After a week of visiting the Ministry, Harry was very quiet, and unfortunately for Page, she couldn't reach him.
"Professor I need to talk to you about Harry." Hermione asked Page, as the end of their Thursday lesson. "He hasn't told me or Ron anything about what happened at this ministry, we think its something bad, Ron says that Harry keeps shouting out Cedric in his sleep. He wont eat anything, and he is avoiding us, when he does homework he wanders off somewhere without telling us, and well, we are worried about him." Page didn't think Harry would tell them, but she too had noticed Harry's quietness in her lessons, and he wouldn't attend the D.A. meetings either. Page sighed and looked at Hermione's worried face. "Hermione, Harry had to talk about Voldemort regaining his power and everything, he had to tell people who didn't believe him, like Delores Umbridge."
"What! She was there? But, why? She hadn't anything to do with Spirit Division; I thought she was still in St. Mungo's."
"We all did, but apparently not. Harry got annoyed at people not believing him, and so he asked if he could tell the truth through Veritaserum. Let's just say, when we left they didn't utter a word." Page shuffled her tests for the next class, and put them in her desk as she was waiting for Hermione to say the question she had feared.
"Why did you let him go through with it? Why couldn't you stop him?" Hermione sat down and waited in anticipation for Page's answer.
"I couldn't it was Harry's wish. Hermione, Harry isn't a little boy anymore, and he needed to face what he was most afraid of, and I'm guessing it was re-living the night at the graveyard with Cedric Diggory's death. It was not only a tragedy to Harry, but also to the school and of course to his parents." Hermione nodded her head and got up to leave, understanding now, why Harry didn't want to talk to them. "Oh Hermione, if Harry wants to tell you he will." And with that Hermione left the classroom and gently closed the door behind her.
Page arrived early for dinner that day, and she saw Harry eating alone, she approached him timidly, but he didn't seem to care.
"Harry, er I was wondering why you aren't going to the D.A. meetings, is something up?" As she sat down next to him, he didn't say anything. "Harry, please talk to me, Im worried about you, what's wrong?"
"Im fine. There's nothing wrong, im fine." With that, he suddenly got and left without a word or a backwards glance at her. Page thought about running after him, but she knew he wouldn't talk to her.
With a heavy sigh, Page went to the teacher's table and sat down to eat, Minerva was there already.
"Page, I wondered if I could talk to you about Potter." Page nodded as she helped herself to some meat and potato pie. "Well its just that, his grades are slipping this past week, he is doing very poorly in all his classes, so I have heard from his teachers. Do you know what is wrong with him?"
"I don't, im sorry. He won't talk to me, or Hermione or Ron. He gets up early and tries to avoid them, and me. I've just tried to talk to him now, he said he is fine then he left without another word. Im worried about him. I think the visit to the ministry has done this to him, he's in depression mode and I don't know how to get him out of it." Page was telling her, and without knowing Snape had been listening into their conversation. "Might I suggest, I talk to Mr Potter?" His voice made Page jump. "Excuse me Professor Snape, but why on earth would you want to talk to him?" he raised an eyebrow as though Page had said something stupid. "I am also worried about Potter's grades." He said in an ungrateful tone. "I do not except students in my class to get low grades, if he does not pick up soon, I will force him out".
"Severus! Im surprised at you." Minerva interrupted. "Potter is going through a rough time at the moment and I do not think it wise to anger him more. No, im sure Dumbledore will see to him." And with that she stormed off out of the great hall. Page gave Snape a sour look and returned to her food.
That night Page was staring up at her canopy of her four-poster bed thinking about Harry. It was starting to worry her; she didn't know why he was acting like that. Not talking to Ron and Hermione was one of her worries. They were his best friends, why was he treating them like that? Something had got to him, and Page didn't know why. Was it because he had to re-tell everything he knew about Voldemort to Umbridge? Was that the reason? Or was it because he had to talk about Cedric Diggory, or the fact that Umbridge still didn't believe him after he had taken the veritaserum? What ever it was Page couldn't get to sleep. She kept looking at her clock on the side of her table, 2 o'clock, and 4 o'clock. By the time she finally drifted off to sleep the bright morning sun shone into her room and woke her up.
Feeling exhausted and rather groggy Page unwillingly got out of bed only to find a small note pinned on her door.
Dear Miss,
Dobby knows why Harry Potter is not well. Dobby wants to talk to Miss. Dobby is in the kitchens waiting for miss.
Puzzled Page got dressed and walked down towards the kitchens, remembering from her school days of using a passageway, which was concealed, behind a fruit bowl. Feeling a little out of breath Page tickled the pear and the door, which led to the kitchens, opened up as the pear giggled immensely.
As soon as Page arrived a load of house elves greeted her.
"Would Miss like some tea and biscuits?" Squeaked a house elf with a bright red and orange woolly hat with holes for her ears and a blue skirt. "Oh yea please, could you also find me Dobby, he left me a note."
"Oh yes Miss, of course Miss." With that several house elves scattered off in different directions and within seconds a nice hot pot of tea and some chocolate biscuits on a plate were wheeled in front of her. A house elf who was wearing about twenty different pairs of woolly socks and hats pushed her tea and biscuits towards her on the trolley.
"Im Dobby Miss. Dobby had to talk to you Miss. It is difficult Miss, Dobby wonders where to begin." He looked around wearingly so that he wasn't over heard. "Its about Harry Potter Miss. He has told me something awful. It hurts Dobby to talk about Harry Potter like this, but Harry Potter is worrying Dobby." With out realising Page was crying, it only occurred to her that a lot of people were worried about him, even a house elf. It was clearly obvious that Harry had talked to Page, or how else would he have known about him.
"Do not cry Miss, it is not Miss's fault that Harry Potter is upset." He handed Page a handkerchief. "Harry Potter had told Dobby about his visit to the ministry, and about that ghastly Umbridge who called Harry Potter a liar. Harry Potter wants everything to go away, he wants out Miss. He tells Dobby this in confidence but Dobby wants Harry Potter to be happy and only wants what's best for Harry Potter."
"Dobby, what do you mean Harry wants out?" Page knew what Dobby was talking about. Harry had told Page before that he wanted everything to stop, and that he wanted out. But Page didn't know what to say to this.
"Harry Potter wants to leave Hogwarts Miss. He wants to start a new life away from magic Miss. Dobby is so worried about him. Dobby was wondering if Miss could help Harry Potter. To tell him that magic is his life, that magic is who he is, Harry Potter wouldn't listen to Dobby, but pushed him away and told Dobby not to see Harry Potter again." Dobby also started crying. But Page had had enough. Dumbledore had to get to the bottom of this, he was the only one who Page knew who could help Harry realise the truth.
Page drank her tea and looked into Dobby's watery eyes.
"It'll be alright Dobby. I know who to talk to. Harry didn't mean to push you away; he is as you said, upset. And you are right; he does need to know who he is." With that Page stood up and bid the house elves good bye and left the kitchens.
The sun glistened the corridors as Page walked towards the great hall. Some students were already up and tucking into their breakfast. Page didn't see Harry, but Ron and Ginny were up, they looked just how Page felt. Walking towards them Ginny saw her and tapped Ron who looked around.
"Listen, do you know if Harry is up?" Ron shook his head, as he was unable to talk through a mouthful of food.
"Why?" Ginny asked her as she causally poured out some pumpkin juice into a glass. "Because I need to send him straight to Dumbledore, this has gone far enough." Page told them sternly. "He isn't talking to you is he?" They both looked at each other, and with sad faces looked at Page. "He won't say a thing to us. Hermione and I cornered him last night before we were going to go to bed, but he got his wand out and threatened to curse us if he wouldn't leave him alone and to stop asking him stupid questions." Ron said angrily.
"No one can get though to him, not even the teachers. I don't know what to do any more, we have tried everything." Ginny said, taking a sip from her glass.
"Well, we haven't tried threatening to curse him with our wands have we? He'll be out numbered won't he, three to one." Ron said egotistically. Ginny gave him a harsh look.
"Well, after breakfast im going to march him right up to Dumbledore's office and leave him there. Im fed up of people asking me if Harry is all right, and what happened at the ministry. Just pretend I haven't talked to you. Ignore him."
"That's easy, we don't have to." Ron said scathingly.
Page then casually walked to the teacher's table, and watched out for Harry. As the time passed more and more students filled the hall to eat their breakfast. Page saw Hermione who gave her a little wave and looked at Page from time to time as she was talking to Ginny and Ron.
Page then glanced up as she had heard people abruptly stopped talking and Page saw Harry enter the hall.
Page made sure that she hadn't noticed him coming in and waited for him to sit down before she looked up again.
Harry was right at the end of the table, a good distance from Hermione, Ginny and Ron. As Page has told them, they all ignored him and continued talking and eating.
Page had finished long before Harry had entered but she waited until he had finished.
Page got up and with out him noticing followed him out of the hall.
"Harry?" She called after him, but he ignored her. "Harry?" Yet again he ignored her and walked faster heading towards the Library.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Page screamed at him. A couple of third years who were in ear shot, looked at Harry and backed away from him. At this point Harry couldn't ignore Page any longer.
"What do you want?" He muffled looking at the ground trying to pretend Page wasn't talking to him.
"What do I want Harry? More like what do you want? You need at attitude adjustment and im taking you straight up to Dumbledore right now." Page started to walk towards Dumbledore's office, but she stopped suddenly as she knew Harry wasn't following her. She turned around and saw that he had gone.
Page's anger was seen and probably heard from the great hall as she made a cabinet explode in her fury.
"James, where has he gone?" Page asked him. It didn't take him long to reply and Page was grateful
"He has ran off to the library." He said.
Page ran to the library as fast as she could, her temper would match Harry's in a heartbeat. Panting she saw him behind a book, trying to hide himself. Page looked around to see if anyone was in earshot, but as soon as she was about to talk to him, he started to run off again. Page had had it, "Locomotomortis" she yelled as she held up her wand straight at Harry's legs. A beam of yellow light had emitted from her wand and struck Harry on the back. Harry then fell to the ground, unable to move.
"If I said im taking you to Dumbledore's office, I don't mean go to the library and hide, now come on." She grabbed him by his robes and dragged him right to Dumbledore.
Page lifted the charm and shoved him inside when she heard Dumbledore's voice to enter.
"Dumbledore, I am sure you have heard about Harry's behaviour over the past weeks, enough is enough." Page looked at Harry sternly, but he did not seem to care.
"Yes Page, I am well aware of him. Harry would you care to sit down?" Harry slouched to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk and sat down inherently as though he knew he had to sit down and talk about his problems in front of Dumbledore, like he has done on numerous accounts.
"Harry, it is unfortunate for you that you are in this situation. Your grades are falling; you have abandoned your friends and family-" Dumbledore began. "I have no family, they're all dead remember." Harry interrupted. Page felt hurt. She was his family, how could he say that to Dumbledore when he knew Page was listening to him. Tears started to well up in Page's eyes; she turned away from both of them. Dumbledore knew that Page was upset and pressed the matter no further. "Page I understand this upsets you. You may leave if you wish."
"Yes I will Dumbledore, and I will tell Professor McGonagall that Harry can no longer play Quidditch." Just as she was about to leave Harry yelled at her.
"What? You can't do that, you're not my house tutor." Harry had gotten out of his seat, they were face to face, and Page gave him an evil smile.
"So? With your behaviour Harry, its a wonder why every teacher hasn't given you detention for a year." And with that Page left the room and slammed the door behind her, feeling a little happier she suppressed a smile and left for her room.
When Page arrived all of her Gryffindor sixth year class were waiting patiently for her.
"Thank you for waiting for me, now please get out your book's and turn to chapter 8, today we are studying the dark forces in the right way." They all did as they were told. Hermione and Ron were looking curiously around the room for Harry. They looked at Page and she mouthed 'Dumbledore' they nodded and started reading.
After thirty minutes of reading someone knocked on the door and Harry came in everyone was staring at him. "Sorry im late." He mumbled, all eyes followed him as he sat down furthest away from Ron and Hermione; he got out his book and started reading. Neville whispered the chapter but Harry didn't seem to notice nor care.
At the end of the lesson Harry hung back along with Hermione and Ron, Page was dreading this.
"Harry, are you OK?" Hermione asked him timidly, but he didn't reply, instead he took out a piece of parchment from his robes and placed it on Page's desk, it was a magically sealed scroll. Page looked up and saw Harry walking towards the door.
"Harry, don't you dare, your staying here, we all need to talk." Page called after him. He sighed and sat down on a seat slamming his bag on the table.
Page took the letter, unsealed it with her wand and read through it carefully.
Page,
Harry needs to realise the truth. We have both discussed this he is full of anger, mostly at himself. He needs you Page. Don't let him down.
Albus Dumbledore
"Oh Harry. What am I going to do with you?" Page asked him. Page put down the scroll and gathered Ron and Hermione round Harry.
"Harry you know? Its hard being who you are, I know it is but you just have to stick it out. I know you want to give up magic, but you can't its who you are. It's you Harry magic is you. Do you really want to live your life as a muggle? Living with the Dursely's again? Being treated horribly?" Harry looked up at her, and shook his head. Page smiled at him, and went over to hug him.
"Harry, we are not ever going to leave you alone, your stuck with us. Now are you three going to make friends now or do you want me to force you?" With that both Ron and Hermione ran over to him. Hermione was in floods of tears. "Oh Harry we are so sorry." Hermione began, but Page was left alone as all three went to their next lesson.