“If you wish. Statement of Harry J. Potter, regarding….”
“Regarding the strange things happening to my friend Ron.”
“Yes, regarding that. Statement has taken September 5th, 1998. Statement begins.”
[Harry Potter]
“As everyone knows, my name is Harry Potter. Yes yes, the chosen one or the boy-who-lives or whatever crap everyone calls me. I’m just Harry Potter, nothing more, nothing else. This isn’t about me though, because I don’t need more things to revolve around me. Even I need a break every now and then.
It’s about my best friend Ron. As some may know- or don’t know, he was the first friend I ever made. Surprising, I know. Me, the boy-who-lived or whatever, never had a friend before I met the 6th weasely kid? Well, it’s the truth and that’s all I got to say about that now.
Now I’m not the subject of this, as I’ve said multiple times already before I sidetracked myself. Ron has been acting strange recently- well moreso than normal. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the best mate I’ve ever had but even he has had his weird and strange moments that none of us can explain. Like that one time he lost in chess, or failed to brew a potion he was brilliant at making, or even that time in 5th year that he said hello to the Slytherins of all people. He didn’t even like the Slytherins at that time! He barely even likes them now!
Listen, I know those aren’t all that weird and strange but… there’s something off about him. Something weird that I can’t place and neither can ‘Mione. And she knows everything! Ron doesn’t even know what’s happening to him, and he’s claimed to know himself better than he knows me, and that’s saying a lot. He knows me better than I know the back of my own hand, so for him to say that he knows himself even better and then proceed to say that even he doesn’t know what’s happening? It was concerning.
Ron was always a nice person. Jealous? Sometimes. Hot-headed and refuses to change his opinions? Yes of course. He’s grown and changed, we all have. But no matter what, he was there for his friends through thick and thin and loyal to a fault. I think- no I know for a fact that if Ron hadn’t had that stupid horcrox of a locket, he would’ve stayed with us. Hell, he even faced his phobia of spiders for us! If that isn’t a true friend, I don’t know what is.
Anyway, something strange has been happening to him. He’s grown uh… colder? Yeah, and more distant from us. He’s locked himself in his room for days on end and refuses to come out unless it’s me or ‘Mione that is begging for him to leave and to eat something or even talk with his own family. I’ve seen Ms. Weasely cry on multiple occasions and- and as much of a bitch she was sometimes to her sons, she was still kind enough to take me in and keep me away from the Dursely’s.
I think he’s obsessing over something. I don’t know what, but he must be doing something in that room all day. Must be something important or- or something he doesn’t want us to know. Maybe he’s doing something illegal and refuses to tell us or he’s dying and he’s scared to tell us or maybe I’m just overthinking and he’s perfectly fine and just wants to work through everything that has happened over the past 8 years or maybe-”
[A pause and a heavy breath]
“Sorry. That’s not the only thing that has happened. His entire personality is changing as his looks and how he holds himself and how he speaks to us. Everything is changing about him and it’s awful and it’s not him.
Sorry sorry. Ever since the war I’ve been more on edge, more open to overthinking and all that crap. Horrible, I know. I wish I didn’t either but here we are, months after the war is over and everything still playing on loop in my mind, over and over and over again until it’s taken over every part of my brain.
I don’t know how Hermione does it. I don’t know how Ron does it either. Maybe they don’t, maybe they do. I don’t know and I hate that they both know me better than I know them. Or maybe I do know them just as well and I don’t realize because I’m working through my own problems and can’t worry about them but all I ever want to do is worry about them and-”
“Do you need to take a breather, Mr. Potter?”
“No no, I should be fine. I didn’t survive 7 years under Snape and a war to get a break now. Just give me 30 seconds.”
[Silence echoed through the tape, lasting longer than the 30 seconds Harry wished for.]
“Again, sorry. Now you see why I’m panicking more right? He isn’t right. He’s not right. There is something wrong about him now. He’s taller, his eyes have changed color and his skin grows paler and paler every time we see him and I know it’s not because of lack of sun. I know it isn’t. He’s done things like this before- all three of us have but at least we tell each other why. He hasn’t told us shit.
It’s worrying. I’m scared about him. I’m scared of him.”
[The audio distorts, disrupting his last sentence but it was still heard despite it.]
“He doesn’t care for us as much anymore. Needing more and more convincing to come out of his room every time. He’ll laugh at the cries of his sister and mother, at the puppy dog eyes that ‘Mione will only ever give us two, and- well. He actually comes out for me. But just me. It’ll take a couple of minutes of convincing but it works and he’ll come out and stand at the door, looking down at me with those red eyes that were once blue and-
And he’ll simply smile and act like nothing as changed as he leans against the door. He’ll act like it's a day back in 5th year, happy and smiles and the only thing we had to worry about was the OWLs at the end of the year. Ron will act normal but the second I even think to ask about going into the room, the smile falls and is replaced with a sneer before he tells me to leave and he closes the door in my face.
I don’t know why, but I want to know. I don’t know what he is doing in that room but I will do whatever it takes to find out, no matter the consequences.”
[End Statement]