A/N: Okay so I'm trying the fan-ficition thing for a second time, this is my first Hogwarts-Era fic though. It has no relation to Tangled In Fate as this time I will probably screw with canon till it's in little itsy-bits. Eva's a new kinda protaganist for me but it'll be fun to try something esle.

Reviews most welcome!

I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, but all original plots, characters, and settings are mine.

The 5th Year's Fleeting Innocence

She remembered to breathe;. It was paced and normal. Unlike her brain which sped at a million thoughts a minute. It was almost a surreal state. With her mind frazzled from the crash and her glasses on the floor beside her, it seemed more like a daydream than reality. The world looked fuzzy but the voice was clearer than she ever heard it before.

"Sorry about that. You alright?"

Harry Potter, the Blob Who Crashed, said whilst putting his own spectacles back on. Unfortunately for her, it was reality, she had made a fool of herself and now was too tongued tied to respond. Say you're fine, say you're sorry, say anything!

"Good." It was all she could muster, even his blurry self made her cheeks burn red-hot. She hurriedly packed her scattered things. At least she had an excuse for staring at the floor.

"These might help." Harry handed her a pair of horned-rimmed glasses. The ones she was practically blind without.

"Thanks." She said in a tiny voice. She snatched the pair out of his hands and put them on. She frowned, Harry was frowning too. Oh great, he already thinks I'm a nutter! She thought dismally.

If her worries were truth he didn't voice them. Instead, he said: "Well, G'night then," before awkwardly turning back towards the Fat Lady.

"Wait!" He glanced at her. She had her books in one arm and the other hand covered her mouth a second too late. What'd I do that for? Maybe I really am a nutter! She sighed, removed her hand. Figuring that she might as well go on with her crazy idea now that she had his attention. "I'm Eva! Eva Palmer, we have Herbology together?"

Harry looked pensive for a moment before realization dawned in the green eyes she found quite stunning. "I remember…you're a Hufflepuff, right? Nice to see you then."

He, again, went to leave. Eva ran to his side – surprising both him and herself. "I am a Hufflepuff! And – well, I know I don't know you very well – in fact you probably shouldn't be listening to a random stranger – but if you did it'd be nice – but that's not what I wanted to talk about!" She took one deep breath before continuing: "Harry, lately you seemed down. Is there anything I can do to help?"

He blinked, and she winced. It was true, she didn't know Harry very well. She only knew the fantastic the Boy Who Lived, Triwizard Champion type stuff because it was common gossip around Hogwarts. Still, with all the libel from the Daily Prophet and the heinous Dolores Umbridge and the recent Department of Mysteries Battle – it was a small wonder her yearmates Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones noted his moodiness. Eva had seen it too, subtlety. Lately, he seemed to be avoiding even his closest friends.

Eva had no business asking about him, she knew. She only thought he was cute and interesting, someone she could watch shine from afar. But it wasn't likely that they'd meet like this again, so Eva did the first remotely brave thing she had in years - she spoke to him.

She had expected him to yell, so she was pleasantly surprised when he smiled – faintly, but it was there – and said: "No thanks. I'm doing better."

Eva beamed in relief. "That's great! Um…" she had realized her purpose had been exhausted. She had no more reason to talk to him. "Um…I guess I better go! I still haven't gone to the feast yet and Su said she'd hex me if I skipped on this one – er, do you know Su?" Harry shook his head dully. "Figured, she'd probably introduce us by now – Su's sorta pushy like that. But anyways, good luck next year Harry!"

"Thanks." He said. His tone had a grave edge to it. "I'll probably need it."

A Taiwanese girl squealed in delight. Eva covered her ears and peered outside their compartment of the Hogwarts Express. When she saw it was empty she closed the door and whispered: "Do you have to be so loud about it, Su?"

"I'll be as loud as I want, considering all the suspense you've put me through," Su said in half-annoyed, half-playful voice. "You've been eyeing the famous Harry Potter since third year, looking in the distance like some fairytale maiden." Su made a dreamy face, before switching back to her usual self. "That's been you, Eva Blair Palmer, for three years! Too shy to even chat up the bloke but finally you've done it! I always knew you two be good together."

Eva blushed while shaking her head. "It's not like that!" she insisted. "I crashed into him when the stairway changed on me. It was two minutes of awkward conversation." A memory flashed before Eva and she glared pointedly at her friend: "Since when have you 'always known', last month you said he and Dumbledore were delusional!"

"Well, even a Ravenclaw can be wrong some of the time." She excused herself quite easily. "Still, this is the best time to make a move, word has it Conner and Chang are an item and after this summer he'll probably be off doing some-heroic-slay Death Eaters-thing. Did you get his phone number? Does he even have a number? We need his number…"

With that Eva buried her head in her travel pillow, doing her best to ignore another of Su Li's convoluted plots. She means well, Eva thought fairly, she just wants me to be more social.

Not much had changed from first year where Su and Eva had met in the Dungeons where Potions Class was held. Snape couldn't have paired up two more unlike girls. Su was short yet had grown curvy with wavy long hair dyed honey brown to complement her peach skin. She was eager and curious, already insisting she was going to invent a whole book's worth of new spells. Maybe it was Su's inquisitive nature that made her so earnest to befriend the guarded introvert that was – and still is – Eva. Eva herself was a half foot taller than Su but she had the body of a twig. Her jet-black hair was pin-straight at her scalp but curled toward the ends that touched her shoulders. Her eyes, light brown with flecks of yellow, were almost always behind thick glasses. Her tan skin was even darker since she had spent most of her post-O.W.L school days relaxing in the sun.

"…well, you can send him letters by owl if anything. Come on." Before her reverie broke, Eva found a grip on her wrist pulling her out their compartment.

"No wonder you're a Beater, I never noticed how strong you were!"

"Better to drag you along my dear." Su said with a wolfish grin. "But enough of that, we're going to give him your address. Make things easier for that owl of his."

"What? No! I don't wanna –"

"Ask? Of course you don't. That is why I'm going to ask for you! No need to thank me."

"But –"

"Oh, there he is now." Su frowned. "Malfoy and his goons look like they're about to duel him. Crap. Why does everyone have to get in the way of my plans?"

Lucky for Harry, a gaggle of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws – unknowingly to Eva and Su D.A members – blocked the trio. Unlucky for Eva and Su, the group began to cast a series of hexes and curses the friends nearly avoided as they scrambled back into their compartment.

"Troublesome meddlers, the lot of them…" Su muttered.

Eva, surprisingly, snickered. Su's demanding to know what had caused the giggles only made her laugh harder.

When the train came to a halt, Eva and Su grabbed their things and entered Platform 9 ¾. The Lis found their oldest daughter soon after. The motley duo made quick but heartfelt goodbye hug, along with promises to owl the other as soon as they got home. Eva was alone and inwardly panicked, she scanned the mass of people. The Palmers were often early when it came to picking Eva up and dropping Eva off – they knew she wasn't fond of crowds. The fear and worry that was growing in the pit of her stomach faded slightly when a pair of yellow-brown eyes locked with her own. She smiled widely and ran towards him. "Uncle Manny! What are you doing here?"

Manny Scott's grimace changed into a sad smile that made Eva stop halfway to him. He walked the rest of the way and put a hand on her shoulder. "Unless you plan on staying here all summer, I'm your ride home."

She laughed weakly but the anxiety showed blatantly on her face. Manny detestation for crowds was stronger than her own. He never seen her off from the Platform unless her Mum badgered him for weeks before, and even then he was always with Eva's parents. "Where are Mum and Dad?" Eva asked.

He didn't, or couldn't, look at her as he answered: "I'll explain when were home, but not here." He looked suspiciously at the crowd before a wide grin broke out on his face as he offered her is hand. "Come on, we've got a lot catching up to do kid. I don't have a clue which Seeker is snogging which Chaser. And I'm horribly ignorant of which professors are secretly dementors – though if I had to guess, it'd be that pink lady I saw next Minister Fudge awhile back."

Eva laughed again. He's too good at that, making me laugh. She took his hand and then walked off the platform.

Their pace steadily increased, Eva noticed her uncle seem to be in a hurry. In the parking lot waited her father's van – empty of her father and mother.

"Get in." He ordered curtly. Eva was too frightened to not obey. The cage she saw in the back seat lightened her mood, however.

"Gertrude! I didn't think you'd be here!"

A lengthy scarlet snake loosely coiled in a circle lifted her neck, as if responding to the girl. The snake's hissed softly, although to her they weren't hisses but words, plain as English to Eva: Expect the unexpected my dear. I wouldn't let that man leave behind.

Eva grinned. "You always mess with him when I'm not around, Gertrude. You lot should get along better."

Tell it to him my dear. You know I'm always on my best behavior. Unlike him who –"

"The two of you shut it!" Manny barked. Eva turned to his angry face in the driver's seat. "Not a word from either of you till we get home!"

Eva nodded and sank into her own seat. Something's seriously wrong. I know that we don't exactly advertise the fact we're Parselmouths, but he's never been so strict. What's he hiding?

However, now that Eva thought about his strange behavior the question changed. Who are we hiding from?