Part 14 - Clever Disguise

Breakfast at the Great Hall the next morning was an unusually extravagant feast and full of excited students receiving a plethora of Christmas gifts from home. George's mum had sent him and Fred matching knitted sweaters, a staple gift in the Weasley family, but George hardly paid them any mind and was instead focused on the Slytherin table across the hall.

Eve was in her usual spot next to Malfoy. She had a couple of gifts sitting in front of her, but seemed to be paying about as much attention to them as George was to his. Her focus was on Malfoy and his obnoxiously large pile of gifts. He was smiling brightly, chatting and even sharing laughs with Eve as they looked through his various gifts.

This was the first time it really hit George that Eve and Malfoy's relationship was not only genuine, but mutual as well. Malfoy really did seem like a different person when Eve was around him, more interested in enjoying his time with her rather than his usual mission of trying to make everyone around him miserable. It really was an odd sight to see after all these years of knowing the annoying git.

As he watched their interactions, George felt like it looked oddly familiar. For a moment, George saw himself and Ron flash before his eyes and wondered if that was how Eve saw Malfoy, like a little brother.

George spent all of breakfast distracted, watching Eve and Malfoy intently, trying to make sense of it all. He was only vaguely aware of Lee and Fred's conversation beside him. Luckily, now that Fred knew the truth, he didn't seem to have any interest in trying to include George in the conversation and let him ponder in peace.

The anticipation of the coming conversation was overwhelming, so the moment Eve stood from her seat, George was on his feet as well, ready to chase after her. She headed out of the Great Hall, and George didn't hesitate to follow after her.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," he muttered as he started walking away, not bothering to come up with an excuse this time.

He vaguely heard an excited "have fun!" from Fred and a confused "what?" from Lee, but he paid them no mind. As he left the Great Hall, he saw Eve walking down one of the empty corridors.

"Evie!" George called out as he jogged to catch up to her.

Eve turned around with a cheerful smile on her lips. The halls were ice cold with the winter air, but her smile was enough to warm George to his core. She stood and waited for him to catch up before continuing down the hall with him at her side. George noticed a small box in her hands, with what he assumed would be her Christmas gifts.

"Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," George repeated with a smile, before peering curiously into the box she was carrying, wondering if her gifts might give him some insight to her relationship with Malfoy's parents. "Get anything good?"

"Mostly just sweets," she replied, seeming to be genuinely satisfied with her gifts. She held out a licorice wand, making George's eyes light up. "Want some?"

Instead of grabbing the candy from her, George leaned down and took a big bite off the wand with an exaggerated snarl, making Eve laugh loudly. George flashed her a goofy grin and she followed suit, taking a bite as well with her own attempt at a similar snarl. Her soft voice couldn't quite manage the same power his deep voice had, but he found it absolutely adorable hearing her try.

"Fan of sweets, are we?"

"Oh, honestly, I could live off them."

George smiled proudly, draping his arm around her shoulder. "My kind of girl."

George hadn't been paying much attention to where they were headed, but he suddenly realized they were almost at the courtyard. He stopped suddenly, giving Eve a curious look.

"Where are we going?"

"Outside," Eve said offhandedly.

"Why? It's freezing out," George grumbled, making Eve laugh.

"It never snowed where I lived, I want to take full advantage of it!"

"It doesn't snow in Italy?"

"Only in the north."

While he wasn't particularly excited about the prospect of sitting out in the snow for a chat, Eve's apparent excitement was reason enough and they headed out to the courtyard. They found their way to a little covered bench, allowing them to at least stay dry. Eve placed the box beside her as her and George sat together, side by side. She seemed fascinated by the snow, watching it happily while George debated how to broach the subject.

After a few moments of silently debating, George finally spoke up. "Can I ask you something?" Eve turned her gaze back to him and he thought she looked a bit apprehensive, but she nodded anyway. "It's about Malfoy. Draco, I mean."

"I figured that was coming eventually," Eve said quietly, a small smile on her lips as she turned back towards the snow. She was quiet for a moment, before she turned back to look at George. "He's not a bad kid, you know. He's just … misguided. The only real influence he's had in his life is his parents and … well, you've met my uncle."

George scoffed lightly, before clearing his throat. "Yeah, I've met him."

There was another pause, a moment of silence settling between them. Oddly enough, George didn't feel awkward in this silence, it never felt that way with Eve. It was like they were both comfortable giving each other a moment to collect their thoughts. Which is exactly what George was trying to do. From the sounds of it, she wasn't a huge fan of Mr. Malfoy, but that still left the question of Draco.

"You and Draco seem close." It wasn't a question, just an observation.

Eve smiled, looking back towards the snow. "I never saw him and his family much growing up. Once every couple years we'd go visit for a day or two, but that was about it. But for some reason, Draco and I always kept in touch. I think he wrote me a letter every single day during his first year here," she said with a light chuckle.

George watches her closely as she pauses, appearing to be a bit lost in thought. Her gaze was still fixated on the silently falling snow, but it seemed as though she wasn't seeing it anymore. She was looking past it, perhaps seeing memories of her childhood. George waited patiently for her to speak again.

"Neither of us had any siblings, I think maybe we just sort of bonded over that. I guess … part of me feels guilty, I suppose."

"Guilty about what?"

"I don't know, I just …" Eve took a deep breath, fidgeting with her hands, still not meeting George's gaze. "I can't help but wonder where he'd be if we were siblings or if I had been around more or something. I mean, he sort of got the shit end of the stick as far as parents go, and I couldn't have been luckier with mine."

George's head perked up slightly. "I've never heard you talk about your parents." He saw the corner of Eve's mouth turn up slightly in a small smile, but she didn't respond. "Since you were living with the Malfoy's, I just assumed…"

"That they were dead?" Eve said, a hint of playfulness in her voice, as she turned to look at George. Her lips were curled up into a small smile, but George noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes. The smile faded quickly as she turned back to the snow. "They died back in March."

George wasn't entirely sure what to say. In fact, he was quite certain there really was nothing to say. So he chose to say nothing and simply wait. He was expecting maybe a heartfelt story and definitely some tears, so he was completely caught off guard when Eve suddenly laughed loudly. George stared at her confused, but she didn't look over.

"What?" George asked curiously, furrowing his brows.

"I was just thinking…" Eve turned to look at George with a playful smile. "My father would've adored you. You and your brother."

George couldn't help the smug smile that took over his lips, a sense of pride welling up in him. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely," she replied with a giggle. "He never did quite grow up. My mother always used to say that I was her second child and he was her first."

"Were you two close?"

"Oh yeah. My father was my best friend. We were always getting into trouble together. Honestly, it's a miracle my mother was able to put up with us. We used to play all these silly games and mother hated every single one of them.

"The summer after my first year at Estellacadre, my father told me he had hid one alarm clock for each day that I was gone. They were scattered all over the house, some in easy spots like out in the open on counters and things, others a little more hidden in cupboards and whatnot, but some were nearly impossible, like under floorboards or in the walls. And they were all set to go off at random times and each one had a unique sound. Naturally, I couldn't find them all, so all summer we'd hear random screeching or shouting or beeping throughout the house at all different times of day and night. Drove my mother absolutely mad, poor thing."

George laughed along with Eve as she told her story. He couldn't help but notice this was, by far, the most relaxed and cheerful he had ever seen her. He wished more than anything he could change things for her, bring back the people she was clearly closest to, and maybe even have the honor of meeting them himself.

"My parents absolutely adored each other, though. She was never able to stay mad at him for long. My father's the one who got me into muggle novels, actually."

George chuckled lightly at that one, wondering what her father would think of the types of muggle novels she reads now. He might regret having gotten her into them. George thought of his own father and his obsession with muggles and wondered if her father was the same.

"Was your father obsessed with muggles, too?" he asked playfully.

"Actually…" Eve started, but her voice quickly trailed off as she looked back to the snow.

George's smile faded as he noticed her sudden change in mood. She shifted uncomfortably next to him and took a deep breath before looking back to him. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but then she hesitated, biting down on her lower lip. It looked almost like she was trying to gauge how he would respond before she spoke. After another deep breath, she finally spoke.

"My father was a muggle."

The shock was clear on George's face and Eve flinched away from it, looking back to the snow. George's heart dropped when he realized why. She mistook his surprise for disdain. He quickly regained his composure and reached out, taking her hand into his. He waited until she turned to look at him, her expression tense.

"I'm sorry," George said quietly, stroking her hand. "It doesn't matter, really. I guess I just assumed you were pureblood because of how the Malfoys are."

"They don't know." George raised an eyebrow. "My mother never told them, they never even met my father. Every time we would visit, she'd make up some excuse for why he couldn't come. She never really fit in with the family much to begin with, but she always tried to blend in the best she could when she was around them."

Her words settled in and George finally had the answer to the question he had been too afraid to ask.

"That's why you don't want anyone to know about me, isn't it? You're trying to blend in."

Eve smiled lightly and nodded. "It's not that I care what my aunt and uncle think of me, I don't. It's just … well, it's not like I really have anywhere else to go, at least not until I'm done with school. I'm just trying to make my time with them as easy as possible."

A feeling of relief swept over George. He certainly wished she felt differently, but he was happy to know that it isn't about shame. She's not ashamed of him, she just doesn't want to out herself as the black sheep of the family while she's living with them. Which seemed fair enough to George.

"I guess I can understand that… For now," George said with a smirk. Eve rolled her eyes, playfully nudging her shoulder into his as he laughed. "Kidding, Evie."

Mostly, anyway.

As always, there was a slight hitch in her breath at the sound of George's nickname for her, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Now seemed like a perfect time to solve that mystery as well. George opened his mouth to ask her about it, but she beat him to the punch.

"Why do you call me that?" she asked quietly, her stare so intense that George wondered if she was trying to read his mind for the answer.

"Dunno," George muttered with a shrug. "Just feels right, I suppose. Do you not like it?"

"No, I do," Eve said so quickly it made him smile. "It's just…" She paused, glancing at the snow for a moment before looking back at George. "The only other person who's ever called me that was my father."

That certainly explains her reaction. George cupped her cheek, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. Eve smiled warmly at him when they pulled apart before nuzzling her head on his shoulder. George wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close, and they sat together, watching the silent snow falling for what seemed like hours.

AN:

Hello, lovelies!

Alright so I have a confession to make. I usually write ahead with my fanfictions, so I can keep up with regular publishings even if life gets a little hectic or whatever, you know what I mean? But we've officially caught up. I really didn't think it would happen but here we are, and I have barely just started on part 15 so we'll see. I promise to try my best to get it finished before next Monday so I can still upload in time, but please be patient if I don't!

Thank you all for your lovely reviews and messages, you guys are the best! We're finally starting to learn a little more about dear Evie, but there's still some mysteries left to solve.

Mae