My World

"My World."

(Us Against The World II)

"Have you seen Hermione?" I asked as I sat down beside Ron in the Gryffindor common room.

"Nope. I think she's at the library though," Ron replied.

"I'm getting worried about her though," I said, frowning as he sat beside Ron.

"Why's that?" Ron asked as he put down the book on Quidditch he was reading and turned to face me.

"I dunno...she just seems so...hyper and taking on more work as usual," I replied.

"Well, she normally takes on more work than what is necessary. But maybe the hyper bit is coming from her not sleeping," Ron mused.

"Has she been sleeping?" I asked.

"Don't know. I heard Lavender talking about how one night last week, Hermione got up during the middle of the night and left the dorm. She didn't come back in until the next night,"

"Hmm," I said.

"Weird," Ron said, swallowing.

"Yeah. We're going to have to have a talk with Hermione," I said.

We finally caught up with Hermione. She was sitting in the library reading a book.

She looked up when we entered.

"Hey! Where have you two been? I've been reading here for nearly 3 hours!" she said, looking at us.

There were like five books in front of her that would normally take Ron and I like three weeks to read. She was almost done with the last book.

"Hermione...have you read all five books already?" Ron asked, slowly.

"Yup! And you would think that would tire me out! I feel like I could read the entire library!" Hermione cried brightly.

Ron and I looked at each other.

Something was definitely weird here. She was too...perky. Even for Hermione.

"Riiiight," I said, slowly. "Did you finish Professor Snape's essay on Acrolems?"

Acrolems were plants used to help heal rashes from Poison Ivy. They were more like an Aloe Vera plant.

"Absolutely! I was up since 3:00 A.M. doing it in the common room. I think it's pretty good. What do you think?" she asked as she groped around in her bag and pulled out the essay. She handed it to me.

I took it and began reading over it.

Ron looked awed that she had stayed up since three o'clock in the morning doing the essay. But deep down, there was a nagging feeling that something was wrong here.

I read it over. It was good work and up to her usual standards.

"Good. Let's get going. We have Potions next," Ron said.

Hermione eagerly closed the book she was reading and put the books back on the shelves.

"What were you reading anyway?" I asked as we began heading down to the Potions dungeon.

"Potions for the Troubled Wizard and Witch and Modern Potions for Everyday Use," she replied. "I've read all about the Belleman Potion."

"The Belleman Potion? Hermione, that's not until our seventh year!" I said, shocked.

"I know, but at least I've got a heads up now, huh?" she asked cheerfully.

Again, Ron and I exchanged looks.

We entered the dungeon and took our usual seats.

Professor Snape entered shortly after we did and stood in front of the classroom facing everyone.

"We will be making the Frillem Potion today," he said and turned toward the blackboard. With a wave of his wand, instructions appeared on the board.

"Who can tell me about the Frillem Potion?"

Hermione raised her hand.

After a few moments, Professor Snape reluctantly called on Hermione.

"Miss. Granger," he said in a bored voice.

"The Frillem Potion was used back in the medieval times to cure the flu. Many people used it also to help pain like today's Muggle morphine. It was used worldwide and it's not used today due to the Larrat Potion. It should be a light gray in color and give off a soft orange scent," Hermione said promptly.

"Right. Now copy down these ingredients and get to work," Professor Snape said.

Immediately, Hermione began copying down the ingredients and eagerly got to work. I wasn't even done writing number 12 of the ingredients when she sat back in her chair and looked happy. I peered into her cauldron. The potion was a light gray indeed, and it did give off an orange scent. She had finished.

"Blimey, you work fast," Ron said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I had seen Hermione working. It looked like she was hyper active or something. I couldn't believe it. Hermione was fast with her potions, but not this fast. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

Professor Snape came around to check potions. Naturally, Hermione's was perfect. Ron's was a dark gray and Snape took off ten points from Gryffindor. Mine was the right color and everything, but he still took off another five points. As we were leaving, I was seething.

"What is his problem? My potion was correct! I added everything I was supposed to in the right order!" I growled.

"He's a git and he will always be a git. He'll never grow out of it," Ron said, shaking his head.

"Mine was right. He didn't take points off of me," Hermione said.

"Naturally, Hermione. You do everything right," I snapped, rolling my eyes. "He just has it in for me."

"I think he's just grumpy," Hermione said cheerfully.

She was walking almost a head of us. We had to lightly jog to keep up with her.

"Grumpy? Blimey, Hermione! He's more than grumpy! I think he's constipated!" Ron cried.

"Oh please, Ron," Hermione scoffed. "I'm going back to the library if you need me."

And she hurried down the corridor.

Ever since she had gotten the news that her grandmother had passed away last month, she had been acting weird. It had started then, but it wasn't as pronounced as it was now.

Please tell me what is taking place I can't seem to find a trace. Must have got erased somehow.

Probably cause I always forget everything... someone tells me their name...always got to be the same.

I was really worried about her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her more than a best friend. I was also scared because I really didn't want to lose her. I'd rather have her as a best friend than lose her altogether.

Never more cover up...always beat the boys up...grew up in a 5,000-population town.

Made my money by cutting grass...got FIRED by a fried chicken ASS...all in a small town...Napanee.

I was going to have to grab her and talk to her. I made up my mind and told Ron I was going to have a nice talk with Hermione.

I found her sitting in her normal spot in the library. I went over to her.

"Hey! Whatcha doing here? I though you were with Ron," Hermione asked, surprised, but grinned.

"What's going on with you?" I demanded folding my arms over the front of my robe and uniform.

She stared at me blankly.

You know I always stay up without sleeping and think to myself where do I belong forever in whose arm the time and place.

Can't help it if I space in a daze...my eyes tune out the other way...I may switch off and go in a day dream. In this head my thoughts are deep, sometimes I can't even speak...would someone be and not pretend...I'm off again in my world.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, tilting her head.

"Your actions! They're...like you're Robot Hermione! You're faster with Potions, you haven't slept much...what's going on?" I demanded.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to be a good student," Hermione said simply and returned back to her book.

I went over to her and put my hands on the desk. As I did, I ended up accidentally hitting her bag and it fell onto the floor. A small white bottle rolled out. I bent down and picked it up. I heard little pills rattling in the bottle. I read the label.

"Stay-Uppers. Finish your schoolwork in half the time! Hermione, you're taking Muggle caffeine pills?" I demanded as shock settled in.

I never spend less than an hour washing my hair in the shower...it always takes five hours to make it straight. So I'll braid it in a zillion braids though it may take all friggin day...there's nothing else better to do anyway!

"It's only for a while! I swear I'll stop!" Hermione pleaded.

"Damn right you will! Hermione, do you realize what could happen? You could die! Do you honestly want that?" I demanded angrily.

"No! I just want to be able to keep up with all this work!" Hermione said. "I promise I'll stop as soon as the exams are over," she said.

Deciding to believe her, I nodded and handed her back the pills. She stuffed them back into her bag.

"Now, are you going to stay with me or go back to Ron?" she asked, grinning.

"Ron. I'll see you later at dinner," I grinned back.

I couldn't be mad at her for long and she was going to stop as soon as the exams were over. Then I could tell her how I really felt about her.

ONE MONTH LATER.

The exams were over. Thank God!

The worst was the Potions exam. Snape gave us a hard potion called the Arteran Potion, which was used for headaches. Naturally, Hermione got it right. Ron's was nowhere near the right color and mine was right as well.

Naturally, Snape took points off. I should've expected that. I decided not to tell Ron because Hermione had promised to stop using the pills. There wasn't a need to tell him just yet. Had it gotten worse, I would've and then went for help.

Hermione's appetite was weird too. She didn't eat much at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Lavender said that she's found Hermione in the Gryffindor common room around midnight reading and then writing on parchment.

I decided that maybe she was doing some last minute stuff. After all, I had her promise that she wasn't going to use those pills anymore. I wasn't going to panic just yet.

It was like Hermione was in her own little world. I would catch her daydreaming in class and not taking notes. That was not her usual self.

I didn't know what to think. Finally, I just decided to tell Ron what happened last month.

I pulled him aside when we left Transfiguration class.

"Ron...remember last month how Hermione was acting weird?"

He nodded.

"Well, she was taking Muggle caffeine pills!" I said.

Ron's eyes widened. "What? How do you know?"

"Because I accidentally knocked over her bag and a small white bottle rolled out. She assured me that she was going to stop taking them after the exams," I said.

"Blimey! Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked.

"Because I had her word. I believed her...but now, I don't know. She's still acting strangely," I said, sighing. "I think we should confront her again,"

"Where is she now?" Ron asked.

"More than likely...at the library," I said, raising an eyebrow.

We headed to the library. Sure enough, she was there reading a 400 page book on Transfiguration.

"Hi!" she said, brightly.

"Don't 'hi' us! What is going on again?" I demanded.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, puzzled and closed the book.

"You're acting weird again," Ron said.

"I am? Hmm..." Hermione said frowning.

"Are you taking those bloody pills again?" I demanded.

"No! I told you! I stopped after the exams!" Hermione protested.

"Really? Shall I take a look inside your bag?" I asked as I went over to the desk and went to grab the bag, but Hermione yanked it out of the way.

"Don't you trust me?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed.

"We just want to make sure that you really stopped! We care about you!" Ron said.

"I stopped...maybe I should stop being friends with someone who doesn't even trust me!" Hermione snapped and grabbed her belongings and she stormed out of the library.

Ron and I looked at each other.

"Oh boy...we blew it," Ron said, sighing.

"No, we didn't. Why is she being so defensive?" I asked. "Unless she's got something to hide!"

Ron looked at me.

"You seriously think she's still taking them?"

I nodded. "Absolutely,"

"Should we go to someone? Maybe McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore?"

"First I think we should see if she really is taking them before we go jumping to conclusions. Suppose we're wrong? Hermione would be ticked off at us and we'd lose her as a best friend," I replied.

Ron nodded.

Once again at dinner, Hermione didn't eat much. Her excuse was that she had a large lunch, but Ron and I knew damn well she didn't because she only had a sandwich for lunch. She was also pretty much ignoring us after that. She didn't sit with us in class nor eat next to us at dinner for the next two days. We noticed, and so did the entire Gryffindor house, that Hermione was looking worse. There were bags under her eyes and she was thin...thinner than usual.

We didn't want to give up on her so we confronted her for a third time in the corridor outside of Potions.

"Hermione, let me have your bag!" I said, as I went to grab it.

"Leave me alone!" Hermione snapped yanking the bag out of my grip.

"Ron!" I said.

Ron threw his arms around her and held her still while I grabbed her bag. I groped around inside the bag until my hand brushed over the familiar white bottle.

"YOU ARE STILL TAKING THESE!" I said to her angrily. "YOU TOLD ME YOU'D STOP AFTER THE EXAMS!"

"I tried to stop! But they're helping me get through the school work!" Hermione cried, struggling to break free of Ron's grip. She did and went to grab the bottle back, but I held them out of her reach.

"Give them to me!" Hermione cried.

"NO!" I shouted.

"GIVE 'EM HERE!" Hermione cried again, still trying to grab them.

"No! You're going straight to Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey!" I shouted.

Suddenly, Hermione went pale and collapsed.

Ron rushed into the Potions classroom and got Professor Snape. We got Hermione up to the hospital wing and I ran and got Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.

Hermione was lying on a cot in the hospital wing. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey said, that she'd be okay with a few doses of the Ondrat Potion.

Ron and I stayed with Hermione for a bit.

She finally woke up after a few hours.

"Ooh, my head feels like a firecracker had gone off in it...what happened?" she asked, groggily.

"You were taking Muggle caffeine pills," Ron said.

"I feel sick," Hermione moaned.

Ron and I looked at each other.

"Ron? Can I talk to Hermione alone?"

Ron nodded and left the hospital wing.

I turned to Hermione. "Listen...You really scared the crap out of us. We seriously thought we were going to lose you,"

"I'm sorry...I really didn't mean it! I just wanted to be able to keep up with schoolwork," Hermione said, as tears formed in her eyes.

I sighed. "I know...but taking drugs to help you through something isn't smart. You could've died and then where would Ron and I be? You're lucky nothing serious did happen to you!"

She just began sobbing quietly.

"I also have something to tell you," I said, clearing my throat.

She looked at me with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I love you, Hermione...more than a best friend,"

Hermione broke out into a grin through her tears. "Same here...I love you too,"

I grinned and leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed me back just as softly and gently.

"We're here for you, Mione. Don't forget that," I said as I threw my arms around her and hugged her. She hugged me back.

"I know. I really appreciate everything. And to tell you the truth, the schoolwork wasn't the only reason I was taking the pills. Each time I closed my eyes I could see my grandmother being struck by the car," Hermione whispered, burying her face into my shoulder.

"I know how hard this is for you...but we're here for you...you don't need to take drugs,"

After a few days, Hermione was back to her normal self and we were dating.