"So, when were you going to mention the new ring, Evie?" Fred glanced pointedly to the emerald snake ring that she still wore on her right middle finger.
From the other side of the Weasley living room, Hermione walked over to the sofa where Eva was lying with her legs across George's lap and lifted her hand to examine it for herself. "Wow," she hummed a laugh, "that's very, well . . . Malfoy, isn't it?"
"Malfoy gave that to you?" Harry asked, sat in an armchair near the tall Christmas tree in the corner of the room.
"Yeah," Eva eyed him sceptically, "why?"
Harry glanced around the room for a moment. "Can we speak, please, in private?"
George whistled inappropriately, prompting Eva to whack him with a pillow. "Sure," she agreed, stumbling to her feet and following Harry.
He led her out of the room and up a few flights of rickety wooden stairs, stopping at one of the middle floors where Percy's old room was located, just as untouched as before. Eva sat down first on the edge of the bed, followed by Harry.
"What is it this time?" Eva sighed.
"About Malfoy-"
"Again?" she interrupted. "Harry, you need to stop obsessing over this. How many times do I have to tell you? Jurassic Park. Just let it go."
"Did he mention-"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "He's not going to let it go, is he?" she muttered to herself.
He rolled his eyes. "Did Malfoy at any point mention a cabinet?" Eva glanced up at him with an eyebrow raised. "The Vanishing Cabinet?"
"The Vanishing Cabinet?" She faked a voice of confusion. "You're kidding, right?"
"So, you have?" he asked.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe, I don't remember. Harry, you can't possibly believe that meddling in this is a good idea. I mean, you don't have any actual evidence."
"That's the point," he said, "you're the only one who will ever have actual evidence, proof of who he is and who he's working for. I . . . I think Voldemort's given him a task, something Snape made an Unbreakable Vow about. He's going to use the cabinet for something, but I just don't know what yet."
"Harry, please stop," she requested. "Even if somehow I did know what's happening with Draco, do you really think I'd tell you?"
He seemed confused. "But—why wouldn't you?"
"Would you do the same if it was Ginny?" she asked. "And yes, I know you're obsessed with her. I'm more observant than you'd think."
"Eva," he sighed, "this is for the greater good. If you know something and you don't do anything about it, that's just as bad as working for You-Know-Who himself."
"I don't know anything," she told him coldly, "so please stop asking me."
He exhaled deeply and stood up. "Well, thanks, for trying, I guess."
She faintly smiled at him, almost believing her own lies at this point. "Anytime."
Once Eva reached the kitchen once more, she snatched a mince pie straight out of Fred's hand before it reached his mouth and managed to eat it in one single bite. Dusting any remaining crumbs off her hands, she reached for her glass of pumpkin juice which she'd left off the table.
"How many mince pies have you eaten?" Fred asked her in mock horror.
She shrugged. "10 . . . 20 . . . 22 . . ."
"Oh, stop eating, the pair of you," Molly reprimanded, taking the overflowing pile of mince pies away from them and leaving it on the counter near the door, "and say goodbye to Remus and Tonks instead."
"Oh," Eva tried to swallow down as much pie as she could but still covered her mouth to prevent spewing crumbs everywhere when she spoke, "bye Remus, bye Tonks!"
Tonks, standing by the door with her coat draped over her arm, raised her hand and gave a little wave to them. "Happy Christmas, you two."
Just as Eva reached again for a chocolate chip cookie this time, there was a loud roaring sound from outside. Dropping the cookie directly back onto the plate, Eva and Fred ran straight over to the door where she squeezed past everyone to see what the fuss was about.
A giant ball of fire, burning a brilliant orange colour, slammed into the ground a few feet in front of the door. It spread instantly around the building, encircling them in the slowly climbing flames.
From the darkened sky, a cloud of black mist swirled down through the cold night air, landing just in front of the flames. Eva instantly recognised the mass of curly black hair, the slightly psychotic stance, the manic giggling.
Before she or any of the others even had the chance to react, she felt Hecate appear just beside her. "Oh, you bitch!"
Of course, Eva knew about the serious agenda her demon had against Bellatrix Lestrange, but apparently she'd go so far as to chase the Death Eater further away from the house and through the rolling fields of wheat. Just as Eva was about to go after them, Harry barged through and ran ahead angrily.
Without any further hesitation, Eva chased after them, now glad she'd ignored Molly's instructions and left her shoes on in the house. She heard the shouts of her name behind her but ignored them, simply ducking under the constantly growing Fiendfyre and darting into the wheat which extended far above her head.
"I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!" Bellatrix's voice rattled through the vast open space. "You coming to get me?! Harry, can you get me?! You coming to get me?!"
Nothing but blinding anger filled Eva. Not only had she already lost both Sirius and Cedric to Voldemort, but he'd also taken away her freedom. She'd forever have that mark on her arm, and for as long as he was alive, she'd forever live in fear of him. He'd even threatened Draco with death. At this point, there was little left for him to take from her and destroy.
Her legs continued to run endlessly while the tall wheat stalks brushed against her face and clothing. The only thing that eventually slowed her down was the flicker of a dark shadow sweeping past her. She approached a little clearing and spun her head from side to side with her wand poised and ready.
From the field, Ginny appeared, a look of somewhat relief when she saw her. But Eva wasn't paying attention; instead, she was focused on the clearly identifiable figure of Fenrir Greyback approaching them.
"Ginny watch out!" Eva grabbed her by the arm and pushed her behind her back, still holding her wand out. "Oh, it's you!" she snarled. "I can't even have Christmas in peace, huh?!"
He hummed a sinister laugh, taking slow calculated steps closer. "The Dark Lord will be very pleased to hear that I've finally found the little runaway girl."
"Expulso!"
The bright light that shot out from the tip of Eva's wand was immediately deflected off a shield Greyback had conjured. He seemed almost amused, baring his razor-sharp yellowing teeth in a menacing smile.
"Stupefy!"
Harry leapt in front of them and shot the spell at Greyback, but it had exactly the same effect Eva's had had. With one final grin, he disappeared in a swirl of black smoke which spiralled back up towards the sky.
Though they knew they still weren't alone. Little snapping sounds echoed around them from where they were being circled. Eva gripped her wand tightly, her gaze darting from side to side at each slight movement she heard. Her shoes were now soaked in the knee-deep muddy waters surrounding their feet.
"Harry!" Arthur's voice echoed somewhere distantly.
Taking that as their cue, they were bombarded with spells and hexes. Eva flicked her wand at each spell to shield herself but was unable to return any due to not even knowing where they'd been launched from.
"Protego Horribilis."
Never had she been so glad that for once she'd thought to pick up a random charms book she'd found in the school library. Surrounding them like a small luminescent dome, a shield appeared, slightly similar in appearance to the one that had been used on Hogwarts.
There were still faint exploding sounds from various dark spells colliding with the shield, but none seemed to reach them.
"How are you doing that?" Harry muttered with his wand still aimed and ready.
Before she could answer, she heard footsteps fast approaching. Both Remus and Tonks appeared in the clearing, soon followed by Arthur, darting to their aid and standing in front of them. Eva very slowly lowered her shield but was perfectly ready to produce another one.
There was nothing but painful silence for a few moments. The movements had disappeared, as if they were alone once more, but they weren't gullible enough to believe that.
Both Bellatrix's and Greyback's locations were made clear when they once again collapsed into two masses of black mist, shooting off in the direction of the Burrow. Once she realised what they were about to do, Eva didn't hesitate to run forward after them, again ignoring the panicked voices calling after her.
She remembered Draco at some point explaining to her how Death Eater apparition worked, and how it could actually be done easily by those with the Dark Mark branded on their arm. Of course, she'd never had the chance to test it out for herself due to the Anti-Apparition spells surrounding Hogwarts, but it would only make sense if she was able to do so, considering she was more or less a Death Eater at that point.
Her eyes fluttering closed, she concentrated all of the energy she could into her limbs, her arms, her legs, all the way down to her fingertips. A faint tingling sensation swept from her toes all the way towards the top of her head, accompanied by the sound of air rapidly rushing past her ears. Her body felt uncomfortably light, so much so that it was as if gravity had no effect on her.
Eva forced her eyelids apart and finally took in her situation. She could tell that she was several metres away from the ground, although for the life of her she couldn't identify a single inch of her body. It was only after a ridiculous amount of concentration that she regained the ability to use her right arm which gripped her wand firmly.
Navigating seemed to come quickly to her. Bellatrix and Greyback were gaining ever closer to the Burrow, but Eva was hot on their trail now that she had control of her every movement and change in direction through the air.
Holding her wand out, she aimed it at one of the thick clouds of black smoke.
"Stupefy."
She muttered the same spell repetitively as it fired again and again out of her wand, deflected back into the atmosphere every time. It was only with one final incantation that her Stunning Spell finally hit who she eventually identified as Bellatrix by her psychotic giggles that rang though the empty air.
Bellatrix was hit with the spell with full force, causing her to nosedive back towards the ground. Just as Eva assumed she'd been defeated, she somehow pulled upwards before she could make impact with the ground and rose back towards the Burrow.
While Eva slowly spiralled around the building and managed to apparate herself back down with her feet firmly planted to the ground beside the others, both of the remaining Death Eaters collided with the building from different angles. Eva barely had a moment to process what had happened when the Burrow was suddenly up in flames in front of their eyes.
She internally sighed. 'Death Eaters – 1, sane people—0.'
Eva arrived onto the Hogwarts Express after what had to have been the most eventful Christmas she'd experienced to date. The Burrow had been somewhat repaired since the fire, though she would occasionally pick up her belongings only to be met with a puff of grey ash instead.
At least Draco Jr. had somehow survived. She'd apparently climbed into one of Eva's coat pockets and hidden until the flames were eventually put out.
With a straw cup full of pumpkin juice in her hand, Eva squeezed through the tight corridors of the train while the familiar British winter countryside rolled past the windows. Like always, she wore her Prefect badge on her clothes, but at least she didn't need to help out any younger years this time around.
After a few minutes of walking, she found Draco alone in a compartment near the back of the train. He was staring dazedly at the opposite wall with so much focus that he barely noticed her walk in and drop her coat on the opposite seat.
"Your Christmas couldn't have been worse than mine," Eva said as she flopped down beside him with her head back against his shoulder.
He rolled his eyes. "I attended several . . . important meetings, and was trained in Occulumency by my aunt. How much worse could yours have possibly been?"
"Oh, the aunt that burnt down my house?" she snarked. "Yeah, great Christmas. Your lot know my location now too, so I'm basically fucked. I'm fucked."
He sighed and placed his arm over her shoulders. "If it's any consolation, at least I can restrict the Dark Lord's view of my memories, so there's no worry that he'll see anything."
"But Bellatrix saw everything?" she asked.
"She . . . did," he answered slowly. "She lingered on the," he cleared his throat unnecessarily, "most uncomfortable memories, which provided just the motivation I needed to resist."
"Oh shit," Eva sighed. "Well, here's to the worst Christmas to date."
He laughed humourlessly. "Just wait until next year."
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Author's note: It only made sense for Eva to be able to apparate like the Death Eaters in the films, like how they turn into black smoke and all. I wasn't entirely sure how to write that all in, because of course we don't get much explanation on the topic, but I hope this all at least made a bit of sense.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, stay safe, and ily lots!
