I Can Make It Better

A/N: Jessie, yes, that is a very lucky teddy bear! xD Sorry this chapter is so short, but it's just a quick update...numminess should show up in the next chapter.

Hermione lay wide awake in her bed that night, wishing that she could have stayed in the Room of Requirement with Luna. At least there, she knew that she could have fallen asleep. Here, the gurgle of her stomach kept her awake. She hadn't eaten much that day. A piece of fruit at breakfast, a roll at lunch...her blow-up at Harry and Ron had gotten her out of eating more than a few bites at dinner. She had drank lots of pumpkin juice and water instead, trying to quell the insistent gnawing at her stomach.

She rolled over, curling up on her side. As Head Girl, she got her own chambers, but she wished that she was back in the girls' dormitory. Maybe then, the restless sounds and steady breathing could have lulled her to sleep. But no, she was alone, unless she wanted to go knock on the Head Boy's door and ask if he fancied a cuddle. Since the Head Boy was Draco Malfoy, she doubted it immensely. They had fallen into an uneasy truce, but they were definitely not best mates and never would be.

As she rolled again onto her back, she let her hands come up under her nightgown, tracing the outline of her ribs. She sighed. Not good enough. She wanted to be able to feel each rib individually. Somehow tracing the bones in her body left her feeling soothed. It was comforting to feel the structure beneath the surface, not distracted by the thick padding of flesh.

Hermione wondered if Luna was also lying awake. Did her cuts hurt? Was she as lonely as Hermione felt? Dampness on her nightgown made her realize she was crying.

"And why not?" she mumbled to herself. "Don't I have reason enough to cry?" Horrible things had happened in the final battle. Hermione had been captured by Death Eaters and held for more than four hours before she was rescued. Those four hours had been horrific. Lucius Malfoy had told her how "beautiful" she was, caressing her with his slender white hands until she wanted to puke. The fact that he wasn't rotting in Azkaban due to "being controlled by the Imperius Curse" didn't help matters. She knew damn well he hadn't been cursed. He was doing it all of his own free will and enjoying every second. Thankfully, Draco had broken away from his father's control or she would never be able to sleep in the same suite as him. Draco, actually, had come out and was now dating Blaise Zabini. Lucius had tried to disown him, but Narcissa wouldn't allow it.

Hermione wondered if her own parents would disown her. She wasn't a lesbian, but she kept feeling really weird things when she looked at Luna. She wanted to bury her fingers in that silky smooth hair, pull the girl close, and kiss those luscious, soft, pink lips. What was wrong with her? Luna was her friend. She would probably hate Hermione if Hermione dared so much as mention her desire to kiss her best friend. No, she'd better keep quiet.

Tossing and turning, Hermione finally fell into a restless sleep.