Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter XXXXIII: Detention, Into the Forbidden Forest

All throughout the day and into the next morning most of Harry's friends were very subdued. Even Tracey and Hannah, the most talkative of their group, remained mostly silent, speaking only when spoken to, and even then, it was with one word answers. Harry wasn't sure if it was because of his speech yesterday morning on how governments around the world, be they magical or not, worked, or if there was some other reason they were all so quiet.

Logic would indicate it was the former.

After laying in his bed last night, Harry had realized that his words had probably not been the best thing to say to his friends. They were all so young, and he didn't mean in the physical sense. Much like his friend Lisa Crawft, the friends he had here at Hogwarts were innocent, for lack of a better term. They had the naivety only innocence can bring, and while a few of them had led somewhat difficult lives, such as Susan's case of living with an aunt she rarely got to see growing up, it did not change the fact that they had never really been exposed to harsh realities of life like he had.

Knowing that he may have just shattered some of their common misconceptions about how real life worked was enough to make him cringe. He tried consoling himself by stating that it's better to have the veil of illusions pulled from your eyes early, but it didn't really help. In fact, it only made him feel worse, especially when he remembered that old saying 'ignorance is bliss.' The entire fiasco had left his mind in an internal debate that lasted all night, until he had actually passed out from mental exhaustion.

What's worse was that his mind had been so busy berating itself that he had fallen asleep before he could clear it. This had led to him having another nightmare. While he got them often enough, they were usually sporadically mixed in with dreams of better times. That he not only dreamt about one of the lowest points in his life, but the point where he had truly begun realizing how harsh the world really was, merely served to confirm the fact that he was troubled by what happened yesterday.

He shuddered for a moment, wondering what was worse; watching as Voldemort killed his mother and than set his sights on him, or the abuse he had suffered from his relatives.

A hand laid itself on his. Harry blinked, then looked down to see a delicate porcelain hand and graceful fingers settled over his own. He followed the hand to the equally feminine wrist, up the arm, and soon found himself staring into the warm blue eyes of Daphne Greengrass.

“Are you alright?” she asked in a hushed whisper so that no one else could hear. “You look tired.”

“I'm fine,” Harry reassured her, or at least tried to. She didn't seem very reassured. He grimaced, remembering how he had seen bags under his eyes this morning. She no doubt saw them as well. “I just had a bad dream last night is all.”

Daphne looked at him for a moment longer, then nodded slowly. There were no words of comfort, no sympathy or pity, just an understanding nod. She gave his hand a small squeeze, then began daintily eating her breakfast, before anyone could notice the small moment that had taken place between them.

Harry focused on his food, hoping that by doing so, he could keep himself occupied until he had time to clear his mind. The warm ceylon tea helped him a little, and Harry made himself a note to thank the house elves for getting it so expediently when he saw them again.

He spent a moment observing his friends as he sipped at his tea, hoping to god the caffeine would wake him up. It was a vain hope. Stimulants, be they natural or otherwise, never affected his physiology.

Blaise was silent, not surprising as he was usually silent, but he seemed even quieter than usual. Terry as well, neither had done much speaking or even glanced at anyone during breakfast. On the other hand, Lisa, Hannah and Susan had been shooting worried glances at him all throughout their meal. He wondered what they were thinking. Hermione had a thoughtful frown on her face, no doubt thinking about what he said last night. She was always the most learned of their little group besides him. He didn't doubt that she was trying to discern if what he said was true. Neville, likewise, looked silently contemplative. He was probably the hardest for Harry to judge, just because it was difficult to determine whether the boy was taking his words to heart, or if they had disturbed him the most.