Author notes: I re-uploaded this because I started writing chapter one and it didn't seem right. The timeline was off so I added a few pieces to the ending. My apologies. Also, you won't be seeing Draco for awhile.
A Fantastic Debut
Prologue
Hermione Granger was tired of being known as a know-it-all bookworm with a bush of nettles for hair in the halls of Hogwarts. She was irritated with all of the whispers behind her back that if she focused less on studying and more on her appearance that she would at least look decent enough to attract either Ron Weasley or Harry Potter.
Oh, how she desperately wanted to turn around and hex those who didn't believe in her. Fuming like the Hogwarts Express in a hurry, she turned the corner and bumped into none other than Pansy Parkinson.
"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in!" Pansy exclaimed as she reached over and disgustingly flipped one of the very tangled strands of Hermione's hair over her shoulder.
"What do you want Pansy?" Hermione said in an exasperated tone.
It was Pansy that started all the rumors, whispers and back stabbing, about Hermione. It was obvious, though, whom it was since Pansy was always picking up the "mud-blood" slack that Draco Malfoy didn't dare to dirty his hands with… much.
"Nothing, really," Pansy said as she looked Hermione over. "Wow, Mud Blood there's really nothing worth looking at when looking at you. Sure, you fixed your teeth but everything else is a mess."
"You're one to talk with the looks of a toad," Hermione enjoyed the insulted look upon Pansy's face before reciting a comeback that she had always wanted to use on the other girl. "Oh! Excuse my manners but how's your uncle Toadsworth?"
Giggling to herself she quickly left Pansy who was standing as if she was petrified on the spot. Hermione continued on her journey towards the library to study for the end of term exams. Her sixth year at Hogwarts was quickly coming to an end and she couldn't wait for school to end so she would be rid of all the snarky people.
Hermione opened her book bag and took out Advanced Potions for the Advanced, a few pieces of parchment, an ink pot and a feathered quill with extra nibs. She started reading the required sections but found that she couldn't concentrate at all. Her irritation wasn't due to the atmosphere as it was filled with similar studious students. She looked around to find something to settle her eyes on and clear her mind when her brown irises landed on a familiar long haired red head.
"Ginny!" Hermione barely whispered the girl's name as the sound of her voice carried across the room. All eyes in the room glared at the bookworm. Ignoring them, she called out to her friend once more.
From across the room, Ginny jumped up in her seat. She was obviously startled and wildly turned around to catch Hermione's eye.
"Hey!" the redhead mouthed and scooped her belongings from her table and into her book bag. She scurried over to Hermione's table making as little noise as possible for fear of getting kicked out of the library. As soon as she reached Hermione, a worried look came over her features. Sitting down, she cupped the brunette's hands in hers and asked her what was wrong.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. I think I'm just a little stressed from all the exams and preparations," Hermione rattled off a believable excuse but it didn't exactly feel right. There was still that lingering feeling that happened when you've still got something nagging at you in the back of your own mind.
Ginny looked at her friend understandingly before taking out her own study material. Hermione watched the redhead for a bit before returning to her blank pieces of parchment. Instead of writing down notes and important things to remember about dragon claws she wrote about things she could do over the summer to change her appearance.
A few minutes passed while Hermione furiously scribbled down muggle magazine titles. Her beauty notes, as she mentally titled them, now spanned 3 full pieces of parchment, complete with color coding and a tiny sketch of Ginny Weasley.
"Hermione, seriously, what is wrong with you?" Ginny asked as she gave her friend an awkward stare.
Hermione sighed. Flipping through her notes, she set down her quill and looked Ginny in the eye.
"I suppose I ought to tell you the truth."
Ginny nodded.
"Ginny, I need your help."
"Sure thing!" The redhead replied enthusiastically. This was a first; Hermione rarely ever needed help with anything and if she did need some assistance nobody was able to answer her usually complicated question.
"I want to..." the brunette started off, but she didn't know how to say it. Ginny was looking at her expectedly and before she could think of anything to say a long arm reached in front of her and grabbed her notes.
"Thanks Hermione! Harry and I haven't started on our Potions notes, you wouldn't mind if we borrowed this did you?" Ron stated as he fingered the pages that were thick with "potions" notes.
Hermione grabbed her notes back from Ron.
"Honestly Ronald if you haven't started on your potions notes then these won't be able to help you. They're far more advanced than the first required chapter and I strictly advise you to help Harry and yourself write your own damn notes!"
Ron looked at Hermione as if she was a howler and strode off in a dazed stupor. Hermione hoped that he would find Harry and tell him how she blew up on him. If he told Harry like she hoped then her plans for the summer would be perfect. She'd apologize later, but right now, she was desperate for a little alone time with girl friends.
"Wow, I can't believe you did that," Ginny said in a breathless voice. "Remind me to never piss you off."
"Ha, ha." Hermione sarcastically laughed and proceeded to straighten out her notes. "Anyway, Ginny, would you mind helping me? I'd like to become... I'd like to be more feminine." The brunette braved a glance at Ginny and was surprised to see a smile.
"I'll help you, but you've got to tell me who you want to impress!"
"Deal," Hermione said and they shook hands.
The exams came and went in a flurry. Harry and Ron hardly talked to Hermione all because of the incident in the library. Her little lecture to Ron slapped the two boys back to reality. If they didn't pass these exams they were sure to stay back a year and nobody wanted that, especially since they knew that Malfoy would be hounding their backs about it until they were well settled in their graves. So, it was to their surprise that they all felt they did surprisingly well this year.
The end of the term feast brought the trio back together. Hermione sat across Harry and Ron as they devoured their mashed potatoes, broiled steak, and Spotted Dick.
"Harry, Hermione, me mum was thinking about you two staying over for summer holidays again, how about it?"
"Definitely!" Harry excitedly said as he scooped more potatoes onto his plate. "We'll have loads more adventures during this summer, I can feel it!"
"We'll see about that, Harry," Hermione said after she was done chewing her leg of lamb.
"What? What do you mean, Hermione? You're not coming to stay?" Harry and Ron said in unison.
"Nope! I'm spending this summer in Paris to visit some relatives with my parents," she explained. In the back of her head, she felt a pang of guilt for lying to her two best friends but it was necessary for her striking debut next term. Hermione caught Ginny's eye and the redhead winked before going back to her own dishes and conversation.
"Oh that sounds like terrible fun," Ron said as he chuckled. "Enjoy having kissies and huggles while Harry and I explore the bog next to my house."
"Whatever," Hermione said and rolled her eyes. "I won't be there to magic you two out of trouble anyway." Before Ron could make a comeback, Dumbledore's voice filled the great hall.
"A good year this has been," the headmaster started. He waved his hands and the decorations of the great hall changed to a deep purple and shimmery silver. Ravenclaw had won the house cup this year, for the first time since Gryffindor's reign began. Honestly, no one minded, just as long as Slytherin didn't win.
"And I am glad to see that we have all made it through," Dumbledore smiled at each and every table and then to his staff. "I'd like to present the house cup to Ravenclaw who have deserved it with their outstanding Quidditch strategies, a new cure for boils using Mandragoras, and of course their very own courage that matches that of the Gryffindor's. "
Everyone clapped as the prefects of Ravenclaw stood up to receive their trophy. Dumbledore took one last look at his student body before quoting Gilderoy Lockhart and sitting down.
"I can't wait for summer to start," Hermione mumbled as desserts magically appeared before their eyes. Ron and Harry looked queerly at their best friend before grabbing as many treacle tarts, puddings and pasties to stuff themselves with.
On the train ride home Harry and Ron tried to get more out of Hermione's excitement to visit her relatives. They couldn't picture her as being that close with family but then again, they hardly knew what her home life was like and this was saying something as they were all best friends.
"Hermione are you sure you really want to spend time with family?" Ron asked as he noticed how jittery Hermione was. The brunette glared at him and then continued to move about on her seat.
Hermione's mind was overrun with style ideas she saw in Vogue and Elle Décor magazines in her parents' dental office. First, she would get rid of all the unwanted clothing with help from a list of what was considered feminine and trendy. Next, she would redecorate her room to fit a style that she liked. She was so preoccupied with her plans that she didn't notice Harry whispering to Ron.
"I think something else is up," Harry said as he glanced worriedly at Hermione, making sure that she wasn't listening in on their conversation. Ron nodded as he, too, observed the girl sitting across from him.
"I think she's plotting something, something we know nothing about." Ron whispered back.
Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious answer. The train ride home to London was filled with an air of suspiciousness.
As the three best friends parted on the platform Harry and Ron could've sworn they saw a little sparkle in Hermione's eyes. A rare sparkle that happened only when she was looking forward to a very long and very good read.