Evelyn was too tired for this shit. Ron's mother had sent him a howler, and though he deserved it, Evelyn didn't appreciate the noise. She sighed and rubbed her temples, wondering if Jinx had torn up her dorm room yet. It usually took him a couple of hours of her absence to begin going through her chest and pulling random things out, but that morning he had been particularly against her leaving him alone, even though she left extra catnip out for him.
The first class of the day was Herbology with Professor Sprout; they had the class with Hufflepuff. Evelyn sighed, rubbing her eyes. She really hated being awake during the daytime. Not only that, but they were replanting mandrake roots that day. Evelyn knew they would scream, because Cole used them to help heal magical creatures that had been attacked by wizards. They were also used to help heal dragon-fire burns. She put the earmuffs over her head and pulled up the root. It looked like a small, muddy, ugly baby, and it wouldn't stop screaming. She repotted her own and helped Neville repot his, since his hands were shaking.
After that adventure, they had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Ron had broken his wand, and every time he tried to cast a spell, a puff of smoke exploded instead that reeked of rotten eggs. "Just write for a new one," but he wouldn't in fear of being scolded for breaking it in the first place.
Evelyn was never happier to see lunchtime roll around. She went to the dorm and fed Jinx before hurrying down to the courtyard. It was a day that Malfoy would be there. She checked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't followed and went into the courtyard. However, the person there was not Draco. It was someone she didn't recognize. He wore the Hufflepuff uniform. He had his back to her. "So this is where you disappear to."
Evelyn was wary and a bit upset that her secret space had been invaded. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" The boy shook his head, "no, but everyone knows you. You're almost as famous as Harry Potter." Evelyn was growing suspicious. "Who are you? Do you want something?" She wanted to get rid of him before Draco arrived. The boy turned to face her and smiled. "Ernest Macmillan. You can call me Ernie. Sorry if I'm bothering you, but I have a question that I cant seem to get close enough to ask." Evelyn frowned a bit, "I have a question as well. How did you find this place?" Ernie blinked, "I saw you come here yesterday. I figured you might return." Then he gt a bit of an excited look. "Did you really kill a dragon by yourself?"
Evelyn began to laugh. "That't what this is about?" Ernie shifted on his feet a bit, "not entirely. I also was wondering if you would help me with classes a bit. I'd be willing to pay you, but I'm having a bit of trouble in some classes, and I heard that you even got Neville Longbottom to cast a perfect spell, so I figured you could help me. I would ask Hermione, but surely you can see why I don't want to." Evelyn laughed some more, "I see. Yes, I'd be happy to. You can pay me back by telling me more about the wizarding world. Hermione is a muggle-born, so she misses some details, and Dr-" she stopped herself from saying Draco, "some of my other friends only know about certain ends of the hierarchy. Perhaps you can give me more academic explanations?" Ernie seemed ecstatic. "Of course." Evelyn sat down in the grass, "as for the dragon, I didn't kill it alone, but I was the one that made the kill. My good friend Mira trapped it in a web of rope and my uncle Einar kept it distracted. It was a team effort." Ernie nodded, "but you did climb its back and hang on while killing it in a single blow, yes?" Evelyn wondered how he heard this story. "Yes." She figured that Draco had told it to one of his friends, and that word had just spread.
Evelyn wondered why Draco was late. She was glad he was. She cleared her throat. "Well, Ernie, if you'd like, we can start tomorrow. We can meet here every other day." Ernie tilted his head, "why every other day?" Evelyn came up with an excuse, "because on the off days, I like to sit in peace and eat my lunch." Ernie nodded in understanding, "very well. I'll see you tomorrow then." He bowed his head to her and left the courtyard. Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. Not a moment after he was gone did Draco enter, not looking very happy. "What was he doing here? I was standing outside the door for what seemed like ages!" Evelyn laughed, "sorry. He wanted me to tutor him." Draco sat down, huffing. "Will you?" "Yes," Evelyn nodded. Draco didn't seem pleased. Evelyn soothed him, "don't worry, we're meeting on the days that you and I don't have lunch together." Draco grumbled a bit and began eating. Evelyn ate her lunch quickly. Then she laid back in the grass, yawning.
"Why are you so tired?" Draco asked, leaning back. It was nice to see him so relaxed. She doubted that he relaxed any other time. She felt a little proud for it. "Because I'm a night-walker. I usually sleep during the day. This is hard on me." Draco nodded in understanding. "So what do you do at night?" "Train," Evelyn answered simply. "I have to keep up my physique." Draco nodded slowly. "No wonder you're so tired all the time." "Does it really show that much?" Evelyn laughed a bit. Draco smiled. He actually smiled. "Not to everyone. I can tell, and Goyle can tell. Crabbe is too stupid. Those moronic twins that you insist on hanging out with can tell, too. I don't see why you continue to associate with them." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I don't see why you only hang out with rich people." Draco frowned, "I hang out with you, don't I?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I'm not short on money. And I'm a Hunter." Draco sighed and didn't argue beyond that.
"Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow," Evelyn said nonchalantly. "I'm going to try out for chaser." Draco asked, "do you have a broom?" "Yes, a Thunderbolt VII." Draco scowled, "those are dangerous." Evelyn grinned, "can't be any more dangerous than climbing up the back of an angry dragon." Draco laughed a bit, "true enough." Evelyn liked this side of him, not the bratty rude front he put up, but this relaxed side of a boy who had never had a real hug before she came along.
After lunch, Evelyn headed up to Defense against the Dark Arts class. Professor Lockhart was teaching it. Evelyn wasn't impressed; she probably knew more about magical creatures than he did. First, they had a pop-quiz on the Professor himself. Evelyn wrote her name on it, got up, and turned it in blank. She thought it was the most ridiculous task. Why should his personal aspirations be important to one's self defense? It was bullshit.
After that test, the Professor claimed that he was going to arm them against "the foulest creature known to wizardkind." The moron released a bunch of Cornish pixies into the room. Instantly they began breaking things and wreaking havoc. The Professor shouted, "peskipiksi pesternomi!" It didn't work. So, the professor left Evelyn, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to round up the pixies. "What a quack," Evelyn muttered. However, she knew exactly how to get rid of the pixies. The clan sometimes ran into swarms of them, and she helped round them up. Many places were willing to buy live ones, even if relatively cheaply, so they were useful.
She got Neville down from the ceiling and sent him out of the classroom. Then, while Hermione cast freezing charms, she began clicking her tongue and letting out high-pitched squeals. It hurt her throat, but the pixies began to fly toward her at an alarming speed, screeching in unison at her. She held up the cage just as they hit her, and slammed it shut behind them. She cleared her throat, rubbing her neck gently, and set the cage down. Hermione looked at her incredulously, "how did you do that?" Evelyn smiled, "it's an old Hunter trick. We sometimes run into swarms of them when traveling, so we catch them to sell. It's a very precise sound. If done wrong, they throw things at you and attack you, worse than they normally would. If done right, they fly at you in a uniform cloud with that screech you heard. The trick is to hold up a cage at just the right moment, or they either fly away or attack you before you can get the cage up. I did it wrong once, and I nearly got my ears pulled off. I'll teach you, if you'd like." Hermione nodded, "teach me tonight."