And here is the second chapter :) Hope you enjoy! Please review if you do!

Year 1995/96 is their Fifth Year.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


Year 1995, November
The Great Hall

Hermione didn't usually dress pretty. Throughout her life, she always assumed practical before beautiful. She considered herself to be a somewhat plain looking girl, with her brown hair, brown eyes. Her interest in clothes and make-up was so basic that she did not learn how to use mascara until the age of fifteen – that was last year, of course. She never thought much about it, her mind preferring to hide away in books and experiments and magic. Many of her childhood friends and teachers referred to her as being an irritating, ordinary infant. Her beauty wasn't one that stood out between her peers and she never thought of herself as cute or attractive. Sometimes, she wished she could care more. Dress more, put on some make-up and have some eyes turn. But, truth was, Hermione did not care. She had no interest, really. Although, she did admit that when she did manage to turn heads at the Yule Ball it felt good – it felt really good.

Hermione Granger, eye turner.

She chuckled softly at that last statement. Currently heading towards the Great Hall for some breakfast, Hermione had decided that today she would dress pretty. She took extra care with her still extremely bushy hair, making use of her Sleekeazy's Hair Potion for once. She had applied some light pink blush, a little bit of mascara and glossed her lips. And it was true what they said about make-up having a kind of confidence aura when you wore it. The stride in her steps was a confident one, granting she usually always felt confident in herself and abilities – she was the brightest witch of her age, after all – but today there was something different. Hermione wasn't used to feeling pretty or good-looking and as much as she couldn't care less about those things, there was always something more powerful that made you change your mind. Something that made you want to feel pretty and beautiful; something that made you blush harder and your heart quicken. Something that she constantly read about and wondered about, but rarely took it in herself to try out, simply because it sounded so… not-important, when considering the great scheme of things. Something that made Hermione chuckle on her walk to breakfast. Something masculine. Something like boys. Yes, boys.

She was no stranger to the concept of boys or attraction or sex. Her parents made sure she learned from very early on that all that crap about the bees and the birds, was false. Human beings have reproductive systems and they are the main contributor to the continuation of the species. Men have penises and woman have vaginas and when they come together, they have the power to form a new life. This was something Hermione had learned from a very young age, so when kids reached that age of laughing at all these words, Hermione didn't felt the need to. For her, it was a completely natural process, necessary for human survivability. Sex was just that… sex. She saw the opposite gender as a required tool for the female gender to give birth, when that same female found herself a suitable partner. Yes, her parents also gave her all that love crap.

"Only do it when you feel ready and with someone you trust and think is worthy of your virtue."

Hermione had never been so embarrassed.

Nonetheless, her parents were right, in the end. Her knowledge proved useful and when boys reached that age of being fearless of cuties, Hermione knew what to expect, au contraire of some of her friends. But that didn't mean that Hermione took up interest in boys, whatsoever. She remained herself, with a head buried away in a book, trying to learn all there was to learn. She didn't feel the need to experience the things herself, for it all happened perfectly in her imagination and that was enough for her. Even when some of her dorm friends came back with some unusually wild stories, containing members of the opposite sex – sometimes they even shared comparisons on the size of those members' member – Hermione was quite content in just listening and learning.

So, even though she was absolutely no foreigner to boys, boys did not find her a local at all. They avoided her, mostly because she never showed any interest. Or maybe because she was a simple, plain girl, with no real experience in the heart of eye turning and seduction. And that was ok for Hermione. She almost considered herself superior in a way, for not have fallen into the temptations of the flesh. And Merlin, she sounded so much like a little virgin nun just about now. That is not what she meant, at all! She simply knew she was too busy with other pressing matters, such as the never-ending information all the books contained and the rising of the darkest wizard of all time. She had no time to spend with boys or hormones or sex. She was being the bigger person; the intellectual one that had better ways to occupy her time. And boys sensed that. So, they didn't even bother trying. And that was ok for Hermione.

Until, she decided to dress pretty because she was eyeing a boy and the boy was eyeing back. And she wanted to look her best at breakfast. And that was so unlike Hermione Granger that she had to chuckle again. Who thought? Her she was, reaching the Great Hall's doors, feeling confident and attractive, all because of some silly boy. The Wizarding World was on the verge of something big, Harry was worried, Dumbledore was worried, everyone was worried, and here she was, almost giggling about a silly tool of the opposite gender. And strangely enough, Hermione couldn't bring herself to stop, because she liked this feeling. It made her remember the Yulle Ball all over again and if felt good to be in this position once more. The feeling wasn't strange or silly, it was refreshing.

She entered the Great Hall and made her way towards her seat, at the Gryffindor table. Some heads turned, more in question that anything else, but that was enough for Hermione.

Hermione, the eye turner.

By the time she took her seat opposite to Harry, she was almost grinning wildly.

"You look cheerful."

"I'm in a good mood!" she answered, grabbing a piece of toast.

Harry looked at her suspiciously and eyed her appearance. She looked… different.

"What happened to your hair?"

Hermione took a bite at her toast, taking a while to answer while she looked around the hall, searching for the very same motive that made her hair look different.

"Used some of that potion. Had some extra time in morning. I figured, why not?" she answered again, still looking around the hall.

"It suits you."

Hermione turned her attention to the green-eyed boy in front of her and smiled, a small thanks leaving her mouth. The refreshing, rare feeling was coming back again. She felt pretty.

"Are you trying to catch someone's attention?" Harry asked, as he went back to reading the Daily Prophet.

She took a sip of her pumpkin juice, as she pondered what to answer. It wasn't that she didn't trust Harry or did not talk with him about these things. He was her best-friend, almost like a brother. She just didn't know how to answer. She WAS trying to do just that. She wanted the boy to eye her back and like what he was seeing. How would Harry react to that? To something, that was so unlike Hermione, especially in these dealing times?

"What if I was?" she questioned carefully, as she averted his eyes, searching the Hall more discreetly this time.

Harry looked up at her and saw how she bit her lip. She used to that when she wasn't certain about something and Hermione was almost never uncertain about something. So she was, indeed. Hence the hair and… was she wearing make-up?

He laughed softly.

"What?" Hermione eyed him suspiciously, feeling a little self-conscious. She was used to her boys not really seeing her as a girl or a woman, but more as one of the guys. It usually didn't bother her, but today she wanted nothing more than to feel like a girl or a woman.

"Nothing! I just think, you are already pretty as yourself. And a guy should notice that on his own." When she was about to snap at him, Harry cut her short "I mean, I'm not used to seeing you… you know. Acting all girly."

"I am a girl, you know." Hermione retorted, her good mood rapidly dissipating.

"I know, I know! I'm not meaning this in a bad way, Hermione. I find it… good, actually. It's nice to see you smile." he tried a tentative smile himself, hoping to lessen the awkward tension.

Hermion didn't respond, taking another bite on her toast before, finally, making eye contact with the one person she actually longed to see this morning. And she couldn't help the small blush making its way up her cheeks.

He was in Ravenclaw, so naturally, his intellect was also something that was very attractive to her. He wasn't, by far, the most beautiful boy in school, but he wasn't bad looking. He had nice green eyes and a lovely smile. She met him in her Ancient Runes class at the start of the year and didn't think nothing of it, as she usually does. But, as class went on, she caught him staring at her a couple of times and she started to stare back. Soon enough, they would discreetly stare and smile at each other and Hermione thought back to all her parent's talk about the birds and the bees and hormones and sex and boys and couldn't help but feeling like a little schoolgirl again.

After Viktor Krum, Hermione showed no real interest in anyone else. She couldn't deny that Viktor made her reconsider her ideologies about boys and sex, but mentally, he wasn't that much of a match for her, although she doubted she could actually find someone that could stimulate her mind as much as she wanted them too. She was too bright for her own good and she knew it well. So she knew, better than anyone, that not all people would interest her, simply because, she would always assume she was better than them. It was a hard fact but it was the truth. Hermione was very intelligent and it took people some effort to keep up with her. Maybe that was another reason boys avoided her.

But this boy didn't.

So, she smiled while trying to hide her blush and he smiled back. They haven't talked much, apart from some hellos and goodbyes, but she had a feeling he would talk soon. If he didn't, she would consider talking herself. She has faced more dangerous things, right? How hard could it be to actually talk to a boy and ask him out?

"Who are you smiling at?" Ron suddenly asked as he took a seat next to her. He paused to take a better look at her and frowned "And what is up with your hair?"

Hermione sighed in frustration as he broke her sweet, girly moment.

"She used some of that potion! You know, the one Ginny advised her to buy." Harry stated, as a matter of fact.

"What for?" Ron continued, filling up his plate with eggs and sausages.

Seriously, Ronald. Can you be any more tactless? Hermione sighed again and ignored him as she finished the rest of her toast.

"So, Quidditch practice today?" Harry hurriedly tried to catch Ron's attention, knowing how thick his best friend could be sometimes. And, as if on cue, Ron forgot all about Hermione's hair and started a conversation with Harry about one of his favourite subjects.

Hermione seized the opportunity to send one more glance at the Ravenclaw table, hoping to catch up on some more green-eyed gaze, when, suddenly, she felt something very wet fall down her head, as if it was raining profusely. But it didn't rain on the Great Hall and the smell that filled her nose wasn't that of wet rain, but of a familiar fruit that was, seconds ago, in her own mouth. Yes, she could smell it and taste it as it reached her lips and she was forced to close her eyes, as that sticky substance began taking possession of her face. She couldn't actually make up what was going on, until she heard a voice, a voice she knew too well and she loathed as much. A voice that made her insides cringe with hate and her temperament rise so high, it could kill birds miles up in the air. And that voice as laughing. Laughing hard, as it stumbled with the words:

"I'm sorry, Granger! Didn't see you there!"

And it continued to laugh and was soon joined by other laughing voices as well. Hermione could hear most of the Great Hall's contagious laughter, as slick pumpkin juice drained down her hair and face. Her pretty face and sleek hair. The hair that took so long to tame and the face that took so much precision to prettify. It could have been any other day, but it had to be the day that Hermione decided to look pretty for some stupid boy, that wouldn't even talk to her.

Ron had instantly sat up and began screaming profanities at the perpetrator, accusing him of doing it on purpose and other bad things Hermione did not want to acknowledge. She continued in her seat, eyes closed, almost afraid of opening them again and meeting with green-eyes, that were probably laughing at her too. She heard Harry sitting up as well, trying to calm Ron down and also condemning the author of the mortifying crime, threatening him with a bunch of hexes. Hermione heard all of this and wished she wasn't frozen in her seat. She should be reacting. She should be hexing Malfoy from here to oblivion for ruining her, for once, perfect hair and face. She shouldn't be so upset, like it was the end of the world. She has been almost to the end of the world and this doesn't compare. This was pumpkin juice all over her face, hardly something of life or death. But to her, it sure felt that way today. And it was stupid. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help it. Not today. All she wanted was to feel pretty for a boy she liked. And Malfoy had to ruin it, like he ruins everything.

"I said I was sorry Weasel! No need to get so defensive about your poor excuse for a girlfriend."

Shut up, Malfoy. Just shut up. I don't want to deal with you today.

"Sorry!? I know you did it on purpose, you bloody ferret! You noticed her hair was different today and – "

Oh Merlin, Ron. Just shut up as well!

"Ron, leave it! Hermione are you alright?" Harry asked from the other side of table.

"Different? As in, bushy and ugly as always? If that is the case, then yes. I tried to give it a wash down. Try to put it back in its place, but it seems I failed again."

"Why you little…"

"RON STOP!"

Hermione rapidly stood up from her seat, standing between Ron and the cause of this embarrassing moment. Her hair was sticky and glued to the sides of her face. Malfoy must have dumped the whole cup into it. She did not believe for one second that it wasn't intentional, but she didn't want Ron to make more of a scene than it actually was.

She could sense that all the eyes at the Great Hall were watching the exchange between them and right now she couldn't care less. She was livid with anger and mortified. You try to do one idiotic girly thing and look where it leads you. Tsk, tsk.

Being a nun didn't sound so bad right now.

Ron was about to retort, but Hermione was quicker and turned around to face Malfoy. He was smirking down at her, all that façade of it being an accident, gone. He had grown taller over the summer and she had to stretch her neck to face him fully. He looked sleek and elegant as always and she noticed that he had his two goonies, Crabbe and Goyle, behind him, smirking and laughing as well. No, this was not an accident. This was Malfoy being Malfoy and deciding to ruin her morning. She wondered if he did take notice that she had put some effort in looking good today and wanted to put an end to it, for Merlin knows why, or if it was just some fateful coincidence. The latter was more of a possibility, since Draco Malfoy would never notice her in that way. He hated her and all she represented. And it was just like he said: her hair would always be bushy, just as she would always be a filthy, little Mudblood.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something to him, to wipe that foul smirk off his face, to give him a taste of his own medicine. She pondered throwing juice right back at him or even worse, stab him with a fork. She considered hexing him painfully, make him pay, with everyone watching. Make him beg, humiliate him. Oh, how she wanted to do all those things! But, she was Hermione Granger. She was not pretty now, even though she did manage to turn more heads. And boys be damned! They were coarse, rude, and messy. She was Hermione Granger and she wouldn't go down like this. Not without a fight.

So, she did just that.

SLAP.

"Grow up, Malfoy."

And without waiting for the reply, Hermione turned around and left the scene. She didn't even spare a glance at the Ravenclaw table. She didn't even acknowledge Ron's laughter and Harry's chortling. And she certainly didn't see Malfoy's glare as she walked away. She may not be pretty, but she was Hermione Granger. And people would do well not to forget that.


Ok, one more done :) Please keep in mind that I have already written like, 5 chapters for this story, but I'm not going to upload it all at once. Since I tend to be a pretty lazy person (tehe...) I gave myself a head start, so I would try to update regularly.

Again, thank-you for reading and I apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes :) Hope you are having a fantastic day!