Disclaimer: Don't own and never will.
AN: This is me filling in for the keeper position for the Montrose Magpies. It's cobbled together last minute for a round I haven't liked, so I ask your forgiveness for foisting this on the world.
AN: Warnings for mention of starvation and maiming beetles.
Hermione looked down at the beetle in the jar with a look of contempt.
"Pathetic," she said as she removed the creature from it's prison and placed it on the table. The beetle waved it's legs in the air, desperately trying to right itself. Hermione just watched and sighed.
"Right now, I imagine that you're trying to transform back into a human," she told the beetle in an almost bored voice as she reached for her tools. "I imagine that it's incredibly frustrating to be finally out of that jar, only unable to change back." She looked down at the beetle. "I think that you'll find that I've placed a few charms on this room that will stop you from transforming. It's probably one of the most frustrating sensations that you've ever experienced." She gave the beetle a dark smile. "Poor old Rita Skeeter. I bet that nobody ever told you that this was a possible downside of becoming an animagus." She picked the beetle up by one of it's legs and shook her head. "Especially an animagus form that's so easily caught." She shook her head with an almost disappointed look on her face. "I'm sure that it's proved to be very useful in eavesdropping on conversations that you have no business listening to. Especially as an unregistered animagus. Why, nobody would ever guess." She paused and chuckled. "Well, most people. I never would have found out if you hadn't been so ambitious. And now we can begin."
She placed the beetle back on the table and waved her wand. The spell glowed briefly, confirming that the beetle was indeed an animagus. Fortunately, she had nothing to worry about from the Ministry. The Ministry was going to have a lot more things to worry about beyond the disappearance of a troublesome journalist and she doubted that they would exert themselves much to find her.
"You know," Hermione said conversationally as she used a pair of tweezers to hold Rita in place and she grabbed one of her legs. "I've always wondered what would happen if an animagus form was injured, would the witch or wizard be equally injured?" Rita squirted some foul smelling substance at Hermione, who ignored it. "Like, if I removed a limb, would it result in the witch or wizard underneath the transformation losing a limb? Professor McGonagall didn't know and she's been teaching Transfiguration for decades. In fact, I don't think that anyone knows. Just think, you're on the frontiers of known magic!"
Rita tried to squirm free to no avail. Then, with a sharp tug, Hermione pulled one of the legs off.
"Of course, beetles have six limbs and humans don't," Hermione continued. "There's not an exact match. Would this make a single limb amount to nought point six of one of your limbs?" She paused and smiled brightly. "I'm sure that's an experiment for another time. I'm sure that you're not the only beetle animagus out there. For now, we're going to just focus on you. Aren't you lucky?"
She waved her wand and Rita began to become human once more, but before the transformation was complete, Hermione woke up with a start.
She gave a shiver as she kept replaying her dream. It was...worrying. Scary even, although she wasn't sure what was scarier. The fact that she was having that dream or the fact that she had enjoyed it. A part of her had enjoyed the cruelty. Revelled in it even. (In fairness, it WAS Rita Skeeter she had been tormenting. Some people were definitely more deserving of her ire than others.)
"Are you okay Granger?" Lavender asked with a curious look on her face. Hermione shook herself.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking," she said. Lavender shot her a curious look, but said nothing else.
The day went on as normal. She attended classes, did her homework, hung out with Harry and Ron and all the other things that she usually did.
"Help me," Draco croaked, his eyes wide and pleading. "Help me Granger. Please."
Hermione looked down at Draco with a look of contempt. He was at the bottom of a well and his usually pale face was even paler.
"Malfoy," she spat as she looked down at him. "What are you doing down there?"
"I fell down here," he said fearfully, his eyes watering slightly. "Please...my wand is broken...and my leg..."
Hermione waved her wand and the well was suddenly buried under several thick sheets. She waved her wand again and suddenly all sounds from the well ceased, buried under a silencing spell.
"How very unfortunate," she said with an evil smirk. Hermione walked away without looking back.
And once again, Hermione abruptly woke up.
She shivered, grateful that she couldn't be seen. It disturbed her. A lot. Yes, Draco was an annoying, foul little creature, but leaving him trapped at the bottom of a well to possibly starve to death was...extreme. She was better than that, wasn't she? She was the better person, she was sure of that. Wasn't she?
She was beginning to doubt that.
"What do you mean, you only married me to make Victor Krum jealous!?" Ron asked, his face aghast. "Do I really mean so little to you? Were all our good times just an act?"
"Who would love you?" Hermione asked coldly. "You're poor and stupid and pathetic. Even your own mother considers you unimportant. What makes you think that you're somehow worthy of me?"
Ron just stared at her like she had grown a second head. No, like he was devastated. It broke her heart. or it should have done at least. Somehow it just felt right. Satisfying even. She slowly walked away with a smirk on her face. He wouldn't do anything. He was just too much of a weakling.
Hermione sharply sat up and rolled out of bed, before suddenly vomiting all over the floor. She stayed there, shaking slightly as she remembered her dream. It was absurd and cruel. Who would marry one person to make another jealous? It was more than ridiculous, it was cruel. Sadistic even. And to Ron of all people, one of her best friends.
"Come on Hermione," Lavender said as she lifted Hermione with Parvati's help. "Hospital wing."
"I'm sure that you can survive one day without classes," Parvarti said as Lavender vanished Hermione's vomit.
"Now go," Lavender said as she helped her walk down the stairs. With an almost resigned shrug, Hermione allowed herself to be taken to the hospital wing.