He doesn't talk to his friends all that much anymore.
They're always together, wrapped up in themselves.
At least, ever since he defeated Voldemort.
Everyone else seems busy too, to his annoyance. It's almost like they've forgotten him. Just earlier today he was sitting at the Gryffindor table and not ONE person talked to him at all. So he just kept to himself and ate quietly. He often felt Dobby watching him, and he always vaguely wondered when House Elves had begun to be allowed in the Great Hall. He shrugged. Dobby was a free elf, although he now worked for Harry. He could come and go where he pleased.
Dobby and Winky were basically his only friends. Sure, he'd still go talk to Ron and Hermione every once in a while, but they were usually unresponsive. That's what people in love were like, he guessed. He thought he had been that way with Ginny during sixth year, but since he'd defeated Voldemort and the fame seemed to have lessened, her interest had waned. She was always sitting next to some fifth year now, and Harry tried not to look at her.
He went off to his classes without talking to much of anybody. He hardly payed attention in them anymore, and basically taught himself. The teachers let him. Anything for the boy-who-lived. He was sure that if Snape were here, he wouldn't let Harry get away with that. Not at all.
He didn't hate Snape. It surprised himself. Of course, Snape had helped them find the Horcruxes, and his stupid portrait had explained where a hidden pensieve memory was. Harry and the others had learned all about the Unbreakable Vow, and how Dumbledore had already been dying. He still felt anger towards Snape about it, but he knew he just wanted someone to blame.
Snape had gone though, dissapeared. Probably to set up an apocathary or kill himself off somewhere or to steal and eat unsuspecting children. Harry tried not to think about him. He tried not to think about unpleasantness at all.
Hogsmeade weekend. Usually that would be followed by an exclamation and a shout for joy. The words make you think of Hogwarts students running about buying pranks and candies, or sitting inside the Three Broomsticks cradling a warm Butterbeer on a cold winters day.
For Harry though, the day was just like any other. He walked around, alone. Ron and Hermione were together again of course. Most everyone ignored him as he walked around, going from shop to shop. There was something else that annoyed him about them all too. They wouldn't ever take his money! He'd find something of interest, go to pay, but they wouldn't take it. It was frustrating. In an annoyed rage he'd just gone and taken the most expensive robes out of the store, but the shopkeeper didn't even blink. Just sitting there with a smile.
He felt guilty though, and put them back. However, whenever he needed a dress robe, or maybe a new pair of pants, he took advantage of what was given. He was a Gryffindor, yeah, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he didn't have enough gold for a lifetime in his vault.
Today though, he didn't need any pants. He just wanted a bit of Honeydukes candy. They were out of Sugarquills though, which were his favourite, so he just grabbed a bit of something else. Floating Sherbet Balls. Hm, not bad. It was hard to walk and float at the same time though. He wondered if Fred and George would be able to tweak the formula. That thought sobered him pretty quickly. He hadn't seen Fred and George for a while. Of course, it was the school year, but maybe he could get Mcgonagal to let him go to Diagon Alley? Heck, why did he even have to ask? He was Harry Bloody Potter for Merlin's sake. If they were giving him whatever he wanted in shops, he should damn well be able to just pop away at any instance.
Maybe tommorrow though. All this walking around in Hogsmeade had gotten him tired.
He decided he'd go after lunch. It was a Sunday, and of course the day was free. With teaching himself, he didn't really need to do homework, and the teachers didn't make him. He felt a tingle of rebellion go up his back as he cast a furitive look at the head table, where Mcgonagal was sitting in the headmistress's chair. Yeah. That's what he'd do. Just pop on out and wander around a bit. He almost snickered but stopped himself. Hermione and Ron would notice, and then Hermione might tell Mcgonagal.
A slight secretive smile slipped upon his face as he ate the rest of his eggs, Dobby watching him again. If he didn't know better. He would say Dobby was wary of him. He frowned.
"Dobby, can you come here?" He asked.
Dobby shuffled apprehensively up to him. "Yes Harry, sir?"
"IS there something wrong? Come on, if there is you can tell me. I won't be mad, I promise."
"Well, Master Harry sir. Dobby is just... Dobby wanted to... never mind Harry Potter sir."
Harry frowned but didn't press the little elf and after he had gone he finished his breakfast. His friends were sitting accross from him again, their arms entwined with each other, leaving a pang in Harry's chest.
Watching them and a few others around the room entwined in an embrace, their arms about another's shoulders, holding hands, locked in a kiss, it made him sigh. And with that his elated mood was gone. He diddn't feel like sneaking out to Diagon Alley anymore. What was the point when he had no one to go with? Being rebellious was no fun when you couldn't tell anyone, and no one payed attention to him anymore.
He was angry at all of them suddenly. How dare they! How dare they abandon him after he'd done what they all wanted of him, killing Voldemort. He became angrier at the moment and Hermione and Ron didn't even notice.
"Ron. Hermione." He called out. They didn't turn to him.
"RON! HERMIONE!" He pounded on the table. Everyone just ingored him. He ground his teeth in annoyance. He had never been an attention seeker, but this was just ridiculous! No one was even breathing in his direction. So he stood up on the seat, then stood on the table, directly in the scrambled eggs.
"HELLO? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! WHY IS EVERYONE IGNORING ME?"
"Master Harry. You must calm downs Master Harry Potter sir." Dobby said next to him, not standing in any food.
Harry just ignored him, kneeling down in front of his friends and grabbing a shoulder in each hand, he shook them roughly.
"RON! HERMIONE! IT'S ME, HARRY. YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND. REMEMBER? HUH?" He shook them harder, and with a sudden small snap, it happened.
Hermione's head fell off and rolled underneath the Ravenclaw table.
Harry stopped at once.
"Oh. Oh my god Hermione! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, really."
He jumped off the table and fetched Hermione's head.
"Dobby, can I have some tape?"
"Yes, Harry Potter sir." Dobby said, resigned.
Dobby came back shortly and Harry made quick work of fixing Hermione up.
"I'm sorry Hermione." He said to her. He sighed regretfully. "I'm going to have to find you a turtleneck or something to cover up the tape. I mean, your arm fell off last week already but that's easily covered up with a long sleeved shirt. I'm sure the clothing store in Hogsmeade won't mind. They let me take anything I wanted. If I didn't know better, really, I'd almost think the shopkeeper was insane, or dead. He's always reading that same book. I don't think I've even ever seen him turn the page."
Harry sighed and fussed over Hermione.
"Well, it can't be helped, really. Ron's already had that problem for a while anyways, I could get you matching turtlenecks! This will have to do for now, though." Harry said, sitting them back together. Ron's arm had fallen off from where it clutched desperately around Hermione's waist, so Harry repositioned his arm. While he was at it, he looked around the room, and with a bit of annoyance noticed Susan Bones and some of the first years had fallen over again. Really! Couldn't the first years at least keep their arms on for more than a month! This was seemingly the billionth time Harry had re-attached the little hufflepuff first year's lower arm.
But he loved them all really. He looked all around the room with a slight satisfied grin. His friends and peers and teachers were a lot quieter since the end of the war, and yeah they really didn't talk to him, but they were still there! That was better than nothing.
He grinned widely and gave his friends an affectionate squeeze. He even included Neville in the hug, since Ron and Hermione were so close to each other.
A maggot crawled out of Ron's eye socket and landed on his sweater, but he just plucked it off and threw it absentmindedly at the Slytherin table.
He was used to that, Harry thought, as he sat back down and finished his breakfast.
And even though they never talked to him, or noticed him any more, he was happy they were still there for him.
Harry was happy in his Hall of Corpses.