Disclaimer- JKR owns everything remotely HP related. My bastardization of the characters is mine and when I get a solid plot that will be mine, too. This story is dedicated to Jade, my lovely beta, who graced my HP work with her approval.

In a Chain of Flowers

            At precisely 6:45am the alarm clock jumped to life, spewing the newest fad in pop-tart music through the darkened bedroom. Nothing stirred amongst the piles of white sheets at the sound, though on one of the pillows a large ginger cat whined in irritation. After a moment, even that small movement stopped as the cat resumed its' dreaming.

            Regardless, the alarm droned on.

            In the adjacent living room there was little more movement. The air-conditioner hummed softly in one of the front windows, blocking out the morning sounds of the city beyond the glass. The small television in the corner was unplugged and dusty, silent and rarely used. Through the wall, the tinny sounds of the radio could be heard.

            The apartments' only occupant sat motionless in the space between the couch and the beat up coffee table. Books and notebooks, defaced with pencil markings and yellow highlights, were open and strewn about. An empty, well-used, mug sat perilously close to the edge of the table. It was this balance that held Hermione Granger in thrall, her notes and work having lulled her into a near catatonic state.

            She hadn't slept in nearly sixty hours. She hadn't showered in eighty. She hadn't moved, at all, in two. It was in that scary state that her roommate found her, just after the alarm had given up its one hour of shouting.

            "Jesus Christ Almighty, have you been sitting there since I left?"

            Hermione looked up, startled, before blinking several times and stretching back against the couch like a cat. "Did you say something, Seamus?"

            Rolling his eyes, Seamus dropped his bag and shrugged out of his sweatshirt before pushing the cup away from the edge of the table and pulling his yawning roommate to her feet. He'd been gone since the previous Sunday, five days earlier, leaving her in the apartment with whatever project she'd dragged home from the University for her vacation. He'd be lying if he said he'd expected to return and find her in any other state.

            "How was Hogwarts," she managed between yawns and idle scratches at her wild hair. Looking up at his lopsided grin, she scrunched her nose before yawning yet again. "I can't believe I lost track of the time, again. Anything new in Scotland?"

            Seamus laughed, pushing her toward the apartments' tiny bathroom. "I am going to run you a shower and then tuck you safely in bed. Then I will tell you all about my trip."

            "I've forgotten what my bed looks like."

            "That, sweets," he dead-panned as he flipped on the bathroom light, casting harsh light on the white tiles, and turned the shower tap toward the 'H', "does not surprise me in the least."

            Hermione laughed and shimmied out of her rumpled pajama bottoms, and pulled off her camisole. Seamus looked on with amusement as she tried to yawn and unclasp her bra at the same time, but she paused in the hopeless endeavor long enough to motion him out. "Scoot, I have a date with that water."

            "Says the girl who smells," he teased, getting in a good tweak to her bushy hair before the door was promptly pushed shut in his smirking face.

***

            Facing the spray of water, Hermione bit back a groan as her body succumbed to the heat. Her joints ached, her eyes burned, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what day it was. Her work, as it had a tendency to do, had sucked her in full force, leaving her oblivious to the real world. She was so damned close to breaking it, but her body had other ideas.

            Stupid body.

            Stepping out of the shower turned out to be just as traumatic as stepping in. Her relaxed muscles threatening to falter, she barely slipped on Seamus' robe before staggering into the living room and being hit with icy air. Seamus barely looked up from the tiny kitchen at her entrance, from what she could tell he was throwing away everything he could get his hands on.

            "Go to bed," he ordered, dropping an armful of Chinese take out containers into the bin with a look of distaste. Extending an arm, he pointed to her bedroom and said, "It's over there in case you forgot."

            "I can't sleep now. I have to get this figured out," she said in a mutinous tone, throwing herself onto the couch and kicking at her notes. "Some of us do work that involves the brain, you know."

            "You only say that because you, my dear, are afraid of flying," was his reply from the recesses of the refrigerator.

            "I am not afraid of flying," she muttered, dragging her fingers through her knotted hair. "It's a male sport, anyway. All that broomstick nonsense, and so much work when you can just apparate or take a car."

            Seamus straightened up and snorted. "I stand corrected, you are afraid of heights, and officially without a roommate."

            Grinning, Hermione launched herself off of the couch and threw her arms around Seamus' neck. "That's brilliant! They offered you a position?"

            "They inquired if I would like to fill the position that Madam Hooch left empty and I, being the reasonable sort of lad that I am, accepted without a second thought." Giving her a squeeze, he pushed her wet hair off of her face with a jaunty smile. "Seeing as though term starts end of the month, I will be vacating the premises shortly."

            Hermione grinned up at her friend, pulling his bathrobe tighter. "It's about damn time you got a real job Mr. Finnegan, and stopped your eternal moping around this place."

            With a snort Seamus began pushing her in the direction of her bedroom. "What you see as moping, I see as babysitting, sweets. How much longer do you think you could have sat on the floor staring into space?"

            Mock pouting, Hermione let herself be led. Suddenly, her bed was sounding incredible. Seamus, knowing that he was winning for once, pressed his advantage by depositing her in the bed and pulling the duvet up around her neck. "Sleep, and tomorrow I'll give you all the Hogwarts gossip."

            "Tomorrow we have to shop for Ginny's wedding." She was mumbling into her pillow, but she didn't care. Her bed was so soft, and warm. She didn't even notice when Seamus left the room, or when her cat took up residence on the small of her back. She was asleep.

A/N- This work is in many pieces, not all readable or even written at this point. If at any point you notice anything glaringly wrong, or have any complains please bring them to my attention so I can fix them before I go on. Thank you.