Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
~~~
Friday, February 4, 1994
"Hi, Harry, Draco," Ginny Weasley said as the boys sat at the Gryffindor table for lunch.
"Hi, everyone," Draco said, cheerfully. Harry rolled his eyes at his brother's tone.
"Hermione, do you have a date for the Valentine's Ball?" Harry wondered, smirking. Draco kicked him under the table.
"No, I don't," Hermione responded, slicing an apple.
"Will you go with Draco? He's too scared to ask you himself." Hermione glanced at Draco, whose face was turning pink as he tried to cover it with his hands.
"Sure, I'll go with you, Draco." The blond's head snapped up.
"You will?" His eyes were wide with surprise.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She just smiled at him.
"Ginny, you have a date?" Harry asked, nonchalantly. To his dismay, she nodded her head.
"I'm going with Colin," she said.
Hermione and Draco were the only ones to notice the look of disappointment in Harry's eyes. Draco placed a comforting hand on his brother's knee, and Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. Harry only gave them a tight-lipped smile, took a couple more bites of his lunch, and excused himself, heading for the dungeons.
Once there, he went into his room, put a Silencing Spell around it, and screamed as loud as he could. He held a hand out towards the mirror, and it shattered. He then repaired it and broke it again, repeating this several more times before pointing his wand at a bookcase. Instantly, the books flew across the room, and he sent them back again. Deciding that it didn't have the same effect, he went back to the mirror. This time, when he shattered it, a piece of the glass flew and hit his cheek.
"Damn it," Harry sighed, wincing in pain. He examined the cut and cleaned it, then went to gather his books for his next class. When he left, he didn't notice Lily sitting on the table, watching after him.
He made it to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom twenty minutes early. Unfortunately, his godfather was in the room already. Still, Harry walked past Lupin and went to his desk in the second row. After dropping his books on the floor, he sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest and staring at the wall.
"What's with the death glare, Harry?" Lupin—Remus—wondered. He came back and sat in the desk across from Harry's. Seeing the cut on Harry's cheek, he said, "Wow, what happened to you?"
"If you ever want to take out your anger on a mirror, I would advise against it," Harry muttered, staring straight ahead.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Are you all right? Anything I can help you with?" Harry shook his head. "No, you're not all right, or no, I can't help you?"
"I'm fine, and no, you can't help."
"All right," Remus said, obviously not believing the boy. "Just remember that I'm here if you change your mind." With that, the older wizard stood and went to the door, greeting the third-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs who were entering the room.
"Hey, Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, sitting in her desk next to Harry's. Ron passed Harry silently, sitting behind him in his assigned seat. "You left the Great Hall so suddenly, I was worried, but Draco said you'd be fine, and—"
"Right, and he would know, wouldn't he?" Harry muttered. "I'm fine." He glared at people who stared at his cheek, daring them to say something.
"If looks could kill, Harry, I think half of this class would be dead," Hermione commented. "Look, Harry, are you upset about Gin—"
"I said," Harry interrupted through gritted teeth, "I'm fine. Drop it." Hermione sighed, but she said no more as the class began.
~~~
Severus, Draco, and Harry ate their supper downstairs. The house elves had brought enough food to feed them for three meals. Still, Harry didn't eat much. He just stared at his plate, pushing his food around with a fork.
"What happened to your cheek?" Severus asked Harry, who hadn't spoken for the whole meal.
"Mirror," he replied, simply. "Don't worry, I fixed it again."
"What got you so upset this time?"
"He asked—" Draco began. He was cut off by a glare from Harry, and was nice enough to shut up. "Nevermind." Severus, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer, changed the subject.
"Do you two want to go into Hogsmeade tomorrow and buy your dress robes for the Ball?"
"I'm not going." Harry's voice was small and sad.
"Why not?" Severus asked, concerned.
"Come on, Harry! Yes, you should have asked Ginny sooner, but you can go without a date!"
"I'm not going." The words were the same, but the tone was more forceful.
"But it won't be as fun without you there, and—"
"Damn it, Draco, I just don't want to go, all right?!" Harry snapped. He stood from his chair and retrieved his Firebolt from the bedroom.
"Harry, sit down and finish this meal with us," Severus said, firmly, before Harry could leave. "You skipped breakfast, you hardly ate anything at lunch, and you ate even less just now. Sit down and finish everything on your plate."
"I had a sandwich an hour ago. I'm not hungry." Ignoring his father's calls, Harry left and headed out for the Quidditch pitch, where he began to fly off his frustrations as he waited for the rest of the team.
Half an hour later, Harry was sitting on a bench, catching his breath when he saw the Weasley twins coming out, as well as Oliver. They came over to him, and George raised his eyebrows when he saw that, although it was slightly cold out, Harry was soaked with sweat.
"How long have you been out here?"
"Half an hour," Harry responded, shrugging his shoulders.
"You all right, mate?" Fred asked, seeing the anger in Harry's eyes.
"I'm fine," Harry said, shortly.
"You're not supposed to be flying out here alone at night," Oliver commented. Harry glared at him.
"Do you think I really care right now?" With that, Harry mounted his broom again and continued to fly, dive, and flip, hoping that it would calm him down.
"That kid's going to get himself killed," Fred sighed.
"He's not fine," George added. "Hermione said Harry asked Ginny if she had a date for the Ball, and she does already, but… That can't possibly be the only thing he's angry about."
"It doesn't help that Ron's still being a prat," Fred commented. "I hope Harry doesn't end up…doing something stupid again." He grinned, evilly. "Maybe we should do something to ickle Ronniekins, George? That would make Harry feel better."
"Worth a shot," George agreed.
~~~
Later that night, Harry quietly made his way into the Snape chambers and went into his bedroom. Draco was asleep, and Severus was in the master bedroom, with the door closed.
Harry put his Firebolt under his bed, then proceeded to change into his pajamas. He climbed into bed and whispered 'Silencio' almost soundlessly. Finally, he lay down and went to sleep.
~~~
Saturday, February 5, 1994
"Come on, Harry, you're coming to Hogsmeade with us." Draco's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts as the younger boy tried to do homework the next morning.
"I'd only need to go to Hogsmeade if I needed dress robes. I'd only need dress robes if I was going to the Ball. I'm not going to the Ball; therefore, I don't need dress robes; therefore, I'm not going to Hogsmeade."
"But you are going to the Ball," Draco insisted, pulling on Harry's arm. "Colin cancelled on Ginny, and I asked her if she'd go with you. She said yes, and she looked plenty happy about it." Harry jerked his arm away.
"Thanks, Draco. I really appreciate your decision to take my life into your own hands." His tone was dripping with sarcasm.
"I aim to please. Now get your arse up, we're leaving now. And Remus wants to take you out to lunch."
Two hours later, Harry had gotten his dark blue dress robes. He then went to the Three Broomsticks, to have lunch with Remus.
"Harry, I'm going to get straight to the point," Remus said when they got their meals. "What's been going on with you lately? You're always so angry, you won't talk to anyone, you're losing weight, you break mirrors… Your dad, Draco, and I… We're worried about you."
"I've been frustrated. I've been stressed. I've been angry. That happens to people sometimes; why should it be any different with me?" Harry glanced at his godfather. "I'm not taking it out on myself again, if that's what you're worried about."
"I didn't think you were," Remus assured him. "What's caused so much stress?"
"Quidditch practices, homework, make-up homework, all these…changes…from Mum's charm wearing off… Ron's still mad at me, too."
"Have you tried talking to him?" Harry nodded.
"A couple of times. Hermione, Draco, Ginny, and the twins have, as well. I reckon the friendship's over."
"Keep trying," Remus told him. "I remember once, in my fourth year, when Sirius and I had a fight. He wouldn't speak to me for three months, and by that time, we didn't even remember what we'd been fighting about."
"Ron will remember," Harry sighed. "He's mad because I didn't tell him I was adopted. He's hated Dad for years, but the insults and everything, they've gotten worse since term started, because he's mad at me."
"Then he's not worth worrying about, Harry," Remus said, softly. "If he's being this immature and childish about the whole thing, then forget about him."
"I've been spending most of my nights in the dungeons because I can't be in the same room as Ron. I think I'm going to do what Draco did and move all of my stuff down there permanently."
"That's probably a good idea," Remus agreed. "I'll help in any way I can."
"Thanks, Remus."