Love, Lies & Loneliness

(A/N) Thanks for the reviews I knew I\'d get it right eventually if I kept at it. Well here\'s some more of this little story, oh and Harry is petulant for a reason but we\'ll get to that eventually.....enjoy.

Chapter 7
(Cookies and a Plan)

Harry lay staring at the canopy of his new bed. The sounds of the Slytherin’s in their common room slowly died as they all disappeared to bed. So now Harry lay silently thinking of what his friends were doing upstairs in the Gryfindor tower. Usually on the first night of the start of term he and his dorm-mates would spend most of the night sharing stories about their holidays, and the weird things they all got up to. Harry smiled to himself as he replayed last year’s start of term gossip.

Seamus usually spent his holidays with his parents traveling to muggle holiday spots like Blackpool. Without fail he’d always return with a muggle t-shirt that read the name of the place he’d visited. There was always the obligatory holiday romance story too, Seamus swearing that he’d met the girl of his dreams but been unable to act because of his neurotic parents.

Neville spent his holidays with his gran in the country. Last year he’d been made to help in the kitchen at the ‘country witches association’ by his gran, and had consequently come back to school two pounds heavier and with cheeks pinched raw by over enthusiastic witches wanting to mother him. His gran always sent cookies though; the ginger ones were Harry’s favorite. Harry sighed heavily as he thought about his friends eating the cookies right above him. The thought only seemed to depress him more and with a scowl at the ceiling and a muttered curse to Merlin for his fucked up life he turned over and buried his head beneath his pillow.

It just wasn’t fair.


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Harry awoke to the sensation of bouncing and quickly sat up, momentarily disorientated by his unfamiliar surroundings until the events of the previous day came back to him. With a defeated sigh Harry looked down at Dobby, who was still bouncing enthusiastically on the end of the bed. Despite his foul mood however Harry had to grin at the way the house elf’s floppy ears sprung out like parachutes with every bounce Dobby took.

“Harry Potter! Is good to see you. Dobby is happy you is now so close to the kitchens where Dobby is being sir.” Harry nodded quietly trying to repress another sigh that threatened to escape his lips.

“At least someone is happy about this.” Throwing back the covers Harry stepped out of bed and into a fluffy pair of slippers. Surprised at the slippers Harry looked down and smiled as Dobby’s head popped around the corner of the bed a stupid grin taking up most of the space on the elf’s bulbous head.

“Dobby is understanding sir, you is not wanting to be with the snakes.” Dobby threw his hands up in the air and stuck his tongue out pulling a face Harry assumed to be the house elf’s impression of a Slytherin. “But Dobby is promising to keep you safe sir, Harry’s friends is made me. Look Dobby is bringing you biscuits sir.” Harry beamed as Dobby brought over a plate of what were unmistakably Neville’s gran’s cookies.

There was no doubting now that Ron had sent Dobby and it made his situation seem a little better knowing his friends wouldn’t forget him. “You is better be hurrying sir, you is already late upstairs.” Glancing at the clock by his bedside table Harry cursed as the hands read, ‘late for breakfast’. Pulling on his school uniform as quickly as he could manage Harry let Dobby fuss around his room, shifting things and arranging his socks that lay strewn haphazardly in the dresser draw. Pushing his heavy trunk away from the entranceway Harry went to run out of the room but hesitated at the top of the stairs. Last night he’d formulated a plan to get him through the year without ending up scared for life, all he had to do was avoid being alone with the Slytherin’s.

“Dobby.” Calling the house elf to his side Harry pointed gingerly down the spiral stairs to the Slytherin common room. “Go downstairs and look around then tell me if there’s anyone down there.” Nodding his little head, Harry watched Dobby disappear into the lion’s den only to return a moment later.

“No one is being in the common room sir. Dobby must be going sir, is late for breakfast himself.” With a pop Dobby was gone and feeling a little less fearful Harry ran down the stairs and straight through the common room and out into the corridors of the dungeons. He was really late and so he ran harder, carefully dodging peeves who had spilled water all over the stairs leading up to the first floor. Out of breath and his stomach growling with hunger Harry scuttled quickly into the chaos of the first breakfast of the start of term. Relatively unscathed Harry sank onto the bench between Dean and Ron, grateful that his friends seemed to have salvaged some of the breakfast and saved some for him.

“Harry! You had us worried.” Hermione poured her friend a glass of pumpkin juice as Ron piled Harry’s plate with the few pieces of bacon still left on the platter in front of him.

“Yeah mate we thought they’d done something to you on your first night.” Ron watched sympathetically as Harry ate his breakfast, the entire Gryfindor table looking at him as if waiting for his reply.

“Nah not stupid enough to leave my door unlocked.” Harry mumbled around a mouthful of scrambled egg now glancing around him as he realized they were all staring at him intently.

“Well what happened when Snape told them about you staying?” Hermione encouraged her friend in the quest for knowledge, dying to know what had happened last night just as the rest of them were.

“Nothing really. Malfoy was his usual bastard self but nothing I couldn’t handle. I’ve got my own room and it’s not like I’m going to be hanging out in their common room or anything. I figure if I just stay out of their way I’ll be fine and Dobby’s going to help.” Harry smiled reassuringly at his friends and there was a collective sigh of relief from the entire Gryfindor table who had fallen silent intent on hearing what Harry had to say.

“Well that’s a good plan Harry and we’ll help too. You only have to sleep there right? The rest of the time you can spend in the tower with us.” Hermione lifted her books from the table everyone beginning to leave the hall and head for their first classes.

“What have you got first?” Finishing his breakfast Harry stood up with his friends intent on delaying getting to Snape’s office, where he knew the potions master would have heaps of things for him to study.

“Herbology.” Both Ron and Hermione spoke at once, causing Harry to smirk in amusement. Ron and Hermione had become close over the holidays Harry was sure, but he didn’t say anything. Ron would tell him about it in his own time, if Hermione didn’t first.

“Great, I’ll walk with you to the courtyard I’ve got to go that way to get to Snape’s office anyway.” Harry fell into step next to his friends as they headed towards the courtyard. It felt strange for Harry not to be attending classes when his friends were but didn’t mention it.

“So do you know the password into the Slytherin common room?” Ron’s deviant smile lit up his face, mirroring that of Ron’s mischievous twin brothers. Hermione tutted and Harry rolled his eyes at his friend.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, they wouldn’t trust me with that.” Harry came to a stand still as they walked out into the courtyard. His friends and he had to part ways here but Harry was reluctant. “I’ve got my own entrance, or rather I’m using Snape’s entrance into the common room. He says its a secret but I bet Fred and George know about it, not that I’m going to tell Snape that.” The trio chuckled knowing all to well what the weasley twins were capable of.

“Come on Ron or we’re going to be late. See you at lunch Harry and be careful.” With an insistent tug on Ron’s arm Hermione had the red headed boy walking towards the greenhouses, and Harry lingered to watch his friends disappear. It took a moment for him to realize that he too was going to be late, Harry turned and sprinted through the castle towards Snape’s, classroom and office. It wouldn’t do to irritate the professor on the first day.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>