Hermione watched the soft powder puff brush against her porcelain pores in smooth circular motions within the mirror before her. With each press she felt older. A once bossy eleven year old in most eyes would now be the image of any modern day, beautiful, intelligent, and charming young women. The reflection showed the sublime curls she had worked wonders to tame, flushed cheeks courtesy of the rose-colored blush her mum had bought her, and a feminine build she had lacked for so long. It wasn't a lot. She was never a sight for sore eyes but she hoped that with a little push a certain friend of hers would finally realize that maybe she was a girl. Her summer to this point had been wonderful. She had done a lot of reading, to no ones surprise. Though there was a huge part of her that missed school, again to no ones surprise. So, in a moment where she felt truly lonely, she had found herself to write the dear school friends she missed. Harry, Ron, and Ginny. While the boys were round characters to Hermione because she knew them so well, Ginny had not ceased to surprise her. She was dating a boy named Michael, a ravenclaw, and constantly spoke about their time together. Hermione wanted that sometimes. In all of Ginny's letters she said things about how they kissed, how they touched, how with him the world seemed easier. Not that anything was difficult for her but Hermione could easily find herself in need of someone to hold her hand. Krum wasn't going to cut it anymore. With her eyes closed at night she could almost picture it, her and Ron. They could function. Everyone knew it, but did he. She knew Ron knew had made a mistake last year not asking her to the Yule ball because he spent the rest of the year jealously awaiting more stories about Viktor. He would ask about his kiss, his touch, if the world were easier in his presence. Hermione used to wonder why Ron asked these things when she knew he didn't want the answer. Didn't she feel guilty enough on viktor's cold, dry lips, why was he reminding her? Even when Ron finally went back to being her best friend again she couldn't get it off of her mind. Did he ridicule her out of jealousy? Last year had been stressful. This year would only be worse. She admired her neatly folded clothes in the open trunk on the edge of her bed. She would tomorrow, earlier than usual for school. The Weasley's were coming to get her in the morning and she'd be off to join the OOP. At 12 Grimauld Place.