Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 5
House: Ravenclaw
Subject: Transfiguration
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Emotion] Envy - a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck; [Speech] "For the longest time, I wanted to be just like you."
Word count: 1,560
Warnings: EWE | Epilogue What Epilogue
Green, the color of envy
"For the longest time, I wanted to be just like you," was something that Harry always heard, from people that he doesn't know to some of his classmates at Hogwarts. People envy the boy-who-lived, the most famous boy in Britain, the one who defeated You-Know-Who. No one really cares about Harry Potter, the boy who was orphaned after a maniac went after his parents, the boy who was neglected by his relatives.
Harry understands why people are envious of the legend that surrounds him, but no one is envious of the boy he is. Everyone thought that he was lucky to have survived the Death Curse and be the savior, but Harry didn't feel lucky at all.
"For the longest time, I wanted to be just like you," he said one day to his best friend Ron Weasley. Harry knew that Ron is one of the people that is envious of him, but in reality, Harry is the one who was envious of Ron.
"What are you talking about, mate? What I have for you to be envy of me?" Ron couldn't believe in what he was hearing; Harry Potter was probably the next great wizard to have lived in Britain since the Founders of Hogwarts, while he was just a boy with average grades and too many siblings. "If someone here is worth to be envied, it's you."
"No, you don't understand: you complain that you have a big family and not too much privacy, but at least you have a family that loves you no matter what, and who supports you and is proud of your achievements. What do I have?" Harry didn't like to make people feel sorry for him, but sometimes he can't help. "I wanted to be like you Ron, because you are loved."
Ron didn't say anything over this statement, thinking about what Harry is saying to him; they never talked about feelings or how Harry's life is at his relative's home. Harry, thinking that Ron is ashamed of what he said, was ready to apologize but Ron beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, Harry, I think I never saw my family the way you see us. But you don't need to be envious of us, you're a honorary Weasley. Just because Dad thought that you didn't want to change your last name, Mum was all up to adopt you," Ron said with a shy smile, the same that Harry was supporting. "I know that isn't much, but you're family to us."
"Thank you, Ron," Harry said with a lump in his throat. He wasn't accustomed to people wanting him or saying good things to him, and hearing what his best friend said to him, touched him more than he thought was possible. "Just for the record, you and Hermione are also honorary Potters."
The beaming smile at the redhead face made Harry smile, and the hug that the boys shared was of the two brothers that love each other and would do anything to protect the other.
"For the longest time, I wanted to be just like you," Harry and Hermione said together one afternoon, and the surprised looks on each other's faces was priceless.
"Why would you want to be like me? I'm a boring, goody-two-shoes who follows the rules and never knows how to have fun, I don't have many friends and I feel like some people don't even like to be in the same room as me," Hermione said, with a sad expression and a glint in her eyes.
"I could ask you the same question, because I don't feel like people really like me, Harry, or if they are more interested in the boy-who-lived persona," Harry said, trying to be gentle with Hermione. "I wished I could be smart like you: you're always the first person to master a spell and knows more about the subjects than anyone, are a loyal friend and you wish to protect Ron and me, even if we don't give you enough credit."
Hermione tried to stop the tears from running down her cheeks, but this was too much for her; hearing that Harry appreciated what she tried to do for him and Ron over the years and him saying that he wanted to be like her was the final straw for her tears. She jumped from her chair and hugged Harry with all she had, which disconcerted the boy.
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione muffled through his shirt. "But I wanted to be like you because you made friends so easy and everyone likes you; I like my friend Harry, not the boy-who-lived. You're an amazing person, and you're smart in your own way and I'm so proud of calling you my friend."
"Thank you Hermione." this time, it was Harry that have a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes. He couldn't have chosen better at his choice of best friends, and he knows that they will accompany him for his entire life.
Harry still envies some of the families that he sees at Diagon Alley, shopping together for the beginning of classes in September. He sees fathers and sons admiring the new brooms at the Quidditch Quality Supplies and think about how he couldn't experienced something similar with his own father, or the sons and mothers buying ice-cream at the Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour. It's hard to let go of the envy that he is feeling, but after so many years, he is good at this.
"Darling, why don't you go with Ella to see the new brooms? I see that you're itching to get a look at them," his wife stopped his train of thought, like she does all these years. "I can go with James to Madame Malkins to get his robes done."
"Thank you love, I don't know what I would do without you," Harry said, kissing her cheek lovingly.
"Probably would let the Nargles mess with your brain." Luna Potter — neé Lovegood — was the perfect match for Harry: she helped him lose some of the guilt that he still feels over the War and he helped her to amplify her horizons. "We meet you two at the Flourish and Blotts."
Seeing Luna walking away with their son, both with smiles on their faces, made Harry's heart swell with pride and love for them. Turning his eyes to his daughter, he saw a look that he recognized all too well: his daughter is envious of something or rather, someone. Mastering all his fatherly expertise, Harry bent down to talk with her.
"Hey, lovely, what's wrong?" Harry looked at her eyes, so similar to his own, showing all that she was feeling. "Why don't we go see the brooms and you can talk to your dad what had you in a sour mood."
Ella didn't say anything, just grabbed his father's hand and walked with him. Ella was two years younger than James, who is preparing to go to Hogwarts and Harry has a feeling that he knows what his daughter's problem is.
"You know that you're going to go to Hogwarts someday, right princess?" Harry never was good with talking about feelings, but he would do everything that he could to help his daughter. "You just need to wait a little more."
"I know that daddy, but isn't fair that James can get a wand now and go to Hogwarts with our cousins, and I'm stuck at home," Ella said with a pout in her face, that Harry found is adorable, but isn't going to say this to her. "It's isn't fair!"
"Well princess, he born first, you know that." Harry rubbed his neck, without knowing what to do now. "And before you know it, you are going to join him and all your cousins at Hogwarts and be able to have all the fun that your heart desires."
"I wished I could go now! I'm so envious of James!" Ella said, stomping her feet, which made Harry raise an eyebrow to her behaviour. "I'm sorry daddy, I'm just frustrated."
Harry chuckled, seeing that his daughter is so like him. "I know, princes; when I was younger I also envy some of my friends about what they could do. But you know what I learned from that?"
"What?" Ella asked, curiosity written all over her face.
"That while we are envious of someone for something that he does or have, the person could also be envious of us." Seeing that his daughter was looking at him like he lost his mind, he explained. "What I'm saying is that, while you're envious of James for going to Hogwarts, James could be feeling the same way, because you're going to be at home with your family and isn't going to face the unknown."
Harry saw the comprehension downed on his daughter's face and the smile that he was waiting to see, changing her whole stance.
"I get what you're saying daddy. Can we see the brooms, now? I want to see the new firebolt," Ella asked with such a big smile, that he couldn't deny.
Walking towards the Quidditch Quality Supplies, Harry feels the luckiest man alive. He looked at his daughter and realized that he didn't have anymore reason to be envious of other people's lives: he had everything that he needed right by his side.