A/N: Hey guys, so here's a new chapter. I am for sure going to finish this fic, I'm just really busy with work and all. I haven't been feeling super great, but I wanted to get this chapter out for you guys because it's been over a month and I feel really bad. I don't know anymore, but um so here you guys go. Read and review please! Or not your choice. Love ya'll. - Piper.

"Now who do you think the git is Al?" I heard Rose growl behind me. I heard a bench squeal out a bit as it pushed away from the table, and I heard footsteps following me out the door of the Great Hall. I felt a presence fall into step next to me, but I didn't hear any voice, which was nice. I really felt like I needed a break from drama for a bit.

"Why is Al so mad at me?" I asked her when we were about halfway to the common room. I missed my old friend, the one who didn't care about any of that political stuff, "And I get that historically the Malfoy family is full of gits, but I promise you that Scor isn't one of them. In fact I honestly think he and Al would get along. I just… I miss the old Al, Rose."

"I don't know Isabella," Rose said, with a small sigh, "I don't think he's mad at you. I think he's mad at the situation. I think he's mad that all of this has been going on for awhile and none of us noticed. I think he believes that he should have noticed what you were going through before everything between us happened. I think he feels like he failed you… I think we all we that way, but I think Al is just reacting badly to it. It'll be okay Iz, it really will be. He just has to cool off."

"Yeah, I guess Rose," I replied, stopping only for a moment as we reached the entrance to the common room, "Hungry Horntail."

We walked into the common room, and I began to make my way towards the stairs up to the girls dormitories. I started up the stairs, but Rose stopped me by reaching for my hand.

"Just let me talk to him Iz," she said softly, "I'll make him understand that you have more friends than us, and that we need to stop treating Malfoy like a git before actually getting to know him or hear his side of everything."

"Thanks Iz," I replied, looking at her, "I'm gonna head up and do some homework, and then I'll probably go to bed. Since I'm up here safe and all why don't you go back and get dinner?"

"Only if you're sure Iz," Rose decided, "Do you want anything?"

"No," I replied, a little too quickly, trying to cover my hunger. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe me, "Well, I guess you could bring me something. I don't really care what though."

"Okay then," Rose grinned out at me, "I'll bring you something, maybe even some dessert. Now go finish some homework and get some rest. I'm here for you Iz."

"I know, thanks Rose. You're a really good friend."

"Nah, that's you."

I watched her smile at me as she walked away, back on her way to the Great Hall. I walked up the stairs one at a time, feeling more pain from earlier since the medicine that Victoire had given me was wearing off. Once I got to my dormitory I opened the door and made my way over to my bed. I sat down and opened my books, beginning on my homework for Transfiguration. I got up, realizing it was just a little too quiet for me so I decided to get up and grab my walkman from my trunk.

When I opened my trunk I didn't see my walkman on top so I moved a few things around to grab it out. Once I finally found it, I looked next to it and saw my box. I moved my fingers across it slowly, questioning if I should take it out as well, but something made me stop. Something inside my head was telling me that I didn't need to punish myself anymore. I thought about Rose and how she was willing to stop everything to help me, and then I thought about how mad Albus would be if he found out I did something like that again.

Why did I keep getting drawn to hurting myself when I knew it would hurt my friends? It didn't fully matter because I figured Al would be mad at me no matter what right now. I looked to the door, waiting for a few moments, waiting, no, hoping for someone to walk in and stop me. I was waiting for Rose to come up from dinner, but I new it would be half an hour or longer before she or the other girls came in. Knowing this, I acted on instinct and on habit, grabbing the box, and racing off to the bathroom. I closed the door and locked it, knowing I couldn't take too long of a time as I may have before.

I turned on the shower, stripping down as it warmed up. I caught a look at my reflection in the mirror, hardly able to recognize the girl I had been just barely three months ago. I had cuts and bruises all over my body and black underneath my eyes from lack of sleep, and my stomach was definitely smaller than it had been before. I snapped back to reality as I realized the water was still running in the shower, and I still needed to actually take my shower. I didn't know how long I had been looking in the mirror, but it had been long enough for me to become self conscious again.

I climbed in the shower and I began to wash myself, cleaning out all of my cuts, running my hands over my bruises and through my hair, attempting to calm myself down from the impending panic attack that was on the horizon. I put myself through the motions of washing my hair and placing conditioner in it, then waiting a bit to wash it out.

It was when I got out of the shower that I looked at my reflection again, noticing everything all over again. I looked at my reflection, collapsing onto the ground with short, choppy breaths and tears threatening to fall from my eyes. I curled up into a ball, reaching for a towel to dry myself off, and then I grabbed my box. As I opened it, I went through the motions that I had been going through for long enough now that it didn't take any brain power. I had found that this was the best, no, the only way I could calm myself down enough to focus on sleep or homework or whatever it was I was going to be doing. This time, however, even though it had calmed me down, it hadn't made me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel horrible, mainly because I knew this would only hurt and confuse my friends more. I got dressed in the bathroom, and made my way out to my trunk, opening it upon my arrival. I set my box inside it, pulling out my walkman and a set of pyjamas.

I then changed into my pyjamas, set my clothes aside for another day, since they weren't super dirty, and climbed under my covers. I placed my headphones over my ears, turning on my music, and pulled my Transfiguration book close. As I read, music blared to life through my eardrums, distracting me from reality enough to focus all of my energy on homework. I had been working on my homework for a little over ten minutes when I noticed Rose rush in with a plate of food, setting it before me and hopping onto my bed.

I slid my headphones off cocking my head to the side and raising my eyebrows, "What's up?"

"What would you say about maybe helping me figure out a few things?" Rose asked, talking softly.

"Like what?" I asked her, giving her a slightly confused look.

"Well, I was wondering kinda about the… um… stuff on your wrist," she said, looking down slightly.

"What were you wondering about them?" I asked her, trying not to falter and reach for them out of nervousness.

"Why would you want to do something like that to yourself? Like, what makes you think you need to do something like that? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."