Out of Body, Out of Mind

MISPLACED BREAKFASTS

Hermione glanced across the room at Harry and Ron as they worked on their Ageing Potion together. Ron´s face was one of concentration as he tried to slice the flubboutous tentacle evenly while Harry was frowning at the instructions. Ron looked up and their eyes met. She looked away quickly pretending to check the board for additional instructions. She hated feeling this way towards him. Part of her was angry at him for having the nerve to ask her and the other part of her hated fighting with him.

"Is this enough, Hermione?"

"Hmmm...oh, yes."

Neville frowned and looked around at the other groups. "Are you sure?"

Why did Ron always have to make things so complicated? He could be so infuriating!

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Neville. That´s fine," she snapped, instantly being sorry for her shortness. After all, it wasn´t Neville´s fault. She shifted on one foot and accidentally knocked her quill off the table. She bent down to retrieve it as Neville dropped the contents of his cutting board into the cauldron. The contents flashed a bright red for a moment, which he thought rather odd, but it had disappeared before he could bring it to Hermione´s attention. He shrugged and began counting out salamander toes.

Hermione straightened up and read over the instructions for the hundredth time. "Just a moment more and then we can add the ashwinder eggs."

"Are you and Ron fighting again?"

She looked up surprised, but Neville continued to count as if he hadn´t said anything. "What?"

He glanced up at her. "Are you two fighting?"

"He asked me if he could copy my Transfiguration essay. Honestly! What was I supposed to say?"

"How about....`Ron, do you want to snog me senseless`?"

"Neville!" she squeaked, causing Lavender and Parvati to turn around and stare at them. Neville bit his lip trying not to laugh and turned bright red.

"What on earth would make you say that?" she whispered, feeling the warmth creeping into her own cheeks.

"Hermione, if I can see it then it must be pretty obvious," he said adding the toes and eggs.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by Snape. "Now each of you will designate one partner to drink the potion and I will come and determine your grade by the effect it has on you."

Hermione poured a small amount of potion into a tube and held it up to the light. It was a pale green color. She bit her lip and looked at it doubtfully.

"Will you drink it, Hermione? He´s sure to make me nervous and cause me to spill it or drop it," Neville said nervously as Snape watched Lavender down her potion and then watched her age before his eyes. She went from sixteen to about thirty in a matter of minutes and then suddenly she was back to normal.

Neville backed up against the wall as Snape approached. "Granger, I don´t have all day."

Hermione nodded, took a deep breath and swallowed the potion. It was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted. Worse even than the Polyjuice Potion she had made her second year. She coughed and set the tube down on the table.

Nothing happened. There were surprised looks from the other students. Hermione frowned. It hadn´t worked? But they had followed the instructions exactly. She suddenly felt ill with the thought of receiving a failing grade.

Snape sneered at them. "Your incompetence is clearly showing, Longbottom. This means no credit for either of you."

Hermione felt her stomach heave. She suddenly realized it was more than the thought of a failing grade that made her feel sick. She really was sick. She raised her hand weakly. "Professor..."

"Don´t try protesting it, Granger. Even your perfect record must come to a stop sometime."

Everything seemed to slow as she felt her stomach heave a second time and her breakfast went all over Snape´s robes.

Her eyes opened wide in shocked surprise as she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. There was a moment of shocked silence and then Ron and Harry burst out into uncontrollable fits of laughter, followed by the other Gryffindors. Even some of the Slytherins couldn´t help but laugh at the face of their Head of House. Hermione was mortified and turned away from the professor and ran for the door.

Snape turned an enraged face toward the green looking Neville who, suddenly faced with an angry Snape and the sight of Hermione´s breakfast, followed her example. This caused Ron to fall out of his chair, he was laughing so hard and Lavender and Parvati to shriek in disgust.

Snape grabbed Neville by the collar of his robes and then he did something unexpected. "Longbottom, what is that?" he asked pointing towards their table.

Neville looked behind him at the remainder of his flubboutous tentacle. "I..."

Snape´s eyes narrowed. "You didn´t use the entire tentacle?"

"N-no," Neville said.

"You idiot!" Snape dropped Neville, a frown on his face. "Brown," he snapped. "Find Granger and bring her to me immediately." Lavender nodded and disappeared out the door.

"The rest of you are dismissed. We will try your Ageing Potions tomorrow. Potter, Weasley, you will clean up the mess your fellow Gryffindors have made...without the use of magic."

* * * * *

Hermione ran down the hall desperately searching for a girls´ bathroom. She slammed the door open slightly surprised to find herself in the one on the second floor that Moaning Myrtle occupied.. She didn´t have time to think though as she ran to the nearest stall and was sick again.

"Oh yes, just come right in and be sick in my toilet. I don´t mind."

Hermione was trembling as she leaned back against the stall door and looked up at Myrtle. The room seemed to be spinning.

"Oh, it´s you," Myrtle said pouting. "Come to turn yourself into a cat again?"

Hermione shook her head, suddenly feeling too weak to respond.

"It´s a shame. It would have been a nice Deathday present for me. I liked watching you grow whiskers."

Hermione pulled herself up and unlocked the door. She stumbled slightly as she walked towards the sink. What was wrong with her? She was surprised to find her reflection very pale and ill looking. She gripped the edge of the sink trying to stay upright.

"I was about your age fifty-two years ago when I died," Myrtle said wistfully looking over her shoulder. "If only that Olive Hornby hadn´t....Oh I hate her, I HATE HER, I HATE HER!" Myrtle moaned loudly.

Suddenly Hermione felt her knees buckle and she fell, losing her grip on the sink. She saw stars as her head connected with the cement floor and then there was darkness.