Hello, hello! I'm almost done re-reading Prisoner of Azkaban. It's been difficult reading it, since I know how it's going to end. I just keep screaming "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, HARRY! SIRIUS IS INNOCENT!" But now I'm at the part where Harry believes Sirius, but now Peter is going to escape and it's going to break my heart all over again...

Anyways...

Here is chapter 26! This is from James' point-of-view. It was weird writing from a guy's point of view, since... I'm not a guy.

Again, thank you for those who are now following this story! It makes me super happy :D

Love,

Miki

James

I've been talking to dad a lot through the two-way mirror, asking him how I can help Evie. But he tells me I can't do anything except support her and to keep a close eye on her. As if I haven't already been trying to do that.

It's difficult to support someone when all they want to do is sleep, but I have been keeping a close eye on her. I've watched her become more and more depressed with each passing day. I just hope that dad figures out what to do soon, because I'm clueless and I definitely feel helpless.

I feel terrible that I didn't realize what was going on sooner, but who would think that Tom Riddle would torment someone decades after his demise? And she had to go through it by herself, afraid to tell anyone what was really going on.

Groaning in agony, I slump back into the chair of the Gryffindor common room, tossing my quill onto the table.

Fred raises an eyebrow. "Something wrong, mate?"

"I hate this."

"This Transfiguration essay will be the death of me too."

Evie comes back from the library and I jump up to my feet, excited to see her. "Ev." I grab her hand, pulling her over to me.

A small smile tugs on the corner of her lips. "What do you want, James?"

"I can't greet my girlfriend?"

"I'm not your girlfriend."

Fred snorts. "You keep telling yourself that, Evie."

She shoots him a nasty glare and my cousin snickers in reply. "Let's go for a walk?" I offer.

"Yeah. Let me put my stuff down." With that, she goes to the girl's dormitory.

I wait patiently for her to come back. "Why don't you offer to go on walks with me?" Fred pouts.

I grin. "Jealous?"

"A bit."

"You need to find yourself a girlfriend too, Fred."

"Don't want to put in the effort."

Evie comes down the stairs and we head out of the common room. "Have you seen him lately?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No."

"And the dreams?"

"The Sleeping Draught has been helping a lot."

"Maybe he'll give up."

"I doubt it."

"Dad still doesn't know what's going on, but he told me he's doing some research."

"Research?"

"Into Lenore Langley's life. He's hoping there'll be a clue."

"Maybe. In my dreams, at least, she seemed normal."

"I wonder if she knew what kind of horrible person he is."

"She did."

"And she stayed with him?"

"I don't think she had a choice. He was all she had. She grew up in the orphanage with him."

I'm surprised she knows all this information. She never told dad or me about this. "I suppose."

"And I think she was genuinely in love with him. Enough to turn a blind eye on all the terrible things he did."

"Did you dream about all of this?"

"Mixed in with my own memories. It almost feels like it's becoming part of my past. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish which is my past and which is Lenore's past."

It's getting worse, I quickly realize. A lot worse.

"Ev." I stop and so does she. "You know it'll be alright, right?"

She blinks up at me.

"It's just taking a bit to find the right solution, but dad'll find it and everything will be alright in the end."

I take her hand into mine and give it a firm squeeze, which I hope seems reassuring. "It will be."

An emotion I don't recognize flickers through her eyes. She quickly looks down and inhales deeply. "Do you really like me, James?"

"Of course I do. What kind of question-"

Oh no. Oh no no no no.

She's crying!

"Evie!" I gasp, horrified. "Don't-! Don't cry!" Swearing, I pull her tightly against myself. "It'll be alright, I promise." I kiss the top of her head. "Promise."

It takes Evie a bit to calm down, but she does eventually. After dinner, she goes straight to bed. I finish my homework, play a game of wizard's chess with Fred, and go to bed.

"James. James!"

I wake up. It's my two-way mirror. It's dad.

I scramble to get it from my trunk. "Dad." I check my watch. "It's past midnight!"

"James, listen to me carefully." He looks almost frantic as he holds up a picture of a blue ring. "Does Evie have this?"

"Yeah. She always wears it. It belonged to her great aunt-"

"It's a pensieve, James. Lenore Langley's pensieve. It ended up in a muggle shop after Lenore Langley's death and Amelia Bones came into possession of it. You need to destroy it."

I'm out the door before he even finishes, running to the common room. "CLEENA! CLEENA!"

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you-" She emerges from the girl's dormitory. People are coming out of their dorms, wondering what the yelling is all about.

"Wake Evie up. Now!"

"Fine. Fine." She heads back in, but then comes rushing out. "She's not in bed."

"No. No, no." I grab my head. "He's gotten her. He's gotten her. Where would he take her? Where-?"

Where did Tom Riddle take mum?