Real or Not Real {Harry Potter}

Thirty Three

Harry frowns. "I don't understand, I think we're doing fine."

They better be doing fine. They've bloody kissed twice, and not just an innocent peck on the lips either, it was a kiss that had the potential to lead to more.

"You need to be more convincing publicly," Lupin says.

"But-"

"Dumbledore says you guys don't do much to show your relationship around the castle. You need to be holding hands, going on dates-"

"So Dumbledore has the time to write letters to you, but is too busy to even talk to me?" He says, his anger starting to form. He can feel the fire stirring, waiting to be unleashed.

"Dumbledore is a very busy man-" Lupin begins to say.

"I don't give a damn what he has to do!" Harry yells.

"Watch it," Sirius says in a warning tone.

Harry stops, feeling his chest rising up and down, the blood rushing to his ears.

Sirius stands up, placing his arms on Harry's shoulders. "You need to listen to Dumbledore. Trust him. He says you need to be more public with your relationship with Bria, and Remus and I agree."

Harry nods begrudgingly. "Okay, I will."

Sirius smiles, and pulls him into a hug. Harry returns the hug, his grip just as tight as Sirius'. Sirius releases him, with a sly grin on his face. "And don't think I don't know that Bria is in your bed every night."

Harry can feel his face growing red. "It's not what you think-"

"I think that you are a teenage boy, one that has had to grow up too fast. It's good to act like this sometimes. It reminds me of James."

Harry smiles. He always wants to hear information about his parents.

"Go to bed," Remus had said.

Harry left Sirius' room to go into his own, but instead of sleeping peacefully that night with Bria beside him, he had been plagued with his thoughts. How much does he have to do with Bria to prove to everyone of his false devotion to her? How far will this relationship go until it leads to Bria's demise?

How can he be with Bria when there is so much fire in him?

January had come and gone, with DA meetings, detentions with Umbridge, and the increase of public affection with Bria. He holds her hand more, walks her to class, and eats with her when their schedules line up. Anything that a real boyfriend would do.

While Harry can feel himself falling into this deep path of despair and anger, Bria only seems to be happier.

She smiles a lot more, possibly from Harry's affections, possibly from seeing her brother after so many years, or maybe her reconciliation with Michael and her friends.

If Bria is not with Harry, she's with the Ravenclaws. It was as if nothing had happened, as if Michael and they had not picked Ginny over her. They act as if Ginny were not a part of their lives at all.

February is filled with the sense of anxiety that it's now Valentine's Day, and that means he has to shower Bria with gifts and love and dates. It's not that he missed doing these things with Bria, in fact, he rather enjoys it. He enjoyed her reaction to her Christmas gift, and he liked spending time with her.

It's the fact that everything has to be so public. Which is essentially the point, but Bria and Harry seemed to have this mutual agreement that in public they would act like friends, with the occasional hand-holding or peck on the cheek. But Sirius and Lupin's suggestions fill his every thoughts, and now Harry is hyper-aware of everything that he does.