Disclaimer: ummm. I'm a wee bit tired right now so I don't feel like writing nething too earth-shattering…. I don't own them, wish I did, yadda- yadda. And beware the Honey-Covered-Orgy-Seeking-Polar-Ice-Bunny-Who-Eats- Caramel-Apples-During-Sex… he's a scary one.



A Shadow danced and pranced about the land, riding past the wind, through the leaves, and under the trees. It slowly swept around Hogwarts in silence, darting between the many traps and snares of Dumbledore's hand. The Shadow jerked to a halt at a window, left carelessly open in the night. Among the billowing curtains it zipped, leaping from bed to bed, searching for its business.

*No not here, nor here, nor there. I can't say as I've seen this number of girls as one! Ah, here is her sting; it floods the room, devouring the joy of others.*

It lighted upon Hermione's brow, filtering through her thoughts, dreams and hopes.

*Here I plant the seed of my dreams, my student, my pupil, my love, grow on! Spread as long as the day is old!*

With that lasting resolution, the shadow darted betwixt her ears, planting itself deep in the knots of her erudition.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



A frown slowly spread across Hermione's forehead, refusing to accept the inevitable. Her torso violently jerks upward, and she unleashed a screeching scream. Bulging eyes panned the room, contemplating the source of her distressed awakening. All the other girls had left for breakfast, leaving her to herself. She faintly perceived a rough beat leaking under the door, forcing the walls as well as her head to pound to the rhythm of its pulse. She swung her body off the bed and placed her feet gingerly on the floor. The drumming throbbed through her toes to her knees and up to her chest where it welled to her head, nurturing an eye-splitting headache.

"Gee-shmee, that little obsessed freakazoid twirp can never keep it down."

Then she recognized the hard beat and her head began to bob.

Ah, dark Sugarcult, I am your peon, use me as you see need.

She hummed the tune, and then, dressing hastily in her robes, belted out the lyrics of the intoxicating song:

I'm bouncing off the walls again

I'm looking like a fool again

I threw away my reputation

One more song for the radio station

I'm bouncing off the walls again

I'm looking like a fool again

Waking up on the bathroom floor

Pull myself together just to fall once more

And my heart's still beating out of my chest

And this town is still making me sick

And every penny from my last paycheck

I've blown on you

I'm bouncing off the walls again

I'm looking like a fool again

So go ahead and take a picture

And hang it up so you can tear me down

I'm bouncing off the walls again

I'm looking like a fool again

I'm bouncing off the walls again

I'm looking like a fool again

I'm bouncing off the walls again

By the end of the song, she rushed out of Gryffindor tower, craving eggs and bacon. The music wiped away her fears and for the moment she could not recall the night's trauma. Nor did she see the ignored yellow note, swept behind her door for the discovery of any upright meddler.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Hermione plopped down next to Harry and across from Ron. Many heads turned inquisitively in her direction after being informed earlier of her strange behavior.

"Food!" sighed Hermione as she dug into a piece of dejected sausage. Her stomach gurgled audibly for all to hear.

Ron gave a knowing glance to Harry, who proceeded to stare at his plate. After a few moments filled with chompchompgulpgurgle, he cleared his throat.

"Umm, Herm? You must be dreadfully hungry, after skipping dinner last night and all. O!" he squealed as Herm nearly unseated him in reaching for the milk.

Ron piped in, "What Harry's meaning to say is, well, why did you take that book from the library last night?"

Hermione choked on her biscuit – "WHAT? Oh, I mean, whi-ich book?"

Harry eyed Ron and nodded, "Well, you left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to yell after you that it was reserved for some such person from Slytherin. I say, the librarian was bloody mad."

"O, well, I didn't notice, I'm sorry – you see, no, ummm, o yes, it's for my, uh, extra credit project, remember? I'm pretty positive I was actually, the, uh, 'Slytherin' who it was reserved for. Yes. They must have just made a trivial mistake, that's all."

"O ok. Don't eat too fast now."

Hermione nodded and continued her chomping.

"Well looky there, the owls are here!" Ron sighed and turned to see if his mother had brought him anything from home.

Hordes of owls of all sorts, sizes, and colors dived into the hall. At the very end, a small tuft of feathers puffed their way past the chatty elderly owls to the Gryffindor table. On seeing Ron, Pig gave a tiny squeak and proceeded towards the table. He then plopped down in the middle of Ron's lopsided eggs, hopping up and done incessantly. Ron groaned and tried to clean him up while untying the rolled up scroll from his leg.

"Another letter from mum and dad, I suppose."

"Read it aloud, Ron, I wanna hear what they have to say," chimed in Harry.

Hermione continued filling her bottomless pit.

"Ok, here it is." Ron stole a glance at Hermione before continuing. Clearing his throat,

"Hullo Ron hunnie dear. How is Hogwarts for you this year? I do hope you stay out of trouble now, unlike your brothers."

Proudly, George and Fred snickered in unison.

"I think your father has found another…"

As Ron continued reading, Hermione jerked upright and lulled backward. Her eyes filmed over and rolled once, twice to the back of her head. Harry jabbed an elbow into Ron's gut, inducing a loud !yelp! Ron glowered at him until he understood his comrade's purpose. Hermione's familiar figure no longer sat at her place.

"Where in the bloomin junipers did she go?" Ron asked a white faced Harry. The only response he could get was Neville's shaky finger pointing towards the floor beyond their table. Ron swallowed and stretched down to look beneath the table.

"H-EE-ELP HELP! HELP! HEL-HELP! AHHHHHHH!"

All the heads turned as one to witness the twisted shape of Hermione convulsing diabolically on the floor.