Chapter 1

I have always been a late bloomer. My mom had always told me that. When I was born I arrived three days after my due date, I spoke about a month after the doctor said that I should have started, I was even a couple years behind in development compared to other girls my age. I never really noticed though, my two best friends were guys anyway.

How this came into play though, was about a week after Voldemort was killed for good, I was emitted to St. Mungos because I was feeling really strange. After a week of tests, the doctor came into my room to find me sleeping. That wasn't what surprised him though; it was that I had hair the color of the light blue sky, and had legs just about out the door. What was even more miraculous was that, before his eyes, my hair had started to turn a bright shade of red from the roots to the tips.

From that day forth they knew the reason why I was feeling so strangely, I was a Metamorphmagus.

It has been about a month and a half sinse I, Hermione Granger, had found out about what I was. After the doctor had told me, I was merely shocked. These things were suppose to be prominent from birth, not showing up randomly when the person is in their late teens! He had told me that magic was never a sure thing. He then gave me some pamphlets to help me get used to the fact that I could change my appearance at will. He also warned me that my appearance could also change if I lost control of my emotions, but that with practice I shouldn't have to worry about that too much.

I have been staying with the Weasley's for the summer until we all go back to Hogwarts in the fall. Professor McGonagall sent letters to Harry, Ron, and me asking if we wanted to redo our last year because we had missed it. As soon as I had finished reading I had already started to write up my acceptance letter to send back. Harry had agreed pretty quickly too, understanding if he wanted to be an Auror that he would have to finish his schooling. The only one who had any hesitance was Ron, but after he had found out that the returning eight years would have a separate common room, he was on board.

Ron and I had drifted apart after the war. When I was in the hospital he had come to visit, and we had both decided that what had happened at the final battle had been an accident, and that we were better off as friends.

I wasn't that torn up about it, I was actually thrilled! I didn't like Ron like that; I had realized later that it was mostly the adrenalin that had me kiss him how I did.

I was staying with Ginny in her room now, and we were beginning to get really close. It was surprising how much I was enjoying having a best friend that was a girl. Before she knew that I was a Metamorphmagus she had taught me how to do my hair, and how to make it not frizzy. After she had explained to me about how to style it, and what products to use, I told her what I was. She was the only one I had told, and she was thrilled about the whole idea. This was a huge relief to me.

From that moment on-ward she talked me into having really girly sleepovers where we would each do our hair in different glamorous ways, give each other facials, do each other's make up, and paint each others' nails.

After every night that we had like that we got closer and closer. She had told me about how her and Harry were flirting a lot again, and how she sometimes caught him staring at her. I always thought it was adorable when Harry would drag me aside to ask me about what Ginny thought of him. I always gave him a little wink, and scurried back out to whatever I was doing before he had dragged me away.

Tonight was our last night before we were going to be headed back to Hogwarts. Ginny and I planned out a major sleepover outside in a tent to end the summer right. Mrs. Weasley had also gone out and gotten us every article of junk food imaginable in the wizarding world, and as soon as she had showed it to us we started thanking her non-stop. That is until she told us to hush-up and hide the food before any of the guys heard.

About an hour before the sun was to go down we finished up our packing for school and went outside to set up the tent without magic. Once that was done, we bolted up the stairs to Ginny's room and grabbed our blankets and pillows, my wand (because Ginny wasn't yet 17), and changed into our pajamas.

While Ginny was scurrying down the stairs quickly to hide all the junk food she was carrying, I ran into Ron on the stairs.

"Oh, hey Ron, how's the packing going?" I asked. He was carrying a laundry basket, and he had that look in his eyes that was screaming for a way out of what he was doing.

"Pretty good… I really don't understand why mom had to go and put a block on magic in me and Harry's room" I had to laugh at that. I had completely forgotten how Mrs. Weasley had blocked the magic after Ron and Harry had both felt the need to charm everything in their room into following them around, acting like their personal body guards. Or did she block it after they had levitated all the gnomes into the bathroom and telling them to hug whoever opened the door.

While I was laughing at my friends crazy impulses, Ron continued to stare at me. I knew that he may have expected that we would have gotten back together by now, but I kept avoiding the subject whenever it came up. I didn't want to have to hurt him again.

Then all of a sudden, when I had stopped laughing and finally looked up at Ron again, he leaned down and kissed me. It was quick, and it was rough. I pulled away almost instantly, and Ron blushed in embarrassment and continued up the steps to his room.

I stood there, shocked beyond belief. Ron just kissed me.

Then I remembered that Ginny was waiting for me down in our tent, so I ran down to her. I quickly burst into the small room.

"Hermione, what's up?" Ginny asked, concern shown all over my friend's face. I just now realized how crazy I probably looked right now.

"Ginny, Ron just… Kissed me! For no reason at all! Why can't he just understand that I'm not interested in being more than a friend with him?"

Ginny sat quietly while I unloaded all my feelings onto her. But what I didn't realize at first was that she had her plotting face on. When I stopped to catch my breath I looked up to find a Slytherin worthy grin spread across her face.

"Hermione? What would you say if we told everyone that you were going on a foreign exchange program, and that you were being replaced by some other girl from another school?" As Ginny was asking this the evil grin only seemed to become more prominent on her face.

"But I'm confused" I giggled, "How would that even work? And I'm not sure I'd even want to do that, I love Hogwarts, I want to finish my year there!" I was laughing now. I could never leave Hogwarts, how could I? Sure I would love to start over in a new school where people didn't already see me as the bossy know-it-all. I wanted to be known for something that made me feel more special. But I didn't see how that could happen.

"Well, my dear friend, you will be finishing your year there." She was really smiling now, and had a twinkle in her eye that could rival Dumbledore's. I was still extremely confused by what she was trying to say. "You just won't be graduating as Hermione." She finished, looking very proud of herself.

I just sat there, fully understanding what she meant.

"You. Are. Amazing!" was all I could say. I was in.

This year, Hermione the know-it-all was staying home.

There would be a new girl at Hogwarts.