I trudged down the sun-drenched slopes of Hogwarts grounds towards my
favourite beach tree by the lake. It was a warm summer afternoon, and a
light breezed touched my face gently as I hung my head. The happy
atmosphere of students sunbathing and chatting during their lunch-break
could not cheer me up. As I got to the lonely tree, I sat down and nestled
into the textured bark. As I listened to the laughing and shouting, I
reflected on the morning's events.
~*~
Walking along the corridor leading to the potions classroom, I heard shouting behind me. "Hey, Mudblood, piss off, you are contaminating the corridor," yelled Malfoy as all his friends sniggered behind him. One by one, they edged past me, flat against the wall with horrified looks on their faces.
"Oh, Draco, don't let he touch me!" squeaked Pansy Parkinson, giggling as he put his arms around her protectively.
"Its ok Pansy, I will protect you," he said, kissing her neck and making her blush. She shot me a look full of gloating and I ran past them, fighting the urge to cry. As I ran, other Slytherins spat and exclaimed 'eurgh!' I had been through 5 years of this, but it was getting worse. When I got to the door, Harry and Ron were there waiting for me.
"Hey, why are you out of breath?" asked Harry, putting his hand on my shoulder as it heaved up and down along with my lungs.
"Oh, nothing," I puffed, trailing my fingers through my hair to brush out the saliva. Ron gave me a quizzical look, but I pretended not to notice. As we entered the classroom, a group of giggling girls pushed past me, knocking me to the floor and laughing.
"What the hell was that for?" shouted Ron, helping me up.
"Ron," I muttered, "just leave it,"
"No, they can't get away with treating you like that!"
"Ron!" I said forcefully, tugging on his sleeve and giving him a pleading look. He gave in and walked over to his desk that he shared with Neville. Harry and I walked over to ours and sat down.
"Why did they do that?" Harry asked quietly, pulling his jotter out of his bag.
"How am I supposed to know?" I snapped, then realising what I had done, softened, "I'm sorry Harry, but I honestly don't know"
~*~
"Crap," I muttered to myself, "P.E with the Slytherins," as I walked towards the Quidditch pitch, leaving my beach tree alone once again.
Just then, Harry and Ron came over to me, also on their way to the pitch.
"Heya Herm, where were you at lunch?" said Ron.
"Erm. I was in the library, studying,"
"Why?"
"Do I need a reason? I wanted to study ok?" I asked, my voice edgy and unfamiliar.
"Calm down Hermione, we were only asking," said Harry soothingly. He gave Ron a sideways glance that clearly said 'wrong-time-of-the-month'.
"I don't believe you two! Isn't it obvious that Im not exactly in a great mood? Why cant you just be there for me or comfort me? God, some friends you two are." I trailed off, dropping my head and running away.
Once I entered the changing room, I looked around for a space that was empty. I saw one in the corner; and I walked past the Slytherin girls, all in their hot pants and tank tops. I sat in the corner, pulling my strap top, shorts and converse out of my bag, but there was a giggling coming from the Slytherin girls.
"He asked me out to the next Hogsmead trip!" Squealed Pansy, filing her nails and flicking her long, strait hair behind her.
"Doesn't he have the most beautiful eyes? They are like ice!" all the girls continued to gossip on their way out to the field. Oh, so Malfoy had asked Pansy on a date-big deal! I thought to myself, as I trailed behind all the girls. We walked out onto the field, where Madame Hooch was waiting for us, with a box of broomsticks.
"Now, you have all mastered the basics, and some of you are at a higher level," she looked over to Harry, who was next to me and he shifted uncomfortably, "So today we are all going onto the next level, racing and different types of competing. Now, take a broom out of the box, but if you have your own, then you can use that too,"
I went over to the box, but was stopped by a strong arm grabbing mine. "Hey, sorry bout earlier, we were jerks," said Harry, smiling.
"It's ok, im not being myself lately," I replied, forgiving him.
"Hey, you can borrow my firebolt if you want," said Harry, handing it to me.
"Really?" I said, taking it and staring at the perfectly polished handle.
"Yea, I haven't rode a school broom in ages, it will be fun," he added, going over to the box. I looked down at the perfectly polished handle and smiled.
"Right, now, everyone, rise to about, oh, 20 ft, then I will continue the rest of the lesson." Cried Madame Hooch, kicking off from the ground. I rose up with Harry and Ron, the warm breeze floating past me. "OK everyone? Right, everyone, I want ten laps of the pitch, no racing and if anyone plays up?"
"They will be in detention before they can say Quidditch," droned the class.
"Good, right, go!" said the hawk-eyed woman, blowing her trusty whistle. Ron and Harry sped ahead, ignoring the rule 'no racing'. I leisurely flew around, enjoying the feel of power over the broomstick. I had never really been interested in brooms, but I now understood what Harry was on when he spoke about feeling free, and like a bird. My calm thoughts were interrupted though,
"HEY MOODBLOOD!" yelled Malfoy from behind me, "DON'T FALL NOW!" he knocked right into the back of Harry's firebolt and a few twigs fell to the ground below.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT MALFOY!" yelled Harry from behind him, speeding up so he was beside him, and taking his hands off the handle of his own broom, ready to punch Malfoy. As soon as his fist collided with Malfoy's face, the sharp sound of a whistle was blown and Madame Hooch zoomed towards them.
"How dare you! You can't even start the lesson in a civilised way! Potter! Detention!"
"But professor! Malfoy was trying to damage my broom," complained Harry, nodding in my direction.
"But why does Miss Granger have it then? You know you are not allowed to lend anyone your broomstick, as broomsticks only respond fully to their owner, you could have put Miss Granger in serious danger!"
"But professor, the broomstick was fine,"
"And as for you Miss Granger, I thought you would know the school rules! You will receive detention too!" and with that, she zoomed back down to the ground, yelling for the other students to come back down to earth. Malfoy sniggered and joined their classmates below.
"Sorry," said Harry, "I completely forgot."
"It's ok, I didn't know that rule existed," I said truthfully, starting to descend.
~*~
That evening, we headed down to dinner. As we walked down the Marble staircase, we saw Malfoy in the entrance hall. "So Potter, heading off to detention after dinner?" he drawled.
"Whats it got to do with you?" retorted Ron.
"Oh, I just hope that he would enjoy himself, after all, who wouldn't want to spend 3 hours with a Mudblood?" said Malfoy, smirking and heading off into the hall, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.
"One of these days." muttered Ron, heading down to eat. Harry turned to me, and opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, I walked down the stairs, eager to avoid questions. As I got into the hall, Harry over took me, and I noticed Cho waving at him. I smiled and began to head towards the Gryffindor table, but a strong grip got hold of my arm and dragged me back into the entrance hall. Because my arm was twisted, I couldn't turn round. But I heard a cruel whisper in my ear.
"Are you actually going to eat? I mean, look at you, could you afford to put on any more weight?" I burst into tears, and ran up the stairs, leaving a satisfied Malfoy in the hall. I ran and ran, not knowing where I was going, until my blouse was soaked with tears. When I dried my eyes, I noticed I was under the trapdoor to the astronomy tower- the one place no one would disturb me.
As I pushed the door open, I noticed immediately the breeze was cooler up here, but still warm. I walked up the steps and pushed the door back down. I walked to the middle of the tower, and turned 360 degrees. It was as though I could see the whole world, and I couldn't take it in. I collapsed onto the cold stone and breathed in the sweet summer air. Then the tears flowed freely again, and I cursed myself for not being strong.
'Why is he doing this?' I asked myself. I never got answers. I sat up, looking at the beautiful horizon, with its turquoises and blues. I wished I were a bird, so I could fly with those colours, and away from anyone who tried to hurt me. As I continued to stare at the line, I heard a knock come from the trapdoor. I watched silently as a head of black, messy hair appeared, and a pair of beautiful green eyes met mine. I was in such a daydream, this boy looked like a hero, coming to save me. I blinked and I saw my best friend standing infront of me. Harry came and sat next to me, not saying a word.
After about ten minutes, he broke the silence.
"So, why are you sad?"
"What makes you think I am sad?" I said back, not sure how he could tell.
"Well, you have tear stains on your cheeks, you are skipping dinner, you have been acting weird all day, and you are in the sad spot," he finished, turning to me with a small smile on his face.
"I have missed dinner before," I retorted, "And it's windy up here, my eyes are bound to water. And the acting weird, Harry, I am a girl, yeah?" he turned red at the thought of periods. But he quickly found his tongue,
"Windy? It is but a breeze Herm! And the only reasons you missed dinner were because of the library and that. And you cant blame everything on. you know, women's things" I giggled at his embarrassment.
"Hey, this isn't always the sad spot you know!" I said, remembering the earlier comment.
"Come on Herm, a girl committed suicide up here! You know, people say her ghost is still here,"
"Harry!" I said, pushing him lightly. He laughed and his eyes sparkled.
"Hey, we need to go to detention soon," he said, shifting on the cold stone. I nodded and took one last look at the horizon before getting up. He followed me down the stairs to the trapdoor.
"Hey, you never told me why you were up there," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder to stop me. I just shrugged and carried on. I don't know why I didn't want him to know, but I wanted to defeat this myself. As we continued to walk the never-ending stairs to the entrance hall, we met Ron.
"Hey, have fun," he said with a smile, following Dean and Seamus to the Gryffindor tower. Harry laughed and we both got to the entrance hall, to be greeted with Hagrid.
"Heya you two, we will be in the forest tonight. Ok?"
"Whats wrong in the forest?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. But the oldest Thestral, well, he doesn't have long, and I was thinking about bringing him to my cabin so he can spend his last moments warm and happy," he replied, wiping his eyes. We both nodded and followed him out to the grounds. It was still light, which was a good thing, as I didn't fancy being with things I couldn't see in the dark. We got nearer Hagrid's hut, and he turned the handle to let fang out. We continued to the perimeter of the forest and Hagrid turned to us.
"Right, like always, follow the path, and if you get in trouble,"
"Red sparks," we said together. Hagrid gave a hint of a smile and continued.
"Right, I'll go on the right path, you on the left, k?"
"Ok," we replied, starting to walk along the compressed earth.
"Oh, and if you find the heard, send up green sparks. If I find them, well, I'll shout," Hagrid finished, waving as headed in the opposite direction. Harry and I trudged along; keeping an eye on the surrounding trees for centaurs and any other beasts that didn't want us there. A distant bark from fang broke the hazy silence and we chuckled, before Harry stopped.
"Hermione? Why were you up there this evening?" I swallowed. I didn't want to tell him, but the look in his eyes told me it was for the best.
"Well, it's.. its Malfoy. He is," I paused, looking at him. He stared back, not blinking, making me feel even more self-conscious, "He is bullying me. And the others, they all are. It's making me so.. sad. They say I'm," I stopped, looking away.
"What do they call you?" asked Harry, moving closer and touching my arm. The goose pimples formed under my cloak and I stepped back, against a tree.
"It's true, but they always remind me, and it's making me so sad, I don't know what to do...."
"What's true?" said Harry, trying to catch my eye.
"I'm fat, and ugly and.. oh, they spit on me and everything, and, oh Harry," I sobbed, crying into my sleeve. He stepped forward once again and put his arm around me.
"Hermione! You're not fat at all! And you are by no means ugly! Malfoy is just trying to upset you, it's not true! Honest, don't let him get to you" he said, hugging me tighter. I sobbed into his chest, my hands balled into fists, up at my cheeks.
"I have not let it get to me for 5 years, but now, it's just too much," I cried, collapsing against him. He stroked my hair and muttered 'Shhhh'. I continued to cry, soaking his rugby shirt.
"Hermione," he whispered, "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Malfoy can go fuck himself, if he says anything or does anything to you, I will beat him down until he cant even say sorry,"
"No!" I said, "No, Harry, don't fight, it will only get you into more trouble and give him a reason to say things!" he gave in, letting go and looking up through a tiny gap in the trees at the blue/grey sky.
"It's getting darker," he said, "We should get going"
~*~
When we finally got back to the common room, it was 12:45 and everyone was in his or her dorms.
"Herm," whispered Harry, as I started to climb my stairs after saying goodnight, "I meant what I said, I'm sorry for not being there for you, I promise I will be. Don't let him get to you, and you are not fat of ugly. no one is perfect," he finished, disappearing no the shadows and up the stairs to the boy's dorm.
~*~
It had been 2 weeks since that night, and it was getting worse. Every day, Ron and I would sit at breakfast and watch Hermione as she nibbled at the corner of a slice of toast. She didn't ever turn up for lunch, and spent her dinner times up on the tower, not wanting to be disturbed. It was a chilly autumn night and I had just said goodnight to Ron and the others.
I climbed into bed, making sure the window was a little open for Hedwig. I tried to sleep, but I was worried about Hermione. No matter how much I told her, she still didn't look convinced. I wondered if Malfoy knew what he was actually doing. She was losing weight, and it showed. He shirt was slightly baggier and she kept pulling up her skirt. Ron had noticed too. He kept telling her to eat, but she refused. She was still good in class, but every time she put her hand up and answered a question, she would hide her face with her hair, so only the teacher could see her.
I tossed and turned, trying to figure out a way to stop Malfoy's taunts and to get Hermione to eat again.
~*~
Morning came, and I was tired, for I was awake all night worrying and thinking. Hermione and I trudged down to breakfast, saving a seat for Ron. She bounced into the hall, smiling. It was an unfamiliar sight, as she hadn't smiled in a long time. She sat opposite me, and grinned. She helped her self to sausages and bacon. Ron sat next to me and we watched with gaping mouths as she chewed on the meat. She swallowed.
"Do you mind?" she said, indicating our own plates. We looked down and smiled. We ate breakfast like we used to, talking about what classes we had that day, and how much we hated Snape. Once we were finished and the bell rang, we headed in the direction of the common room to collect our bags. As we got there, Hermione made some excuse about needing the toilet. But she had only just been before breakfast. I sensed something was not right, so I used the same excuse on Ron and he shrugged, saying he would collect our bags and meet us in the dungeons.
I followed her as she jogged along to the girl's bathrooms. She stopped at the door, and I hid behind a statue, as she made sure no one was there. I followed her in as she locked the door of a cubicle. I was about to turn around and o, as it seemed she really did just need the toilet (again?), but the sound of retching met my ears and I listened in horror as I heard her throw up. I heard her sob and I quickly hid behind the sinks as she came out, running to the other sinks to wash her face.
She continued to sob until I walked up behind her, and put my arm around her. She started and turned around.
"Oh my god Harry, you scared me. What are you doing here?" she said, wiping her eyes.
"Hermione, you know why," I replied, removing my arm from her and turning away.
"Oh, Harry, how long have you been here?" she asked, her voice timid and scared.
"The whole time," I said, turning back to her.
"I'm sorry!" she sobbed, falling into my chest. I did my best to comfort her, but she continued to cry, the tears falling onto my robes.
"Harry," she whispered, "Don't tell anyone,"
"I wont," I said, but I knew someone who had to know. As soon as break came, and Hermione went outside with Ron, I went straight to the Hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was bustling about Lee Jordan, who had been demonstrating skiving snack boxes, but had been taken to the hospital wing by Professor McGonagall before he could take the other pill that stopped the now torrential nosebleed.
"What can I do for you dear?" she asked once Lee's nose had stopped acting like a tap. "I was wondering if you had any advice about bulimia,"
Ok, 1st chapter, I need review, and advice on how I can improve. I know there are wonderful, helpful people out there, and I love you all, I do. Now, please be one of those helpful people and review, as you will be rewarded with a mention and Internet marshmallows( Now click on the box, and start writing! Thanx, I love you all Nikee the Lady of the Wood xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
~*~
Walking along the corridor leading to the potions classroom, I heard shouting behind me. "Hey, Mudblood, piss off, you are contaminating the corridor," yelled Malfoy as all his friends sniggered behind him. One by one, they edged past me, flat against the wall with horrified looks on their faces.
"Oh, Draco, don't let he touch me!" squeaked Pansy Parkinson, giggling as he put his arms around her protectively.
"Its ok Pansy, I will protect you," he said, kissing her neck and making her blush. She shot me a look full of gloating and I ran past them, fighting the urge to cry. As I ran, other Slytherins spat and exclaimed 'eurgh!' I had been through 5 years of this, but it was getting worse. When I got to the door, Harry and Ron were there waiting for me.
"Hey, why are you out of breath?" asked Harry, putting his hand on my shoulder as it heaved up and down along with my lungs.
"Oh, nothing," I puffed, trailing my fingers through my hair to brush out the saliva. Ron gave me a quizzical look, but I pretended not to notice. As we entered the classroom, a group of giggling girls pushed past me, knocking me to the floor and laughing.
"What the hell was that for?" shouted Ron, helping me up.
"Ron," I muttered, "just leave it,"
"No, they can't get away with treating you like that!"
"Ron!" I said forcefully, tugging on his sleeve and giving him a pleading look. He gave in and walked over to his desk that he shared with Neville. Harry and I walked over to ours and sat down.
"Why did they do that?" Harry asked quietly, pulling his jotter out of his bag.
"How am I supposed to know?" I snapped, then realising what I had done, softened, "I'm sorry Harry, but I honestly don't know"
~*~
"Crap," I muttered to myself, "P.E with the Slytherins," as I walked towards the Quidditch pitch, leaving my beach tree alone once again.
Just then, Harry and Ron came over to me, also on their way to the pitch.
"Heya Herm, where were you at lunch?" said Ron.
"Erm. I was in the library, studying,"
"Why?"
"Do I need a reason? I wanted to study ok?" I asked, my voice edgy and unfamiliar.
"Calm down Hermione, we were only asking," said Harry soothingly. He gave Ron a sideways glance that clearly said 'wrong-time-of-the-month'.
"I don't believe you two! Isn't it obvious that Im not exactly in a great mood? Why cant you just be there for me or comfort me? God, some friends you two are." I trailed off, dropping my head and running away.
Once I entered the changing room, I looked around for a space that was empty. I saw one in the corner; and I walked past the Slytherin girls, all in their hot pants and tank tops. I sat in the corner, pulling my strap top, shorts and converse out of my bag, but there was a giggling coming from the Slytherin girls.
"He asked me out to the next Hogsmead trip!" Squealed Pansy, filing her nails and flicking her long, strait hair behind her.
"Doesn't he have the most beautiful eyes? They are like ice!" all the girls continued to gossip on their way out to the field. Oh, so Malfoy had asked Pansy on a date-big deal! I thought to myself, as I trailed behind all the girls. We walked out onto the field, where Madame Hooch was waiting for us, with a box of broomsticks.
"Now, you have all mastered the basics, and some of you are at a higher level," she looked over to Harry, who was next to me and he shifted uncomfortably, "So today we are all going onto the next level, racing and different types of competing. Now, take a broom out of the box, but if you have your own, then you can use that too,"
I went over to the box, but was stopped by a strong arm grabbing mine. "Hey, sorry bout earlier, we were jerks," said Harry, smiling.
"It's ok, im not being myself lately," I replied, forgiving him.
"Hey, you can borrow my firebolt if you want," said Harry, handing it to me.
"Really?" I said, taking it and staring at the perfectly polished handle.
"Yea, I haven't rode a school broom in ages, it will be fun," he added, going over to the box. I looked down at the perfectly polished handle and smiled.
"Right, now, everyone, rise to about, oh, 20 ft, then I will continue the rest of the lesson." Cried Madame Hooch, kicking off from the ground. I rose up with Harry and Ron, the warm breeze floating past me. "OK everyone? Right, everyone, I want ten laps of the pitch, no racing and if anyone plays up?"
"They will be in detention before they can say Quidditch," droned the class.
"Good, right, go!" said the hawk-eyed woman, blowing her trusty whistle. Ron and Harry sped ahead, ignoring the rule 'no racing'. I leisurely flew around, enjoying the feel of power over the broomstick. I had never really been interested in brooms, but I now understood what Harry was on when he spoke about feeling free, and like a bird. My calm thoughts were interrupted though,
"HEY MOODBLOOD!" yelled Malfoy from behind me, "DON'T FALL NOW!" he knocked right into the back of Harry's firebolt and a few twigs fell to the ground below.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT MALFOY!" yelled Harry from behind him, speeding up so he was beside him, and taking his hands off the handle of his own broom, ready to punch Malfoy. As soon as his fist collided with Malfoy's face, the sharp sound of a whistle was blown and Madame Hooch zoomed towards them.
"How dare you! You can't even start the lesson in a civilised way! Potter! Detention!"
"But professor! Malfoy was trying to damage my broom," complained Harry, nodding in my direction.
"But why does Miss Granger have it then? You know you are not allowed to lend anyone your broomstick, as broomsticks only respond fully to their owner, you could have put Miss Granger in serious danger!"
"But professor, the broomstick was fine,"
"And as for you Miss Granger, I thought you would know the school rules! You will receive detention too!" and with that, she zoomed back down to the ground, yelling for the other students to come back down to earth. Malfoy sniggered and joined their classmates below.
"Sorry," said Harry, "I completely forgot."
"It's ok, I didn't know that rule existed," I said truthfully, starting to descend.
~*~
That evening, we headed down to dinner. As we walked down the Marble staircase, we saw Malfoy in the entrance hall. "So Potter, heading off to detention after dinner?" he drawled.
"Whats it got to do with you?" retorted Ron.
"Oh, I just hope that he would enjoy himself, after all, who wouldn't want to spend 3 hours with a Mudblood?" said Malfoy, smirking and heading off into the hall, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.
"One of these days." muttered Ron, heading down to eat. Harry turned to me, and opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, I walked down the stairs, eager to avoid questions. As I got into the hall, Harry over took me, and I noticed Cho waving at him. I smiled and began to head towards the Gryffindor table, but a strong grip got hold of my arm and dragged me back into the entrance hall. Because my arm was twisted, I couldn't turn round. But I heard a cruel whisper in my ear.
"Are you actually going to eat? I mean, look at you, could you afford to put on any more weight?" I burst into tears, and ran up the stairs, leaving a satisfied Malfoy in the hall. I ran and ran, not knowing where I was going, until my blouse was soaked with tears. When I dried my eyes, I noticed I was under the trapdoor to the astronomy tower- the one place no one would disturb me.
As I pushed the door open, I noticed immediately the breeze was cooler up here, but still warm. I walked up the steps and pushed the door back down. I walked to the middle of the tower, and turned 360 degrees. It was as though I could see the whole world, and I couldn't take it in. I collapsed onto the cold stone and breathed in the sweet summer air. Then the tears flowed freely again, and I cursed myself for not being strong.
'Why is he doing this?' I asked myself. I never got answers. I sat up, looking at the beautiful horizon, with its turquoises and blues. I wished I were a bird, so I could fly with those colours, and away from anyone who tried to hurt me. As I continued to stare at the line, I heard a knock come from the trapdoor. I watched silently as a head of black, messy hair appeared, and a pair of beautiful green eyes met mine. I was in such a daydream, this boy looked like a hero, coming to save me. I blinked and I saw my best friend standing infront of me. Harry came and sat next to me, not saying a word.
After about ten minutes, he broke the silence.
"So, why are you sad?"
"What makes you think I am sad?" I said back, not sure how he could tell.
"Well, you have tear stains on your cheeks, you are skipping dinner, you have been acting weird all day, and you are in the sad spot," he finished, turning to me with a small smile on his face.
"I have missed dinner before," I retorted, "And it's windy up here, my eyes are bound to water. And the acting weird, Harry, I am a girl, yeah?" he turned red at the thought of periods. But he quickly found his tongue,
"Windy? It is but a breeze Herm! And the only reasons you missed dinner were because of the library and that. And you cant blame everything on. you know, women's things" I giggled at his embarrassment.
"Hey, this isn't always the sad spot you know!" I said, remembering the earlier comment.
"Come on Herm, a girl committed suicide up here! You know, people say her ghost is still here,"
"Harry!" I said, pushing him lightly. He laughed and his eyes sparkled.
"Hey, we need to go to detention soon," he said, shifting on the cold stone. I nodded and took one last look at the horizon before getting up. He followed me down the stairs to the trapdoor.
"Hey, you never told me why you were up there," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder to stop me. I just shrugged and carried on. I don't know why I didn't want him to know, but I wanted to defeat this myself. As we continued to walk the never-ending stairs to the entrance hall, we met Ron.
"Hey, have fun," he said with a smile, following Dean and Seamus to the Gryffindor tower. Harry laughed and we both got to the entrance hall, to be greeted with Hagrid.
"Heya you two, we will be in the forest tonight. Ok?"
"Whats wrong in the forest?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. But the oldest Thestral, well, he doesn't have long, and I was thinking about bringing him to my cabin so he can spend his last moments warm and happy," he replied, wiping his eyes. We both nodded and followed him out to the grounds. It was still light, which was a good thing, as I didn't fancy being with things I couldn't see in the dark. We got nearer Hagrid's hut, and he turned the handle to let fang out. We continued to the perimeter of the forest and Hagrid turned to us.
"Right, like always, follow the path, and if you get in trouble,"
"Red sparks," we said together. Hagrid gave a hint of a smile and continued.
"Right, I'll go on the right path, you on the left, k?"
"Ok," we replied, starting to walk along the compressed earth.
"Oh, and if you find the heard, send up green sparks. If I find them, well, I'll shout," Hagrid finished, waving as headed in the opposite direction. Harry and I trudged along; keeping an eye on the surrounding trees for centaurs and any other beasts that didn't want us there. A distant bark from fang broke the hazy silence and we chuckled, before Harry stopped.
"Hermione? Why were you up there this evening?" I swallowed. I didn't want to tell him, but the look in his eyes told me it was for the best.
"Well, it's.. its Malfoy. He is," I paused, looking at him. He stared back, not blinking, making me feel even more self-conscious, "He is bullying me. And the others, they all are. It's making me so.. sad. They say I'm," I stopped, looking away.
"What do they call you?" asked Harry, moving closer and touching my arm. The goose pimples formed under my cloak and I stepped back, against a tree.
"It's true, but they always remind me, and it's making me so sad, I don't know what to do...."
"What's true?" said Harry, trying to catch my eye.
"I'm fat, and ugly and.. oh, they spit on me and everything, and, oh Harry," I sobbed, crying into my sleeve. He stepped forward once again and put his arm around me.
"Hermione! You're not fat at all! And you are by no means ugly! Malfoy is just trying to upset you, it's not true! Honest, don't let him get to you" he said, hugging me tighter. I sobbed into his chest, my hands balled into fists, up at my cheeks.
"I have not let it get to me for 5 years, but now, it's just too much," I cried, collapsing against him. He stroked my hair and muttered 'Shhhh'. I continued to cry, soaking his rugby shirt.
"Hermione," he whispered, "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Malfoy can go fuck himself, if he says anything or does anything to you, I will beat him down until he cant even say sorry,"
"No!" I said, "No, Harry, don't fight, it will only get you into more trouble and give him a reason to say things!" he gave in, letting go and looking up through a tiny gap in the trees at the blue/grey sky.
"It's getting darker," he said, "We should get going"
~*~
When we finally got back to the common room, it was 12:45 and everyone was in his or her dorms.
"Herm," whispered Harry, as I started to climb my stairs after saying goodnight, "I meant what I said, I'm sorry for not being there for you, I promise I will be. Don't let him get to you, and you are not fat of ugly. no one is perfect," he finished, disappearing no the shadows and up the stairs to the boy's dorm.
~*~
It had been 2 weeks since that night, and it was getting worse. Every day, Ron and I would sit at breakfast and watch Hermione as she nibbled at the corner of a slice of toast. She didn't ever turn up for lunch, and spent her dinner times up on the tower, not wanting to be disturbed. It was a chilly autumn night and I had just said goodnight to Ron and the others.
I climbed into bed, making sure the window was a little open for Hedwig. I tried to sleep, but I was worried about Hermione. No matter how much I told her, she still didn't look convinced. I wondered if Malfoy knew what he was actually doing. She was losing weight, and it showed. He shirt was slightly baggier and she kept pulling up her skirt. Ron had noticed too. He kept telling her to eat, but she refused. She was still good in class, but every time she put her hand up and answered a question, she would hide her face with her hair, so only the teacher could see her.
I tossed and turned, trying to figure out a way to stop Malfoy's taunts and to get Hermione to eat again.
~*~
Morning came, and I was tired, for I was awake all night worrying and thinking. Hermione and I trudged down to breakfast, saving a seat for Ron. She bounced into the hall, smiling. It was an unfamiliar sight, as she hadn't smiled in a long time. She sat opposite me, and grinned. She helped her self to sausages and bacon. Ron sat next to me and we watched with gaping mouths as she chewed on the meat. She swallowed.
"Do you mind?" she said, indicating our own plates. We looked down and smiled. We ate breakfast like we used to, talking about what classes we had that day, and how much we hated Snape. Once we were finished and the bell rang, we headed in the direction of the common room to collect our bags. As we got there, Hermione made some excuse about needing the toilet. But she had only just been before breakfast. I sensed something was not right, so I used the same excuse on Ron and he shrugged, saying he would collect our bags and meet us in the dungeons.
I followed her as she jogged along to the girl's bathrooms. She stopped at the door, and I hid behind a statue, as she made sure no one was there. I followed her in as she locked the door of a cubicle. I was about to turn around and o, as it seemed she really did just need the toilet (again?), but the sound of retching met my ears and I listened in horror as I heard her throw up. I heard her sob and I quickly hid behind the sinks as she came out, running to the other sinks to wash her face.
She continued to sob until I walked up behind her, and put my arm around her. She started and turned around.
"Oh my god Harry, you scared me. What are you doing here?" she said, wiping her eyes.
"Hermione, you know why," I replied, removing my arm from her and turning away.
"Oh, Harry, how long have you been here?" she asked, her voice timid and scared.
"The whole time," I said, turning back to her.
"I'm sorry!" she sobbed, falling into my chest. I did my best to comfort her, but she continued to cry, the tears falling onto my robes.
"Harry," she whispered, "Don't tell anyone,"
"I wont," I said, but I knew someone who had to know. As soon as break came, and Hermione went outside with Ron, I went straight to the Hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was bustling about Lee Jordan, who had been demonstrating skiving snack boxes, but had been taken to the hospital wing by Professor McGonagall before he could take the other pill that stopped the now torrential nosebleed.
"What can I do for you dear?" she asked once Lee's nose had stopped acting like a tap. "I was wondering if you had any advice about bulimia,"
Ok, 1st chapter, I need review, and advice on how I can improve. I know there are wonderful, helpful people out there, and I love you all, I do. Now, please be one of those helpful people and review, as you will be rewarded with a mention and Internet marshmallows( Now click on the box, and start writing! Thanx, I love you all Nikee the Lady of the Wood xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx