Eva stood beside Hermione and Ron in the courtyard, ready for her first Hogsmeade trip. Her hands were stowed deep in the pockets of her hoodie while she shivered on the spot as a harsh cold breeze whipped her hair around her face.
"Now remember, these visits to Hogsmeade are a privilege. Should your behaviour reflect poorly on the school in any way then that privilege shall not be extended again," McGonagall lectured at the front.
"We love a good condescending lecture," Eva exclaimed sarcastically, making Ron snort with laughter.
Harry suddenly ran outside from one of the corridors holding his unsigned permission slip. In all honesty, Eva felt awful for him. Thanks to his lousy excuse for guardians, he'd have to spend the entire day at school alone while everyone he knew went shopping without him.
McGonagall held her hand up to stop him. "No permission form signed, no visiting the village. That's the rule, Potter."
Filch began to lead the group towards Hogsmeade, holding the stack of permission slips in his hand. "All those with permission, follow me. Those without, stay put."
While everyone else began to make their way towards Hogsmeade, Eva, Hermione, and Ron waited behind in the faint hope that Harry would be allowed to go.
"No, Professor, I thought if you signed it then I could go," Harry pleaded desperately.
McGonagall sighed. "I can't, only a parent or a guardian can sign. Since I am neither, it would be inappropriate. I'm sorry, Potter, that's my final word."
As McGonagall followed the rest of the group which were only just leaving, the other three gave him sympathetic looks.
"Forget about it guys," Harry said glumly. "See you later."
Eva smiled weakly at him. "I'll pick you up some sweets from Honeydukes," she called behind her as they followed out of the gates to catch up with the rest of the Hogsmeade group.
They arrived back from Hogsmeade late that afternoon since the sky was getting much darker and walking through the middle of nowhere so late at night was risky business. Eva had already given Harry a galleon worth of Fizzing Whizzbees as an 'I'm sorry you missed out on Honeydukes' gift, and had picked up some more Every Flavour Jelly Beans for herself.
"Imma be honest," Eva mumbled to Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle with her mouth still full of jelly beans as they walked into the Slytherin common room, "Zonko's Joke Shop sent my anxiety to a whole new level. I tapped the brim of a Nose-Biting Teacup and it got stuck to my finger."
"Oh, that was what that scream was," Malfoy teased. "Those Mandrake screams did less damage to my eardrums," he laughed, high-fiving Crabbe behind him.
"Ha ha, very funny," Eva snarked, placing another jelly bean in her mouth before immediately spitting it into a bin. "Dirt flavour. By the way, what time is Quidditch practise tomorrow morning?"
Malfoy's eyebrows furrowed together confusedly. "Why do you need to know—oh," he remembered again that she was now on the team with him and sighed. "10:20."
Eva began to make her way across the common room towards the stairs leading to the dormitories when Pansy stopped her. Pansy was sat on the back of one of the sofas with Millicent and Daphne either side. Her dark hair was in its same usual bob haircut while she sneered at her.
"Where do you think you're going, mudblood?" Pansy taunted.
Eva froze and raised her eyebrows. "Upstairs, not that it's anything to do with you."
"Ooh, someone's feeling sassy today," she laughed mockingly along with the other two. "So I hear you're on the Quidditch team, huh?"
"Yeah," Eva replied dismissively, continuing her way towards the stairs.
"Well, I doubt you'll be on the team for very long," Pansy sighed, studying her manicured nails. "I mean, it's not like a pathetic mudblood like you could ever secure themselves a genuine spot on the team. Give it some time, and I bet Flint will get bored of your looks and kick you straight to the curb where you and the rest of your kind belong."
Eva didn't even turn around but instead flipped her off over her shoulder and kept walking. "Fuck off, Pansy, you pure-blooded bitch," she said casually.
Just as Eva left for the dorms, Malfoy began heading the same way towards his own dorm. Pansy very quickly recovered from Eva's remark and adjusted the way she was seated with her attempt at a seductive smirk across her face.
"Hey, Draco," she called softly, waving her hand slightly at him.
This time, Malfoy barely reacted to her whatsoever. Instead, he simply brushed past her with a smile so faint that it couldn't even be considered a smile and walked straight up the stairs without so much as a goodbye, leaving Pansy in shock.
Millicent laughed awkwardly. "What was that about?" she asked.
Pansy was gripping the leather of the sofa so hard she could've easily made a hole in it. Since the mudblood girl had become closer to Draco, he'd become more distant from her. If Eva really thought she had a shot with her boyfriend, she had a nasty shock coming. That mudblood needed to be put back in her place.
That evening, Eva had just settled into her corner of the sofa in the common room as usual, wearing a pair of black leggings, a white t-shirt which was tied up just below her bust, meaning that her midriff was showing, and a pair of fluffy pink socks. Her injury was almost fully healed now, the bruises a yellow-green colour, and the remaining scar almost completely invisible.
Most of Slytherin were gathered around the common room, either chatting between each other, reading, or exchanging sweets from Hogsmeade. Eva noticed that Pansy was curled up with Malfoy as she always was, though unlike usual, she didn't even spare a glance at her. It was as if Eva didn't exist, but she figured it was better that than constant bitchy remarks.
"So," Tracey sat herself down beside Eva with her legs crossed and a bag of toffees in her hand, "what happened between you and Pansy earlier?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw Pansy perk up slightly at this. "What do you mean?" Eva asked, turning another page in her book.
"I mean, what exactly happened?" Still no answer. "Look, I'm not picking sides or trying to find anything to use against you. I'm just curious," Tracey told her.
Eva sighed and closed her book. "Fine. Pansy was being a petty little snake, claiming I'm some kinda muggle-born slut who knows nothing about playing Quidditch, and I told her where to stick it. Honestly, you didn't miss out on much."
The door suddenly burst open rather dramatically and Eva turned her head along with everyone else to see who it was. Snape walked in confidently with his black robes billowing behind him and his usual deathly expression on his face. He stopped in front of the fire Hecate had heated up.
"All students are to report to the Great Hall immediately," Snape ordered.
Confused murmurs swept through the room, no one really bothering to move. Eva rolled up her sleeve and checked her wristwatch, examining it in confusion in case she'd simply read it wrong.
"But Professor, it's 11 in the evening," Eva questioned.
"All will be explained later. Go." Still no one moved. "Now, before I begin docking house points."
It seemed all everyone needed was the motivation of house points to keep them moving. Eva reluctantly pulled herself to her feet and followed the others out of the common room and towards the Great Hall.
Once she arrived, she observed the sleeping bags spread out across the floor. Noticing the Gryffindors already settled into a corner, she realised what this was and internally beat herself up for not bringing any extra layers.
"Here." Hecate appeared from behind her and handed her a dark red zip-up hoodie before disappearing once more.
Unwilling to apparently spend the night beside the other Slytherins, many of whom were still acting weird around her after her confrontation with Pansy, Eva headed straight for the Gryffindor sleeping bags where the Gryffindors were chatting between each other and sat herself down between Fred and Seamus.
Seamus pointed over his shoulder. "The Slytherins are over there, Eva."
Eva laughed humourlessly and pulled her hoodie over her shoulders. "Ha, hilarious. No, I got into a bit of a . . . I guess you could say a quarrel, with Pansy and everyone's acting weird so I'm staying with you. Anyone gonna explain what's happening?"
"Didn't you hear?" George asked, but Eva simply shook her head.
"Sirius Black is back," Fred explained.
"In the castle," George added.
"In the castle," Fred repeated, "and the Fat Lady went missing."
"In another painting now, she is."
"She deserved it though," Ron interjected. "Her singing was bloody horrendous."
"Hold up," Eva held her index finger up, "let me get this straight. The woman in the painting that guards your tower went missing. Sirius Black is somewhere in this building. The entire school's going to have a giant sleepover so that if he finds us here, it'll be easier to kill us all at once."
Hermione sighed. "Not helping, Eva. Anyway, this is the safest place in the whole castle, so I doubt anything will happen to us here. But what happened between you and Pansy?"
"Oh, in summary, and I'm quite proud of this summary, Pansy thinks I'm a mudblood slut who knows nothing about Quidditch and I will be kicked off the team once Flint gets bored of my smexy looks," Eva replied. "Still, I told her to fuck off, so that should keep her quiet for the next few weeks at least."
"She really said those things to you?" Hermione gasped, appalled, as she peered around the room to look for her. "Where is she, the pug-faced little-"
"Hermione, calm down." Eva placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm a big girl—not physically, but that's not the point—and I can fight my own battles. Besides, I'd like to see her try out for Quidditch."
That night, Eva slept better than usual, although she had a theory that it was because she was surrounded by much less toxic people. Her sleeping bag was between Fred's and George's while Hermione's was by her feet. Sometimes, she really did feel like a Gryffindor at heart.
In their next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, rather than Lupin entering the room, Snape made his usual dramatic entrance. As he walked between desks towards the front, he slammed each of the blinds closed with a flick of his wand.
"Why does he always walk in like that?" Eva whispered to Malfoy who was sat beside her.
Snape glared coldly at the now silent and bemused classroom. "Turn to page 394," he instructed.
Rolling her eyes, Eva slid her Defence against the Dark Arts book towards her and flipped through pages, eventually settling on 394. She took one look at all of the information and thus reading she'd have to do and sighed heavily.
Beside her, Malfoy was doodling something on a little piece of paper. At further inspection, Eva realised it was Harry playing Quidditch. She took her quill and added glasses on his face boredly while Malfoy continued to shade in his hair.
As Snape paced through the classroom, Harry leaned over in his desk to ask the million dollar question. "Excuse me, sir, where's Professor Lupin?"
"That's not really your concern, is it Potter?" Snape replied coolly. "Suffice it to say that your professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time. Turn to page 394."
Malfoy took the completed doodle and folded it up into what looked like a little paper bird. Eva internally laughed at the thought of the arrogant and rude blonde secretly being an origami artist in his spare time.
"Werewolves?" Ron asked in shock.
Hermione spun around in her seat beside Harry, her seat Eva hadn't even realised she'd been sitting in. "But sir, we've just begun learning about red caps and hinkypunks," she argued. "We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks."
"Quiet," Snape scolded.
"When did she come in?" Ron hissed. "Did you see her come in?"
The projector displayed a series of images on the white screen at the front as Snape continued to speak. "Now, which one of you can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?"
Hermione's hand, in true Hermione fashion, shot straight up in the air.
"No one?" Snape questioned. "How disappointing."
Hermione answered in anyway. "Please, sir. An animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."
Malfoy suddenly howled an impression of a werewolf, causing a few of the Slytherin boys to laugh and Eva to roll her eyes at how stereotypically boisterous they were.
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Snape snarked, turning his attention back to Hermione. "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss. Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"
Ron leaned over in his desk towards Harry. "He's got a point, you know."
"5 points from Gryffindor," Snape announced, causing shocked gasps to spread through the room.
Meanwhile, Malfoy briefly tapped his wand against the paper bird, placed it between his palms, and blew on it gently, somehow causing it to flutter gracefully across the room and land on Harry's desk.
". . . and on my desk by Monday morning, 2 rolls of parchment on the werewolf," everyone groaned, "with particular emphasis on recognising it."
"Sir," Harry protested, "it's Quidditch tomorrow."
Snape slammed his hands down aggressively on Harry's desk. "Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr. Potter. Loss of limb will not excuse you. Page 394."
Eva zoned out for most of the lesson, occasionally reading through what was on the page in front of her. Snape's voice was just so monotone and dull that it sometimes became ridiculously difficult to concentrate on what he was saying. Instead, she placed her head on her desk and began daydreaming about when the lesson would finally be over.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Author's note: Haha, Pansy's being a little bitch, love that. Honestly, Pansy reminds me of sooo many people I know, so writing her stuff was way easier than it should've been. However, Eva's the kinda girl who won't take shit from anyone, which you'll see soon enough.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, stay safe, and ily lots!