Disclaimer- The characters and settings of Harry Potter belong solely to J.K. Rowling.
Barbed Roses
Chapter 6: Hidden From Those Who Care
Days passed slowly for Harry. All he was able to do was waste time by lying in bed, waiting for company. Occasionally, he spent time on something a bit more constructive such as reading a book, but it wasn't something that was enjoyable to him at the moment. He had such a high level of boredom a couple of times that he had cracked open a school text from one of the previous years. There were some things that he had never properly learned because of his disregard for schoolwork, but his restlessness prevented him from having the patience necessary to work over the old texts more thoroughly. Madame Pomfrey had yet to release him from her care, and he sometimes wondered if she wasn't just seeking company to relieve her of her loneliness over the summer. Harry did feel much better now that he was allowed full meals every day, along with snacks, though he was still extremely thin. It took time to make his way up to normal-sized meals.
The Headmaster did visit him now and then when time allowed. His occasional visits were uneventful, intended only to occupy the restless young man. The Professor had heard from Harry's two friends, Ron and Hermione, who had asked to be allowed to visit. They were scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and Harry was relieved for the chance to break the monotony. He had hopes of Remus Lupin accompanying them, as well. He had not yet heard from the kind man and missed the last trustworthy Marauder terribly. Harry only feared that Remus, too, might blame him for Sirius's death. He surely wouldn't be able to blame the grieving werewolf. He still felt that it was his fault that his godfather had died
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Morning dawned bright and warm. Sunlight streamed through the window and into the infirmary where one Harry Potter sat, fretting over the meeting to come. That they might know his secret, the one that he had tried to keep anyone from knowing for so long out of the fear that people would think of him as being weak, terrified him. He had always tried his best to look strong in the face of adversity. Suddenly, his weakness was out in the open for all to see.
Harry had endured a fitful night of sleep, which made him even more anxious about the upcoming meeting. To stop himself from worrying so much, he had to continuously remind himself that it was only his friends that were coming, and that they would not shun him. Sometimes, though, he found himself wishing they would. He had always worried for their safety, certainly more than he generally did for his own. Harry understood that simply knowing him put those he called friends at risk for being targeted.
The boy was so absorbed in his thoughts that a quietly opened door went unnoticed. He jumped as a cheerful greeting rang through the room. Turning, his sight was immediately obscured by two overexcited faces. Harry quickly plastered on a smile and returned the greeting.
"Hey, Ron! Hermione!" he welcomed their company with fake enthusiasm. It did not pass his observation that Remus was missing from the small reunion.
"Harry, why didn't you write to us? What happened? No one from the Order would tell us what was going on!" exclaimed Ron.
"Ron! You know they can't do that!" Hermione admonished, fleetingly thinking on how ironic it was that their roles had been reversed since the last time they had this conversation.
Harry laughed at his friends' antics, feeling much more relaxed after watching the other two bicker. The two visitors were soon immersed in light chatter. It was refreshing, with the light banter of good friends like a balm to Harry's nerves.
When Ron and Hermione finally left, Harry felt exhausted. He had a much better time than he had expected he would. It helped that the trio had completely avoided the issue of why he was in the infirmary. They had asked once, but Harry had skirted the question. The two good friends hadn't tried again, for which he was thankful. The Boy-Who-Lived really would rather they not know, at least not yet. The fact was that the entire experience made him feel even weaker. Dumbledore had advised him to share the incident with his friends, but Harry was against that idea. Weakness was something he was loath to share with others.
Harry spent the rest of the day looking through quidditch books that Ron had brought in order to amuse himself. That night he somberly thought of how Remus must have been too angry with him over Sirius's death to bother to visit. He went to sleep with a heavy heart, the recently waning light of the full moon illuminating his face.
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Ebony Scales: As I said, I would like to see more reviews. They keep me posting. And yes, I know. Short chapter. Next one should be longer.