FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝗶𝗶 | 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄

On the morning of the thirty first of July, Gwen set to writing Harry Potter, her best friend, his birthday letter. The last time she had written to Harry, it had been in response to him begging her to send him food, as his cousin was now being put on a diet and Harry was forced to do it too.

The Muggles that Harry lived with were, for lack of a better word, utterly rotten. Harry always had horror stories to tell about them, and Gwen had come immediately to his rescue when he had written, sending him boxes of sweets and cakes that could last him the whole summer. Ron and Hermione, their other two best friends, had done the same, and Harry's last letter had triumphantly divulged that he now had an immense stack of sweets to keep him going from all of them.

As Gwen finished the birthday letter, she sat back and waited for Orion to come back from his hunting trip. Today was Harry's birthday, but it was also the day she would join the Weasleys at their home in the Burrow. She was overjoyed to be going so early, to be spending a whole month with them, because being at home meant that she had to do her best to not think. She believed her parents to be Legillimens, mind readers, something she, Eddie, Felix and Lucille had discussed a year ago. There were instances almost every day where Altair and Enola Everill would suddenly stop talking, sharing looks and glances as though they were communicating telepathically, and, for fear that they would learn her secret, the secret that she knew who they truly were, she had to fight to keep her mind free of any thoughts.

It was extremely difficult, and she had no idea how to do it than by constantly distracting herself. She had a library at home, but if she were caught reading up on Legilimency at home, there would be questions. She didn't know how mind reading worked, so she didn't know if her parents could hear her every thought, or if they just decided to look in whenever they got suspicious or curious.

It was an invasive thought, and she felt the hatred for her parents growing more and more.

She was realising, slowly, how her father had never truly shown any of his children love or affection. He used them to elevate his social standing, and Gwen was sure that her role in twice aiding Harry to defeat Lord Voldemort probably made her parents angry. She wished she had some way of looking into their minds, to know what they truly thought, to have learnt sooner the horrible truths of their pasts, and possible presents.

Her father was one of the most trusted people in the Ministry. How he had managed that, given the suspicion that must have surrounded him during the Wizarding War, she had no idea. Her mother was a respected member of Wizarding society, who stood by her husband, and thus, her family.

The Everills were respected, wealthy, powerful. Everyone knew that. And yet Gwen wanted to get away from them at the earliest chance she could.

She didn't even say goodbye to her parents, when she left for the Burrow later that day. She'd already sent her owl, Orion, off with Harry's birthday gift and letter, and was now more than ready to leave. Eddie and Felix both hugged her at the fireplace, and Lucille had almost refused to let go.