Hermione, Ginny and Lavender were all sitting on their beds, in their dormitories after the welcoming of the first year's celebration. The common room looked the same as last year. Gold walls, and a red ceiling with golden lions engraved into it and a maroon and gold checkered rug. There were many beds in the room and each one had different sheets. You could tell if the person sleeping in that bed came from a wizarding family or a muggle family just by the look of the sheets that were on her bed. Usually children that came from a wizarding family had very elaborate designs on their bed sheets, and usually the things upon them moved very uniquely. Muggle born children's bed sheets were usually very simple, or had designs on them that didn't move. Lavender's sheets had purple lilies all over them, and they just floated along the bedspread. Ginny's sheets were a bit more violent. There were a few holes here and there, because her bed sheets were years old, but they had young witches and wizards dueling on them, and all you could see was green, purple, and other colored sparks flying all over the bed spread. Hermione's bed sheets were very simple. She had cotton layers of light pink and green, and the top bed sheet had pink and green checkered on it, and only had one pillow. All of the children who came from wizarding families had huge pillows, and usually more than one.
There were a few moments of silence before anyone spoke. Lavender decided to break the silence by rummaging through her trunk, and then pulled out a make up kit, and some bottle with a clear fluid in it. Ginny ran over to where Lavender was and helped her spread her make up on her bead. Hermione just looked them and thought, "What the hell are they doing?"
Ginny went over to Hermione and grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the next bed over, which was where lavender's was. Lavender had a huge smile on her face, as she conjured up a very bright light that was shining upon a chair. "Sit!" She said to Hermione. Hermione sat down, giving weird looks to both Ginny and Lavender. Ginny decided to speak to let Hermione know what was going on. But before Ginny could speak Hermione opened her mouth to speak.
"What is that?" She said, holding out her arm and pointing to the make-up on the bed.
Ginny looked dumbfounded for a few moments and then realized, "Oh, you have never seen witches make-up before have you?" Hermione nodded her head no, while looking at the funny colors in the black containers, They almost looked like muggle make-up containers, but the contents in the witches make up were swirling around and kept hitting the clear glass on the top of the container. Hermione's eyes bulged out of her head when she saw one of the make up containers was changing into different shades of beige.
"Really, I guess we have ourselves a make-up virgin then don't we?" Lavender said looking at Hermione now with a very widened smile, showing her pearly white teeth. Lavender pointed to all of the different makeup and told her what it all was, the container that kept changing colors was actually foundation, and changed when you put it upon your skin, so you get the perfect shade.
Ginny was rummaging through Hermione's makeup in here trunk and started to show the Make Up queen, who was Lavender. Lavender picked up the muggle foundation and looked disgusted with it. "Herm, you can't use this muggle makeup, it looks ridiculous, they make all of these shades, but they can't make a shade to match everyone, witches foundation makeup can match any, ANY skin tone. Muggle's, and their silly makeup, no wonder why they all look horrible. Throw it away please Gin, I can't look at it any longer! Don't worry Herm, we'll get you some real makeup when we go to Hogsmead, I'll let you use mine until then." Lavender started to put on Hermione's make up, and Ginny worked on taming her hair, because Ginny didn't really have a lot of experience with make-up because she barely had any. She used the bottle with clear liquid in it to make Hermione's hair smooth and soft. Ginny was holding a metal device with a long chord and a dial on it that had different temperatures on it, and asked Hermione what it was.
"Oh, that is a hair straighter, it straightens your hair."
"Oh, that is what it is," Ginny said looking confused. "So people actually straiten their hair with this thing. Wow they have it hard, all we have to do is put this stuff in and it comes out perfect. God, thank goodness I didn't grow up as a muggle. The life I would have missed out on."
Nothing more was said, until Hermione's make over was complete. She sat for an hour in the common room after her hair and make up were done so Ginny and Lavender could "make over" her clothes.
Ron and Harry walked out of their dormitories into the common room and looked at Hermione, as if they were in a trance. "Hermione, is that you?" Said Harry looking at her. She didn't look at all the same, she had on black eyeliner, and metallic eyeshade, and even lip-gloss. Her hair wasn't' even bushy anymore, but strait and silk like.
She looked up at Harry and Ron and both of their jaws dropped. Ron was quickest to respond., "Wow, you look.."
"Amazing!" Harry said, finishing Ron's sentence. Hermione just let out a long sigh. "Lavender and Ginny gave me a makeover. Which is ridiculous, because I don't really care if boys think I'm pretty or not. My looks should not matter, it should be intelligence, but hey are just trying to help."
Ron and Harry just started at each other; they could tell she was still hurt by the whole Viktor Krum situation, just by the look in her face, of sheer disappointment. Ron didn't like Krum to begin with, and he was very concerned about Hermione, and all he could say to try to comfort her was, "Well, he was a brute. And it was a very long distance relationship." Hermione just looked at him. ' What is he trying to get at?' Hermione thought. She just beamed at him trying to make holes in his eyes. "You're better off without him Mione" Harry said walking over to Hermione and patting her on the back. It is incases like this Ron gets upset with Harry because he always knows the right thing to say.
Hermione stood up, looked at Harry and said, "You know, you're right. Maybe I did something wrong. It's not him, its me."
Harry shook his head, "There is nothing wrong with you, you're p.." but Hermione started to run of the stairs to the dormitory crying. Harry finished his sentence under his breath, "you're perfect."
Ron just stared into space, 'what did I do wrong, and why does Harry have to always butt in, I didn't say anything wrong.'
Hermione burst into the door of the dormitory, tears running so heavily now along her neck. Lavender and Ginny looked up, Ginny ran over to her and started to hug her. "What's wrong?"
"How, I have been so stupid! It is my fault Viktor left, I was too low maintenance, and no one likes that." Hermione said crying on Ginny's shoulder.
"Oh, Herm, that isn't true, he just was too stupid for you that's all!" Lavender said hugging Hermione as well.
"Well, I'm going to change, I can't be alone forever! You know what?" Hermione said as she put her head up and revealed her face that had makeup lines running all over it. "I am going to not be so witty anymore, and I am actually going to try to do this whole make-up thing."
Lavender smiled, but Ginny still looked upset, "You shouldn't have to change who you are, just to get a boy. They should like you, for you!"
"No, I'm not changing, I am just doing an experiment. Just to see how boys react. Oh, and I'll write a book about it. So other girls are having the same troubles as me, will know what the possibilities are!" Hermione stood up, took her robe and towel out of the trunk and told Lavender and Ginny she was going to go to the Prefect's Bathroom to freshen up.
She ran past where Harry and Ron were playing wizards chest and Ron got up to go after her, but Harry pulled him back. "Just let her have her time." Ron just wanted to help the girl he loved, and Harry always wants to be the one to help her first. "You know, I think I can go if I want!" Ron said to Harry irritably, trying to get Harry to release the grip on his arm. Ron started to walked fast to the door, but Harry yelled behind him, "You're not helping her at all! You're just making it thing its her fault that oaf dumped her!" Ron turned around and yelled back, "You're not the only one who likes her, so stop trying to act as if you know what is best for her!" And then he turned around and went out of the portrait hole.
Hermione said the password to the Prefect's Bathroom, and ran right in. She wasn't really looking where she was going and knocked right into Draco, who was just got out of the pool sized bath tub, and knocked him back into the tub again, towel and all. The bathroom was beautiful. Each prefect had their own sink, and shower. There was only one bath tub, but no one really used it, unless they were in the room alone. The ceiling looked like a perfect replica of Michael DeAngelo's angels on the ceiling picture. The walls were just an off white color, and the tiling on the floor was a dark grey. You could tell when wet feet walked upon it because the tiling changed into a deep black shade, to where the foot had landed. Hermione looked at Draco in the pool, the bubbles came back on, making it hard for him to find his towel. He went under water and a few moments later he was climbing the silver latter to get out. Halfway up the latter he wrapped his silver and green stripped towel around his waist and continued to get out of the bath tub. He walked towards Hermione and yelled at her, "What do you think you are doing? Now my towel is soaking wet! You stupid mudblood." He sneered at Hermione.
"I didn't think anyone would be in here, so close t... Wait, I don't have to explain to you why I am here, I can do as I wish and not be bombarded with questions by an imbecile." Hermione replied back with wit.
"What ever mudblood." He looked at her face and saw how her tears caressed her makeup, making lines running down into the top of her shirt. 'Crying because of Krum are you. That jerk, doing that for everyone to see. God if Pansy had done that to me, she'd be dead.' He thought. He felt that he had to make fun of her, just to keep his own self-esteem up, "HA, awe, is the wittle muggle crying because her ugly Bulgarian loser of a boyfriend cheated on her?" He said, in mocking a baby voice. Hermione looked at him, and started to pull her wand out, when Draco grabbed her hand, and twisted it making her drop it on the tiled floor. "What are you playing at muggle!" He said while spit sprayed out of his mouth when he said the word muggle, and landing on her face.
"Nothing, just trying to teach you a lesson. You foul mouthed oaf! Let go of me. Now!" Malfoy kept twisting her hand around, inflicting pain on her, was making his pain go away temporarily. Then someone burst through the door, pointed his want at Malfoy and yelled "Expeliarimus!" Draco went bursting back into the tub, and his towel flew off him in mid air.
Hermione looked to see who her savior was, Ron. 'Great, he comes to save the day'. She looked at him while he walked towards her. He held out his arms to give her a hug, but she pulled away. "I could have handled myself."
"'Mione, what is the matter with you, I save you from Malfoy, and this is how you treat me?"
"Ron, I do NOT want to deal with your rubbish! GO, leave me alone." Hermione ran into her shower stall. Ron just stood there for a few minutes and then Draco stuck his head out of the pool again, and yelled at him, "You heard the girl! Go!" and then he gave an evil laugh.
Hermione put a spell on her curtain so that no one could open it, or else they would be thrown back into the pool. Hermione giggled as she did it, because if Draco did try to open her curtain, he would be thrown back into the pool, again. Hermione put a spell on her clothes and towel so they wouldn't get wet, while she was showering. She turned the shower on, and hot water began to hit her face. She looked down, and saw all of the colors of her make up swimming around the drain, waiting to be sucked in. She heard a splash, and heard wet feet, flip flopping around the floor, and then heard a very loud slam of the door. She was alone at last, able to take as much time as she wished.
Hermione woke up two hours earlier than she usually did, to start her "experiment." She took one foot of parchment and a quill and walked slowly down the carpeted red stairs to the common room. No one was in the common room at four in the morning. The fire was out, so the room was quite chilly, but she didn't mind. She loved having time to herself. She sat on the leather black couch, pulled out her parchment and started writing:
Day One 4:05am:
Today, is my last day as being just plain, and not putting any effort into my appearance. I want to learn more about males and their physical attraction to women, what happens when a women drastically changes her appearance? Why is it that they go for physical attraction, before mental attraction? This whole diary is to share with anyone who has boy problems, on my findings.
Hermione quickly rolled up her parchment at the sound of some one walking out of the boys dormitory. She looked at the shadow, and he wasn't wearing any clothes other than boxers. Hermione kept looking at the boy walking around, bumping into a table, and then finally making it into the loveseat. Hermione giggled softly when he bumped into the table. After he sat down on the couch and started to lift his head into Hermione's direction she realized it was Harry. Harry looked at her and then started to blush. "Oh, I didn't know anyone was down here this time of ni..er.. I mean morning." Harry whispered. Kind of putting his and over his boxers feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Me neither, its just nice to get some time alone. After that whole fiasco yesterday, but I'm sure Ron told you all about it." Hermione whispered, looking up at Harry's chiseled body. She never noticed that Harry had an amazing body, maybe because he played so much Quidditch.
"Ron and I aren't speaking right now." Harry said, his eyes looking at the floor . He didn't want to break up his friendship because of a girl, but if it meant he would have Hermione, maybe he would.
"Oh, I'm sorry, what happened?" Hermione knew that Harry and Ron almost never fought, so whatever happened must have been pretty serious.
Harry still stared at the floor, "I was upset with him for being so rude to you about Viktor, it isn't fair, what he did to you." Harry looked up at her, moved so he would be kneeling in front of her, so he could look right up into her beautiful hazel eyes. "I can tell it still bothers you, I can see the hurt in your eyes." Harry raised his cupped his hand so it caressed the side of her face. "You are an amazing person, and if he can't see that, then he doesn't deserve you." Harry started to rise as he spoke and was an inch away from her lips. After he spoke he leaned into kiss her, but Hermione moved back, not noticing what he was doing.
"Harry, I know you're trying to help, but I need to change. Maybe if I wasn't so low maintenance he wouldn't have gone for a prettier girl!" He stood up so that she could get out of the chair. She gave him a hug, and he didn't want to let go of her. He couldn't help but smell the orange smell of her hair. She let go of him and he put his hands on her shoulders and held her in front of him.
"I meant everything I said, Hermione." Harry looked deep into her eyes. "Anyone who doesn't realize what you have is a fool, a big one."
"Thank you Harry, that means a lot to me." Hermione broke Harry's gaze by looking around the room, and then said, "Well I have to go finish up some homework, so I'll see you at breakfast." And Hermione took off up the stairs.
Hermione tucked herself back into bed, and tried to get more sleep. No matter what she did, someone always brought up Viktor, and she just wanted to stop thinking about him. She thought "If I am such an amazing person, he would have wanted to stay with me." Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
About an hour later she woke up, and Lavender was doing her makeup. Ginny just sat on her bead reading the Quibbler, because her best friends dad was the editor, and it was so funny to read what "secret conspiracies" were in the magic world. Hermione looked at the cover on the Quibbler and there was a picture of Viktor and his girlfriend. Ginny noticed that Hermione was awake and quickly put away the magazine. "Forget it. I'm starting today!" she muttered to herself. She rolled out her parchment and continued to write:
Day one: 6:02 amI decided that I am starting the experiment today.
She quickly rolled up the parchment and got out of bed, grabbed a black skirt that ended about three inches above her knee. She also took out a red button up collared shirt and buttoned it up all of the way. Lavender turned around to look at Hermione, to put her make up on.
"Hermione, no." Lavender said as she unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt, and then the last three buttons. Hermione looked down to see what she was doing. She didn't want to show so much skin. Lavender then took both ends of the shirt at the bottom and tied them together, so that the shirt was a lot shorter, and ended about an inch past her belly button.
"I can't wear this like that, what will people say." Hermione said looking into the mirror. Lavender just nodded her head. "Herm, you said you wanted to make a change, you've got to live a little, and just trust me, ok?" Hermione sighed and Lavender started to put on Hermione's makeup. Hermione had very white teeth since her parents were dentist, so she could wear a red lipstick, and it wouldn't look horrible, as it would if she had yellow teeth. Then she put on a light pink blush, black eyeliner, and mascara. After lavender was done Hermione looked in the mirror. She didn't like the red lipstick, but lavender forced her to keep it on. She turned around to show Ginny.
"Hermione, you look wonderful! You're so beautiful." She looked up at Hermione's hair and it was twisted into a low bun, and her bangs were a lot straighter than they ever had been.
"Really?" Hermione wasn't sure of how she looked. But if she wanted to continue with her experiment, she had to take risks. Lavender started to head down to breakfast, and Hermione said she would be there in a few minutes. Hermione pulled out her parchment and continued to write.
I decided to wear a red shirt, and a short black skirt. I'm not quite sure of how this looks, I am showing way too much skin, and midriff. I know I have to take risks, but I don't want everyone to see every inch of my body. Oh well, I guess we'll see how it goes.
Hermione got up and just looked at herself in the mirror for a few moments.
---meanwhile---
Lavender and Ginny entered the entrance hall. Ginny was just wearing a black shirt with pink lace trip and jeans, but lavender was wearing a red mini skirt and a white shirt, that was a few inches above her belly button. Right as they reached the table, there was a huge slam of the Great Hall doors as Malfoy walked in followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy strode his feet along the isle that his table was in. Just by the way he walked you could tell he was very angry about something, every step smacked the floor, and could be heard through out the dining hall. He threw his bag next to him and sat down at the table. It seemed that the whole Great Hall was looking at him, and when he turned around everyone got back to what they were doing before he entered. No one wanted to be under Malfoy's wrath.
Lavender looked at Ron, who wasn't sitting next to Harry as usual, and was looking rather pissed off. She decided to move her seat next to him to find out what was the matter. "Ron." He didn't answer and just stared down at the bacon and eggs on his gold plate. He had hardly touched his breakfast. "Ron, what is wrong." She said louder, putting her face very close to his, she could see every red freckle on his face. Ron looked up at her pretty face. He just looked at her, and she could tell that she was hurt. "Ron, tell me what's wrong." Ron looked back down again, and she whispered in his ear, "Please?" Ron looked up at her, he never had anyone who cared about him so much before. They did date before, but he broke up with her so he could be with Hermione, but he was realizing that was never going to happen. She was no mad at him, she wouldn't even look at him, and Harry's always butting into his plans.
Ron looked into her eyes, "Lavender, nothings wrong, I just miss you!" So he lied to her, he couldn't tell her the truth, the way he looked at her so longingly, how could he tell her that he was falling for her best friend. He would just have to settle for lavender. There was something between them, he just longed for Hermione more. Lavender's face lit up as soon as he said this.
"Oh Ron, I want you back too! I have missed you so much!" Ron gave Lavender a kiss on the cheek and then left the table. He did want to be with her, he just loved Hermione. Ron left the Great Hall and started heading towards his dormitory to finish his charms homework. Since Hermione and Harry weren't speaking to him, he had to actually do his homework on his own.
Lavender turned to Ginny, who was speaking to Harry about possibly hooking her up with Oliver Wood. "Ginny, guess what, Ron and I are back together!"
Hermione walked out of the common room and started heading towards the great hall. She was walking down the stairs when Ron walked right into her.
"Ron, watch where you are going!" He started to look up at her, and noticed the length of her skirt, and then noticed her shirt. He looked up into her eyes and noticed that she looked a lot different than she did, a lot prettier. He got closer to her, "Hermione, I'm sorry." She just looked into his eyes.