Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

"Goodbye, Harry." I waved goodbye to Harry, watching him climb into the magical car with his suitcase. "Remember to write to me!"

"Okay," Harry replied. Ron, who was next to him, gripped his seat tightly and leaned out to say goodbye. George and Fred, in what they thought was a cool pose, and which was actually quite cool, sat steadily in the front row and casually said, "See you next time."

“You’re welcome to come over to our house sometime,” Fred said.

“Ginny is really looking forward to Harry,” George said. “But I’m sure Claire would have had a better time with Ginny if she went.”

"I definitely will if I have the chance," I said with a smile. "Remember to arrive early when school starts."

After giving his instructions, Fred started the car. A loud noise erupted, and the car, whose future was uncertain, gradually drove away. I seem to have forgotten to remind them to get the car fixed... It should be fine, I'll write them a letter later to remind them.

I felt a little relieved after Harry left, but I soon collapsed again, forcing myself to go back to my room.

Last night I discovered that my mandrake was infested with pests, and I was depressed all day. Harry's problem is solved, but I don't know how much more suffering my mandrake will have to endure. I've tried various methods several times, but none of them have been very effective.

Barty wasn't there when Harry left; he was at work. Although I rationally knew that Barty, who had chosen a cautious approach, wouldn't do anything to Harry, I still felt it was a good thing he wasn't there.

This life is...

I feel helpless.

Harry could have chosen to stay with us, but with Barty Jr. being an unstable factor, I absolutely wouldn't have agreed. Besides, the Weasleys are definitely a better fit for Harry than us; their harmonious and vibrant family atmosphere is more conducive to healing him.

The downside is that Harry might cause trouble for the Weasleys. Fortunately, the Weasleys like and welcome Harry, and Harry is actually quite wealthy. Although he's had a tough time in the real world, he's a genuine rich kid in the wizarding world. The Weasleys probably won't mind the expenses, but it would still be good to write to Harry and remind him to be mindful of this...

When Barty came home that evening, I told him where Harry had gone, but I concealed the existence of the magic car and only said that Harry had been taken away by his good friends, the Weasleys.

Barty agreed with, and was even happy about, Harry's departure. Based on my extensive observational experience, I could immediately tell that Barty's mood improved after hearing that Harry had left.

“I’ve heard of the Weasleys. They don’t have a very good reputation at the Ministry of Magic,” Barty Jr. said. “But they’re a very warm family, and although some of their ideas are a bit strange, they’d be a good choice for a kid like Harry.”

“Indeed,” I agreed, imagining what it would be like to spend time with the Weasley brothers. “They even invited me to visit them, and I might go if I have the time.”

"...To the Weasleys?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" I asked, puzzled.

“It’s a good thing for Harry, and for Claire…” Hearing the invitation, Barty glanced at me slowly, his words somewhat unclear, “...if it’s Claire…”

I blinked, feeling a little strange, and for a moment I didn't understand what Little Barty wanted to say.

“If it were Claire…” Little Barty murmured to himself, “what would Claire do?”

"..."

What to do? My hand trembled, and a flash of inspiration struck me. I seemed to vaguely sense something about the abnormal nature of Little Barty.

It was this realization that made me feel my heart beating faster.

But on the surface, I still acted as usual.

Barty Jr. is loyal to Voldemort.

This is a fact I've always known.

However, loyalty and identification are two very different concepts.

Whether it's Barty the Young in the original books or Barty the Young in fanfiction, his mentality tends to be more inclined to be loyal to Voldemort himself, admire his great power, have expectations for patriarchal authority, and rebel against Barty the Elder, who works for the Ministry of Magic.

Among the reasons he served Voldemort, few were consistent with the idea of ​​pure-blood supremacy.

Even Voldemort's own views on pure-bloods were not pure; his pursuit of pure-bloods stemmed from his own twisted and obsessive nature. But more than that, Voldemort cared about the violent rule he maintained centered on pure-bloods.

And Gavin—my family member in name only, what kind of person is he?

She has a cheerful personality, strong hands-on skills, is good at cooking and magic, is gentle and polite to those around her, has her own arrogance, but does not discriminate against ordinary people.

Cherish the little wizard you are looking after, listen carefully to her thoughts, and give her the right advice and choices on her life path.

Barty Jr.'s portrayal of Gavin is excellent most of the time, but in that simple invitation from the Weasleys just now, he unexpectedly deviated from his usual persona.

If it were Gavin, he would definitely advise me to befriend the Weasleys, because as a foreign half-blood wizard who has lived in the world of ordinary people for a long time, Claire's future network of friends and acquaintances is destined to be among wizards who do not have the concept of pure-bloods and discrimination.

Claire dislikes discrimination and is unwilling to indulge herself.

However, from the perspective of Barty Jr., a Death Eater, he would not allow the children he cared for to get close to the infamous "pure-blood traitors" Weasley family. If he agreed to this, he would be going against Voldemort's ideals.

Of course, this contradiction is based on the premise that Little Barty genuinely developed feelings for me like he would for family.

He could have easily chosen to follow Gavin's character and tell me frankly, or he could have been ruthless and fed me dirty laundry about the Weasleys, telling me they weren't worth associating with. If Barty Jr. were bad enough, he could have easily brainwashed Claire without using dark magic during all that time they spent together, planting seeds of doubt in her heart.

I started looking into Barty's eyes.

Such speculation is not unfounded. Barty Jr. has been playing Gavin, a perfect character, and has made almost no mistakes for a whole year. If he shows hesitation at a time when there should be no accidents, hesitation that is neither in line with Gavin's character nor Barty Jr.'s character, it must be because there is some kind of conflict within him.

"So, do you suggest I go?" I asked, pausing for a moment before adding, "Do you want me to go?"

"..."

I waited quietly for Barty's answer.

For the first time, the young man wore such a silent expression; his eyes were empty.

I've always been wary of Barty. No matter how good he is to me, I always judge his actions like a passerby, wondering if there's any hidden meaning behind his every move.

Actually, this is quite tiring.

Is a year enough to change a person?

Is a year enough to change a person's mindset?

Is a year enough for one person to develop a bond-like feeling towards another person they spend every day with?

I waited, almost to the point of being a cold observer.