Hermione sat in her room, furiously scribbling notes for her NEWTs on a scroll, trying to distract herself. She had decided she wanted her old life back, but she couldn't stop her brain from wanting to simply walk down to the dungeons and getting just one hit, just one. Since her overdose four days ago, she felt like she was lost. Her stomach was relentless in its aching, as was her head, and her moods had been flying from one end of the spectrum to the next at mach speeds. Harry and Ron were being too overprotective. If Hermione dared to laugh too hard or stared absently in thought, they would give her a look over, trying to determine if she was alright.

She had gone down to breakfast that morning, exhausted as usual since insomnia had become her new best friend. Her head was pounding, she felt nauseated, and her internal organs seemed to be practicing origami with each other. She had felt these symptoms before and knew she was in withdrawal. If she could make it through the day, she would be okay. Groggily she sat down and decided to poke at the food on her plate for show. But her usual grace deceived her, and a drowsy clumsiness had set in, causing her to drop her fork. As she bent over to pick it up off the floor, a wild hand movement by Parvati knocked a glass of butterbeer all over her robes. Hermione snapped.

The stressed girl pointed the wand at her robes with a muttered "Assiccare" causing the spots to dry up. "Fuck," she mumbled, which was very unlike her. Usually she thought the vulgarities of the English language were reserved for those too dimwitted to think of anything else to say.

"Calm down, 'Mione, no harm done," Ron protested.

She looked up at the redhead and glared. She wasn't sure why, but she was furious. "It's interesting how you barely talk to me until I practically kill myself, yet you stick up for whatever air-headed twit you feel like shagging that day," she hissed quietly. Harry's jaw dropped, and Ron sat still in astonishment. Parvati, who hadn't heard Hermione's accusation, crossed her arms across her chest in preparation for attack. Hermione, realizing somewhat how she was acting, stormed out of the Great Hall towards her sanctuary.

"Excuse me," a daring voice called.

Hermione turned on her heel and saw Paverati looking at her with her best attempt at an intimdating glare that made her skin scrunch up around her eyes.

"Listen," Hermione tried to explain, "I'm sorry. My moods have just been-" She gestured with her hand, trying to find the right words. "I don't know. I know you didn't mean to spill anything."

"Whatever," her classmate snapped. "You're just jealous."
It took Hermione a moment for this to register. Jealous? She looked over Parvati and her I'm-so-much-better-than-you pose, from her heeled shoes to her black hair in a Lora Croft style braid. Granted, she was considered more attractive than Hermione, but she would never trade her intelligence for an empty head covered in cosmetic charms.

"Okay," Hermione sighed sarcastically, "You're right; you win. I'm going to go ahead and go now, is that okay? Are you done?" She turned around, but before she took two steps, she turned around again.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The olive-skinned girl fell to the ground with her wand pointed and an incantation on the lips of her open mouth. Hermione walked over and stood over the body of her classmate. "You stupid girl," she said, "look what you made me do."

Noting that no one was around, she felt a streak of vindictiveness rush through her. "Turpis Bacillum," she whispered. The petrified face of Hogwart's prettiest girl morphed, with an elonged forehead covered with boils and cheeks shrinking causing her mouth to look like that of a fish. Her teeth stick out, ironically much resembling Hermione's teeth before Malfoy's stray Densaugeo curse. She turned to continue her walk to Gryffindor Tower but was interrupted once again.

"Hermione!"

This time, with her head throbbing uncontrollably, Hermione turned around to face the addresser.

"Yes?" she asked Harry, who was standing in front of a small group of Gryffindors who had come out to investigate the noise. There were whispers from the group of people.

"Oh gods."

"Her face, look at it. It's all deformed."

"Eww."

"Finite Incantatem," Seamus pointed his wand at Parvati. She stood up and dusted herself off as her classmates stared at her face.

"Parvati," Seamus tried to get her attention.

"What? What's going on?" she asked in squeaky, furious voice.

"You have a smudge of something right there," he said, rubbing his own cheek.

"What is it?" she asked, rubbing her cheek.

"Looks like a little bit of ugly," he laughed, causing her to go over to the glass in the doors of Great Hall and scream at her reflection.

"You Bitch! You ruined my face! Turn it back! Turn it back, now!" she screamed at Hermione, who simply shrugged.

"Okay, I'm going to go now," she stated and walked off, not letting anyone stop her this time.

"What's gotten into her?" Seamus asked.

"I think it's that time of the month, mate," someone piped up from the back

Harry readjusted his glasses. "I think it's something more than that," he whispered to Ron, who nodded seriously.