The past year had been the furthest thing from enjoyable for Kevin. Taken to another country, his magical education put on the backburner for what could have been his life, and made to endure his father's attempt to corral his and Kristen's attention for any form of study ... It was the worst feeling of displacement. Of course, when he'd heard stories of what other students had gone through, that people who had been on the run had died, he felt guilty for complaining. Ant had been right -- to a certain degree he had very much been on vacation in comparison.
Still, that didn't make his feelings wash away completely. It was the very reason that, even though he had been there for the battle, his family had been back for quite a while now, he still shied away from the Wizarding World. It was hard to shake what happened when a body of government tells someone that they didn't belong.
Anthony's voice echoing down the hallway, for a moment, made Kevin feel like nothing had changed. He rose from his place in the study (where he made a point to do anything but) and peered down the hallway. He could hear his mum's bright laughter as she ushered his friend into the house. "You silly boy," she always said. "I'd have thought Kevin would have taken care of that for me. A bit too busy sulking, I'd imagine."
Kevin's nose wrinkled as he watched the conversation from down the hall, but he never tried to correct her on that. For the most part, his parents were largely unaware of the weight of the war, and for that, Kevin had been grateful.
"He's just trying to get cookies out of you." Kevin commented from down the hallway.