Dabbling With The Dark

Chapter 6

"Excuse me."

"Harry, please. You know what McGonagall said, what Dumbledore said," Romilda Vane, fifth year Gryffindor prefect pleaded blocking his path along with four other students.

"I know. I also know I'm only going to ask politely once more for you all to move away from the door."

"Harry, come on, mate," Ron sighed behind him.

He knew it was going to happen when Snape didn't find him in the forest and he'd stayed gone for another hour before heading back, but three weeks of it was more than enough. It started with Hermione tearfully apologizing for not having told him that Dumbledore let her into the Order once she's learned Occlumency. It went from there to Ron doing his typical apology for siding against him yet again, even if Ron had sided against him with Hermione. Them having been his best friends for so long and them having been through so much together was the only thing that made him accept their apology. Things still weren't great with them, though, because they were still following Dumbledore's order to keep him occupied in Gryffindor Tower as much as possible. For the first week it was all right since a part of him really did miss how close they'd once been. By the beginning of the second week, he'd started getting more antsy, enough that he'd started sneaking passed the detection line Hermione set up on the stairs to the boys' dorm to get to his Room of Requirements for a few hours in the middle of the night. That had worked until last night when Snape caught him out at two in the morning. He wouldn't have even known it was Hermione's detection line that he was bypassing if it hadn't been for Ron. That put things right back the way they had been, with him being owed yet another apology. He wasn't sure this one he'd even accept.

"I'm done being locked away like a criminal because I needed some time alone," Harry replied without turning around.

"You're not being-" Harry turned only his head and looked at Hermione. His friend didn't finish her sentence, trailing off with a deep sigh. "They're worried about you, Harry. We all are. You've stopped talking to us all and you disappear all the time where no one can find you, not even Professor Dumbledore."

"Not all the time," Harry retorted angrily. "Once I slipped away from everyone into the forest and I've spent three weeks in this common room because of it. I've had it with looking at these four walls."

"Then let us come with you," Hermione said softly.

Yes, bring them with you, Potter. That should make things much more entertaining.

"No," he replied both aloud and in his head. Anyone, and that includes a Death Eater, touches either of them and your fucking snake will be my new pair of boots. When he got no verbal reply, he ignored the simmering burn of his scar and continued on. "I'm tired of being followed everywhere I go and it ends now." He turned back towards the door and glared at the students in his path. "Move."

He was glad when Ron finally conceded and told everyone to clear a path. He would've felt bad about hexing them out of his way. Maybe. Not that he thought that he would get far without someone else, most likely a professor, blocking his way again, but at least he was out of the sodding common room.

He made it to the staircase between the forth and fifth floors before said professor, or rather professors, were there to stop him from going any further. McGonagall was there frowning at him. So was Snape, but he ignored them both and stared at the headmaster on the landing looking up at him.