Chapter One:
Hermione Granger was excited. She had gotten been waiting all summer for a school owl to come and she could see one of the barn owls flying closer. Oh, this would be great! She couldn't wait for her O.W.L. results. As the owl approached her she noticed that it's letter was a fair bit heavier than normal. Curious. Opening said letter, Hermoine quickly skimmed her booklist, noting that it was only basic supplies, nothing to suggest an eccentric new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as per normal. She also somewhat smugly noted that she had recieved Os in all but Defense Against the Dark Arts, but she'd been expecting that. Harry was the absolute best in their year in that class and an E was perfectly acceptable. That didn't mean she hadn't wanted an O though. Ah, well. Such is life. She was about to put the letter and results on her bedside table but she noticed a small note on heavy parchment. It read:
Dear Student,
This year, be it your sixth, fifth, or seventh, you will have the opportunity to study abroad. Selected students will be in rotating groups of three. The countries to be visited are Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece. Fifteen students will be chose. If you wish to participate, please reply by this owl. You are not guaranteed a spot.
Yours Truly,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts
She couldn't believe it. Traveling? Around Europe? This was amazing! Oh she hoped she got in! She quickly dispatched her exuberant reply of a yes and twirled around. Her greatest hope at the moment was officially to be chosen. Now she just had to pack her trunk before going to the Burrow for the two weeks preceding the school year and she'd be in perfect, tip-top shape. While doing this she hoped Harry was okay. After all, his godfather had just died. But Harry was strong. She just had to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.
Harry had told her and Ron about the prophecy on the train. It made her so angry that he was so burdened. He always had expectations thrust upon him. She knew he could handle it, but she felt that he just shouldn't have to. It was unfair.
Putting those thoughts aside in her happy moment, Hermione went to her closet to grab her clothes. She knew she dressed rather frumpily, much to her roommates' displeasure, but seeing her school clothes next to all the nicer ones she had never worn made it glaringly obvious that she dressed rather drably. The only reason she had those clothes was that her parents insisted on giving her more fashionable clothes on birthdays and holidays. So she debated with herself, this year did she want to be the same frumpy little bookworm, tagging along after Harry and Ron that she'd been for the last five years, or did she want to recreate herself and put all the clothes and various girlie spell books from Pavarti and Lavender to use? Feeling daring for a moment, Hermione took all the various clothes from the 'fashionable' side of her closet and put them into her trunk.
Picking up one of the spell books, Hermione smiled. Well, wouldn't Hogwarts' resident gossip hounds be happy. She then settled down to read about beauty spells for the first time ever…
Author's Note
Well, I'm gonna see about updating this every week or so, probably on a Friday or Saturday. So please, read, review! And I