Sorry this took so long. School starts this week, so I took a well deserved vacation to Vegas.

Hobey-ho, Anna-Nanna and Amour Lily: In the original idea for the story, Lavender and Parvati were well into their disorders when Hermione joined in. However, parts of this story write themselves and go quite far off the plan. This was one of them.

8. Intervention

November passed too quickly to be noticed. Schoolwork for the Seventh years increased dramatically in preparation for N.E.W.T.'s. Shortly before Christmas Holidays, heads of houses appeared in the dormitories with sign up lists for those who wished to remain at the school. As usual, Harry, Ron, and Ginny signed up. Despite gentle prodding from her friends to go home for a rest "before N.E.W.T.'s" they used for an excuse, Hermione signed up too. With one week to go before winter break, Ron and Harry sat in the common room working on a Transfiguration essay before dinner.

"Gah!" said Ron as he tossed his quill on the table. "A foot and a half on how to make a set of luggage grow legs. You wave your wand, say the words and it's done. Two inches tops! And that's if I write big!"

"No kidding. Hermione finished hers last week. I wonder if we could get Ginny to nick it from her bag?" Harry mused.

"Forget it," Ginny's voice rang out from the armchair.

The boys jumped. "Gin! Didn't see you there!" said Ron, a bit sheepishly.

"You don't say," she responded dryly. Ginny stood and walked to the table, joining them.

"Where is she anyway?" Ron asked.

"If I had to guess...laying on the floor upstairs working off non-existent cellulite," Ginny said.

Harry sighed. "I've been watching her lately. She has been eating a bit more."

"I don't have the proof," Ginny started slowly, "but I think that's just to fool us. I don't think she's digesting the food, if you get what I mean."

As quickly as a look of confusion danced across the boys' faces, comprehension replaced it.

"You don't mean..." said Ron.

"I do, but I don't have the proof. I think our best bet is to ask her roommates. I have the sneaking suspicion Lavender and Parvati know a bit more than we do."

oOoOoOo

"She just wanted a little more discipline..."

"We said we could help..."

"She started joining us for our runs..."

"She's never wanted to be friends with us before..."

"Then the night of the Halloween feast..."

"She was so upset about dinner..."

"We taught her how to feel better..."

"It's all our fault isn't it?"

Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at Hermione's two distraught roommates. Crumbling under the interrogation, Lavender and Parvati felt both traitorous and relieved. They caved on their friend's secret, but at the same then, they both felt it was about time someone else noticed her condition.

Harry took a deep breath. "It's time for an intervention."

Ron sat hunched over, his elbows on his knees, suddenly looking very old. "I agree mate. But how do we get to her? She's been spending all her time upstairs."

Harry nodded. "You're right. We have to go to her."

"Only one problem there, we can't get up there. It has to be one of them." Ron gestured to the three girls.

Parvati and Lavender looked quickly at their hands.

"I'll do it," Ginny spoke up. "She usually listens to me." She stood. "No time like the present." Harry squeezed her hand as she took a deep breath. A ghost of a smile flickered across her face, then turned, and strode toward the stairs.

oOoOoOo

Ginny knocked timidly on Hermione's door. "'Mione, it's Gin, can I come in?"

When no answer came, Ginny pushed the door open to reveal Hermione dressed in a sports bra and baggy shorts doing vigorous sit-ups. Every bone was visible.

"Hermione!" Ginny said louder. Hermione looked up, but didn't stop.

"What do you want?"

"We need to talk. Stand up."

"Fine." She climbed to her feet. "Now, what?" she asked vehemently.

"You have to stop this. You're killing yourself!"

"First Harry, now you. Why can't you just see that I want to be in shape? I want to keep the fat off? Look at this." She pointed to a small lump to the side of her abdomen. "Look at this gut. It's disgusting."

"That's not fat Hermione, that's your liver. You're not supposed to be able to see it sticking out like that." Ginny said quietly.

"Ginny, I'm fine. I just like to exercise alright? Even my stamina is lowered. I went up to 100 calories of food today, I have to burn it off before it sticks. I can't even do 100 sit-ups anymore without running out of breath. I need to work harder."

"No you don't! Your body is giving up, that's why you can't move. What happened Hermione? Four months ago you started out weighing, what? 130 pounds? I'd be surprised if you weighed 90 pounds now."

"87," said Hermione, her voice ringing with pride. "I can get it to 85 by bedtime if you would just let me finish here."

"No! You look horrible! You used to be pretty. Now you're just a skeleton with skin draped over it. I should have stopped you four months ago."

Hermione's eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. "Get out."

"What?"

"You heard me. GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Hermione screamed.

Ginny's voice took on a dangerous edge. "You're my best friend Hermione. I will not let you kill yourself this way."

Hermione stepped toward her friend and slapped her across the face. "I will not be friends with someone who insults me. I'm thin, and I have a body to die for. Get out."

"You do have a body to die for, only it's just you who can see it. You're the only one who's going to die over it. If you don't stop this, I'm going to McGonagall. And I won't be the only one who does. We're worried about you. I expect to see you at dinner. Eating." Ginny turned and walked from the room closing the door silently behind her.

oOoOoOo

Hermione looked at the closed door. A myriad of emotions ran through her. Shame: she slapped her best girl-friend. Indifference: she knew she looked good. Hurt: Ginny told her she was ugly. Pride: After all, she had lost 47 pounds. Now, if only her heart would stop racing. She grabbed her water bottle and took a drink. Stay hydrated. Water has no calories. Good pure water. The more she drank, the more toxins she could wash out. Thankfully, there was no dirty food in her system at the moment; that had been disposed of. She propped her right foot up on the side of her four poster, and bent her left leg. Up, down, up, down, burn those calories, melt that fat.

oOoOoOo

"Did you talk to her?" asked Harry as he saw Ginny appear through the common room doorway.

"Yeah, and got slapped and thrown out," she answered. "I told her I expect to see her at dinner tonight and eating or we're going to McGonagall. She didn't answer."

Harry sighed. Ron looked lost. Parvati and Lavender looked as though they would cry.

"It's our fault. We started her on this." Parvati's voice wavered. "Maybe if we hadn't pushed her so hard..."

Ron spoke up. "No, Parvati, it's not your fault. At least not all of it. We're all to blame. We've all been telling her how great she looked, and we didn't see it going too far."

"Well? What do you say?" asked Harry. "It's Sunday night. We have Transfiguration first thing tomorrow. Should we wait 'til then or go to McGonagall tonight?"

"I say wait until tomorrow," Ginny said. "Give her one last chance to help herself tonight. She probably won't take it, but at least it's a chance."

No one else said anything. "All in favor of waiting?" Harry asked. A weak chorus of 'aye's' met his ears.

"Ok. Tomorrow. Let's pray it won't be too late."