Title: Filter Effect
Summary: In order to change the outsides of something you don't like, you have to change the insides, Hermione realized with a start.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Are you people honestly AFRAID to give me some feedback? Seriously, I've gotten like two reviews…but at least I know that I'm not talking to myself…oh yes…go back and read the Author's Note at the bottom of chapter II.I replaced the content because I forgot to add some things I wanted to say. You don't have to reread the entire chapter…I just fixed some minor grammar mistakes, nothing that alters what you've already read dramatically. Another thing I keep forgetting…disregard the events of HBP. I don't like it, so we are pretending it never happened. Cool?
IronFistShadyGurl: Its great to get a signed review. Thanks, I like it too…but I felt like I sprung it on you guys that she was going to end up with a gothic-inspired sense of taste. I tried to foreshadow that she would end up going that way (the appearance of Jade…running out of that Hollister-wannabe store…)…but I'm hopeless at literary devices so it was probably just like –slap in face- Hermione is going to look like a freak! But yeah. Thanks.
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Part One:
With an ungainly stumble, an unprepared Hermione fell bodily into the dimly lit store with a small squeal, nearly managing to take down Jade as she landed in an ungraceful heap near a rack of shoes. Rising slowly to a sitting position and flushing brightly, Hermione pointedly ignored Jade's traitorous snickers as she struggled to right her hopelessly twisted shirt.
"Stupid Jade," she muttered darkly in mock anger, finally succeeding in getting her shirt to lay flat. Now she was fighting, and loosing, a battle with trying to calming her wild hair. "Stupid hair." She attempted to glare upward at her locks but failed miserably, and instead shifted her attention to the display rack she had nearly toppled over when she, quite literally, dropped in.
"Hey Jade?" Hermione called over the thumping music, pulling herself upright and examining a pair of spiky three inch black heels. She noticed that once inside, the music wasn't all that loud. She could easily talk normally and be heard.
Jade turned from her conversation with the person behind the register, a tall, thin girl with long shocking pink hair and two silver lip rings. "Can you pleeeease come over here and assist your confused and very out of place friend?" Hermione pleaded with a helpless expression. Jade fought off a smile and turned to say a few sentences to the clerk, who nodded in response and said something with a smile before Jade sighed good-naturedly and wound through the racks of clothing in order to stand beside a smirking Hermione.
"Who's the girl with the pink hair?" Hermione absently inquired over her shoulder as she bent to pick up one of the black heels, eyeing it and slowly turning it over to check the size. "Sweet, it's my size."
"Erika," Jade replied, scanning the display of assorted styles of women's shoes. "She's a friend of mine who co-owns this store with her brother. He's off right now." Hermione plucked up the matching heel as Jade watched with raised eyebrows and dangled the pair from her index finger, holding them in front of Jade's face to get her opinion. "I'll give you some inches, I'll tell you that," Jade commented dryly as Hermione beamed. That was all the 'they'll look good on you' she would ever get from that girl.
"Get the purple ballet shoes with the ribbons," Jade told her, pointing, and Hermione obediently leaned across the display and picked one up. Holding up one of the long ribbons with a free finger, Hermione arched her eyebrows. "What, do they lace up your legs?" At Jade's exasperated nod, Hermione replaced the shoe in favor of rummaging through the many boxes beneath the shelf the shoes were displayed on. "Six," she muttered to herself. "I need a six." Finally she managed to slide a box out from the bottom without toppling the entire pile and peeked inside. She closed the lid after making sure the right kind were inside the box, and moved to walk away but Jade grabbed her arm.
"Mia, this is the best store like this in the mall. If you seriously want my help," Jade ran quick fingers through her shoulder length hair, "we'll be staying here. Not to mention, Erika will give us a discount." Hermione shrugged and made a noise of acquiescence, so Jade nudged her towards the counter.
"Erika, can we put all our stuff up here instead of carrying it around?" Erika nodded and gave Hermione, who was standing off to one side, a small smile. "You'll look great in this stuff," She informed her with a sweeping motion to all the racks of clothes. Hermione followed the gesture and an uncertain smile graced her lips. "You think so?" Erika smiled again, for real, and instead said, "If you like those heels," jerking her chin towards the black shoes on top of the shoe box, "We have similar styles in the back if you'd like to see them."
With an enthusiastic nod Hermione agreed, but Jade pulled her away when a male customer came in to inquire on bondage belts. Soon Erika was waving to Hermione and rummaging under the counter for some keys.
"Okay Mia. We can look at shoes later. But personally, I recommend that if you're going to be wearing two and three inch heels like that," Jade was still pulling her towards a long rack of pants, "then you'll want to wear pants with them."
"But why?" Hermione pulled out from the rack a pair of medium-blue skinny jeans. She peeked at the size, frowned, and put them back.
"Because you don't want to look like a whore, do you?" Jade pulled out the pants that Hermione had returned and glanced at the tag. "These are only a five, Hermione. If you really want to wear this kind of stuff," Jade brandished the pants around, and Hermione ducked to avoid getting hit in the face with a pant leg. "You can't wear them like your style now. They have to be…" Jade searched for an appropriate word as she hung the pants over her arm. "Form fitting."
Hermione fingered another pair of dark blue jeans as she silently argued with herself. She wasn't exactly comfortable with wearing clothes that showed everyone what she owned…but maybe it was time to relax a little and not be afraid. Hermione glanced over at the clerk, who was still showing some belts to the customer. Erika had said she would look good…she wouldn't lie, would she? Erika didn't even know Hermione, so she must be telling the truth.
Rubbing her forehead, Hermione pulled another piece of clothing from the rack. They were a pair of small black shorts. Hermione almost put them back, but then, 'Why should I? Why am I so worried about what everyone else thinks? Why does it matter? They don't know me. They don't even come close to knowing me.' Hermione held on to them.
Jade nodded at her, a pleased expression on her face. Hermione grinned back. "I'm for real with this, Jade." She told her friend slowly. "No more worrying about what other people think, no more caring. I'm just going to do what I want...what feels right to me." Hermione took the pants from Jade. "And this…it just feels right."
Another pair of dark blue skinny jeans were draped over Jade's arm, as well as a faded pair over Hermione's, along side the black shorts, when Jade took them from Hermione to deposit them next to the shoes on the counter. Hermione wandered over to a rack where shirts hung and searched slowly through them, picking anything out that caught her eye. A long black tank top and a gray long-sleeved sweater shirt with a plunging neckline were draped over her arm when she saw what she had really been looking for: a black corset. With a squeal Hermione pulled it off the hanger and held it up to her torso, just as Jade was returning.
"Awesome," Jade said with an approving grin. The corset laced up in a wide criss-cross pattern all along the front with thin dark green ribbons. Hermione pulled it away from her body to look at the back; the pattern was repeated on the reverse side, but Hermione could see that there was no fabric beneath the laces. The middle part of her back would show in a long strip about three inches wide. Hermione smiled and held it up to her body again, measuring where it would end. About an inch below her belly button, she approximated, tracing the wale-bone seam along the sides. It was a simple style, but Hermione thought it looked beautiful.
"You'll be a knockout with that on," Jade said with an excited expression. They looked through the rest of the tops, selecting about four more when Hermione chose to move on towards a display of belts. She chose a triple row studded belt with silver studs and a thinner double rowed one that was purple instead of the silver.
"At least you won't be wearing all black," Jade commented. "Your mum can't get upset at that." Hermione glanced down at the belts, biting her lip. She hadn't even thought of her mom's reaction to all this. With a shrug, she forced herself to dismiss her worry. Oh, well. Once she bought the clothes, it was too late, anyway. "Let's get some more pants. I don't want to have to come back here until the end of summer and I have to go back to school."
The mention of school made Hermione think about Harry and Ron again, and she felt a rush of spite as they started examining the many pairs of pants that hung on the rack. Maybe, if she came back to school looking like she didn't give a shit what they thought, they'd realize how much they were really loosing. ''Sides', Hermione thought with a mean sort of gladness, 'they won't be cribbing off me in classes anymore.' It was fairly certain that she'd end up Head Girl, and along with that and advanced Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Transfiguration and Potions, which neither of them were in, she'd barely get a chance to see them at all. And for that, she was immensely glad of.
"How about these, Mia?" Jade was holding up a pair of absolutely fabulous black leather pants. They were slung very low, and had no belt loops. Reaching out, Hermione felt the butter-smooth texture of the leather and knew it wouldn't be hard to keep them up; they would suction to her like a second skin. Good. "You know Jade…" Hermione said in a slightly drawling voice. "I'm actually a three in pants…so maybe...?" The corner of Jade's mouth curled up slightly as she caught on.
"That's my girl."
A/N Whew. All that in one go. So don't get mad at me when I have massive grammar issues and stuff. Again, in need of a beta reader. Review and send me your email if you are interested. This is basically a filler chapter, which is why its rather slow...but it is important because now Hermione is finally gaining some confidence and belief in herself. Not to mention she's starting to not give a shit what people think…which I think suits her well. Again, review! Or I'll demolish my computer with a baseball bat.
Cianyde