Evelynn comes into the Great Hall for breakfast the following Monday. Draco had just been admitted out of the hospital wing. She sits down across from him, putting on a mask of happiness. She hopes to be on good terms with her friend.
"Just get married?" he asks sourly.
"No. How are you today?" she questions, loading her plate with eggs and bacon.
"Indifferent," he replies tonelessly.
"Draco, please don't hate me," Eve pleads.
"I don't hate you, Evie. I could never hate you."
"Then please cheer up. A true friend would be happy for me and respect my decision."
"This isn't about you!" he yells. All goes quiet for a moment. Eve looks at him reproachfully. He sighs, realizing what he did. "Sorry," he mutters. "That came out wrong. I didn't really mean to say that," Draco says.
"What did you mean to say?"
"I meant, my mood isn't about you and Marvol being engaged."
"Oh, really?" Evelynn tests.
"Really," he says in a finalized tone. Eve knows that that is what he does when he doesn't want anyone to push the subject further. In spite of her concern and curiosity, she obeys his silent wish and drops the subject.
"When's the wedding? Are you going to wait, or jump in?" Draco asks after a while.
"After school," Eve answers, swallowing a mouthful of eggs.
"What?" he yells, spitting out his pumpkin juice.
"Not today," she reassures. "I mean, after graduation."
"Oh." Draco sighs with relief.
"So... Are we friends?"
"Of course. Hey, you know that first day when I was moody?"
"Yes," she replies, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "What's this all about?"
"Well, it was because I-" he breaks off, suddenly unsure. "I - uh - had a lot on my mind."
The crease in her brow becomes more prominent as her eyes narrow in suspicion. "You're hiding something from me. Something important."
"It's nothing," he says, again in his finalizing tone. "Death Eater stuff."
"Really?" she presses. "Why did you bring it up? You know I don't necessarily care about that stuff."
"Uh- I was just thinking about that day. I was going to tell you my new orders but then I decided against it." Something in his tone gave him away as a liar. Something was off.
"Draco, I can tell when you're hiding something from me." Draco remains silent. "I can see we're going to have to do this hard way."
"Evelynn, no!"
"Leglimens!"
"Protego!" They cast their spells simultaneously. Eve's face goes blank as her spell rebounds and Draco sees her memories flash rapidly by, one right into another.
First, it was Draco and Evelynn meeting. Then, it melted into the night Evelynn found out Dylan's lineage. Next, Draco was sweeping a hair out of her face after she had remembered her mother's death. After that, was the kiss that threw her life into turmoil. Her thoughts that she had that night echo clearly through their minds. The last memory was the day in Defense Against the Dark Arts, after she had kissed Crabbe and Millicent. The day when everything went wrong. She had felt that strange sensation and then her conscience spoke.
That's when it clicked in both their minds and Draco severed the connection.
"That mother fucker."
"What?" Eve asks warily.
"Don't you see?" Without waiting for her response, he rushes on. "When he thought you had your guard down, he Imperioused you again. You were ready for another attack, so it took a moment to break through your defenses. That's why you heard that voice. That's what the strange feeling was about."
That's what she was afraid of.
"Draco, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for not believing you."
"As long as you now know who was - and will always be - right." He gets up, but Eve holds him back.
"Where are you going?" she asks, even though she has a pretty good idea where he is headed.
"I'll be back. I just need to take care of a little problem," he spits.
"How about we just torture a first year on our way to Care of Magical Creatures making up some crazy story?" she suggests, trying to get Draco's mind off of Dylan.
"I want to torture someone alright," he sneers.
"Draco, please leave him be."
He freezes, wand held tightly in hand. He simply stares at Dylan. He mutters inaudibly to himself. He speaks up. "It'll only take a moment." Draco violently wrenches his arm out of her grasp and storms to the other end of the table to Dylan.
"Great. De ja vou. This isn't going to end well."