Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the plot of this story.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to do so! I am nearly finished with chapter so the wait should be minimal. Thank you!

Perfect

Chapter Two: Insecurity

Madame Pomfrey turned away from Hermione's bed to face her friends. "Hermione," she began, "has had some kind of nervous breakdown. Lately, have you noticed any strange behavior in her?" All of them were looking at the floor.

"Yes," Ginny said quietly, "she never comes to bed. Sometimes she comes in around one or two but sometimes I find her asleep at a table in the common room." Ron looked up,

"Yeah, she won't eat at meals, I guess I never noticed." He returned her eyes to the floor. It was Harry's turn.

"Once I found her crying in the halls because, well, something about not pleasing her parents." Madame Pomfrey took a deep breath and straightened herself.

"I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for her here, she must be taken to St. Mungo's." Ron opened his mouth to protest but the nurse held up a hand. "I will speak to Professor Dumbledore about giving you time to visit her." Madame Pomfrey gave them a sympathetic smile and left to care for other patients. The three moved closer to Hermione's bed.

"I can't believe we didn't notice," Ginny said sniffling. "Why do you think it happened?" she looked expectantly into her big brother's face.

"I don't know, she overworked herself guess. She was trying too hard to please everyone." Ron answered taking Hermione's hand in his. Ginny suddenly didn't care if she sounded like a little kid again, she was to scared for her friend,

"Ron," she asked, "will she be okay?" Ron wrapped Ginny in a hug.

"Of course," he said, "she'll be fine."

--(break)--

I'm in St. Mungo's Hermione realized in a rather detached way. She strained to see though her own eyes and tried in vain to turn her head, even blink. But Hermione no longer controlled those functions. She didn't even control most of her own thoughts. That once-little voice had grown bigger and stronger until it filled all the crevasses of her head. Insecurity, it called itself. It had squeezed Hermione until it could shove her into the background, until she was the little voice. The insecurity took no interest in Hermione's body. It only took pride in repeating to her that she should give up because she couldn't please anyone, not her parents, not her teachers, not her friends, not her boyfriend. Whenever Hermione tried to escape, the insecurity laughed. She wasn't going anywhere. Slowly Hermione began believing all that the insecurity told her. She fought less and forgot who she was, forgot her strength.

Hermione saw Harry, Ron and Ginny enter weary-eyed. They looked so far away; it was like looking through a telescope backwards. Suddenly Hermione remembered who used to be. She cried out. Help me! She screamed and pounded the inside of her mind. But the insecurity just cackled madly. She couldn't escape, never.

--(break)--

Gradually, the days passed. Hermione did not see her friends anymore. The healers though, came in three times a day to force food into her that she didn't even taste. The healers spoke cheerfully to her. Hermione longed to reply, to thank the witches for their words, but she could not.

The insecurity spoke less because Hermione herself repeated the words it said.

"Give up, you don't please anyone..."

I must give up, I don't please anyone...

"No one likes you and your parents are ashamed..."

No one likes me and my parents are ashamed of me...

"Your friends think you are arrogant and your teachers find you stupid..."

My friends think I am arrogant and my teachers think I'm stupid...

"Your boyfriend hates you, give up."

My boyfriend hates me, I must give up.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I know it's short but hey, get over it! Please review, you don't know how much that helps an author! I hopw you all like this story. I know it's a little dramatic but this all came to me when I had a lot of homework and didn't think I'd make it through the night. Thanks for reading! Please review!