Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Title: Perfection
Rating: M (for graphic violence and torture)
Pairing: Evan Rosier/OC
Chapter 1: A Fated Meeting
There was a girl sitting in their compartment.
Evan Rosier stared, hands propping the door open, eyes narrowed.
She was sitting in his seat.
"Excuse me?" he asked. Already clad in shabby Hogwarts robes, trimmed in Ravenclaw blue, her dark hair shifted as she looked up from the 6th year Transfiguration textbook open on her lap. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and she stared back at him with large, dull brown eyes.
"You are in my seat," he frowned. "It would be appreciated if you would leave." The girl's eyes flickered to his newly tailored robes, lined with Slytherin green trim, glanced over the Head Boy badge on his left breast before returning his stare. He met her unblinking gaze, raising an eyebrow at her silence.
A moment passed. Then another. They stared at each other, daring the other to look away.
She smiled.
Evan tensed.
"Of course, my apologies." There was no inflection in her voice.
She stood from the seat by the window – his seat – and opened the battered trunk beside her. Stashing her book away, she shut the lid and with her wand – had it been in her hand the entire time? – tapped the top. Immediately, the trunk began to float. She turned to him. Evan pushed away his unease and moved aside, holding the door open so that she and her floating trunk could fit through.
Without another word, she exited the compartment and began making her way down the crowded hallway.
"Who was that?"
Evan glanced back to Benjamin Wilkes, the seventeen-year-old's bag flung over his shoulder and his hand in his pocket. Evan returned his gaze to the girl, her trunk following behind her as she disappeared down the corridor, consumed by the crowd.
"Clearly no one important," Evan replied, before moving out of the way and gesturing for Wilkes to enter first. "After you."
"Your politeness is noted." Wilkes mockingly bowed before slipping past Evan into the compartment.
"It was my pleasure." Evan rolled his eyes.
Entering the compartment, he slipped off his coat and tossed it onto the other boy. Wilkes hissed and fumbled with the fine material. Evan flopped onto his seat next to the window. The other boy tossed the coat back. It hit Evan in the face. He grimaced.
"Have you seen the others?" Evan asked. He took his rumpled coat and began to meticulously fold it. His fellow seventh year shrugged.
"No, though I did spot Avery being fussed over by his mum. Something about how she's going to miss 'her little Harry' when he's off at Hogwarts."
"You didn't think to help him?"
"He's not here, is he?"
The two shared a smirk as the door opened. A haggard Harrison Avery entered the compartment with an amused James Mulciber. The two sixth years dragged their trunks in behind them before shutting the door. Avery slumped onto a seat, propping his feet up on his trunk, evoking an unimpressed stare from Evan. Mulciber threw his onto the rack above their heads before joining them. Avery shot Wilkes a withering glare.
"Don't think I didn't see you slink off, Wilkes."
"Sorry mate. Not getting in the way of your mum anytime soon. 'Specially when she's saying goodbye to her 'darling boy.'"
"Bastard."
"Did either of you see Snape?" Evan interrupted.
"Didn't take you for the type to worry about ickle fifth years, Rosier."
"Fuck off, Mulciber. Did you see him, or not? He borrowed one of my books last year and hasn't returned it."
Mulciber leaned back, shrugging. "Nope. But you know Snape. Probably with his pet mudblood."
Avery and Wilkes grimaced. Evan sighed.
"Which book was it?" Wilkes asked.
"Dark Arts through the Ages. First edition. Father was right pissed when he heard I leant it out."
"Snape's usually pretty good about returning books."
"Usually. Next time, I'm telling him to borrow from you instead."
The door opened again. A miserable Severus Snape stumbled into the compartment, covered from head to toe in feathers and dead leaves. Mulciber immediately locked the door behind him. Avery took his trunk and put it on the overhead rack to give them some room. Snape sunk onto the seat next to Avery with a heavy sigh.
Evan pulled out his wand – elm, dragon heart string, 11 ½ in. – and pointed it at Snape. "Scourgify."
The feathers and leaves shuddered but refused to move. Evan's eyes narrowed.
"Finite Incantatem." The feathers and leaves began to flutter to the ground. "Wilkes, open the window. Wingardium Leviosa."
Slowly, the mess disappeared. Snape sighed again.
"Your assistance was… appreciated, Rosier."
"As usual," Mulciber smirked. Snape shot the sixth year a glare before opening his trunk.
"Your book." He handed the heavy tome to Evan. Evan opened it and quickly flipped through the pages. Then he snapped it shut.
"Ever the perfectionist," Mulciber drawled, leaning back in his seat and tucking his arms behind his head. Evan rolled his eyes. He pulled his shrunken trunk out from his pocket, placed it on the floor, and tapped the lid.
"Finite Incantatem."
The trunk grew back to its normal size. Evan opened it and put the book inside, then shrunk it once more and put it back in his pocket. He smirked at the envious stares of the younger years.
"One day, you too will be able to use magic outside of school. But today is not that day." He turned to Snape. "You are never borrowing anything from me ever again."
Snape frowned, but nodded.
"I can't wait to get to Hogwarts," Avery said. He stretched, groaning as his muscles popped. The others grimaced.
"Agreed," Wilkes replied, "It's too quiet at home right now."
"Your parents upset about your sister moving out?" Mulciber asked with a sharp-toothed grin. "I'd be too if it were my sister."
Evan sneered. "Really Mulciber?"
"She was quite fine, if you'll recall."
"But must you be so crude?"
"Someone has to be."
"Back off, Mulciber," Wilkes interrupted, "Besides, she's getting married next year. And there's no way she'd drop the guy for you."
"I can still dream. Speaking of sisters, how is yours doing, Avery?"
"Oh fuck off."
Evan shook his head as the group bickered amongst themselves. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
They all fell silent.
Snape, who was the closest, tucked the bookmark back into the book he had just pulled out, stood, and opened the door.
"Yes? Is there something we can help you with?" The others smirked at his dismissive tone.
"I forgot my coat in this compartment."
Evan's eyes narrowed at that familiar, toneless voice. He glanced around before noticing a black muggle jacket on the rack above. He reached up and pulled it down.
"This one?"
Snape moved out of the way and returned to his seat. Evan held the coat to the girl from earlier. She gave him a thin smile. Her head tilted as she looked up at him with her dull brown eyes.
"That's the one. Thank you, Evan Rosier." She took the coat and disappeared back into the throng of people. Evan closed the door and locked it.
"That chick was creepy," Avery shuddered.
Evan returned to his seat. The girl faded from his mind as the conversation picked up once more.
