Harry left the Room of Requirement when it came time for dinner, feeling only slightly better than when he'd left Gryffindor. He froze in the seventh floor corridor when he realized his friends were gathered outside the tapestry, obviously waiting for him. He glowered warily as the few who'd been sitting stood, and they approached as a group.
"Harry, we're sorry," Hermione said, acting as the voice of the group as they all stared ashamedly at their feet. "We should never have accused you, and we shouldn't have said what we did about Snape. We want you to know, it doesn't matter what is or isn't happening between you and Snape, we're still your friends, and we'll always stick by you. With the rumors moving through the school, no doubt being fueled by Malfoy's wagging tongue, we know that you don't need to deal with us and our suspicions as well. We love you, Harry, even if we don't always agree with your choices."
The Wizarding Savior immediately noticed that his friend had said nothing of them believing his claims that he and Snape weren't in a torrid relationship. Still, if there really were rumors being spread throughout the Houses about him and the Potions Master having some sort of sexual affair, having his friends to support him was more important than ever. He had been the subject of baseless, angry rumors before, and he knew the cruelty of children intimately. Yes, his friends still suspected him without proof, and against his own denials, but he was grateful to have them. With a firm nod, Harry forced himself to smile.
"Thanks," He said simply. "Let's get to dinner."
His friends all nodded, still ashamedly not meeting his eye, and they all turned as a group towards the Great Hall. Harry led the way, his head held high, as they moved through the corridors and down the moving staircases. Lone students that he and his friends passed stared as if he was something never-before-seen, and groups whispered conspiratorially behind gossiping hands. Harry passed them all without a glance, doing his best to ignore them. He knew how to do this, had done it so many times before that it came almost as a second nature. It would be impossible to defend against unsubstantiated rumors, and even trying would only throw fuel on the fire. His one hope could only be that, with nothing from him, the rumors would die quickly. Past experience argued that this was unlikely to happen. Teenagers loved to gossip, and his exploits, real or imagined, had always been a favorite topic amongst the students of Hogwarts.
He and his friends reached the doors of the Great Hall and the students already at their tables fell quiet almost as one. Harry continued to feign ignorance as he and his fellow Gryffindors moved to their own table. And then Malfoy stood.
"Hey, Potter! Where's your boyfriend?"
Chuckles moved across the Slytherin Table, and filtered into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Gryffindor Table, bless their loyalty, glowered at the rest of the Hall angrily. Fate, cruel mistress that she was, had Severus Snape entering with McGonagall and Flitwick from the other end of the Hall. Harry grimaced, looking apologetically up at the Head Table, as Malfoy crooned again.
"Oh, there he is!"
Harry met Snape's black gaze across the Tables and he looked away guiltily. He couldn't help but blame himself for the man's embarrassment. If he'd been strong enough to deal with his nightmares on his own…Harry didn't complete the thought, instead lifting his head high again. He could feel guilt later, when he was alone. For now, any sign of weakness would only feed the ravenous wolf pack that Hogwarts had become.