AN: I want to send a quick thank you to all those that favorited, alerted, and reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you're liking the story so far.


Chapter Two: The Accident


"Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the person's house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of its head with a note that says "You." After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done."

—Jack Handy


It was a normal day; well, as normal as a day could be with an insane madman wreaking havoc on the sleeping masses. The members of the Order milled around the house performing their normal routines while the teens occupied themselves with chess and reading.

The peace of Number 12, Grimmauld Place was interrupted by an outraged shriek from the third floor.

All the occupants rushed up the stairs only to find the hallway covered in a haze of purple smoke. The smoke smelled of a strange combination; a scent somewhere between roasted oranges and soaked parchment.

Remus with his werewolf speed reached the twins' door moments before the others. The smoke was thicker around the door and seemed to be oozing from the slim openings around the frame.

"Is everything okay in there," Remus asked as he tried to turn the knob but found it would not budge.

Raising his hand to knock when he received no reply, he heard commotion behind him as the others reached the room. The multiple voices seemed to blend together as each started asking questions.

"What happened?"

"Why is there smoke?"

"Was that Hermione I heard?"

"Why are we all standing in the hall?"

"Open the door Remus."

"If those two have destroyed another caldron…"

Remus ignored the growing noise behind him and focused on the noise escalating from behind the closed door. He could make out sputtering and coughing yet nothing to tell him if anyone inside was hurt. He had raised his hand to knock again when the yelling started.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"

The shout penetrated the noise in the hallway. The gaggle of ganders fell silent. Listening.

"Mione, we're sorry," begged one of the twins inside the room though he wasn't sure which.

"Really, we didn't know it would explode—"

"—if we did, we wouldn't have had you add the last ingredient."

"IF YOU HAD TOLD ME, LIKE I ASK YOU TO…"

"Ow! Mione stop!"

"We're sorry!"

"LOOK AT ME!"

"Call them off! Call them off!"

"We'll fix it! We promise!"

"OH, I KNOW YOU WILL!"

"It will come off!"

"I personally think the color suits you…ow, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Mione stand still."

"IT'S NOT WORKING!"

"Because you want stand still!"

"Fine!"

The noise fell silent. Remus couldn't make out what was happening. "Open the door," he demanded as he knocked again.

After one more shout from one of the twins, the door was thrown open to reveal a fuming and brightly orange Hermione. Her clothes were soaked and dripping with what looked like sherbet-colored paint. She was breathing heavy as if just finishing an arduous task. The task was probably trying to control her fury which was alight in her eyes. She ran her hand over her face and flicked the excess substance from her hands.

Remus took a step back not wanting the orange on one of his only descent robes.

He could hear snickering behind him that was silenced with a hit to the back of the boy's head.

An indignant "hey" followed.

"Oh dear, are you alright," said Mrs. Weasley as she pushed her way through the crowd. She clucked her tongue at Hermione's appearance. "What did you two do," she demanded as she turned her attention from Hermione to the identical red-heads that came shuffling out behind her.

"Hermione was helping us with an experiment—" one of them edged.

"—but we weren't really paying close attention to the combination—" added the other.

"—so when we asked her to add the last ingredient…"

"It exploded," Hermione said through clenched teeth.

"The orange will come off eventually," Fred reassured Hermione again.

"Well, at least from her skin," George added with a reluctant mumble.

Hermione, ignoring the onlookers, turned her wrath back towards the twins. "Are you saying that my hair is permanently orange," she snapped. Her anger barely restrained in her narrowed eyes.

The twins shrunk back from her slightly.

"Well…" Fred said with a cringe.

"We're not sure…exactly," George reluctantly admitted.

"It wasn't supposed to explode," Fred hedged and took a step behind George when Hermione raised her wand towards him.

"Like I said before," George started as he drew Hermione's attention from the cowering Fred. "Orange is a good color on you."

Forgetting her wand, Hermione lunged at the twins only to be stopped by a pair of arms around her waist.

"Now, now, settle down," Remus said in his normal calming way as he held the struggling teen. He could feel his sleeves dampening. He sighed. Another ruined robe, he thought morosely. "Let's see if we can fix this."

"Come along dear," Mrs. Weasley took charge and grabbed one of Hermione's orange arms and began to lead her towards the stairs. "We'll fix you right up."

"If it doesn't come off," Hermione's voice carried back towards those still on the third floor landing. "You will have to make do with only four sons instead of six."

The twins' faces paled as they gulped. They were dead.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Ron let out a laugh. "If we add some red to her, we can just claim it's for school spirit."

Again, Ginny smack her brother in her head.

Scowling, Ron rubbed his head. "I'm just sayin'…"

The others shook their heads and followed Molly's example to head back downstairs. Unfortunately with their backs turned, the occupants of the 'noble and most ancient house of Black' missed the shared looks and mischievous grins of the red head troublemakers as they noiselessly returned to their room.


Mrs. Weasley led the orange girl into the second floor bathroom near Hermione and Ginny's room so an extra pair of clothing could be supplemented for the ruined ones. After removing her wet outfit leaving Hermione only in her underwear, Mrs. Weasley began casting several different types of cleansing charms to remove the stains from Hermione's skin with moderate success.

Twenty minutes of continuous spell work left Hermione's tinted skin tone a dull ginger instead of highlighter orange.

"I look like I have a cheap spray-tan," Hermione cried as she looked in the mirror.

Mrs. Weasley frowned as she assessed her work. "I'm not sure what else to try," she muttered in frustration as her eyes wandered across Hermione's appearance.

Hermione sighed.

"How's it going," Remus asked from the other side of the door.

"Not good," Mrs. Weasley called back.

"I've got this Molly," Sirius announced as he barged into the room.

"Get out," Hermione shrieked as she threw a towel around her bra-clad chest. "Have you never heard of knocking," she demanded with a scowl.

"I must say I'm used to women removing clothes in my presence not the other way 'round," Sirius cheekily snarked.

"Be serious."

"I am Sirius."

"Ha, ha," Hermione sneered. "Are you going to help or make jokes," Hermione asked as she secured the towel tighter around her.

Sirius put a thoughtful expression upon his handsome face as he gave her an assessing look. "I don't know," he finally announced, "George has a point. Orange does seem to bring out your eyes."

Hermione grabbed the neared item, which happened to be a brush, and launched it at Sirius. The brush sailed past him unfortunately and hit Remus square in the chest.

Gaping in horror, Hermione began to apologize. "Oh I'm sorry Professor…"

Remus held up a hand. "It's quite alright. Despite the force behind your throw, the bruise will leave no lasting mark," he said with a smile.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. Despite her agitation at him, Hermione could not help but marvel at the sound. He should laugh more often, she thought to herself, it puts an interesting twinkle in his eyes. Shaking her head, Hermione turned back to Mrs. Weasley who still seemed frustrated at the predicament before them.

"I just can't seem to get it to come off," she announced with a huff. "Only dull it."

"I told you I got it," Sirius replied. "It's similar to something James and I did to Snivellus in our fourth-year." Sirius face lit up with a mischievous grin. "He was pink for a week after that prank."

Remus shook his head with a gentle smile on his normally worn face. "If I remember correctly, both of you got two weeks of cauldron cleaning for that stunt after being caught red, I mean pink-handed."

Sirius turned with a smirk. "Yes, but who made the potion, my furry friend?"

Remus' face flushed as he turned his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sirius laughed again.

Hermione watched the two trade little quips at each other with a relaxed smile that she quickly turned into a scowl as Sirius turned his attention back towards her. Can't have them thinking I'm enjoying this, she thought. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

"Alright," Sirius began as he raised his wand, "let's see if we can't de-orange you, hmm. Wouldn't want you looking like an actually bookworm now would we?"

Hermione's mouth fell open in indignation, but instead of making a smart reply, she simply and childishly stuck out her tongue.

Sirius snickered. "Well, if you're going to be that way, I'll just leave you to it…"

"Don't you dare," Hermione demanded at his turning form.

"Did you need something," Sirius asked.

She knew what he wanted her to do, but she was loath to do it. She would not beg. No! Hermione crossed her arms and stared at the smirking Marauder. She itched to grab her wand and remove his mouth for this.

"Ok, I'll just…"

She sighed, "Fine." Hermione adopted a beseeching continence as she solemnly asked, "Please Sirius, master of the 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,' mischief maker, would you deem to help this lowly muggle-born with her superfluous problem that she is too simple to solve on her own?"

Remus coughed into his hand to cover his laugh as he took in Sirius' expression. Hermione rarely demonstrated her cheeky side, but when she did, it was always fun to watch the receivers face. Astonishment was always the first emotion revealed. That look of 'did she really…' appeared on the face but would so melt into either a teasing retort or flaming cheeks (well, normally that was just Ron, but…).

Sirius, always up for the challenge and never above teasing, relaxed into a charming smile.

Remus rolled his eyes. If he doesn't stop this now, Hermione will be going back to school orange. "Padfoot, mind moving it along?"

"Why of course Moony," Sirius replied. "Wouldn't want to interrupt the important goings-on of the place. Now," he started as he scrutinized Hermione's coated exterior, "hold perfectly still."

Sirius mumbled the spell under his breath as he performed wand-work Hermione had never seen before. Her curiosity was peaked. What is he doing? Some kind of advanced cleaning spell? Concealing charm? Merlin, she hoped not. She needed to be clean not covered. Covering would ruin every…

"Finished," Sirius announced.

She looked in the mirror. He did it, she marveled. Her skin was back to its natural hue but her hair…

Sirius tilted his head to the left, which mimic the tilt his animagus form gave her last night. "I can't seem to get the hair to revert back." He frowned as he looked to Remus. "Moony, do you…"

"It's fine," Hermione interrupted. "The twins are going to fix this."

Mrs. Weasley, who had been examining Sirius' work to make sure all the orange was removed, looked up. "Really dear, I don't see how they can undo what…"

"No," Hermione interrupted again, "They are going to buy a new outfit and pay to get my hair fixed."

The three adult stared at her. The two Marauders seemed intrigued by her proclamation but Mrs. Weasley looked at her as if she just sprouted wings and declared herself a Hippogriff.

"Hermione dear," Mrs. Weasley began with narrowed eyes, "Diagon Alley is not a place I want you children going alone and…"

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione started as she swept her unmanageable brown…eh, orange mane into a messy bun and turned towards the bathroom door, "I have to get this," she pointed at her hair, "fixed before school. I promise we won't get into any trouble."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips.

"Please," Hermione begged giving Mrs. Weasley the puppy eyes that always turned her father into goo.

Mrs. Weasley huffed, "Fine."

"Yes," Hermione jumped up and almost dislodged the towel around her waist.

"But," Mrs. Weasley cut into Hermione's celebration. "I want an adult present on this excursion."

Hermione frantically nodded and darted between the two wizards yelling for Tonks at the top of her voice.

"Well," Sirius shook his head in bewilderment, "I never thought I'd see it happen."

"What," Lupin asked.

"Hermione's actually turning into a teenager." He shook his head again as he left the room.

Remus turned to follow, "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Yes, but she has the mind to cause more mischief then the twins if she so desires."

"Oh heavens save us," Mrs. Weasley announced.

"What," asked both men.

"Hermione's still running around in that towel."

The three raced down the hall towards a aggravated yell of "Bloody hell 'Moine what happened to your clothes.'

The peace that once clung to the walls of Number 12, Grimmauld Place would never settle again; well, as long as teenagers haunted its harrowed halls and Mrs. Black's portrait hung in the hall.


AN: That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed. The next chapter might take a little longer due to school and life, but please, please leave me a review and let me know how you feel. I'm dying here.