So he kept to himself and studied for his classes and the owl exams he wanted to sit. He did speak to the twins to keep up with their business plans and discover what the Trio were up to now. But he insisted that be done away from prying eyes and ears. Such as meeting at a specific time in the Room of Requirement rather than somewhere more public in random off-chance meetings. They kept him informed of what schemes the Triad were plotting as well as how the Tower was treating them for those schemes.
And he did talk with Madam Pince but only when no one else was in the library to hear him do so. He'd begun conversing with her back in his third year when not even the Professors had cared for his personal safety. She was the one to introduce him to new more relevant courses of study and was a great help in understanding them.
He also began talking to Professor Snape though since he wasn't given to long, unnecessary conversations, that was usually just to ask for assistance with something he didn't understand related to Potions or Defense. Professor Snape had taken to coming by his room at least every couple of days and sometimes agreed to oversee his brewing efforts when he wanted to try making a potion he wasn't sure he understood the directions clearly enough. He tried to make sure all the potions he asked for oversight on were age appropriate but sometimes they were his own modifications of a current fifth year potion. The man was even doing some of his own brewing in the lab the Castle had provided for Harry's use. Which had surprised Harry to no end.
But he mostly asked him Defense related questions considering the Professor they had this year was no better than Lockhart had been. In fact, you could say she was worse. At least Lockhart had made mention of some spells. He couldn't do them and didn't pronounce them correctly. But they were mentioned. Usually in the correct context so a student could go look them up in order to learn them properly. But that was better than the teacher they had now.
Snape, however, was good at Defense. Harry had learned that in his second year with the dueling tournament thingy. So Harry would ask him any questions he had on the subject from the outside books he'd bought for himself when he saw what the required textbook for this year would be. Willard Slinkhard really was a worm of a man, just as his name implied he was, if he honestly thought every conflict could be talked out regardless of the reasoning behind said conflict. While it was a good idea to try negotiations and talking before engaging in open combat, some differences could only be solved by combat itself. This fool most likely had died, or would die, trying to talk himself out of a confrontation where only spell loaded wands would soothe the hurt feelings of the involved parties.
The Weasely twins were really his only indulgence when it came to people his own age since they'd never once turned their backs on him or accused him of things he neither did nor said. They were also the only ones who never voted to kick him off the quiditch team. Even going so far as to vote against the inclusion of Ron and Ginny because they knew the only reason why the two wanted on the team was to lord it over Harry that they'd taken his place. Plus, he believed they were well capable of taking care of themselves and watching their backs for unfriendly knives. Not to mention getting revenge against anyone stupid enough to try hurting them to get to him. And they had Lee, who'd never betray them, to watch their backs for them as well. So they were his eyes and ears in the tower as well as his business partner.
As for his school mates, a lot of them now felt incredibly guilty over the way they had treated him in past years. Several of the less scrupulous had thought to try and take advantage of the total lack of companions around him only to find themselves stopped cold by their year mates. No one was allowed to approach him too closely though they were allowed to speak to him. Those students who understood him best, Slytherin for the most part, were forming an impenetrable wall around him to hold the rest of the school at bay. Slytherins, more than any other tower, understood how damaging persecution for things you hadn't done or had any control over could be to a person. Especially persecution for doing the right thing and saving lives in the process. Harry had just been through four very intense years of exactly that treatment right under their noses and not one of the students acting as a part of his shield wall had any doubts as to just how damaging those years had been to him. They certainly didn't want their school mates to profit off it while his defenses were down. Each of them fully believed when Harry was ready for new friends he would let them know and maybe if they were lucky he'd want to choose them as a friend.
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