AN1: Three cheers for you guys!! ((CHEERS)) Your reviews for the last chapter, despite its long wait, were awesome and the reason that this update is epically fast! So thank you!!!!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine!! Get it?
NOTE: There is no anorexia subplot. This is just Hermione spreading herself too thin. She's not actually skipping meals...she's putting them off as long as possible.
Harry and Ron gave a backwards exasperated glance to Hermione. "Are you really not coming?"
"Yes, I have to get all my studying done! Do realize how close the exams are?"
"A month away."
"Exactly, only four weeks. I'm sorry, guys, but I just have to finish this."
"But," Ron began. "it's extra credit." His statement fell onto deaf ears as Hermione was determinedly headed to the library.
"Mental, that one." Ron grinned at Harry who nodded in agreement as they made their way to the Great Hall.
Hermione, however, was not as carefree—she was at her wit's end worrying about the upcoming Nastily Exhausting Wizard Tests. With a large sigh, she made her way to the row with Arithmancy books and starting looking for the two that she needed. When that class was covered, she went through each row getting two books for each subject. She carried an armload of books to the back table she normally worked at and set them all down.
"First, I should cover all the Arithmancy concepts, then the D.A.D.A. chapter on creating defensive spells, and then..." Being the organized student she was, Hermione wrote this all down on a list that took up two full feet of parchment—and that was just what she felt she should review from last month!
Out of habit, she stuck the pencil that she always kept with her through the bun in her hair and began to work. It had been 6pm when she started, and when eleven rolled around, she hadn't even gotten through a quarter of her list. Though it was past curfew and she was already struggling to keep her eyes open, Hermione continued to push herself.
One more chapter. It won't take that long. Then I can clean up and go to bed. Yeah, just one more chapter.
Hermione awoke to the beeping of her alarm clock. With a start, she sat up and looked around. When did I get here? The last thing I remember was being in the library.
She decided that she probably just took herself up to her dorm after reading that chapter and then forgot that she did so. It sounded like something that she would do. Pushing that out of her mind, Hermione began the day as usual.
Dinner time rolled around and Hermione, again, skived off in favor of visiting the library. She'd hoped to do so without Harry or Ron noticing, but she had no such luck.
"Hey Hermione, where are you headed?"
"To the library." Neither of the boys look shocked, rather chagrined.
"C'mon, 'Mione, we still do have weeks. Please, just come with us and eat. It won't put you behind."
"Yes it will," she snapped irritably. "I have so much that I need to study. I cannot even believe that you two are not worried about the exams."
Ron shrugged. "I'm more worried about my stomach."
"Honestly, Hermione, you shouldn't be shocked that we're taking these so lightly right now. How long have you known us?"
Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but Harry shot her a look. "It's been long enough to know that we don't stress. Sure, we don't score as high as you do, not even close, but we do manage to scrape by."
"I've noticed," she commented dryly. "And I've long given up on color-coding study schedules for you guys or giving you homework planners—both attempts to help your grades proved fruitless."
The boys laughed but refused to be distracted. "Come with us, you have to eat! If you don't eat, your brain will not function as well and you won't be able to get high scores and upstage our entire school."
Hermione blushed at the compliment. "I'm not going to starve myself, don't worry so much. If I remember, I will get some food on my way back to my dorms. Okay?"
Though neither of them looked appeased, the growling of Ron's stomach prevented them from pleading their case any further. "Don't forget to eat, okay, 'Mione?"
She smiled at their concern. "I won't. Now go."
Once at the library, Hermione again took two books for each class and started on her list where she left off. It was nearly midnight this time before she had even thought to leaving. Even when she glanced at her watch thorough bleary eyes and it read twelve, she still felt that she could get two more chapters done tonight. Last time I got through one chapter, so this is just one more. It's not that big of an issue. Just two more chapters! Then I'll be done with the first foot of my list.
Six hours later, Hermione woke again in her own bed, to the sound of her alarm. This time she was under the covers. Odd. I don't remember bringing myself to bed. I could have some sort of memory problem. She gasped. Oh no! What will that do to my exam scores if I have trouble with my memory! Bugger. No, it can't be that. I must have just been so tired that I don't remember. I don't have a memory problem, I can't.
Though she hadn't entirely convinced herself, Hermione chalked it up to exhaustion and let it be. If she had a memory problem, then she'd surely have found out about it before now.
Unfortunately for Hermione, Ron and Harry refused to let her go straight to the library before dinner anymore—they reckoned that she was lucky that they had let her do that for two days—so, much to her chagrin, they literally used blackmail to get her to eat dinner with them. She was touched that they cared so much about her well-being, and it was only that fact that convinced her to not hex them for being so hardheaded. Now, her new habit was to spend ten minutes eating hastily and talking with her friends before high-tailing it to the library. The boys still didn't completely approve, but they did grudgingly agree that it was better than her skiving dinner altogether.
"See you guys later! I'm going to go to the library." Nobody looked surprised at her pronouncement, as this had now been going on for almost two weeks. They nodded at her and Hermione took her leave.
At the library, she only collected one book per class. She was nearing the end of her list and was finally able to cut down on reading material. Even so, Hermione was in the library until almost midnight. This time was different than all the other ones though, instead of falling asleep reading an additional chapter, she fell asleep writing. More specifically, Hermione fell asleep crossing out the last item on her roll of parchment. The quill fell out of her hands, and her head dropped to the table.
Hermione woke to the sound of parchment being rolled, quills being put away, and books being stacked. Before she could completely register where she was, she felt someone wrap arms around her, lift her up and cradle her bridal style. What was going on? She looked to see who it was and was surprised to find Draco Malfoy carrying her to her bed. That was one of the last people she'd have expected to be helping her. If it was not her who was taking herself to bed, she had figured that it would be Harry or Ron, but not Malfoy!
He gingerly laid her down on her four poster bed and fixed the covers around her before leaving.
"Goodnight, Granger," he whispered, pushing the hair back from her face; a gesture that touched Hermione more than she could understand.
Hermione waited until he had closed the door behind him before smiling—who said chivalry was gone?—and replying. "Goodnight, Draco."
AN2:A cutesy, fluffy chapter. I didn't really like it, but all the same, I thought it was cute! And it's the exact opposite of what's next: hint, hint. ((Mischievous smile)) Please review on your way out!! The next chapter shall be very fun! And the same kind of awesome response will get the same quick update time, if not faster!!