"Oy, 'Mione! Hurry up, we're starving!!" Ron shouted for the third time from the common room. Rolling her eyes, Hermione heaved herself up off the bed. Couldn't Ron go 15 minutes without a dinner the size of a side of beef? Harry was the waifish one, yet he never scarffed like there's no tomorrow.
"KEEP YOU'RE FECKING PANTS ON, I'M COMING!"
Moments later she appeared in the doorway. With barely a glance at her, the boys took off through the portrait hole. She didn't know why she was going; her mind had been made up earlier. Why not start her diet right away? Ah well, maybe she could get a salad or something. Following her boys, well, running after them really, they arrived at the Great Hall in record time.
The three made their way to the center of the Gryffindor table. While they made jokes about Malfoy holding court at the Slytherin table, the same was true for Harry whether he knew it or not. Harry sat in the center of the table, Ron on his right, Hermione directly across from them. It was the same, every meal, every day. It was just a given, the golden trio sat in the middle, their court surrounding them. Neville, Seamus, Dean, Parvati, Lavender and Ginny sat the closest and without words saved the seats.
Hermione settled herself between Neville and Parvati. All the boys began eating, or inhaling, as the case may be. Helping herself to a small portion of Caesar salad, she glanced sideways at her roommate's plate.
"How in Merlin's name do you stay so thin? Running can't work off that much food can it?" she asked Parvati.
"Oh…uh…I don't know…fast metabolism?" Parvati answered a bit too swiftly.
"Lucky. Mine seems to have disappeared on me."
"Oh please, Hermione!" Lavender interjected. "I'd kill to have a figure like yours!"
"Ha! Thanks though. You know…I really wish they could put this bloody dressing on the side. It's too fattening this way."
"That's all you're eating Hermione? Eat something other than rabbit food!" said Ron. "Here, try this…" he held out his fork with something dripping with gravy.
Hermione made a face. "Thank you, no Ronald. This is plenty. Just because you have the stomach the size of a troll doesn't mean we all do."
Despite the noise of the hall, the middle section of the Gryffindor table finished in comfortable silence. Finally sated, the boys leaned back, much in the same fashion that reminded Hermione of her father and uncles after Christmas dinner. If she hadn't known better, she could swear that Harry, Ron and Neville had all unbuttoned their pants. Surprisingly, Lavender and Parvati had eaten copious amounts themselves.
"Well, it's been lovely," Lavender said sarcastically, looking at the bloated boys. "C'mon ladies."
Hermione and Ginny rose to follow the girls out of the hall.
"I don't get it guys. Why do the girls always leave like that after dinner?" asked Neville.
Harry laughed. Too stuffed to move, Ron cracked a grin.
"Don't know mate," answered Dean. "Women!"
"Alright, night Gin!" called Hermione. Unlike the seventh years, the sixth years had a bit more homework to finish and Ginny had a foot and a half of parchment due the next day to Snape on the properties of a shrinking solution.
Settling in to read up on tomorrow's Transfiguration lesson, Hermione's stomach growled. This diet thing was going to take a bit of discipline.
As if on cue, Lavender stood and silently slipped into the bathroom, followed a few minutes later by Parvati.
"Ah, that's better!" sighed Lavender as she re-entered the room. Hermione barely noticed. "Ok Parvati?" Lavender asked as her friend came back.
"Better, definitely better!" she beamed. "Ten minutes?"
"Yep," replied Lavender.
"Are you going to study for tomorrow or just blither on about nothing?" Hermione irritably asked.
"FYI, we're about to do our sit-ups…like we do every night." Parvati answered calmly. She noticed Hermione's dinner and remembered all too well how irritable one could become with a sudden lack of food.
Oh right…she'd only been living with the wizarding world's equivalent of Denise Austin for the past six years, how could she forget the evening ritual?
"You know, if you're serious about getting more fit, and judging by that salad you had for dinner tonight instead of your usual smothered baked potato, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, I'd say you are...anyway, let us be your coaches!" Lavender said with sudden inspiration.
Hermione looked up. Lav had a point. They both looked to be in fairly good shape, and constant attention from boys confirmed that. "Ok, but only for 2 weeks. If you drive me nuts, I'm dropping you after then," she conceded.
"Sweeeet!" they squealed together.
"First things first. We weigh in at 6:00 am every morning. We keep track of our losses and gains in a notebook. Saturday is measuring day, waist, thighs, hips and bust," instructed Lavender in a sudden business like voice. "Never weigh in at night. The day's activities are still with you, you weigh less in the morning."
"Now, for the schedule. Breakfast: one piece of unbuttered toast, or a small bowl of cereal. To drink: water, or fat free milk. Lunch: salad, and you're right, dressing on the side. To drink: water. Then we run. If you work out for one hour straight, your body will continue to burn fat and calories for another hour afterward, therefore, we stretch etc, then run for 45 minutes. Then into the gym. We lift for another 30 minutes. Then shower, get ready for dinner, do homework, whatever. Then dinner. Dinner is your choice. If you want to binge, go for it, we'll cover that later. If you want to eat light like tonight, be ready for your stomach to talk like it is now," Parvati rapidly outlined.
"Right. Then after dinner, it's the crunches, and leg lifts, 100 of each," concluded Lavendar. "Any questions?"
Hermione stared at her roommates. She had no idea they were so disciplined. For two girls who reveled in divination, of all classes, they suddenly appeared far more intelligent than they looked. Until then Hermione snidely thought of their nightly counting as reaffirmation to themselves that they actually could count.
Regaining her power of speech she asked "When do I start?"