Going Through the Motions

A/N: After this chapter, things start picking up, so just stay tuned for a day or two. Oh, and please take a second to review the chapters!

Disclaimer: I don\'t own Harry Potter or anything connected to it; that would be JK Rowling and Scholastic Books.
So don\'t sue me; i\'m broke.. heh..

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Going Through the Motions

Chapter 2 - Walking Through the Part

\"Come on, Harry, sit here with us,\" a voice called from a nearby compartment. Harry paused in the hallway of the Hogwarts Express. Ron and Hermione, as prefects, were required to meet with the new Head Boy and Girl, so Harry was trying to find a compartment with enough room for him and his two friends. Ginny Weasley had already disappeared into another compartment with a couple of fellow fifth-years.

Harry poked his head into the compartment whose occupant had called out to him. Sitting in the compartment were the rest of the Gryffindor sixth-years: Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.

\"Hey, Harry,\" said Seamus. \"There\'s enough room in here for all of us and Ron and Hermione.\" Seamus waved his hands expansively.

Personally, Harry had hoped to find a completely empty compartment to spend the ride in. While Ron and Hermione were guaranteed to join him once their meeting was over, at least they would leave him alone with his thoughts. Well, probably. However, Harry knew that the chances of finding an empty compartment were slim to none.

\"Sure, why not, Seamus,\" said Harry, pasting on his fake smile. He took a seat by the window, next to the sandy-haired Irish boy.

\"Gee, Harry, you don\'t look so good,\" commented Neville, cheerfully. As per usual, he was holding Trevor, his toad. Harry privately suspected that Neville did this just so he wouldn\'t forget where he\'d put Trevor; the round-faced boy was well-known for his forgetfulness and for his frequent misplacing of objects.

\"Nev\'s right, Harry, you look like death warmed over,\" added Dean Thomas.

\"I\'m fine,\" lied Harry, trying to sound convincing. \"I just haven\'t gotten much sleep lately, that\'s all.\" Harry rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes. The other Gryffindors took the hint and talked quietly amongst themselves to allow Harry to \'sleep.\' Harry greatly welcomed the silence. Ron and Hermione had not allowed him a moment\'s peace since they had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry knew exactly why they were doing it; they wanted to bring him out of his depression. But the closer they tried to get with him, the worse Harry felt and made him even more depressed. He had sworn to distance himself from them for their physical safety, and his mental well-being, such as it as. And they were making it even harder for him to do so.

The Hogwarts Express got under way soon after Harry started resting his eyes, and before long, they were traveling through the English countryside. The plump witch pushing the food trolley soon came around and Seamus attempted to wake Harry to find out if he wanted anything. After not receiving a response, they left him alone, and Neville, ever the concerned Gryffindor, bought a variety of snacks in case Harry wanted any.

\"Hey, guys,\" said Ron boisterously as he entered the compartment, followed by Hermione. \"How were your summers?\" Hermione slugged him in the arm. \"Hey! What was that for?\" Hermione didn\'t say anything, but pointed at what appeared to be a calmly sleeping Harry. \"Oh, sorry,\" Ron said in a lower tone.

\"Has he been like this all summer?\" asked Neville with a hint of worry.

\"I don\'t know for certain, but I think so,\" said Hermione sadly. \"He stayed with his relatives all summer and barely communicated with us. I don\'t think he\'s been getting much sleep, and he just picked at his food when we ate dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. Plus, he seems to have perfected the mile-long stare.\"

\"If you\'d prefer, I can go to a different compartment so that you can talk about me without me hearing,\" said a voice from the corner. The other five in the car jumped at the sudden interruption and looked at Harry. His eyes were open, and though he still looked haggard, there was a slight smile on his face.

\"Oh God, I\'m so sorry, Harry,\" said Hermione, her face turning bright red.

\"Don\'t worry about it, Hermione,\" said Harry. \"Just make sure I\'m actually asleep next time, ok?\" Harry smirked, and then turned his head back towards the window.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Harry spent most of his time looking out the window, while the others discussed their summers. Occasionally, they asked Harry a question, but after a few monosyllabic and distracted answers, they took the hint and left him alone.

As the train neared the Hogsmeade station, Harry finally broke his self-imposed silence.

\"Wonder what happened to Malfoy,\" said Harry, musingly.

\"That stupid git? Why would you care where he was?\" asked Ron, shocked.

\"Harry\'s got a point, Ron,\" said Hermione thoughtfully. \"Every year, Malfoy comes to bother us on the train, but he didn\'t this year. I mean, we saw him at the prefect\'s meeting, so he\'s here, but he was sort of quiet then, too. I wonder what\'s going on there.\"

\"Well, I definitely don\'t care what happened to Ferret Boy,\" said Ron, adamantly. \"It\'s too bad he even showed up this year at all. Look, Harry, we\'re here.\" And with a dull rumble, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. Soon, all the students were piling out of the train to retrieve their belongings and get to the thestral-drawn carriages waiting for them. All except the first-years, naturally. It was tradition that they travel across the lake in boats; Harry could already make out the large shadow of Hagrid, who would lead them across.

\"Firs\' years, this way! Firs\' years, over here!\" Hagrid\'s voice boomed out. Seeing Harry, the half-giant waved at the green-eyed boy, who smiled and waved back at him.

Whilst Ron and Hermione supervised the unloading of the train, Harry saw no reason to wait for his own belongings. So Harry quickly dug out his trunk and the cage containing Hedwig, and promptly ran into a little snag. This year, for his birthday, Harry had received quite a bit of clothing from various people. He also had some new books on Occlumency and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thus Harry\'s trunk was heavier than ever; Lupin had had to help him load it onto the train. Finally, Harry decided to drag his trunk with one hand while holding Hedwig\'s cage with the other. However, he hadn\'t gotten very far before somebody picked up the other end of the trunk, making his job a lot easier.

\"Need a hand, Harry?\" asked Seamus with a grin. \"Looks like you\'re having problems with this bloody trunk.\"

\"Thanks, Seamus,\" said Harry thankfully. \"I wasn\'t getting too far on my own.\"

\"Not a problem, Harry,\" said Seamus, still grinning. With Seamus\'s help, Harry quickly had his trunk loaded into one of the carriages. Before entering the carriage, Harry briefly looked at the thestral hitched to it. Not for the first time, Harry wished that he didn\'t have the ability to see them. Stifling a shudder, Harry got into the carriage which already contained Seamus and Neville.

\"Dean\'s riding with Ginny,\" offered Seamus. Harry just grinned and took a seat. Spacing out again, he didn\'t even notice Ron and Hermione joining them, nor did he talk during the entire ride to Hogwarts.

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To our newly sorted students, welcome to Hogwarts,\" said Professor Dumbledore, standing before them as they sat at their respective House tables. \"And to our returning students, we’re glad to have you back.\" His kind eyes moved across the room, taking in everybody. \"As usual, I have a few start of term announcements, but now is not the time for such things. Right now, all I have to say is tuck in!\"

With those words, the food appeared in front of the students and everybody started digging in; everybody except for Harry. Instead, his eyes scanned the room. He could already tell that there were students who had not returned this year, and there were fewer first years sorted than Harry had ever seen. Now that the Ministry had finally confirmed Voldemort’s return, it appeared as if parents were afraid to send their children to Hogwarts. A stupid decision, in Harry’s mind. The safest place for them was anywhere that Albus Dumbledore was. Just then, Harry’s thoughts were interrupted.

\"Mr. Potter,\" said Professor McGonagall, her face disapproving and her lips paper-thin as she viewed Harry’s gaunt appearance. \"Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you once the feast is over. Once you’re done eating, I’ll take you to his office myself.\"

\"Yes, Professor,\" said Harry, automatically, inwardly frowning. The last thing he needed was McGonagall and Dumbledore worrying about him too. Ron and Hermione were bad enough. Harry started eating a few bites of his dinner in hopes that McGonagall would be appeased and leave him alone for now. His plan worked; the Transfiguration professor left him alone to eat, though casting one more disapproving look at him.

Once she was gone, Harry put his fork back down and watched his fellow Hogwarts students eat, and tried to determine who hadn’t come back. Most of Gryffindor House had returned, as had Slytherin. Hufflepuff had been the hardest hit, with Ravenclaw not too far behind them.

‘Of course Slytherin would come back,’ thought Harry, bitterly. ‘They’ve got nothing to worry about, since they’re all on Voldemort’s side.’ Harry briefly cast a glance at the Slytherin House table, and did notice one major change. Draco Malfoy, Harry’s nemesis since the first day of school, no longer had his bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle; they were nowhere to be found. Just as importantly, Malfoy no longer appeared to be the center of attention at the table. And not too happy about the state of affairs, from all indicators. Harry saw him scowling down at Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott every so often. Until he caught Harry watching him, then he glared at Harry as well.

Turning his attention back to his table, Harry noticed that his supper was gone and desserts were already on the table. Not that he had been planning to eat his dinner, anyway. Harry grabbed a single dessert and managed to eat half of it. Soon, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

\"Well, now that we have all filled our bellies and quenched our thirsts, it is now time to hear me waffle on.\" Professor Dumbledore’s voice was, as ever, filled with amusement. \"I must ask you to try not to doze off while I’m speaking, or at least keep your snoring quietly so that others can hear me.\" A low chuckle could be heard from many of the returning students. \"First off, as usual, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to students, as is Hogsmeade to anyone below third-year. Mr. Filch wanted me to remind you that there is to be no magic in the corridors between classes, and also that there is a new and improved list of all the items forbidden in the school. Strangely enough, many of the items added this year include Portable Swamps, Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, and other items coming from a shop called Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes.\" Dumbledore paused for a second as a good portion of the returning students laughed openly. The Weasley twins had certainly made their last year at Hogwarts memorable. Harry even managed to crack a smile at the Headmaster’s comment. His investment of his Tri-Wizard winnings had certainly paid off, at least in entertainment value.

Dumbledore picked up where he had left off. \"I would also like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor William W. Parthagonian.\" A tall dark-haired man in fine tailored robes who was sitting at the far end of the table stood up, and nodded his head at the students. Harry was rather forcibly reminded of the elder Mr. Crouch, what with his well-groomed appearance, neatly trimmed hair, and tailored robes. \"Thank you all for putting up with my rambling, and I hope you all have a good night’s rest. Come Monday, classes begin anew.\"

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\"Ah, Mr. Potter,\" said Professor Dumbledore. \"Thank you for giving me time to talk to you; I know you must be worn out from your train ride and all the confusion that the start of term always brings.\" Harry was sitting down in front of Dumbledore’s desk, while the man himself paced thoughtfully behind it. To the right of Harry, Professor McGonagall sat quietly.

\"Thank you, Professor, I am a little tired,\" said Harry, with his fake smile already in place. Hopefully the Headmaster would keep it short if Harry told him that.

\"Well, in that case, I’ll try to keep it short and to the point,\" said Dumbledore, as if he wasn’t aware of what Harry wryinrying to do. Though Harry suspected that the old man could see right through him and his little charade. \"First of all, there’s the issue of your Occlumency lessons. I trust you’ve been practicing this summer, and reading up on the subject?\"

\"Yes, I have,\" said Harry. \"I’ve gotten much better at blocking out my thoughts at night, and my scar hasn’t been hurting as much this summer.\"

\"Wonderful, Harry, that’s wonderful,\" said Dumbledore, his voice sounding relieved. \"Needless to say, I’d like for you to continue to take practical lessons this year.\"

\"With who?\" asked Harry. \"I doubt Professor Snape wants to teach me again; he seems irate enough that I managed to get into his NEWTS Potions class. Are you going to teach me, sir?\"

\"Unfortunately, Harry,\" said Professor Dumbledore, his voice regretful, \"the Order is very busy right now, and I wouldn’t be able to give you all the attention that you need if you’re going to be successful at Occlumency.\"

\"Then who does that leave?\" asked Harry, secretly relieved that it wasn’t going to be Dumbledore. He didn’t want the Headmaster now now his thoughts and feelings from the last couple months. The nightmares he had had.

\"That leaves one of the more talented Occlumens in the country, Harry,\" said Dumbledore, smiling once again. \"Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Parthagonian, is willing to hone your skills, as he put it. Don’t worry,\" Dumbledore added as Harry looked at him doubtfully. \"Professor Parthagonian is a well-respected wizard, and is a recent addition to the Order of the Phoenix. I trust him implicitly, as should you.\"

\"Yes, Professor,\" said Harry, his concern fading only a little. Dumbledore vouched for the man, but he also vouched for Severus Snape. When considered that way, Harry was still worried.

\"Just speak to Professor Parthagonian when you have his class, and I’m sure you’ll be able to work out some sort of schedule. Now then, Harry, to a slightly more personal topic.\" Harry visibly stiffened. \"Professor McGonagall informed me that she received a letter, sent by owl, that mentions that you expressed indifference about your chosen career path of Auror, and indeed, your complete indifference to any career.\"

Harry mentally groaned. This wasn’t going to be an enjoyable conversation. If he ever found out who sent the letter, he was going to throttle them to death. As Dumbledore and McGonagall rambled on about the unhealthiness of not having any ambitions and his general state of apathy, Harry’s mind tuned out the lecture and randomly started thinking of what he would do if he had the power to kill people with his thoughts. His first thought was that lines at the movies would be much shorter. Then, Harry’s mind vaguely registered the fact that Dumbledore had asked him a question. Harry focused on the Headmaster, trying to remember the question.

\"Erm.. What?\" asked Harry, finally giving up. \"I’m sorry, Professor. I’ve just had a lot on my mind at the moment.\" Thankfully, Dumbledore seemed to take that as an answer, if not necessarily the one he was looking for. \"I’ll try to concentrate on my future ambitions more, Professor. I was just feeling a little down when I said that. It’s nothing to worry about.\" Neither professor looked convinced, but fortunately, it looked as though they didn’t want to breach that particular subject at the moment.

\"Very well, Harry,\" said Dumbledore, finally. \"I guess it’s time for you to head back to Gryffindor Tower. Sleep well, Harry.\"

\"Thank you, Professor,\" said Harry, happy that the Spanish Inquisition was at an end.

\"Come, Potter,\" said McGonagall crisply. \"I’ll take you back to Gryffindor. We don’t want you walking about by yourself at night, after all.\"