A Gathering Storm (Harry Potter love story)

Chapter 21: Distance

Since that day me and Harry talked about Cedric, Harry had kept his distance. Within days of us being back he almost turned unfamiliar.
he stopped meeting any of us for meals.
stopped coming to our weekly library sessions
He even stopped smiling at me in the hallways as we passed one another.
Whatever happened that day.... set him off.
Hermonie kept trying to analyze what was going on. whether it was something he felt or had done. None of us.
Sure Harry had distanced himself from Ron and Hermonie earlier on, but not with me.
He shared things with me. Told me things that he was feeling.
Things he neglected to tell them, until later on.
But with me,
he felt comfortable. he opened up to me.
We knew what it was like to feel alone.
Scared.
Vulnerable.
And yet....
He decided to walk away from it all.

"He's just being moody". Leo grumbled one morning in potions. Most days Leo didn't even listen to Snape.
I laid my head on my arm and let out a huff.
"I think something needs to cast a good old spell on him to stop him from being such an-"
Snape glared right at Leo. "Mr. Edwards would you care to share with the class your conversation with Mrs. Lovelace, that seems to be more fascinating then my teachings?"
Leo gulped and shook his head.
"N-no I'm good sir".
Snape pinched his lips together. "Then zipped it".
Leo nodded his head vigorously. As Snape turned away, Leo leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear,
"I can do it if you want".
Fighting back the answer of saying yes. I shook my head. Casting a spell on him would only make sense worse and i didn't want that either. Leo let out a rather large sigh and placed his hand on my shoulder as we began to gather in groups, for our next potions assignment.
"Are you sure your okay?" This time he was being serious. Leo was rarely serious, but when he was it was for the things that truly mattered. Clearly to him, this one of them.
"Yeah".
It was neither a lie nor the truth. It was just me. I was upset, angry and annoyed and yet i was empathetic. I knew what it felt like to be alone. To have nothing and feel like the world is against you. But yet I wad angry at him. For not talking to me. For not trusting me enough after all things i had told him about me and my past.
We had promised each other that we'd work this out. We'd try to make us work. We'd communicate and listen to one another and yet...
Harry didn't seem to be wanting any of it.
Making me wonder why i was still even falling for him...

Even during our secret training sessions he seemed to sway away from us. especially me and i started to feel like it was my fault.
That i had done something wrong.
Harry was struggling, that was clear, but from what i did not know. I knew that since school had started back up that he was becoming more on edge, aggravated even. And i knew that these visions that he was having where a part of all this, but part of me knew that there was something else. Something darker eating away at him and I just end wanted to help him. Be there for him.
Umbridge wasnt doing much good to ease any of us either. Everyday from when we got back new rules, orders had been set in place. And now she even formed her own little group of kiss ass students. Mainly used, according to Leo, to do her dirty work and sniff out all the traitors. No surprise when i had learned that Draco was first in line to join. Most people weren't either.

Thanks to classes being cancelled today I was able to write a lot today. And classes are canceled tomorrow as well. So lots of writing is getting done.
We are in a windchill advisory alert so it's like -45 below outside so it's cold. That's why there's no school.