A/N: Just a brief note to say I am sorry for my slow updates, you know how it is, life being way to busy. Not going to make lots of excuses, just say if you're still reading thank you! I am reading all of your reviews and I appreciate them all! I will do my best to reply to you all from now on and to be a lot more regular with my updates! Thank you x
Chapter 25:
I'll see you tonight.
Qudditch Pitch.
Midnight.
D
Eve could not contain the smile that crept across her lips as she read the note. She folded it carefully and tucked it inside her robes.
'What are you smiling at?' Piper grinned knowingly.
'Nothing' Eve replied, a blush betraying her.
'That's not a note from a certain red-head is it?' she continued.
Eve opened her mouth to reply, before frowning.
'Does that owl look injured to you?' she asked instead.
At her words, Althea looked up from her book and climbed up from her seat in the common room.
'It's wing has definitely been hurt' she agreed after a quick inspection 'I need to send a letter, I'll drop by Professor Grubbly-Plank on the way'
Althea gently lifted the owl into her arms and nodded her farewell.
A few seconds after her departure, Piper returned her attention back to Eve, a smirk neatly in place.
'So…about that letter…'
Eve groaned, reluctantly letting out a small giggle.
'It was from George!' Piper beamed triumphantly.
'Piper, shh!' Eve looked around quickly to check that nobody was listening 'and no, it was from my Mum actually!'
'Yeah, whatever' Piper chuckled 'you're a rubbish liar. But if you want to keep your love letters private then it's up to you.'
Silently, Eve let out a sigh of relief that Piper was not in the mood to be more persistent. It allowed her to return to her thoughts about her meeting with Draco that evening. It also allowed her a brief moment to reflect on the swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach, when Piper had mentioned George's name.
The day, Eve mused, could not have gone any slower. Potions, as always, had been horrendous. Followed by double Defence Against the Dark Arts with Umbridge – which thankfully had not resulted in detention. And finally, an afternoon with Professor Binns.
The evening itself had even crept by, but eventually, night had fallen, students had gone to bed, and Eve was able to silently slip out of the Common Room.
The darkness sent chills of fear through her and she found herself jumping at every shadow that flickered as she moved past it. It was a relief when she left the confines of the castle and felt the fresh crispness of the night air on her cheeks.
As she approached the Quidditch pitch she heard two familiar voices from behind the changing rooms. She smiled slightly at the identical cackles that sounded, and briefly considered going to make her presence known to them, but quickly thought better of it; she did not want to answer questions as to why she was wandering the grounds at midnight.
She turned to creep past on the far side of the building when the mention of her father's name caught her attention.
Almost unconsciously, she found herself sneaking closer, until she was standing on the edge of the building, concealing herself around the corner from where they stood.
'- Ron said Sirius is all for the Defence group, he said that he and Harry's dad would have done the same thing when they were young!'
'So we're technically following the wishes of the original Marauders' just from Fred's tone, Eve could tell that he was grinning.
'Precisely!' George sounded equally pleased 'although even I have to say it was a bit of a risky move, floo-ing into Gryffindor Common Room!'
Eve's insides went cold at his words.
'Well we're hardly ones to judge – risky is our favourite hobby –'
All plans of concealing her presence had evaporated and Eve found herself stepping boldly around the corner, making each twin jolt backwards in surprise.
'Bloody hell, Eve!' George clutched his chest.
'What are you doing here!?' Fred added, with his eyebrows raised.
'What do you mean my dad floo-ed Gryffindor Common Room?' she demanded, a slight shake evident in her tone.
'Welll – I – we – erm –' Fred spluttered, and George just watched her silently.
'He floo-ed Harry?' she asked, her throat tightening.
George's eyes flashed, and she knew he had caught the hurt in her expression.
'It was only because of the Defence meetings he's planning – not because he…' George's voice trailed off.
'Not because he prefers Harry?' she concluded.
'Evie –'
'- the owls were being intercepted so he couldn't write it, that's the only reason'
Eve felt her eyebrows rise at this news, and for a moment her mind thought back to the injury the school owl had sustained earlier that day. She quickly brushed the thought from her mind, nothing of that correspondence held any interest to Umbridge.
'I have to go' she finally said.
'Go where?' Fred quickly asked 'Eve, why are you out at this time –?'
'If you don't ask questions, neither will I? 'She replied, smiling lightly, before she hurried away. Pausing around the corner to check they weren't going to follow her, before she continued her approach to the pitch.
She tried to push the news from her mind, but with every step she took she could feel her emotions swelling in her chest. It was ridiculous. But she couldn't prevent the light sob that caught in her throat.
When her eyes settled upon Draco's lone figure, sitting with perfect posture in the stand, she found her feet increasing in pace, until she was performing a strange half-jog, half-walk manoeuvre.
He looked up at the sound of her approach; his expression was of irritation, then surprise and then a brief flicker of concern.
'Eve?'
She stopped before him, short of breath, suddenly not knowing what to say.
His expression was, as always, well controlled, but his eyes roamed her face as if trying to determine the answers to the silent questions that he posed.
Hesitantly, and very slowly, he lifted his arms until they were resting on her shoulders and pulled her lightly towards him. She allowed him to do so, resting her head silently against his shoulder.
'Life is hard, isn't it' it was a statement that she made, not a question.
'I would have thought you would have already known that' he replied tightly.
She pulled gently away from his hold, moving to sit on the nearest bench and he followed her lead.
'This is different. It was easier when my world was just you.'
He raised an eyebrow at her words, but did not comment.
'But you prefer how it is now?' he asked.
'Of course!' she replied quickly, shuddering at the memory of her life before Hogwarts.
Draco nodded silently.
'Well, mostly' she added, thoughtfully, causing his eyes to rise to meet her own. Two sets of grey eyes piercing into one another.
'It was simpler before' he stated.
'Yes' she nodded.
'I can't be that Draco here' he told her.
'I know' she replied softly 'and I can't be that Eve either.'
'You're the only person who actually knows me, and likes me, you know?' he smirked, and she felt her lips twitch.
'Well you're the only person I know who'd befriend a monster.' She shrugged 'except for Hagrid.'
'Don't compare me to that oaf' he snapped with irritation 'and you're not a monster –'
'Are you sure?' she asked quietly.
His reply was interrupted by a woman's voice, and instantly she and Draco were on their feet.
'Eversor?'
The air left Eve's lungs at the name. Her eyes widened and she stared at the figure that stood before them.
How had they not heard her approach?
It was a woman. The lines around her face betrayed her age, but otherwise she was attractive.
She was thin. Extremely thin. Her hair was blonde, streaked with white, and hung lank over her shoulders.
Even in the darkness, the moons light reflected across the woman's sharp features, allowing enough light for Eve to note the deep blue eyes.
'I've seen you before' she breathed.
'Who are you?' Draco demanded, his wand now extended before them.
The woman ignored Draco's question.
'Come with me, Eversor' the woman's tone was devoid of any emotion, it was empty and lifeless.
'Stop calling her that' Draco snapped.
The woman's head snapped towards Draco.
'Be quiet, Draco' she hissed.
Draco appeared too stunned that she knew his name to immediately respond, and Eve was silently thankful for that, because she had felt the crackling of power in the air as the woman has spoken.
'You're like me' she breathed, staring wide eyed at the woman, fear slithering through her chest.
'Come with me, Eversor'
'How did you know I was here?' Eve asked 'how are you here? The wards –'
'No ward, no wizard is powerful enough to keep us out. We are all powerful. We are all knowing. Now come with me, Eversor.'
The woman took a step forward, and Eve could see the emptiness behind her eyes. The lack of presence.
'They're controlling you, aren't they?' her voice shook.
'Come with me, Eversor'
At the sound of her name, Eve felt the power grasp her and she stumbled forward with a cry of surprise as the woman pulled her forwards with the invisible power that crackled in the air around them.
'Eve!' Draco cried 'stupify!'
The woman laughed, an empty, cruel laugh, as his spell faded in the air before her with a twist of her wrist.
'What are you doing here, boy' she spat, and Draco blinked.
'Lucius' Eve acknowledged as she scrambled to her feet.
The woman turned to her, her face empty, but the pressure of the power surrounding her bearing down upon Eve.
'Draco' Eve breathed 'run.'
'Eve –'
'Draco' this time her tone was laced with urgency 'run!'
He hesitated, and Eve didn't have time to warn him again, because she felt the swelling of the trendles of magic around her and she threw up her own protective force just in time to block the attack that was sent spiralling towards her.
Her hands shook, and terror clenched her heart with its relentless grip.
She had hardly ever fought alone. Never had she fought against someone who was like her.
She heard Draco's voice and her heart only raced faster.
'DRACO, RUN!' she screamed 'DUMBLEDORE, GET DUMBLEDORE!'
She hoped that he listened, because she had no more time to consider his presence, as the woman's arms flung outwards towards her, sending a wave of power hurtling towards her. She grimaced at the pressure it held, bringing her left arm downwards in a slashing movement to break the attack.
She grasped her wand in the other hand, thankful for one brief moment, for the considerable number of dark spells that Lucius had imbedded into her memory.
Holding her shield with her left arm, she twisted her right in a complicated succession of movements, her voice sounding harsh even to her own ears.
'Scindo Tergum'
The spell connected with the woman, but there was no scream of pain, no sign that there had been any effect at all.
Eve, however, knew otherwise, she had been exposed to the control herself, the absence of her own consciousness. At that moment, the woman was but a shell, the only way to stop her would be to kill her.
The thought sent a surge of nausea into the pit of her stomach.
Don't be ridiculous she told herself you have killed before.
But this was different. This time she was not under the control of anyone else.
She dived to the right, narrowly missing the nasty beam of purple light that the woman had shot towards her, and instead of using them to soften her landing, she threw open both of her arms, clenching her teeth as she pushed as much power into the attack as she could.
She watched as the attack made impact, and let out a soft cry at the sight of the woman's fragile body being hurtled violently backwards.
She expected the woman to be on her feet in an instant, as would be her orders, but the she remained on the ground, shaking harshly.
Hesitantly, Eve approached the body, waiting for the next attack, but it never came.
Instead, the woman's head lifted slowly, and Eve saw the pain, the terror in her face.
'Alina!' the woman cried, flinching in pain as she threw herself to her knees, dragging herself towards her.
'N-No I'm not –'
'Alina! Leave!' the woman cried 'I'm sorry, so, so sorry!'
'I'm not Alina, I'm Eve' Eve didn't know why she felt that it was important to tell the woman this.
The woman blinked.
'N-No you're Alina' she shook her head 'you're my daughter.'
Eve's eyes widened, she stared at the woman before her – her grandmother.
'Run, Alina' the woman shuddered 'go to Fraye, go to him'
'I'm not leaving you –'
The woman let out a loud cry of agony, and Eve flinched, wondering if it was Lucius trying to regain control, or her own attack that was the source of the pain.
Her question was soon answered.
She watched as the emotion in her grandmother's eyes slowly disappeared and were clouded with emptiness.
'No' she whispered, stumbling backwards.
She waited for the attack, her wand held tightly in her trembling hand. Her head was aching and the nausea was growing stronger, lacing her mouth with saliva.
Her grandmother climbed gracefully to her feet, her eyes resting upon her for a moment, before growing distracted by something behind Eve.
Eve turned her head, and almost cried out with relief at the sight of the headmaster, sweeping towards them, power exuding his every movement.
She was safe.
Her eyes looked for Draco, ready to thank him. Thank him for bringing help, for saving her.
But it was not blonde hair or grey eyes that she found. She did not need the light of the moon to help her detect the red hair, and warm brown eyes.
George.
'Eve!' he cried, approaching her at a run.
'My grandmother –' she grasped his arms as he reached her, turning to indicate the woman.
Her eyes found nobody.
The pitch was empty.
'She was there –'she breathed, confused.
'She left as soon as she saw us approaching' Dumbledore's voice sounded from beside her 'we need to get you to the castle.'
'She was my grandmother –'she told them, in a vacant voice, allowing herself to be lead back towards the castle.
'I know, Eve' Dumbledore told her 'we will discuss what has happened when we are back at the castle, but for now, we must remain silent – we do not want to alert unwanted parties to what has occurred.'
Even in her confused state, Eve understood his meaning.
When they finally reached Dumbledore's office, having not come across anybody else on their approach, Eve sighed as she was helped into a soft armchair.
'You followed me' she turned to George.
'Are you angry?' he asked her.
She thought for a moment.
'No' she relented, keeping her eyes locked with his 'Do you think my Dad will floo?' she asked softly.
Please review x