Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.
Comments: I know, I'm positively evil for making Harry and Silver break up! And, the plot thickens...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 32 – Routine
"How could you?" Hermione hissed at Fred and George the next morning.
"We didn't think Silver would come," Fred said uncomfortably.
"And that matters?" Ron answered angrily, "He didn't want to come in the first place, and he didn't want his name in the bloody bucket!"
Harry listened to them argue listlessly. They thought he was still asleep. He wanted to jump out of bed and give Fred and George a good punch in the face, but he didn't. He felt too empty to do it. He didn't even know why they were still there anyway. So he just lay there, letting them think he was asleep.
"Well, he looked so bored..." George protested weakly.
"Oh, so you decided to keep him busy snogging a girl?" Hermione shrieked furiously.
"Oh come off it!" Fred exclaimed, "He was never actually going to snog the girl, we just wanted to see how he would react!"
"And it's not like any of the girls expected him to snog them – they know that he's loyal to Silver!" George said, sounding as angry as Hermione.
"Well, the whole party was a stupid idea in the first place!" Hermione said, her voice rising passionately, "You snuck fourteen people through that passageway, if Dumbledore ever found out-"
"Dumbledore won't find out, and if he did, what would he do?" Fred answered, "Give us detention?"
"He probably knows anyway," George added, "That man knows everything."
"That doesn't make it okay!" Hermoine replied hotly.
For a moment everybody was silent.
"Maybe," Fred said at last, "Maybe if we explained to Silver..."
"Well, that might work, if any of us had any idea where she is," Hermione answered.
"She's not here?" George asked, his voice unnaturally high.
"Well, I went to Dumbledore, and he told me not to worry, so she's obviously somewhere in the castle, but we can only begin to guess where," Hermione replied.
"Is Harry...I mean, is he..." Fred trailed off uncertainly.
"If you were going to say completely heartbroken, the answer is yes," Hermione told him, "He won't say a word to us unless he's asking us for a bucket to vomit into!"
"And he doesn't eat, so we can only begin to guess what he's puking," Ron added.
"I suppose we really screwed up," George said.
"You bloody well did screw up!" Ron yelled back, "And you'd better find a way to fix it!"
"Yeah," Fred said, "Yeah, we will."
"We're going to go see Dumbledore," George added.
Harry heard the door open and shut, and heard Ron muttering under his breath, "They'd better bloody fix it."
Hermione sighed and walked into view. She looked at him and jumped upon seeing that his eyes were open.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, "You're awake!"
Ron hurried over as if to verify for himself that Harry was awake.
"Hey, mate," he greeted in an attempt at cheerfulness, "Hungry?"
Harry shook his head.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Hermione said, "It's almost lunchtime."
Harry stared ahead of him idly in reply. What would be the use of eating? He would just vomit up anything he ate, he was sure of it. He closed his eyes under the pretense of falling asleep once more. After a few minutes, Ron spoke.
"Aw, 'Mione, I can't stand to see him like this," he said, his voice strained, "He won't even talk to us."
"I know," Hermione answered, "But he's really hurt – just as hurt as Silver is."
"She didn't even listen to him, 'Mione," Ron said, sounding frustrated.
"Ron, she walked into the Three Broomsticks to see George reading his name out of the Snog Bowl, and the fact that Fred had dragged him up to the front of the crowd made it seem like he was expecting it to happen. And no offense to Harry or anything, but he really isn't very good at explaining himself out of tough situations like that."
Harry couldn't help but be a bit amused. Hermione was being intelligently blunt, as usual.
"Yeah, but...but she's got to know Harry wouldn't do that!" Ron exclaimed.
"But that's just it, Ron, she doesn't," Hermione replied, sounding equally perturbed, "Everyone she's ever known has hurt her – and Harry just did the same thing. To her, it's normal."
Ron sighed exasperatedly. "Well what do we do?" he asked finally.
"I don't know, Ron," she answered, "I just don't know."
Harry's stomach gnawed at him, although he wasn't sure if it was from his feelings, or from hunger. He drifted off to sleep again, seeing as it was the only thing to do.
"Harry? Come on, mate, wake up," Ron was saying, a bit tentatively.
Harry rolled over to look at his friend silently.
"Um, it's Monday, and it's breakfast time," Ron said meekly, "And Hermione says you should really come on."
"Tell Hermione to shut the bloody hell up," Harry replied evenly, rolling back over.
Ron didn't answer, and Harry sensed him leaving after a moment. He evaded all the curious stares he was getting by putting his pillow over his head and attempting to go to sleep once more, although he wasn't the least bit tired. He heard the door slam open, and thought wryly, Wonder who that could be?
"Harry Potter, get out of bed!" Hermione demanded.
Harry didn't move, and Hermione snatched his pillow and his blankets.
"Out!" she demanded.
He turned to look at her with amusement and annoyance, but mostly the latter.
"Get out of the boys' dorms, Hermione," he said calmly, "And leave my bedding here, if you please."
"Look, Harry, I know you're upset, but that's no reason to miss class!" Hermione said.
"Because classes are the most important thing in the world, right Hermoine?" Harry answered.
"I never said that," Hermione replied, "But what I did say was to get up, so come on."
"Go away," he answered.
"Harry, GET UP!" she yelled.
Harry ignored her and rolled over on his empty bed. She could scream herself senseless if she wanted, but he didn't feel like going to class, and she wasn't going to make him. Hermoine continued to scream, until Ron quieted her.
"Mione, he's not coming, so just stop and give him back his bed," Ron said.
"He's going to miss class!" Hermione replied, as if this were the most horrible thing somebody could do.
"Yeah, well he has a good reason," Ron replied, "So let's get down to the kitchens and ask Dobby to keep an eye on him for us, and let him be."
Hermione didn't reply, so Ron continued, "If we don't go now, we'll be late to class."
"Oh, alright," she complied, "But honestly, he is so dramatic!"
Harry felt his pillow land on his head, and a second later his blankets landed on his legs. He sat up briefly to fix his blankets, and then lay back down, staring up at the ceiling listlessly. He didn't see how he was the dramatic one, when she was the one gong ballistic because he was going to miss a few classes. Suddenly the door opened. Harry looked to see who it was, but didn't see anybody. A second later, a pair of saucer like eyes appeared in front of his face. He yelped and fell out of bed.
"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby squeaked, "Dobby did not mean to scare Harry Potter!"
"Right," Harry said, wincing as he got up and back onto his bed to look at the house-elf.
"Dobby hears that Harry Potter is very sad, sir," Dobby said, looking as if he were about to burst into tears, "Dobby wants to help Harry Potter!"
"Nothing you can do, I'm afraid," Harry replied.
Dobby surveyed Harry for a moment before asking, "Does Dobby have permission to be bold, Harry Potter, sir?"
"Go ahead," Harry said, sitting back against the wall.
"Why is Harry Potter sad, sir?" Dobby squeaked.
Harry sighed. "They didn't tell you?" he asked.
"Oh, no, Wheazy and his missus did not tell Dobby why Harry Potter is sad," Dobby replied, shaking his head frantically.
"Well, my girlfriend kind of broke up with me," Harry said finally.
"Dobby wishes he could help," Dobby said, looking positively heartbroken for Harry.
"Please don't try," Harry replied weakly, "No offense or anything."
Dobby nodded. "Dobby will not meddle in Harry Potter's affairs," Dobby said, "Dobby is a good house-elf."
Harry didn't answer.
"Is Harry Potter hungry?" Dobby squeaked suddenly.
"No," Harry lied.
Dobby looked torn. "But...Wheazy told Dobby to feed Harry Potter, sir," Dobby explained.
"I'm not hungry, Dobby," Harry said, his temper starting to rise.
"Dobby is a bad house-elf!" Dobby cried in alarm, "Dobby argued with Harry Potter's orders!"
He began beating his head against Harry's footboard. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Dobby, stop!" he yelled.
Dobby stopped and looked at him, teary-eyed.
"I'm hungry after all," Harry grumbled.
"Dobby will feed Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby replied, and he rushed out of the room at once.
Harry groaned, hoping his stomach would choose to keep the food down. When Dobby returned, he ate the food the house-elf provided gratefully. After that, he kept up a halfhearted conversation with Dobby in between the times when he fell asleep. Harry finally dressed and went down into the common room, keeping watch on the clock. Ten minutes before the last class let out, he dismissed Dobby and went down to the library, knowing that Ron and Hermione were going to rush up to Gryffindor tower to see him, and not wanting to face them. He wandered aimlessly through the shelves, looking for something to catch his eye.
He suddenly found it, but it was not in the shelf in front of him, but beyond it. Silver was sitting, alone, at a table in the library, working on what appeared to be homework. He watched her through the shelf in a kind of trance. He had to talk to her without having her run away – he had to set things right. He began to silently rehearse what he was about to say, when Malfoy walked up. Harry's blood began to pound in his ears as he watched him approach Silver.
"Hey," he greeted.
Silver looked up. "Shove off," she replied.
"I heard you broke up with the Potty," Malfoy said.
"I said, shove off," Silver replied, standing up and gathering her things.
Malfoy's face hardened and he and took her by the arm. "Don't tell me that, half-blood," he whispered, his face only inches from hers.
Harry couldn't restrain himself any longer. He stepped out of behind the shelf and caught Malfoy on the side of the face with a well-aimed punch. Malfoy staggered backwards, releasing Silver at once. Harry grabbed Malfoy by the collar and shook him hard before he had a chance to recover. He whirled around, dragging Malfoy with him, and smashed him against a bookshelf with strength he never knew he had.
"Don't touch her," he hissed, "Don't you ever touch her."
"You're not her..." Malfoy began, but Harry pressed him against the bookshelf, his hand around his neck, and Malfoy immediately stopped talking.
"I'm telling you not to touch her," Harry said calmly, "Now what do you say?"
Harry pressed his hand into Malfoy's neck harder, and Malfoy choked, "Okay, I won't touch her. Let me go!"
Harry released him, and Malfoy wasted no time in heading for the door. Harry then turned his gaze to Silver, who looked shocked. In the blink of an eye, she burst into tears, and with a sob that made Harry's heart hurt, she fled from the room. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Can't I do anything right? He wondered. He had been expecting at the very least a "thank you".
He headed for Gryffindor tower, feeling nauseated once more. I can't even keep my bloody food down, he thought miserably as he headed through the portrait hole. He walked past many curious eyes towards the boys' dorms, and when he got there, he found the reason.
"How would I know where he is?" Ron roared, "I was in classes all day, same as you are!"
"Well, you're the one that shares a room with him!" Hermione replied.
"Like that matters! You come barging in here whenever you want!" Ron answered.
"Can one of you move?" Harry asked dryly, "I'm about to vomit, and I need my bucket."
They stopped and looked at him blankly. He groaned and clutched his stomach as the nauseating feeling in his stomach began to grow. Ron grabbed Hermione and yanked her out of the way. Harry headed for the bucket by his bed, and made it just in time. When he was done, he lay back down and glared at his friends, who were standing nervously by his bed.
"W...where were you?" Hermione asked timidly.
"I was in the library beating up Malfoy for hitting on Silver," Harry replied matter-of-factly.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.
"No," Harry said, answering their unspoken question, "She didn't say one word to me. She started crying and left."
"Oh," Hermione said softly.
"Can you two go away for a while?" Harry asked, "I kind of want to be alone right now."
"Sure, mate," Ron said quietly, putting his hand on Hermione's back and leading her out of the room.
Harry threw up once more before he fell asleep, something he had become quite good at doing, even when he wasn't tired. He vaguely remembered that he was supposed to have Occlumency that night, and decided to sleep through it.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The next two days were the some of the worst Harry had ever experienced. He went to classes on Tuesday, for Hermione's sake, and had a wonderfully miserable time. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Tonks accidentally said the word, "silver", and although she was referring to the color rather than the person, Harry had to dash out of the room to wretch. He didn't go back after that, and flatly refused to go to classes on Wednesday. He couldn't even imagine facing Snape in Potions, and didn't want to risk having to run out of any of his other classes, either.
To his surprise, however, he seemed to really have scared Malfoy, who stayed a good distance away from him at all times. He completely ditched Occlumency on both Monday and Wednesday, and amazingly Dumbledore didn't do anything. He supposed Dumbledore knew – everybody seemed to know. He was sick of getting sympathetic looks from everybody, and so during mealtimes he went up to his bed and took a nap.
Late Wednesday night Hermione began to go through with him what they had in each of their classes. She carefully explained the components and purposes of the potions Snape had had them brew, and explained their other classes in detail. She made him do the homework required for them, and told him that she would turn it in for him.
"Gee, thanks, Hermione, at least I won't have any missing homework," he said sarcastically as he began a History of Magic essay.
"Your welcome," she replied, just as sarcastically.
His mind began to wander as he wrote, and when he finally looked down, his paper read:
In the early 1970s, witches and wizards discovered a wonderful Silver Silver Silver Silver
"I can't concentrate," he announced.
Hermione took his paper from him and read the half-sentence. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, Harry," she said, "I'm so sorry."
Ron looked up. "Is it that bad?" he asked curiously.
Hermione began to cry and wrapped her arms around Harry after shoving the parchment as Ron. Ron read it and looked up at Harry sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, mate," he said in the quiet, calm tone he had been using so often the past few days.
Harry felt a lump in his throat, and he quickly backed away from Hermione's grasp. He walked to the boys' dorms and fell face down on his bed, pressing his face into the pillow hard. Finally, the lump disappeared, and left him with a now familiar emptiness. As was now routine, he forced himself to go to sleep, the only place he could escape reality.