This is an AU story after fourth year. I'm changing things- a lot of things. Fifth year did not turn out the way I wanted it to, so I'm ignoring it and everything that came after. The pairing for this story is NOT ROMANTIC. I don't know who Hermione is going to end up with…though I have an idea. You may also have your own opinions, which I would welcome interestedly. Also, you should probably know from the start: SIRIUS WILL NOT DIE IN MY FANFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: You know I'm not her.

Chapter One

School was done for the summer. The Golden Trio sat in their compartment in silence. Though they had the compartment to themselves, they were seated side by side, with Harry in the middle and their pets on the opposite bench.

Ron stared out of the window, though he saw nothing, trying to figure out what to say to Harry. What could he say? Harry had witnessed the rise of the Dark Lord as well as the death of Cedric Diggory. That's not exactly something you bounce back from.

He wished he could help the other boy nevertheless. Seeing Harry staring uncomprehendingly at the cage his owl would be in if Hedwig hadn't decided to fly was a most disturbing sight. Those green eyes were darker than Ron had ever seen them before.

Though Harry had asked them to act normally, Ron couldn't. Hermione could though, which might have been the saving grace of the ride. As usual, she had curled up with a book as soon as the train was underway, leaning into Harry as they had placed her on the wrong side of the bench. They all knew she usually ended up leaning onto the right side of the chair she was on, but as she was to the left of Harry instead of the right, she didn't end up leaning into the wall as she usually did.

Harry didn't mind though, as he couldn't help but feel comforted by the feel of her warmth against him. Sometimes he didn't ever think he'd be warm again. But still...looking down at her, he couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked curled up and napping.

He nudged Ron, with a trace of his customary humour, and gestured to their sleeping friend. Ron's smirk soon matched his own and they indulged themselves in a spot of male superiority.

Girls, bah.

Even if she did look extremely cute.

The two boys, comforted by the sight of their usually energetic female counter-part dozing contentedly, actually calmed down, engaging quietly but cheerfully on a discussion about the current Quidditch season.

Well, okay, the discussion turned to an argument about an hour in when Harry stated there was no way that the Canons could ever, ever, ever, win the cup, effectively waking Hermione up.

Both boys winced when they saw her rouse, but continued the fight when she just went back to her book. An hour later, the fight was still going and Hermione had to roll her eyes, basking in female superiority for a moment before she slammed her book closed.

Time to take charge.

"Alright, boys, that's enough." She said, hiding a smirk. "We will have a new topic now. Would you like to discuss our finals? Because I think I got one Potions question wro-"

"NO!" The two boys shouted as one.

"Uh," Harry went on quickly when she winced. "We mean...er...what about plans for this summer? What are you up to Ron?"

"We're all going to Romania to see my brother Charlie." Ron said, latching desperately onto the new topic. He was abso-bloody-lutely not going to discuss tests again until next September--and that was only if completely necessary. "Mom and Dad didn't get to spend much time with him when he came with the dragons and Ginny hasn't stopped talking about how much she misses him, so we're going. We'll be back in August though, and both of you are welcome at our house--Mum already said so."

"That's great, Ron. You'll get to learn all about dragons." Harry said, grinning. "Maybe you'll find your career, playing with dragons."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded. "Dragon-keeping is possibly the most risky job in the wizarding world. It wouldn't be playing."

Ron laughed. "Actually, for Charlie, it is. He loves playing with dangerous things. He was the best Quidditch seeker Gryffindor had before Harry, because he did whatever he had to in order to catch the Snitch. He even jumped off of his broom once and fell about ten feet. On purpose, though, not like with the dementors." He added quickly, remembering his best friend's plunge the previous year.

Harry grinned. "I'm sure he has fun then. But it would be a neat job, you have to admit."

"Honestly." Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes. "Only you, Harry, would want to add more adventure to our lives."

Harry's grin just widened. When Hermione got in her little huffs, she was great fun to listen to as well as to tease, if he could get away with it. "Aw, c'mon, 'Mione. We'd be bored stiff without adventure. If we didn't go on dangerous missions every year, we'd quit Hogwarts out of boredom."

As he hoped, her chocolate eyes grew wide with shock. "Harry James Potter!" She exclaimed. "That isn't true at all. If we focused more on our studies-"

"Hermione, luv, if you spent more time on your studies, they'd kick you up a level. You're already top of our class." Ron said, eagerly joining in the teasing. It wasn't often the two of them were able to get the upper hand on her, so when they did it was great fun. "We have to find these adventures, just to keep you around."

She stared suspiciously at them both, knowing she was being played, but grinning reluctantly anyways. "You two..." She moaned, half in exasperation. She hugged them both and then grinned evilly. "Well, if we really need so much adventure in our lives, then you will have to get us all the information you can about dragon-keeping, Ronald. We'll have to think up all kinds of questions to ask Charlie."

Ron looked horrified for about a second. She was assigning him homework? But no, he saw immediately, as she went over to her trunk and dug out parchment. They were apparently doing it now.

He looked over to see Harry smirking at him. "What?" He asked.

"You've got to admit, it would be neat." Harry said. "And better yet, it'll keep her occupied." He added, dropping his voice down to a whisper.

He showed Ron the book Hermione had been reading before her nap and the redhead groaned.

"Hogwarts, A History, again?"

Hermione returned in time for his comment. She huffed, taking her book back and glaring at the two. "Yes, again." She said. "I have to make sure I remember everything out of it, since the two of you never will. Now, let's make our list. What do we want to ask Charlie about dragon-keepers?"

An hour later, the three had a parchment full of questions and were actually enthusiastic about what had started out as a joke.

"You know, Charlie loves dragon-keeping." Ron said earnestly to his friends. "He's hasn't been home when he started- he almost didn't finish Hogwarts. He went to visit a camp during his Christmas break in his Seventh Year and almost didn't come back. They offered him a job on the spot. Mum made him come back."

"If it's even half as much fun as you say, it'd be worth all the hard-work." Hermione said, looking over their list and absently fixing some spelling errors from when one of the boys had stolen the parchment from her.

"It's really tough, the training." Ron said. "And not many people go into it anymore."

"That's great." Harry disagreed, grinning. "It's means the three of us will stay together. We'll all go to one camp."

Both Hermione and Ron stilled at those words, each going through their knowledge of the complex world of dragon-keeping and realizing the truth behind Harry's words. There were very few camps around the world and the teams had to be the best suited groups that could work together.

Hermione grinned, hugging Harry and Ron at once. "Yes we will. It'll be fun!"

"Hermione Granger, I do believe we've been a bad influence on you." Ron teased, hugging her back. "Dragon-keeping as fun, tut tut."

"Oh ha ha." She said, pulling back and sticking her tongue out at him.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks, both trying not to smile. "This is all your fault." Harry said scoldingly. "I told you she was easily led astray. Look who she hangs out with!"

"A pair of ruffians, I know." Ron said, shaking his head sadly. "She used to be such a good student."

"She had such potential..." Harry added mournfully.

"She could have gone so far." Ron agreed.

"We've corrupted her!" They shouted as one, hugging each other and sobbing loudly.

Hermione burst into laughter. "Honestly, the two of you, I just don't know." She said. "If you would act your age." She scolded, affectionately whacking each boy on the head.

"Abuse! Abuse!" Harry accused, shaking his finger at her. "You can't do that to Ron. He doesn't have many brain cells left!"

"Too right." Ron agreed. "What are brain cells? Hey, Harry!"

Ron realized he was being insulted and attacked Harry.

Hermione laughed again, watching her boys scuffle on the floor. They knocked into her legs once and then again and then-

"Ah!" Hermione shouted as bolts of lightning shot through her body.

"Hermione!" The two boys stopped, jumping at once to their feet, thinking they had hurt her. "Are you alright?" Ron demanded.

Hermione ignored such an obvious and completely idiotic question, grabbing her head as the pain concentrated to begin banging around her head. "AH!" She cried. "What's going on?"

Both boys grabbed her as she fell out of her seat, clutching her head with her eyes closed. They held her as she began shaking and then suddenly she was enveloped in an aura of blue.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing her tightly. She was completely obscured, even though he could still feel her. "Ron, go get someone! The twins, a prefect- anyone."

Ron nodded, racing out the door.

Harry didn't pay attention, wincing as Hermione's screams got louder and louder. Abruptly, they stopped and she fell limp against his arms. The blue aura swirled around her faster and faster, getting no thicker but no thinner either.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as he raced back in. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Harry said, looking up to see the twins, Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson come in. "Guys, Hermione collapsed and started screaming and now-"

He stopped as Angelina took her wand out and cast a spell. "She's unconscious." The girl announced. "What were you guys doing?" She demanded, glaring at the two younger boys.

"Nothing!" Ron protested, not quite able to keep a guilty look off of his face. What if they had hurt Hermione?

"Really?" Fred asked, eyeing his brother doubtfully. "That sort of thing-"

He gestured at Hermione.

"Doesn't happen over nothing." George finished.

"Honest." Harry said, though he wore the same expression of guilt and regret. "We were just talking. About Dragon-keeping and your brother Charlie. No spells or anything."

"Look," Lee said abruptly, ending the staring contest between the twins and Harry and Ron. "It's fading."

As one, the twins and Lee all took out their wands. Who knew what was going to happen next? Better safe than sorry.

Still, they were all too shocked to do anything when the aura was finally gone. The girl before them was not the Hermione they knew.

"Hermione?" Ron and Harry both said in disbelief.

Lying where Hermione had been was a girl with pale skin and hair the same color as Harry's which fell in straight lines all the way down her back. She was still wearing Hermione's uniform, as she hadn't changed yet, but her skirt was suddenly much higher on her leg's than it had been, her shirt suddenly fitting her a lot better.

"That's Hermione?" Angelina asked delicately. Neither of the younger boys answered, both staring in stunned silence. She rolled her eyes, turning back to the girl, whomever she was. "Ennervate."

Instantly, intense blue eyes flew open and the girl sat up. "What's going on? Ron, Harry, what did you do?" Though the tone was off- slightly higher and more feminine than it had been before- the temper was definitely the same and both boys found themselves smiling.

"Hermione, what happened to you?" George asked, unsure of what to do.

"Are you feeling alright?" Lee asked.

"Do you want us to get someone?" Fred offered.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "What are you guys doing here- what's going on?"

"Hermione, do you remember what happened?" Angelina asked. "The boys said you were talking about Charlie," she prompted.

"Uh, yeah." Hermione said, looking oddly at the older girl. "Um, we made up questions to ask Charlie and then the boys started wrestling around and they hit my legs and suddenly I was in this intense pain- and... did I pass out?"

"Hermione, that's not all that happened." Ron said. "Not even close."

"What do you mean, Ron? Harry?" She demanded. Both boys looked at her awkwardly and shrugged.

"Hermione, there was some kind of spell on you-" George said.

"Or there is now." Fred added. "Look." He took her quill and quickly transfigured it into a mirror, handing it to the girl.

She cautiously looked into the mirror and then gasped. "Oh my gosh!" She grabbed her wand- from where, no one saw- and quickly said, "Finite Incantantum!"

Nothing happened.

"Finite Incantantum!" She declared more strongly.

Still nothing happened.

"I tried that already." Angelina offered. "Did you cast any glamours on yourself?" She asked. "Or know of anybody that would? As a joke maybe?" She asked, glaring at the twins.

Both twins instinctively took a step back. "We didn't do this!" They protested as one. "Ask Lee," Fred went on. "We've-"

"-been with him all day!" George finished, pushing Lee in front of them.

"It's true." Lee said, even as he bravely faced the glares of both girls. "We haven't pranked anyone all day. We woke up late," he tried to joke, but both girls had already turned away.

"Something bad happened." Hermione said, looking at herself in the mirror again. "I have a bad feeling about this- a really bad feeling."

Angelina laid a hand on Hermione's shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't we owl Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall?" She suggested. "They can Apparate to the platform before we even get there. They'll take care of this. As long as you aren't hurt, I guess there isn't really a problem right now, is there?"

No one could come up with a better suggestion, so Hedwig was quickly sent off back towards Hogwarts. As it appeared that Hermione wasn't actually in any pain, everyone decided this was for the best. The older kids retreated and the Trio fell into an awkward silence with each other.

After awhile, Ron got the brilliant idea of pulling out his chess set. That carried them through the end of the ride, the three of them falling into their game, with Harry and Hermione teaming up against Ron, not that they managed to succeed even with that strategy.