Resolution – By Slytherin's Dragon

It's been awhile... hasn't it?


Chapter 9: Patronus

The wind blew through Evander's hair and whipped through his Quidditch robes of forest green trimmed with smooth cream fabric as he navigated the pitch on his Firebolt with the lightest pressure from his legs. The stands were beginning to fill with students from all the Houses. He could see the blue of Beauxbatons as well as the red of Durmstrang amongst the bleachers. He leaned forward, accelerating many metres towards the grey clouds that occluded the sun from view.

Today's All Hallows' Eve. Evander thought. Today's the day that little-me will embark on a road not wanted; a journey predetermined – a tug-of-war between two forces. This wasn't a game of dark or light... muggleborn versus pureblood – it was a question of power. It had always been a question of power under the guises of different excuses when examined through the lens of history. He suddenly applied the brakes, hovering far above. Everything looked so tiny, so toy-like from above. Was this what it was like to be Dumbledore or even Voldemort? Where everyone was a means to their own ends? Where everyone was a pawn, to be used and sacrificed at leisure? With all of Dumbledore's knowledge and skill – and the Elder Wand – that old coot could have ended this, years ago!How could anyone be so blind? How could he have been so blind?

A drop of rain fell on his nose. It was an excellent thing that he didn't wear glasses anymore. They had been such a hassle, despite the water-proofing charms that were available. He felt a sense of déjà vu as he watched Cedric Diggory beneath him, doing his pregame flight around the pitch.

He hoped that he could save Cedric's life today. But first, he would have to kick Cedric's team's ass in a little game of friendly Quidditch. He then dove down, neatly completing the circle that his teammates had formed in his absence.

He said, all business-like. "Alright guys. Let's make this very short and very sweet."

Fred grinned mischievously, "Let us have it!"

"Three words..." Evander held out three fingers.

"Oh, stop stalling," Felix complained as he mounted his own broom.

"Let's win this!" Evander exclaimed.

"Hear hear!" Fred chimed in, as did everyone else. "Isn't funny that we are dressed in green? I never thought I'd be playing in green robes."

"Oh shut it," Felix groaned. He still thought of himself as a Slytherin despite all this time-travelling shit. Green was his colour to defend!

Jason added, "You look splendid in green, Fred." He smirked and winked suggestively, causing Fred to give him the elbow.

"The robes are simply marvelous," Daphne chimed in. "I am glad Hannah decided to choose our House colour for the robes. I love green!"

"And, Fred – please remember you are passing the Bludger to me and not George!" Jason reminded, "I mean, it could turn out messy if you –"

"Okay, let's go already!" Daphne exclaimed, "I am so excited – this is my first legitimate Hogwarts Quidditch game, ever!"

Lee Jordan's voice was soon heard all over the stadium. "Good afternoon, ladies and gents and our lovely visitors from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! Today we will be having the second game of our Inter-House tournament. So without further ado – I would first like to introduce Cedric's Celtics!"

Seven golden blurs shot into the centre of the stadium as Lee announced their names. Evander could see George and Angelina flying for the other team. It was kind of strange that they were all playing against old teammates, but it did certainly make things interesting. And, anyways, he definitely needed a distraction from tonight.

"And now for Evander's Avengers! Here comes Fred Weasley, Hannah Abbott, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Jason Samuels, Felix Wedgewood, and Evander Murphy - Captain! Give them all a warm welcome!"

The applause was thunderous as Evander flew into the stadium, the last of his team to do so. He could even see banners magically spelling out 'Go Avengers!', 'Cedric Diggory for the WIN!', and 'Evander rules!'. The latter enormously expanded sign was held up by several of his Ravenclaw mates – Terry, Anthony amongst others. There was a crudely sketched picture of Evander on a broomstick on the banner.

He smiled at the tribute.

The game was soon in full-swing with one reluctant Severus Snape as referee. Evander and Felix had spent the past weeks badgering the Potions' Master to take up the job for at least two of the Inter-House games. Severus had eventually given in, after Felix had said, 'You should honestly get some fresh air and sunlight for once – it's no wonder people get the misconception that you are a bat.'

"Angelina in possession of the Quaffle now – look at that form – making way towards the Avengers' – oh look here comes Hannah Abbot and Felix Wedgewood of the Avengers. Damn! Look at that girl go –"

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice echoed around the entire stadium, causing Evander to wince as he leisurely cruised the skies above.

"Sorry Professor! Anyways – Angelina's going to make a throw for it – here comes a Bludger from Fred – it's nice that we can actually tell them apart for once – OH MY! Nice catch by Hannah Abbott of the Avengers – and she speeds across the pitch – George Weasley of the Celtics smacks a Bludger, nice dodging maneuver by Hannah! Quaffle intercepted by Henry Myers – and no wait – Hannah's in possession again – tosses it off to Daphne, off to Felix, and oh that Bludger! Narrow miss there, Michael of the Celtics! And Hannah scores! FOURTY to THIRTY – in the Avengers' favour!"

Evander noticed a lot of whole-hearted cheering from the Hufflepuff factions as Hannah had scored. He definitely knew who was probably going to be on the Hufflepuff team next year. And she was definitely going to make an enormous difference. He flew into the fray once more, a tangle of Chasers jostling over the red Quaffle and barely dodging a Bludger no doubt lovingly shot by George. Cedric was sticking around the outskirts, his eyes fixated on the ground – searching about for the elusive Snitch near the stands.

There was an eardrum shattering thunderclap that momentarily caused a lull in both the activity and Jordan's commentary. A second later, Evander found himself completely drenched as the rain drops pelted down mercilessly. Visibility had also plummeted as well, as he slowly made his way around the pitch. The fight for the Quaffle was on again and he listened as Severus called a foul after Montague had pulled forcefully at Daphne's robe in a futile attempt to repossess the Quaffle.

The abysmal conditions were reminding him again of that time in third year although he knew that if any Dementors did show up, he and Felix could definitely chase them away with their Patronusesbut that'd give them away – wouldn't it? And was his patronus still a stag? Would Dumbledore pull a Dementor stunt to confirm the true nature of his new transfer students on a hypothesis? Or was he fucking paranoid? And was Dumbledore even at this game?

He hadn't seen the old man anywhere this afternoon.

They were interesting questions. And he had never seen Felix's patronus.

Focus on the game – Har-Evander. He reminded himself. The sooner you catch the damned Snitch; the sooner this game would be over!

The game dragged on. One of the Celtics' Chasers, Montague, had dropped the Quaffle and there had been a mud-brawl of sorts down below with intermittent whistle-blowing from Severus as he called foul after foul. People in the crowd had conjured things like tarps, umbrellas and rain-robes to keep out the rain. Jason had even screwed up and passed the Bludger to George due to the mistiness. Evander had even followed Cedric for a bit, but the brown-haired boy hadn't seen anything tiny, gold or fluttering.

And then he saw it. The Snitch. It was several metres underneath him, its wings were slightly water-logged, and the gusts of wind were hampering its path. He made a grab for it, battling against the wind. He felt the cold metal in his hands and he flew towards Lee, waving frantically.

"And Murphy catches the Snitch! The game is over – THREE HUNDRED AND TEN TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOR THE AVENGERS! THE AVENGERS WIN!"

There was massive cheering from the stands as the rest of Evander's team flew over to give him wet and from the Chasers, muddy hugs.

"Gerroff me!" Evander groaned as Daphne and Felix's muddy forms embraced him.

Fred exclaimed, "Good job, Evander! It was getting awfully dreary and miserable. And Jason – you messed up today! That was Gred! Not Forge!"

"Damn it!" Jason swore, "I was hoping that you didn't see that!"

"And good job to our Chasers and Keeper too!" Fred continued, "That was like what – your first official Hogwarts game? And we still kicked their asses – I mean they had Angelina, Grant and Montague! They were all on House Quidditch teams last year!"

"Yay, us!" Felix initiated a group hug with Daphne and Hannah. Evander grinned albeit sadly as he watched Felix trying to distribute his hug equally between the two girls.

"Come in here, Blaise!" Daphne flew away from the rest of the group and started to chase the other Slytherin around, also causing Hannah and Felix to break away as well. "You need a hug too!"

"Was Daphne always like this?" Evander asked Felix.

"Uh huh." Felix mumbled quietly to Evander, "Always. She never shows this crazier side of her when other Houses are around. I guess she feels comfortable with our team, though."

"It's almost time for dinner too!" Jason exclaimed, "I can't wait to see who our Hogwarts champion is going to be!"

"Yeah!" Fred added his enthusiasm, "Shame the Age-Potion didn't work..."

"I was there!" Felix exclaimed, "You old men were a riot!"

"Ha, ha – very funny." Fred grinned despite the tease.

/(I)\

After a quick shower, Evander changed into a crisp maroon shirt and the oldest worn jeans that he possessed. He threw his Ravenclaw robes over his simple arrangement and headed out the Ravenclaw Tower, leaving Felix to take his Merlin-knows-how-long-shower. That man really liked his showers. He let his feet take him towards the library.

"Weren't you at the game today?" He asked as he sat down across from Hermione.

She nodded, "I was. I saw you catch the Snitch and then I went straight here. That game lasted very long."

"Yeah." Evander agreed, "Something like five hours? The Chasers were really splattered with mud afterwards. And Severus looked like he wanted to murder us."

Hermione was curious when she looked up from her Transfiguration notes, "Why does Professor Snape want to murder you? And, you get to call him by his first name? He lets you do that?"

"Felix told him that he needed more sunlight to cure him of his rumored vampirism." Evander said with a straight face.

Hermione laughed, "Did he really?"

"Yes! You should have seen the look on his face!" Evander started to chuckle. Laughter was bloody contagious. "And then it rained really badly, today. Felix is probably never going to hear the end of it!"

"Hello, Evander, Herm-own-ninny!" Viktor's gruff voice greeted the pair.

"Hi Viktor!" Both Hermione and Evander said their respective greetings.

"I saw you fly today." Viktor said, "You are a good Seeker."

"Thanks, Viktor. Today was one of the slower matches." Evander said modestly, "I think you are one of the best!"

"Could go professional if you vonted to. It's not all just fancy moves – it's the vay you look for the Snitch." Viktor mused. "And what are you looking at today, Herm-own-ninny?"

Hermione faintly blushed, "A little bit of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall's got a quiz for us next week."

"Transfiguration is my favourite subject." Viktor beamed, "I find it fascinating how a little svish can make such a big difference."

"Spellwork and Runes are my decent points." Evander contributed.

"Don't even – Evander!" Hermione exclaimed, "Decent points! Sometimes I think you even deliberately hold back in Ancient Runes on what you really know! And Professor Snape picked you as an apprentice of sorts – you've got to be good!"

"Interesting theory, Hermione..." Evander mused playfully and stroked his chin like one of those philosophical wise men. "But I am learning all this for the first time. I am just good at it." He grinned inanely. Well, it was true. He had never had formal training in Runes. "And Potions? I was just fortunate to learn ahead in my old life pre-Hogwarts. Now, Felix is someone who really knows about his Potions."

"Modesty does not suit thee," Hermione shook her head.

Their conversation was interrupted by Felix saying pseudo-sarcastically. "Thou badassery leakest from every pore in thy body."

Evander really couldn't tell which side of the fence of sarcasm Felix was standing on.

"That was horrible." Hermione chuckled. Felix merely winked before pulling the out the fourth chair to sit down. Felix also pulled out the week's Runes set and got right to it with his old quill and old-fashioned blue ink.

"Are you excited about the Trivizard Tournament?" Viktor changed the topic, "Karkaroff is hoping that I get picked... but I beg to differ! I don't need any more fame!"

"Well, you see – I am not old enough." Evander said carefully. It was awkward knowing what the future held. He then said as optimistically as he could. "Hopefully you won't get picked."

Like that's going to happen.

Viktor said very seriously. "You are not a boy to cross, Evander. It's in your eyes. Somehow, I am very glad that you von't be competing despite your youth."

Evander suddenly felt very cold, despite the two warm layers that he was wearing. It was strange, how his new fourteen year old self was intimidating to people who were physically older to him. Younger-him hadn't been able to scare anyone. He had tried to be as nice and as helpful as possible to everyone he had met at Hogwarts, but he knew that despite the de-Aging, there was something about the life that he had lived that would always be with him.

It had always been about the eyes. Severus had looked at him in the eyes before he had taken the Essence of Regret – almost the same way he had done down at the Shrieking Shack in the alternate universe. He had always found that where the mind and tongue lied – the eyes usually didn't.

"Definitely not someone I'd want to get into a duel with." Felix agreed. "Sodding bastard would disarm you before you even pull your wand out!"

"But, Evander is the nicest!" Hermione defended. "No one else is willing to tutor me Runes every Saturday! He listens to all my problems with my other friends. He would probably let his dueller make the first move!"

"I think he's the only guy capable of tutoring you Runes –" Felix pointed out.

Viktor shook his head. "I didn't say he vosn't nice. I just said he's not someone you vont to be on the other side. He's the type of person you vont vith you vhen things go vrong."

Nice that you think so much of me, Hermione, in the short while that you know me. Evander knew that in a duel to the death, he would definitely make the first move. Heck, he probably would have even prepared surprises. His inner Slytherin had fully developed itself in his Auror days. I know that if you truly knew the man I'd become, it won't hold up to the righteous moral ideals you held in your youth – i.e. now. He touched his wand hidden in his sleeve.

"What could go wrong?" Hermione asked. "Things seem very quiet this year – unlike the prior years."

Viktor sighed, looking rather melancholic. "Karkaroff is very edgy these days. And it's throwing me off as vell."

Evander knew perfectly well what was making Karkaroff tick. "Well, the Triwizard Tournament is a major deal. Maybe that's why."

"I hope you are right, Evander." Viktor said worriedly. "But something tells me that there's a deeper problem."

"Maybe something's too quiet." Hermione suddenly said, shedding the cocoon of her naiveté.

Evander nodded solemnly while watching Hermione refocus on the neat writing of her notes, "Maybe you've got something there."

Inwardly he mused, "This is fucking dramatic irony at its finest..."

/(I)\

The Goblet of Fire burned a brilliant shade of blue and the third and last parchment shot out of the goblet. Albus Dumbledore snatched it out of the flames and turned the scrap over to read it.

The silence in the Great Hall was so complete that Evander could hear the sounds of his bodily functions.

"Harry Potter." Evander watched Dumbledore feign a look of shock at the paper that had been chosen. It was amazing how well that man could fake the surprise. Evander had seen too much; he had known too much that such events of this magnitude do not go unnoticed in the ever-going match between Tom and Albus. However, everyone around him was astonished and gossip abounded the halls as little-him made his way out through the doors that the two prior champions had gone out earlier. He looked suspiciously at the Goblet, just in case another name was spat out.

"How in Merlin did Harry bloody Potter get his name into that Goblet?" One of the Ravenclaw seventh years asked loudly a few chairs away. All around Evander, people were asking the same question.

Another seventh year chimed, "It's not fair. It's only meant to be for seventh years!"

"Well, in my book," Roger Davies was saying, "If you are clever enough to get your name into the Goblet, then you damn well better have the right to be chosen. The goblet doesn't discriminate – the people who organize this kind of thing do."

"So our Champion is a fourth year!" Another groaned, "This is going to go down, very well..." Sarcasm oozed.

Evander was feeling the emphatic pangs of sympathy for Harry. He still remembered, despite it being twenty years ago. Harry had no desire to enter the Tournament, au contraire to the belief of the entire Hogwarts population. Little-Harry was not a glory-seeker, merely a boy who wanted to live a normal life. Even Ron hadn't believed Harry, as hard as that was to believe.

It sucked, but he couldn't see a plausible alternative for the plans to work. In that sense, he knew he was kind of behaving like Dumbledore and Voldemort – manipulating people, events and places. He was appealing to the double effect; there were some sacrifices that needed to be made to win the peace as efficiently as possible.

And he just wanted to end this all, and then if the world needed saving again – well tough luck to her!

Some other unlucky sod can have that task.

He was so done! So Merlin-fucking done!

"You looked like you just made a very big decision in your life." Felix mused.

"I just did." Evander nodded. "So can we leave yet? This is a little dull." He whispered the last part.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Felix said knowingly, "But then again, people always go with Occam's razor – the simplest explanation possible."

"That's debatable." Evander got up from his chair when he saw others leaving. "I will talk to you later about it."

"Where to?" Felix asked.

"The usual – Severus?"

"Righty-o!" Felix pushed his chair in and the two headed down to the dungeons away from all the hubbub, while Felix whistled some jaunty tune that Evander was not familiar with.

When they entered the dungeons, they were surprised to see Severus already waiting for them in his office. The man had his usual cup of tea – some exotic Japanese blend – and a Potions journal tucked neatly under one arm. He was still clad in his usual black robes. Evander snapped his fingers because one can never be sure of what kinds of bugs were eavesdropping on one's conversation.

"I had a peculiar feeling that you two were going to show up." Severus said dryly.

"We aren't bothering you, are you?" Felix asked politely.

"No," Severus quirked the most miniscule of smiles, "But my curiosity is dying to know if there's an explanation behind today's twist of events. Something was changed tonight, wasn't it?"

"You know what they say about curiosity," Evander warned teasingly.

Severus bantered back smoothly, "It hasn't killed Minerva yet."

"Fair enough... I am going to add one more ward to your office," Evander changed the topic and pulled out a piece of red chalk from the pockets of his robes. "Call me paranoid, but I –"

"Go on, go on!" Severus said amusedly while grandly gesturing to the stone floor, "I bet if you quirk your little finger a tad in any direction, we would see that there'd be very little surface left on my floor that isn't covered in chalk."

"Very funny," Evander knelt down and started inscribing a few runes at the entry way from the Potions' classroom. He was still having troubles reconciling that Severus Snape produced witticisms of the cynically dark variant – his favourite flavour really. But it was nice that their duo had become a trio. "But I am going to put up a Dumbledore Alert ward."

Severus quipped in an 'I knew it' voice, "I knew that the old coot wasn't all that benign!"

"But weren't you Dumbledore's man?" Felix asked suspiciously.

"I swore my promise to his mother." Severus said gravely, looking steadily towards Evander, "I don't owe Albus anything. In fact, I would happily quit teaching next year if we can somehow get rid of all our problems and leave Hogwarts. Albus was just the convenient vehicle to atone for my sins. I am definitely intrigued by the opportunity to move on to greener pastures..."

"So, technically, you are Harry's man." Felix evaluated.

Severus snorted and almost spat out his gulp of tea, "As if!"

There was a companionable silence marred only by the scratching of chalk on stone and the ticking of Severus' clock.

"But it does make a man feel good to see the great Evander Murphy down on his hands and knees," Felix said with great satisfaction as he stood leisurely against Severus' desk and idly watched Evander hard at work.

Severus chuckled.

"I can still hear from below!" Evander called out. "And you shouldn't be annoying the man with the chalk! I can do more damage with this little piece of chalk than your wand!"

"Not if I tie you up and never remove the bonds!" Felix mused.

"That sounds, rather disturbing... actually." Evander said teasingly. He then stood up, flicked a pinky and watched as the red angry-ish looking runes glowed and faded away from view.

Felix responded by sticking out his tongue childishly. Evander laughed.

"So, what exactly are the Runes inscribed in my office?" Severus asked when the three headed off to the inner reaches of Severus' sanctum.

Evander and Felix were surprised when Severus turned towards his own chambers and beckoned the pair over. They were soon sitting in the nice leather chairs that the man had in his chambers. Severus poured them each a cup of tea and even had some soothing Vivaldi playing form the gramophone.

When Severus sat down, Evander answered, "Well, there's a Dark-Mark barrier that I've erected. I don't exactly have a positive control for it... I stopped Barty before he could try to test the boundaries of the ward. It's currently inactivated. And there are several generalized Alert wards."

"Then why a specific one for Dumbledore?" Felix asked.

"His is special." Evander explained. "I figured if he really wanted to come here, he'd be smart enough to check for generalized wards and try to remove them. So I set something a little extra special for him."

"So, why all this sudden paranoia against Dumbledore...?" Felix mused.

"You can't trust anyone." Evander sighed, "I just had this very disturbing thought during our Quidditch Match today... it was so eerily like the game I lost against Cedric back in Third Year that I was actually expecting Dementors to emerge out of that fog. I feel that it was one way for Dumbledore to check our identities through –"

"The use of Patronuses." Severus finished. "Not many wizards or witches know how to do one. And no two Patronuses are the same."

Evander whipped out his wand and incanted. He thought about the months that he had spent in his new life. He had been happier in the past two months than he had been in years. "Expecto Patronum!"

Something massive, something silvery emerged from Evander's wand. It didn't look remotely stag-like. Instead, it had an enormous wingspan, large ears and a furry body. It flapped around and roosted on Evander's shoulder before vanishing into thin air.

"A bat..." Severus observed. "Very fascinating – in some cultures it represents rebirth... or even reincarnation. Curiously apt."

Felix stood up as well with his wand in hand. "Expecto Patronum."

The silver flew out of Felix's wand. It was a massive fierce bird of prey and made a lap around Severus' living room.

"The falcon." Severus said almost immediately.

"It's the same as always..." Felix mused nostalgically. "Hannah's patronus was a falcon too."

"Hannah?" Severus wondered.

"My past wife..." Felix suddenly looked as if Severus' living room was filled with Dementors. He said no more after that.

Severus tactfully left the subject alone.

Evander knew that Severus' patronus was a doe. A doe for his mother, for her Patronus was a doe. His father's patronus had been the stag. He had also remembered Tonks – and how her Patronus had morphed into something wolflike after she had fallen in love with Remus. He bowed his head respectfully at the memory. Love was truly a powerful emotion with scary properties. "I wonder if it's the thoughts we utilize that determine our Patronuses..."

Severus lapsed into silence for a minute or two before he said. "Maybe that's why Albus thought he could count on me to help his cause. My patronus..."

"It's a shot in the dark, but it might be true." Evander said brightly. "Hmm... Ginny's patronus was never a doe though... It was always a horse even during the serious part of our relationship. I know that the nature of patronuses isn't a science, but that does give some food for thought."

"You didn't marry Ginervra Weasley, did you?" Severus sounded slightly horrified. "She's going to grow up to be the next Molly Weasley..."

"Nope." Evander mused, "She was never that bad. We broke up a few years after Ron and Hermione got married... I had a little problem with alcohol, Dreamless Sleep and post-traumatic stress disorder that was steadily getting worse. She tried to deal, but couldn't. But even before then, things were going downhill."

"Ah, that's why..." Severus said thoughtfully, "That day in the lab..."

Evander laughed darkly. He knew exactly what Severus was referring to, "Yeah, I know those Potions very well. Too well..."

/(I)\

"What on bloody hell are these?" Evander asked as he pointed to a box filled with badges at the head of the Ravenclaw Table one morning. He picked one of the badges up and it flashed the words, 'POTTER SUCKS!'. The words immediately vanished and were replaced by, 'Support VIKTOR KRUM – A REAL CHAMPION!'. He held the green badge wearily up to eye level. "Okay, let me rephrase my question... Who the bloody fuck made these?"

"It vosn't me!" Viktor, who had spent the past week eating with Evander and Felix, immediately defended himself. "I just sat down a few seconds ago! It's ridiculous that Hogwarts is so divided that the students don't even vont to support their own Champion."

"The same little twit who's getting people to sign this petition..." Terry added helpfully. "Draco Malfoy demands a redraw for the Hogwarts Champion."

How predictable some people are... Evander drummed the surface of the table.

"I hope you lot all refused." Felix said sternly while slamming the table with an open palm, looking more like the intimidating Auror in his past life than his fourteen year old self. "Sure, the Triwizard is glorious, but people have gotten bloody killed in the past! And, let me ask..." He stopped to look at every Ravenclaw student nearby with his dark eyes, "How many of you people under the age of seventeen tried to cross the Age Line?"

There were a few guilty looking faces at the table in the resultant uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah, are we Ravenclaws such sore losers that we can't handle the fact that someone else from a House other than Ravenclaw managed to cross that sodding line while underage?" Anthony said very loudly. He then turned to one of the badge-wearers. "Oh, come on Stephen – I know you tried – I saw you, mate!"

There were the clangs of people pulling off their badges of their robes and tossing them onto the table to relieve themselves of their cognitive dissonance. Felix gave his wand an idle flick and vanished the offending objects.

"It's amazing how hypocritical people can be..." Terry shook his head.

Anthony added, "I'd bet every galleon I have back in my dormitory that every one of those suckers wish they were in Potter's place."

"I know a losing bet when I see one, Anthony." Terry turned his attention back to food.

"Sometimes," Felix mused to Evander, "I wonder if having Houses is a good idea or not..."

"Durmstrang doesn't haff Houses..." Viktor said as he helped himself to some bacon, "Ve stick together, although I do haff to say that our population is much smaller than yours."

After morning classes and lunch, Evander found himself wandering the halls, this time with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise tagging behind. He had nothing to teach them today, but his Slytherins had taken to following him around during their free time. Felix had wittily called them Evander's ducklings, insinuating that Evander was the mama-duck.

Evander's comeback had been, "You are just jealous, Felix!"

Daphne and Tracey were extremely chatty, while Blaise, all brooding and silent, took up the rear. Well, Felix hasn't changed that much either – Evander reflected – even before this dimension switch, he kept his problems to himself... A volcano of angst – really.

But then again, he couldn't really judge. He had been what? An alcoholic who drank to forget about his shit.

At least this foray into the past had proven to be therapeutic for the pair of them.

"It's like having my own set of bodyguards!" Evander mused more to himself than his ducklings.

"Sorry that Auror Theo isn't here for duty." Daphne quipped, "He's busy finishing up today's Potions' essay."

"Plus, interesting things tend to happen when you are around." Tracey grinned. "And we want to see!"

"I am just an ordinary guy, who wants to live an ordinary life!" Evander sighed. "It's very difficult to do so when –"

"Plus, that modesty is so attractive!" Daphne interjected, "Don't you agree, Tracey?"

"I know! It's so much better than all that 'Hey my parents are so and so' and 'Oh look, we are the Malfoys – so rich and sophisticated' and all that other blah blah blah from the blokes in the common room..." Tracey agreed enthusiastically, "And if you piss Evander off –"

"He won't be all like – 'My Father will hear about this!'" Both Daphne and Tracey fell into hysterics.

"What happened to the Slytherin code of not making fun of people –" Evander began to ask.

Daphne said, "You are more Slytherin than half the people in our House."

"Oh, I know!" Tracey nodded, "You are an honorary Slytherin in my book! Plus, I bet if one did piss the great Evander off – oh he'd pull out his wand and -" She dissolved into giggles.

Evander walked on, not paying too much attention to Daphne and Tracey's conversation, although the attention was really a double-edged sword. It was parts flattering, yet parts irritating.

He was heading off for the dungeons, considering that he had a free period. A loud chorus of jeering laughter caught his attention as he walked through the corridor towards Severus' classroom.

He picked up his pace, ignoring the complaints of the Slytherin girls.

"Go on then, Potter..." The drawl of Draco Malfoy assailed Evander's ears, "Moody's not here to look after you now – do it if you've got the guts –"

The tension hanging could've been cut with a knife.

"Furnunculus!"

"Densaugeo!"

Evander flicked his wrist to summon his wand before either of the boys had finished saying their incantations. In a few seconds, he had both Draco and Harry disarmed and his own wand was safely tucked back in its holster. He held both wands in his right hand. Both Draco and Harry were looking rather dumbfounded and everyone else was completely bemused.

"What's a sodding Ravenclaw doing here?" One of the Slytherins asked.

"Yeah!" Draco jumped into action, "This is between me and Potter –"

"And what's all this noise about?" The silky tones of Severus' voice caused many in the crowd to flinch, while Evander maintained his calm.

"Potter attacked me, sir!" Draco immediately whined.

Ron chimed in, "Malfoy started it all!"

Severus looked from Draco, to Harry, to Ron and finally to Evander who was still twirling both wands idly in his fingers.

Severus said sardonically, "I fail to put two and two together... considering that both your wands are currently in the grasp of Murphy here..."

There were titters amongst the assembled Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"He disarmed us!" Draco added while Evander tapped his foot impatiently. No shit, Sherlock!

"And, what do you have to say for yourself, Murphy?" Severus turned his stony gaze over to Evander.

"Considering that Potions is Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter's last class of the day... they can come and get their wands from me at your office before curfew." Evander said. "We both know about how you don't approve of foolish wand-waving in Potions –"

The corners of Severus' mouth actually twitched. "Very well, Murphy."

Harry merely nodded, as Draco was completely flabbergasted. The blond boy wanted to say something about the unusual punishment, but ended up opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"What is everyone waiting for?" Severus suddenly sniped at the rest of the crowd, "In, in – class started a minute ago!"

Both Houses scrambled for the classroom hastily, not wanting to be the targets of Severus' ire. Daphne playfully flicked at her blonde hair and gave Evander a saucy wink before she disappeared behind the stone door. She mouthed, "And that's why we follow you around!"

Evander proceeded to gently thunk his forehead against the cool stone walls while he waited for one Colin Creevey to show up.


Review?