Chapter 5: Territorial Pissing Pt. 2

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12:05 PM

Ron rubbed his still sore arm in the exact spot where Harry had hit him for breaking his promise of not laughing at the situation. The truth was that Ron hadn't realized that what he found amusing and great-luck, Harry found it to be something absolutely, positively disastrous.

So, he had tried to calm Harry by telling him he was going to help him find an antidote to the Potion No. 9's effect. But, to be honest, he didn't believe what Harry was feeling was entirely due to the potion. After all, it would be an incredible coincidence if Ron, who had never made a potion that worked, would actually make a potion that not even the great potion-makers could make permanent.

"You have to eat something. You didn't have anything for breakfast," Ron said to Harry as he dragged the other guy toward the Great Hall, the morning classes already behind them. "I'm not hungry," Harry said absently.  Ron was famished since in the morning he hadn't eaten half of what constituted a normal breakfast for him, but Harry… Harry looked as if someone had told him his puppy had been run over by a car.

Harry had hardly spoken during their classes. Since Roger had developed the annoying habit of walking Hermione to every single class, Ron had the opportunity to ask Harry what was wrong while they were walking from History of Magic.

"You know what's wrong," Harry had whispered at Ron's incessant badgering. Harry had looked up from the floor and sighed, his face darker than it had been a second ago. Ron looked at what Harry was looking to find Hermione and Roger 20-feet away from them. Hermione was talking animatedly to Roger about the lesson and Roger pretended to listen as he tightened the hold on Hermione's waist.

"Oh, that… I forgot," Ron said quickly, lowering his gaze. Ron had trouble thinking that something he had waited to happen for at least three years was turning into such a disaster. "Um… Harry… maybe… maybe you should try avoiding her… you know? Until we can find an antidote… just don't make her feel bad," Ron offered.

"Try avoiding her? She's doing a pretty good job avoiding us," Harry mumbled. "She's not doing it on purpose, Harry… is just that damn Roger," Ron interjected, trying to defend his other best friend.

"You know what?" Harry said, more energetic that he had sounded before. Ron looked up at him; Harry was not feeling better… he was feeling bitter. "I think Roger knows… I think he knows exactly how I feel for Hermione and he's rubbing it in my face," Harry said matter-of-factly.

Ron was surprised, but not because of the reasons Harry thought. "Err… mate?" Ron asked tentatively. They had stopped near the entrance of the castle, just in front of the great hall. Harry had followed with his gaze as Roger had led Hermione out of the castle and were now walking on the grounds toward the lake.

"Harry!" Ron pressed. This time, he got his friend's attention. "What?" Harry finally replied. "You said Roger knew exactly how YOU feel for Hermione… YOU!" Ron explained. Harry realized his mistake immediately.

"I mean, the potion. What the potion makes me think I feel for Hermione," Harry said, quicker than a speeding bullet. Before Ron could ask anything else, a delicate hand was intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Hey, Luna," Ron said, quickly forgetting about Harry, Hermione and the whole potion business as he looked at the girl standing next to him. She had grown in the last two years until she was no longer a little girl, but a full-bodied and beautiful woman with long blonde hair and the most amazing blue eyes Ron had ever seen.

"Hello, Ron," Luna said as Ron kissed her cheek. Harry sighed, looking the other way; the last thing he needed was another pair of lovebirds rubbing their happiness in his face.

"Hi, Harry. How are you feeling?" Luna asked. Harry was always amazed about how dreamily her voice sounded even when she was talking about totally ordinary things. "I'm… okay," Harry forced a smile.

"Hon, what's for lunch?" Ron asked Luna. His stomach had been growling for the last three hours. "I don't know. I'm waiting for you. Remember? We were going to have lunch together," Luna explained.

"Oh, right," Ron looked at Harry apologetically, "Harry, you want to come with us?" Ron looked livid; he hadn't expected to leave Harry alone in the condition he was in.

"Don't worry about it, Ron. I'm not that hungry. I think I'll go and start my Potion's essay," Harry said quickly. He knew Ron didn't want to leave him by himself, but he also knew the last thing he needed right now was to be a third wheel.

"I'll see you later. Nice to see you, Luna," Harry said quickly and before Luna or Ron could tell him it was okay for him to join them, he sprinted down the hall with no destination in mind other than to get away from all of them.

He walked and walked until his feet started hurting, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. When he looked up, he found himself a few meters away from the entrance to the Astronomy Tower, being yelled at by a frustrated painting of Sir Cadogan challenging him to a duel.

"Not now," Harry said absently as he started going up the stairs. It seemed like he couldn't get away fast enough from all of them. By the time he reached the top of the tower he was breathless, and his body ached from the exertion and the lack of food.

But he felt so happy and carefree when he felt the wind blowing over him, cleansing, refreshing. He put his arms to the side as if he were a bird, his cloak billowing behind him loudly. He closed his eyes and willed himself to fly away from here, but when he opened his eyes, he was still on the top of the astronomy tower, his arms to his side like a kid who thought of himself as Superman.

Harry lowered his arms and walked to the edge. Making sure no one was looking up, he did what he had wanted to do since he first step foot on the Astronomy Tower. He pushed himself off the railing and sat on the ledge, looking down.

Hogwarts was indeed beautiful this time of year. Autumn was already in full steam; the leaves in the trees were dressed in orange and brown, and the air smelled of warmth and change. It would have been very relaxing scenery if Harry wouldn't have had other things in his mind.

Harry found Hermione on the grounds as soon as he started looking for her. She was sitting next to Roger under the shade of a tree. Harry may not have had a great sense of direction for things other than Quidditch, but he knew that tree was THEIR tree, the one under which Ron, Hermione and himself had spent countless of hours during their time at Hogwarts.

He knew it was wrong to feel like this, but he couldn't help but hate Roger at that moment. Roger was an intruder in their world, and he was slowly but surely taking Hermione away from Ron and Harry.

'Wait… why am thinking this way? It's not like she's going to desert us! We will always be together. Won't we? Besides, I didn't have a problem when Ron started dating Luna… I never thought Luna was going to take him away from us. I didn't followed him around and spied on him… I never wanted to punch Luna's lights out…'

Just then he remembered what was different as he felt a surge of anger while watching Roger wipe something from Hermione's cheek.

'Damn it, Harry! Hermione was right. When you are not looking for trouble, trouble comes to you.  Why did you have to complicate things with that damn potion? As if you didn't have enough problems already, you had to go and do something that may endanger the best thing you'd ever had.'

He looked down at the tree. Hermione seemed to be listening to Roger as she bit on a red apple, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the tree trunk. The last time Harry had been under that tree, he was the one that had been leaning against the tree trunk, and Hermione had been resting her head on his shoulder as they looked at Ron ranting to Luna about his last potion's lesson.

Hardly a week had passed, and yet to Harry it seemed like a lifetime.

'You have to stay away from her, mate. You can't risk hurting her… you know you have quite a temper. Remember during your fifth year? When Hermione tried to stop you again and again from going to the Department of Mysteries and you, again and again, snapped at her, pushing all your anger and frustration into one of the few people that was actually on your side? If only you would have listened to her… Sirius would still be alive.'

His chest tightened so bad he was momentarily breathless. Why had he thought of Sirius now? He had spent the entire summer after his fifth year blaming himself for what happened, and it had been a very dark time. How couldn't it be? After all, his godfather had given up his own life for Harry's.

But if there was something that pulled him out of that depression was the fact that Hermione and Ron were there for him. And now, thinking he might do something that would just make him lose that forever… well, it felt like he was going insane.

So Harry ran down the tower and to his next lesson with only one course of action in mind… find an antidote as soon as possible and stay away from Hermione until then. That seemed like a plan that will leave his sanity intact.

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Later…

Transfiguration Lesson

"Mr. Weasley, could you be quiet? I'm trying to teach a lesson here," Prof. Minerva McGonagall said, her thin lips pursed as she glared down at Ron. Ron had been trying for the last part of the hour to get Harry to talk to him, but Harry just sat in the stool and looked down at the desk, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Sorry, Professor," Ron said apologetically. No sooner had McGonagall turned around that Ron whispered to Harry, "See, now you've got me in trouble!" "It's not my fault you don't shut up! I told you, I'm fine!" Harry whispered back, his face angry and impatient.

The fact that he had hardly slept last night and that he hadn't had any food since he ate half a slice of toast this morning seemed to have caught up to Harry. He felt exhausted, even downright dizzy. Hermione had been looking at him worriedly throughout the lesson, but he had avoided meeting her gaze. When Hermione gave Ron a questioning look, Ron just shrugged. He had one suspicion about what was wrong with Harry and, if he shared it with Hermione, he was sure Harry would kill him.

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose sleepily, closing his eyes. He was so tired, and his head ached so much that he didn't even heard McGonagall's voice as she went on explaining about the effects of transfiguring a living creature with highly cognitive abilities.

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Everything became dark, until a gray mist rose around him. It seemed to swirling around slowly, but it regained speed around Harry, until he was shivering from the cold. He hugged himself protectively, looking for a way out. But there was none… the swirling mist surrounded him completely. And now, the wind was so strong Harry could hardly keep his eyes open, and the cold sting his exposed skin.

He felt something touch his leg… and then his arm… his chest… his cheek. It felt as cold as ice and as sharp as cut glass. He forced himself to open his eyes and gasped at the sight. There were hands, ghastly and horrifying, appearing in the mist, trying to grab and claw Harry.

Harry took a few steps back, but stopped when he felt one of those hands wrapped itself around his neck. It tightened until Harry's lungs burned from lack of oxygen and his vision darkened. And then, Harry heard it… those voices… cold, slithery and in perfect unison… The voice was coming from the mist that surrounded him.

"Your time is up".

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"HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!"

Harry put a hand to his forehead and winced. He had a sharp pain in the back of his head, and someone seemed to be screaming at him. He opened his eyes, and the light blinded him temporarily. As his eyes slowly adjusted themselves, Harry saw the concerned faces of Ron, Hermione and McGonagall hovering over him.

"What… what's wrong? What happened?" Harry said groggily. He was surprised when he realized he was laid on the floor, a few feet away from his desk.

"You… you started screaming! And… the stool toppled… you fell. Are you okay, mate?" Ron said, his red freckles even more noticeable on his pale face. "What happened, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked as Ron, Hermione and Seamus helped Harry to stand up, her voice full of concern and worry.

Harry raked his brain. What the hell had happened? Well, he knew he had fallen asleep… so that must have been a nightmare. What had he dreamt about? He hardly could remember… he only remember it had been cold… so cold.

"I… I fell asleep, Professor. I apologize. May I be excused?" Harry said apologetically. He looked around the classroom; those closest to him looked scared. Harry knew the reason why… the last outburst of this type Harry had experienced was when Voldemort was using him to get to the Prophecy.

"Certainly, Mr. Potter. I know you've had a rough night. But I have to ask you to go to Madam Pomfrey before you go to your room," Prof. McGonagall instructed as she watched Harry wince when Hermione gently touched the back of his head.

Harry wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, so he quickly agreed. He gathered his books and left the classroom in a hurry, leaving a very worried Hermione and Ron back, wondering what the hell had just happened to their best friend.

As tempting as it was to go straight into the library to start in his search for an antidote, Harry decided to be true to his word and visit Madam Pomfrey. The older woman had a mix of fury and motherly concern on her face as she checked the back of Harry's head.

"Mr. Potter, you have to be more careful! You are even more prone to injury than Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Pomfrey said as she handed him a vial of white liquid. "Now, take this tonight. It will help you sleep," she instructed him.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said politely, thankful that Madam Pomfrey was a nurse and not a psychiatrist, for if she had been Harry was sure he would be in his way to the loony bin right now.

He walked briskly toward the Gryffindor common room, ignoring the growing stabs of pain in the back of his head and trying to concentrate on having a shower and a quick bite before going to the library to start his search. But his thoughts quickly diverted from their goal when he saw Hermione running towards him.

"Are you alright? What happened back there?" Hermione whispered, her lovely chocolate eyes full of worry. "I am fine, Hermione. It's just a bump," Harry said slowly. He was edgy, for once again she had leaned her weight against his body as she checked him for any sign of injury. When she was satisfied he had none, she looked him straight in the eyes.

"Harry, what's going on?" Hermione asked. "I told you. I fell asleep, had a nightmare, the stool was wobbly, so I fell and bumped my head," Harry said, as casually as possible under the circumstances. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about how crazy you've been acting since yesterday," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

'She doesn't know. Does she?'

"I don't know what you are talking about, Hermione. I'm the same Harry I've always been" Harry said. "Don't you lie to me! I KNOW YOU! I know there's something wrong with you… and, as always, you are shutting me out! I am your friend, Harry. Let me help you!" she said softly, her voice small and concern.

"Hermione, I don't need your help. Everything is fine," Harry said softly. He started walking away. Hermione, however, caught up with him, and Harry was surprised when he felt her hand on his arm pulling him to a stop and forcing him to turn around and look at her.

"Then why have you been ignoring me all day?" Hermione said. Harry looked at those chocolate eyes to find not concern there… but anger. That wasn't his intention. In fact, his only intention was to stay away from her so as not to hurt her.

"You are imagining things," Harry retorted a little more harshly than he had wanted. She was taken back momentarily, but then her anger returned full blast. "Imagining things! How can you say that with a straight face! You've been ignoring me all day! I'm worried for you and that's what I get in return. A BLOODY COLD SHOULDER!" Hermione snapped. Now, it was Harry's turn to be taken back. She had never raise her voice at him before.

'Wait… she's the one that's giving you a cold shoulder. At breakfast, at lunch… during classes… she's the one that has been running off to with that slobbering little git! Not you!'

And once more, Harry's infamous short temper came back full blast.

"I've been ignoring you? I've been the one who's giving you a cold shoulder? You are the one who's been snogging Roger all day! You are the one who's been giving Ron and I a cold shoulder!" he said, matching her bitterness with his own as his mouth contorted on a sneer worthy of Malfoy himself.

Hermione's face was so red she could have been an honorary Weasley.

" 'Snogging Roger', eh? Is that what this is about? About Ron and yours dislike for Roger?" Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest, her nails digging into her arms. Harry's sneer dropped like an anvil. How did she know how he felt toward Roger?

"Oh, don't look at me like that. I know you two well enough to know what you think of Roger. He's actually a good guy, you know. You guys should get to know him," Hermione said, some of her anger ebbing away.

"Maybe some other time," he whispered, looking at his feet with renewed interest, the anger he had felt toward her a moment ago now directed at him. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Harry heard Hermione sigh in defeat.

"Fine. You don't want to talk about it now, that's fine. But remember," Hermione said, standing closer to Harry than before and putting her hand on his shoulder. He wasn't angry anymore… she just felt downright helpless.

"When you are ready to talk about whatever is bothering you, I'll be here to listen," Hermione finished. She rose on tiptoe and planted a gentle kiss in Harry's cheek. Without another word, she walked away, leaving a very mortified Harry behind.

After he trusted his legs to obey him, Harry walked straight into the Gryffindor common room, his desire to go to the library and work completely squashed. When he reached his dormitory, he carefully placed the vial of sleeping fluid Madam Pomfrey had given him on his night table and fell into bed, still with his uniform and shoes on.

Praying for sleep to find him, it was Ron who found Harry first. "Hey, mate. What happened?" Ron asked worriedly as he threw his books on the bed and started taking off his shirt. "Nothing" Harry mumbled against the pillow.

"Don't give me that. There's something wrong with you… aside from the obvious, that is," Ron said, changing into a t-shirt before going to the Great Hall for dinner. "Not you too," Harry grumbled.

"Who else has been asking?" Ron asked casually, suspecting full well the answer. "You know who…" Harry answered tiredly as his eyes closed.

"Really? When did you speak to her? I know she left Transfiguration in a hurry, but she didn't told me where she was going," Ron continued prodding. Harry sighed; he wasn't going to get any rest until Ron's curiosity was satisfied.

So Harry sat on the bed and proceeded to tell Ron all about his latest conversation with Hermione. When he had finished, Harry noticed Ron's ears were slightly more pink than usual.

"What?" Harry asked. "She was right, you know. You have been avoiding her all day," Ron said matter-of-factly. "I know I have. But you know the reason why.  So don't try to make me feel guilty about it, okay?" Harry said, hoping for a little support from the only person who knew of Harry's predicament.

He found none. "And what you said about her and Roger snogging… that was really mean!" Ron added. "I KNOW! I FEEL BAD ENOUGH ALREADY! SO QUIT IT!" Harry snapped. He seemed to be doing that a lot… is that what grownups were supposed to do?

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. He suddenly felt extra weight on his bed and opened his eyes. Ron had sat on the edge of the bed next to him, and was now looking out the window, his arms crossed over his chest in a pose that reminded Harry of Ron's father, Arthur.

"You know what?" Ron spoke out of nowhere. He heard Harry grunt against the pillow, and he assumed the green-eyed boy had just said, "What?"

"You remind me of a dog."

"A DOG?" Harry said as he sat up in bed, startled by the undignified comparison.

"Yeah… you know how they get when there's another dog sniffing around their territory, don't you?" Ron asked Harry. Harry's experiences with dogs were limited to having to clean dog poo from the bottom of Dudley's shoes when Aunt Petunia had ordered him to.

"I'm not following you," Harry mumbled tiredly. "They start pissing, Harry. Yeah, they piss around everything they consider theirs so other dogs won't dare to break into their territory. Yeah… they piss on the lawn, on their owners clothing, on the carpet, on the…" Ron continued, when Harry interrupted him by saying, "WHAT's the point of this Ron?"

"The point is," Ron got up from Harry's bed and started walking out the dormitory, "that you need to stop being a dog around Hermione, cause you are hurting her. She's not your territory, Harry. And if you truly care for her, remember you are human. You can talk to her and tell her how you feel."

Standing on the doorframe, Ron said without looking back at Harry, "I'm going to eat something. If you want, we can work on the antidote when I'm back." And, without giving Harry the opportunity to make up any excuses, Ron left.

Harry was left alone with his thoughts, his guilt, and most of all, with one horrible headache.

"Way to go, Harry Potter. Way to go."

And with his last waking thought wandering to a certain brown-haired Gryffindor witch, Harry finally fell asleep.

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Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Please R/R

As a side note, I started two other stories. Hope you can check out The Beast Within at and She's Having My Baby at .

And thanks to my wonderful reviewers for their inspiration.

Scott: Thanks so much for pointing that out. I am dyslexic and if the word is not on Microsoft Word's spell checker (as Hermione) I am likely to misspell it. Thanks again for correcting this! Hope you like the new chapter as well.

Sally: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope you like this one as well, although Harry is… as Ron so kindly put, a little bit of a dog.

Sarah: Your wish is my command, milady! More coming your way!

Lisa Oceans Potter: Ha, I thought that might bother Draco more than physical harm (as we all know Hermione is capable of). And just in case you missed it, I enjoyed Aeternus Caritas very much! Hope to read more from you soon!

Good night and good life,

Anasazi