondered what made Dumbledore capable of seeing right through her charms but did not dare ask.

"And," he declared as they reached the door and he spun on his heels, much too fast for a man of his age. Hermione nearly ran into him, "I will be watching you very closely, as I will alert McGonagall to your presence, but not your disguise. She is your head of house, and our constant attention shall be upon you."

"Yes, Sir."

"I hope you know it is for our protection, I may trust you now, but if you do anything to change that, I will know."

Hermione simply followed Dumbledore down to the Great hall, listening numbly as he explained things and passageways she already knew existed. He intercepted many of the students as they filed into the Great Hall and showed her which table to be seated at, their quick stop at the loo allowing her to change into proper Hogwarts robes before she looked like a complete outcast at the feast.

Everyone chattered about her when she sat down, well, about her persona anyways. Hermione kept her head down, and tried not to stare when James came in nearly wrapped around Lily who was trying her best to brush him off, Remus and Sirius teasing Peter as they tagged in behind. Her attention was on her satchel, still clutched to her side as she hadn't time to have put it in her dormitory that Dumbledore had yet to even create. Then again, knowing Dumbledore, he probably already had it situated.

Seeing everyone sent unhealthy shivers down her spine, and hearing so many familiar names was horrifying to her. It was like feasting with ghosts when all the first-years had been sorted and welcomed into their new faction.

Hermione was not sitting near anyone she knew, luckily, and her back was turned to the Slytherin table so she couldn't catch a glimpse of any of the familiar faces there, either. She had no idea what to do about all her knowledge of the future, especially since Dumbledore had been so kind as to let her study her final year with the promise that she behave.

Sneaking into the restricted section was probably not on the list of behavioral excellence.

Regardless, Hermione knew that she needed to keep on track, study hard, and hopefully find a way home without external help.

Most everyone at the feast glossed over her, barely paying her any attention as they ate and enjoyed their first night at the castle. Hermione smiled happily, wishing she was being festive with Ginny and Luna, or waxing nostalgic in a letter to Harry or Ron. It was in the throng of festivities that Hermione realized how lonely she was going to be.

When they were released from the Great Hall, people finishing up their meals and lingering to chat, Hermione had decided to pull a small book from her satchel, one that looked like it could have simply come from it without an extension charm, and began to read.

This action, of course, was not a preferred action in the eye's of Harry's father.

Before she could run, Hermione was looking at a cheery James Potter in front of her, smiling brightly.

"Hello, there, mate."

"Hi," Hermione said in complete fear, as even his voice rivaled a good contest to be just like Harry's.

"I'm Head Boy, meaning I kinda run things around here, and I know for a fact that you're new and certainly not a first year. Therefore, I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts, and give you any help you might need."

Hermione breathed out, trying not to sound condescending when she told him gently that she did not need his help.

"But there's no way you know your way around this place! I barely know my way around this place sometimes," he said with a laugh, and Hermione genuinely understood why Harry's mum fancied him. Speaking of, she looked for Lily, but it seemed she was caught up with the other boys in the Marauder's clan, and James had seemed to wander over to her of his own accord.

"I studied the floor plans before I transferred in," she told him, closing her book and placing it in her satchel gently, hoping it wouldn't cascade and make any noise within the chasm.

"Right, a bookworm, I see. The girl I fancy is just like that, she's top of our class, also Head Girl. Just telling so you keep your hands off her, you know?"

Hermione laughed, and hated herself for engaging him, but she couldn't help it. This poor boy was so in love with Lily, she almost wanted to tell him that they would get together that year.

"No worries, I don't particularly care for the romantics."

James looked at her curiously before brushing it off and seemingly becoming more intense, if it were possible.

"We're partying in the common room tonight, a big bash, but don't tell the prefects. You're welcome to come, as a Gryffindor, its almost mandatory."

"No, thank you, I think I'll just get some sleep before classes tomorrow."

Which reminded Hermione she had no idea what classes she was taking since her and Dumbledore hadn't discussed that at all.

Just as James was about to say something else, Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned back to look at McGonagall towering above her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter, as much as I am sure you are being a good influence on Mr. Granger here, I must excuse him from you to discuss his class architecture and a few ground rules, which you mentioned all of, I am sure."

James smiled brightly, like he'd done nothing wrong, "Obviously, Professor."

"Go," she shooed him off, and he saluted her, causing Hermione to giggle, which probably did not sound very dignified to Professor McGonagall.

"Come, dear, Professor Dumbledore told me you have no class schedule yet, and he explained how we'll be keeping an eye on you?"

She nodded, feeling happy to interact with someone so familiar. Hermione wondered why in the future they thought nothing of her name, but supposed that maybe they assumed she was from a magic family or something, and her muggle background in the future just related her to a different person.

"Alright, let's go then."

Hermione was glad to end the night with a small chat with McGonagall, who gave her all the classes she originally planned to take for her N.E.W.T.s, and then treated her with much less suspicion than Dumbledore. Then again, McGonagall did not know that Hermione was not, in fact, a boy.

Quick A/N

Hope you like this new chapter, I am almost done with a Drarry ficlet that I'll be publishing any day now. Anyways, off to my 6-9 class! Who doesn't love college, am I right?