A seemingly insignificant problem
Sometimes change is good, sometimes it's inevitable and at times it's irresistible. Some changes are the result of your choice and some are out of control. Some will be followed by good things and some being you misery. So, when Hermione noticed one in her appearance it made her worried, but not nearly as much as it should have.
Hermione Granger had never liked her hair. That was mostly true about other aspects of her body, but her hair was the most annoying. That was something she would deny if she was ever asked about, but she always seen it as a mess and an inconvenience to herself. After all, who would want their hair resemble a bird's nest?
Last year she had successfully straightened her hair by the miracle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. She had wondered if there was a more permanent solution, and to her disappointment, there had been none, since apparently a trait of her magic was her hair, like Harry's unmanageable hair which proved he was a Potter. Her parents weren't magical so it made little sense, but it was something she had come to accept. There was nothing in the world that could magically turn her into a perfect princess and Hermione was okay with that.
All said had been true until last week. Something was affecting her hair in an odd way, and to be honest, she had mixed feelings about it. It seemed to be a positive change. However, she knew very well that even minor changes in magical world, could indicate disasters in future. The change had been gradual, but persistent and constant as her hair had started to straighten. At first she had blamed the new shampoo, but an additional change made her doubt that possibility. If she looked really well she could see a very mild color change close to the hair roots. It was a bit lighter and it was becoming more evident as it grew.
Her mother tried to dismiss her concerns by saying that when she was her age a very similar thing had happened to her skin and she, too, had felt weird about it. Hermione said nothing to her mother but she could not stop feeling upset that her mother would not understand Hermione's problem. Her father dismissed the change itself, and said that he saw nothing different in her. She was his beloved princess as always. That did not make Hermione any less worried.
The very next month Dumbledore paid them a visit, and she took the opportunity to ask him about it. His answer was neither satisfying nor convincing but for now it was all Hermione had.
"Well, Miss Granger, although I am no expert of hair problems, I guess this has to do with your magical puberty. While such changes are not common, they aren't unexpected either. I myself grew a very long beard when I was fifteen in a week. It was very unsettling and my brother made fun of it constantly, but later on, I learned that it wasn't anything dangerous or bad. I assume that you're very lucky, considering the speed of it's progress."
He smiled kindly and said nothing more about it. Instead he told her to pack her things and come with him if she wanted to spend the summer with Ron and Harry. He didn't say where, so she assumed that they would be going to the Weasleys. She was surprised when they apparated in a muggle neighborhood. Dumbledore gave her a piece of paper on which the secret to house Black was revealed, it was the headquarters of the Order of Phoenix.
Once number 12, Grimmauld Place emerged, they entered. It was a terrible place, surely not a house for your everyday wizard, yet once she met Sirius there, it didn't matter anymore. He was the only one who took her change seriously. He had actually listened.
"There are many reasons for a sudden change in appearance, but very few for slow changes like this. When did it start?" Sirius asked with concern.
"Five weeks ago. It's pretty visible now," replied Hermione. She could barely contain her happiness for someone was finally sharing her concerns. "So what could it be?"
"hmm… Let me have a look." said Sirius as he sat next to Hermine and probed her hair. Then he asked permission to use a few diagnosing spells. He just sat and looked at her for a few seconds before he said,
"Well, there is nothing wrong with your body as far as I can see. No slow progressing curse or dysfunction that can be detected are there. You're OK, but your hair is changing and while you might think it's going to be red, it's actually going to be much lighter. I think it'll eventually turn blonde. The color shift is going to become more drastic. The other problem is your skin. A cellular anomaly was detected by one of my spells. While it's not dangerous at all ... oh please don't worry." he smiled and continued. "It tells me that your skin is changing as well, but I can't really tell how. Melanin production is decreasing, so use a sun protection spell or skin safe potion... What?" He looked amused at her amazement.
"I guess we never asked, but what was your job, Sirius?" she asked, "I mean you must have had a job."
"Well, never needed a job to go by. However, to aggravate my father I actually tried to become a healer. I know it sounds stupid," he laughed lightly.
"It's not stupid."
Sirius nooses and continued, "Look, this change is just superficial. It's not going to change what's inside. You're Hermine Granger now, and you're going to stay that way. Look, your physical appearance is going to change. Needless to say that some of the changes might not have had time to manifest themselves so the changes can be more than you expect. So when you go back to Hogwarts have Poppy check you regularly. I think I detected something in your bones, but it's really insignificant. I expect the change to manifest itself completely by next summer."
Sirius smiled and patted her.
"I just… I'm wondering why would this change happen to me?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.
He looked at her sadly. Apparently Sirius had hopped to avoid this topic. He looked down and put his wand into his pocket.
"You know during previous war both sides lost some of their children. A few were lost without a single trace, and considering the number of Muggleborns present in school, most of them have died. Some parents never went after their children afraid of being rejected finding them dead or endangering their children." he paused as he looked at her incredulous face. "Have you ever asked your parents if you were, you know, adopted?"
"Of course not! I look just like them, don't I? Why would I ask such a horrible thing?" Hermione said, barely managing to stop her tears. This was rubbish.
"Your biological parents could have used complex transfiguration, a process that could be done by using your muggle parents' blood. I know a few methods courtesy of my beloved mother." he looked like a person who just ate something really sour. "The basis is blood of the adopted parents. They make a potion that evaporates rapidly. The baby gradually inhales the potion and in a month you have a completely different baby. It's quite effective and lasts for years, but sometimes when puberty kicks in, it interferes and brings the original features back. You could, of course, use it again when your magic becomes more stable, but that would be pointless really."
Hermione was now even more stressed. She wanted the refute this absurd and ridiculous idea, the fear of it kept her on edge. Happily there was enough distraction for her, as they began to clean the house. A month went by and they still hadn't managed to clean it. Dumbledore has forbidden contacting Harry. He had requested to keep their communication minimal. It was bothering her, but they had promised him to say nothing about the order.
Hermione's hair now was half red with a slight curl, and half brown with insane fuzziness. Eventually, she had to trim it after which she looked like a long lost Weasley. Fred had commented on what Malfoy would say when he saw her, and everyone burst into laughter.
Unfortunately, things never go as planned. Hermione was shocked to find out that Harry had used magic. He had done it to defend himself and his cousin, yet considering the current political atmosphere, the consequences could end up being dramatic. Two weeks later they brought Harry in, and briefed him just enough. He was angry. No, that wouldn't describe it. He was furious. Worst of all, he was angry with them and he was right to be. The only person who had backed him was Sirius, and he was stuck in the house, angry and bitter like him. Hermione's changes had been a fortunate distraction for Sirius as he had taken to himself to monitor them closely. These days he spent a lot of time in Black library. It had pleased Kracher the house elf a tad bit more compliant, perhaps because he thought that Sirius was finally embracing his heritage and becoming a somewhat noble person.
The most amazing and disturbing thing was the portrait of Walburga Black. Once awake it would scream non-stop. It couldn't be removed by any means known to them. Dumbledore had tried but failed, so no one was up to the task of removing that horrible insulting artefact from the wall. Hermione suspected that Sirius could actually remove it but for some unknown reason he wouldn't. Remus had actually held a few private conversations with the portrait and she had seen it once by accident. Apparently, he was one of the few people who she approved as a friend of his son. Yet she wouldn't call him anything but werewolf.
Harry eventually started to calm down and then he noticed the change in her hair.
"Did you dye your hair, Hermione?" He had asked.
"It's more complicated than that," she replied. She tried to tell him as much as she could about the change and how she felt about it. Harry listened carefully and just nodded a few times here and there.
"I suppose Dumbledore has a lot of wrong assumptions this year. Are you sure it's not … you know… dangerous?" said Harry warily, "In my limited experience these things could be signs of something worse."
Hermione smiled fondly at him, "Don't worry. I had myself checked. Sirius said it was OK."
"Sirius? Harry exclaimed. "You aren't being serious, are you?"
They both laughed.
"Yes, the one and only Sirius Black. Did you know that he was planning to become a healer before he got arrested?" said Hermione.
Harry was confused. "A what?" he asked.
"A healer. Healers are magical doctors." she explained.
"Oh? I didn't know that. Did he say what could be the cause of your change?" he asked.
First she considered not telling him. She was afraid of his reaction, but then she thought about what had happened lately and how they had avoided telling him anything. This could be their secret. This would distract him a bit.
"He said that I might be adopted, and the potion that makes me look like my parents is wearing off. Apparently, puberty is responsible for that. I … I'm scared to be honest. I don't know who they might be. They might be dead now." her voice trailed off.
"Hermione, this doesn't change anything. You can be Goyle's sister and it wouldn't matter to me. You are my friend … always." he assured her, "You could be a Weasley, considering your hair. It's possible, isn't it?"
"No, the Weasleys kept all their children. One more wouldn't be a problem, right? Ron and I are six months apart so that's impossible. Also my hair won't be auburn. Sirius says it's going to be blonde. My skin is becoming lighter, too." she explained.
Harry shuddered a bit and said, "Well, you might end up looking like Malfoy." He smirked as he saw her horrified expression.
