It was hours later when Hermione finally picked herself up off the ground and started heading back to the girl's dormitory. She lay in a ball crying softly, trying to convince herself that everything that had just happened wasn't real.

He promised. That's what she kept repeating through her head. He promised he would never leave, and he left her broken on the ground. She felt empty and shallow as she dragged herself up to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

As she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, she mechanically walked to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing her face with cold water. The water stung her skin, but she didn't care. She couldn't feel it. She kept splashing her face with cold water over and over again, trying to feel something. She clutched her hands to either side of the sink before turning off the faucet. She shivered slightly as she hugged herself around her middle.

She straightened up and looked ahead to find herself staring at her own reflection. She barely recognized the girl staring back at her. She was used to seeing a broken frail girl when she looked in the mirror, but this was somehow looked different.

Her face was gaunt and her lips looked chewed. Her hair though, still big and frizzy, although it seemed to lack some of its volume and natural luster. Her eyes that used to be warm chocolaty brown, filled with so much life, and were now a dull lifeless color.

As she looked at this girl, crying and broken she started to feel angry at the mirror. How could she be this girl? Ron left this girl, this disgusting, useless, lying whore. That's all she felt like, and that's what the girl looked like in the mirror.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! GO AWAY!" she kept screaming that at the girl in the mirror as she pulled at her hair, trying to get this horrible girl to go away. She was clutching on either side of her head with her eyes shut hoping that when she opened her eyes that girl in the mirror wouldn't be there.

She opened her eyes to the same image and picked up her bag off the ground filled with heavy books, throwing it at the mirror.

She watched as the mirror shatter, and shards of glass clattered into the sink and the floor of the girl's bathroom. She stood there, staring at the broken mirror, actually feeling relieved that she couldn't see the image that kept haunting her eyes.

She felt her legs give out under her as she looked at the tiny pieces of glass that littered the floor around her. As she fell she felt the glass dig into the skin of her knees, she stared at the floor. Each piece glittered in the sunlight that came in through the windows, high on the ceiling, and reflected odd patterns around her making the room glitter with multicolored patterns. In a weird way, Hermione found it to be quite beautiful, seeing each piece reflect different multicolored patterns throughout the room.

She picked up a piece and held it out in front of her and moved it around in the sunlight to watch the colors. It reflected and then she moved the piece in front of her to look at herself in the little jagged piece, hoping to maybe see the same beauty, but the same lifeless girl looked back at her and Hermione felt like nothing. She didn't have Ron, and she never would. She could never tell Ron what happened. Never. She would rather be the miserable person she was than to tell Ron that she was a used, good for nothing, anxiety suffering, slag.

Why would he want me anyway? I'm too much baggage. Who would want to deal with me?

She was still clutching the glass in her hand as she felt it cut through the flesh of her palm. It stung, but she didn't care, at least she was feeling something.

She kept looking at the piece of glass as if she should do something with it when she slowly brought the glass up to her upper thigh and without thinking she dragged it across her skin. She watched as a thin red line appeared and started dripping blood.

And she did it again, and again and again. She felt the tears in her eyes dry up as she concentrated on this one thing. Feeling. She felt like she hadn't felt anything since Malfoy Manor. It was something else to concentrate on. Pain.

She felt pain, and it was something she was so used to feeling it almost felt like a comfort. It felt like home. Her mind felt frozen and empty, so she just stared off until she stood up with her hand still grasping the shard of glass. She slowly loosened her grasp on the glass, and it clattered to the ground as she fisted her hand to stop the bleeding.

The clattering of the glass brought her out of her thoughts, and she heard footsteps and voices approaching her.

Panicking slightly, she pulled down her skirt a little to cover the cuts and picked up her bag. She was just about to walk out the door when she saw how bloody her hand was. So, before she left, she washed it in one of the other sinks.

She quietly walked her way back to her dorm, hoping that she wouldn't see anyone on her way there. She knew that by now everyone was getting ready and leaving for breakfast, so she decided to get ready for the day head of her.

She walked to the Prefect's bathroom and took a scolding hot shower, letting the water poor over her skin. She watched as the blood from her leg dripped onto the shower floor and flowed into the drain. She scrubbed her skin raw as she did every time she took shower. She had started to take fewer showers since term started, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention, but when she did, she always scrubbed her skin until it blistered red.

She stood in the shower for a long time, collecting her thoughts. What did Ron mean when he'd said that Draco had said something to him? Ron and Draco hated each other, so why would Draco say something to Ron? Unless Ron knew Draco was messing with her and decided to confront him. But how would Ron know that? She didn't think she told him that.

She turned off the faucet and started to dry off, using her wand, and eventually she did three drying charms to get her hair dry. As she stood there, she thought about why Ron had left. It was all because he heard her talking in her sleep. She felt so stupid; she couldn't even keep her nightmares to herself anymore. How pathetic.

She got dressed and made sure her skirt came down to her knees to cover the cuts before leaving the bathroom. She was worried someone might see them considering it was very low on her leg and that if she didn't make sure her skirt was down people would see. She was pulling her skirt down again as she left the bathroom when she ran into someone with violent red hair. She managed to gain her balance when she looked up to see Ginny looking back at her.

"Sorry Hermione, I didn't see you there. Why are you up so early?"

"Oh, uhm, couldn't sleep I guess." Was all Hermione could come up with. She really didn't feel like telling Ginny about her and Ron's fight, knowing she would want to know every detail and then Ginny would question her about what was bothering her and it all just seemed to exhausting.

Ginny raised her eyebrows and said, "Okay… you wanna go get some breakfast?"

Hermione contemplated for a second before she decided against it, knowing she really wasn't feeling all that hungry after what happened earlier, and that she wasn't ready to face Ron just yet.

"N-no. I need to get some studying done before class starts. I'll see you later." Hermione then waved Ginny off and rushed the other way without saying another word. Ginny watched as Hermione sped off towards the library in confusion, wondering about her even odder behavior than usual.

Ginny started walking to the Great Hall again thinking she could just ask Ron what was up with Hermione and when she got to the table all she saw was Harry there.

"Hi Harry." Ginny said sitting down across from him at the table.

"Hey Gin." Harry said while in the middle of chewing his breakfast to only look back down and continue eating. Harry wasn't really much of a talker in the mornings, especially if he had a meeting with Dumbledore the night before.

"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked as she looked around the Great Hall for her brother.

"He got in a fight with Hermione so he said he didn't want to go down to breakfast."

"What? What about?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I don't know. I didn't ask. I guess that's why Hermione isn't here either then." Harry asked like he was completely oblivious to the situation at hand.

"Wow" was all Ginny said.

"What?" Harry asked still completely clueless.

"Nothing, you're just truly amazing." And with that Ginny ended the conversation and thought it would probably be best if she went to find Hermione and find out what actually happened, since Harry was completely hopeless.

Ginny found it very curious that they had gotten into a fight, since it had been ages since they had had one. So, without further contemplation, she got up from the table and started to head off and find Hermione.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Harry shouted after her.

"Going to do what you obviously cannot in your state." Ginny shouted back and left the Great Hall.

Ginny just about ran to the library to find Hermione, but when she got there and looked around there was no Hermione. This stuck Ginny as odd.

Ginny really was curious as to what they fought about, and she really wanted to talk to Ron. Ginny knew Ron wouldn't just leave Hermione; he was so protective over her. So why? Why did they get in a fight?

Sooner than she thought, she was standing in front of the 6th year girls dorm. When she came in she found Hermione laying down with a book propped up on her lap and Ginny noticed that Hermione didn't seem to realize she had walked in, so before she scared Hermione thought she should say something instead of just standing there.

"Hi" was all Ginny could come up with.

Hermione jumped slightly and looked up, but then looked back down.

"Hi." Hermione said plainly.

It was silent for a few seconds as Ginny tried to think of something else to say. Knowing Hermione probably knew why she was there though she thought she might as well just come out with it.

"Harry told me you and Ron got in a fight."

"I guess we did." Was all Hermione said.

Ginny stood there staring at Hermione in disbelief and frustration. Why was she acting like this?

"Hermione!" Ginny said as she waved her hands out trying to get Hermione's attention.

When Hermione looked up Ginny was surprised to see Hermione looking almost angry, like Ginny was being a nuisance.

"Hermione, what is going on with you?" Ginny pleaded with Hermione.

At that moment Hermione stood up and slammed her book on her bed.

"Ginny, get out."

"What?"

"Get out. Get out of my room. Get out!"

"Hermi-"

"Ginny, get out right now or I'll get my wand."

Ginny stood there in complete shocked, wondering if she should really leave Hermione on her own or not. By the look on Hermione's face she thought it would be better just to leave. So Ginny walked towards the door and was about to walk out before she thought better of it and stopped to say,

"Hermione, I don't know what's wrong with you or why you keep pushing everyone away, but it's not fair. Whatever it is you're hiding, we deserve to know."

And with that Ginny left the room and closed the door behind her. Ginny was so confused and kind of angry. What was going on with her? All she did now was keep to herself, and you could tell the toll it was taking on her. She looked so worn down and sad- maybe it wasn't even sadness, because to Ginny the look in her eyes was so unfamiliar, and she didn't know what to make of it. It scared her not to know.

She was walking by the boys dorms when she stopped and decided maybe she should talk to Ron. So, she walked up to the 6th year's boys dorm and knocked on the door. She waited a few seconds and when she got no answer she knocked again.

"Ron. Ron, it's Ginny. Let me in, I need to speak with you." She waited another few seconds until she heard footsteps through the door and seconds later she was face to face with Ron.

She could tell he was upset about something. Being his sister for all her life and them being the closest to each other made it really easy for Ginny to read Ron and right now she could tell something was bothering him.

"Ron, Harry told me you and Hermione got in a fight. What happened?"

Ron looked at Ginny for a second and, realizing he wouldn't be able to get rid of her and she was already late for classes, he moved out of the doorway to signal her to come in.

Without meeting her eye he said, "I don't feel like talking about it. Why don't you go ask her? You're girls, I'm sure you'll gossip about it all day."

"Ron, Hermione doesn't gossip, and besides - I'm asking you, not her." She walked into the room and sat on Harry's bed, waiting for Ron to start talking.

"Anyways, I already tried that, and she kicked me out of her room." Ginny added.

At that Ron looked up at her curiously and Ginny said, "It doesn't matter, I came here to see you and ask you what happened. So tell me, what happened?" Ginny sat and waited patiently for Ron to respond, but he was staring hard at the ground, looking like he was thinking very hard. Ginny waited patiently for Ron to respond, but there was no use, he continues to stare off as if she never said anything.

"Ron." She waited. Nothing.

"Ron!" From Ginny, raising her voice. It finally got Ron's attention, and he looked up at her.

"She lied to me." Was all he said as he looked away.

"Okay… Is that why you got in a fight? What did she lie to you about?"

Without looking up Ron responded as he rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head with a look of sadness that Ginny couldn't place "I don't know. That's just it- Ginny, I don't know what she lied about, but I know she's not telling me something."

Ginny knew Hermione had been keeping a secret since she had come to her house and it was driving Ginny mad to know Hermione hadn't told anyone. Ginny had come up with her own ideas of what it was, but anything she came up with she felt Hermione would tell her or she knew it couldn't possibly be kept a secret. Her family would know and Hermione would have told Ginny. Wouldn't she?

"Ron, I'm sure it isn't any-"

That's when Ron looked up, "But it is. Whatever she isn't telling me must be bad. I just-"

Ron paused as he ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face. Ginny watched as he took a deep breath and started bouncing his leg like he always did when he was nervous or worried.

"Ginny, I just knowit was something horrible, and it kills me to know she won't tell me."

"Ron, you need to talk to her and find out what it is."

"I've tried. She won't talk to me."

"I realize you're hurt that she lied to you, but Ron, you don't know what she's hiding and she may need you. I know you want to be upset with her, but considering everything that's happened and how much she relies on you, you need to talk to her."

Ron took a deep breath and nodded his head in acknowledgment. He knew he needed to talk to her. He knew she needed him. He knew all the stuff Ginny was saying, but he felt so stupid for walking away from her. He was also scared she wouldn't want to talk to him and that was the last thing he wanted.

As he sat and contemplated his thoughts he heard Ginny get up and leave Ron to think. After a while, he decided he needed to talk to Hermione. There was no other way to fix this other than to talk to her.

He cared about Hermione so much and he hated not being there for her. He hated being in a fight with her. He just knew that whatever it was that was going on he needed to see Hermione.

She needs me. Was what kept reverberating in his head since he left needs me and I'm not there.