"You'd be able to live up to your aunt's reputation," Harry finished. Susan nodded meekly, the surprising rant having taken a lot out of her. She seemed to have almost collapsed into herself now that she had expended all that energy in expressing how she felt.
Harry watched the girl for a moment as he tried to figure out what he could say to help her. He was ashamed to admit this, but he had never actually thought about how his friends might take his abilities and talents. And now that he knew how Susan felt when she saw him performing magic in class or helping them with their homework, he couldn't help but wonder if his other friends might feel the same way.
Did they feel stymied by his seemingly remarkable feets and intelligence? Were they feeling inadequate?
And if they were, what should he do about it?
If there was one thing Harry was sure of, it was that he couldn't just lower his own skills to make them feel better. Now that the gauntlet had been set, even if he were to do such a thing it wouldn't matter. His more perceptive friends would know and realize he wasn't trying as hard so they would not feel inadequate, which would make them angry because they would know what he was doing and likely assume it was out of pity.
At the same time, Harry didn't want them to feel like they were beneath him, in skills or in intellect. The whole purpose of surrounding himself with his friends was so he would have people he could, if not relate to, than at least have some semblance of normalcy with.
At least, as normal as it can get when you're going to a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Maybe he should find some other way to help them instead of just giving them the answers they sought? Like some kind of reverse psychology where he gave them the necessary tools to discover the answers to their questions themselves, but didn't outright tell them what they wanted to know. It sounded promising, and may actually help them grow more than if he were to just give them all the answers they sought on a silver platter. Nothing breeds growth like conflict.
Looking at Susan as she began to fidget anxiously, Harry realized that he really needed to say something. He didn't know what he was going to say, or even what he should say, but he definitely needed to come up with something that would help his friend.
"You know, a lot of people only think I'm perfect because that's what they want to see," as Susan stopped fidgeting to look at him, Harry bit his lip. He had absolutely no clue where he was going with this. "You know how I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, right?" Susan gave him a hesitant nod, clearly confused but willing to go along with him. "And you've probably read a lot of those stories about me, yes? Like the ones where I'm traveling around the world with my master, learning the ways of magic and fighting trolls and dragons as a past time?" Another nod. "When you first realized I was coming to Hogwarts, did you expect me to be like the Harry you read in those books? Am I anything like the Harry Potter you read about in those stories?"
"Well, yes," Susan answered, flushing a bit as she seemed to realize that she had already created an expectation of what Harry should be like before they had even met. "But to be honest, you kind of are like the Harry in those stories." When he raised an eyebrow, she flushed some more and began to fidget. "I mean, I always expected you to be kind and brave, which you are, and very smart and powerful," she gave him a slightly pointed look. Pointed for Susan at least. "Which you are. And you're talented at magic, just like the Harry in those stories."
Harry nodded.
"All true, but do you know why I am the way I am?" When Susan shook her head, Harry answered his own question. "Perception. When I first realized how famous I was, I realized that people had certain expectations about me; what I would look like, how I would act, my power, my intellect, everything. They all had this image in their heads about me being this all powerful, all knowing, omnipotent wizard capable of defeating dark lords like it was going out of style. This was what they wanted to see, so that's what I gave them."
"What you gave them?" Susan frowned, her expression turning quizzical.
"Yes," Harry nodded. "What I gave them. They wanted to see a wizard who was wise, and powerful, and all knowing. So that entire summer before starting Hogwarts, I buckled down and began studying. I learned as much as I could about Hogwarts, and magic, and even found someone who could help me better integrate myself into wizarding society. I worked hard so that when I finally arrived at Hogwarts, people would see exactly what they had come to expect of me."
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