Chapter 2
"What now?" thought Harry as he slowly made his way up off the grass to the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
As he walked, he took a few nervous glances around the Hogwarts Grounds. If anyone had seen him walking around the grounds near the Forest, let alone walking around when he was supposed to be inside attending his lessons, they might start to get suspicious. And right at the moment, the last thing he needed was people to be more suspicious of his recent actions.
Ron and Hermione being the Nosy-Never-Mind-Their-Own-Business people that they were had gone and told the Headmaster that Harry wasn't acting his "normal self" lately. Thankfully though the stupid oaf Dumbledore just took it as a way of Harry expressing his "grief" for Cedric's death the year before. Grief? Yea, right. Grieving was the last thing Harry was doing.
He finally reached his destination along the edge of the forest. He took one final look around the grounds before venturing forth into the forest. Back in the castle, little did he know he was being watched by a certain greasy teacher, a werewolf, and Harry's watchful headmaster, who had a look of deep concern in his once sparkling blue eyes.
Up in the Headmasters Office, where Snape had gone after rightly assuming that Harry had not gone to the Headmasters office when he was sent there, was a conversation concerning just that. Harry Potter.
"Something is definitely wrong Severus, as you have previously stated. Now please, if you will, do tell myself and Professor Lupin of Harry's recent behavior"
Snape then began to explain how Harry hadn't been attending classes, and not passing in assignments. Remus occasionally interrupted Severus agreeing that Harry had also occasionally been late to, if not been missing his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, though Remus had said that he never thought twice about it, as Harry's fellow Gryffindors continued to cover for his absence.
"Though I don't know why they would cover for him, Dumbledore." Snape replied to Lupin's explanation. "If you saw the way Potter has been treating them, you'd never even think that they were his friends, especially Weasley and Granger. Every time one of them makes a comment that Potter would usually find funny, he rolls his eyes and ignores them."
"Acting like a real Slytherin if you ask me," Remus mumbled, at which he received a half-hearted glare from Snape.
"Funny, I don't recall anyone asking your opinion." Snape replied.
"Gentlemen, please. Concentrate on the situation on hand. We still do not know what's wrong with Mr. Potter. Now Severus, is there any other information, that you haven't already told us, that you could provide us with that would assist us in finding out what's wrong with Harry?"
"Well Headmaster, I'm not trying to accuse Potter of anything but, odd enough…well. Potter always seems to make excuses and disappear from class whenever my mark begins to burn, when You-Know-Who calls on his followers." Snape was beginning to look very uncomfortable by this time. He had always regretted becoming a Deatheater himself, though after becoming a Spy for Dumbledore and the Ministry, he felt less guilty about his dim-witted decision. "After a while I started watching him and it turned out, perhaps coincidentally, that when ever MY mark burned, Potter would get somewhat of a pained expression on his face, grab his arm, and begin the excuses."
Remus suddenly jumped out of his seat and pointed his finger at Snape accusingly. "What are you implying Snape? That Harry has something to do with. with. Voldemort?"
"I said nothing of the sort Lupin." Snape replied, with his usual sneer, obviously amused at Remus' reaction to his observations. "I was just simply stating that it was quite the coincidence that Potter seems to disappear at that certain moment."
Before any arguments could arise, Dumbledore cut in. "Yes, well. I'm sure that's all it is; a coincidence," he said, with a hint of finality to his voice. Though his voice didn't hold as much confidence in it as Remus would have liked to hear. "Maybe all of this has to just do with Harry's connection to Voldemort. Nevertheless, I would like to alert all the staff to these recent changes in Mr. Potter's behavior, so that he can be carefully watched everywhere he goes. A well as Mr. Weasley, and Miss. Granger should also be informed."
"I think we should wait awhile before we bring Harry's friends into this Professor. If Harry starts to get suspicious he might begin feel unsettled around them, and he could be driven away from them even more then he is now, causing him to well, do something that could harm to himself or the other students," Remus Stated
"Yes Remus. I think you may have made a very good point. And we don't want Harry doing anything regretful, of course." Dumbledore continued, "So then, it's settled. Every professor in the school will have both eyes on Harry until we find out what is wrong."