Interpretive Dance

Chapter 2

Harry, currently, was running full speed through the halls away from Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch, and one grieving howler from one Mrs. Potter. Today was the two year anniversary of Harry's little sister's death. She had been killed by a rogue death eater, still faithful to the dark lord after all these years. Ever since then, Lily Potter had a habit of sending loud wailing howlers to her son about her deceased daughter. Harry, personally, had managed to move on a couple months after the death of his baby sister. He acknowledged that yes, he did love his sister, he was sad that she had died, but she was in a better place now and he might as well move on with his life instead of moping around. His mother hadn't really reached that point in time yet.

Harry ran over to the one place that he knew to be a safe haven. Approaching the gargoyle statue at full speed he exclaimed in mid stride, 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!' The gargoyle hopped out of the way just in time for Harry to make it into the stairwell. The statue hopped back in place several minutes before Filch rounded the corner, clueless as to where exactly, Harry Potter had gone. Grumbling about mischievous little demons, the old squibbly caretaker hobbled off with his precious cat in tow.

The 16-year-old celebrity galloped up the stair case, and tumbled into the headmaster's office with great relief. Harry crawled over to Dumbledore's desk, and climbed into the chair facing the headmaster. He panted, trying to regain his breath after sprinting away from a howler, a cat, and a sadistic school caretaker for an hour and a half. Dumbledore looked at him seriously over the rims of his half-moon glasses.

"Harry, you can't keep hiding in here, you know." He told one of his favorite students solemnly. The twinkle in his eyes was not present this time.

Harry did a double take at his headmaster; the old wizened wizard seemed too serious, "Are you alright, Headmaster?"

"I'm quite alright, Harry." Albus waved off Harry's question before getting to the matter he had hoped to attend to at a much later date, "The teachers have come complaining to me all this year, Harry."

"Why?" Harry asked, "I've being doing all my homework, and my tests, in fact I'm doing great in all of my classes."

"Well, you see, they're not exactly happy with the pranks and your attire on some days, and lack thereof on others." Dumbledore smirked at a now blushing Harry.

"But, Headmaster, you've never had a problem with their complaints in the past! You've always told them that I'm just using self-expression as an outlet for my excess of energy!"

"I know, Harry, I know. But I also assured them, that you would soon grow out of it."

"What!" Harry groaned he really didn't want to have six years worth of detentions piling up on him this year! There were so many good pranks he wanted to pull off before he graduated from Hogwarts.

"I need you to try and behave for just a couple of months," Dumbledore whispered conspiratorially, "The staff needs a little time to unwind. You don't need to go to classes as long as you keep up with the months of homework at a time routine. All I ask is that you dress up in your school uniform appropriately if you choose to go to class, that you don't play any pranks, and you don't act out in class or anywhere else in the castle, or on the grounds during the school day."

Harry nodded glumly before leaving the office in a huff. That was not what he had expected when he had stumbled into Dumbledore's office. He had expected a perfectly chilled glass of pumpkin juice and a game of wizard's chess while Filch and Mrs. Norris calmed down. But no, he had to get the lecture-mode Dumbledore that day. What was with that? Harry huffed his way to the Slytherin common room, planning on whining all about it to Draco.

When he reached the Slytherin common room, Draco was not there. Scowling, Harry made his way up to the sixth year boy dormitories, hoping to find Draco there. His dragon was not in any of the designated whining places! This was just not his day. Harry flopped dramatically onto his bed. What was a poor, prank and strange attire deprived teenage wizard to do?

TBC…