Written for
Quidditch League Round 5: Wigtown Wanderers Chaser 3: Selfish {[restriction] no female characters ; [dialogue] "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me." ; [character] Dennis Creevey}
Hogwarts Assignment 9: Childcare Bedtime Lullabies: Task #4: write a fic with the hurt/comfort genre without anyone dying.
Dennis had always admired Colin.
If you asked him, Dennis couldn't pin down exactly what it was about his brother he admired – maybe it was the way in which Colin approached any situation with enthusiasm and optimism, or maybe it was the fact that Colin could figure out anything he put his mind to with barely any effort. Colin always knew the answer, and if he didn't, he'd be ready for any question Dennis could think of throwing at him the very next day.
Colin always had his camera in one hand and a book in the other.
But when Colin disappeared to Hogwarts, it barely took a month for Colin's letters to be filled with the hero 'Harry Potter'.
Dennis had never heard of the name, and he tried his best to be interested in this boy hero. He tried not to be upset that Colin barely asked about him in his letters, that most of Colin's photos of Hogwarts had this 'Harry Potter' in them.
He couldn't help but grow to hate this 'hero'.
Colin had written about the story of him defeating the evil Dark Lord when he was a baby, and the rumours that he had faced off with the wizard again and survived. Dennis couldn't bring himself to believe any of that. Clearly, the hero hadn't defeated the evil wizard if the wizard was able to come back, yet Colin continued to gush over the boy.
It took six months before Dennis could barely read the letters – Dennis wondered if Colin could even tell another person that much about him – but forced himself to because this was Colin. Colin definitely had his reasons, and Dennis couldn't help but want to meet this hero.
And Colin had promised that Dennis would join him at Hogwarts two years later, so Dennis just had to wait for his Hogwarts letter.
Dennis wasn't surprised when meeting Harry Potter hadn't changed his view of the hero. He had two years' worth of amazing stories from Colin, but the boy himself didn't look like very much. His tatted clothing was barely hidden by his robes, and Dennis couldn't help but wonder if this Harry Potter enjoyed the style or if being a hero simply didn't pay as much as he thought.
Perhaps he just liked the attention of being the poor hero. Lost his parents, missing from the wizarding world, forced to live with muggle relatives, targeted by evil wizards all the time. Harry Potter certainly looked that part. Dennis would definitely believe it.
He still smiled with his brother. He tried to act as cheerful and delighted at meeting Harry Potter as his brother, but he truly despised the hero. Dennis couldn't help himself when his brother still spoke about Harry Potter whenever he could, despite Dennis being right beside him. Colin still tried to take as many photos of Harry Potter as he could, and Dennis was nothing more than an accomplice in stalking the older boy.
Colin was nothing like the brother he remembered – the brave person that loved adventure and learning new things. Instead, Colin barely entered the library unless it was specifically for his camera or Harry Potter was somehow in the library.
It was all Harry Potter's fault.
If he could only change his brother's mind, then everything would go back to the way it was. Colin would go back to the way he was. He would go back to being that great brother Dennis remembered him to be.
So when Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Dennis was secretly delighted.
It was definitely proof that Harry Potter enjoyed the attention despite his actions and words. Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world. No one could break into Hogwarts, and no one would break into Hogwarts just to put Harry Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire. The hero had definitely planned all of it, but his expression was so believably shocked and upset.
Harry Potter was a great actor.
Colin immediately turned to Dennis with all kinds of conspiracy theories, and Dennis nodded without listening to a word as he watched Harry Potter pass through the same door as the other champions. Colin could think whatever he wanted, but he would have to admit eventually that his hero Harry Potter wasn't the person he had always thought he was.
It was Dennis who started the rumour that Harry Potter was definitely the one who was seeking glory, who had organised someone to add his name into the Goblet of Fire. The story spread like wildfire. Despite Harry Potter being their hero, they were so willing to believe the worst of him. The story grew into a tall tale of Harry Potter using similarly powerful magic to the one he used to defeat the Dark Lord to trick the Goblet of Fire.
Colin angrily tried to silence the rumours, but there was nothing a single person could do against what felt like everyone else at Hogwarts. Dennis watched gleefully as Harry Potter was isolated, even his friends believing his rumours.
It was what he deserved for taking Colin away.
But Colin found out.
Dennis should have known his brilliant brother would want to find the source of the rumour - would do everything he could to stop the rumours - because he was brave and loyal and everything Dennis wished he could be.
There was no way Dennis could meet the disappointment in his brother's eyes, so he stared at the stones near his shoes.
"Why, Dennis? He's innocent! Harry's already got enough problems with the tasks and the other Champions! He doesn't deserve this!" Colin's voice, though furious, was barely above a whisper.
That didn't stop it from stinging.
That didn't stop the shame from crawling up his spine.
It was something Colin would never have done. Dennis knew that.
His shoes grew blurry. Dennis sniffed.
"I just-I just wanted you to look at me again. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me, you admire Harry so much after all, but I'm here too!" Dennis swiped his sleeve against his eyes furiously. "Everything's Harry Potter this, or Harry Potter that. All you do in your spare time is follow him around!"
Dennis didn't know what he was saying anymore, but he was spilling all the bitterness he had silently nurtured. Colin didn't interrupt him as he went on and on until finally his tears dried up along with his words, and he felt completely wrung out.
It was only then that he realised Colin was sniffing as well. His brother's eyes were red and blotchy in the way he knew his own were.
"Why didn't you just tell me you felt that way?"
Dennis was suddenly in the warm hold of his brother, and his tears started anew.
"If I knew, I wouldn't have talked about him so much. I'd just gotten the impression that you were interested in him too, so I kept telling you everything I'd researched and found out. I'm so sorry, Dennis. I didn't realise. I'm such a terrible brother. You had to go do all this and I didn't even notice."
Dennis clung to Colin, feeling the material of his shirt cling to his shoulder from Colin's tears.
He hadn't meant to make Colin feel awful enough to cry.
He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He just hadn't seen any other way.
And he wasn't entirely sorry if it meant the Colin he knew was back.