Chapter 9: Mind and Matters
Harry woke to his wand vibrating at 5:30 the next morning. He completed his morning routine and headed down to the common room before he called for Dobby to take him to the Chamber for his workout. The common room was typically empty this early in the morning, especially on a weekend. Dobby appeared and handed him a plate containing a fried egg, two strips of bacon, and a piece of toast with jam.
"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said before starting on his breakfast. Dobby bowed low to him in response. After the first couple of bites he remembered his humorous musings the night before. "Dobby, I'm going to tell you a secret."
"Dobby is honored to keep Master Harry's secrets." Dobby bowed low again.
"Did you wonder why I had you apparate me to the dorm, just to apparate me back to the Chamber last night?"
Dobby nodded vigorously. "It is not Dobby's place to question Master Harry, but Dobby did find himself curious." He looked down like he was ashamed.
"It's ok, Dobby," Harry patted him on the shoulder. "You can ask me anything. You don't need to be afraid to." Dobby beamed at him. "Anyway, I have a device in the Chamber called a Time-Turner. I use it every day to go back from 9pm to 3pm so I can take extra lessons with Salazar."
Dobby paled a little. "Master Harry must be careful. Time-Turnies is bad. Master Harry must not see himself. Dobby hears bad things about wizards who see themselves."
'Weird, I wonder why that would be bad? I know I'm using it, so it wouldn't really be a surprise to see another me.'
Harry decided not to question it right now. "Thanks for the warning, Dobby. Maybe you can help make sure I don't accidentally run into myself?"
"Dobby will make sure you stay separate. Dobby knows what time to expect you now, so Dobby can help," the little elf said, puffing out his chest.
Harry stifled a snort at Dobby puffing up like he did. "Thanks again, Dobby." Harry said, then remembered something Dobby had told him before. "Dobby, sometime today can you go to Diagon Alley and find me a planner that I can use to keep track of things I need to do?"
"Yes Master Harry, Dobby will find you a good planner." Dobby beamed again at being given a job to do.
"Cool, thank you. I'll give you my money pouch before we go to the Chamber."
"'Tis not necessary, Master Harry. Dobby can sign for your items and the galleons will be withdrawn from your vault."
Harry's eyebrows climbed his forehead, 'Can I just sign for stuff like that too? Another thing I'll need to ask the goblins.'
Harry finished his breakfast which Dobby cleared up in a click of his fingers, then Dobby grabbed Harry's wrist and apparated him to the Chamber.
'I didn't even need to ask him that time. Little guy is efficient if nothing else.'
Today, Salazar had Harry haul his portrait and the Sword of Gryffindor down to the Chamber. He set Harry running around the Chamber again for another 45 minutes then called him to a halt for his strength training.
"That shiny piece of rubbish is made to be very light. Godric had the goblins carve a rune into the cross guard that you can place the tip of your wand to in order to activate it. This will cause the sword to weigh the same as a standard steel sword would," Salazar explained.
Harry found the rune and touched the tip of his wand to it. Immediately the sword became so heavy that Harry couldn't hold it upright anymore and the tip slammed into the ground next to him. Salazar burst into laughter while Harry scowled at him.
Salazar proceeded to talk Harry through some of the exercises Godric used to perform. Harry had to use both hands to wield the sword, but, with some adaptation, was able to complete the training regiment. By the end, Harry was panting and sweating profusely. He hung Salazar's portrait back above the door to the study, tapped the rune on the sword to remove the weight from it and placed it back in the desk drawer, then called Dobby to apparate him back to his dorm for a quick shower.
Harry made it down to breakfast before 8am again. He didn't see Neville anywhere so he slid in next to Katie Bell instead who was sitting across from Angelina and Alicia. "Good morning," he said around a yawn.
"Morning, Harry," the three chasers chorused. A pair of hands landed on his shoulders. He looked back to see not one person but two, each with a hand on a shoulder.
"Harry," the Weasley twins, Fred and George, said in unison. "We wanted to thank you for what you did for our sister," the left twin said.
"Too true, George," the right twin picked up where the other left off, "if it hadn't been for the false Heir of Slytherin here, we wouldn't have a sister anymore."
'Oh, if only they knew how right their jokes had been earlier this year.'
Harry waved them off. "It wasn't a big deal. Ron and I just kind of got ahead of ourselves," he tried to explain to deflect them.
"Nonsense," George said, "Ronniekins told us all about how he got stuck behind a cave-in."
"Yeah mate," Fred jumped in, "you saved the damsel." He winked at Harry who shot a glance down the table at Ginny who he caught staring at him. She blushed crimson but gave him a small smile and a wave before looking down at her food. "Careful, Harry. Ginny will have her name written on all of her essays as Ginevra Potter from this day forward."
"Right you are, Fred," George added, "she will have already picked out a date for the wedding and everything." The twins grinned at him.
"Oh, sit down you two and leave the poor boy alone," Alicia chided. "Besides, Harry has someone else keeping an eye on him." She jolted in her chair and glared at Katie who had kicked her under the table. None of this was noticed by Harry though, who had just seen Hermione walking into the Great Hall with Neville. She saw Harry and nudged Neville in his direction.
"Hi, Harry. Madam Pomfrey gave me the ok to leave this morning. Neville came by to check on me and walked me down here." She glanced at Neville who was blushing slightly.
"Well that was gentlemanly of you," Angelina said, causing Neville to blush more. He mumbled something unintelligible and sat down across from the twins. Hermione sat next to him.
"Were you the only one they let out?" Harry asked as he scanned the room for Justin Finch-Fletchley and Penelope Clearwater. "I don't see the other two anywhere."
"Yes, she said she wanted to keep the others a day longer because they were petrified longer. She wants to make sure there is no lasting damage," Hermione answered while filling her plate.
The chasers and twins started talking to Hermione about being petrified and how it felt. Harry listened in with half an ear while finishing his breakfast. "Have you guys seen Ron lately?" he asked the twins after he was done eating.
"He's been using his new found freedom to become even more annoying of a brother than he was before," George answered.
"Right you are George. Ronniekins has been following us around like a lost puppy for the last few days," added Fred, "Too bad he isn't closer to Percy, it would be nice if he decided to follow him around instead."
"He seems to think that avoiding you is the best option for now," Neville put in, "I talked with him yesterday. He thinks something happened to you in the Chamber of Secrets. Something you haven't told anyone about. He says you've changed."
Harry contemplated that while heading to the library with Neville and Hermione. He didn't notice the sidelong glances Hermione was throwing his way with a calculating expression, like she was trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle. 'Of course I've changed. Near death experience, meeting my ancestor and being told I am being immature by him, deciding not to treat other people like I've been treated just to stay friends with one person. All big changes, but, hopefully, for the better.'
Harry, Neville, and Hermione spent the rest of the morning in the library. Neville was finishing up an essay for Potions that was due in the morning. Hermione was rushing through a couple of essays she hadn't yet finished while laid up in the hospital wing, trying desperately to catch up even though she had been excused from doing them for obvious reasons. Harry was reading a book he found on goblins and their customs.
'Figure if I need their help with my lineage, it would help if I can stay on their good side.'
The trio broke for lunch, then returned to the library to continue their work. Neville had moved on to a Charms essay, while Hermione and Harry chatted quietly.
"Why are you reading about Goblins?" She asked him.
"Do you know anything about my family?" he asked back instead of answering.
She furrowed her brow. "Only what you have told me. Which, I admit isn't much, which could be because you are a very private person."
He grinned at her. "This time, it's not about privacy. I don't know shit about them."
"Language!" She scolded. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I was told that my best bet could be the goblins at Gringotts. There is a lineage test that you can have done but it uses Blood Magic." Hermione sucked in a sharp breath. "Apparently the goblins are really good with it and could help, even if it isn't something they normally offer as a service, which I'm not sure if they do or not."
"Harry," Hermione said wearily, "Blood Magic is very Dark. You shouldn't even be considering using it, even if you're not the one performing it."
"Hermione," Harry said slowly, trying to remember Salazar's exact wording, "There is no such thing as Dark Magic. Magic is magic, what matters is the intent with which it is wielded."
'Hey, I think I got it right.'
"No, Harry," Hermione huffed. "The Ministry clearly defines Dark Magic. I read about it when Professor McGonagall gave me the pamphlet on wizarding laws when she gave me my Hogwarts letter."
'And the love for authority strikes again.' Harry shook his head slightly. 'I won't bother trying for now, I just got my friend back. Don't want to fight with her about something like this.'
Harry shrugged and went back to his book on goblin customs. Hermione eyed him nervously but let the matter drop.
Dinner was a loud affair. The twins had apparently pulled a prank on some of the 4th year Slytherins. Harry listened in on the telling off they were getting from Professor McGonagall further up the table from where he and Neville sat. He saw Ron sitting across from Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan further up the table. Ron pointedly ignored Harry, though Dean had seen him looking and muttered something to Ron. Hermione had stopped in at the hospital wing for a mandatory checkup that Madam Pomfrey had ordered before releasing her that morning. Harry ate quickly, told Neville he was going to meet someone, then headed back to the library to wait for Daphne.
Harry was reading the last chapter of the goblin customs book when Daphne came around the corner of the aisle in which Harry had appropriated a table. He stood quickly and bowed to her thinking he probably looked like a fool. She returned his bow with a curtsy and held her hand out to him. He took it gently and placed a kiss on her knuckles, like he had the night before. He managed to control his blush this time.
"Good evening, Mr. Potter," she said with a smile.
"And to you as well, Miss Greengrass," Harry responded with his typical lopsided grin.
The pair sat down at the table. Daphne crossed her knees as before and sat very straight. Harry, as he usually did, slouched a bit trying to be comfortable.
"May I start by asking a question?" Harry asked.
"Sure."
"Why do you call me Mr. Potter? You know my first name is Harry, just as I know yours is Daphne. I only respond with 'Miss Greengrass' because you call me 'Mr. Potter'."
Daphne grinned. "That is part of our 'lesson' today, but I will answer your question now anyway. You have not given me permission to use your given name, so it would be rude of me to do so."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "So, what if I said you have permission to use my given name?"
Daphne smiled a radiant smile. "Then I would say, please, call me Daphne."
Harry gave her a lopsided grin. "Very well then, Daphne."
'Daphne. Gods she looks so fit. NO, Bad Harry! Focus!'
Daphne began explaining various parts of wizarding culture to him. She started with proper greetings and titles. "If you are unaware of any titles the witch or wizard may hold, simply refer to them as Mr. Ms. or Miss then ask them for their titles. Make sure to remember them for the future though, people don't like having to explain their titles to the same person over and over."
"Do you or your family have any titles?" Harry asked. He was curious what titles a witch or wizard could have.
"I am Heiress of House Greengrass being the oldest daughter with no brothers. My father is Lord Greengrass because he sits on the Wizengamot." At Harry's clueless expression she explained, "the Wizengamot is sort of like the muggle Parliament. It is where our laws are voted on. They also hold court over major criminal trials. Anyway, this makes my mother Lady Greengrass. My sister, Astoria, will not have a title unless I die before her."
"Do you know of any titles I would have?" Harry asked.
"You should have the title of Head of House Potter, since you are the last remaining Potter and your father was Head of House before you. Your father never took up his Wizengamot lordship so he was not Lord Potter and, unless you took up your family seat, neither would you. Your family seat on the Wizengamot is currently held by a regent that was placed there by Chief Warlock Dumbledore as your Magical Guardian."
Harry's jaw dropped. "Dumbledore is my guardian? Why do I live with my muggle relatives then?"
"Chief Warlock Dumbledore," she emphasized, "is your Magical Guardian, not your physical guardian. There is a difference. A Magical Guardian is a witch or wizard in charge of a minor's affairs in the magical world until they reach 17, or are emancipated. Dumbledore is your Magical Guardian by order of the Wizengamot. My father told me there was a very big debate about this back in 1981 after the events of Samhain." Daphne gave Harry a sympathetic look. "There was another debate just last year because your Head of House here at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall, should have been made your Magical Guardian since you are classified as muggle-raised. Muggle-raised are treated similarly to muggleborns in that respect. For instance, Miss Granger's Magical Guardian is Professor McGonagall."
This was a lot to unpack for Harry.
'First, what is Samhain? Second, Dumbledore is my Magical Guardian and he never told me? Why not? And why did he fight to keep that position instead of handing it over to McGonagall like he was supposed to?'
Harry sat there for a second, thinking things over, not realizing he was staring right into Daphne's beautiful sapphire blue eyes. Daphne gave him time and just stared back into his emerald green eyes which had started shining faintly once more. She would never admit it, but she felt captivated by his gaze.
"Ok, I have another question now," Harry finally said, slowly. Daphne gestured for him to continue. "What is Samhain?"
"Samhain is what the muggles refer to as a pagan holiday that occurs on October the 31st. This holiday was changed into Halloween by the actions of the Roman Catholic Church. Magicals that follow the 'Old Ways' still celebrate Samhain," she explained. "My family follows the 'Old Ways' so we celebrate Samhain instead of Halloween."
"Now that added another question, what are the 'Old Ways'?" Harry asked.
'The more we talk, the more questions I have.'
Daphne patiently explained, "The 'Old Ways' references the traditions the magical community believed in and followed prior to the Statute of Secrecy's adoption by the International Confederation of Wizards. At that point in time, the magical community literally split from the muggle community for protection. Since then, newer muggle traditions have been adopted by the magical community in Britain, Scotland, and Ireland primarily due to the influence of muggleborns bringing their culture with them to our world. This is one of the biggest reasons for the 'Blood Purist' movement of this century. First with Grindelwald in the 1930's and 40's, then with You-Know-Who in the 1970's and 80's. There are those amongst our community that despise the changes brought on by the muggleborns, and therefore the muggleborns themselves, because they feel that we are losing our traditions and culture over time. Some families, like mine, follow the 'Old Ways' but harbor no ill will toward the muggleborns that bring their own traditions with them. I, for one, see it more like immigration. Not all immigrants adopt the full culture of the area they are moving to, they bring some of their culture with them. Just because they celebrate Halloween or Christmas doesn't mean I can't celebrate Samhain and Yule."
Harry nodded, "I think your view makes more sense than the blood purists. I didn't even know about Samhain. It's not like they teach a class about the culture and traditions of this community when muggleborns are accepted here and learn they are magical."
Daphne huffed. "Father has explained to me that he believes it is intentional. The Board of Governors for Hogwarts has 13 members, and, as of right now, 7 of them are from families that are either Blood Purists, or are sympathetic to their views. There have been petitions for a Wizarding Culture class to be made available to all 1st years, but they always get voted down. Father believes that the Blood Purists don't want the muggleborns to learn about our ways because it would aid them in their lives after Hogwarts. It's all about keeping them uninformed to keep them down, so to speak."
Harry glowered at the table. 'So, basically, muggleborns are fucked, not because of ignorance, but because of intentionally making the very information that they are hated for not knowing in the first place difficult to learn.'
Daphne shifted in her chair slightly. Harry glanced up and saw a concerned pair of sparkling blue eyes watching him. "Let's not dwell on that at the moment. Besides, there isn't much that can be done about it right now. Let's continue our lesson."
Harry shook himself out of the mood he had worked himself into with his indignation and gave her a small, lopsided grin. The pair spent another hour in the library together while Daphne explained the various holidays that some of the magical world celebrated which were different from the muggle world. Holidays such as Yule instead of Christmas, the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, and Beltane.
Soon enough, and too soon for Harry's liking, Daphne said, "Well, Harry, I really should be heading back. It's getting close to 9pm."
Harry cast a quick Tempus and confirmed it was. "Do you want me to walk you back to the dungeons?" He was instantly nervous.
'Maybe I overstepped. I'm just trying to be polite. Sure, try telling yourself that. Great, now I'm arguing with myself. Maybe I'm going mad?'
Daphne smiled, "If you want to. I'm not allowed to bring you too close to the entrance to the common room. Only Slytherins are supposed to know where it is."
Before Harry could stop himself he blurted, "But, I know where it is."
'Shit, way to go Potter. Trying to impress her, smooth.'
Daphne raised a delicate eyebrow and stared at Harry incredulously. "And, just how do you know that?"
'Well, may as well come clean. Maybe she will think it's funny?'
"Ron and I went in with Malfoy earlier this year, but we were Polyjuiced as Crabbe and Goyle at the time," Harry answered sheepishly.
Daphne stared at him, mouth agape, an expression that looked very odd on her since she usually managed to school her expression fairly well. "Ok, you may walk me back to the dungeons, but I want to hear that story on the way." She reached out and took his arm in hers and waited for him to lead her toward the Slytherin common room.
While they walked, Harry told her all about how Hermione had brewed Polyjuice Potion in Myrtle's bathroom, how he and Ron had interrogated Malfoy in the Slytherin common room, but left out the part about Hermione becoming part cat.
'Sure it was sort of funny, but it wouldn't be nice to parrot that little tidbit around without her consent.'
Soon enough the pair were approaching the blank stretch of stone wall that Harry knew led to the Slytherin common room.
'Last time, the password was Pureblood. I wonder how often they change it compared to Gryffindor?
Daphne turned to face him with a soft smile on her face, "I'm impressed. It's good to know you don't lie about the things you get up to."
Harry gave her a lopsided grin in response. Daphne curtsied to him so he bowed in return and placed a kiss on her outstretched hand. "I'll see you again on Tuesday then, Daphne?"
"Yes, same time and place." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Harry's face flamed and his cheek felt very warm. "Until then, Harry." She turned and whispered the password, which Harry didn't quite hear, and disappeared into her common room.
A few minutes later Harry walked into Salazar's study in a daze. He had used the hidden alcove to come to the Chamber since he had been so close to it and no one else was around to see him.
"You look like you've been clubbed over the head," Salazar chuckled and grinned at him mischievously, "Oh what, my future heir, could have happened to you to make you look as if you have taken a love potion?"
Harry shot Salazar a mock glare then grinned. "No reason, just had a really good night."
"Sure," Salazar scoffed. "Let me guess, your 'no reason' is 12 to 14 years old, and female?"
"Shut up," Harry griped. This made Salazar laugh. Harry turned back the Time-Turner before Salazar could give him any more grief. As soon as he materialized 6 hours earlier he schooled his expression into one of intense focus so Salazar couldn't have a second go at him.
'Or would that be a first go because it's the past. Damn, I really need to stop thinking about stuff like that. Headache.'
"Good afternoon, Harry," Salazar said. "Grab some parchment and your stupid fire chicken quill so we can get started."
Harry smirked and pulled out his supplies. "You're just sore that I seem to have a thing for phoenixes. Phoenix core wand, phoenix tears in my blood, phoenix feather quill."
Salazar muttered a few choice words in Parseltongue, but looked to be fighting back a smile. "You better feel lucky I'm out of heirs." He quipped. "Anyway, today I am going to give you an introduction into the Mind Arts. I discussed them very briefly yesterday but didn't go into very much detail. There are two main sub-branches of the Mind Arts; Occlumency and Legilimency. We will start with Occlumency because it will be the most immediately advantageous of the two for you."
"Now, to explain Occlumency you must first understand the 'mind'. The brain is the organ inside your head that holds the neurological pathways that are responsible for thought, memory, consciousness, muscle actions, pain, basically everything about being a human. The 'mind' is the term we use to reference the part of the brain that deals with memories and active thoughts. Occlumency is the art of using your magic to organize and protect this portion of your brain either permanently or temporarily. Most magicals that study Occlumency will only ever be able to temporarily protect their minds from invasion. This is referred to as active Occlumency."
Salazar paused and fiddled with his beard while Harry caught up on his notes. "Passive Occlumency is much more beneficial but also more difficult to learn and master. With passive Occlumency, the practitioner uses their magic to 'Will' their minds to be more organized, and protected repeatedly until your magic is able to maintain that state permanently. Passive Occlumency causes a steady drain on your Magical Core, only very powerful witches and wizards are able to apply full passive Occlumency. If done properly, you will only need to utilize active Occlumency against the very best Legilimency practitioners."
Harry was almost finished with his notes when Dobby appeared next to the desk with a soft pop. Harry was startled and almost tipped over his inkwell in surprise. "Dobby has come to bring Master Harry his planner," Dobby said with a bow. He produced a small, green, leather bound book with a click of his fingers. He set it gently on the desk next to Harry.
Harry immediately flipped it open. It looked a lot like any normal planner he had seen before. "Thanks, Dobby. This will help out a lot."
"Dobby got Master Harry the best planner in Diagon Alley," Dobby declared, "The cover is made of dragonhide so it will be very hard to damage."
"You did good, Dobby," Harry told the little elf. Dobby glowed with pride.
"Dobby," Salazar said quickly before the elf could apparate away, "Would you be so kind as to find a copy of 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'? It may be difficult to track down, but I have a suspicion I want to follow up on."
Dobby bowed, then turned to Harry and bowed to him as well before disappearing with a soft pop.
"Now, where were we?" Salazar settled back in his chair and made his familiar more comfortable on his shoulders, "Godric used to explain the fortifications around his mind as his 'mind palace'. I found that to be a bit overdramatic, but each person creates a different set of fortifications depending on what they imagine. For instance, when I built my fortifications, I pictured a labyrinth with many dead ends. At each dead end I placed the memories I did not want anyone to have access to, then pictured a magical barrier around those memories. If someone were to use Legilimency against me, they would first have to mentally navigate the labyrinth, then break down a barrier in order to access a memory, but they wouldn't know if it was the memory they were looking for or not. All of this was done in order to give me time to detect the incursion and apply active Occlumency to repel them."
After finishing his notes Harry asked, "So how do you build these fortifications?"
"Muggles call it meditation," Salazar answered, "In reality, you are simply pushing your magic inward and focusing your Willpower and Intent on slowly building your Occlumency barriers. In order to even begin, however, you need to be able to locate your 'mind'. Some people are able to find it very quickly, almost like it is an instinct to them. Others struggle to locate it and waste a good deal of time and energy attempting to. This is why the Mind Arts has become an obscure branch of magic. There are no shortcuts. Wands and incantations cannot be used as a crutch in this endeavor."
"How do you locate your 'mind'?" Harry was finding this topic difficult to comprehend. It was, by far, the most abstract branch of magic he had encountered before.
"I managed to achieve it by focusing on a particularly strong memory, then focusing on the emotions I felt when the memory originally occurred. This opened a pathway to similar memories that had elicited similar emotions. I kept doing this, little by little, until I was able to visualize my entire 'mind'. At first, it was a chaotic jumble of thoughts, feelings, and memories. Over time, as I used my magic to sort the memories into my labyrinth, the jumble became easier to navigate and organize."
"How often did you work on this?" Harry asked. He really wanted to be able to succeed at passive Occlumency, it sounded very useful.
'Perfect memory recall and an inherent shield against Legilimency would be helpful. It's worth the effort.'
"I would recommend no longer than an hour each day." Salazar stroked his beard and twirled the tip of it around his finger, thinking. "You will also need to find someone to test your shields against. I cannot cast magic, being only a painting, so you will need some outside help. Hopefully you can pick someone you trust, because the first few times you try to repel an attack, assuming your fortifications aren't strong enough by that point, he or she will be able to see any memory they wish."
Harry blanched at that thought. 'Someone is going to watch Vernon beat the "freakishness" out of me." He shuddered. 'No one wants to see that.'
For the rest of the evening, Salazar had Harry focus on different memories and attempt to trace them back to his 'mind'. By the end of the night, Harry felt exhausted and hadn't been able to make much progress.
"This is why I recommend no more than an hour a day," Salazar said smugly while Harry's eyes drooped, "It is magically exhausting until you finalize your fortifications and your magic needs only maintain them."
Harry nodded his understanding, called for Dobby, and had him take him to his dorm. Dobby apparated Harry into the communal bathroom of the dorm, which was a good thing because Ron and Neville were awake and in the dorm having a whispered conversation. Harry paused at the door to the dorm and listened in.
"He isn't the same," Ron was saying.
"No, he isn't," Neville agreed, "But, I don't think he was cursed. I don't think he had the best childhood. Hermione agrees with me. She thinks his muggle relatives treat him poorly. I don't think he likes seeing other people treated poorly either. He is very protective of his friends. He visited Ginny and Hermione every single day they were in the infirmary."
Ron grumbled unintelligibly, "Yeah, he bit my head off about not visiting them. But, I didn't see the big deal. It's not like Hermione knew we were visiting, and I am going to see Ginny all summer, I can talk to her then."
"She did know," Neville whispered. "She remembers everything that was said around her while she was petrified. She is rather upset with you as well for not visiting."
"Oh," was all Ron said in reply.
"Look, give him some time," Neville continued. "You guys have been like brothers for almost two years. Show him that you have his back and that you care. He'll come around."
Harry stifled a yawn. He figured he had heard enough so he intentionally fumbled the handle of the door to alert them to his presence then opened the door. "Hey guys," he said, acting like he was surprised they were there.
"Harry," Neville replied, "I didn't know you were in there, I didn't hear the showers running?"
"Just brushing my teeth, I think I may have dozed off at the sink," Harry lied, giving a false, sheepish grin. "I'm knackered. I'll see you in the morning for classes." He slipped his robe off and climbed into his bed, still fully clothed. Before he tugged his bed hangings closed, he saw Ron give Neville a significant look then stalk out of the dorm.
'I'm going to have to have Dobby apparate me outside of Gryffindor Tower from now on.'