CORA
Cora was tired.
Every time she went to Hogsmade to her aunt, Minerva McGonagall, it had always been like that. That woman always found a way to tire her. It was a cause of joy for her, apparently, and a cause of massive stress for Cora.
"You're dealing with stress quite well, Cora," the woman said as she finally settled on the couch.
"You sound surprised," Cora said.
"That I am," she said, moving her wand to make the teapot fly towards them like an invisible man was carving it. Then, she poured hot tea into their cups.
"You don’t even need to say the spell to make it work, really?" Cora asked with a growl, earning a glare from her aunt.
"Don't growl at me, Cora."
"Sorry," she muttered.
But she was serious, though. How was it possible for her? Making a spell work without saying the words out loud, while Cora couldn't cast a spell for saving her life.
"You'll manage too," her aunt spoke, fixing her glasses up her nose elegantly.
"When?"
"One day," she answered, handing the sugar to the girl. "You need to be patient," but that made Cora frown.
"You're the one always telling me to work harder."
"You have to work harder," her aunt said, nodding her head. "But that's quite different from being impatient."
No one knew her better than her aunt. Sadly, not even her mother. Not because she wasn't a good mother. She was. Cora couldn’t ask for more from her; she was a single mom raising a daughter. But Cora had caused different problems, problems with which only her aunt could help. Cora knew that it was difficult for her to share some things with her mother since she was a muggle. And Cora didn't like it.
She liked to live in the muggle world with her muggle friends, living a muggle life. But some things in her life weren't muggle at all; they weren't normal. So Cora's deepest parts, her deepest struggles, could be shared only with her aunt.
"What's on your mind?" The woman asked, observing her, making Cora shrug her shoulders.
"People don’t often call me impatient."
"You don't feel you’re impatient?" Her aunt asked with studying eyes.
"I didn't say that," Cora said. "I never said I'm not. I know I am. I was just thinking that no one ever said this to me."
"This bothers you?" Cora looked at her aunt before shrugging her shoulders again, yet she said nothing.
People had always described her as chill, direct, and stubborn. And she was. Of course, she was. But she was also restless and impatient, even though she never showed it.
"Then don't hide this part of yourself."
"I'm not hiding it," Cora answered honestly. "I'm controlling it—like I'm supposed to." Her aunt's green eyes studied her closely before leaning over towards her.
"What do you fear, Cora?" The girl looked at the woman for a moment before frowning.
"What should I fear?" Cora said, looking down. "I have nothing to fear, but I don't want to cause trouble."
"What kind of troubles?"
"Any," Cora answered simply. "That's why I don't like school. I'm not talented; I'm not a fast learner. I asked every living soul to help me study to be ready for the exams, which I was not anyway. I trained, I've almost never slept, I've barely eaten and then I needed to run."
"It happened often?"
"At Hogwarts?" She asked, almost sarcastically, "Yeah... almost every day. And I don't like it."
Her aunt nodded her head.
"That's the problem. And why you're not ready," she said. "Be patient and accept what you are; there's nothing wrong about it."
Nothing wrong...
"Yes, there is."
She had been at Hogsmeade for two weeks before she got back to Privet Drive—the quiet and normal Privet Drive. There was no reason to get her overly stressed there. She was accustomed to her life in that place.
"Cora! You’re back!" Tyler ran towards her, his big smile on his face. "I'm so happy."
"How are you?" She asked.
"Fine," he said before eyeing the number 4 of Privet Drive. "Dudley is not going out that much these days." That made Cora frown. That was strange, though; there was nothing that Dudley Dursley liked most than hanging out with his idiot friends to bother every living child.
"Well, he'll not be missed," she said coolly. "What about Harry? Have you seen him?"
But Tyler shook his head.
"Not since I got back." Cora eyed the house, wondering what Harry was doing. But then something caught her eyes.
“What are those?” she asked, noticing some metal bars lying on the side of the house in a vain attempt to prevent people from seeing them.
“It had been like that for like a week or so,” Tyler explained. "For days, those bars had covered that window,” he pointed with his finger, making Cora look up. "Then, in the middle of the night, we heard a loud crashing sound, and all I know is that the next thing I see is those bars on the ground and Mr. Dursley in the hospital."
Cora frowned.
She had been observing that house for two days. Cora didn’t like how Dudley treated Harry, even if it was not different from how Dudley treated everyone. But if possible, the way she had come to know that the Dursleys treated Harry, she liked even less.
They called him a freak, not normal. She wondered what he must have felt to live with such people. Cora knew what it was like to look at herself and not feel like everyone else, but her mother had never treated her badly. She loved her and supported her, even with all of the troubles she had caused.
Her mind was still fixed on those bars. Why would the Dursley cover a single window with those? Why not every window?
Because they didn't want for something to get in... or did they not want someone to go out?
That was not right.
And with this thought, one morning, she decided to cross the street toward the number 4.
Once she was in front of the door, she knocked on the wood. She didn't have to wait long before Mrs. Dursley showed up, and her face did not show a pleased expression as she noticed Cora.
"What are you doing here?" the woman asked, not even trying to hide how little her presence was welcomed—not that Cora cared.
"Good morning to you, too," the girl answered sarcastically. I need to speak to Dudley."
Mrs Dursely seemed surprised by her words and quite afraid.
"You want to speak to him?"
"Yeah," Cora answered simply.
"Why?"
Those people were strange.
"I have to ask him something," she explained. "It is really important, and I cannot leave until I've spoken to him."
The woman became pale, but she nodded her head before closing the door in Cora's face. The girl decided to walk closer to try to listen to what was going on inside. She could hear Mrs Dursley's and Dudley's voices, but she could not hear Harry's.
She stepped away to look at the window on the top floor. Could Harry be inside that room?
"What do you want?" Dudley's voice made her return her gaze at the door. The boy seemed to share the same bravery as his mother. "I know you can't use magic when you are not at school."
"Don't remind me," Cora said as she walked towards the boy, who took a step back and looked pale. "Is Harry inside?”
“You’ve come here for this?” Asked Dudley, blinking in surprise.
“Is he inside or not?” She asked, crossing her arms.
“It’s none of your business,” he answered, not sounding very convincing. That made her glare.
“Those bars were for his room?” Dudley’s face flashed red.
“Get lost, McGonagall!” And with that, he closed the door in her face, making a loud noise.
That was it. She needed to talk with her mother. Cora ran back home, opening the door as she called for her mother, but her eyes noticed an owl with white feathers resting next to Marsh and a letter left on the table.
“Hedwig?” She muttered, and the owl moved her wings as a response. Cora frowned as she moved towards the table, taking the letter in her hand.
"For Cora." The words were written in black ink.
She opened the envelope.
"Hello, Cora.
I just wanted to let you know that I’m not at the Dursleys any more. I’m spending the rest of the holidays at Ron’s, who is saying ‘hello’. I hope you had fun visiting Professor McGonagall. Thank you again for your Birthday wishes. I’ll see you at school. Have a nice summer.
Harry"
Cora read the letter, relieved to know that Harry was with Ron. She felt even a bit stupid for having overreacted to the situation.
“Cora, are you okay?” Her mother asked with worry. But Cora shook her head.
“It’s nothing, sorry, Mum,” she said as she read the letter again.
“See you at school, Harry,” she muttered.