It is close to midnight and the Slytherin common room is dark. All of the students are sleeping soundly, except one. Millicent stands in the bathroom before a large mirror. Her shirt hangs limp on the handle of the door as she studies the reflection of herself.
Her once flat chest has grown mounds of flesh and her narrow hips have begun to curve. The soft, youthful roundness of her face has been replaced by a more angular jaw line and defined cheek bones. From one day to the next, she feels that she can hardly recognize the girl staring back at her.
She thinks of the other girls, still slender and lanky and wishes that she looked like them. Something about her early development makes her feel at odds with herself, regardless of how often Astoria exclaims that she has a perfect figure. She recalls the comments about her ever expanding bosom and instead of finding solace, shudders.
Picking up her wand, Millicent aims it at her chest and whispers "Reducio." She waits, analyzing her breasts for any sign that they've shrunk. She hopes that when she finishes her chest will be flat like it was before. Disappointment sets in as she realizes that they look the same.
A noise at the door causes panic to flood through Millicent's body. She rips her shirt from the handle and flings it over her head. She has it halfway on when Pansy appears in the doorway.
"What are you doing, Millie?" she asks, sleep still heavy in her voice.
As Millicent pulls her shirt over her head, she turns to face Pansy. "Nothing," she mutters. "Just couldn't sleep was all."
"Why do you have your wand out?" Pansy questions, confusion evident on her face. "Is everything okay?"
A bright red flush creeps up Millicent's cheeks and she shifts nervously, avoiding eye contact. "Everything's fine. Just grabbed it out of habit was all."
Pansy narrows her eyes. "I don't believe you."
Millicent pretends to fuss with the items laid out around the sink. "I'm just going to brush my teeth and then I'll be headed back to bed. Don't worry about me," she says, hoping silently that Pansy will decide it's not worth the hassle and go away.
"Alright, Millie. Don't tell me if you don't want to. If you decide you do want to talk about it, you know where to find me."
"Thanks," she says, glad that she won't be forced to explain something she barely understands herself.
Once Pansy slips from the doorway and shuts the door behind her, Millicent relaxes. She listens for a moment waiting for any sounds that might mean someone else is awake. When she hears only silence, she returns to the mirror and lifts her shirt up for a second time.
"Reducio," she tries again, hoping that she just did it wrong the first time.
When she once again has no results, she accepts defeat. She slips her shirt back on and whispers "Knox" as she leaves the bathroom. Quietly, trying her best not to wake any of her house mates, she slips back into her bed.
Sleep does not find Millicent for hours. Instead, she lies awake, wondering why she feels so uncomfortable with her new frame. She resolves to work on becoming more confident in her own skin.