Chapter Eight: I'm Stepping Through the Door
To hurt is as human as to breathe.
- J.K. Rowling
Sirius' POV
"Hermione," Remus called out to the three friends. The bushy haired witch turned to them, a frown darkening on her face, but she didn't seem as troubled as Sirius and his friends were. None of the teenagers looked overly concerned. Sure, they were upset, but they didn't look like they were surprised.
"Voldemort did it again," Luna said lightly. "They think alike, don't they 'Mione?" She smiled, much like Evan's hollow smile, up at them. James was shaking.
"What do you mean, again?" James asked slowly. Hermione sighed.
"In our world when Voldemort tortured him, he used a dark curse which stopped healing spells from working," Hermione explained detachedly, as if she was simply explaining a spell theory. "Potions work, though. He needs those." Hermione placed a hand on Evan's chest, closing her eyes. "Is he going to St. Mungo's?"
"No." James clenched his jaw. "Dumbledore doesn't want to risk our advantage." James rolled his eyes. Hermione didn't react again; none of the teenagers did, as if they weren't surprised, yet again.
"Where do we go?" Neville asked then. "Evan's targeted by your Voldemort. We need somewhere safe."
"You're going to stay at our house," Lily said firmly, glancing over at James. Hermione exchanged speculative looks with Neville, and Sirius studied their reactions, watched them stiffen slightly.
"I don't think that's a great idea…" Hermione trailed off, biting her lip and glancing down at Evan. Neville reached out to squeeze her shoulder, but it was Luna who responded.
"Do you live in a castle?" She asked them, and the four friends exchanged looks before Lily, who was watching Luna pityingly, answered. The blonde haired witch was a strange case.
"No, but we live on the beach," Lily provided, and Luna beamed brightly, clapping her hands.
"Yay!" She said, turning to her friends. "The beach is beautiful. Don't you want a little bit of beauty right now?" Luna was watching the other two carefully, her eyes bright, and Neville glanced at Hermione, who was back to watching Evan, a sorrowful look in her eyes. But she nodded.
"I do, Luna," She said softly, looking back up to smile at the silly girl. Luna smiled back. "Okay." Hermione turned to them, looking both Lily and James in the eyes. "We'll stay with you."
James' POV
"Put him down on the couch," Lily instructed, and Sirius nodded, placing the boy down.
"I'll be back to heal him soon. I have to stop by the hospital, pick some stuff up," James whispered, kissing her head tenderly. Lily nodded, sending him an anxious smile, before turning back to the poor boy.
James went to the fireplace when it flared up in green light.
"Oomph," His daughter said as she crashed into James. James' hands automatically reached out, steadying the girl before she could fall. Calla blushed, looking up at her father.
"Thank god you're back," Calla grumbled. James raised an eyebrow.
"Trouble in paradise?" He drawled, and Calla turned to glare as Ren came through.
"She's being a bitch," Calla snarled, and James glared.
"Language," He warned, glancing between his daughters. They ignored him.
"Really, Cal?" Ren sneered. Calla's eyes narrowed.
"I can't believe you embarrassed me in front of him!" Calla shouted.
"Oh, sod off, Cal, I didn't do anything," Ren drawled in amusement, smirking as she leaned languidly against a wall. "You've got to admit, it was funny." Calla seethed.
"Screw you, Ren!" Calla growled, and James sighed, running a hand over his face, before standing between his two children.
"Enough you two," James said firmly and the two girls hushed quickly, though it didn't stop the furious glares they were sending each other. "I have some people for you to meet." Calla and Ren were watching him carefully, confused.
"Is this about the kid you arrested?" Ren asked bluntly. James nodded.
"Yes," He said carefully. Ren, and Calla frowned. "He's hurt, so he's here along with his friends. They need help." James glanced over at Lily, who nodded encouragingly.
"What's wrong with him?" Calla fretted, and James sighed. "Was it You-know-who?" James felt a stab of sorrow that his daughter had to live in a world where Voldemort was a threat, and she continuously worried that her parents, Sirius, and Remus might die at the hands of the dark wizard.
"Oh, baby, don't worry about him," James whispered, pulling his scared daughter into his arms. Seeing Evan, and seeing how injured he was, James couldn't help but be grateful that Ren, and Calla had never had to suffer in their lives. James pulled away, a fierce expression on his face. "Don't you worry about Voldemort, he will not hurt you." Calla studied his father carefully, before nodding.
"Where are the people?" Calla asked, and James glanced over at her.
"They're in the guest rooms. They're washing up, but they'll be down soon." James looked sternly at the twins. "Do not bother them, understood?" Not that James was worried about their guests. He was worried about what hexes they would use on his daughters if they bugged them in any way. The girls both exchanged mutinous looks, frowning. With a bit more glaring, the twins finally nodded reluctantly. James smiled. "Thank you. Tell your mother I'm going to the hospital." With that, he flooed away.
"Auror Potter," Healer O'Brien greeted when James stepped out of the fireplace.
"Healer O'Brien," James greeted back, before walking into the potion stores. He grabbed bone-healing potions, blood-replenishing potions, healing salves, pepper-up potions, calming potions, just about anything before he Apparated back home.
"How is he?" James asked immediately, walking over to the boy. Lily looked up at him, frowning, but didn't say anything as she lifted his shirt. Lily was stock still, anger practically radiating from her. "Holy shit. It's so much worse than I thought."
"Can you heal it?" Remus asked, fingers tracing the boy's scars. He glanced over at James as he took in the words carved across the boy's body. Evan showed them in the courtroom the one on his hip bone, where the cuts were shallow. Most of them were deeper and bloodier, scabbed over and infected. His torso was emaciated and purple. James nearly fainted when he noticed that he could count each and every rib.
He gently turned the boy onto his side, revealing the teen's back. No words were carved into his back, but that didn't mean he was unmarked. There were older scars, straight, thick scars, all up and down his back.
Lily reached out, touching the scars that were all over his body. "James," Lily whispered, in shock, really. "Who did this?" James simply nodded as he tried to reel in his anger, clenching his fists.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked as he walked over to them, bandages cradled in his arms. As his eyes landed on Evan's scars on his back, he snarled angrily, and James registered something breaking when the four adults present took in the sight of the boy's past. He heard Lily's angry gasp, and Remus' outraged cry, but he didn't react, too far gone to hear much, too far gone into his own anger when he realized what those scars meant.
Without speaking, he turned the boy over onto his back to assess the damage the words caused on the boy's chest and stomach, and figure out if he could heal the infection.
"I'm going to heal his arm first," James said hoarsely, voice detached. Lily stirred, touching the arm gingerly.
"About that." She turned his arm over. "Look." James was shocked to see thin scars tracing up the inside of Evan's wrists. He grabbed Evan's other wrist and saw similar scars, in different places being the only changes.
"Why're they there?" He asked but no one answered.
"He was hurt," Hermione said as she walked into the room, her aura pulsing. "But he doesn't like talking about it." She sat down, shrugging. "You can ask him about it when he wakes up, but I'm not promising anything." She frowned as her eyes landed on the infected cuts on his torso. "No wonder he was acting madder than usual."
But that wasn't going to distract them.
"Did Voldemort do it?" Lily asked, but Hermione didn't answer, simply sending her a patronizing glare before turning back to Evan, taking his hand. Luna skipped in then, smiling wide, before she glanced over at Evan and her eyes landed on Evan's hand in Hermione's. Luna frowned.
"Poor, poor, Evan," She whispered. James turned to the blonde girl, hoping she'd provide answers.
"Why?" He asked her. "What happened?" James saw Luna's expression darken in a way he hadn't seen before. She looked like her friends, haunted and bitter, so unlike how he was used to her looking.
"He has a box," Luna whispered, glancing up at Lily, her eyes watering. "Opening it means he gets hurt, but it's the only way to keep the good in his box." Hermione clenched her jaw, but didn't provide any explanation. "So, he opened it." Luna shook her head pityingly.
"What? That makes no sense," Sirius gritted out, but Hermione provided no explanation, glaring instead.
"Then you should ask him." Hermione's voice was cold, and her eyes were piercing as they stared at the four friends. She wasn't up for tolerating any arguments. Sirius, of course, didn't take it seriously, despite his name.
"Why can't you just tell us?" Sirius huffed angrily, and Neville came in then, all power and confidence.
"Because he doesn't trust easily," Neville said firmly. "And he trusts us with this, so he'd hate it if we tell you when he's not even awake." Neville stared defiantly at all of them. "He'll tell you. Just give him time." James didn't have to be an expert at reading between the lines to hear that Neville meant that Evan didn't trust them. Funny, as Evan's friends were the ones to agree to come here to stay, despite the fact that they claimed they knew Evan didn't trust them, yet here they were, and he was unconscious.
"He's hurt. Inside," Luna said, placing her hand on Evan's chest. "He needs a way out." Remus looked at her sharply, eyes widening. Hermione turned to face the blonde-haired witch, frown deepening.
"Luna!" She hissed. "Now he knows." Remus shook his head.
"No, Hermione," Remus whispered. "It wasn't Luna's fault." He glanced down at Evan. "My mother's a muggle. I went to a muggle school when I was younger, watched muggle shows. Still do." Hermione relaxed, a look of realization coming to her.
"I'm surprised you didn't figure it out, Mrs. Potter," Hermione said lightly, turning to face his wife. "What with being muggleborn and all," Hermione said this with easy nonchalance, as if she was stating a well-known fact.
Lily sat up straighter, eyes narrowing. "How did you-"
"Still, that was quick, Remus," Hermione complimented before smiling harshly. "But I guess you know a thing or two about self-inflicted scars, right, Professor?"
