The session ended and Harry made his way back to Gryffindor tower with his thoughts still churning. He walked through the portrait and into the Common Room and paused when the conversation stopped dead at his arrival.
He felt his cheeks heat a touch but there was nobody who he knew to explain what he had supposedly done to become the centre of gossip so he quickly strode across to the staircase and went up to the dorm, trying to convince himself he wasn't really running away from the strangeness in the Common Room.
He came to a halt just inside the dorm room at the sight of Hermione and Neville in front of Harry's trunk, carefully repacking it, Dean and Seamus hovering beside them and occasionally handing them something.
"I can't believe Ron did that!" Hermione complained. "He had no right to just…"
"What's going on?" Harry asked bluntly.
All four of them froze.
It was almost comical.
Dean looked at Seamus who looked at Neville who looked at Hermione who sighed and closed her eyes.
Dean pushed Seamus towards the door. "We should…we have that…"
"Yes, yes. That thing." Seamus said emphatically. He pushed the bundle he was holding – Harry's spare robes – into Hermione's arms and dragged Dean the rest of the way, past Harry, out of the room and down the stairs.
Harry folded his arms and stared at Hermione and Neville.
"OK," Hermione began, "but you have to promise me you won't freak out?"
"You know you saying that kind of makes me want to freak out." Harry said.
Hermione glared at him.
Harry waved a hand at her.
"So, Ron thought you'd come straight back to the tower after the loyalty vow with Nott," Hermione started to explain, "and when you didn't, he started to think maybe Lord Nott had done something, or Theo had done something or…" she gestured weakly in Harry's direction, "someone had done something."
Harry walked over to them and sat down on the bed. Ron getting worried wasn't unusual. "I guess he took my trunk apart trying to find the map then?" He pointed at the parchment by Hermione's knee. "So he could find me?"
Hermione and Neville nodded.
"And he realised I was in the infirmary." Harry continued and sighed, falling back on his bed with a groan.
This was bad, Harry thought frantically; this was very bad.
"He, uh, thought you'd been injured?" offered Neville.
"Neville worked out why you were in the infirmary since the map showed you with Healer Allen," Hermione said gently, "and tried to stop Ron from leaving the dorm but…"
"He wouldn't listen." Neville finished with a sigh.
"So I tried talking to him too but I think I made everything worse?" Hermione said in a small voice that made Harry sit back up and look at her.
She looked chagrined, her bushy hair falling all around her face to hide her embarrassment.
"Basically, Ron then thought you'd told us about seeing your, um, healer but not him and…" Hermione continued.
"And he stormed out." Neville completed.
"After hitting Neville and accusing him of trying to steal his best friend." Hermione added, outrage stealing back across her face.
Neville flushed. "He just kind of pushed me. I'm fine."
Harry frowned at him but he did seem fine.
"I fell on my bed." Neville said pointing across to his bed.
"The thing is, Harry," Hermione began nervously, "well, the thing is…"
"Ron was kind of yelling." Neville said with a visible wince and pointed at the open door.
Harry quickly added up the strange looks he'd gotten in the Common Room and the fight and the yelling and groaned, slumping back again. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy?"
"Yes."
"No, of course not!"
Harry peeked at his two friends as Neville and Hermione glared at each other. Hermione turned back to Harry with a chagrined look.
"It's not that people think you're crazy," Hermione cast another stern look at Neville, "but just…"
"I'm nuttier than a fruitcake?" Harry said dryly.
Neville snorted.
"There's nothing wrong with seeing a mind healer." She offered in a small voice, brushing her hair back out of her face. "Some people can't appreciate that it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. They just don't understand why."
There was a hint of curiosity in her voice which meant Hermione wanted to know why Harry was seeing the mind healer.
He felt irritation skate across his nerves. "You'd think the fact that I've received death threats would be some clue as to why, Hermione."
She grimaced and lowered her gaze.
"Bugger." Harry sat up again and rubbed a hand over his face.
What was he supposed to do?
What he wanted to do was close the curtains on his bed, hide and hope the whole thing went away. But he knew that was not going to happen. He needed to deal with Ron too. Ron was stubborn as a mule when he got something into his head and Harry was very tempted just to let his friend stew since he was primarily responsible for everyone now knowing he saw the mind healer. Ron probably wasn't talking to him anyway.
But…they did have an alliance of friendship and Ron's initial motivations had been good. He should probably go and sort it out with him. And then he should probably call Sirius on the mirror and warn him that the Prophet was probably going to run 'Boy Who Lives is Nuts!' as its headline the next day.
He gestured at the Marauder's map and it flew into his hand. He didn't see Hermione's and Neville's awe at the display of wandless magic as he unthinkingly released his wand to tap the parchment and give the password. He quickly spotted Ron down by the Quidditch pitch.
Harry sighed and shut the parchment down, tossing it back into his trunk. "You guys don't need to keep repacking my trunk. I'll do it when I get back from talking with Ron."
Hermione and Neville exchanged a look and shook their heads.
"We'll do it." Hermione said firmly. "I mean, we are partially responsible for the whole…" her hand made a circular gesture which Harry took to mean 'letting the world know Harry Potter is crazy' debacle.
Harry shuffled off the bed and out of the door. He flushed brightly as everyone stopped talking again as he walked through the Common Room. He hurried out and down the stairs.
He was half-way to the Quidditch pitch when he ran into Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. He gave a nod and went to move past them but Draco moved to block his path. He glared at the Slytherin; he had thought they were past that. "Malfoy…"
"I'd thought you'd like to know that Weasley told everyone that you were crazy." Draco's sharp features seemed more pointed than usual. "If this had been last year I would no doubt have revelled in the easy material of Potty is Dotty but as this isn't last year…"
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