Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and characters

A/N: Tired... Need sleepy... Gwen where are you? I have chappies for you to read.

Chapter 17: Signs of Insanity

Halloween morning, seven o'clock, breakfast with orange juice and orange colored toast. Black and orange candles floated above our heads near the ceiling in the Great Hall. I loved this morbid time of year!

My stomach was acting strange once more, and my palms were a bit sweaty. Just a tiny amount though, not 'Oh my I'm a river,' sweat. I glanced at Snake the Oxymoron and was desperate to ask him to feel my forehead for any signs of fever. But Mione entered just in time for me to ask her instead.

"Feel my head, will you please?" My voice cracked a bit.

Being my best friend, Hermione felt my forehead with the palm of her hand, and then the backside of her hand. Her diagnosis: I was perfectly fine. How could I be fine? Not to be dramatic, but I had gross palms, a sick stomach, and my mouth was starting to become dry.

"Are you alright, Miss Maguire?" Snape asked with concern in his voice.

My head shook no, but I said, "Yes, I'm grand. How are you?"

"Okay," He stated, "but you worry me. You can go to the Hospital Wing if you need to."

I disagreed, "No, I'm ..umm.. I can tolerate it. Really, I'm fine. A crazy, ill stomach is nothing." My eyes met his as I began to feel worse. My mouth felt completely numb.

Failure had swept over me earlier from not solving the riddles to my rediculous phobias. I now had a new theory in mind: I was slipping into insanity. What else would it be? I know, I'm falling down a wormhole of illness. Maybe I'm slowly dying. No, no, I don't need to start sounding depressed and disturbed.

Since it was Saturday, Mione and I gathered the gang and headed to Hogsmeade. The air was crisp outside, like the taste of the first fallen apple from an orchard. Beautiful, fragile, and painted with scattered foliage on the trees. It was a fantastic view of nature. This day would stay picturesque, no matter what mood I was in. The environment had acted as a temporary cure for my ailments.

Only a few feet from the Leaky Cauldron, Draco suggested we eat brunch. He had skipped breakfast this morning, so naturally he was hungry. We instead agreed to meet for an early lunch, but would have to leave Hogsmeade before two, for the first Quiddich game of the season would be held. Our new plans were to window shop until we dropped. My plan was to drop...dead.. I felt horrible again. My stomach was initiating a full-powered squeemish party; Every step I took made me feel more and more terrible.

Ron walked backwards to face me, "Why don't you take a deep breath. Ask Snape for that calm-yourself potion you said you used the first day of teaching."

"I can't," I found myself honestly admitting, "I don't want to seem weak. Plus, I'm not in the mood for a lecture on going to the Hospital Wing when ill. He seemed to have wanted to this morning."

Abruptly stopping, Hermione stomped her foot, "That's it! Maranda, you're going to see him and that's final! I will not stand here witnessing you kill yourself just because you are stubborn! I'm sure Snape is around here somewhere, so let's find him."

I hated when Mione acted aggressive, it usually meant I was going to be proven wrong, punished or caught for trouble, or about to realize something I never thought I would know. Gwen started to chuckle, however. She thought it was very amusing. Even Draco and Ron let a few bubbled laughs leak out. So, as a good little girl, I searched with Hermione, Gwen, Ron, and Draco to find Snake the Soon-To-Be-Annoyed Oxymoron.

Thump

"Agh! Sorry, Mister Malfoy." I had bumped into Luscius, who was trying to cross a path between two stores.

His handsome smile showed brightly, "Who knew I would bump into you today, Miss Maguire? Nice seeing you, but I must be on my way. I have a lot of errands to run today..." He noticed my bland and emotionless mood, "Are you alright?"

My uneasy head nodded and bade farewell as Hermione began to pull me away. She told me she wanted me to have a cure immediately, and she would not tolerate stalling today.

We moved forward, eventually letting the remainder of our group wander off, knowing to meet at the Leaky Cauldron later on. As we closed in on a little potions shop, our eyes unsurprisingly spotted Snape inside, reading over the ingredients of a product. The moment before entering the store, I prevented Hermione from opening the door.

"I change my mind... I'm fine.. I'm peachy.. I'm perfect.. I'm-"

"-going to see Snape.." Hermione finished my rant with her own ending.

It seemed to take forever to get through the entrance. I felt the jolt of electricity eat my tummy as usual when in nervous situations. I had never experienced anything like this before. My anxiety was the worst it could ever become. And yet Hermione tortured me by explaining to Snape that I was very ill, and needed to be directed to the closest serenity potion there was. I could read on his face that he was slightly amused by this. His lips quiverred with the annoyance he held towards me. I was dead. Simply dead. I should have gone to the Hospital Wing, not bothered Snape on his Saturday. But then again, it was Hermione's fault. What did she accomplish here? I was shaking like a leaf, and she tried to calm me down, but there was no way. Perhaps it wasn't anxiety, but held back anger wishing to be leashed out into the open. I didn't feel irritable or mad at all, so that wasn't the answer. And Snape might as well have stuck a knife in me-anywhere, because he had to buy the potion for me. Buy it! I could have! I would have! My money was in a box under my bed, waiting for the day I needed something. I should have bought it. Yet, he said not to worry, for he was missing one ingredient to make his own serenity potion. But still, why pay for a potion when the stupid idiot-me-didn't even need it?

According to Hermione I needed it.

0o0o0o0o

The Leaky Cauldron was packed today, but once Hermione and I found a table to sit at with Ron, Gwen, and Draco, I was reminded too many times to take the potion. Thirty minutes and two butterbeers later, I felt a tiny bit better, but not really.

The Kerfuffles, (what was left of our group), left for Hogwarts around one-thirty p.m. The Quiddich Game was awaiting our arrival. As soon as we entered the school, I ran as fast as I could to my room. Ha! Money to pay Snape back! I grabbed just enough, plus a few extra coins for troubling him. I felt guilty, and needed to be vindicated by reimbersing him.

Gwen and Ron were sitting in two separate sectors of the non-student seats in the Quiddich Field. Draco was next to mine, but not close enough to chat with. Hermione was in the same section, but still not close to talk to. Snape arrived a few minutes after me, shocked to see I found the right place to sit. I never realized how high in the air we were until in these seats. I bet someone could reach up and touch a cloud if they wanted to.

"Sir," I silently gasped as I almost hit Snape in the head, "Sorry. I was trying to get your attention and didn't notice how close we were in these seats. It's kind of crowded, huh?" Fear of crowded spaces? Claustrophobia! Agh! Another frightening thing.

Snape half-smiled, "Yes, crowded, but better view then students. Remember that over and over and it will make up for lack of room. Now," He kind of licked his lips, "What were you trying to get my attention for?"

I reached my right hand into my pocket to retrieve the money. Pulling it out, I handed it to him and said, "This is what I owe you for buying me my own flask of serenity potion. Please take it."

"No," He pushed my hand away, "I will not accept it. I was doing a favor. Just think of it as a present to make you feel better for all those times I murdered your mood. Do not fight over this either. I am not taking the money, and that is that."

Head dropping a tad, I put the money back into my pocket. No, I wasn't planning on fighting with him.

A bludger whizzed by my head. Oh, right, the game. My mouth went dry again, and stomach uneasy. I twiddled my thumbs hoping it would take my mind off of the breath of death on my body. While looking down a few rows of seats, I saw Hermione. If I could only sit near her, she would keep my mind off of illness. But, Snape's company was good company too.

The wind was picking up a bit, so I tried to take some gloves from my back pocket. I rested my hand on something when turned around...Something...humanly..My body was sure alert, jumping to find out my hand had been on Snape's knee. If the seats weren't so cluttered, I would have avoided that, which brought my stomach into a jungle of nerves. The nerves I was used to feeling. Gosh my stomach was a wreck!

"Oh my God! I'm utterly sorry, Sev-uhmm..Snape...Sir..Sir, sorry." Attempts to act calm failed.

The Snake picked up the glove, which I had dropped next to an old guy in the seat below us, and stared emotionless at me. "It's alright. Don't worry, I forgive you, Maguire."

For the rest of the game, I leaned forward a little so that my hair covered the sides of my face. I imagined how beat red I was after the knee incident, and didn't want Snape to start yelling at me. The funny fact...When I looked down as it all happened, Hermione had been watching. I'm glad I wouldn't have to explain my insanity to her.

End of game and I practically threaten Mione not to tell Ron about Snape's knee. I knew one wrong word and Ron would have a field day with teasing me. So Ron and I made up? Yes, but that made no difference. He discontinued all normal teasing, but basically told me if anything did happen, he would laugh it up. If anything happened, I would laugh at myself, and then die of emberassment as everyone else made fun.

Sunlight fought with the night as Hermione and I walked in the school together. We had hurried so no one else would catch up, for Mione said she needed to talk to me alone. In actuality, we went to her room, grabbed her robes, and then went to my room. In a short while we would be standing against the walls of the Great Hall just watching people dance.

"We can't dress up?" I asked disappointedly.

Mione opened the bag of clothes she brought to my room, "Not supposed to if you are a professor. No where does it say that student teachers can't." She pulled out a black dress, long and swaying, with orange glitter on the bottom.

My malicious grin recalled some Halloween clothing which still resided in my trunk. Taking out my black tutu, Hermione shook her head and stated it wasn't appropriate. Wasn't that the point? Besides, I knew someone else would be dressed worse than I. So, I put my black tutu on and laughed.

"Do you think I'll get into trouble?" My new question was.

"Umm.." Hermione noticed the costume wasn't all that bad after all, "No, I think you're riding on the fence of clothing rules, but not enough to be punished. However, you might get a few stares. Especially from Draco and Snape who were the victims of your frustration the last time you wore that."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Oh well. I think I can handle that. Besides, I think Snape is giving me the silent treatment from today. You saw what took place. Although, I gave him the silent treatment during the rest of the game, so it's definitely not him."

When I was done changing, she brought up the knee situation again, "So, have you recovered from the terrifying knee incident?"

"Yes and no. I'm sure he wanted to murder me."

"But it's not as if you never touched him before. You both danced together last year, and he had no wishes of death on you."

Maybe she was right, "I know I'm too dramatic with things like that, but it was so ..." I trailed off and glanced at the clock. My next statement was, "We have to go!"

Grabbing her arm, I pulled Hermione out of my room, and together we ran to the Great Hall. I was anticipating the dance, even though we had to stand in one place for four hours. As long as I didn't feel ill or sick again, I would be fine. No sweaty-palmness and dry-dead mouth would bring me into depression tonight. No signs of insanity would ruin my night.

Not at all.