A/N: I'm having a few issues with the edit button. There actually are divisions between the scenes when I upload it, as well as chapter headings. Whatever!

3. The Regiment Begins

The next day dawned bright and sunny...and early.

"Wake up 'Mione!" called Parvati brightly, pulling back Hermione's curtains. "Time to weigh in!"

Hermione groaned and rolled over. "Give me another 10 minutes."

"Nope! We're your coaches and you agreed to do things our way. Get your butt up!"

"Alright, alright," she grumbled and pulled herself up.

"C'mon girl, you get to weigh in first!!" Lavender looked positively thrilled.

Hermione's eyes widened. "You're going to watch?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course!" Parvati said. "How else do you think we keep each other on track?"

Mentally rolling her eyes and holding back an exasperated expression, Hermione stepped on the scale.

"134 lbs," murmured Lavender as she wrote the figure in Hermione's new notebook. "and you want to lose 10 lbs why?"

Hermione looked her square in the eye. "Because I look ugly naked," she answered with a straight face. To her relief her roommates looked startled for only a moment before the both burst out laughing.

After the other two "weighed in" and recorded the results, (Lavender – 128 lbs, Parvati – 125 lbs), Lavender turned to Hermione. "Tomorrow's Saturday, you're first measuring day!! Aren't you excited?"

"Bloody ecstatic," Hermione responded dryly.

"Oh cheer up! The measuring is just to make sure that after a binge we haven't gained any extra inches, we're not exactly trying to shrink into oblivion, right Lav?" countered Parvati.

"Right," she answered. "It's Friday...got to look good today! Let's hit the showers."

"What's so special about Friday?" Hermione wondered

"Oh Hermy!" Lavender threw her arm around Hermione's shoulders. "We have so much to teach you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione wrenched herself away from the blonde's grasp.

"It means that the boys are looking for a good time. It's the weekend remember? You've been to our parties," Parvati explained. "And broke up a few of them too," she muttered under her breath.

"Uh...yeah...right," Hermione could barely contain another exasperated expression. This was going to be a long 2 weeks.

After her shower, Hermione dashed out of the bathroom and dressed quickly...and normally. Anxious to escape the early morning primping session she was sure to endure if she didn't make a quick get-away, Hermione packed her bag with her Transfiguration, Charms and Potions books and headed to the common room to meet Harry and Ron. Surprised they weren't there yet, she suddenly remembered she arrived half an hour early, thanks to her stupid "weigh in."

'Might as well take advantage of it,' she thought. 'The common room won't be quiet for long.' She hastily braided her hair, and pulled out her potions book. Brewing veritaserum today was going to prove difficult even for her.

'Oh lord. Veritaserum. I'd better be paired with Harry today. If I have to spill any secrets, I'd rather it be to him! No surprises there! With my luck, I'll be with Neville. Melted cauldron, here he comes.' Although alone, she suppressed a laugh.

Poor Neville. He really had improved at any subject requiring a wand since he had been forced to replace his old one after the fight in the Department of Mysteries fifth year. The wand chooses the wizard; too bad for Neville, his dad's old wand didn't choose him. Thanks to patience from his friends, namely Harry, Neville's grades in charms, transfiguration and especially defense against the dark arts rose dramatically. But potions? Still the bane of Neville's existence. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion the image of Snape in Neville's gran's clothes was the only thing keeping Neville sane while in Snape's presence. She again suppressed a laugh. Transvestite Snape. That was by far the best boggart form she'd seen yet.

Hermione shook her head suddenly. Fifteen minutes lost to day dreaming. 'Veritaserum. The truth serum. Well duh. Anyone knows that. Takes six to eight weeks to mature, depending on the size of the batch. In a that much time I could lose 20 more pounds...No! Get back on track! Veritaserum...'

"Morning Hermione!" She raised her head to see two surprised faces of Harry and Ron walking into the room. "Up already?" said Harry.

"Shocker really. I mean look...up to study early right?" asked Ron.

"Of course," came her haughty response. "N.E.W.T.'s are only 9 months away! Well...that and Lav and Parvati were up and banging around at 6:00," she finished with a smile. "I'm not getting anything done. Let's go eat."

"Now you're talking!" Ron clapped her on the shoulder.

"Eat? Not study?" Harry touched her forehead. "Nope, not feverish. What's the deal?"

"We're seventh years. If you haven't noticed, we're leaving here at the end of the year. First year and seventh year...those are the years to live it up, and if you haven't noticed, I kinda missed out on the first year fun. What was it you said Ron? I needed to straighten out my priorites?"

Ron blushed. "Something like that."

"Are we going to stand her gabbing all day? Let's go already!"

"Yes King Harry...we're you go, we follow King Harry!" Hermione and Ron said in unison, bowing.

Harry laughed and pushed Ron toward the portrait hole. "GO!"

"Dry toast and fat free milk. Yum yum." Harry commented. "Even I ate better at the Dursley's." He dumped some bacon on Hermione's plate. "Eat this."

"No, thanks. I don't feel much like bacon today." Hermione responded.

"What, you on a diet or something?" Ron questioned suspiciously.

"Yes, what's it to you?"

"Why? It's not like you look like that cow Millicent Bulstrode or anything."

"Heh. Not yet anyway. I've decided to take matters into my own hands to make sure I don't. C'mon hurry it up. Double potions this morning. I want to make sure I'm partnered with one of you. It's Veritaserum day."

"Oh that's something to be rushing off to. Spilling your inner most secrets to that greasy git. I can hardly wait!" Ron drawled sarcastically. "Five galleons says Snape'll put Neville and Malfoy together."

"I'll take that bet," said Harry. "In that case, we HAD better go. I don't want to be paired with either of them myself."

Interestingly enough, Snape let them choose their own partners, and allowed "the dream team" to stay together. According to him, no one else wanted to hear of their sordid threesome affairs, causing all three to blush and not look directly at one another for a few moments.

'Hmm...looks like they've studied this,' Hermione noted. Anxious not to lose any points for their house, all three dutifully followed the instructions on the board, and within the hour, there was a thick white potion bubbling away in the cauldron.

"Precisely the right consistency and color!" Hermione's said with a touch of pride in her voice. "I wonder how Seamus, Dean and Nev..."

She was cut off by a loud crack, followed by a thin gray solution creeping along the floor. "Guess that answers that!"

"30 points from Gryffindor Mr. Longbottom," sneered Snape. "Clean this up. Normally you three would receive a zero for the day, but I feel generous. IF you can concoct a decent replacement by tomorrow, you three will receive half. I suggest you confine Longbottom to reading the instructions."

Neville ducked his head in shame. He pointed his wand at the floor. "Scougify!" The liquid disappeared. Moving quickly to the cauldron, he muttered, "Reparo!" and received a more than startled look at his adeptness with the charms from the Slytherin side of the room. Hermione shot Neville a grin and a thumbs up followed by a stomach growl.

Ron shot her a sideways glance.

"This diet is going to drive you up the wall, isn't it?" he asked.

"Nah. My stomach will shrink soon enough. I'll be fine. It's Lavender and Parvati. They're going to drive me up the wall. They've taken it upon themselves to 'coach' me."

"What?" Harry looked puzzled. "How do they coach you?"

"I'm joining them in exercising. Truth be told, as crazy as I might go, I think they'll help keep me motivated."

"I think you're crazy already. You look fine," said Ron.

"There's always room for improvement, Ron. Always room for improvement."