Winds of Change

'Sixth year at last!' Harry smiled to himself as he arrived at the train station. 'This is going to be my year.' Pulling his cart to the barrier that was the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, Harry stood with his back facing the seemingly cool stone surface, casually leaning back after checking to see if the coast was clear and sliding through to the busy hustle within. After throwing his bags in the steaming train the first thing he saw was Cho, surrounded, of course, by many of her Ravenclaw friends. Her black hair shone as always but she seemed to have gotten quite a bit older over the summer, somehow. But as he was attempting to figure it out his eye was caught by a flash of red...

The second thing that Harry saw, the thing that had distracted him from Cho, was Ginny. 'Wow...' Harry's bright green eyes widened in complete shock. Ginny had changed, and had she ever changed...her normally frizzy trademark red hair had been tamed, and hung in shiny auburn ringlets down to her waist; Harry found himself fantasizing about running his hands through it. Her deep brown eyes were set out by make-up and her full strawberry lips shone with gloss, and Harry found himself imagining kissing them. Her body had surprisingly changed too, her curves were perfect and her skin tight shirt showed off her newly acquired cleavage, while her jean mini skirt accented her long, lightly tanned legs, which as we all know by know, Harry found he was fantasizing about that as well. Her face still had the Weasley freckles, although less, now barely a handful sprinkled lightly across her nose and cheeks. Turning around and apparently searching desperately for someone Ginny caught Harry staring at her and her cheeks turned crimson as she quickly dropped her eyes and spun back around to resume her conversation with Neville, who had also grown up nicely over the summer. No longer was his face round, but longer and leaner. He had apparently lost his baby fat and was causing lots of girls to give him a second glance. His hair had grown out and he had gotten buff over the summer, Harry marveled. 'How much can one summer change people? Has everyone changed but me?' Harry sighed and saw that even Draco changed over the summer, and as much as Harry hated to admit it himself, there was no lying, Malfoy had definitely sharpened up...

Just then Hermione and Ron entered the platform, holding hands, Harry noticed glumly. They had both changed too, and HERMIONE...

Hermione's hair had done the same thing that Ginny's had, only in a golden brown; Harry was relieved that he wasn't fantasizing about that. Surprisingly enough to Harry, Hermione's leather dress showed off a lot more than Hermione ever had, and ever thought she would have, but the summer had changed her opinion about that. Hermione had never looked so seductive. Her cleavage was showing in an all too provocative way for the seemingly shy (or at least she had been in fifth year) bookworm and her dress was so very tight you could see every detail and every curve of her body. Her legs had always been long, but Harry and assumingly Ron, had never seen them, courtesy of the long robes that Hogwarts students all donned during the school year. Her dress cut off just below her butt and Harry swore that if she bent over any tiny little bit that they would see everything Hermione had to offer. Ron seemed oblivious to the stares that Hermione was receiving as his arm sneaked around her waist to rest, slightly protectively, on her hip.

"Oi! 'ARRY!" Ron called as he untangled his long arms from Hermione's waist and his luggage, waving them in the air. "Over here!"

Harry walked over to them with a grin and he realized with a sinking feeling that Ron had changed a lot too. Ron's hair had grown out, it hung at his chin, and the red mess was now slightly more manageable than Harry remembered it. Ron had gotten taller, too, and now he towered over Harry by at least four inches.

"Blimey Ron, you've GROWN..." Harry skeptically stared at him, noticing that he was no longer the tall, lanky Ron that Harry remembered...Ron had filled out nicely, and probably would have been on varsity football had he been a muggle, Harry thought sadly, wondering where that thought had come from. Hermione smiled and hugged Harry around the neck, she too had gotten taller. Harry himself had grown about two inches, but this was nothing compared to them. "Wow 'Mione...you've...you've changed..." Harry gaped at her, she had on MAKE-UP. Damn, she was even more stunning up close.

"Hey, Harry, you look like a fish..." Hermione giggled and reached up and shut his mouth for him in a very un-Hermioneish way. "Is that good change, or bad change?" Harry just grinned.

"Good...really really good..." He coughed. "So you two finally hooked up?" Harry changed the subject; smile returning and Ron punched him mildly on the shoulder.

"Don't finally me; I see you still haven't spoken with Cho." It was Harry's turn to punch Ron.

"I have my reasons!" Harry protested, shaking out the hand that he had punched Ron with; his rock hard shoulder had surprised him. Hermione snorted at his feeble protest.

"Yeah, like Ginny..." Harry turned to Hermione and glared at her.

"Bullshit," Harry spat venomously. Something about that idea being voiced irritated him.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks of mild surprise, but the couple didn't have time to ask why that pissed him off before...

"Language, Potter...especially in front of the Mudblood, no need to contaminate her further." Draco Malfoy's arrogant smirking face joined the triangle of friends and was greeted with three identical glares.

"I see you've become more of a bastard this summer..." Ron observed, Draco grinned.

"You too, Weasley, glad to see you hooked up with your little Mudblood bitch...guess you really ARE a Mudblood lover like your father." Draco's voice had apparently deepened, giving it more of a rough tone than the annoying sneer that had accompanied his words last year. He had apparently noticed this so he gave a nasty sneer just to achieve the same effect. His sneer widened into a grin to see that his words had irritated Ron, "Well, I'm off, see you on the train!" Draco winked one silvery blue eye and slid over to Pansy Parkinson, who if anything had gotten uglier.

"That filthy, slimy, dirty JACK ASS!" Ron swore madly, drawing up a singular finger, saluting the retreating back of the silver headed boy.

"Now Ron, listen, I don't want you to fight with him, he can call me whatever he wants, I don't care, ok? I know he gets under your skin, but still...stay out of trouble for crying out loud!" Hermione sighed angrily.

"That's 'Mione for ya," Harry laughed. 'Maybe she hasn't changed as much as I thought...'

"Shit, the train's leaving!" Ron said grabbing Hermione's wrist and dashing for a compartment; Harry jumped in behind them at the last possible second, turned and waved out the open door to no one in particular, feeling somewhat reckless.

'Time for another year at Hogwarts...'