Excited eyes met his for a moment before he broke the gaze with a sneer, turning back to his breakfast half-heartedly despite knowing that his brother didn't deserve his hostility. Argus could see Evan's excitement fade into confusion and hurt, but couldn't bring himself to care.
Not today.
It was Evan's birthday, or more specifically, his eleventh birthday. Evan would be receiving his Hogwarts letter some time today, because their parents now knew that none of the magic that had exploded through the house had been his. They had realised it with the lack of Hogwarts letter arriving on his birthday last year.
Even now, the memory of his parents' disappointed expressions as they tucked him into bed, attempting to convince him that it was simply a mistake and that the letter would arrive the next day. They hadn't believed it themselves.
Argus hated it. He hated the fact that his parents now looked at him with pity in their eyes, as if he were disabled and would never be able to function in society.
"Happy birthday, Evan!" their mother exclaimed. "Come sit down and have some breakfast. You can decide what you want to do afterwards."
Argus tuned out Evan's excited chatter as Evan barraged their parents with everything he found even vaguely exciting.
Argus often found Evan's chatter to be quite endearing, but not today when he was just about to be reminded of everything he could not be. Argus didn't want to be reminded that he would probably never see Hogwarts, and would never be able to perform any of the magic his parents enchanted him with when he had been younger. It was all out of his reach, and well within his brother's.
He couldn't hate his brother for it. None of this was Evan's fault, but that didn't mean he could stop the envy that crawled through his thoughts every time he was reminded of the difference between them. Argus really didn't want to take his anger and frustration out on his family, he really didn't, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from snapping at them to the point that they were all reluctant to interact with him.
An excited shout drew his attention out the window and to a small black spec in the distance that was rapidly growing into the shape of an owl. Argus felt the urge to simply leave the room, but he needed to know what it would be like when a Hogwarts letter was received.
Evan's letter would be the only one arriving in their family.
He had to be here to witness it. He had to put his bitterness aside, just once, for himself and his brother.
Maybe he could even congratulate his brother.
"It's here! It's here!" Evan yelled, dancing around the room as the owl perched on a nearby chair next to Argus
After a moment's hesitation, Argus reached out and pulled the letter from the claws of the owl before handing it to Evan.
"Congratulations Evan," Argus said after a moment, his voice breaking halfway.
Evan opened his mouth to reply, but Argus had already left the room.
AN: Written for Arithmacy assignment 1: write about someone who is not a main character. A character you feel is underused and underrated.
And The If You Dare Challenge [Green with Envy]