"Fine, Hermione! You can have it YOUR way and have fun doing whatever you want when you want to! I won't influence your decisions or disrupt your studying anymore! That's all you care about, isn't it, know-it-all? How many friends do you have besides me and Harry? I can't take it! I never want to see you again!" I stepped back. I couldn't believe he said that in front of the whole Gryffindor common room. Worst of all, I only heard laughter and no one stepped forward to comfort me or anything. I ran, even though it was five minutes until curfew. I ran towards the forest, to my tree. It listened when no one else did and it had many branches where I could easily hide myself. I let out the rush of tears once I was up there. Would anyone care what happened to me? Actually care, not just false 'it's alright' and hugs? They all pretend to care when someone has 'hurt feelings', but they really just want the facts so they can gossip about it. I checked my magical watch. Curfew had officially started. I wondered if anyone decided to look for me. I thought the whole argument over. Fine. Everyone thought I was a know- it-all and that I didn't care about anything except my studies? I'll be a different girl from now on. I'll show them. I rubbed my arm against a sharp twig until blood came. I repeated the process over and over until I felt better. I curled up into a ball in the gentle crook of the tree and cried myself to sleep. I woke up the next day. My magical watch said it was ten o'clock. Fuck! It was double transfigurations followed by double potions. McGonagall was going to kill me. I cast a glamour charm on me so the cuts on my arms were hidden. I repaired my robes and ran to class, summoning my book bag on the way there.

"Miss Granger, class began an hour ago. Where were you?" I shrugged, knowing this would enrage her further. I was royally pissed at Ron and I wanted someone else to feel fury like mine. "You don't know? How can you not know where you were and be so late for a class? Twenty points from Gryffindor, one week of detention with me and I want you to stay after class. I am very disappointed in you. I thought you were a good student. Obviously, I was wrong. Please give me your homework."

"Is that all you do?" I asked, knowing full well she did not tolerate backtalk. "Just bitch at kids, take away bloody house points that we don't give a flying fuck about, give us detention to lessen our time to do our homework and tell kids to stay after class so you can bitch at them some more? Wow. You're pretty pathetic. I now understand why everyone calls you McGonagall the Mother. Oh, and by the way, I didn't to the homework because it was so stupid. I would expect a mentally retarded, Muggle five year old to be able to complete the shit." She stopped dead in her tracks, looking as though she had been slapped.

"Go to Professor Dumbledore's office!" I didn't move from my chair. "Now, Miss Granger," she said icily. I held up a clenched fist. "Are you threatening me? Go to his office!" I stuck out my middle finger. We had been arguing for fifteen minutes. The class was completely silent, waiting to see how she would retaliate. "GO TO HIS OFFICE, NOW!" I walked out, saying the c word loud enough for everyone to here. But who said I was going to the Headmaster's office? I skipped down to the dungeon.

"What are you doing? Class doesn't start for forty more minutes. Whose class are you skipping and why?"

"Motherfu- I mean McGonagall's and because she's being a bitch." Snape's jaw dropped. Then he smirked.

"You didn't know how annoying she can be? I doubt she knows your location, so I will return you to her. Draco, you're in charge until I get back." He and I walked back to the classroom of the idiot. "I found her waiting outside my door. She called you an amusing name. Two, actually. Would you like to hear them?" Snape sneered at her and I gave her a sickly sweet smile. The class stared at the sight of the two of us smiling at the same time. Motherfucker looked depressed, sort of.

"Thank you for returning the delinquent to me, Severus. She was supposed to go to Professor Dumbledore's office. Will you please watch my class for me? Miss Granger and I are going to have a talk in my office." He nodded yes, smirking at her lack of control of me. "Why are you acting like this? You swore at me, flipped me off, failed to turn in your homework for the first time, called me names, stayed out after curfew and God knows what else. You've never acted like this."

"Shit happens," I shrugged. "People change."

"Watch your lang-"

"Don't tell me to watch my fucking language! And don't fucking lecture me on my fucking attitude!" She looked up at me, looking ready to cry. Had I hurt her that bad?

"I'm such a bad teacher! I'm your head of house; you should like me, and not think I'm a bitch! We'll continue this talk later." The teacher sighed, rubbing her forehead. I walked out, feeling somewhat guilty. I ran off to the dungeons. If the slimy git decided to harass any of my friends today, I would hex him. And I did. Neville was shocked that someone would stand up for him, but also afraid of me, since I angered Snape. I walked to the great hall and hurriedly ate lunch. Malfoy called me a mudblood in the hallway. Professor Sprout was storming over to us as I punched him in the stomach. Because of that, I got the detention instead of him. Binns didn't notice anything, although that's because he never notices what happens in his classroom. Pansy Parkinson and I got into an argument about house-elf rights. My day was fun. I had discovered freedom of speech. It felt so nice, controlling my actions instead of obeying without question. And I had shown my classmates that I wasn't just know-it-all Granger, teachers' pet. Now I was bitchy Granger, annoy and get yelled at. I had changed. I thought of Ron. He never wanted to see me again? I could fix that. The last class ended and I banished my school things to my dorm. I walked up to the astronomy tower, absolutely sure of what I was about to do. I walked over to the window and looked out, admiring the view. I dangled a leg over, then the other one, and then I was grasping it with my only my fingers. I heard a high pitched shriek. Damn, McGonagall had chosen now to complete our talk. "Miss Granger! What are you DOING?" She grabbed my hands and yanked me back into the tower. I was surprised to see concern showing on her face. "What's wrong?" I didn't say anything, just burst into tears and hugged her. We stood like that until I was calm. She put an arm on my forearm, looking confused. "Finite." The glamour disappeared and she looked at the cuts on my arms. "Those look infected. Come with me to the hospital wing." I knew in that moment everything would be alright.