CHAPTER ONE
The three continued talking like old times, laughing and joking. It was only a few minutes after Lavender's departure when the compartment door slid open again. Parvati, Lavender and a few other Gryffindor girls crowded around the entrance, all it seemed, trying to get a look at Harry.
"There he is. I told you." Lavender said proudly, pointing at the now crimson Harry. The girls filed into the squashy compartment, crowding around Harry.
"Harry! Is that you?" Parvati whispered, looking at Harry in adoration.
"Er... yeah..." The boy said uncertainly, shifting uncomfortably.
"Finally woke up to some fashion sense?"
"No actually, Hermione did." Harry said, a lot more determinedly. There was a tone in his voice that clearly said leave now. Several of the girls filed out, so only Lavender and Parvati remained.
"You know Harry, I heard you were really good at defense against the dark arts." Parvati said seductively, leaning forward so that her chest was almost hanging out of the low cut shirt.
"Not... r..." Harry was having difficulty shaping words. He couldn't help but stare at Parvati's breasts...
"Well, I'd love to get together some time and have some... private lessons." She whispered even more seductively, making Harry's hairs stand on end.
"Y...yeah... that'd... b...be great.." Harry managed to stutter out, before she sashayed out of the compartment.
"I'll see you around Harry." Lavender said, casting a flirtatious wink behind her before leaving the compartment. The now vibrant red boy was still having trouble focusing his concentration.
"Harry, if you can't control yourself around those girls I think you'd better re..."
"I can handle myself just fine." Harry snapped, folding his arms in what was unmistakably a temper tantrum.
"You sure handled the sight of Parvati's breasts awfully well. Any further and you would've been drowning in your own drool."
"Well I can't help that, she was waving them around in my face. She does have nice..." Harry stopped, wide-eyed, realizing what he was about to say. Ron sniggered.
"Somebody's found their hormones over the summer." He said. Harry blushed. No sooner had the three of them commenced their conversation when another group of gaggling girls entered the compartment.
The routine continued several times throughout the journey, until Ron was sure that all of Hogwarts had visited their compartment at least once. No sooner had he said this when Malfoy entered, flanked by his two cronies.
"I could've done without him though." Ron muttered, continuing on with his previous comment.
"Hello hello Potter. I've heard you've turned yourself into some sort of sex idol over the holidays."
"Sorry Malfoy, I don't swing that way. I'm into chicks not dicks." Harry said, narrowing his eyes.
"You may think you're all that Potter, but I can assure you I'm still the most wanted guy in school." Malfoy said arrogantly, leaning on the side of the compartment.
"Sure as hell doesn't look like it." Ron said, joining in the conversation. Malfoy glared at the red head before spinning out of the compartment. His two bodyguards followed him silently. "One more word outta him and I'll..."
"Violence won't solve anything." Hermione said calmly.
"This from Miss let's- slap- Malfoy." Hermione couldn't repress a smile at this memory.
"Well, he deserved it." She said shortly. Ron remained unconvinced, but didn't dwell on it.
The rest of the train ride went smoothly, with only a few more girls interrupting the trio's conversation. When the train arrived at Hogsmeade they hopped onto the platform and, together with Neville, grabbed a coach and climbed in.
"Oi Neville. How where you're holidays?"
"Great! I spent it in the Bahama's, nothing like it." Neville said enthusiastically, before launching into details of his summer. The carriage jerked into motion as Neville described the incident on the beach where he had accidentally set his grandmother's hair alight while trying to do a sun guard spell. The trio laughed as he retold the story, and all too soon they found themselves crossing the gates into the school grounds, the driverless carriages seeming to know the way.
Harry jumped out of his carriage when they arrived, and saw Ginny jump out of the one in front. He noticed she had not been amongst any of the girls who had visited him during his ride, and so decided to pay her a visit. He was also curious as to her reaction to his new look, although he wouldn't admit it.
"Hey Ginny, how was your summer?"
"Harry!" Ginny cried, turning around and facing him. She was about to throw her arms around him in a big hug when she stopped, finally registering his appearance. Her face blushed a crimson to match Harry's earlier in the train ride. "You look... Different."
"So I've heard." Harry said dryly, annoyed that even Ginny was acting weird around him. "You're not going to act strange around me are you? Coz everyone else has."
"No... no..." Ginny said vaguely, although she still had not torn her eyes away from Harry's rippling chest and vibrant eyes. Harry sighed, gave Ginny a quick squeeze on the shoulder before heading back to his friends.
"I'll see you around Gin!" He called after her. Ginny nodded softly, still not managing to utter words. As soon as they thought he was out of earshot, Ginny's friend, who had witnessed the event, squealed.
"You lucky bitch!" Was all Harry heard before they were truly out of ear shot. Harry trudged up the stairs miserably, joining his friends in the entrance hall.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as they entered the hall and headed towards the Gryffindor table.
"Even Ginny's acting weird around me Mione. Why can't they just act normal?" Harry whined.
"They'll get over it, it's just a bit of a shock that's all. We're not used to seeing you like this. And you've got to cut Ginny some slack, she's liked you for ages."
"I thought she got over me last year, when she went out with Seamus."
"She was, for a while. But that ended pretty quickly, and as soon as it did her heart snapped right back to you." Harry frowned. He didn't like that situation. Ginny was great and all, but he seriously doubted he would ever see her as more than a friend. Harry sighed dramatically as the last of the students filed in.
"I know Harry." Hermione said softly, smiling at him before turning her attention to the front of the hall, where the first years were being sorted.
I've always been the odd one out... Harry thought gloomily as McGonagall droned on.
But now I've been singled even more... why can't everyone just act normal? Harry seriously doubted he would ever get a girlfriend who like him for him, and not for his looks, at this rate. What he needed was a girl oblivious to his looks... But does anyone like that even exist?
The three continued talking like old times, laughing and joking. It was only a few minutes after Lavender's departure when the compartment door slid open again. Parvati, Lavender and a few other Gryffindor girls crowded around the entrance, all it seemed, trying to get a look at Harry.
"There he is. I told you." Lavender said proudly, pointing at the now crimson Harry. The girls filed into the squashy compartment, crowding around Harry.
"Harry! Is that you?" Parvati whispered, looking at Harry in adoration.
"Er... yeah..." The boy said uncertainly, shifting uncomfortably.
"Finally woke up to some fashion sense?"
"No actually, Hermione did." Harry said, a lot more determinedly. There was a tone in his voice that clearly said leave now. Several of the girls filed out, so only Lavender and Parvati remained.
"You know Harry, I heard you were really good at defense against the dark arts." Parvati said seductively, leaning forward so that her chest was almost hanging out of the low cut shirt.
"Not... r..." Harry was having difficulty shaping words. He couldn't help but stare at Parvati's breasts...
"Well, I'd love to get together some time and have some... private lessons." She whispered even more seductively, making Harry's hairs stand on end.
"Y...yeah... that'd... b...be great.." Harry managed to stutter out, before she sashayed out of the compartment.
"I'll see you around Harry." Lavender said, casting a flirtatious wink behind her before leaving the compartment. The now vibrant red boy was still having trouble focusing his concentration.
"Harry, if you can't control yourself around those girls I think you'd better re..."
"I can handle myself just fine." Harry snapped, folding his arms in what was unmistakably a temper tantrum.
"You sure handled the sight of Parvati's breasts awfully well. Any further and you would've been drowning in your own drool."
"Well I can't help that, she was waving them around in my face. She does have nice..." Harry stopped, wide-eyed, realizing what he was about to say. Ron sniggered.
"Somebody's found their hormones over the summer." He said. Harry blushed. No sooner had the three of them commenced their conversation when another group of gaggling girls entered the compartment.
The routine continued several times throughout the journey, until Ron was sure that all of Hogwarts had visited their compartment at least once. No sooner had he said this when Malfoy entered, flanked by his two cronies.
"I could've done without him though." Ron muttered, continuing on with his previous comment.
"Hello hello Potter. I've heard you've turned yourself into some sort of sex idol over the holidays."
"Sorry Malfoy, I don't swing that way. I'm into chicks not dicks." Harry said, narrowing his eyes.
"You may think you're all that Potter, but I can assure you I'm still the most wanted guy in school." Malfoy said arrogantly, leaning on the side of the compartment.
"Sure as hell doesn't look like it." Ron said, joining in the conversation. Malfoy glared at the red head before spinning out of the compartment. His two bodyguards followed him silently. "One more word outta him and I'll..."
"Violence won't solve anything." Hermione said calmly.
"This from Miss let's- slap- Malfoy." Hermione couldn't repress a smile at this memory.
"Well, he deserved it." She said shortly. Ron remained unconvinced, but didn't dwell on it.
The rest of the train ride went smoothly, with only a few more girls interrupting the trio's conversation. When the train arrived at Hogsmeade they hopped onto the platform and, together with Neville, grabbed a coach and climbed in.
"Oi Neville. How where you're holidays?"
"Great! I spent it in the Bahama's, nothing like it." Neville said enthusiastically, before launching into details of his summer. The carriage jerked into motion as Neville described the incident on the beach where he had accidentally set his grandmother's hair alight while trying to do a sun guard spell. The trio laughed as he retold the story, and all too soon they found themselves crossing the gates into the school grounds, the driverless carriages seeming to know the way.
Harry jumped out of his carriage when they arrived, and saw Ginny jump out of the one in front. He noticed she had not been amongst any of the girls who had visited him during his ride, and so decided to pay her a visit. He was also curious as to her reaction to his new look, although he wouldn't admit it.
"Hey Ginny, how was your summer?"
"Harry!" Ginny cried, turning around and facing him. She was about to throw her arms around him in a big hug when she stopped, finally registering his appearance. Her face blushed a crimson to match Harry's earlier in the train ride. "You look... Different."
"So I've heard." Harry said dryly, annoyed that even Ginny was acting weird around him. "You're not going to act strange around me are you? Coz everyone else has."
"No... no..." Ginny said vaguely, although she still had not torn her eyes away from Harry's rippling chest and vibrant eyes. Harry sighed, gave Ginny a quick squeeze on the shoulder before heading back to his friends.
"I'll see you around Gin!" He called after her. Ginny nodded softly, still not managing to utter words. As soon as they thought he was out of earshot, Ginny's friend, who had witnessed the event, squealed.
"You lucky bitch!" Was all Harry heard before they were truly out of ear shot. Harry trudged up the stairs miserably, joining his friends in the entrance hall.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as they entered the hall and headed towards the Gryffindor table.
"Even Ginny's acting weird around me Mione. Why can't they just act normal?" Harry whined.
"They'll get over it, it's just a bit of a shock that's all. We're not used to seeing you like this. And you've got to cut Ginny some slack, she's liked you for ages."
"I thought she got over me last year, when she went out with Seamus."
"She was, for a while. But that ended pretty quickly, and as soon as it did her heart snapped right back to you." Harry frowned. He didn't like that situation. Ginny was great and all, but he seriously doubted he would ever see her as more than a friend. Harry sighed dramatically as the last of the students filed in.
"I know Harry." Hermione said softly, smiling at him before turning her attention to the front of the hall, where the first years were being sorted.
I've always been the odd one out... Harry thought gloomily as McGonagall droned on.
But now I've been singled even more... why can't everyone just act normal? Harry seriously doubted he would ever get a girlfriend who like him for him, and not for his looks, at this rate. What he needed was a girl oblivious to his looks... But does anyone like that even exist?