He was so angry! How dare they! How could they deceive him like that! How could he let them? Harry was furious and ran down the stairs. Suddenly, he felt an odd dizziness over taking him and his vision wavered for half a second. The next he knew he was falling down the stairs, rolling and tumbling around the spiral until he came to rest at the bottom. He blinked slowly and lay there, catching his breath a little. He was so shocked that most of his anger was gone.Just then, Snape and Dumbledore came into view, hastening down the last few stairs that separated them. “Harry! Harry, are you all right?” Severus breathed, rushing to kneel at the younger wizard’s side.

“Are you hurt, Harry?” Dumbledore asked.

“No, I think I’m okay,” Harry said, tentatively sitting up.

“Come, you need the hospital wing.” Severs put a hand on the back of his shoulder in support. He felt a pleasant thrill to note that Harry neither flinched away nor shrugged it off, especially after the conversation that had just taken place, but told himself that that could have been simply that the teen didn’t notice.

“I don’t need the Hospital Wing,” Harry protested.

“Just a check up,” Severus said firmly, rising as Harry got to his feet without removing his hand.

“What happened,” Dumbledore asked before the youth could get another chance to object.

“I tripped,” Harry replied blushingly.

“Tripped?” Dumbledore repeated softly to himself.

“Come on,” Severus said, chivvying Harry off to Hospital. When they walked in the infirmary doors, Madame Pomfrey was nowhere in sight. “You sit down,” Severus said, urging Harry toward one of the beds. “I’ll go fetch the matron.

A moment later the nurse bustled in with Severus hovering behind her. “Well, Mr. Potter,” she said, “what seems to be the problem?”

“I fell down the stairs,” Harry sighed.

“Oh, how did you do that?” the woman asked, pulling out her wand and beginning to move it in the pattern of a diagnostic spell.

“I tripped,” Harry replied.

Madame Pomfrey cast him a look that said she was less than impressed with his being unforthcoming. “Did you have help tripping?” she inquired.

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head slightly.

“Did you have a moment of dizziness or disorientation?”

“A little bit of a dizzy spell,” Harry confessed reluctantly.

Severus straightened at the information and his eyes tightened for a moment. The nurse cast Harry another sharp glance. “Have you been eating, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes,” Harry said indignantly.

“Good, scrawny as you are you can’t afford not to.”

“I am not scrawny!” Harry protested.

“Would you prefer delicate?” Madame Pomfrey asked dryly as she completed a spell and looked up. Harry scowled at her and she just gave him a small smile. “Well, the good news is I don’t see anything wrong. The bad news is I don’t see any reason at all for you to have been dizzy. I don’t even see any residual effects, which I should. You just have a few bumps and bruises from falling down. They might make you a little stiff, and I can give you a cream, but it’s nothing serious.” The matron paused and gave Harry a penetrating look. “Were you doing anything before you went down the stairs that might have contributed to your unsteady state?”

“I was a little angry, but that’s never meant anything before,” Harry replied.

“Hmm, well,” she sighed. “I suppose it could just be a one time thing.” She looked distinctly unhappy with that assessment and sighed again. “I’d like to keep you here overnight, just to be sure.”

“What?” Harry cried. “You said there was nothing wrong!”

“I said I couldn’t see anything wrong, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t there,” she corrected him.

“I am not staying here overnight,” Harry said firmly.

“Yes you are, Mr. Potter,” Severus said more firmly. Harry screwed up his face in protest and Snape continued before he could speak. “And your head of house would agree. In fact, I ought to go notify her right now.”

Harry simply scowled as Snape swept out the doors to go in search of Professor McGonagall. “You will let me out early, right? I still have some presents to wrap,” he asked, turning to Madame Pomfrey.

“I said I’d keep you overnight, Mr. Potter, not forever. Take your shoes off,” the nurse replied with a small smirk as she bustled off to fetch the necessary linens.

Later that evening, a little after Madame Pomfrey had brought him a dinner tray, which Harry was relieved to find looked far more reasonably sized than usual, Professor McGonagall came into the infirmary. She strode over to Harry’s bedside and gave him a hard look. “How you have managed to get into trouble enough to need the hospital wing, I don’t know,” she said with a hint of exasperation in her voice before sinking into the chair beside his bed.

“It’s not like it’s ever intentional,” Harry protested.

“I know,” his head of house replied. “That’s part of what is so truly frightening about you.” Her face took on a somewhat sly and teasing look. “If I had known you were going to be this much trouble I’d have wished you on Professor Snape instead of being so excited to see you in Gryffindor.” Harry’s face flashed through a series of colors at that comment and he turned his face abruptly to his tray. “I know you don’t like him, Harry, but he is a good man,” the transfigurations professor said softly.

Harry forced a smile and said, “Now you sound like Hermione, professor.”

“Well, Miss Granger is right.” Seeing Harry’s minute nod she continued, “And there was a time when Miss Granger and I were not so different.” She nodded to herself when Harry smiled. “Severus told me what happened this time.”

“Did he?” Harry asked in a noncommittal voice.

“Yes, he did. I also talked to Poppy and you should be leaving sometime late tomorrow morning.”

“That’s good,” Harry said enthusiastically.

“Hmm, yes. You have everything you need for overnight?”

“Yes,” Harry replied.

“You are sure you are all right?”

“You just said Madame Pomfrey will let me go tomorrow,” Harry said looking over at her.

“I don’t mean physically necessarily. You have seemed quite blue lately, and it isn’t like you to pass out or to trip down stairs. Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Yes professor.”

“You aren’t having problems with any of your classes, are you?”

“No, coursework hasn’t been too bad.”

“I’ll have to work harder then,” McGonagall said lightly. “Did you have a fight with your friends before they left? Or Draco Malfoy? Or even Professor Snape?”

Harry looked at her sharply, “What do you know about Draco Malfoy?” Had everyone known about it but him?

McGonagall looked taken aback. “Only that you and he seemed to be getting on quite well for a time. Far better than I ever would have though possible. It has done wonders for interhouse relationships though. Some of the youngest Gryffindors have been making overtures to the youngest Slytherins and vice verse. They quite look up to you and Draco, you know.” She glanced at Harry and saw his unreadable expression. “Did you have a fight with Mr. Malfoy?”

“Sort of, but it actually cleared the air a bit,” Harry said absently. He was pondering what she had said about the youngest students.

McGonagall sucked in a breath and leaned back in her chair a little. “Professor Snape has been reasonable, has he not?”

“Yes,” Harry said absently then suddenly looked more alert, “wait, what?”

“I asked if you had had problems with Professor Snape.”

Harry grimaced a little and said with a hint of dryness, “Only one.”

McGonagall nodded firmly to herself and said, “Eat some of that tray Harry.”

Harry blinked down at it for a moment and glanced at the fork in his hand. He looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged and took a bite of his dinner.

“I have a few things to see to tonight, but I’ll check in on you tomorrow afternoon. You will be in the Tower, won’t you?” There was a sternness in her voice that suggested she would be less than pleased with any answer but yes.

“Probably,” Harry replied. “I still have some wrapping to do.”

“Until tomorrow, then, Mr. Potter.”

“See you then, Professor.”

Later that evening, Minerva strode purposefully down the halls and corridors until she reached a gargoyle that was familiar to everyone in the school. She whispered a password to it and stepped onto the staircase it slid aside to reveal. When she reached the door at the top of the stairs she rapped firmly on the door and entered as bidden a moment later. “Albus, I’m not sure what you thought you were doing, but I am quite certain that it did not work.”

“Ah, Minerva, lemon drop?”

“Don’t you lemon drop me, old man. I visited Harry in the infirmary today, and I got the distinct feeling that he had been interfered with.”

“Minerva, you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt the students.”

“I think we both know that the rules are rather different for that particular student, and it’s a bit late to change that. What you don’t seem to grasp is that intervening in other people’s lives can cause misunderstanding and pain, regardless of your best intentions.”

“I assure you, Minerva, I do grasp that and I am very careful in my interventions.”

She gave him a disbelieving look and replied, “Careful or not, Harry has been through a significant amount of emotional turmoil. His godfather just died not that long ago. I don’t think he ever properly made it through all the stages of grief. Whether that was a conscious decision or not, I cannot say. He does not need to be manipulated into friendships with people who will likely betray him, whether intentionally or not. He is a delicate boy, although he would never admit it. Frankly I’m surprised he hasn’t passed out more often before now.”

“Did Poppy determine that he had passed out?” Dumbledore questioned her.

“Poppy isn’t quite sure what happened, but I happen to think it likely that Harry was emotionally overwrought. I find it especially interesting that he should be in such a state while descending from your tower.”

Dumbledore spread his hands, “What is it you want me to say, Minerva?”

She sighed and glanced up at the pictures of some of the headmasters and headmistresses that had gone before. A few of them looked curiously rapt, while others were pretending to be sleeping, as usual. “Harry is in many ways curiously fragile and inexperienced. Do keep that in mind before you push him into something that he can’t handle.” Then she closed her mouth firmly and turned to stride out of the room.

The next afternoon, after Madame Pomfrey extracted another promise to come to the infirmary at once if he felt even the slightest bit unusual, Harry trekked back up to Gryffindor Tower. He hurriedly made his way to his trunk and began pulling out presents and wrapping paper. When he came to the letter and chocolate he had planned to give to Snape, he tossed them across the room, crumpling the parchment into a tight ball. Then he sat down and got to work. With magic, it was only the work of a few moments to wrap gifts for all of his friends, and a few minutes later Harry was saying, “Dobby, can you hear me?”

He more than half expected that he would have to go down to the kitchens to look for the devoted house elf, but he was a little curious, since he doubted professors had to run all over the castle anytime they needed an elf. When nothing happened he decided that perhaps the house elves had been told not to listen to students, or perhaps there was some spell one cast or some other method.

A few minutes later he was standing in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit, tickling the pear. He gained admittance and looked around for his diminutive friend. “Is Dobby here?” he asked when he could not spot him.

Two of the house elves who had clustered expectantly around him detached from the group and said, “We go fetch him,” before disappearing. The rest, after making certain that he did not want anything to eat or drink, drifted back to their work in various parts of the kitchen.

A moment later Dobby appeared before Harry and asked, “Harry Potter sir has been asking for Dobby? What is it Dobby can do for Harry Potter sir?”

“I just wanted to ask if you’d mind delivering my friends’ presents to them tonight, since I’m not sure Hedwig can get to them all tonight.”

“Dobby would be honored, Harry Potter sir.”

“Thanks very much, Dobby. They are all in a pile in my dorm. Would you like me to put them somewhere else?”

“No, Harry Potter sir, Dobby will be delivering Harry Potter sir’s presents to his friends, Harry Potter sir doesn’t need to worry about a thing.”

“Well, thanks again,” Harry said as he prepared to leave the kitchen.

“Harry Potter sir is most welcome,” Dobby squeaked excitedly.

Harry was contemplating a short flight as he re-entered the Tower a few moments later. His pleasant thoughts were cut off, however, when he heard his head of house ask sharply, “And just where have you been?”

“Ah, Professor, I just went down to take a little walk. I had to return something to the library,” Harry lied, giving her his best innocent look.

She gave him a suspicious look but asked, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Harry replied. “Actually, I was thinking of going outside for a bit.”

“You’ve gotten all your wrapping done?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Well, bundle up, then, and don’t be late for dinner.” She peered at him sternly over the top of her spectacles.

“I won’t,” Harry promised. McGonagall nodded and turned to exit the tower while Harry ran up the stairs to his dormitory to get his broom out of his trunk.