"Severus?"

Severus turned from the portrait he had been talking to, finding Minerva coming up behind him. "Yes?"

"Have you seen Mr. Potter? I haven't seen him for days and Madam Justice said he's not been into Gryffindor tower."

He narrowed his eyes. Of course he would be required to tell her, since she was the boy's head of house, but he knew that Potter just wanted to be left alone for the time being.

"I believe he has been sleeping in the hidden guest room beside the kitchens. Madam Justice would not let him into the tower because he would not own up to something he did not do."

"What? He told you this? She has never refused to let a Gryffindor into the tower.'

"I witnessed it. She told him he was not a Gryffindor." He remembered vividly how irritated Potter seemed to be when told he wasn't as good as his father. Or perhaps he was irritated because he didn't want to be compared to him.

"I'll have words with her," she said, suddenly stiff. "I need to have words with Harry about his little performance in the Headmaster's office. I've never seen him throw such a childish fit."

"Perhaps he had reason," Severus suggested, not wanting to give away a secret that was not his to give.

"Oh tosh," she said, waiving her hand. "Why would he want to return to school instead of going home? Really Severus, I believe you are the only one who likes it here that much." She thanked him for the information on Harry and walked towards the kitchens.

Severus narrowed his eyes after her retreating back. He did not enjoy staying in the castle through the holidays as much as she thought. What on earth would make her believe that he didn't want to go to his own home? He shook his head and moved off for the dungeons. He did not envy Potter the lecture he was about to receive.

* * *

Harry muttered under his breath as he hovered his trunk up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower. He was content to stay in the room by the kitchens where it was quiet instead of moving back into the boy's dormitory, where he was sure everybody would be talking about him as if he were some criminal, just as Mrs. Fig, Snape, and the Aurors had all done. But no, Snape had to go and tell McGonagall where he was staying, and he had then endured a 45 minute lecture on decorum and instructions to move back into the tower.

Harry lowered his trunk to the floor in front of the picture of the fat lady. She had her arms crossed.

"Think you're coming in?"

"Professor McGonagall told me to."

"Oh, so now you want to follow the rules? A little late for that isn't it?"

"Are you going to open up for me or not?" He was angry again now. He hated being angry.

"Not with that tone young man."

Harry muttered something under his breath and grabbed the end of his trunk, dragging it off down the corridor, not bothering to lighten or levitate it. It was only 24 more hours until the other students arrived back in the castle, at which point he could enter with the rest of the students, because the portrait hole would already be open. He settled into a guest room down the hall, and locked the door tight.

In the pit of Harry's stomach, he began to feel anxious about the return of his peers. What would they say? Surely they had all seen the picture in the paper, and who could refute that? What about Susan, would she be in school this year? Would she pester him to take care of her, or would she be angry? She had testified under Veritaserum that it had been him, so she must believe it herself. And then there was Ginny to contend with. They were still dating the last time he checked, but that was weeks ago, before this whole ‘Potter can't keep it in his pants' incident spread across the headlines. Rita Skeeter's articles had been getting bolder in the passing days since his return to Hogwarts. She had even gone so far as to say he was a sex-a-holic that needed serious medical attention before he became incurable.

With the same anxiousness also came a longing to be with his friends again. Surely they wouldn't believe the nonsense Skeeter printed? He felt isolated, and he hated isolation more than feeling angry or hurt. Returning to Hogwarts had always meant an end to his summer isolation, and he wondered if it would still be so this year.

Saturday came and went, Harry trying to finish up the last of his summer assignments before his friends returned, and before he knew it, the time had come to meet his friends.

The night was cool, and Harry decided that instead of waiting in the Entrance Hall he would take a stroll down to the school gates and take a Thestral drawn carriage up to the school with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, if she was still talking to him that was.

By the time he made the gates, students were already piling into carriages. It was dark and nobody seemed to notice him there, searching for his friends. After a few minutes he spotted orange hair, and made his way towards Ron.

"There you are," he said with a grin.

"Here I am," Ron grumbled. What a response, Harry thought to himself. Ron didn't look happy, and he wondered if he and Hermione had been fighting again. He turned to Hermione instead, and said, "How was your summer?" He took her book bag, which was heavy and full of books, and threw it up onto the carriage for her. She never went anywhere without it. "Thanks Harry. It was good... and yours?"

Harry noticed that her voice and smile seemed strained, and tried to ignore it as he climbed onto the carriage behind her and told her about having plenty of time to finish his summer work.

"That's good Harry," Hermione said quietly, and then tried to catch Ron's eye as the carriage lurched forward, but Ron seemed determined to look anywhere but inside the carriage.

"So what about... Susan?" And there it was. He knew it would come up, but he almost wished it wouldn't. The sooner the better he thought. Better to clear it up than to deal with Ron's avoidance and Hermione's strained smile any longer.

"I didn't do it," Harry told Hermione plainly.

She raised her brows and Ron turned to stare at him. "Excuse me?"

"I had nothing to do with it. The papers are lying. I've never even met her."

"They had a picture Harry, and she took Veritaserum," Ron told him. Harry sensed the edge to his friend's voice, and noted it so that he could avoid escalating Ron's mood to anger.

"Draco took the picture on vacation right after Dudley beat me up. And I don't know about the Veritaserum. Dumbledore reckons maybe someone took Polyjuice to look like me, or her memories were modified somehow."

"And why would someone do that?" Ron's voice was snarky now and sarcastic.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Tarnish my name maybe. Dumbledore thinks they're trying to turn the public against me so that when Voldemort attacks I won't have any support."

Ron snorted, and Harry clenched his fists. "Dumbledore and Kingsley both did a chastity spell on me the day they brought me back... and I passed. I've never had sex, and that's a spell you can't fool with Polyjuice or memory modification."

"I believe you Harry," Hermione suddenly put in, and Ron shook his head and looked away again.

"Thanks. That makes you and the Order."

"And Ron," Hermione put in, kicking Ron's leg across the carriage.

"Strike that out Hermione," Ron told her, waving his hand. "Believe whatever silly lies you want to, but I'm not so easily fooled."

"No? You seem to be fooled by Skeeter," Harry said.

"You know what? You just stay away from my sister Harry. She cried for the last three weeks you know... that's your fault. And she thinks she's going to forgive you too, how sad is that? You just stay away from her. Swear to God Harry, if you touch her, you're dead. She's too young to have a baby, and so is Susan." Suddenly Ron stood up and jumped over the side of the slowly moving carriage. "I'll walk from here," he said up to Hermione as the carriage moved past him and up the drive.

"Ron!" Hermione shouted back. She and Harry watched as another carriage behind them carrying some Hufflepuffs slowed enough to pull Ron up, and then was lost to darkness as Ron and Hermione's carriage picked up speed.

There was silence for a moment, before Harry said, "You'd better join him."

"What?"

"In the Entrance Hall. This is going to be one of those years. If you're dating him you'd better stick with him."

"He's being ridiculous."

"Maybe you could learn to perform the chastity spell and do it in front of him. Then he might come around."

"That's a good idea, but I don't know where to find it."

"When Dumbledore did it, it sounded like he spoke in Dutch."

"Well, that's a start. There's a big Dutch section in the library."

"Until then, just stick with him. I'll understand."

"I just don't understand him sometimes."

"Just forget it Hermione. If I'm still alive when he comes around, you know where I live."

They were quiet the rest of the way up to the castle. At least Harry now knew what he was in for. If his best friend didn't believe him, then there was no chance he could deny it to the rest of the student body and be believed.