𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃. harry potter

𝐢. cousins

01 | COUSINS

Harry fiddled with his sleeves, nervous as he rubbed his hands together. The chamber of secrets issue had already been solved, and although he was hailed a hero, it was still disconcerting for him. So many questions swirling in his head, yet no one wanted to answer them.

Not much has changed; Ginny was fawning over him as per usual but it has lessened after Harry had voiced his discomfort to her. The entire Gryffindor house was still prideful of his existence, while Slytherin were disgruntled of yet again being outshines by the lions. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were neutral about it, but were displeased of how the lions and snakes were the center of attention.

And then there were Ron and Hermione... Harry was still bothered by what he thought of his friends, and began to doubt if they really were friends. It's only been a year and a few months since they've met and Harry likes to believe Ron and Hermione were his friends.

As summer came closer, dread pooled in his stomach as he walked the halls with a quiet frown. He didn't want to go back, but inevitably, Dumbledore insisted. He always questioned why the headmaster insisted on returning him to his muggle relatives.

He didn't even know much about his own father's family, but if he did have magical relatives, why would Dumbledore send him to the Dursleys? It would be absurd to doubt the Headmaster, but he couldn't help himself. He questioned if he truly did have other family members out there.

"Harry! Slow down for a second!"

He turned to see Ron, slightly red-faced as he ran towards him. Harry could only sigh, nodding with a tired smile.

"Mate, why'd you gotta move so fast. It isn't like there's another Basilisk in Hogwarts; you've killed it! The school won't stop talking about it―" Ron blabbered, before frowning to himself, "and you've got all the credit." He whispered, sending Harry a small glare before huffing and grumbling about how unfair it was.

Harry didn't ignore this, sighing once more. He wasn't dumb, contrary to what others constantly said. He noticed how his friends acted around him. One was jealous of the fame and the other wanted to squash his intelligence so she could be relies on. Harry, like any child who grew up to survive, has carefully constructed facades for his friends.

It wasn't particularly hard for Harry to walk around Hogwarts with a small disguise just to eavesdrop on his so-called friends. He had listened to their insult and belittle him on multiple occasions, both Hermione and Ron talking about him behind his back.

It was to be expected with his supposed fame.

But he played along, hoping that they would truly be friends in the future. How naïve.

"Sorry, Ron! I was just in a hurry, kinda tired with all that's happened." Harry smiled, though strained, a smile nonetheless.

Ron hummed in agreement, "Yeah! And the exams are too tiring." Ron groaned, stretching his arms up.

"But Hermione thinks otherwise. She's bloody bonkers, signing up for every class there is for next year! Did you see how she was already scribbling away for stuff we haven't approached?!"

"That's just how Hermione is. Curious and thirsty for knowledge."

"It's a wonder how she's not a Ravenclaw."

Harry hummed softly as he continued to walk back to Gryffindor Tower, but surprisingly, they were stopped.

Ron paled at the sight of McGonagall, but Harry immediately noticed her a rather hopeful look. The moment their eyes met, he could see the pure joy in them. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or not. Adults were odd, and Harry questioned if he really wanted to become one.