DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, BUT I DO OWN MY CHARACTERS AND THE STORYLINE.
"You know your mum told me that you had a lot of friends, but I didn't expect to be that many," Alphard told her as the two of them were walking on the park. It was just the two of them which Evelyn liked. She had just met her godfather and she wanted to get to know him. Especially since it was clear that he was staying in her life. "I couldn't remember most of their names."
Evelyn chuckled. "Well, you don't need to remember all their names." She told him. "You just need to remember my eight best friends."
"Only you have eight best friends." Alphard scoffed and Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I know Don because I've met him a few times.The daughter of Jack Lee whose name is Christina, I think?" Evelyn nodded. "And Edrick Decan who I know."
"Those are three of them. The others are Diana, Gabriela, Carter, Henrik, all in Ravenclaw by the way while there's also Marlene who is in Gryffindor." She informed him and he nodded with each word he said. "Those are the ones closest to my heart."
"And the others are just friends?" He questioned.
She tilted her head. "Close friends and friends." She responded to him. "I have a few more, but my list was limited."
"You have more?" Alphard exclaimed and shook his head. "Merlin's beard, no wonder you got a lot of people in the club and to sign that petition."
"I had help." Evelyn corrected him. "From a lot of people, including Sirius and his friends." Alphard raised an eyebrow. "They are good at convincing people."
Alphard snorted. "So, why are you doing this? You're not just doing to help people, right?"
"To help people is my primary reason," Evelyn answered him and she could see a smile form on her godfather's lips. "It's pushing me to do this, but I do want credit about it. After all, our club is doing it." She responded to him and he let out a laugh. "So, the credit is going to benefit me a lot when I hand out my resume in the Ministry."
"It's also creating you a path in Wizengamot," Alphard added and Evelyn let out a hum. She hadn't considered that. If a seancedid happen about the potion, she knew she would catch the eye of many Wizengamot members. If she did that, she would create an earlier path than she anticipated to do. "Have you thought about being a member?"
"I want to be a member," Evelyn stated. "I've wanted that since I was eight."
Alphard started to laugh and Evelyn raised an eyebrow at him.
"What are you laughing about?"
He put his hand over his mouth and she crossed her arms. She didn't understand what he found funny about this. Her dream wasn't supposed to be taken as a joke, especially when it was going to become a reality one day.
When Alphard stopped laughing, he started to talk. "What kind of an eight-year-old wants to be a Wizengamot member?" She pointed to herself. "Was it your father who guided you to this?"
Evelyn gulped down. "He wants me to make a name of myself." She admitted. "But I chose Wizengamot." She let him know. "He would prefer me in Congress in MACUSA, but I think Wizengamot needs me more."
"Why does Wizengamot need you more?" He wondered.
"Because it needs change and I think that I can make that change. Well, I will try to make that change, but I'm going to work for it." She replied. "We need to stop sticking to the so-called traditions that keep making life difficult for some people. This resistance to change is letting this man who calls himself Voldemort to do this."
"I'm glad to hear that you want to change it, but you need to know it's a difficult path with a lot of struggles." Alphard reminded her what her mother had many times before.
Evelyn smiled. "I'm willing to take that risk." She said to him what she had said to her mother many times. "At the end of the day, the world be a better place. Plus, I'll be involved in that." She shrugged. "It's a win-win situation for me." She pressed her lips. "Mum has told me many times that working in the Ministry is a tough job and she can't even imagine how hard it must be for Wizengamot members. Mum gets home tired every day, imagine-"
"Tired of eyeingthat Auror out." Alphard's low remark made Evelyn cut herself off. His eyes widened when he realized that she had heard him. "Why did you stop?"
She frowned. "What Auror?" It was the first time Evelyn heard anyone mention her mother's love life. Merlin, Alphard's words weren't even a mention, there were more of a hint. It felt strange to hear it, especially since her mother had never brought a boyfriend home. Was there a chance that her mother was seeing someone? "Alphard?"
He shook his head. "It's nothing, I was speaking to myself."
"Is mum dating some Auror?" Evelyn tried to rake her brain, but she had no idea if her mother knew any Aurors. He didn't speak and she stomped her foot. "Alphard, you can't just say something like that and expect it to go away."
"I can." Alphard reminded her and she glared at him. "It doesn't even matter because there's no way you know him." He put his hands in his pocket. "I don't even know his name, I just know his face because he was Head Boy in our year."
The realization hit Evelyn on the face and she blinked a few times after it. Her ears couldn't believe it."Professor Gerard?!" Alphard frowned. "The Head Boy in your year is my DADA professor." She informed him and his jaw fell. "He's not anymore because he resigned." She added before shaking her head.
She couldn't believe that her mother could fancy her professor who just happened to be an Auror and someone who was helping her with the petition. Out of all people, her mother could fancy, she fancied Ezra Gerard. She understood what people meant with the world being small. Because to Evelyn, it was quite small for the moment.
Evelyn woke up in the morning by the alarm next to her bed ringing. She let out a yawn and stretched her arms as she sat up on her bed. She looked around to see that it was a normal summer day. The sun was in the sky, but it sometimes got covered by clouds. She scratched her eyes and pulled the sheets off her body. When she looked on the floor, she saw that her book about British Magical Law had fallen on the floor. She picked it up and put it on her nightstand.
After that, she got up and made her way to the bathroom. As she started to brush her teeth, Evelyn noticed that she had more pimples on her cheeks than she had yesterday. She held out a groan and shook her head. It seemed like her acne was growing more by the day, despite her efforts to keep her face clean.
When she was done with brushing her teeth, washing her face, combing her hair and getting dressed, she rushed downstairs to where her mother was.
"Good morning." She greeted her mum who was sitting in the dining room, reading the newspaper. "Anything on the paper?"
"Not really," Rose answered. "It has been quite silent these days." She commented before looking up from the newspaper. "Do you want to make you breakfast?"
Evelyn shook her head. "No, I'll do it myself." She answered. "After all, I'm now three years from becoming a witch of age." From the corner of her eyes, she saw her mother's eyes flash. She frowned as she had no idea what that reaction was. "Are there any letters today from professor Gerard?"
As she spoke, she looked at her mother. This time, she got no reaction from her mother. The woman shook her head and looked through the letters that they had received. Maybe she had just been looking at the man with no romantic intention as Alphard had suggested. After all, professor Gerard was the man who was helping her.
"You got one from Rabastan Lestrange." Evelyn stopped in her tracks and bit her lip. As he had said, Rabastan hadn't come to her birthday party. She didn't expect him to, she expected him to send a letter. He didn't for days until this moment. "You're still friends with him?" She could feel her mother's narrowed look.
Evelyn gave her a curt nod. "We talk a few times, but I wouldn't call him a close friend." She answered. Truth was that Evelyn didn't want to call Rabastan a friend, she would prefer to call him a boyfriend. Of course, her mother had no idea about it.
She turned herself and saw that her mother was holding the letter to her. She walked towards her and got it from her. Without another word, she put it on her back pocket.
"Why are you friends with him, sunshine?" Evelyn froze to the question and looked down to the floor. "Do you know what family he comes from?"
"I know, mum. He's not like them." She informed her mother who puckered her lips. "I can assure you that he's a great guy. Plus, he has told me many times that he doesn't think like them."
"He has?" Rose questioned, raising her eyebrows and Evelyn nodded. "And has he ever acted by those words?"
"He's never called someone you know what or does he taunt people," Evelyn responded to her mother, leaving the part that he didn't stop his friends. "He is very well behaved and he is one of the best students in our year. Not the number one as I am, but he's one of them."
Her mother tilted her head and pressed her lips. She studied Evelyn who turned blush. Had she said something that would give in that she fancied Rabastan? She thought she had kept it as vague as possible. After all, she had been afraid that she'd slip. "Good for him then." Her mother muttered turning her attention to the papers.
Evelyn let out a deep breath and started to make her breakfast. As she was making her scrambled egg, she spoke up. "When is Gared's wedding tomorrow? Three or four?"
"Three." She responded before closing the newspaper. "I'm going to go grocery shopping. Do you need anything?" Evelyn shook her head. "Are you sure? Not even a sweet?"
"I'm staying away from them because of my face." She showed her ance filled cheeks to her mother. "I think it's happening because of sweets."
Rose walked towards her and lifted her chin. "It can be because you're going through puberty." She suggested. "I didn't have acne growing up, but your dad did. You must have gotten from him." Evelyn sighed. She had to deal with acne breaking which was getting worse. "It's not that bad."
"Says the woman who never had them." Evelyn huffed earning a pat on the face by her mother.
"Don't be cheeky," Rose commented and Evelyn smiled. "I'll go and buy you some cream in Diagon Alley, okay?" She nodded and her mother moved away from her.
Soon, her mother left the house while Evelyn was eating her breakfast. As she was doing that, her mind drifted to her conversation with Alphard. She didn't know why she kept thinking about what he had said. Alphard didn't comment anymore that he had seen his mother checking her professor out and Evelyn wished he did. She needed to know more about it.
It was unheard of for Evelyn to think about this prospect of her mother's life. She had never thought about it before. She had thought that her mother was alright because she looked alright. There was no proof that her mum wasn't hiding it all. She never talked about it and she didn't seem to yearn about it. Again, Evelyn didn't know that much about this.
All she knew that her mum deserved to be loved and to have someone to love. Her father had a wife and kids by now while her mother had only her. It would only make sense for her mother to have a man in her life. The question was...
Who could be that great?
When Evelyn entered the venue of the wedding, her lips parted and her eyes widened. Everything was beautiful, to the last detail. It seemed like they had embraced being in the summer. Not only was the venue close to the beach, but the inside of it reminded Evelyn of a beach day close to sunset. The colours red, orange and yellow stood out the most. There were decorations on the wall that reminded her of the sun during dusk. The flowers which were tulips were in these three colours and even the bridesmaids' dresses were these three different colours.
"The first time I see yellow being used in weddings this much." Her mother commented as they took their seats and Evelyn glanced at her. "It's usually pink, blue, green, red, purple and of course, white."
"It feels good for people to appreciate yellow, huh?" Evelyn muttered as she looked down to the yellow dress that she was wearing.
Her mother smiled. "Yes, it doesn't leave just the two of us." She pinched Evelyns's cheek making her giggle. "Very beautiful though. Looks far away from wizards' tradition of a marriage." She looked around. "It doesn't surprise me that Gared wanted something different."
She giggled more. "Yes, Gared always wants to show that he's special."
"You have no idea," Don muttered sitting on the seat next to Evelyn and she turned to him. "Do you know that he organized most of it? I thought the bridedoes this."
"Not when the groom is in love with himself." Evelyn turned her attention to him. "I'm surprised that this isn't Gared's wedding to himself."
Don shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past him." He answered. "He could marry Hera and after, ask the officiant to marry him and himself."
Evelyn started to laugh and Don joined her. Her mother, on the other hand, shook her head. "You two are being mean to Gared."
They suppressed their laughs. When they did, Evelyn turned to her best friend with a raised eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be sitting next to your parents?"
"I will when the ceremony is about to begin," Don responded. "I told Gared to save me a seat next to you. He said he'll do it since we are each other's life support." Evelyn snorted and her mother smiled at the comment. "I can't come tonight with you."
Evelyn's jaw fell open and she widened her eyes. "Why?" She questioned him.
"I need to help them clean up and after that, I need to help with the house in Manchester." He grumbled. "I had nothing to do with it, but dad said that it'sour responsibility as a family to help. I'm probably going to babysit the kids." He crossed his arms. "I'm sorry."
Evelyn shrugged. "You can come to stay another day." She murmured. "We have the whole month of July to wait and it's only the beginning."
Don nodded his head. "I'll hardly call it the beginning, as it's more the middle." She gulped down. Part of her wanted to stay in Londonrather than go to Morrigan. She loved her father and family, but she would prefer to be with Don. When the music started, Don jumped from his seat and Evelyn glanced at him. "I got to go."
"Okay." She followed him with her eyes as he sat next to her.
Evelyn turned to look at Gared walking towards the altar. She could see far away that he was shaking and sweating. She couldn't imagine how nervous he was feeling. She would be nervous as well. Marriage was such a big commitment and she understood why some people didn't want to do it. To be honest, she hadn't thought about it as well. She didn't need to as she was fourteen and had time for that. All she knew was that she would be nervous as Gared looked.
When the music started to play, Evelyn looked at the entrance. Soon, Hera appeared with an old man who looked a lot like her. Their hands were linked together as they walked down the aisle.
She had never seen any person look as beautiful as Hera looked. Her white dress had thin straps, a V neckline and fit tight against her body. Her hair was down and looking more curly than ever and she was wearing a big flower crown. Just like the theme of the wedding, the flower crown had the three same colours. It had red, orange and yellow tulips. The bouquet she was holding had the same flowers as well.
Evelyn's eyes landed on Gared and she raised an eyebrow when she saw him. He was smiling ear to ear, his eyes shining the room and Evelyn was sure that she could see tears in his eyes. What intrigued her more was that Gared's eyes were focused on one person and that was Hera. She wondered if he knew that other people were in the room. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, he was completely taken by his soon to be wife.
Hera's father gave her away from Gared. When Hera was standing next to Gared, Evelyn spotted the same smile on her face that she had seen on Gared. The sight of them, looking at each other, was breathtaking and beautiful. Evelyn hoped that they would always look at each other like that.
She realized that it was stupid to hope because she knew that their love was everlasting. It wasn't that hard to notice after all.
Evelyn giggled as Don spun her around a few times before dipping her down. When he brought her to her feet, she held her head and groaned. "Damn it, Don! My head is spinning now."
"It's an after effect of being spun around." He teased her and she glared at him. "You seemed to enjoy it." He continued to say as he danced.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "The consequences of doing it aren't that great." Don shrugged and Evelyn's eyes fell on Gared and Hera who were dancing. She was sure that they hadn't stopped dancing since the music had begun, only stopping in meals.
"How does it feel having a sister now?" She questioned Don as she joined him while dancing.
Don shrugged. "She's amazing, but we already know that." He mused. "I wonder if she knows she can do better than Gared."
She hit him on the chest and Don groaned. "Don't be mean." She retorted. "Especially on their wedding day." She cast a look towards the newlyweds again. "Plus, I think she has no regrets."
Don followed her line of vision. "Yes, I think that too." Shesaw him look around and he sighed. "Your mum looks lonely."
Evelyn turned her head and saw her mother sitting on her seat, nursing a glass of wine. While a few men had asked her to dance, her mother didn't dance more than a song with them. The longest she had danced was with Daon's older brother, Phineas.
Her mind went to what Alphard had said to her. She couldn't get over it.Was there a chance that it could be true? That she could fancy Ezra Gerardor even find him attractive. She bit her lip and looked down.
"What's wrong?" Don asked her.
Evelyn stopped biting her lip. "Alphard mentioned that she was checking prof-Ezra Gerard out." Don raised an eyebrow. "It might be a stretch and he wasn't sure about it." She looked up at Don. "Do you think that there is a chance that she could fancy him?"
"Isn't him the same person that is helping you with this whole potion thing?" She nodded. "She might be interested as to why this man is helping his daughter. Scratch man, add Auror."
"That's what I've been saying," Evelyn mumbled. "I've never thought about how she mist feel. Dad has been married for thirteen years now while mum has been single forever. She probably has gone to dates, but I've never met any of her boyfriends."
Don furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you trying to say?"
She breathed out. "That she deserved to have someone like that, someone to love." She glanced towards her mother and saw that she was talking to an old couple in their table. "I don't think anyone deserves that more."
"Plus, you're growing older day by day." Evelyn scrunched her nose and tilted her head. "One day, you're going to start work, get your place to live, meet someone and so goes on. You're going to live a life of your own."
"I will never leave my mum behind." She remarked.
"Of course, not." Don rolled his eyes. "But you'll have a life of your own and you won't have that much time for her. She will feel lonely. Rowena, she probably does. You're in Hogwarts most of the time."
Evelyn didn't like having this discussion. She felt that this matter belonged to only one person and thatperson was her mother. It wasn't hers or Don's business to meddle in. Sure, Don was right and so was she. Evelyn just didn't feel like she should stick her nose to it. If her mother fancied Ezra Gerard, be it. If she didn't, it was alright.
"So, what are you going to do?" Don wondered.
She pursued her lips. "Nothing." She told him and he snorted. "I'm not joking. This isn't something I should stick my nose in." Evelyn took a deep breath. "I want her to be happy and find someone, but I don't think it's my job to get involved. I know she won't like it."
"Unlike you not to do that." She scoffed and he chuckled. "You're right about her not liking it, especially when her daughter is the one sticking her nose."
Evelyn hummed. "She will find someone, I'm sure of it."
"What if she finds someone you don't like?" Don voiced her thoughts and Evelyn squinted her eyes. She didn't think her mother would date someone she didn't like. She was sure that her mother had good taste in men. After all, she dated her father who Evelyn thought was a greatman.
"I don't think she will." Evelyn tried to be positive. "And I don't think it's our job to discuss it." She added and Don gulped down. "I guess we're going to let destinydo its job."
Don scowled. "I didn't think you believed in destiny."
"I don't," Evelyn admitted. "But maybe I will someday. People's belief change every day and I don't think I'll be an exception." She sighed. "Hopefully, destinyisn't a bitch and won't do something stupid."
He laughed at her. "You can never know the ways of destiny." He pointed out as he spun her around once. "Although, you would probably love to know how it works."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because knowing how it works, we'll let you control it and we all love how you love to control things." Evelyn was about to correct him, but he spun her away from him. When she stopped spinning, she gathered herself before looking for him. She ended up finding Don dancing with his mother and she sighed. She guessed she wouldn't be able to finish the argument tonight, so she walked away from the dance floor.
It was after midnight when she and her mother stepped in the house. They had lost track of time while having fun at the wedding and had forgotten that Rose had to wake up early tomorrow. As her mother was closing the door, Evelyn turned on the light. When she stepped in the living room, she glanced towards the window.
The letter that was sitting on the outer window still caught her eye and she immediately moved to get it. She opened the windowand picked up the letter. Her heartbeat picked up when she saw that it had the Ministry seal. I quickened even more when she saw it was from Ezra Gerard.
"Who's that letter from?" She heard her mother ask.
Evelyn didn't respond. Instead, she tore off the seal and opened the letter to read what was inside.
Miss Sinclair King
I'm happy to tell you that I have gathered all the required signs for the petition a few days ago. By now, the petition has been taken to Wizengamot Administration Services. According to the manager there, Wizengamot will be discussing it by the end of this month. I don't know how they will feel about it or what they will do, but my best guess is that there will be a seance where two opposing sides will be debating about the potion. As the club initiated this, you need to find a member that will represent the club and will speak about why they found the need to make this request.The manager said that there is no age specified in this type of debates, so you could be the one representing. Although, I have to admit that he suggested me to have a girl of age. You can discuss this with the club when the term starts. From what I've gathered, the next seance regarding this petition won't be for months due to the Wizengamot's busy schedule.
For any questions you have, you can always write to me and I'll answer them. I, of course, will inform you in every step that you need to take this further. Hopefully, you and the club will win this debate and the potion will be banned from being sold.
Sincerely, Senior Auror Ezra Gerard
"Sunshine, what is it?" She heard her mother ask as Evelyn started to grin. She couldn't believe this was happening, she couldn't believe that they were closer to reaching their goal.
"He got the signs, mum," Evelyn informed her as she turned around. "They're going to discuss it in a meeting!" Evelyn exclaimed out loud as she began to jump up and down. "It's happening, mum! It's happening!"
Evelyn embraced her mother who wrapped her arms around her immediately. The weight that Evelyn felt had dropped a few pounds and she felt her body feel lighter. She could even feel her eyes start to tear up.
When she pulled away from the hug, Rose extended her hand. "Let me read the letter." She handed it to her and Evelyn sighed. She needed to tell a few of the girls what happened, especially Lily and Diana who had helped a lot. She wished she could tell her cousin about, but it was too dangerous. It wasn't a risk that her or her cousin could take. "I know you would do it." Her mother told her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you, sunshine."
Evelyn felt her heart soar and her grin turned to a smile. "Thank you." She exhaled as she got the letter. "I'm going to write to the girls." She was about to leave, but her mother stopped her.
"You can do that tomorrow." She stated to Evelyn. "You and me need to talk." She motioned to the sofa and Evelyn frowned.
"About what?" She asked as she closed the window.
Rose sat down on the sofaand Evelyn followed her. "I've been thinking about this for months, but I think you're not going to be honest with me if I don't ask you myself." She had no idea what her mother was talking about and she didn't like it. She wished she had some clue, but she was clueless. "That boy..." She trailed off. "Rabastan." Evelyn's back stiffened and her throat went dry. "Do you fancy him?"
Evelyn's whole world spun. More than it did when Don had spun her while dancing. She felt her hands start shaking and her heart starting to beat fast again. She gulped down and blinked a few times. "I-I-" She cut herself off and looked down. She couldn't even bother lying. Not only did she not want to lie to her mother, she didn't know how. "Yes, yes, I do." She admitted and her mother pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Rose asked her and Evelyn kept her eyes glued to the floor. "You have done nothing wrong to apologize."
She shook her head. "He's not the right guy for me to fancy." While Rabastan was different from his family, the shadows of them still loomed on him and his relationship. "You left that life and I ended up liking someone who lives that life."
Rose raised her chin. "We rarely get to choose who we love, sunshine." She stated and Evelyn frowned. "You could say never, but you don't know with some people and their stories."
Evelyn for a moment, felt like she was speaking from experience. After all, her mother shouldn't have fallen for someone like her father.
"You just need to promise me something." Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts at her mother's words. "Walk away as soon as you see thathe's going the same path as his family. As soon as you feel it because there is a chance that you might get sucked in it too."
She moved away from her mother and curled her lips. "I would never do that."
"People do foolish things for love." Her mother reminded her and Evelyn bit her lip. "Even smart people like you." She crossed her arms and huffed. "Not even when he begs you to stay." She furrowed her eyebrows at her mother. "Even when he says that you are his happiness." Evelyn gulped down. "Because at the end of the day, it's okay to put your happiness before his. You shouldn't sacrifice your happiness for anyone, okay?"
Evelyn nodded her head. "I promise."
Little did Evelyn know that those words said by her mother were going to follow her through her life. That she would never forget them and they would stay with her, for better or for worse.
I hope that you're all doing alright during this time. It has been quite few hectic, but at the same timw, boring days. Hopefully, the situation would get better soon and people will start to heal. Remember to stay home and wash your hands.
Thank you for enjoying, reading, favoriting and following this story. It's very appreciated.
Next up, Jeremiah King
