"I'm not gloomy!" he protested - and there was, at least, a spark of his usual self in that indignant tone. Possibly also in what a blatant lie it was, too. Gloomy, though...
No. No, he wasn't gloomy. He was tired, and sick, and sad, and things looked pretty bleak and pretty hopeless, but he wasn't gloomy. Just... off-colour. Sulky, maybe, he could accept sulky. Sulky was on-brand. Even sad could be on-brand. But being gloomy wasn't a Potter thing to do. It wasn't him.
He looked down at her hand on his arm, and there was a small pang of grief at the sight of it. Another thing that was out of place - no matter how much he wanted her to, Lily Evans wasn't in the habit of touching him, or of being this gently concerned about him. It should be a victory to have her worried, but it wasn't. It was just another reminder that nothing was the way it should be.
He sighed. "Thanks," he said, at last, more quietly. He didn't seem to want to meet her eyes, his hazel eyes glancing away from her gaze. "I mean, it's really nice of you to say that. But I've got all the friends I can handle right now." Given the parlous state his relationship with Sirius was in, anyway. Trying to hold that together, through his own fury and Sirius' guilt and Remus not being able to look either of them in the eye, was all the friends he could handle.
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No. No, he wasn't gloomy. He was tired, and sick, and sad, and things looked pretty bleak and pretty hopeless, but he wasn't gloomy. Just... off-colour. Sulky, maybe, he could accept sulky. Sulky was on-brand. Even sad could be on-brand. But being gloomy wasn't a Potter thing to do. It wasn't him.
He looked down at her hand on his arm, and there was a small pang of grief at the sight of it. Another thing that was out of place - no matter how much he wanted her to, Lily Evans wasn't in the habit of touching him, or of being this gently concerned about him. It should be a victory to have her worried, but it wasn't. It was just another reminder that nothing was the way it should be.
He sighed. "Thanks," he said, at last, more quietly. He didn't seem to want to meet her eyes, his hazel eyes glancing away from her gaze. "I mean, it's really nice of you to say that. But I've got all the friends I can handle right now." Given the parlous state his relationship with Sirius was in, anyway. Trying to hold that together, through his own fury and Sirius' guilt and Remus not being able to look either of them in the eye, was all the friends he could handle.