Chapter 7 - A Visit from Lucius: The Coldest Story Ever Told
"Miss Carter, can you hear me?"
The voice was fuzzy, and Evan slowly opened her eyes half way. This simple action was met with a sigh of relief from the frazzled looking Madam Pomfrey. She forced a small vial at Evan's face, and she slowly raised a hand to take it, lifting it to her own lips and downing the foul contents in one swallow. The action felt strange, like she was still floating outside of her body.
"Will she live?" came the cold voice of Lucius, clearly just beyond the mediwitch. Madam Pomfrey turned to him, nodding.
"She is coming to, we will get the whole story soon," she confirmed.
"I'm awake, Sir," she confirmed, sitting up slowly. Her head was pounding, and her side was on fire. She let out a gasp of pain, and Madam Pomfrey shot up, muttering about another potion, leaving Evangeline alone with her father.
"I did not mean to pull you from work," she said quietly, eyes affixed at the foot of her bed. Lucius scoffed.
"This is the first time a minor of mine has been given an award from the school for fighting a fully grown werewolf in the Forbidden Forest and saving a fellow student, Evangeline. Draco was never this much trouble," he spoke - tone slow and level. It was not a compliment, and she would be a fool to pretend it was. Her cheeks reddened. "Why is it that you found yourself in need of detention from Severus?"
Evangeline explained the situation about the continued potions classroom accidents, that of which were not a surprise to Lucius. He had, after all, been sending replacement cauldrons. Then she got to the last instance where she had told Snape she wasn't cleaning it and stormed off. Lucius almost broke his scowl. Almost.
"And detention was given when I went to make an apology," she finished.
Lucius was silent for a time, then sighed. His exasperation was clear. "You need to do better at adjusting to your new surroundings, Evangeline. Continued outbursts will just bring embarrassment to the family."
The rebuke was harsh. She swallowed down the threatening tears, but the corners of her eyes glistened. "I understand, and I am sorry for any embarrassment I may have caused," she confessed. "I did speak to Professor Snape. He has agreed to mentor me as I adjust," Evangeline explained.
This seemed to catch Lucius off guard. He lifted a brow, eyeing her with curiosity. "Oh?" Lucius asked.
"He has agreed to work with me, and help me figure out how to fit in," she confessed, looking up to watch his expression. But Lucius only nodded. "He's Draco's godfather, isn't he?" Lucius nodded once more. "Do … I mean, could you tell me … Do I have one?"
Lucius was quiet for a while longer before finally stating, "He died."
"Ah, wonderful. I wondered when you would rejoin us!" Dumbledore's cheery voice broke through the silence. Evan watched him warily. But the old Headmaster came right up and sat on the foot of her bed, followed by Madam Pomfrey who gave Evan one more potion. She took it, and was surprised to recognize the healing draft. "These last three days have been quite exciting. Mister Weasley has been at a loss to explain how you two lived, you see, as he took the first blow."
"So is he …" she trailed off, face crossing between concern and excitement to know of Fred's fate.
"Very much alive, and well. He left the wing a day and a half ago to rejoin his brother. His damage was … far less extensive," Dumbledore explained, reaching to the side table and lifting the zip up sweater she had borrowed from Pansy. Evangeline took it, and examined the garment. On the right side, three scratches sliced through the blood soaked fabric from armpit to edge. And the back had an entire half missing. Lucius cleared his throat, clearly patience for this kind of interrogation at an end. "Can you please explain what happened?"
"Yes, she said, lifting her eyes from the ragged remains of that night in her hand, and keeping her eyes on Dumbledore. She was too afraid to look at Lucius. "At Ilvermorny, I was identified as a Red Zoner," she began.
"Red Zoner?" Lucius asked, impatient but curious.
"It means, as I recall, that Miss Carter lives in a rural part of the country where such occurrences as detention are considered common. Did I represent that correctly?" Dumbledore asked. Evangeline shook her head yes.
"So we begin training in second year in the art of wandless magic, and how to respond quickly to threats," Evangeline explained. "When I saw the werewolf, all I could do was act. I've practiced before …" she said, letting her arms fall and the sweater sit on her lap. "I remembered what to do. I shot red sparks into the air, and then used a banishing charm to push him back. I had to get between him and Fred," she explained. "All I knew was he was bleeding. So I banished him a bit further back, but then he was getting angry."
Lucius growled. "Why was a werewolf even in the woods, Dumbledore? Don't you ward for this sort of thing?"
"Please, Malfoy. I will answer your questions in good time. But let's hear the end of this tale. Miss Carter?"
Evangeline cleared her throat, and Madam Pomfrey hopped up again, fussing over finding water. "I used the accio charm to summon the reigns of a thestral," she explained. "But he - the wolf - attacked the first one. I summoned a second while he was distracted and used a charm to move Fred onto the thestral's back, but did not notice when the werewolf was … done with the thestral …" she explained. "It got my side first, then my back. I banished it away from us long enough to get up and the thestral seemed to know where to go. It took us to the castle steps where Mister Hagrid, Professor Snape and the others had gathered. I remember George and Hagrid were taking Fred away. I got off the animal too, and tried to follow, but then I remember falling and it went dark."
"That would be when Snape caught you, no doubt. He brought you in, unconsious. Mister Weasley's injuries were relatively minor, but I believe he would have perished alone," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Ilvermorny lost something special when you came to join us, Miss Carter."
"That remains to be seen," a sneer came from the hospital doorway. Evangeline's eyes moved to see Snape standing there. "My potions classroom is likely still going to suffer with you here. Lucius, before you go, I would like a word about Miss Carter, if you would." And he turned away, storming off.
"I think she has had quite enough excitement," Madam Pomfrey came in, handing Evangeline water and shooing the men out of the hospital wing. "She's been sleeping for three days, and the last thing she needs is you lot upsetting her injuries. OUT!"
Once the men had removed themselves, and Evangeline had been moved into a fresh bed and her wound dressings replaced, Madam Pomfrey left her to change into clean cream and blue stripped pajamas at Evan's insistence she could do this sitting down, and with whatever slight dignity she had left. The older nurse finally retreated, leaving Evan alone in the otherwise empty room.
Before she could muster the strength to try and change however, a sound came from the door. Her eyes darted up anxiously, expecting another lecture from Lucius, only to see Fred peeking in the wing, eyeing her carefully. Evan looked over her shoulder to be sure Madam Pomfrey's office door was shut firmly, then waived him in. He was by her bed in an instant.
"George figured you were dead, with the way this place has been locked down," he whispered, picking up her clean clothes and sitting on the side of the bed where they had been, just before.
"I figure I was," she responded. "I guess they wanted to give me privacy, since Lucius was here," Evangeline said. Fred grimaced, and she smiled sleepily. He sighed, watching her closely.
"You saved my life," Fred said.
"Of course, think nothing of it," Evangeline teased, leaning back on her pillow. The exhaustion was returning. "Next time you imagine ways to get me out of these clothes, please be less creative," she joked. But it fell short. Fred's face fell.
"I should have been the one to save you, Evan," he said, guilt spreading across his face. "I feel like I let you down."
"This wasn't anyone's fault, Fred," Evan said, sitting up again, letting her right hand find its way to the side of his cheek. Her thumb rested on the cheek bone just under his eye, and her fingertips brushed his wild red hair. Fred's own hand reached up to cover hers, keeping it there. His eyes closed, and he seemed to lean into it.
The electricity was back, stronger than when she felt it after the Killing Curse Lucius threw at Aunt Helen. But this time, it left a pressure in the pit of her abdomen. She longed to lean forward, and to close the gap between the two. But before she could, Fred took her hand from his face and set it to her side as his eyes opened. He looked exhausted, too.
"Come on, then. You need rest," he said. "Can you dress?"
"If I said no, would you stay?" Evan asked, her eyes begging him not to leave. But Fred took a step back.
"Not like this, Evan. I would get Pomfrey for you. But when I have you, I want you whole."
And with that, he bolted out of the hospital wing before she could blink. It was almost better this way - Evan couldn't bear any more goodbyes.
