It all started with a word. Just one word.

"Potter," the blonde boy snarled like a curse as we waited to be
Sorted. It was then that I knew that I liked the way this boy operated, how he
calculated every move before striking on the offense. And the way that my heart
pounded every time he spoke, even if it was at the expense of a person I knew
didn't deserve his cruelty.

"Granger, Hermione." Professor McGonagall called my name, and I
walked up to the stool to be Sorted. I knew I appeared confident on the outside,
but on the inside I was scared. Very scared.

"Hmm," the Sorting Hat murmured in my ear the minute I slipped it
on my head. "You're a bright one, you are. Yet I sense that you value
something more above your intellect... yes, you value friendship. And bravery.
It's for this reason I see you don't belong in Ravenclaw. Better be
GRYFFINDOR!"

The Hat shouted the last word to the entire Hall, and I walked on shaky legs
to my new House. However, as I sat down, I could swear that the blonde boy,
Draco Malfoy, smiled at me in an apologetic way, as he was Sorted into the
House that would become my greatest rival. Slytherin.