Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter and anything that's recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling.
CHAPTER 3 – A New Year
"There are the two love birds" Zack smirked.
"I thought you guys would never come" Sam said.
"Shove off" Harry said.
"Here Harry, our going away present" Mark said, holding out a cardboard box.
Harry opened it and when he saw what was inside, he smiled.
"Thanks! This will keep me covered for at least the first week," Harry said, looking down on a couple of bottles of vodka, and a couple of joints.
"No problem. We thought you would like some of that. Just make sure no one catches you with that. We don't want to get you into trouble now do we?" Sam said.
"Of course not!" Harry said.
Then everyone started to sit down and for the evening, forgetting about the fact that one of their friends would be leaving them. Although his friends always drank and smoked, they were still really good friends. Sometimes he felt like he could connect with them even better than with Ron and Hermione. He felt like he didn't need to be a certain person with them. He didn't feel like they expected him to be this 'savior' of some kind. He could just be himself. He could share his problems with them and not have to worry about the way it would make him look, since he was supposed to be the 'golden boy'.
That night they stayed out 'till six in the morning, and when Harry returned he was still drunk and a bit high, but he didn't care. He wouldn't have to see the Dursleys for a whole year, so he didn't care if they saw him a bit tipsy and high. He got pretty good with holding his liquor over the last few weeks.
The Dursleys, reluctantly, dropped him off at the station, ignoring the fact that he reeked of booze and smoke.
He was early, and so he went to the usual compartment. Realizing that he probably still smelled like booze, he used a freshening charm, hoping they wouldn't notice anything was amiss. Lately he just barley replied to their letters. They were so careful when they wrote, like he would break, but he wouldn't. He found ways to deal with all the pain and just forget about last year's events. When it got too much, he could handle it. Maybe not the best way, but he didn't care.
"Hey mate" Ron said when he came in, Hermione behind him.
"Hey Harry" she said.
"Hey guys!" Harry said, faking his cheerfulness. He got up and hugged them both.
"So how's it going?" Harry asked.
"Well…um…Harry" Ron started.
"What is it Ron?" Harry asked annoyed that he wouldn't just spit it out.
"Well you see over the summer…well…"
"What he's trying to say is that over the summer me and him got together," Hermione said, Ron turning beet red.
A soft "Oh" was all Harry managed.
"You're okay with this right?" Hermione asked carefully.
"Of course" Harry said, waving his arm to show he didn't care.
"Good…I was worried that maybe…you know…"Hermione trailed off.
"No no. I'm happy for you two. It was bound to happen. It was just a matter of time," Harry said.
Hermione sighed a breath of relief.
The next hours passed by. Small talk was all they managed. Ron and Hermione left a couple of times, coming back looking flustered. It hurt. Not that Harry minded that his two best friends go together. Not at all. He was happy for them; it was just that it reminded him of Alexia and how she couldn't be here with him. He really needed to come up with a plan for him to be able to sneak out for a couple of hours and meet her and the guys. This is what Harry was thinking about for the rest of the train ride.
After the sorting and feast, Harry went up to his dorm, got some of his 'fun' things, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and left for the Astronomy Tower. When he got there, he took a sip of vodka, and lighted his joint. He was up there for a good portion of the night, until he thought he could get a decent night of sleep. Being back here, brought memories of what happened last year back. And after only an hour of sleep, even in his drunken state, he was plagued by nightmares, and when he awoke, he did what he knew best for coping with the pain. He took out the same piece of glass that he had been using over the summer, and cut. There were now over 15 scares on his arm. After he felt relaxed again, he fell asleep.
He was awoken by Ron shaking him.
"Harry come on get dressed or we'll miss breakfast," Ron said.
"Ughh…you guys go ahead please. I'll come when I'm ready" Harry said.
"Are you sure mate?" Ron asked.
"Yes. Now please go. Don't want to keep Hermione, your girlfriend, waiting now do you?" Harry said.
"Right okay then. See you" Ron said and left the dormitory.
Harry was in no mood to talk to anyone right now. Last night was the worst since the beginning of the summer. At the beginning of August, his nightmares stopped being as bad as before. After that they were just flashes, but nothing bad really.
Harry got up and got himself ready. When he looked on his arm, he saw all of his scars. Knowing that if someone saw them, it would cause hell, he decided to put a glamour on his arm. He didn't want anyone knowing what he did. The only person who knew was Alexia, and she understood. The guys suspected, but never really said anything. None of that would happen if someone here would find out.
Wouldn't be good if the golden boy; the savior of the Wizarding World cut his wrists Harry thought bitterly. That's another reason why he liked his group. They knew him as Harry; not Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived; the golden boy; the savior of the Wizarding World.
Looking at his watch, Harry realized that he still needed to get his schedule. He ran from the tower and got his schedule from McGonagall, sparing enough time to make it to History of Magic just as the bell went, signaling the beginning of class.
A/N Please Review!
