A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. Please continue to R&R!

Complicated

As Harry walked into McGonagall's office he saw that damn blasted sign up sheet again. He sighed. What was the point now? She wouldn't care either way. He dismissed his thoughts when McGonagall told him to sit down.

"Take a seat Harry."

And he did. He watched as she sat across from him, and a look of concern and concentration was sketched on her face.

"Harry…I don't know that you know this, but I, as well as the rest of the staff, have been watching you latley and noticed a change in your behavior." Was it that damn obvious? He thought. She continued. "I just wanted to know if something happened whilst you were on leave from Hogwarts with those Muggles." She stressed this last word in a sarcastic, and threatening way. Harry almost wanted to smile…almost.

"No nothing unusual happened. Same old fun." Harry didn't even look phased. McGonagall studied him for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, I know you may not realize this because I am a teacher, but if you ever wanted to talk about anything then I am here to help. Even things you feel you can't talk about with anyone else." He laughed a little to himself. Yeah, like he was really going to bare his soul to a teacher. Well better her then no one at all Harry's subconscious dully noted. Oh bugger off!

"Well thank you, but that isn't necessary," Harry answered as politely as he could.

"Very well then, if your sure then I won't continue pestering you." He paused momentarily, and then thought…well maybe just this one thing.

"Well there is one thing...you see Sirius, my godfather, gave me a very personal gift that I have grown very accustomed to these past few months, and just now in class Professor Snape took it from me. I was just wondering if there was anyway that you could—err—I don't know…" She eyed him for a moment then spoke.

"What is this gift that you have grown so accustomed to?" She asked interested.

"An I-Pod. You see he told me it is a very popular invention in the states, and he thought it would help me with stress. The fact is I didn't know how much I could love a gadget or music for that matter until he gave it to me. I just don't know how I'll get by without it now." Harry tried to give his best distressing plea, although he knew the way he already looked those days he wouldn't have to try all too hard.

"Well if you got on well without it before I don't see how it would consume you so to where you couldn't survive without it. Honestly, to grow that attached to a material possesion... and I don't know that questioning a Professors motives is in my forte." Harry just pleaded at her with his eyes. "But if you say that it is this important to you then I will try and reason with him…Harry, just what kind of stress have you been under?"

He sighed a long exhausted sigh, thought, and then knew that he would never be able to explain the stress he had been dealing with. He felt like he was hit by bludgers every ten minutes, got the life sucked out of him by a Dementor at least every hour, and had faced Lord Voldemort, and been defeated by him every day. He felt so cold anymore, and unattached to everything. He had even been alienating his best friend, Ron, who seemed to be the only person that continued to try to talk to him. But he knew even Ron wouldn't keep trying much longer with the way Harry had been acting lately. Harry decided a generic answer would have to do.

"It's complicated." McGonagall did not look pleased with that answer.

"Harry, you can't very well keep it inside of you forever. Why don't you just try to talk about it? Maybe I can help. Aside from being a teacher, I am a woman, and I have lived beyond these walls of Hogwarts." Somehow, Harry doubted that. But he thought he had nothing left to lose, and everything to gain. So he decided he would try explain his dismal dire life situation as best as he could to his teacher, though he might have to drink some fire whisky before the night was through…