Severus tried several times to talk to Harry, but to no avail. Soon, not only Severus had noticed, but everyone who knew Harry. (So pretty much everyone.) However, nobody could get him to tell what was bothering him, for Severus suspected it was more than just Quirrell, and soon, it was Christmas. Ron, Hermione, and Draco had all opted to stay behind with Harry.
Harry awoke in the Gryffindor dormitory to Ron shouting.
"Harry wake up, wake up! Those presents aren't going to open themselves!"
"This reminds me of something." Harry told Ron. "Dad still has my mini dragon that Hagrid gave me when I was six! He said I could have it when I was eleven. Well, I'm eleven. I'll go ask him about that later."
The three boys opened their presents, Harry more carefully than the others, and soon were hanging out, talking and laughing, with Hermione. Except for Harry, who had again fallen into a brooding silence.
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione was the first to notice.
Harry jumped. "Yeah, I'm fine, just... thinking."
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione moved from the floor to the couch to sit next to him.
"Nothing, just something I overheard between Quirrell and one of the ghosts." Harry dodged the question.
Hermione was not going to let this go. "Which ghost?"
"The Grey Lady." Harry said, staring into the fire. "The ghost for Ravenclaw house."
"What did you overhear?" Hermione persisted.
"Nothing, Hermione!" Harry said. "Forget I said anything."
Hermione, of course would not do anything of the sort.
"Fine. I'm off to the library. Anyone want to come?" she asked.
The three boys looked at each other.
"Fine." Hermione left.
As soon as the Portrait Hole closed behind her, Hermione took off running, not to the library, but to the dungeons, and Severus's office.
Knocking politely on the door, she stepped back when it opened.
"Professor Snape, sorry to interrupt your Christmas, but this is about Harry."
Severus moved aside to let her in.
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