A/N: I'm actually excited about what will happen with this chapter, since it's my first song fic-y chapter. Surprisingly, I really don't have anything to say!

The song "Just Like a Pill" doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Pink or her record company or whatever. Harry Potter, and all those other familiar characters don't belong to me. They belong to J.K. Rowling. I own all the original characters, so if you'd like to use them, you must get my consent.

Enjoy the chapter (since I happen to think that this chapter, and the previous one, aren't my best. ::sideways grin::)

Chapter 18: Just Like a Pill

"Um... 'Dearest Percy.'"

"No! That sounds stupid."

"Um... 'To My Darling Percy.'"

"You know what, stick with 'Dearest.'" Megan sat with Penelope by the fire in the Gryffindor common room as Penelope thought of things to write to Percy in her letter to him. The day after the Winter Ball, he had sent her an owl, telling her of his feelings for her. Penelope was absolutely ecstatic from receiving the letter from him, but it seemed to have jumbled her brain because she couldn't think of how to start her letter to Percy.

"I think this would be easier if Alina were here. She was always so poetic." Penelope said as she set her quill down. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the fine upholstery. "I miss her." She said softly. It had been about a week since they had had that last encounter with her. The term had started again, and she totally blocked herself off from the rest of the girls. She wouldn't even speak with Lavender and Parvati. The only one she seemed to be exchanging words with was Malfoy.

"Look, don't bring her up. She hasn't made anything easier. I've tried to sort this out, but she's being stubborn." Megan tried to keep herself calm as she focused on the fire.

"I think we're the ones that screwed up. We didn't hear the whole story."

"I think there was enough proof from everyone else that she has something going on with Malfoy. According to Cho, they seemed pretty cozy at the lake's shore." Megan said, annoyed with the subject.

"'According to So-in-So,' 'According to So-in-So'; have we even heard the story from Draco or Alina's point of view?" Megan sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"They're just going to deny it. How can we believe them?"

"Have faith. We had faith in Alina before. I mean she's never lied to us."

"She's different now. She hangs out with different people."

"Hanging out with different people doesn't make her a different person."

"That's what you think."

"It's what I know. She's not being the stubborn one here, we are. We didn't bother to listen to her. We've changed. We want to believe everything that people say to us. We-*we*-are hanging out with different people. You have Ron, I have Percy, Camille and Cho are good friends, and Erin and Mikaela have made new friends in Slytherin. I don't get what's the big deal with Alina and Draco."

"She never told us about it-"

"Because we never listened!"

"Oh Merlin." Megan said under her breath.

"Yeah, now you figure out you screwed up big time." Penelope said as she picked up her quill. "'Dearest Percy,'" Penelope started.

"EW! 'Dearest Percy'! I hope you don't mean my brother." Ron said as he plopped down on the couch between Penelope and Megan. He draped his arm casually over Megan's shoulder, "Something bothering you, Meg?" Ron asked.

"We screwed up." Megan declared.

"What?" Ron asked, pulling away from her.

"We didn't hear the whole story. Ron, I think we've lost Alina forever." Megan was hysterical.

"No, I don't want to hear about this. It's over with. Alina has Malfoy, and she's made it clear she doesn't need us. She's closed us off-"

"Because we've closed her off. We never gave her a chance to explain. We automatically assumed she was full of shit. God, that's the last time I listen to Cho." Megan sighed as she leaned against Ron.

"Harry saw it, too. You could ask him about it." Ron suggested.

"Maybe Alina and Draco were just in the wrong position at the wrong time. And it won't help to ask Harry. We need to ask a source. That means it's either Draco or Alina, and I know that none of us would want to go anywhere near Draco, so that leaves Alina."

"That leaves me what?" Alina had walked through the portrait hole and into the discussion.

"You're talking to us!?" Megan asked excitedly. Alina scrunched her face and nodded her head upwards.

"No, I almost forgot. I thought I had real friends for a second." Alina headed for the staircase and Megan ran after her. She grabbed on her arm.

"We messed up. We didn't listen. I'm sorry. Would you forgive me?" Alina pulled her arm out of her grasp and looked at Megan like she was crazy. Why would Alina forgive her after her own best friend had doubted her? She had to do a lot more to gain Alina's trust again.

"It's not as easy as you think. You've lost my trust, and I already lost yours."

"Not entirely. We just didn't listen." Alina turned back to face her.

"Exactly. You didn't listen. Friendship is based on listening and trust, and you haven't shown any of it." Alina turned and headed up to her dormitory.

"I'll talk to you later." Alina looked back down at Megan on the first step of the staircase.

"Maybe." Alina said as she pushed the door open.

Alina cursed under her breath as she threw her backpack on her four- poster. She hated how things had turned out. She really did miss talking to her girl friends, but she didn't want to take them back so fast. It had taken her a long time to learn to trust them, and too quickly, she had lost her trust in them.

Draco was a good friend. He was always ready to listen, and ready to give her his shoulder to cry on. But it wasn't the same. She couldn't tell him all this girly stuff she used to talk about with her friends. And she couldn't trust him like she used to. He had given her away! He almost got her killed! Yes, she told him her feelings, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him what she was really thinking. She couldn't let him know that she didn't entirely trust him. Although, he should be able to understand that, she didn't want to lose him after already losing him once. Besides, he was her sanity. He kept her grounded. He kept her from losing all hope in herself.

"I think I'll get out of here where I can run just as fast as I can, to the middle of nowhere, to the middle of my frustrated fears. And I swear you're just like a pill. Instead of making me better, you keep making me-" Alina stopped singing to herself when there was a knock on the door. "Door's open!" she called out. It opened slowly, and she saw Harry's green eyes staring back at her. Her body relaxed. She wasn't in the mood to talk with Megan or Penelope.

"Um...Quidditch practice." He said dully. Alina smiled sheepishly. Of course. Why else would he be there?

"Yeah, I almost forgot. Uh, I'll just get my Meteorite and my robes. I'll change down there. Could you-"

"The rest of the team and I will be waiting for you down at the pitch." Harry interrupted. Alina swore.

"Um, okay. I'll be seeing you." Harry closed the door, but he was still able to hear her last statement, "I wouldn't blame you for not talking to me. I'm so horrible."

Harry wanted to push the door back open and tell her that she's got it all wrong, but he knew he'd just screw it up. He'd end up saying something like, "You're so horrible, you're just as horrible as my Uncle Vernon, and he's not just horrible, he's evil."

Harry sighed and headed out of the common room.

******

"...So, for the safety of the team, with a strong focus on Miss Halliwell and Mr. Potter, you will have to have a chaperone present at all of your Quidditch practices. To some, it may be an inconvenience, but please keep in mind that this is for your safety, and the safety of your teammates." Professor McGonagall had met Alina on the staircase, and escorted her down to the Quidditch pitch with the news about having a chaperone.

"We could just hit a Bludger at someone that comes within our distance." Fred said, and George nodded.

"I'm sure the team wouldn't mind tonight's chaperone. He had actually volunteered to be chaperone. But, he hasn't... Oh, here he is now. Mr. Wood. Come along now. He will also be aiding Madam Hooch with flying lessons for the rest of the year. Yes, I understand he is an old friend, but treat him with the respect of a teacher." Alina rolled her eyes as Oliver smiled at the team. If he couldn't handle werewolves, then what made Dumbledore think that Oliver could handle Voldemort? "At the other end of the pitch, we have Professor Lupin," Remus Lupin was back at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but he came back to the school after the Winter Ball when the other DADA teacher quit, "and his dog Snuffles." The team, excluding Harry, stifled a laugh. Professor Lupin waved, and 'Snuffles' waved a paw in the air. "I will let you get to practice now. How's about another win of the Quidditch Cup?" Professor McGonagall smiled at the group before leaving them to practice.

"Let's work on that play we were working on at last practice." Harry instructed, "Alina, this play doesn't have the Keeper involved. It's a Chaser play. Just do what you'd usually do. Maybe Wood could help you out." Harry said, and Alina had immediately wished he hadn't. Now Oliver had an excuse to harass her all during practice. "Positions, please!" Harry called out from up in the air. The whole team was up in the air, except for Alina. They all looked down at her and waited for her to mount her broom. Alina kicked off and went to her goalpost, with Oliver flying around behind the post.

Alina tried to forget that Oliver was behind her by occupying herself with something else. Paying attention to the players in front of her just made her mind wander back to Oliver, and their nights of practicing. So, she looked up at the sky and decided she was going to count the stars, ignoring the fact that she'll never find an exact number because there are so many stars up in the sky.

"Rule Number One of being a Keeper: always pay attention to what's going on in front of you." Alina lost track of her count when Oliver had spoken up. She looked over her shoulder at him, and glared. He grinned at her, and she just wanted to slap it off of his face.

"Shut- OWW!!!" Alina turned back to see Harry frowning at her.

"Pay attention. I threw the Quaffle at you. I won't hesitate to ask Fred or George to aim a Bludger at you the next time you decide to not guard your goalposts. It's not just the Snitch that gets you points, incase you forgot. You have to guard the posts to-"

"Harry, I know. Stop treating me like I'm ignorant." She snapped.

"Ooh, someone's feisty." George said as he flew past Fred, in earshot of Alina.

"She's been sitting with a Malfoy at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What do you expect?" Fred asked.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the Winter Ball." Oliver spoke up.

"Don't mention it, please." Alina begged.

"Um...do you still want to come to America with me?" Oliver asked. That was the last straw.

Alina flew back down to the ground, with the team watching on. She couldn't take this anymore. All she wanted right now was to cry. She wanted to cry and get it over with. There was no use in holding it all in.

She stormed through the common room, with the little first years looking on as she pushed Neville and Dean aside to get to the staircase to the dormitories. They mumbled something under their breaths about some of the Malfoy-rudeness rubbing off on her. She would've retorted, but she couldn't even bring herself to think of a good swear word to throw at them.

She pushed the door to the dormitory open, and rushed over to her bed. Lavender and Parvati looked up from their witch magazines, and exchanged glances at each other before observing Alina in great interest. They wondered what she was up to now. On the other hand, Penelope and Megan exchanged worried glances. Penelope set her quill and parchment on her bedside table and cautiously tiptoed over to Alina's four-poster.

Alina had blocked herself away, with the curtains covering all evidence of a living being behind them. As Penelope neared, she noticed there was no sound coming from her. No sounds of breathing, or snoring. Penelope pulled the curtain back quickly, out of fear that Alina was trying to quietly suffocate herself. But all she saw was Alina crying...soundlessly crying. She had put a Silencing Charm around her bed. She had Muggle headphones over her ears as she stared at top of her four- poster, which she enchanted to show the night sky. Tears fell from her eyes, and splashed against her pillow. She was singing softly to herself, but Penelope couldn't hear it.

******

"I think I'll get out of here where I can run just as fast as I can, to the middle of nowhere, to the middle of my frustrated fears. And I swear you're just like a pill. Instead of making me better, you keep making me ill. You keep making me run just as fast as I can, to the middle of nowhere, to the middle of my frustrated fears. And I swear you're just like a pill. Instead of making me better, you keep making me ill." Alina sang quietly to herself. She wasn't even aware of the presence at the foot of her bed. She could actually care less. Right now she was thinking of her life: what happened to it, how to make it even worse, and how to make it better. But that was up to her. Was she going to make things easier for everyone, and herself? Or was she just going to make herself suffer more than she ever thought possible?

******

She had shoved the note in his hand when she roughly brushed past him on her way to class. She requested that he meet her at midnight in the Astronomy Tower. She was going to get the record straight with him. She was going to find everything out. She was going to ask for answers, no matter how painful they may be.

Hermione sat in a dark corner of the tower, twiddling her thumbs. She hummed softly to herself, and mumbled random thoughts under her breath. It kept her occupied as she waited for Draco to show up. It also kept her mind off what she was going to say to him.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and it opened slowly.

"Hermione?" Draco whispered.

"The corner, Draco." Draco scanned the dark tower, and saw a small figure sitting in the darkest corner of the tower. He walked over, and sat beside her. "Why didn't we attend the Winter Ball together?" Hermione asked suddenly, catching Draco off-guard.

"Hermione, I thought-"

"No, I thought you said that your father wouldn't matter. I thought you said that we can go to the Ball without caring what everyone would have to say." Hermione said.

"Well-"

"Well, what? We didn't go to the Ball together, no matter all those stupid things you said. You just didn't want your friends to see you're dating a Mudblood. You were embarrassed. You did care what people were going to say and think. You didn't want Daddy Dearest to be angry, so you decided that we wouldn't go through with our promises, and went with Pansy Parkinson."

"Hermione-"

"No, you listen. That hurt me. I thought we had something. But I guess we didn't I've been thinking of things to say to you since the Ball. I was going to go softer on you, until I found out that you hadn't pushed me aside for Pansy, but Alina. I still can't believe it! I.I trusted the both of you! What were you two planning to do if the professors hadn't caught you out by the lake? You know what, I don't want to know. It's a bad mental picture. Why didn't you tell me, instead of using me and embarrassing me? God Draco, you've hurt me so badly."

"Hermione-"

"No, I'm not going to take this from you anymore. It's over. I don't want to be with you. It was better the way it was when we hated each other." Hermione patted his knee, and then stood up and headed for the door without looking back. She wasn't planning on having that happen. She imagined something more civil. She imagined more talking from the other party. But she didn't let him talk. She didn't care anymore. As long as they were broken apart, then that hurting part of her will stay in the Astronomy Tower with Draco, and never come back to her again.

******

I think I'll get out of here where I can run Just as fast as I can, To the middle of nowhere, To the middle of my frustrated fears And I swear you're just like a pill Instead of making me better, You keep making me ill You keep making me run Just as fast as I can To the middle of nowhere, To the middle of my frustrated fears And I swear you're just like a pill Instead of making me better, You keep making me ill.

Draco stared at the door. Hermione walked out on him. He's walked out on tons of girls. But it never hurt him as much to see a girl walk out on him. It never hurt him as much to have a girl like Hermione Granger walk out on him.

A/N: So? Did that turn out good? Anywho, has anybody heard of the musical, RENT? I've been getting so into that musical, and now I love it to death. I'm actually thinking of using one of the songs for the sequel to BOTC because I think it's very fitting with the plot and all. Oh well, I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend, and I can't wait to read what you guys think of this chapter (because right now I have nothing better to do, I'M BORED OUT OF MY MIND!!!) -Gryffindor Heiress