Harry looked up. "Professor Lupin? Whatever it is, I didn't do it."
A little smile appeared on the professor's face. "I can see that, Harry. Is everything all right?"
All right? And how exactly could things be any less than all right? The last ray of hope for a family was gone. Sirius was dead. He'd had to stay in Little Whinging all summer long, and it had been the longest summer ever. The Dursleys hadn't dared to do anything to him, not after the talking to they'd gotten from the Order, but it wasn't anything like pleasant to live with them. And his friends had decided to keep talking amongst each other, just about pretending he wasn't even there! All right!?
"Of course everything's all right, Professor," Harry said sulkingly.
Professor Lupin sighed. "Well, if you're not going to eat anything, perhaps we could go to my office to talk...?"
Harry frowned. Eat? I'm not hungry. And I don't want to talk to anyone when I know exactly what the conversation will be. "Harry, he's dead. It's not your fault. Sirius would have wanted to go this way." Well, he was my godfather, and I'm allowed to grieve as long as I want.
Suddenly, Harry longed for the Dursleys, who at least hadn't talked to him or told him to eat. Why was it that people only cared for him between September and June? He turned around and speared a potato wedge with his fork, putting it into his mouth and chewing slowly. It was too oily for his tastes... but it did get Professor Lupin to turn continue walking along the tables.
The conversation beside him stopped. "You know Harry, Professor Lupin only wants to help you."
"If you won't talk to us, maybe you should talk to him."
"I don't need either of you telling me what to do." Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "And I don't need you sending each other secret messages about how I'm as sane as Kretcher."
"Oi, no one's comparing you to that little-"
"Ron!" said Hermione sternly. "Oh, Harry, it's just that we're worried about you. You didn't even talk to us on the train..."
Harry sighed. I don't want to start the year with an argument. "Hermione, Ron... I'm sorry about that. I just had some things on my mind."
"Anything interesting?"
Uh oh... Now he had to think of something. Well... there was that one thing... "The prophecy."
"Oooh," said Hermione. "That's really important. Have you thought of anything?"
"No, not yet..."
"Well, we should start researching. We haven't been able to over the summer, but that's no reason why we should put it off any more."
"Oh, now you've done it," said Ron with a scowl. "Now we'll be looking at books until Christmas!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but began outlining a study plan. Harry smiled apologetically at Ron, though inwardly, it was a bit more genuine. At least if I'm studying, I won't have to think about Sirius...