Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Saturday night was the most eventful night for Evangeline. After Quidditch Practice and hanging around with Harry, Ron and Hermione, they sat in the common room as always, procrastinating on the homework that was slowly piling up.
"Y'know, if this is any indication of what the rest of the year is going to be like... I might just drop out right now." Evangeline said, shaking her head at the many sheets of unfinished essays that lay on the table. The four and the twins were the last ones up, Fred and George working in hushed voices at the other side of the room.
"Don't be ridiculous." Hermione said hastily, giving her a firm look. "What would you do?"
"I dunno... Become a table dancer?" Evangeline smirked.
"I'd pay to see that!" Fred called across the room, and Evangeline and Hermione rolled their eyes.
"Well, I'm off to bed. Goodnight." Hermione smiled tiredly, and gave a small wave before disappearing to bed.
Before conversation could continue, a loud snap was heard in the room, and a house elf with large ears, and eyes like tennis balls appeared on the carpet before them. Stacked on his head were the many hats that Hermione had been knitting for the house elves, and on his feet seemed to be numerous pairs of socks. They decided they wouldn't tell Hermione about this.
"Dobby!" She happily exclaimed, walking forward on her knees to hug his small, skinny frame.
"Evangeline Brown!" He said delightedly. "Dobby is happy to see you again." He turned to look at Harry and Ron. "And Harry Potter and Ron Wheezy! Dobby is very happy to see you!"
Evangeline chuckled at Dobby's delight, and mispronunciation of Ron's name.
"Why are you here anyway Dobby?" She smiled. "Just to say hi?"
"Dobby has a very important message for Miss Brown." He said proudly. "From Professor Dumbledore."
Evangeline, Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks.
"Okay..." She said. Dobby promptly handed her a small note on a piece of parchment, and she unfolded it.
'Dear Miss Brown,
Could you please come to my office, as soon as is convinient for you.
Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore.'
She folded it back up and tucked it into her jeans pocket.
"Thanks Dobby." She said.
"Dobby will take you to Professor Dumbledore, Miss. I will see you soon Harry and Ron!" With that, Dobby placed his hand on Evangeline's wrist, and apparated to Dumbledore's office, leaving Ron and Harry slightly confused and worried.
Evangeline felt uncomfortably sick when she landed on her feet in Dumbledore's office, and wobbled slightly.
"Congratulations Miss Brown, you've managed not to vomit." Dumbledore's calm voice said from up at his desk where he stood.
"Give it a minute and we'll see, sir." She said, rubbing her sick feeling stomach slightly. Dumbledore gave a slight laugh.
"It shows that you've been living with Fred and George Weasley my dear. You may leave now Dobby, thank you very much." Dumbledore said politely, and Donny did a deep bow, before vanishing again. "How are you?" He walked down his steps so he stood before her.
"I'm fine thank you sir." Evangeline's eye went to Fawkes the Phoenix; he was so beautiful.
"That's good..." Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here, so late on a Saturday night."
"Yes, I was wondering about that." She gave a small smile, and turned her eyes back to her headmaster.
"My apologies for it, Evangeline. But I called you hear because I have been made aware that you are capable of performing wandless magic." He said, placing his hands behind his back.
"Yes sir, I can."
"Excellent." Dumbledore said, which reassured her. "I would like to know to what extent you can use your wandless magic."
Evangeline nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
"We'll keep this short, I shouldn't like to keep you from bed." Dumbledore crossed the room some distance away from her, and took out his wand. "I would like you to try and disarm me."
Evangeline's eyes widened. "Sir?"
"You heard me correctly Miss Brown. I won't try to stop you, I would just like you to perform the spell." He said calmly.
Evangeline swallowed, and nodded, feeling nervous suddenly. She focused on the wand Dumbledore's hand, and clenched the muscles in her fingers tightly.
"Expelliarmus." She thought. Nothing.
"EXPELLIARMUS." Nothing.
She channeled everything she could to the wand, thinking only of disarming him.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
The wand flew from Dumbledore's hand and into the air, so Evangeline quickly stepped forward and grabbed it. She couldn't imagine how awful she'd feel if she should damage the Headmaster's Wand. With a small smile, she handed the wand to him, and he nodded thankfully and smiled back.
"Well done Miss Brown, well done."
...
The rest of the weekend was packed full of homework, and on Sunday night, Evangeline finally set down her quill and let out a wide yawn.
"I need to go for a walk." She said suddenly, standing and stretching her arms out above her head. "Can't be stuck in here much longer." She tapped her knees and called Baldrick over. "Anyone want to come?"
"I'm going to go to bed if you don't mind Evey." Hermione said, standing.
"Me too." Said Harry, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.
"Suit yourselves." Evangeline shrugged, and set off out.
"I'll come." Ron sprung up quickly, hitting his knee on the coffee table.
"Alright." Evangeline smiled, and the pair made their way out of the portrait hole, with Harry and Hermione watching them knowingly.
"How do you think you've done on that Transfiguration homework?" She asked, as they made their way down the many stairs with Baldrick skipping a little ahead of them, enjoying the explore he was getting.
"About as well as I did at Quidditch Practice." He said glumly, waiting for a set of stairs to swing round, which Baldrick barked at.
"You did alright Ron, it was bloody Draco Malfoy throwing you off." She assured him, continuing down the stairs.
"Maybe I'm just not very good." Ron grumbled, as they exited the entrance hall into the cool September air.
"You are good, I've seen you play at home... And, unlike some, you didn't have to buy your way onto the team." She said bitterly, hugging herself against the cold, as Baldrick ran across the grass after some birds, which scattered.
Ron didn't reply, he just watched his shoes as they crossed the grass toward the lake.
"You are so much more talented than you give yourself credit for Ron." She said, shaking her head. He looked up at her, and could tell she wasn't just saying it to make him feel better, she really believed it.
"I'm not as good as you... You can perform wandless magic for the love of Merlin." He said wistfully.
"Yeah," Evangeline thought back to her meeting with the Headmaster. "Dumbledore reckons that my skill with it correlates with my emotion level..." She noticed Ron's look of confusion. "Like, when I stopped that bookcase and all those plates in mid-air, I was scared that you and Tonks and Ginny and Fred were going to get hurt... And when I tripped up Crabbe and Goyle-"
"You tripped up Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron cut her off, beaming slightly.
"Oh, yeah..." Evangeline laughed, noticing she hadn't mentioned it. "They were being rude about the family... So I cast a binding curse on Crabbe's legs and they both went down."
Ron laughed hard and the thought. Evangeline just grinned widely, slightly pleased with herself.
"You just get more and more brilliant every day." He told her, shaking his head with a smile. Evangeline beamed, feeling that familiar thumping in her chest.
"So do you..." She said, her voice more breathy than she meant it to be. Ron looked over at her, feeling his neck get hot. She looked lovely in the evening, after a long day of homework she had put her hair up but it had fallen down somewhat, and she still wore her glasses. He noticed how she rubbed her arms against the cool air, and the goosebumps that had formed there.
"Here..." Ron proceeded to take off his jumper, and she found her eyes drawn to where his t-shirt had ridden up slightly at the bottom as he did so. She swallowed, blushing slightly, as he handed her the soft wool garment.
"Oh Ron. There's no need." She protested, handing it back to him.
"Don't be silly..." He laughed nervously, surprised at his own chivalry. "I've got warm blood."
Evangeline smiled at him, and pulled the jumper over her head, the smell of him filling her nostrils as she did so. It didn't smell like too much aftershave or over-priced deodorant, it just smelt clean and fresh, with the slightest hint of mustiness that came with clothes that spent most of their time at the Burrow. It was the most amazing smell.
The jumper hung off her, the sleeves too long, and the bottom reaching far below her backside. Soft, comfortable, and still holding his body heat.
"Thank you." She said, doing a turn. "How do I look?"
Ron swallowed before replying. "I think it suits you better than me." He smiled.
"Oh, I dunno, you looked pretty tasty in it." She chided with a laugh, although not totally joking.
The two made their way down to the lake in comfortable quiet, Ron found a stick to throw for Baldrick, who bounded after it and brought it back each time. The found their favourite Beech tree that they, Harry and Hermione liked to sit under in the Summer, and rested there, looking out over calm water of the lake.
"It reminds me of the Burrow this." She smiled, bending her knees and resting her chin on them. "But the water reminds me of Whitby- my old town." She said.
"Do you miss it?" Ron asked curiously, throwing the stick for Baldrick once more.
"I don't miss the house I lived in, and I don't miss Ruth... But I do miss the seaside." She gave a tired, far off smile. "I'd go there alone on weekday evenings, when the tourists had left. It smelled like fish and chips, candy floss, and the sea." Her eyes grew dreamy and glazed. "I'd usually buy myself a chocolate ice cream and sit on one of the rocky beaches, just watching the sea..."
Ron could almost see the memory dancing in her eyes, and saw how happy it made her, it made his chest ache.
"It was like an Oasis in the desert... Somewhere I felt comfortable... Not like being at home with Ruth." She had started to play with the laces of her trainers, and Ron budged up a little closer to her. On the rare occasions she mentioned her ex-guardian, it always made him a little annoyed to think of. How could someone treat her badly... Someone so kind, so loving, and so, so beautiful.
He shivered slightly when a breeze cast over them, and hope she didn't notice. She did though.
"Oh look you're cold now... Take your jumper back." She tugged on the bottom, but he stopped her.
"I'm fine." He assured her, pushing her hands away gently. Evangeline didn't believe him, she moved up to him on her knees, put her arms around his and rubbed them with her hands.
Ron needed to touch her; he needed her.
Her small, soft hands continued to create heat on his arms, and the side of her body was pressed against him.
"I'll take you to the seaside one day..." He told her earnestly. "I promise." She paused and looked at him a moment, before leaning in and kissing his temple. She had to do something to continue their contact.
"I look forward to it."
Ron didn't feel so cold anymore
...
The next morning went on like any other, right up until breakfast when the Daily Prophet arrived. Evangeline was mid sip of her coffee when Hermione gasped and hastily flattened the paper out on the table in front of them. On the cover was a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline.
MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM - DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR
"Umbridge – 'High Inquisitor'?" said Harry darkly, his half-eaten piece of toast slipping from his fingers. "What does that mean?"
Hermione went on to read out the long article, explaining her role at the school, and why she had been appointed.
"So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge! Fudge passed this 'Educational Decree' and forced her on us! And now he's given her the power to inspect the other teachers!" Hermione was breathing fast and her eyes were bright.
"This is completely ridiculous. None of the teachers at this school need inspecting." Evangeline said frustratedly.
"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."
"Well, come on, ' said Hermione, jumping up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binns's class we don't want to be late."
But Professor Umbridge was not inspecting their History of Magic lesson, which was just as dull as the previous Monday, nor was she in Snape's dungeon when they arrived for double Potions. She was, however, in Harry, Ron and Evangeline's Divination class.
Trelawney seemed nervous at her presence as she took a seat, and poised her quill above her parchment.
"We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams today," she said in a brave attempt at her usual mystic tones, though her voice shook slightly. "Divide into pairs, please, and interpret each other's latest night-time visions with the aid of the Oracle."
Her words forced him to think about the rather... inappropriate dream about Evangeline he'd had, and the way that she casually twirled her hair round her fingers just made the images more vivid.
They were lying down beside the lake at the Burrow; the sun beat down on them heavily, and Evangeline had her hands rested behind her head. She wore very little, only a pair of denim shorts and a thin vest, which stopped just below her belly button. Ron reached out and touched the warm skin there with the tips of his fingers, delighting in the shiver she gave, and the sound she made. Slowly, he grazed his hand down her stomach to the button of her shorts. He looked up at her face in question; she just smiled and bit her lip as a reply. Agonizingly slowly, he unfastened the buttons, revealing more and more of her lacy white panties. Just the sight of them made his groin ache, and he leaned down, and lay his lips repeatedly on the soft, hot skin of her stomach, reaching gradually lower and lower.
When he looked up, Evangeline was still smiling, and stroking his hair.
"C'mere." Her voice was like he'd never heard it before, breathy, low, seductive. His body surged up hers, and he placed his hands either side of her head so he was elevated above her. Her bare legs wound round his waist, and she ran a hand from his cheek to his collar bone. "Fuck me Ron." She said calmly, her tone not changing. "Please."
Ron didn't allow himself to think of the dream anymore; it went on to involve a lot less clothes, a lot more moving and a lot more explicit language. Evangeline glanced at him, and shot him a quick smile, like she knew what he was thinking about.
"Think of a dream, quick," Harry said, breaking Ron out of his reverie. "In case the old toad comes our way."
"I did it last time," Ron protested, not thinking on his feet quick enough to make one up, but not at all prepared to talk about his dream, "it's your turn, you tell me one."
"Oh, I dunno." said Harry desperately. "Lets say I dreamed I was: drowning Snape in my cauldron. Yeah, that'll do."
Ron and Evangeline chortled as Ron opened his Dream Oracle.
"Okay, we've got to add your age to the date you had the dream, the number of letters in the subject would that be 'drowning' or 'cauldron" or 'Snape'?" Evangeline peered into the book, leaning toward Ron.
"Her bloody hair." He thought.
"It doesn't matter, pick any of them," said Harry hurriedly, chancing a glance behind him. Evangeline glanced over at what he was looking at, and saw Umbridge standing by Trelawney.
"She won't be too happy if she catches you eavesdropping Harry." Evangeline whispered.
"She's not going to notice, and I don't really care if she does." Harry replied.
"Well I do. I don't want you coming back with any more words carved into your bloody hand by that old hag." She hissed.
Professor Umbridge was now standing at Professor Trelawneys shoulder making notes while the Divination teacher questioned Neville about his dream diary.
"What night did you dream this again?" Ron said, immersed in calculations.
"I dunno, last night, whenever you like," Harry told him, still trying to listen. Evangeline found herself feeling a little nosy as well.
"Now," said Umbridge, looking up at Trelawney, "you've been in this post how long, exactly?"
"Nearly sixteen years." Professor Trelawney replied, clearly rather affronted at being inspected.
"Quite a period," said Professor Umbridge, making a note on her clipboard. "So it was Professor Dumbledore who appointed you?"
"That's right," said Professor Trelawney shortly. Professor Umbridge made another note.
"And you are a great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Cassandra Trelawney?"
"Yes,"
"But I think - correct me if I am mistaken - that you are the first in your family since Cassandra to be possessed of Second Sight?"
"These things often skip - er - three generations," said Professor Trelawney.
Professor Umbridge's toadlike smile widened.
"Of course," she said sweetly, making yet another note. "Well, if you could just predict something for me, then?" And she looked up enquiringly, still smiling.
Evangeline's jaw dropped a little bit, and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. The scene was almost painful to watch.
"I'm sorry?" Professor Trelawney seemed to shake a little bit. Basically everyone in the class seemed to be listening at this point.
"The Inner Eye doesn't See upon command..." Her bottom lip shook slightly; clearly she was reaching.
"Pity..." Professor Umbridge's smile faded slightly, feigning disappointment as she wrote on her clipboard.
"No, wait, wait... I think I do see something, yes." Professor Trelawney said desperately, putting her usual mystic voice back on. "Something dark... You... Are in grave danger..." Her hands shook slightly.
"Lovely," she said softly, writing on her clipboard again. "Well, if that's really the best you can do," She turned away, leaving Professor Trelawney standing rooted to the spot, her chest heaving.
The three looked at each other, and while they knew that Trelawney was beyond doubt an old fraud, they couldn't feel on her side in this case.
...
Professor Umbridge was humming happily when they arrived at Defence Against the Dark Arts, clearly humiliating Trelawney had been like a brisk walk for her. Refreshing and pleasing.
"Hermione... You should've been in Divination..." Evangeline said, a gossipy tone in her voice as they entered the classroom. She went on to tell her everything that had happened, but before she could ask any questions Umbridge spoke.
"Wands away."
Few people had been optimistic enough to bother getting them out.
She ordered them to begin chapter two, and they did so glumly. It was when Evangeline turned to the correct page that she noticed Hermione had her hand up again beside her. Instead of ignoring it, Professor Umbridge headed directly to her and whispered quietly:
"What is it this time Granger?"
"I've already read chapter two." Said Hermione.
"Well then read chapter three."
"I've read that as well... I've read the whole book."
Evangeline had to fight off a smile and keep her eyes to the book when she noticed Umbridge's slight lapse in poise. Hermione being a complete smart-arse was brilliant sometimes.
"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in Chapter Fifteen." Umbridge tested snappily.
"He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named," said Hermione promptly. "He says 'counter-jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable."
Evangeline had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from grinning. She really was no match for Hermione when it came to an encyclopedic knowledge of subjects.
Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed against her will.
"But I disagree," Hermione continued.
Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder.
"You disagree?" she repeated, like the words tasted bad on her tongue.
"Yes, I do," said Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking loudly enough to catch the attention of the class. "Mr Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."
"Oh, you do, do you?" said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up to her unimpressive height. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."
"But-" Hermione began.
"That is enough," said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them. "Five points from Gyffindor."
"What for?" Evangeline said angrily, unable to bite her tongue.
"Don't get involved!" Hermione whispered urgently.
"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," said Professor Umbridge smoothly. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little."
"She clearly understands it perfectly well if she was able to give a clear and concise counter-argument." Evangeline replied indignantly.
"Detention tonight, Miss Brown." Professor Umbridge said sharply, eyes flashing. "I warned you to blunt that sharp tongue."
...
Evangeline couldn't help the sick feeling in her stomach that evening as she approached Professor Umbridge's office door. Ron had offered to walk her, but she didn't want him to see that she genuinely was quite scared. She knew he'd be up when she got back though, worrying no doubt. She kneaded her hands behind her back, and took a deep breath before knocking.
"Don't worry Evey... She's just a bitter old woman." She told herself.
"Come in." Came Professor Umbridge's sickeningly sweet voice from behind the door. Evangeline entered, and closed the door behind her. Her office couldn't have reflected her better. Everything pink, so sweet it could make you vomit. Kittens 'meow'd' on little decorative plates hung on the walls, jumping from one to the other.
Evangeline spotted the table, with a piece of parchment and one of Umbridge's 'special quill's' beside it.
"Good evening, Miss Brown. Please, take a seat." She gestured to the table, and Evangeline walked to it, acutely aware of her shoes squeaking on the floor. She sat uncomfortably in the chair, not allowing herself to appear as anxious as she was.
"You're going to be doing some lines for me this evening Miss Brown." She stepped round her desk to stand in front of her. Evangeline looked up, eyes cold. "I would like you to write, 'I will not be rude to my teacher,' fifty times."
Evangeline swallowed her pride, and nodded, before reaching in her bag.
"You will be using my quill, please." Professor Umbridge said, eyebrows arched.
"I was just getting my glasses, like I do in all my lessons." She replied; being slightly sarcastic was all she had at the time. She took her glasses out, and placed them carefully on her nose, before picking up the quill and poising it above the paper. She could feel that Umbridge was watching her closely. She knew that Evangeline was friends with Harry, so was perfectly aware that she knew what was coming.
"Sick old bitch." Evangeline thought, partly hoping she could somehow read her thoughts.
Evangeline wrote carefully.
'I will n
It hurt, she could see the letters get etched into her skin, and the blood came to the surface quickly. Evangeline tried her best to ignore the stinging, and swallow the lump forming in her throat as she continued to write.
ot be rude to my teacher.'
She wrote it repeatedly, and it didn't hurt any less each time.
"I could just use my wandless magic... Test out an Unforgiveable Curse... Or charm my tie to wrap round her fat little neck..."
Most of Evangeline's thoughts were on the lines of this as she wrote, although she never would do it. It wouldn't be worth getting expelled from Hogwarts just to hurt the old bitch...
Well, maybe it would...
After what felt like an age, she had finally finished the last 'r' and set down the quill.
"I've finished." She said, cursing how coarse her voice was after a while of not talking, and trying not to cry.
Professor Umbridge walked round the desk, and picked up her parchment, inspecting it.
"Well done, Miss Brown." She gave that sweet smile, and Evangeline wanted nothing more than to inflict some physical damage on the woman. "I hope you've learned something from that."
Evangeline clutched her wrist tightly, but discreetly, trying to make it sting a little less. She stood, and picked up her bag before heading to the door.
"I knew your parents you know, Miss Brown." Her voice cut into the quiet. Evangeline stopped dead at the door, before turning to face her. The mention of her parents from her mouth made her blood boil, and she could feel the pulse in her neck. "Yes, they were in the second year while I was in my last as head girl." Umbridge set down the parchment on her desk. "Frightful troublemakers..." Her voice never lost that sweet edge to it as she spoke, and she acted as if she were speaking with nostalgia, rather than insult.
Evangeline pursed her lips tightly. Umbridge was coaxing a reaction from her.
"Your mother especially... Your father followed her round a lot more, much like that Weasley boy does with you." She went on, Evangeline's faced flushed with fury; with the pain in her hand and the words Umbridge spoke, she wasn't sure how long she could stand there without doing something.
Professor Umbridge looked up at her and smiled.
"You would do well, Miss Brown, to choose your friendship circles more wisely. Certain people in this school are spreading nasty little lies, and we wouldn't want you to get into more trouble in their defense, would we?" She said condescendingly.
Evangeline felt her eyes sting, but kept them cold.
"Yes, they do." She said bitterly, so Umbridge knew exactly whom she was referring to. "Nasty little lies." Evangeline squeezed her throbbing wrist harder. "And some people would do well not to talk about other people they know nothing about." Evangeline chin quivered, and Umbridge's smile faltered at her defiance.
There was a brief silence, in which the two looked at each other.
"Goodnight, Professor Umbridge." Evangeline said finally, before turning and walking out of the room, the heavy door snapping shut behind her.
Her breath shook as she practically ran away from the room, and she kept her right hand holding tightly onto her stinging left one. The further away from the office she got, the more her breath heaved, and the more her eyes and hand stung. She jogged through the dimly lit halls, and tried to focus on the sound of the rain on the windows rather than the pain in her hand; to no avail.
"Damn it..." She said to herself, feeling tears break her eyes. She neared Gryffindor Tower, and it was only then that she noticed she was fully crying.
"What ever's the matter?" The Fat Lady asked.
"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." Evangeline replied impatiently through gritted teeth. The portrait swung open, still eyeing her.
Evangeline practically stumbled through the portrait hole when she got back. The fire still crackled away merrily, and as expected, she found Harry, Ron and Hermione waiting for her.
Harry was asleep in one chair, and Hermione the other, a book open on her chest. Ron, however, was sitting on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees and hands clasped in front of him as he watched the fire almost unblinkingly.
He looked up at her when she came in, and his eyes widened at her tear stained pale face, and her breathlessness.
"Evangeline..." He breathed, jumping up and hurrying over to her. "What did the old toad do to you?" He wrapped his arms around her and she cried openly into his chest as he held her tightly.
"I- can't h-handle it Ron... I'm not b-brave like H-Harry." She wept quietly, not wanting to wake the other two. Ron stepped back, not letting go of her as he sat her on the couch beside him.
"You are brave Evangeline, you are so brave."
She pulled apart from the hug, her hands shaking on her lap. That was when he spotted her bleeding hand. He picked it up gently, his face turning pale with anger. The words were angry and deeply imbedded. 'I will not be rude to my teacher.'
Ron was angry when she did it to Harry; he was livid. But it was different with Evangeline... He cared about her to the point it hurt him deeply to see her upset. The idea that the old banshee sat there and watched something so beautiful, so perfect get damaged angered him beyond belief.
"We have do something. We have to say something." He said firmly, shaking his head and not letting go of her hand.
"No." Her voice was calmer now, although still shook from crying. "No. Harry's r-right..." She took a deep breath and swallowed. "I don't want to give her the satisfaction." She shook her head. "I managed not to cry in front of her."
Ron looked at her face carefully, and wiped away a tear that had slid down to her chin. He'd seen her cry on very few occasions, but it felt like being punched in the chest. He just wanted to make everything better; he never wanted her to be upset.
"Please don't cry." He said quietly, combing a few strands of hair from her face. "It spoils your makeup." He attempted slight laugh, and thankfully she laughed too.
"I must look like crap." She smiled sadly, rubbing her face.
"You never look like crap." Ron said, his voice a slight mumble.
Evangeline looked over at Hermione and Harry in their respective armchairs.
"Let's not wake them up." Evangeline moved in close to Ron, and rested her head on his chest, pushing him back slightly so they were both in a lying down position. "I just want to sleep."
Ron nodded, and looked down at her, as she unconsciously rubbed his jumper, as if it comforted her. She was asleep soon enough in her position on him, and Ron enjoyed the sound of her steady breathing. Slowly, he leaned forward and lay a kiss on her forehead, and cold swear he saw her smile in her sleep.
He did in fact, see her smile... but she wasn't asleep.
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Apologies for this being rather short.
I'd like to take this opportunity to disclaim anything created by JK Rowling, as I only wish I could've come up with something so brilliant.
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