Chapter 2: Coping
Hermione sat in the library, working on next week's Astronomy assignment to distract herself. Surprisingly enough, she had no problems concentrating and her homework was progressing quite nicely with only the concluding paragraph left. When she dipped her quill into the inkwell, Hermione noticed a shadow hovering over her desk. Hermione turned and found a grinning Harry standing behind her.
"'lo Hermione. How was therapy session?" he asked as he loudly dragged a chair from the neighbouring table to hers and sat down. Hermione frowned at the noise, but chose not to admonish him. It was Sunday afternoon and nobody but them seemed to be in the library anyway.
"Well, considering Ron made it out alive, I'd say it went pretty well. Therapist Harris seems like a competent man. I think we're in good hands. We have therapy twice a week for an hour.
"Speaking of Ron - where is he? I haven't seen him since therapy three hours ago. He didn't show up for lunch - which is, as we all know, a highly unusual thing. Ron Weasley does not skip lunch," Hermione pointed out. Harry shrugged, seemingly unbothered by this.
"I last saw him with Ginny about an hour ago by the Black Lake. Looked like they were in some deep discussion, so I didn't want to bother them. Especially since it's so… awkward now," he explained. Hermione quirked a brow.
"You know, since he's a girl," he added.
"Oh, and it's not awkward that I'm a boy?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head.
"No, not at all. Hermione, please don't take it the wrong way when I say this, but you've always kind of been one of the boys to me," Harry admitted, air-quoting 'one of the boys'. Although Harry asked her not to be offended, Hermione still couldn't help but feel that way.
Her? One of the boys?
Hermione scoffed internally and made a mental note to say something like "Harry, you're the best! You're like… my best girlfriend!" should the opportunity present itself in the future. Hmpf!
In the meanwhile Harry picked up her essay and skimmed over it. "Still studious and diligent, I see."
"Just because I'm different physically doesn't mean that my habits and my character changed as well. I'm still me. And Ron is still himself," Hermione answered, looking pointedly at her friend. Harry looked back at her guiltily.
"I know. It's just…"
"Awkward, I know, "Hermione finished for him. "It's something that everyone needs some time to get used to."
Hermione organized her things carefully in the shelves of her new dorm that she now shared with Mandy Brocklehurst and Lisa Turpin down in the basement near the Great Hall. The Heads of the different houses had earlier unanimously decided for new sleeping accommodations for the students involved in the potion's accident - not that the professors had much of another choice anyway. Apart from the fact of it being inappropriate for them to stay in the old dorms - considering their gender change - there was also a big second factor that came into play. One that Hermione had discovered the hard way:
It happened the morning after the accident when she had scurried out of her room in panic and sprinted down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room - or tried to sprint down the stairs, she should say, because the second her foot touched the upper step, the stairs turned into a slide and she was sent tumbling down the said slide painfully.
Curse those founders and their darn spell that prevented males from going up or down the girls' dormitories!
Safe to say Hermione had caused quite a commotion (as would Ron later). Not only for tumbling down the stairs that led to the girls' dorm loudly, but also for being a boy falling down those stairs - and an unfamiliar one at that!
Hermione sighed and rubbed her bruised elbow as she recalled those events. She never knew her fellow Gryffindors could be so intimidating until that day.
Hermione then glanced at her watch and decided it that was high time to head to the Heads-Prefects-meeting to discuss the patrols with her colleagues. There, she would also have time to catch up with Ron and see how he was faring with his new roommates Wayne Hopkins, Michael Corner and Draco Malfoy.
When Hermione arrived at the Heads' office it seemed like almost everyone had found their way the meeting already. She spotted Ron at the other end of the room and gave him a small wave whilst he nodded back at her. Most of students were chatting animatedly with each other, sharing gossip, talking sports and telling jokes.
As Hermione was about to take her seat, something forcefully collided with her back all of a sudden. When Hermione turned around to look at the offender, she found the fifth year's Slytherin prefect, Astoria Greengrass, staring up at her sheepishly.
"Um, I'm sorry, Granger," Astoria said in embarrassment, biting down her lip, obviously expecting Hermione to snap at her. One would have never guessed that a person this petite crashed into her, considering the force of the impact.
Great, another bruise to add to the collection.
"It's all right," Hermione replied calmly as she rubbed her left shoulder and motioned for the girl to take a seat. Astoria quickly did as instructed and sat down - in Hermione's seat. Hermione scratched her head, but decided not to say anything about it, whereas the other prefects and the Head boy grinned in amusement at the girl. The Head students always took head seats and when Astoria also remembered this, she quickly shot out of the seat - and knocked into Hermione. Again.
Bruises! Bruises! Bruises!
"I'm so sor-" she squeaked, but Hermione didn't let her finish and pushed Astoria back into the seat by her shoulders.
"Please just sit, Tornado-Greengrass; and don't move until the meeting is over," Hermione practically begged the Slytherin prefect whose face turned scarlet and who quickly averted her gaze from Hermione's. Many students chuckled at this.
"Well, it seems like everyone is present, so let's begin the meeting," Hermione's co-Head, Zacharias Smith, suggested. Most students, including Hermione, had been surprised when they heard how he was appointed Head boy. Especially considering the fact that he hadn't even been a prefect. Her bet had always been on Anthony Goldstein, but rumours had it that he had politely declined the position. Hermione wasn't going to question the decision of the headmistress in appointing Smith since he actually turned out to be a decent partner.
They discussed the schedules and issues that their fellow students brought up to them. Hermione mostly let Zacharias do the talking since she didn't like putting herself in the centre of attention with her new condition. She didn't want to give the students more excuses to stare at her in wonder or fascination than they already did. Ron and Malfoy suffered from the same fate as the students' eyes continually found them and inspected their new girly selves. (With Malfoy giving one-finger salutes like people gave out Halloween candy.)
One person who Hermione caught watching her a lot was the little Greengrass girl. Hermione supposed that this was more to check if Hermione was irritated with her, rather than gawking at her because of the whole gender swap thing. At least this seemed like a reasonable explanation for all the staring and blushing Astoria did whenever Hermione caught her looking.
What an odd, and not to mention, dangerous girl.
Hermione stood there looking at the urinals in wonder. Should she give it a try?
Yeah, why not?
She was in a male's body after all and she had always been curious about it (however strange that may sound). Now she could finally experience the perk of urinating whilst standing. Hermione stepped in front of the urinal and was about to get down to business, when she suddenly heard the door of the lavatory bang open, disturbing her in the process of her "experiment".
"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione yelped as she identified the newcomer.
Harry, who had not anticipated someone yelling at him when he strolled lazily into the lavatory, jumped back startled with his back flat against the wall. He, however, relaxed immediately when he realised that it was only Hermione.
"Really, Hermione. Was that necessary? You scared the hell out of me," he demanded in a slightly accusing tone. "Besides, what kind of question is that? Why do you think people go to the loo for?"
"Harry, I know why people go to the loo for. What I mean is: Why do you have to go now?" Hermione asked as she tried to protect her modesty.
Harry just rolled his eyes at her and walked to the urinal next to hers. Hermione's eyes widened at this. Surely Harry wasn't going to do what she thought he was?
"Harry! What are you doing? Go away! Get out!"
"I need to take a leak, Hermione!" Harry snapped, ignoring her protests and began to empty his bladder unashamedly.
How dare he pee?
Hermione couldn't believe his gall. He just took a leak with her standing right next to him! When she had explicitly asked him not to! Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"Well, are you going to take a leak or what? You should hurry. We have Transfiguration in five minutes," her friend then asked as he leaned against the wall lazily. Hermione's eyes narrowed at Harry's comment.
"Don't rush me, Harry. I'll pee when I-" Hermione began, but froze mid-sentence. With Harry irritating and distracting her from the - no pun intended - task at hands, she had peed on her hand!
Some darn friend she had!
Hermione decided then and there that she was going to be a sitter forever. Screw standing!
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Molly the Cat (the cat pictured in my avatar) who was the coolest cat ever.
