-Chapter Twenty-One-

Harry stood forgotten in the deserted classroom he had just spoken to Malfoy in only two minutes earlier, mind racing. He had to go find Hermione, and he had to find her now, but where would she be? He glanced down at his watch, to see that it was now eight-thirty at night. That rules out the Great Hall, dinner ended two hours ago, he thought to himself. Although, if what Malfoy said was true then she wouldn't be in the Great Hall anyway, would she?

He thought again for a few minutes, before it occurred to him that he knew exactly where she'd be, and should have known from the start. Harry exited the classroom and walked swiftly towards the library, which would close in a half hour. As he entered the large room, he spotted Madame Pince glaring at him from her desk.

"The library closes in twenty-five minutes, Mr. Potter. I suggest you hurry," she said.

"Er, yeah. I'll be quick," said Harry, and scanned the room rapidly with his eyes. He didn't see her. "Madame Pince? Have you seen Hermione Granger in here recently?"

The older woman granted him a rare smile, "Yes, I think she just went to a quieter table on the other side of the shelves."

Harry nodded and walked in the direction she had indicated. Sure enough, Hermione was seated alone at a small table, staring into a book. He sat down next to her and looked at her, really looked at her for what seemed like the first time in weeks. He saw immediately what Malfoy was talking about, and anger raged inside him for not noticing how deathly she appeared earlier. For someone that has a 'Saving People Thing' he can't even save his best friend from herself?

He cleared his throat loudly, in hopes that she may look up. She didn't. Hermione continued to stare directly at the book, her eyes not moving as if she were reading, just looking at one word. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Hermione?" he asked cautiously.

Her head shot up and she sent him a deathly glare. "What? Do you need some help with your homework? Maybe you've had a row with Ginny and are here to beg me to help you sort it out?" Hermione snapped.

"No," Harry said, obviously taken aback. "No, Hermione. I'm here to talk to you, about you."

Her glare fizzled out, and she was just looking at him dully, no expression in her eyes at all. "What about me? Don't tell me you've spoken with Malfoy."

"Well, I have. But I've been meaning to speak to you about it myself anyway." Lie. He hadn't even thought about talking to her about it and they both knew it.

"There's nothing to talk about, Harry, I'm fine," Hermione said, and forced a small reassuring smile onto her lips.

Harry stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I think you're lying, Hermione," he said finally.

"And I think you were lying when you said you'd been meaning to talk to me," Hermione challenged.

A strangled noise escaped Harry's throat and looked up at the ceiling, as if expecting to find all of the answers up there. "What is wrong with us?" he asked. "Why are we being like this? You, Ron, and I haven't had a real conversation in months, nevermind spent any time together. I feel like I hardly know you anymore, Hermione."

"I don't think you want to know me anymore."

Harry looked at her, his best friend. Were they best friends anymore, or was her new best friend Draco Malfoy? "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Nevermind, forget it," Hermione said. She closed the book she had been reading and shoved it into her schoolbag. "As fun as this chat is, Harry, I think I should be going."

"No," Harry said firmly. "I'm not finished talking to you."

"Well I'm finished talking to you," she said, standing up and pushing in her chair.

"What happened to you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Where is the Hermione Granger I've known for six years?"

Hermione shook her head, "Nothing, she just wasn't good enough," she said. She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder and left the library without another word.

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The portrait hole slammed shut behind Hermione with a finalizing 'bang.' Draco was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace, a book open in his lap, the tip of a quill in his mouth, he looked up as she came in.

"You talked to Harry?" Hermione demanded. Her tone was a no-nonsense firm, but she didn't appear to be as angry as she had been earlier.

"Yes," Draco admitted. He knew she wouldn't be happy, but he was glad he talked to Potter, something had to be done.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm worried about you, love."

"Daring," muttered Hermione.

Draco looked confused. "What was that?"

"I said you were daring. Calling me 'love' like that, just now. It was a bold move, considering the current circumstances."

"Well, don't I have a right to? That's something many boyfriends call their girlfriends. But, I guess we aren't together right now?" he laughed cruelly. "You should inform me, I can't seem to keep track anymore the way you jerk me around."

Hermione took a deep breath and let it out in one big rush of air. "What do you want me to say, Draco?"

"I want you, for once in your life, to give me a straight answer. I want to know if we are together or not," he said, staring her in the eye with a look that could melt metal.

"Draco, it's really not that simp-"

"No, Hermione," Draco cut her off, "it is. It's a simple yes or no question. I'm sick of you taking me forgranted, just yelling at me and expecting me to keep coming back for more."

Hermione looked stunned, if only for a moment before she regained her composure. "Then stop coming back."

"Fine. I'm done with this shit. You treat me like shit and I might as well be shit the way I let you walk all over me," the blonde snarled, he had finally snapped. He had tried to be good for her, to help her, but now he was beginning to wonder why he had bothered in the first place. Malfoys didn't care about other people unless there was a way to use them, and they definitely didn't care about mudbloods. "I mean it, Hermione. We're through."

Hermione helplessly shook her head, she didn't actually expect him to leave her. She opened her mouth once, but nothing came out so she shut it.

Draco stared at her for a long moment before turning and beginning to walk up to his room. "Don't forget to show up for your appointment tonight. I'm not taking you and my ass is on the line if you don't go." He turned around to glare at her, a look that made her hands shake slightly. "So you'd better go," he said before turning again and entering his room, slamming the door behind him.

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"Up you get, dear," The elderly nurse said, indicating to the scale.

Hermione sighed and slid her shoes off, before taking a deep breath and standing on the scale. She watched the nurse move the weights until they settled on eighty-eight. Hermione smiled at this, she had broken the nineties.

The nurse, however, did not look so pleased. She made a disapproving 'tutting' noise and unwillingly wrote the number down on Hermione's chart.

"Dr. Nelson is waiting for you," she said, handing Hermione the chart. "Go ahead and give this to him when you go in."

Hermione nodded and walked down the narrow hallway until she reached the open door of Dr. Nelson's room.

"Welcome back," he said cheerily from the chair at his desk.

Hermione said nothing as she dropped her chart on his desk and sat down in the seat across from him.

"How are you today?" he asked.

"Fine," she muttered.

He nodded absently and opened her chart. "You've lost two more pounds," he commented.

"And?"

Dr. Nelson just shook his head. "Let's talk about school today, Hermione."

"If we must."

He ignored her. "Do you have many friends?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Any boyfriends?"

"You could call him that."

"Do you like your classes?"

"Sometimes."

"And your teachers?"

"Depends which day you ask me." Hermione knew she was giving the man a hard time, with her one word answers, but she didn't really care. This guy was not her friend, he was nothing to her but the enemy, the one that would make her start eating.

Dr. Nelson sighed. "Why are you here, Hermione? It's quite obvious that you don't want to be here. What is making you come back?"

"Do you think I want to be here? If you do then I think you're the one that needs a shrink, not me," Hermione said, glaring at him.

"Then what do you want, Hermione?" Dr. Nelson asked.

Hermione faltered. Should she answer his question honestly, give away everything that she had been thinking for months, or should she shut him out and lock the door? She did want to know why she felt as she did, why she appeared so much fatter than Lavender Brown, who just stuffed her face all day.

Finally she took a deep breath, "I want- I want to be pretty. I want someone to think 'There's Hermione Granger, isn't she beautiful?' I don't always want to be seen as the smart girl. I want to be good enough for my boyfriend. I want something in my life to be just mine, something nobody can touch, nobody can change but me. I want this, I don't want to eat, and I won't."

He didn't even blink, didn't move, not a muscle. "Even if that means upsetting your friends and family?"

"I'd think that would rather me not be utterly revolting. And besides, my friends don't care what I do."

"Then are you sure that it is wise to have them as friends?"

"No. Well, they don't so much not care as they don't have time to care," she explained. "They're busy, they have girlfriends and lives of their own, they can't spend their time worrying about whether Hermione is eating or not."

Dr. Nelson nodded. "And your boyfriend? Does he support your decision to not eat?"

"Not exactly." Hermione suddenly found her fingernails very interesting.

"Does it start arguments?" he pushed.

"Sometimes. I just wish he could leave it alone. It has to be done, so I'm doing it."

"Are you ever afraid that you are taking this too far?"

"Taking what too far?"

"Everything, your eating habits, your desperate need to have everything in control."

"I don't have to have everything in control," Hermione spat, rage causing her voice to crack. "I know that not everybody is perfect, I know that each and every person on this planet has their flaws."

"Especially you?" he asked it as a question, but Hermione had a feeling it really wasn't. She didn't answer.

Dr. Nelson glanced across the room to the clock that hung on the wall. "Okay, Hermione. Today has been very successful, but I am afraid that we are out of time." He looked down at his planner that lay on his desk in front of him. "I see you're scheduled in here for next Tuesday, I look forward to seeing you then."

Hermione nodded briskly and stood up. "Sure," she said as she walked out of the room.

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A/N- Short chapter, I know and I'm sorry. I only had a limited amount of time to finish it up. I also know it took a while, and I'm sorry for that too. Things have been a bit hectic.

But anyways, I have an amazing Beta, named Sam. The only problem is I think that she may be a little biased when it comes to my work, seeing as she is my best friend. So, with that said I am looking for someone who may be up to the job of being my Beta. It's quite a lot of work, between my waayy too many comma mistakes to parts of the story that just don't make sense, but I am kind of desperate. So, if you're interested let me know.