Utterly Broken

Chapter Three

All the eighth years received their schedules the next morning, as they appeared on their beds when the students awoke. Harry looked at his schedule, eyes still bleary from sleep. 

He had chosen to focus on becoming a teacher, not an auror, like Ron. He couldn't stand the violence, the battles, even if it was to save people. He was too weak. 

Harry looked over his schedule again:

Monday: Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts,  Arithmancy, Charms

Tuesday: History of Magic, Transfiguration, Study of Magic Runes

Wednesday: Transfiguration, Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts

Thursday: Advanced Potions, Arithmancy

Friday: Charms, Study of Magic Runes, History of Magic

Harry was trying to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts, as he had always been great at the subject and loved it as well. 

Harry got up from his bed slowly, glancing over at Malfoy to make sure he was still asleep. Seeing that he was, Harry let his arms come out from under the covers, purposely looking away from his scared arms.  

Quickly grabbing his robes, he jogged to the bathroom to change. He rushed to put on his robes, pretending the mirror didn't exist. When he walked back into the room, Malfoy was awake, rubbing sleepily at his eyes, blond hair sticking up in a variety of directions. 

"Nice hair, Malfoy," Harry mocked, reaching to grab his schedule.

Yelping, Malfoy scrambled to cover his head, finding only a pillow. "Bugger off," Malfoy snarked in reply as he grabbed his robes, dropped the pillow, placed the robes on his head and ran to the bathroom. 

Harry glanced up at the ceiling ,which was cloudy and grey, before entering the common room. The ceiling of the common room was bright but cloudy, shining soft light on the students below. Harry spotted Hermione, reading on one of the chair with her legs pulled up close to her, making her seem small. Harry debated whether he should wait with Hermione for Ron and head down to breakfast with them, or if he should quickly grab something in the kitchen and go to the astronomy tower to be alone.

He continued to stare at Hermione, running the two options through his mind. Hermione was oblivious to Harry's inner turmoil as she was so sucked into her book. When he saw Ron lumber out of his room, Seamus following behind, he made had his decision. Just as Ron had reached Hermione, Harry had quietly escaped from the common room. 

He rushed down to the kitchens, staring around to make sure nobody was coming while he tickled the pear. Upon entering the kitchens, a bunch of house elves who had previously been making breakfast, turned to look at him simultaneously. Dobby should be here. 

"Master Harry!" One called, rushing to Harry's knees and hugging them graciously. The other elves called out a variety of thing similar to what the first elf had said.

"What can we do for you, sir?" A short, stumpy elf asked. 

"I'll just have a treacle tart, please," requested Harry. All at once the elves rushed to get Harry a tart. Soon a pile of about twenty tarts had been made, on the table near the middle of the kitchen. 

"Sir, there you go, sir," The elves said, bumbling over each other while speaking. 

"Thanks," Harry mumbled, placing the tarts in a basket. 

The elves practically glowed as they rushed about, "Oh! Master has said thank you! Master is so kind."

Harry awkwardly stumbled out of the room, bumping into Kreacher along the way, who gruffly muttered, "Filthy blood traitor," good naturally.