Drastic Changes by the Queen of the Pugs

Ginny was startled out of her catnap when a book---a large one would be her guess---was slammed on the library table that she'd been sleeping on. She looked up to see Hermione standing in front of her table, her hands resting on the book that she'd set on the table. Ginny rubbed her eyes sleepily and read the book's title upside down: Advanced Transfiguration by Tabitha A. Cornwall

"Hi, Hermione," she said, looking up at her friend. "What's up?"

"You were supposed to be studying potions," said Hermione, pulling a chair out and sitting in it. "Not sleeping. Ginny, O.W.L.s are coming up soon, and you haven't been studying very hard for them. If you don't start studying soon you'll fail, and then where will you be? Wishing that you'd listened to me and studied more."

Ginny shot Hermione an apologetic glance. "I was studying, honestly, I was, but do you have any idea how boring potions are?" she said guiltily, pulling out her potions book. "Even the author's name is boring. People with boring names should not be writing books for students to study out of."

Hermione shook her head and sighed. "Peter Williams was the very first potion's master at Hogwarts, Ginny, so he knows what he's talking about. This is exactly how Ron and Harry acted last year, and you know where it got them?"

"Well I know that whatever Ron made on Ordinary Wizarding Level tests didn't please Mum one bit," Ginny muttered under her breath, and Hermione crossed her arms.

"Ginny, you're a very intelligent person, which is why I find your studying habits so confusing. You have the potential to get really high grades on all the important tests, the ability to really succeed in life, but here you are, wasting all of that on boys!"

It was Ginny's turn to shake her head and sigh. "Hermione, sometimes I wonder..."

"Wonder what, Ginny?" Hermione prompted when Ginny just trailed away.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be you. You know, like that saying, 'Walk a mile in your neighbour's shoes' or something of the like."

"Actually Ginny, I believe the proper saying is, 'Before judging him, walk a mile in your neighbour's shoes,' but I knew what you meant."

"Well, whatever. I just wonder what it would be like to be you, that's all. You're so smart, and your brain never wanders to other things. You're every parents' dream child, Hermione."

"Well, you know Ginny, even I'm not perfect. And sometimes my mind does wander; I just never let it show. And not everything comes as easy to me as it does to you."

"But you make everything seem so much easier than it actually is! It must be great to be you." Ginny put her head in her hands, looking thoughtful. "Some days I really wish I were you."

A loud clap of thunder sounded, making both girls jump as the windows in the library rattled. Ginny went to look out the window to see if it was about to rain, she was on the other side of the table, a large, leather bound book in front of her that was titled Advanced Transfiguration by Tabitha A. Cornwall. A lock of bushy brown hair fell into her eyes.

Swallowing hard, Ginny glanced across the table. But instead of looking into Hermione's face, she looked into the face of herself.

They both screamed.

---A few minutes later---

"Okay, let's not panic," Hermione-in-Ginny's body said. They were in Gryffindor Tower. Ginny watched her body pace back and forth in front of her through Hermione's eyes.

"Let's not panic?" she shrieked. "Hermione, I'm watching myself pace! We've switched bodies and you're telling me not to panic?! You must be insane! Or I must be insane, no, what I mean is you must be insane, but if you're insane, that means that I'm insane because your in my body and---OH! I'm so confused!"

"Ginny, you need to calm down. Panicking will get us nowhere. Wow, I look pale, or I mean you look pale---Oh, now you've got me doing it!"

"'Let's not panic,' she says," continued Ginny-in-Hermione's body, ignoring Hermione altogether. "Hello! Did you not notice what just happened? In case you haven't noticed, WE'VE SWITCHED BODIES!"

"Okay, Ginny, you need to calm down, seriously. I can't think when you're yelling at me about panicking and switching bodies," Hermione complained. "I'm trying to think if I've read anything about this in a book before, but I'm pretty sure that I haven't."

"Pretty sure?" repeated Ginny. "Pretty sure isn't going to get us back in the proper bodies!" She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "What can we do?"

Hermione said the first thing that came to her mind, or rather the first thing that came to Ginny's mind. Or whatever. (A/N: Lol, even I'm getting confused here.) "Harry and Ron might be able to help."

"Fine, but where are they at?"

"Where are they always at nowadays?"

Fifteen minutes later, both Hermione and Ginny's bodies were standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, trying to flag Harry and Ron down.

"Hermione, this is hopeless," declared the redhead-gone-brunette. "Whistle at them."

"What? I don't know how to whistle."

"Yeah, but I do, so my body must be able to do it, right?"

"I don't know about the logic behind that---"

"Oh, alright. I'll do it." Ginny put two fingers in Hermione's mouth and blew, and loud whistling noise was produced. Soon both Ron and Harry were down on the ground to find some very irked looking girls.

"What's up with you two?" asked Ron.

"We've switched bodies," blurted Ginny-in-Hermione's-body. "We were talking about how I wished I knew what it would be like to be Hermione, and then WHAM! All of a sudden I've gone brunette and I'm looking at myself!"

Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances.

"I'm Hermione," said Ginny's body.

"And I'm Ginny," said Hermione's body. "Hermione and I have switched bodies! That's what I'm trying to tell you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So you're Hermione---"he pointed to Ginny's body--- "and you're Ginny---"he pointed to Hermione's body--- "right?"

"Right, Harry," said Ginny (the real one, that is). "I can even prove it. Let's see...Ron turned my hair neon pink when I was six, and I promised not to tell Mum about it, because Charlie had to change it back."

"Okay, well that's definitely Ginny," Ron said, looking at the ground sheepishly.

"Well, what do you want us to do?" asked Harry.

"Um, well, let's see---Hermione and I have changed bodies, and you want to know what we want you to do? HOW ABOUT GETTING US BACK IN OUR OWN BODIES FOR A START?!"

"Well, if we didn't know which one was which, we'd know by now that that one's Ginny," said Ron, wincing at Ginny's shrill shriek.

Me: Hi there! I got the inspiration for this chapter a while ago, but I couldn't really fit it in anywhere...but here it is! I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so I decided to leave you with something to read while I'm gone. So, there you have it. =D So, you like it? Review and make this poor, insane, and sick author happy. Or at least tell me if you like it.