Because We Are Snakes

Chapter 11

Because We Are Snakes - The Crooked Leg of The Tripod
It was a Thursday, just after the DA meeting -Harry still thought the name would come and bite them in the ass at some point- and he was trying to ditch his 'friends'. Ron, as usual, was easier to convince to leave him alone. Harry had used the excuse that he trusted him and only him to lead the youngest students safely back to the tower since he was oh so capable and after puffing with pride Ron left with a group of four first years. Hermione, however, was harder to give the slip to. She had been helping him gain some solo time lately and covering for him but the look of concern she was giving him as she approached with an air of stubborn purpose did not bode well for him. How he hated her mother henning sometimes, but she had been patient and helpful until now so he will not dismiss her before giving her a chance to let her worries out. He figured the change in attitude had something to do with the bags under his eyes, his strained looking face, the tired semblance of his walking, his tired sighing, and his snippy reactions to the smallest of offences. Hell, it might even be the way Malfoy kept eyeballing him, still, as if he had suddenly grown another head.

She took in a deep breath and he thought 'Time to braise myself, this is bound to be long.'

He didn't blame her really, he did not like it, but he truly did not blame her.

"Harry," She said when they were the only ones left in the ROR. "I'm concerned about you, you look tired all the time and things are getting to you easier than ever before, your mask is slipping more and more lately and people will take notice soon. What is going on? Do you need help?"

Ok, so maybe he didn't hate this particular mother henning as much as he thought. It was good that she reminded him to keep up his mask, his survival depended on it after all, and now he had someone else to take care of too. Someone who depended solely and completely on him. So many things to consider.

"Do you want me to lie or do you actually want me to answer honestly? As much as I am willing to say that is, which is not much because it would have any details whatsoever."

"Honestly, if you please, I don't need to know everything despite my generally know-it-all attitude and how I present myself to others."

"Ah, the masks we wear."

"Indeed."

"Anyways, since you asked and I am in need of some venting I will tell you what is wrong with me lately, not all, but some."

"Whatever you are comfortable with sharing."

"There are several things bothering me, Halloween was not the greatest of days for me though that is hardly anything new but stuff other than the attack happened that day and I'm having a bit of a hard time adjusting. Then there is all this business with Umbridge and Dumbledore, we are not even going to go into Snape, the Slytherins or any of that rot because that would be just preaching to the choir at this point but our 'extra curricular' activities are also taking their toll on me and I can hardly get a good night's rest as of late. To top it all of Ronald Bilius fucking Weasley... Have you noticed? There is no way you couldn't have seen it."

"Ah, that, yes. I've been wanting to talk to you about if for a while actually. What do you suppose we should do about it?"

"As of right now, there is nothing we can do unless we want to give up our little charade and since we have spent so much time pretending we are the same mindless-danger-prone-little-lion and his insufferable-know-it-all-sidekick I would rather we don't show our cards just yet.

"That's an awful lot of hyphens in that sentence there. Anyways, he is going to become a problem if he doesn't get over that soon, it will ruin the status quo and people will be looking at us more closely if they notice something has changed on what they have come to see as the norm."