Out of Body, Out of Mind

DEATHDAY PRESENT

Hermione opened her eyes alarmed to find herself very high in the air. It was almost as if she were floating near the ceiling on one of the school´s broomsticks. Her alarm increased when she realized that this last thought was completely ludicrous. As was the fact that she really was floating near the girls´ bathroom ceiling without the use of a broom. She looked down to see herself lying unconscious on the floor. She caught her breath, or would have if she had had one.

Myrtle was beside her body muttering.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, her voice squeaking.

Myrtle spun around, as if noticing her for the first time. "What are you doing up there?"

"I don´t know!" Hermione said, trying to remain calm but failing miserably.

"You aren´t dead," Myrtle said crossly. "You shouldn´t be floating around like that. It`s not fair that you`re alive and you get to float"

Suddenly the door swung open. "Hermione? Are you in here?" From this height Hermione could see Lavender poke her head in the door.

"I´m over here! Oh, Lav, come help me!" Lavender didn´t see her lying on the other side of the stalls though, and after a moment she closed the door. Hermione listened in disbelief as her friend´s footsteps moved away down the hall. "Come back!"

"She can´t hear you," said Myrtle gleefully as she floated up so that she was hovering near Hermione. "You aren´t a ghost and you aren´t dead. You´re just out of your body."

"How do I get back in?" Hermione asked.

"I´d tell you," said Myrtle, smiling evilly at her, "but that would ruin my DeathDay present."

"Deathday present?" Hermione asked, not liking her tone.

"Yes," said Myrtle. "You´re out of your body. So that leaves it open to anyone. Even me."

"No!" said Hermione willing herself to move downwards but with no effect. "You can`t do that!"

"And why not?" Myrtle asked getting angry. "Don`t I deserve another chance? It wasn´t my fault that boy came in here with his monster. You aren`t using it anyway."

"Yes I am!" Hermione cried.

Myrtle smiled, "Not anymore." Hermione watched in horror as Myrtle shot down to her unconscious body and then disappeared.

* * * * *

Ron looked up as Lavender entered the Transfiguration classroom. She looked pale and worried as she approached and whispered something to McGonagall. McGonagall frowned and asked her something in return before nodding towards her seat in front of Ron.

"Lav," whispered Ron, leaning forward, "did you find Hermione?"

Lavender turned around and looked at him. "Yes."

"Is she okay?" He asked, unable to stop grinning at the thought of Snape`s face when she had thrown up on him. She was never going to live that down.

Lavender frowned, "Well...not really."

"What?" He asked, his grin disappearing.

"I found her in the bathroom. She had fainted. Madame Pomfrey says Neville practically poisoned her. I almost missed her..."

"Mr. Weasley," snapped McGonagall, "what is the meaning of this?"

He looked up surprised to find he had grabbed his books and was standing. "I....um...have to go to the infirmary."

McGonagall pursed her lips, "After the lesson, if you please."

Ron sat reluctantly down in his seat. Lavender gave him a sympathetic look before being told to face the front. His heart was pounding in his ears. Hermione had been poisoned? No wonder she had gotten so ill. And he had stood there laughing like a great big prat. He caught Harry´s eye the next row over and indicated that they needed to talk. Harry nodded.

Ron found himself unable to concentrate for the remainder of the lesson. It was with a sigh of relief that the lesson finally ended and he picked up his books in one fell swoop and grabbed Harry´s arm with the other.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, being pulled down the hall.

"The infirmary. Neville´s finally poisoned her."

"What? Really?"

"Yes."

At the infirmary they were greeted by a stern looking Madame Pomfrey. "I thought you two would show up shortly."

"Is she alright?" Harry asked.

"She´s doing well. Lucky Lavender made a second check on that bathroom. Any longer and..." She stopped at seeing the two boys pale. "But she´s doing well. She should be able to return to her own bed by this evening."

"Can we see her?"

"She´s sleeping, right now. Come back after lunch."

"Come on," Harry said, now being the one dragging his best friend out of the infirmary. "She says she´s fine."

They stepped out into the hall. Ron´s face darkened as he turned abruptly and started walking quickly down the hall. "Ron, where are you going?"

"To find Neville. And then I´m going to kill him."

* * * * *

Hermione felt completely helpless as she stared down at the empty stalls. She wasn´t sure how much time had passed before Lavender had returned to look at herself in the mirror and stumbled upon her body, but she was sure it had been a couple of hours at least. She had tried talking to Lavender, even tried begging with Myrtle, but there had been no response from either of them. She had tried moving from her spot but had found herself unable to even when she shut her eyes and tried to focus. Was she going to spend the rest of her life trapped in the girls´ bathroom?

* * * * *

After finally talking Ron out of killing Neville, Harry was tempted to reconsider his decision. He had thought that the guilt of almost poisoning his potions partner would be punishment enough for Neville, not to mention the eternity of detentions he´d received from Snape, but now it was Ron and himself who were being punished by endless questions from fellow Gryffindors.

Ginny sat down across from them, "I heard..."

"Yes, yes, yes. Neville poisoned Hermione," Harry said grumpily.

Ginny blinked, "He did? Is she alright?"

"Madame Pomfrey says she´s fine."

"We´re going to go see her in a minute," said Ron.

"Can I come?" Ginny asked, a worried look on her face.

"What were you going to say?" Harry asked.

"What?"

"You heard..."

Ginny waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, I heard Hermione threw up on Snape."

"She did," said Ron miserably, "and all we did was laugh."

"You should have seen his face, though," Harry whispered trying not to start laughing again. "It was priceless."

"Cleaning it up wasn´t," Ron said, pushing his food around on his plate.

"Urgh," Ginny said pushing her plate away, "I think I just lost my appetite."

* * * * *

Myrtle opened her eyes and winced. She had a horrible headache. She hadn´t had one in over fifty-four years and had quite forgotten how piercing they could be. There was a horrible scraping noise as Madame Pomfrey pulled back a curtain around her bed. "Awake are we?" she asked.

"Yes," she said surprised at the sound of her own voice. It wasn´t her voice at all but Hermione´s.

"How are you feeling?"

"Odd. Very odd. Where are my glasses?" she asked touching her face lightly.

Pomfrey frowned down at her, "Glasses?"

"Yes...where are they? I can´t see properly without them."

Her frown deepened, "Hermione, you don´t wear glasses."

She froze and looked up at Pomfrey. She laughed nervously, "Oh, yes, I forgot."

"Maybe you should stay overnight," Madame Pomfrey said. "You may have a concussion."

"Hermione!" called a male voice from behind. Pomfrey stepped aside and she saw three people approaching, two redheads and one in the middle she recognized instantly. She sat up abruptly startling Pomfrey. "Harry Potter!"

* * * * *

Hermione felt herself falling. It was almost as if the invisible strings that had held her in her present predicament had been cut and she suddenly found the floor approaching at an alarming rate. She held out her hands to stop herself from slamming into it and saw them disappear through the floor. She quickly pulled them back through, her face inches from the ground. She thought a moment and then carefully moved her head closer to the floor. Suddenly she was looking down on the Transfiguration classroom on the first floor. She pulled back quickly and found herself again in the second floor bathroom. This was too strange.

She stood, or rather hovered, to an upright position and made her way to the door. She stared at it a moment, took a deep breath and stepped through. She was on the second floor hallway facing the stairs. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and swept around to see McGonagall approaching.

"Professor McGonagall! Professor you have to help me..." she stopped abruptly as an occupied looking McGonagall stepped right through her and made her way down the stairs.

Hermione felt her heart drop inside her. They couldn´t hear or see her.

Her head snapped up. But Myrtle could! Professor Binns would be able to help her. She started running toward the stairs and then stopped. Hermione, she chided herself, use your head. Then she simply floated through the floor.

* * * * *

"Yes?" Harry said, stopping suddenly, slightly alarmed at the sight of Hermione staring at him. Behind him Ginny gave a little squeak as she ran into him, pushing him into Ron who stumbled and accidentally knocked over a pitcher of water on the bedside table.

Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and cleaned up the mess immediately.

"Harry what are you doing here?" Hermione asked a wistful smile on her face.

Harry looked at Ron uncertainly. Ron shrugged a worried frown on his face. "I came to see you."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah."

"Well isn´t that nice?" she said smiling. She hadn´t seemed to notice Ron or Ginny.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked.

She looked up at her. "Just dreamy, thanks."

Harry exchanged confused looks with the other two.

"She may have a concussion," Pomfrey said handing her a potion. Hermione took it and drank it quickly. "I may have her stay overnight, after all."

"No, I´m fine," protested Hermione. "Really. I just want to get out of here and start living again."

"Are you sure?" asked Ron. "You´re acting kind of strange."

She gave him an indigent look, "Strange!"

"Well...yeah."

She pulled back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I´m fine," she said standing. "Where are my shoes?"

Ginny handed them to her and she slid them on and started walking towards the door.

"I think she´ll be alright," whispered Pomfrey to Harry. "Just keep an eye on her and bring her back if she complains of dizziness or ..." she stopped abruptly as Hermione ran into the door.

"Ow!" Hermione cried and then she turned and looked at the shocked faces of the other three. "I forgot." She said, biting her lip. Then she opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

"Oh dear," said Madame Pomfrey.

* * * * *