Sorry to everyone who's going crazy waiting for Harry to show up. It'll happen in the next chapter!
To say that Evie was having a bad day was an understatement. Quite aside from being soaked to her skin by an over enthusiastic Weasley and being told that her meeting with her brother had to be delayed, she had now been confined to her bedroom for the next few days.
Dumbledore's plan to hide her true identity from Harry until after his trial had one outstanding flaw: Evie was identical to Lily in almost every way possible, apart from the raven hair that she had inherited from her father. Sirius had been the first to spot this problem, pointing out that he had recognised her almost instantly even though he believed her to be dead. Although Harry had no idea that he had ever had a sister, he would no doubt have difficulty swallowing the story that the woman with his mother's face was just another auror.
The only feasible solution was to hide Evie in her room, away from prying eyes. The announcement of this plan, made at the dinner table that evening, brought about an instant wave of protest. The younger Weasley siblings felt intensely curious about Evie and were annoyed that she was being snatched away before they could interrogate her properly. Ron and Hermione were the loudest in protesting that Harry had been kept in the dark all summer, and that keeping something else from him was unfair. Sirius, who hated the idea and had already made his feelings well known to Dumbledore, remained silent and tight lipped throughout the announcement. When Fred and George looked to him to help them argue against the headmaster's decision, he speared a roast potato with his fork and stared down gloomily at his food.
Even the older Weasleys, including Bill, voiced their misgivings before agreeing to trust Dumbledore. Of all the people there only Remus, who was looking very pale and tired, and Evie, who was feeling guilty that she was the cause of all the fighting, remained silent. Eventually everyone agreed, albeit reluctantly, to adhere to Dumbledore's plan and not mention Evie to Harry until it was deemed that the time was right.
It was Evie herself who made the decision to seal herself in her room straight away. It seemed to her that the longer she stayed with everyone the harder it would be to be alone. After working out a rota of who would bring up her daily meals and reassuring her that they would find times to sneak away and visit, she retired to her bed after yet another exhausting and confusing day.
As she lay her head on the pillow, she prayed for a dreamless sleep.
Evie woke in her old bedroom, in the tiny house where she had spent most of her childhood. She was confused and terrified. Not by the sudden change in location, but by the thick, black smoke seeping under her bedroom door. Within a few seconds she had sprung off her bed, crossed the room and yanked the door open.
A wall of smoke hit her. Taken by surprise, she gasped and gulped down a mouthful of it. It stung the back of her throat, making her choke. Her eyes suddenly felt very dry and she scrunched them shut. Arms out in front of her, she left her room and began to feel her way down the hall.
"Auntie? Uncle?" She cried, coughing whenever she opened her mouth. The further down the corridor she got, the thicker the smoke became. The swirling mass obscured her vision and she didn't notice that she'd reached the top of the stairs. She put a foot out in front of her and instead of meeting solid ground, it found only air. She tried to shriek but only succeeded in inhaling more smoke. Groping wildly for the banister, she desperately tried to maintain her balance. It was too late. She toppled forwards, crashing to the bottom of the stairs.
She lay on her back, watching the room spin around her. She tried to get back to her feet but dizziness and the sudden weakness in her limbs kept her down. Vaguely aware that someone was approaching her, she called out for her aunt and uncle again, pleading for help.
A figure towered over her. Evie didn't know who it was but it wasn't Mae or Aaron, that much was for sure. From their build she guessed it was a man, but she couldn't be sure as they were wearing a hooded robe that obscured their features. Fear leapt up inside of her and she tried to push herself away, but what little strength she had left was rapidly disappearing.
The figure extended a hand towards her. It inched forwards agonisingly slowly, getting closer and closer until –
Evie woke in the unfamiliar bed at Grimmauld Place, a scream catching in her throat. She had no time to feel relief that the whole horrible experience had been just a dream. Relief was the farthest thing from what she was feeling. Although the blinding smoke had only been in her imagination, one part of the dream was terrifyingly real.
A figure was hunched over her.
This time she was fairly sure that it was a man, although it was too dark to properly see what he looked like. His hand was reaching out to her and his fingers were almost touching her cheek; he seemed frozen that way, as if he was as afraid as Evie. She could feel his breath tickling her face.
All this Evie registered in the second it took her to start screaming. As soon as the piercing shriek ripped from her throat, the man sprung to life. He unfroze and raced across the room, pulling open the door and disappearing from sight.
A moment later there was a loud crack and Sirius and Remus appeared in the middle of the room, wands drawn and frantic expressions on their faces. Remus flicked his wand and light flooded the room as Sirius hurried to Evie's side.
"What's wrong?" He asked, crouching next to the bed.
"A man." She gasped. "I woke up and there was a man standing over me. I screamed and he ran."
Sirius turned to Remus. "I'll go." He growled, sprinting for the door. "You stay here!"
Remus nodded and hurriedly took his place next to the shaken Evie. He placed a gentle hand on her trembling shoulder and with his free hand rummaged in his coat pocket. "What happened?" He asked, producing a bar of chocolate and breaking her off a piece.
"I had a nightmare." Evie's voice shook as badly as her body. "When I woke up there was a man next to the bed. He was crouched over me and was about to touch my face, but when he realised I was awake he froze up. As soon as I shouted he left."
Remus frowned as he handed Evie her chocolate. "What kind of a nightmare?"
Evie nibbled on her chocolate and was glad to feel a warm glow spread from her stomach. "I was at my aunt and uncle's house, only they weren't there. The whole place was on fire. I couldn't see through the smoke and fell down the stairs, and then…"
"Then what?"
She felt like an idiot even as she said it. "A man stood over me and I tried to get away from him. I've been stupid, haven't I? It was just part of my dream." In the well lit room, accompanied by a friend and eating chocolate, she was forgetting the terror she felt on waking up and finding a stranger at her bedside. The whole thing was beginning to take on a fuzzy quality, seeming less and less real.
Remus smiled at her kindly. "Let's wait and hear what Sirius has found before making that decision."
They sat in silence for a few moments, Evie thoughtfully munching on her chocolate. When Remus went to put the rest of the slab away she said, "Maybe you should have some. You're looking a bit pale."
He grinned ruefully. "I don't think chocolate can help me."
"That time of month?"
He started slightly, staring at her in amazement. After a long silence he murmured, "Did Dumbledore tell you?"
Evie shook her head. "My aunt Mae is quite a gifted healer, and she taught me as much as I could hold in my head. When I saw you looking ill I tried to figure out what was wrong." Here she grinned apologetically at him. "Sorry about that, it's a habit. Anyway, I caught a whiff of that foul potion you drank last night and was pretty sure I recognised the smell. After that I just needed to look at the moon."
Remus now looked even more astounded. "You've come across the Wolfsbane potion before?"
She grinned and ate the last piece of her chocolate. "You'd be surprised at who you meet in the French countryside. It's not just chickens and cheese, you know."
He began to smile but quickly stopped. "You're not… afraid?"
"I turn into a raging beast once a month, too. Only I don't leave fur on the chairs."
Remus laughed as Sirius came back into the room. At the sight of Remus and Evie exchanging huge grins he stopped short. "Have I missed something?"
Remus shook his head. "Not really. What did you find?"
"Nothing. Whoever it was must have gone."
Evie cringed and shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I don't think there was anyone." At his questioning look she explained, "I had a nightmare and I was terrified when I woke up. It was dark and I was still partly in the dream. I must have imagined it."
The concern remained on Sirius's face. "Are you sure?"
Evie nodded.
"That must have been a bad dream." He muttered. "Do you want us to stay with you? Or we could go down to the kitchen and make some tea?"
"No, I'm fine now."
"Really? Because I don't mind. I'm probably not going to get back to sleep now anyway."
Evie felt a warm glow that had nothing to do with the chocolate. It was nice to know that her newly found godfather cared about her. "I'm positive. I'll be asleep within a few seconds."
"You're absolutely sure?"
"She's fine!" Remus rolled his eyes and got up from the bed. He wished Evie goodnight before taking Sirius by the elbow and steering him from the room. As he was being escorted away, Sirius's eyes remained on Evie, worry clearly written on his face.
As the door shut behind them, Evie sagged. Despite what she had said she knew there would be no more sleep for her tonight. Alone once more, fear was beginning to creep back into her. Wanting to keep herself busy, she got up and headed for the small desk in the corner of the room. On it lay several pieces of parchment and a worn quill. The deadline for her latest instalment in Witch Weekly was only a few days away; she might as well work on it now.
She'd only been writing for a few minutes when there was an odd scratching noise at her door. Frowning slightly, she pushed the chair away from the desk and went to investigate. Upon opening the door, a mass of black fur streaked past her. Most people would be scared on being confronted by a dog that looked close to being a wolf. Evie, who had grown up in the countryside and who had regularly explored the surrounding forests, was delighted. This was just the company she needed.
She dropped to her knees and held her hand out to the dog. He trotted up to her and gave it a brief sniff before sitting down. His tail thumped loudly against the wooden floorboards. Evie took this as her cue to lavish him with attention.
"Why have I never seen you before, handsome?" She asked, tickling behind his ears. "How's a big thing like you managed to hide from me?"
The dog just wagged his tail harder and Evie chuckled slightly. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that Sirius sent you to look after me."
It was just for a second, but Evie could have sworn that the dog looked slightly shamefaced.
As she went back to her writing, the dog went and sat by the door. He stayed alert, his ears pricked up and his wide eyes roving around the room. He remained that way even when Evie went to bed and, though she didn't know it, only slipped away when he heard the first sounds of everyone waking the next morning.
