Chapter 16
Monday afternoon, Hermione awoke with a four-alarm headache. Her mouth was totally void of any moisture and she felt like vomiting. A lot. Looking at the sun in the window, she looked to her clock, squinting her eyes through a hung-over haze. It was past noon!
SHIT! I've missed 3 classes! She bolted out of bed, tripping over her blanket. Fuck!
She went to the bathroom to start a shower. She noticed a note on her vanity.
Miss Granger
Please come to my office when you wake up. I would advise that you pay a visit to your concerned friends to let them know that you are "alive".
Professor McGonagall
Oh, how embarrassing! The last thing I remember was sitting in my chair, tossing those parchments of heartbreak into the fire. That whiskey burned going down too. she mused washing her hair.
Feeling a lurch in her stomach, she bent over and threw up. Alot.
Her friends were in class, so she would see them at dinner.
Food, ugh.
Trudging to McGonagall's office, she knocked on the door.
"Come in" was heard from the other side. She opened the door and McGonagall waved her to a chair.
"Tea Miss Granger?" she offered.
"Yes. I think," she took a cup and sipped.
Hope this stays down!
"How do you feel this afternoon Miss Granger?"
"Horrid. As I should, ma'am."
"Ahem, yes well, I am in at a position yet again where I don't quite know what to do. As you are of age, you may consume whatever food or drink you please. However, you are a student and you drunk yourself unconscious in your room. As head girl, you know no alcohol is permitted on school grounds."
"Yes professor."
"On the other hand, you have been through more in the past few months than should be allowed for anyone. We all thought you had started feeling better, then this. What exactly happened?"
"The parcel from the Krums had letters and photos of us. It also had his will that had me included in it. Between the parcel and the attack Saturday, I just snapped I guess. I can assure you this will not happen again."
"What? The whiskey? Missing classes?"
"Well, I'll never get drunk again to point of passing out and missing a half day of classes. How I feel right now is enough deterrent for that. As to the sadness, I have no idea when that will fade. I'm trying my best not to let the gloom and doom I feel sometimes take over."
"Please Hermione, you know the staff is here for the welfare of the students and is available anytime. You could have possibly found another way to vent your frustration than into that bottle. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She sounds like my mother!
"Now you must deal with the repercussions. It has been decided that you serve detention with the teachers whose classes you missed, a week each. Three I believe, Professors Snape, Vector and Flitwick. See them after dinner to arrange the times."
"Yes professor."
McGonagall went around her desk and sat next to Hermione. Putting her hand on her shoulder she said,
"Remember Hermione, myself and the rest of the staff plus your friends are here for you. Don't keep these emotions pent up. We can't have a repeat performance of yesterday, although I truly am sorry for all that you have gone through."
"Thank you. Anything else professor?"
"No, that is all. You may go now."
At dinner that night, Hermione was quiet, but it didn't bother the gang that much. They were getting quite used to her erratic mood swings. As dinner was concluding, she told the group,
"Can you all come to the music room tonight at eight? There's something I need to get off my chest. That is, if you still feel like putting up with me. I'd tell you more, but now I have to go to detention."
"Put up with you? What kind of talk is that?" Harry asked.
"Of course we'll be there. Eight sharp," said Ron.
At six that evening she started her detention with Professor Flitwick, which involved writing essays and grading first year papers. This is what she do would all this week, with Prof. Vector's detention next week, then wrapping up with Prof. Snape.
No telling what the hell he has planned!
When it was nearing eight, she was dismissed and she left to go to her room. She grabbed some sheet music and went to the music room. Harry, Ron, Draco and Ginny were waiting. Draco and Ginny were holding hands quietly talking about something.
Now that's interesting! she thought with a smile.
Taking a seat at the piano bench, she started:
"I have had a talk with Prof. McGonagall about my behavior the past couple of months. I have been incredibly moody and my behavior has been at times unseemly. I know that some days it seems like I'm happy and everything's okay, then the next day I'm, depressed and drinking myself into oblivion," she said.
"Well Mione with all that has-," started Ron.
"Please Ron, let me finish. To my immense embarrassment, the staff has taken note of my behavior and is worried. I'm not sure I can take another of McGonagall's lectures. Well, that stops now. Tonight. No more miss-pity-party-granger. I'm finding useful outlets for my frustration, and this is one of them. Playing music and singing. It took weeks for my parents to track down this piece of sheet music and send it to me. I want to play it for you as my apology for my behavior."
Hermione said. "It's called 'Everything'."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed someone had paused outside the door and wasn't sure if they were still there. Just barely seeing the very corner of a black robe peep at the bottom corner of the doorway,
Whoever is there, they don't hide very well. Should I say something?
Opening his mouth to say something, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it's going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you've never met anyone
Who is as negative as I am sometimes
I am the wisest woman you've ever met
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen and
you've never met anyone
Who is as positive as I am sometimes
You see everything you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
I blame everyone else & not my own partaking
my passive aggressive-ness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting and you've never met anyone
Who is as closed down as I am sometimes
You see everything you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
What I resist persists and speaks louder than i know
What i resist you love no matter how low or high I go
I am the funniest woman that you've ever known
I am the dullest woman that you've ever known
I'm the most gorgeous woman that you've ever known and
you've never met anyone
Who is as everything as I am sometimes
You see everything you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
"Well?" Hermoione asked when she finished. Her friends were speechless for a few seconds.
"Wow 'Mione, I knew you could play, but, wow," said Harry.
"Hermione, that was smashing. Really," Said Ron.
"Mione, I loved it. Do you have any more?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, well, kind of… I have some songs, but they are hard to play. Emotionally I mean. Maybe at some point later in time you can hear them, when I don't feel like screaming when I play them. Besides, they don't sell this type of muggle music anywhere in the wizarding world, so I enlist the help of my parents to help me get them. It takes a while to get them. When I get some, I'll let you know. But I do have lots of classical music, would you like to hear some?" she asked.
Hermione laughed as the group politely declined, she knew that they didn't care for it. Snape left at that point.
Severus, it's official. You are now a stalker, or out of your mind, or both. What in blazes am I doing? All because of her.
Hermione bid her friends good night, but she stayed and played some of her favorite classical pieces for hours. It was close to midnight when she finished.
I may not get over this year, but I might get through it, I hope. Hermione thought closing the piano lid.