the secrets we all keep


Act One


A Christmas Prophecy

25th December, 1942

Christmas at the Greengrass manor was always rather... exhausting.

Family came by, of course—but that was the catch. It was a very planned out, hurried, event filled day. After all, with purebloods things could never be simple. The Greengrass family was not incredibly large on it's own but was interconnected to several larger families that were necessary to invite and be invited by. As all things were in upper society, it was all about image and making the Floo trips into feasts and parties for the holiday celebration.

Everly had grown up in this world and knew exactly how much energy it took to survive visiting five other different homes in the pureblood community all in the span of a day. It was a day of eating exorbitantly priced meals, of conversing all the latest gossip, of showing off, and of licking your better's boots for the sake of improved connections. And of course, at the very end of the day, there was always the private family meal, where everyone who wasn't already too exhausted arrived and picked at their food, too stuffed for another bite.

She was just lucky to already be engaged—these get togethers proved to be where most of the arranged marriages were made in pureblood society.

Before all that though, there was the presents in the morning.

Everly hoped for more books—her grandparents usually gifted her old spell books with questionable origins, and her uncle Atticus, if he got her anything, sometimes got her textbooks about potion-making. Her aunt Griselda, on the other hand, liked to get her makeup from her company, Glamour, which she ran with her husband, as well as a collection of hair-care products that Everly was quite excited about. Erebus liked giving her chocolates—she got him an assortment of sweets and a broom-cleaning kit in return—and her dad would most surely be getting her new robes.

She woke up that morning refreshed, having slept better in her room away from Hogwarts than she had in months. It was nice, being away from school, a feeling she'd never really felt before as she usually couldn't wait to get back, eager to return to studying. Which in a way made her melancholic, knowing she wouldn't be feeling this way if her year hadn't been so awful.

Everly rolled out of bed and threw her bathrobe over her nightgown, heading in to her private bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Feeling much more awake afterwards, she gave her hair a quick comb through and went to see after her presents, not yet ready to get dressed.

Erebus and Tom were already there in the sitting room with the Christmas tree, and for a moment, the scene took her by surprise. She'd never seen Tom so... underdressed. His dark hair was a mess, the ends of it sticking up, and his eyes, usually so alert, were glazed over as he stared into the depths of the steaming cup in his hand. Even his clothes, normally so primped—as if he spent his nights ironing them—were exchanged for green cotton pajama bottoms and a white worn button-down top with green accents. They both looked wrinkled and well-worn, as well as the slippers on his feet.

He looked like a completely different person to her.

"Morning," Everly said, mostly to her brother as she went to sit on her knees besides the tree and presents. Erebus tossed her a thin package.

"From Mum's mum," Erebus informed her, chewing on a piece of Blue Wiggers Taffy.

Everly carefully unwrapped it and wasn't surprised to be looking directly into the face of her laughing mother. She came in the form of a framed black-and-white picture that moved like real life, and it took her breath away. Elena Greengrass—or rather, Selwyn—looked young, more baby-faced and with a softer, more relaxed expression. Her brows were thin like Everly's but arched higher, making her look a bit surprised with her big doe eyes and long, thick lashes. Everly could still remember the vivid green of them. The other differences were minute; Elena's blonde hair was straight and thinner, longer in length, her nose pointed and a tad tinier, her lips and teeth smaller, maybe.

Everly spied the date engraved on the frame and did the quick math before offering it her brother.

"Look. Mum when she was fifteen," Everly whispered, a bit choked by the emotion she was trying not to show, especially in front of Tom. He leaned forward to look over Erebus's shoulder and met her gaze with a sneer.

"You could be twins," he said, but somehow his voice didn't have the bite she had been expecting.

Perhaps he was on his best behavior too. She doubted it.

"Do you think she would have been a nag too?" Tom asked when she frowned.

And there it was, what she was waiting for.

"I don't know, I never met her before," Erebus said with a shrug, his face a bit guarded as he turned back to his unwrapped presents. It only just struck her that her father wasn't there to see his reactions to his gifts. She looked around, considering where he could be. Julen was usually an early riser and though he'd drank a bit last night, it wasn't too excessively.

"I never met mine either," Tom responded, and maybe he sounded a bit soothing? Was he actually trying to be nice to her brother? Maybe just to save his own hide, seeing as he was Erebus's guest. Not hers.

Everly shook her head of her thoughts. "Where's Father?"

"He left just a bit before you came in. Said he's off to visit his parents," Tom explained, taking a sip of his tea.

"Oh," she remarked softly, turning back to her stack of presents. Everly picked the one off the top and noticed the differences between the wrapping, how second-hand the paper looked covering the tiny box. She checked for the sender and didn't spy any name except for her own.

Curious, she opened it quickly and looked into the box, a bit surprised to see a necklace. A very simple one that she lifted out to get a better look. It had only a chain and a tiny, smoothed down piece of obsidian carved into the shape of an arrowhead that gleamed in the light as it swung.

"An anonymous admirer?" Tom asked, that bite returning to his voice.

She snorted, and despite not being one for necklaces, she slipped it over her head and watched it lay flat against her chest. Her tone was admiring as she said, "I like the look of it."

Tom grunted.

"Did you not get any presents?" she asked, gazing at the empty space around him.

"He got more than we did, I think," Erebus piped up, eyes wide. "A lot of girls like Tom, Ever."

She ignored that last bit. "Then where are they?"

Tom groaned. "They're in my room. I'll open them later," he snapped and took another sip from his tea, glaring over the rim of it. She couldn't help but be amused, and almost happy that he was being this way with her. It was a bit of a stress relief actually, though she couldn't be sure as to why.

"Well, add this one to your pile then, and don't ask why I got you anything," Everly said, reaching into her bathrobe pocket to toss him a pack of sugar quills and a black box that would open to reveal a glass blown quill shaped into the body of a green snake, with it's tiny head at the very end of the handle.

"Why quills?" Tom asked, lifting his present out of it's careful wrapping for closer inspection. He eyed the snake, which Everly thought looked a bit too cute to be anything close to a real one.

"I've seen you writing in your journal," she said with a weak lift of her shoulders. "I figured it might be a hobby."

Silence, and Everly returned to unwrapping her presents, surprised to see that Uncle Atticus had sent her a book of potion recipes. She flipped through it and was mildly surprised to find that the vast majority were unfamiliar to her.

"I guess it is one," he said quietly, rousing her attention, almost looking contemplative before returning to his glare. "You've been spying on me."

"Of course I have," she muttered, and picked out her biggest present, a big box that she knew from sight alone to be from Aunt Griselda. On top was a separate present, but in the same wrapping, from Uncle Loren, Griselda's husband. Odd. Usually he let Griselda's gift count as his.

She opened it at once and blinked her eyes in utter astonishment to see what she saw. Everly instantly slipped it back into it's wrappings.

"What was that?" Erebus asked and she shook her head firmly. No way was she going to say it out loud with Tom in the room. He hated muggles.

She was surprised though. What was Uncle Loren doing gifting her muggle music? She thought back to the album cover of the record. Song Hits from Holiday Inn, it was called, with names like Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire on the front. Was Holiday Inn a picture film? A musical?

She'd never seen a musical or been to the cinema, though she was fairly curious what all the fuss was about. Muggles seemed to care a fair bit about their celebrities and though the Wizarding world had its own circle of entertainers—singers, actors, musicians, and the like—productions and attitudes seemed to be very different between the two.

Everly shook her head and instead carefully unwrapped the box her aunt had sent, opening it to see the great collection of tonics, shampoos, conditioners, makeup brushes, palettes of eyeshadow and rogue, cake mascara, and a great many matte lipsticks, most of them red. She beamed at the sight, sorting through them and ignoring the chatter of Tom and Erebus, itching to swatch the lipsticks and eyeshadows. Glamour products usually had a hidden surprise once applied, attributed to the spectacular charmwork ingrained in the formulas.

She held off, if only to get to everything else she had to open first. Several of the girls from Hogwarts had sent her chocolates, as well as a few boys—she tossed them at Erebus if she couldn't recognize the name—and got a very nice surprise to see that Hagrid had sent her a signed copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as a note thanking her for helping him in class. Aileua got her some potion ingredients and a letter of all their happiest times throughout the year so far. It really was quite thoughtful and did good to cheer Everly up about what had been such a rotten time for her.

It felt hollow knowing that she wouldn't be receiving anything from LilyAnn, who was still in the care of Madam Appleby, though Everly had been sure to get a present to her family regardless for when she was revived.

Minutes later, when Everly finally got down to her last present, one from her father, she saw that he hadn't actually gotten her robes. Instead, he'd gotten her books. Books she already had. Books he already got her years ago.

Everly sighed. "Mobey?" The house-elf appeared with a crack in the air, giving her a glowing smile.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Deliver my presents to my room, please. Oh, and please bring up a breakfast tray too, something simple and light will do. I'll be there in a moment," she told him, rising and only just barely halting when she saw the way Tom was looking at Mobey, who left quickly to perform his tasks. With complete and utter fascination.

"Interested in house elves?" she asked.

"That wasn't the same one we saw yesterday letting us into the manor," he said, perplexed.

"We have three," Everly explained. "That was Mobey, he's mine. The one you saw yesterday was Gimbly, my father's. And once Erebus summons her, you'll soon be seeing Winny."

"Winnie the Pooh?" Tom asked, brows shooting up.

Everly frowned. "What?"

"I guess Winny poos," Erebus grumbled, appearing quite uncomfortable, looking at Tom as if he'd gone starkers. "Don't know why you care so much though."

Tom's cheeks went red. "No, I mean... Winnie the Pooh is..." he trailed off and shook his head, face clearing of emotion. "Nothing, just a muggle phrase, I suppose."

Understanding lit Erebus's features. "Oh, that makes much more sense."

Something about his explanation didn't sit well with Everly but she wasn't too fussed to be honest. Rather, she gave another long suffering sigh and headed back up the long staircase, back into her room, seeking silence to prepare for what the rest of the day would bring.

.

.

Her father returned from his parent's and at noon, after they'd taken in all the visitors they were expecting, they left to visit the Parkinsons first. Their time there lasted all but half an hour, as the family left to make their own visits, right according to the schedule the Malfoy's had given the heads of houses. The Nott family came next, and another half hour passed before they too left to make their visits. Then, to the Lestrange's, wherein Tom nearly got spit up on by a baby, and Everly had to take the child from him out of pure necessity.

"I hate children," Tom muttered to her darkly, seeming unable to even look at the precious baby girl in her arms.

She merely rolled her eyes at him—she was on her best behavior, after all—and passed the girl back to her mother before they all Floo'd in to the Black family home.

At the sight of her, Alphard let out a shout that had Walburga glaring at the back of his head.

"Ever!" he cried, embracing her as if they hadn't just seen each other yesterday. He whispered in her ear and very intently said, "You have to get me out of here! Walburga is making Mum redecorate!"

Everly couldn't help but giggle at that but didn't get a chance to respond as her father cleared his throat behind her. Withholding a groan, she let go of Alphard to face him.

"Need I remind the two of you that extended contact like embraces are inappropriate?" he hissed, his eyes narrowed into slits at the way Alphard kept a hand on her arm. She shook it off, not meeting anyone's eyes as she stared down at her feet.

"Not as if we're snogging in public," Alphard grumped to himself. She could perfectly picture the sneer that had to be on his face.

"You need never snog. If you weren't already aware, she's promised," Julen snapped, having the infernal ability to overhear most anything not meant for his ears.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Erebus whispering to Tom, who seemed to be laughing at something. Probably her.

Heat filled her face and before her anger could get the hold of her, Everly fled to the refreshments, ignoring the way her father hissed her name. She only came to regret this decision upon seeing Orion heading in her direction, and if possible, her face got hotter.

"Hello," she said, rigid as she nibbled at the biscuit in her hand.

"You need to make Tom like you again," Orion said, wasting none of his time as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Why?"

His response was haughty, imperiously lifting one brow. "Because I said so."

Everly nearly choked at that, but couldn't think of anything to say in response. She was caught between laughter and horror, noting that despite how she towered over him, he wasn't in the least bit self-conscious. She turned away, focusing on swallowing as she tried to train her face into careful blankness.

She couldn't say she was surprised.

It didn't matter that he could grow taller in the coming years, or become better looking in any respect, or somehow wake up with a better personality. She'd always known, since her engagement had been announced, that she would never and could never like him. How in the bloody sodding sod would she be able to stomach marrying him?

How could her father expect her to!?

She recalled how LilyAnn had so carefreely professed she didn't want to get married and longing hit Everly so hard in the chest that she swayed. Longing for a lot of things. Longing for one of her best friends to come back, be healthy and with her. Longing for her mother to be alive, able to listen and advise. Longing for her father to care more about her, and not the idea of her. Longing that the school year had not been so tough, that the stress wouldn't be for nothing. Longing that Tom Riddle hadn't come to ruin her holiday, and wasn't a would-be killer and dark lord.

Longing that she could, for one bloody moment, stop thinking. Stop dreaming. Stop being.

"Just make sure he doesn't hate you. At this point, your image reflects badly on mine, you whore. I hope you know that," Orion told her and stalked away as if he hadn't just hit her with a blow to her gut.

Everly gritted her teeth, and realized that while she definitely felt hurt, it was nothing in comparison to the fury. It was nearly enough to knock her off her feet, so palpable, she felt her hands shake with it, her eyes tearing up as she turned to spy Tom still laughing with Erebus.

It suddenly seemed too much to play nice with someone like him. A burden so heavy, she wanted to scream.

But she didn't. She didn't.

It soon came time to move on to the fifth and final home that they'd be visiting; the Malfoy Manor, the family who seemed to pride itself on controlling every other family when it came to the societal events. Everly couldn't remember a time where the Malfoy's weren't the absolutely richest pureblooded family in Britain, or weren't planning out the year's events in advance.

By the time they all arrived, the party where everyone had come to gather—Parkinson, Nott, Lestrange, Black, and assortment of others from the twenty-eight—was in full swing and Everly was mad with everyone. Her father, her brother, Tom, Orion, Alphard. No one was spared, not even her mother, who just wasn't there.

It felt difficult to breathe but she somehow managed, feeling misery cling to her as she set out to greet distant and close family alike on her own. There was no way she was letting herself be led around by her father for the night, where he'd hiss into her ear instructions on how to speak and walk, as if she didn't already know.

Then, finally, after having said hello to everyone who cared to see her, she was allowed to do what she enjoyed the most about Christmas; look after the children.

Everly liked children. They were sweet, most times. Lots of times they could be mischievous and purposely mean too, but even then she had fun looking after them. It was usually her designated role, any time she visited family, that she would be the one to look after the young ones while the adults conversated.

She was in charge of making sure the children didn't get too carried away, especially with their budding magic and their new Christmas toys.

Abraxas Malfoy, in past years, was a particularly rowdy young boy, not even ten years old, and liked goading the younger kids into following his lead. Much to his mother's intense exasperation, he liked to pull pranks on the adults—like slipping live toads, centipedes, roaches, and caterpillars into robes and food—so really, Everly spent most of her time at the Malfoy Manor trying to keep Abraxas from shoving bugs every which way and trying to get a rise out of people.

The marked difference this evening to all the others, however, was not just because of her unhappiness, but because Abraxas was currently sick in bed and nowhere to manage mischief. It gave her nothing to take her mind off things with.

"Don't eat that," she chided, as Bryony Selwyn, a cousin of hers, tried to eat a napkin. Everly adjusted the two year old in her lap, and wiped at the messy face of Bryony's brother, Cedric, a three year old who sat on a stool beside her, rambling about the new toy broom he'd gotten that morning. "That's very exciting. Have you ridden it yet?"

"Yes, it soooo fast!" Cedric told her animatedly, just as Alphard walked up to her, a butterbeer in both hands. Her anger evaporated, leaving her half-sagged from the relief.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he plopped down beside her, offering her one of the butterbeers. "I didn't mean to hug you in front of your dad. Forgive me?"

"If you forgive me for fleeing and for my father being a bloody git," she muttered and then looked at Cedric thoughtfully as she realized what kind of language she'd just used. "Will you repeat that?"

He nodded his head vigorously.

"Not in front of your parents," she warned him. "They might use a switch on you."

He considered this and nodded again before hopping off of his stool and running off to chase after five year old Roberta Yaxley.

"You're forgiven," Alphard said with a chuckle. "Only if you tell me what your dad has been like around Riddle."

She snorted. What was there to tell that he couldn't already figure out?

"Oh, you know how he is when meeting new people. And you know how Tom is, especially around adults. It's rather comedic, watching the both of them pretend to be nice together. Father plays the ever dutiful host, making sure he's comfortable in his room, and Tom plays the bright and upcoming star of his year to impress him and gain a connection."

Alphard looked at her curiously. "Since when is he Tom?"

Everly blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Since when do you call him by name?"

She frowned. "I... I don't know. I suppose it's because it's less of a struggle." She turned contemplative, and wondered when exactly was it she'd made the switch without even knowing. "He's dropped his mask around me," she realized and sighed happily at the sight of Bryony dozing off in her arms.

"And you're pleased about this?" Alphard asked, scrunching up his face to squint at her. "Is he, what, suddenly being nice to you?"

"Quite the opposite," she said, cooing softly at Bryony. "He's being positively dreadful."

"And why are smiling?"

She inclined her chin towards the two year old in her arms. "Isn't she absolutely adorable? She's my mother's brother's daughter."

"Atticus?"

"The very one."

"Huh. He never seemed like the dad type to me."

"He has his moments," she said, kissing Bryony's cheek.

"You should see my kid brother, Cygnus the Third," Alphard quipped, a smile forming on his face at the sight of Bryony's peaceful face. "He's as destructive as a niffler after gold, but rather cute too. But then, aren't all four year olds?"

"I've met your brother before," she reminded him, amused.

"Yeah, I know. Just saying though, Cyg is so much cuter."

"I think my brother is the cutest," she said, quite aware that he was only a table away and well within view.

"No way," Alphard said with a scowl. "He betrayed you! For Riddle. And you felt awful about it for how long cause the little prick couldn't get up the nerve to apologize to his own sister? He may be young but he's not an absolute invalid and I kept telling him, again and again, that Riddle was the wrong bloke to look up to."

"It's not like you have the best relationship with your sister either," she pointed out, a bit flustered by the sudden agitation she was seeing in him.

"Yeah, but my sister isn't you," he said shortly. "If I had you for a sister, do you think I wouldn't be able to apologize?" he asked, staring at her intently. "Even if you do nag, and worry, and care, you're still approachable. Still open."

"He's just trying to fit in," she reminded him weakly. "And isn't it natural for young boys to try and... impress their friends? And gravitate towards leaders? Or people like their fathers?"

He stared at her, wordless.

"Al."

"I don't want to argue with you about this," Alphard muttered with a great big sigh. "I'm just saying that you need to expect more out of your brother, or he'll always be just a kid to you. A baby to take care of. And I don't think I need to remind you that that's not something you should want in a boy that should be growing up to be a man."

It was her turn to be wordless, her eyes wide in surprise.

Alphard's face softened the longer he gazed back. "Ev, it's alright. I know. It's not like you're his mother. You're his sister and you don't need to forgive him so easily when he messes up just because you want to be good at being one."

Her eyes stung as she looked at her very best friend in the entire world, who always knew how to give her the advice she needed in the way she needed it. She would be so lost without him.

"I wish my mum were here," she whispered for reasons unknown. "And h-her. I wish she was here too."

Alphard said nothing to that, simply stood and dragged his chair to be beside her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and somehow it was this that made her calm, made that sting in the back of her eyes vanish as he kissed the side of her head. "I'm sorry for bringing all of this up, Ever." Then, very softly, he added, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she echoed faintly.

.

.

"Here you are, my beautiful granddaughter," Poppy Selwyn said with a grin as she came out of the fireplace, her husband, Charlie, in tow. She went to Everly immediately, arms open as she took her in and squeezed. Her grandmother kissed her cheeks for good measure. "I have missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Gran," she said, enveloping herself in the warmth and love her grandmother so easily provided. She didn't want to let go, but eventually she had to. Everly kissed her back.

"Do I get a turn?" Charlie asked with that wide smile of his, green eyes twinkling. Everly lit up seeing him, turning away from Poppy, who went to greet Erebus.

"Papa," she said, before wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her face into his chest. He'd lost some weight since she'd last seen him, looked more feeble, but still his grip on her was strong and uplifting.

"Did you get the album I sent?" he asked with a secretive twinkle, too low for anyone else but her to hear.

She pulled away to gape.

"It was you? I thought—the wrapping paper—Uncle Loren..." she trailed off when he began to laugh.

"So you fell for that bit of the surprise, did you?"

"Papa," she scolded with a frown.

"Have you had a chance to listen?" he asked, interested.

Before she could say anything, the voice of her other grandfather interjected.

"You are hogging her!" Eridanus Greengrass exclaimed with a glare towards Charlie before proceeding to pull her away into his arms and pick her up off the floor as if she were a child again. "Been able to do that since you were an ickle girl, Evy! Bet this old man here can't do that."

Everly scuttled away before Charlie could even try.

"This again? Quit with that old rivalry already," Lyra, Eridanus's wife, snapped as she came around to hug Everly quickly and peck her cheek. "Oh, dear, you have lost weight," she said with concern in her voice. "Julen warned us. I hadn't thought it would be this bad."

"I've been stressed," she confessed. Lyra had a way with knowing the truth regardless of whether Everly admitted to it or not. She was a Malfoy, after all, and reading people was a bit of a natural born talent to them.

"My fifth year was dreadful too, sweet. It is for everyone—You've eaten today then?" Lyra asked, leading Everly away from her grandfathers, through the halls, and into the Smaller Dining Room where the table had already been set up by the house elves. As was usual for every Christmas dinner, she was sat between her grandmothers, who seemed only to want to chat with her the whole of the night rather than listen to anyone else.

Everly had a feeling it was because they suspected how lonely she felt with only Julen and Erebus in the house.

"I've eaten a bit," she said, thinking of the breakfast she'd picked at and the biscuits she'd eaten at Grimmauld Place with the Blacks. She also thought about how dreadful the whole day had been, and not even the prospects of eating could brighten her mood after the reminder.

Lyra opened her mouth to reply, but before a sound could escape, another interjected.

"—a Seer!?"

Everly stiffened and upon registering the word, she paled. She turned to see her father storming into the room, his own expression just as severe.

"A Seer?" he repeated, this time to her.

She felt everyone's eyes turn toward to her and she swallowed, closing her own before nodding slowly in confirmation.

"What?" Poppy asked, alarmed. "What is this about a Seer?"

"Her... she's... my daughter..." Julen stumbled back away from Everly.

"What's wrong with being a Seer?" Erebus asked coming up from behind Julen, alarm and concern on his face as he looked from his father to his sister.

"Seers often lose their minds, is all," Poppy said faintly as she answered her grandson and shifted to look into Everly's eyes. "You certain that's what you are?"

She nodded again, her mouth too dry to attempt speaking.

"Not all of them do," Lyra reminded them, her gaze on her son as she said this. "Julen, it's nothing to be concerned over—"

"Are all my girls cursed?" Julen asked and a chill entered the room despite the toasty comfort the room had been spelled to give off.

Everly winced at the words and exhaled a soft breath before saying, "I thought you knew. Erry told me you knew."

Her father shook his head, anguish written in his expression. He believed the worst would happen to her, that she'd eventually go insane.

"I hoped I was wrong," he whispered, and then with a crack, Apparated.

Everly stood, kicking her chair back and attempting to run out of the room, find her father—pry that damned bottle from his fists—and explain to him that everything would be alright, cause she was a Seer and she was supposed to know things. He might even believe her if she told him that way.

Except, Atticus, someone she hadn't even been sure would be coming, held her back with a calm smile before handing to her Bryony, who lit up to be held by her again. Cedric was there too, standing as tall her knees beside his mother, Carina.

"It's Christmas," her uncle said. "Leave him to his melodramatics for now, Evy. I'll talk to him instead." And then with that he, too, Apparated.

Everly stared at where he disappeared, numb. And very tired. She turned back toward the table, helped Bryony and Cedric into chairs beside their grandad, Charlie, and slowly walked back to where her chair lay on the floor. The sounds of quiet chatter drifted by her, unheard as she picked it up and sat, looking up to meet Tom's eyes on the other side of the table.

Somehow, she couldn't even be bothered to care he was there at all.

But she did wonder what he might be thinking.

"Let's leave those boys to sort themselves out. Time's awasting!" Charlie chortled, unaffected by the tense air. He called for the meal to start, ignoring the two empty seats, and immediately the plates and goblets were filled.

Discussion broke out across the table. Griselda was speaking to Eridanus about business while Loren picked at his food and observed his watch. Cedric was trying not to fall asleep in his food, kept awake by Carina while Bryony babbled animatedly with Charlie about Godric knows what. Erebus was whispering some joke to Tom, who gave a strained smile in return.

"Your name is Tom?" Poppy asked, watching the boys with a soft frown. "You look too... mature to be in Erebus's year."

"He's in mine," Everly corrected.

She blinked rapidly. "Oh! Dear me, is he here as your friend then?"

"Our Evy certainly prefers the company of boys to girls," Lyra remarked, almost affectionately. "But no, Julen informed us this morning. He's Erry's guest."

"We're in Slytherin together," Erebus explained with a happy smile. "He's a lot like Dad!"

This got Eridanus's attention as he turned to ask, "How so?"

"I guess it's his attitude."

Tom looked as if he was hoping a hole would appear and swallow him up before he had to say anything. To his credit though, he hid this well with a secretive smile, his tone dripping with put on charm as he said to the room, "Everly and I are both prefects, and I assist with the students in her club. It's how I got to know them so well."

"Is Alphard still helping too, then?" Lyra asked, white-blonde brows raised in concern. "I like that boy. Quite charming."

"Yes," Everly answered after swallowing a bite of her meal.

"Is he the Black you're going to marry?" Charlie asked without looking up, wiping at Bryony's face with his handkerchief.

Her cheeks reddened. "No." Though she half wished she was. If it was Alphard, she wouldn't mind so much that she was engaged without her consent. As it was, the likelihood of her father giving the go ahead was low, due to the falling out Julen had with Pollux years ago.

"Right, it's that brat Orion," Charlie muttered and looked over at her with narrowed blue eyes. "Your father is being insensitive to you again."

"He's looking after her in his own way," Eridanus cut in with a bit of a snap to defend his son. "With Orion, she gets Grimmauld Place. With Alphard, it'll be a far lesser home."

"I think he is being insensitive," Poppy snapped. "The least he could do is let the girl choose!"

"I agree," Lyra said with a pointed look at her husband. "I got to choose."

Eridanus softened but made a final plea for Julen's side. "Evy is accustomed to wealth. The kind of wealth that she could only get with the head of a household. Especially the head of the Black household."

It was well known to everyone that the Blacks were second only to the Malfoys in terms of wealth. The Greengrasses were somewhere around the fourth or fifth, given the way things could fluctuate. It was certainly true that Everly was used to having no concerns about money, and as it wouldn't be possible for her to work and still remain a socialite, she needed to marry instead.

It wasn't a horrid deal, to be fair. She would even get two years to herself, where she could travel the Wizarding world until Orion came of age to sweep her into motherhood. She shuddered at the thought though.

It just wasn't something Everly wanted.

Her eyes met Tom's and her breath caught at his expression.

She might've been reading into it, but did she see pity there? Was he even capable of empathizing?

"Look at us! Bickering and arguing in front of a guest. Where are everyone's manners tonight?" Lyra asked, chastising everyone who'd been speaking with a look. Her face relaxed as she turned her attention back to Tom. "You're good friends with Everly too, then?"

"Something like that," Everly answered for him, albeit coldly, realizing the truth was far too complicated.

"They hate each other," Erebus half-wailed, his face forlorn as he looked back and forth from Everly and Tom and then to his plate.

Amused, Lyra turned her silver gaze in Everly's direction. "Hate? Truly?"

Godric, this was bloody awkward.

Everly set down her fork with a sigh. "It certainly isn't anything else, Grandmother."

"It could be though," Tom said, seeming to enjoy the sight of her squirming, a mischievous shine in his eyes.

"Tom," she returned with a warning in her voice.

"She broke my heart," he said to Lyra, and adopted a pained expression that made him look like he had heartburn.

Erebus gaped and Everly only just barely kept herself from throwing her goblet at him in irritation.

"Greengrass girls do that," Charlie said sympathetically.

"How did this come about?" Poppy asked, somehow looking younger despite her age, her wizened face relaxing as she settled in for a tale.

Tom, as ever, excelled at reading people and Everly watched the wheels in his head turn as he assessed his best options. He was back in his comfort zone as he leaned in conspiratorially, half-smiling as he said, "She stole my heart at the start of the year, if you could believe it. Of course, I was aware of her engagement, but I can hardly be blamed for trying."

Lyra was scandalized—and intrigued. Everly glared at him darkly for turning her grandmothers against her.

"I'm glad Julen isn't here for this," Griselda said, giggling. "He's awfully protective."

"And how did you try and win our Evy over?" Eridanus asked with a suspicious glance. "I'm assuming she dislikes you for a reason, Tom."

"I do," Everly said to the room firmly, watching to see how Tom would react.

"You've heard about the petrification attacks at Hogwarts, haven't you?"

Every muscle in her body went still, the shock keeping her rigid. Was he really bringing that up?

"Well, yes," Eridanus said. "Has parents and administrators in a craze trying to find the cause to it."

Tom straightened his shoulders. "She suspects that I'm it. The cause."

Erebus burst into laughter, looking panicked and confused. It echoed how Everly was beginning to feel.

"And are you?" Poppy asked, her blinks rapid.

He took a sip from his goblet, looking Everly directly in the eye before answering. "No."

She believed him.

Wait. No, she didn't. She had proof in the prophecy, in the newspaper clipping, in his student record...

"But—" She shook her head, brows furrowing, and trying to search him for a lie. "But..."

"She made a prophecy about the petrification attacks. It's supposed to indicate who the culprit is, but it happens to be a bit misleading. Enough that she somehow suspects me, though I don't know why. I wasn't exactly there to hear it myself."

"A prophecy?" Lyra echoed.

"Everyone in school was talking about it. The culprit is someone called the heir of Slytherin," Erebus said conversationally as he cleaned off his plate. "Funny, isn't it? Lots of people are related to Salazar Slytherin, so it makes it difficult seeing who it could be."

"Well, could you tell us the prophecy?" Eridanus asked, intrigued as he always was with a good mystery. "Maybe we could help."

Everly shifted uncomfortably as everyone stared.

"Do you even remember it?" Poppy wondered. "Not many Seers are able to hear their own prophecies."

"I know it," she admitted with a sigh, and frowned as she met Tom's eyes. There was something disconcerting about his expression, and it felt for a moment that her speech was practically compelled as she went to open her mouth. Her hands flew up.

She had no reason to speak the prophecy again. She knew it, Professor Dippet knew it. He didn't need to know it. That was all that mattered, really.

"Everly?" Charlie prompted. Her eyes never left Tom's.

"Enemies of the heir of Slytherin beware, for his control of a beast is rather unfair," she began, her voice coming out strong, near calm despite how she fought to shut herself up. She squeezed her hands into fists but it wasn't any use. "One good look will leave you deceased, your chances of living becoming decreased. Let not your eyes meet it's stare, and there might be hope for your repair."

Everly paused and tried to breathe instead of speak, so captivated by his gaze that she was shaking.

"Is that it?" Tom asked.

Bloody hell.

She shook her head. "It's maker was smart, left us all in the dark, his secrets had vanished in air. But not for good, no, never for good, as the hidden heir understood. He can win, he can lose, the question is pending, we're far from the ending, what matters is what he will choose. For that's not the worst of it, no, that's not the last of him, his name will be something to fear—"

"Evy?" came Poppy's concerned voice.

Everly resisted, shaking her head with more emphasis. She couldn't say this last bit. Couldn't.

"But with a bit of good luck to help you to duck," she choked out, her voice strangled with her effort not to speak, "and avoid the furthest despair, with the aid of mighty Gryffindor and Godric's hallowed sword, we shall end this whole affair. That's it. That's all of it."

Everly could finally breathe again, and she sought her goblet to rinse out the rancid taste of having been forced to expel words. She couldn't understand how it had happened and she felt sick by it, controlled. Not by the force that had made her speak prophecy to begin with, but by something altogether much more sinister.

Everly looked back to Tom and she could feel the weight of a lost battle settle over her shoulders. He had to have done something. Had to. Was it some sort of non-verbal spell? No, he'd have been able to use it before they'd left Hogwarts. What then?

How had he... How had he taken her control like that?

"The heir of Slytherin," Eridanus mused. "Interesting. It could be taken literally or metaphorically. The heir could be embodying the life efforts of Salazar, for instance, or a descendent come to reclaim and reinvigorate the long lost glory of the Slytherin family."

Charlie snorted. "'Long lost glory' is sugarcoating it. Marvolo Gaunt, one of the last direct descendants of Salazar we know of, died years ago, and that son of his, Morfin—something wrong with his brain, doesn't speak a lick of English so he can't get himself a wife. Poor as dirt, too. It certainly doesn't take a Seer to know that the Gaunt line will be dying with him."

At that, Lyra frowned. "Wasn't there a girl in that family? I clearly remember there being one."

"Merope," Poppy said, shaking her head, clear pity in her gaze. "No one knows what happened to the poor girl, but the way they treated her, it was dreadful. Horrific, even, if rumors are to be believed. I have no doubt that she ran away to escape."

Everly couldn't believe her ears, sitting there, looking around the table and knowing that she had strong reason to think that they were discussing Tom's family right in front of him. Did he know?

"What were the rumors?" she asked quietly, her gaze flashing to Tom's face and seeing his knit brows, how impossibly pale he was under the floating candle's light.

He had to know.

"Such topics aren't meant to be discussed at dinner, Evy," Poppy warned her. "In fact, it might be best we leave this entire matter alone for the night. There's only so much my old heart can take these days."

Tom's expression was unreadable and he busied himself with finishing up his meal, and Everly couldn't stop watching him, too many unanswered questions weighing on her mind as the rest of the room returned to more polite conversation.

"It's about that time then, for the ladies and gentlemen to retire in separate rooms for the evening," Charlie announced, seemingly unbothered that both Atticus and Julen had not returned to eat. Their plates still sat there, food steaming from magical heat, waiting.

In the blink of an eye, however, the table cleared itself and everyone began to rise.

"I'm go with Mama!" Cedric announced, and Carina smiled.

"Don't you want to spend time with your Grandpapa?" she asked, ruffling his auburn hair.

He contemplated this, and looked to Charlie to make his decision. He didn't take too long decide after that as not even a second later, he was grinning as he ran to Charlie, who scooped him up with a booming laugh, settling him into his arm.

"Come on, boys, we're playing exploding snaps," Eridanus announced, ushering Tom and Erebus out of the room as they attempted to linger.

"Time for tea. It's much too late for anything else," Lyra said, hand going to Everly's shoulder as she steered her into one of their sitting rooms.

It was minutes later that Everly found herself holding Bryony again, seated in a plush green chair and attempting not to fall asleep at the lull of conversation that carried on without her. She'd passed up tea and the little tot had already given in, lain back on Everly's chest, content.

Griselda and Carina were talking about their husbands again, as both could be known to be difficult and distant at times. Everly drifted off to the scent of tea, listening to Lyra defend Loren, and Poppy try to reason with Carina about Atticus.

She fell asleep thinking about Tom.


chapter seven - end


so to make names and family relations clear (lots of blond/es);

Atticus Selwyn - Elena's little brother, and Everly's uncle. He's the father to Cedric and Bryony. Honey blond hair. Blue eyes.

Carina Selwyn neé Lestrange - Elena's sister-in-law, and Everly's aunt. Auburn hair. Brown eyes.

Charlie Selwyn - Elena's father, and Everly's grandfather. Graying honey blond hair. Green eyes.

Poppy Selwyn neé Parkinson - Elena's mother, and Everly's grandmother. Graying light brown hair. Blue-green eyes.

Loren Greengrass - Julen's brother, and Everly's uncle. Golden blond hair. Blue eyes.

Griselda Greengrass neé Nott - Julen's sister-in-law, and Everly's aunt. Married to Loren. Black hair. Hazel eyes.

Eridanus Greengrass - Julen's father, and Everly's grandfather. Golden blond hair. Blue eyes.

Lyra Greengrass neé Malfoy - Julen's mother, and Everly's grandmother. White-blonde hair. Silver-gray eyes.


Updates are slowing down to once every two weeks, so I shall not see you next week as I usual (Sorry, these chapters are hella long and I have a slew of other fics that need working on.) However, I have another HP you might appreciate and it's already up! Happy 4/20, y'all