Annoyingly, Snape still forced Eva to attend classes for the remainder of the day, despite the fact that Draco had been hospitalised with no company. For that reason, she found herself anxiously tapping her foot against the floor in each of her lessons, watching the clock rather than listening and taking notes.
As soon as they hit the end of the lesson and she was freed from Transfiguration, she walked as fast as she could without running up towards the hospital wing. There had still been little sign of Harry all day, which was probably good for him since she was pretty sure she'd strangle him if she saw him again.
Eva pushed open the doors to the hospital by walking sideways into it due to the fact that her hands were full. Once it had automatically closed behind her, she began to walk through the room, checking each of the beds, before eventually finding Draco lying on his back in a bed near the end of the room. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes open and blinking.
She sighed as she sat down on the edge of his bed to grab his attention. "McGonagall kept us back a few minutes because Seamus was still confused about Crinus Muto so she had to repeat the lecture, but," she dropped the items she was holding onto the bed with a startling bang, "I'm back. Did I miss much?"
In response, Draco only shook his head and reclined back against the pillows once more.
"At least your face is already looking less red and irritated than before," Eva commented, but it didn't seem to lighten his mood one bit. "I brought you these." She held up a bag of pizza-flavoured Goldfish crackers. "Mr. Weasley figured out a way to order some and sent them over via owl at lunchtime."
Draco raised his head slightly to look at the packet held in her hand but rested back again as if it was nothing that had particularly interested him.
"Psh, not even Goldfish will cheer you up?" Trying to keep her voice as positive as possible in an attempt to pull him out of his slump, she placed the bag plus some of her school books on his bedside table and shuffled over to sit directly beside him. "Hermione asked if you were okay, and Ginny hopes you don't die, if that makes you feel any better. It probably doesn't, but at least they tried, you know? Couldn't find Harry all day though. I have no idea where he's gotten to, but I'm itching to grab him by the roots of his greasy little black hair."
Though Draco was usually delighted whenever she was annoyed at the 'golden trio', he didn't even smirk at her threat to do Harry's face in.
Eva sighed, tracing one of the faint scars on Draco's pale hand with her finger. "I know this sucks, it really does, absolutely sucks arse. I was about to come up with a little pep talk like 'we'll figure it out' or 'we'll make it in the end', but I guess . . . no one knows at this point. Probably not what you want to hear right now, I know, but I guess that's all we can do—to just accept the fact that we may well die within the next few years at the hands of the fucked-up guy who permanently scarred our left arms."
"I feel inspired," Draco muttered.
She hummed a laugh. "As you should."
"Eva?"
Eva turned her head towards the door. Reluctantly standing up from Draco's bed, she walked towards the front of the room with her hands in tight and angry fists by her side, and for good reason.
Harry was standing in the main doorway. However, rather than acting timid like she'd expected him to, he instead seemed just as angry as she was, glaring at her through the lenses of his glasses.
"A word?" he seethed.
Eva fought down the urge to rip his head off. "Sure."
They didn't move far from the room, only a few metres down the empty corridor so that their voices wouldn't be heard. Alternatively, no one would hear her kill him.
"What do you want, Harry?" Eva asked impatiently.
"So you've known this entire time then?" Harry interrogated. "You've known he was a Death Eater and just decided to keep it a secret this entire time?"
"Of course I've known!" she snapped. "And I already said I wouldn't tell you even if I knew. Besides, you're one to talk."
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"
"You almost killed him, you idiot!" she hissed. "He almost died because you cursed him with whatever the fuck that thing was!"
"He cursed Katie Bell!"
"So?!" Her voice was beginning to rise in volume. "That doesn't give you permission to almost murder Draco right there in the bathroom! What were you thinking?!"
"He's a Death Eater, Eva!" Harry almost shouted. "He's trying to kill Dumbledore, he's working for Voldemort, yet you still kept this whole thing a secret?!"
"Do you have any idea what Voldemort would do to him if other people found out?! Don't talk about things you don't understand as if you do! You may be 'the chosen one' but that doesn't mean you can ruin everyone's lives in the process!"
He made a slight childish indignant sound. "How am I ruining anyone's lives?! If anything, you are by keeping it a secret! You're part of the reason that Katie was cursed, that Ron was poisoned, that Dumbledore has a murder plotted against him!" he yelled. "You know, all this time I've tried to convince myself that you're not like the other Slytherins, that you do care and you are honest, but I guess that was all just a show, wasn't it? You're just as bad as the others."
"Oh, fuck off, Harry!" Eva snarled, walking away towards the Slytherin dungeons.
"Go to hell!" he shouted back.
"I will!" she retorted. "But at least I won't be burning and suffering eternally in it unlike you!"
That evening, Eva attempted to fall asleep in Draco's bed. With the flames in the fireplace being monitored by Hecate, she curled up under the sheets, trying to stay as warm and comfortable as possible, but it was like nothing would work to allow her to sleep.
With a sigh, she sat up so that the numerous blankets pooled around her waist. Sliding on a pair of shoes, she left the room and walked straight through the common room. It must've been around the early hours of the morning, maybe 3 or 4 o'clock.
Her endless wandering through the corridors subconsciously led her to the hospital wing. When she entered the room, it was just as quiet as it usually was at that time of night. The only resident currently in that part of the castle was Draco, who seemed to have fallen asleep somewhat, but he'd never been much of a deep sleeper.
Hearing her footsteps, he stirred, turning from his side onto his back to look at her. The only way she was actually visible was from the pale moonlight bouncing off of her skin.
"Can't sleep?" he mumbled.
She shook her head with her arms crossed over her chest to shield herself from the chill in the room. "Can I stay here with you?"
"What would you do if I said no?" he asked.
Ignoring his response, she pulled the duvet to the side and climbed into bed beside him, kicking off her shoes onto the floor. Her head was resting on his shoulder as they both stared up at the ceiling.
"I'd stay here anyway. It's been a long day. I had to give Harry an ear-bashing too, which is something I really didn't think I'd have to do to the little shit." Eva realised she was going into a rant but didn't try to stop herself. "He accused me of ruining everyone's lives, of being part of the problem, as if I haven't suffered enough myself as it is. He lost his parents and is prophesised to fight Voldemort, poor Harry, yada-yada-yada, but what happened to poor Eva?
"I was ripped away from my family, had my best friend killed and his dead body brought back in front of me, had my arm marked with the Dark Mark against my will and am physically tortured by it daily and sometimes hourly, I also saw Sirius die and can see Thestrals now, surprisingly enough, and I live in fear of being abducted, taken away, and Imperiused at any moment. Now try and tell me I'm part of the problem."
Eva had been listing the traumatising events of the past few years so intently that she hadn't noticed the single teardrop that ran down her cheek and fell from her chin, followed by another drop, and then another. She was only pulled out of her dazed state when Draco pulled her closer to him, still not saying anything but simply staring at the ceiling while she cried against his chest.
"It's so hard," she mumbled with a slight tremble in her voice.
He sighed heavily and rubbed her back. "I know."
That same pattern of staying with Draco during the night repeated for pretty much every night he remained in hospital. It was strange, and didn't make any sense, but sleeping alone just didn't feel safe enough. Of course, she had a demon and was in a well-protected castle, but would that ever be enough to keep her safe from those attempting to break down the barrier?
It's like the saying goes – give a monkey a typewriter and they'll eventually type a sentence. This surely was the same principle in that, one way or another, the Death Eaters would find a way in. Nothing could keep them safe forever.
Eva closed her book and placed it on top of Draco's desk. Still wearing her green Quidditch hoodie from her previous year with a pair of black leggings, she slid her feet into her trainers, kept her wand in her hoodie pocket, and started her way towards the hospital wing. It was quite late in the evening, and a few people were still awake in the common room, but no one seemed to care too much that Eva was leaving the room, Nott even asking her to bring food up from the kitchens while she was out.
Though when she reached the hospital, she was confused. Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, presumably in her office, but Draco's bed was vacant. She rethought to herself, wondering if she'd seen Draco on the way, but realised she hadn't passed him so he couldn't have gone to the Slytherin dungeons.
Rolling her eyes, Eva made a u-turn and started towards the Room of Requirement. She should've guessed really—he'd been sneaking out to continue working on it for the previous few days whenever Pomfrey wasn't looking.
The halls were dark, and she could hear the distant sound of thunder rumbling from outside. But there was also something else. Footsteps, but not just one set of footsteps. There were several, and they were heading in her direction.
At first, she presumed it was a group of students out late so she didn't worry too much, but she felt her heart squeeze in her chest when she heard an all too familiar voice.
"Oh, old Dumbledore won't know what hit him!" Bellatrix laughed distantly.
Sheer panic taking over her, Eva quickly pulled her wand out of her pocket and casted a Disillusionment Spell over herself by tapping the tip against the top of her scalp. She felt the familiar feeling of cracking an egg over her head as a cold liquid sensation ran down to the very tips of her fingers and toes.
As soon as she was sure she was invisible, she leant back into a carved out section of the stone wall. She held her breath, ensuring she was breathing minimally and as quietly as possible.
The footsteps hit their highest volume once the group walked past her, oblivious to her presence entirely. Bellatrix was at the front, almost skipping in delight, while Greyback and a few other Death Eaters in masks marched just behind her.
Once they were gone, without removing the effects of her spell, she pulled herself out from the wall silently and kept some distance when following after them. Her wand was gripped in her hand tightly, pointed forwards in case anything was to happen or they were to notice her.
The route they took through the school eventually led to the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. Eva had never taken Astronomy, so she wasn't familiar with that section of the building, but all she needed to do was to follow them up as discretely as possible.
Unfortunately, the staircase was metal so each step made a loud echoed sound. It probably would've been more obvious had there been less Death Eaters within the group.
However, she stopped just before she could reach the top. One floor just underneath, Harry was watching whatever events unfold. Eva stepped out from the stairs, removed the Disillusion Spell over her, and moved to stand beside him. Harry turned his head towards her and looked like he was about to ask, but in response she held her finger to her lips and widened her eyes to relay the urgency that he kept quiet.
"There are others?" Dumbledore asked just as the group of Death Eaters almost reached the top of the stairs. "How?"
Draco was the one to respond, a terrified undertone to his voice that only Eva could really hear. "The Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it."
"Let me guess. It has a sister," Dumbledore presumed, "a twin."
"In Borgin and Burkes," Draco replied. "They form a passage."
"Ingenious," Dumbledore commented. "Draco, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you."
"I don't want your help!" Draco snapped, and Eva could see through the cracks in the floor that he was pointing his wand at the headmaster, tears almost welling in his eyes. "Don't you understand? I have to do this, I have to kill you . . . or he's gonna kill me."
Peering her head to the side, she saw the Death Eaters reach the top level of the tower, with Bellatrix at the front. "Well, look what we have here." Bellatrix stepped behind Draco. "Well done, Draco," she whispered in his ear, lightly kissing his shoulder.
"Good evening, Bellatrix," Dumbledore greeted calmly. "I think introductions are in order, don't you?"
"Love to, Albus," Bellatrix responded, as if talking to an old friend, "but I'm afraid we're all on a bit of a tight schedule." She turned to Draco. "Do it," she hissed.
"He doesn't have the stomach," Greyback sneered, "just like his father. Let me finish him in my own way."
Harry was now pointing his wand upwards through the floor as if ready to strike. Eva kept hers out too but held it by her side instead, knowing any efforts at this point would be useless.
"No!" Bellatrix yelped. "The Dark Lord was clear, the boy is to do it."
Through her peripheral vision, Eva saw Harry turn his head around and copied his same actions. Snape was standing directly behind the pair of them and aimed his wand at each of them in turn. He didn't seem like he was going to strike though, only keeping one finger over his lips to signal for them to be silent.
"This is your moment, do it," Bellatrix whispered. "Go on, Draco, now!"
Eva glanced back up again. Just as she did so, Snape swept past onto the platform, causing Draco to immediately step to the side.
"No," Snape said.
She saw as Dumbledore's eyes flickered down towards the cracks in the floor where Eva and Harry were stood below before staring back up at Snape. "Severus . . . please."
"Avada Kedavra."
Eva almost made herself known by screaming when the brilliant flash of green light hit Dumbledore square in the chest. Instantly lifeless, he fell backwards out of sight completely, falling from the highest platform in all of the school. She clung to Harry's arm, her mouth wide open in horror. He was of course having the same reaction.
The next moments were a blur. There was a yell as Bellatrix casted the Dark Mark into the sky. Eva's own mark on her arm was the most painful it had been all year, causing her fingers to curl into a fist and her teeth to latch down on her lip. Following Harry, they ran down the stairs and followed the group out of the castle and towards Hagrid's Hut.
Eva then felt a presence beside her only a short distance into the Dark Forest. Hecate took her hand and joined in pursuing the Death Eaters, not speaking a word to her. There was little that could be said.
Then the demon stopped, automatically causing Eva to stop too. "We have to go back, sugarplum," was all that Hecate said.
"But," Eva started forward again, "but Draco-"
"I'm not kidding." Hecate stared directly down at her. "Leave Harry, go back."
Once back at the castle, Eva pushed her way towards the front of the crowd gathered around the foot of the Astronomy Tower. Harry was only a few metres behind her, both of them stopping directly in front of Dumbledore's body.
His eyes were completely lifeless, his skin pale yet his appearance otherwise unchanged. It only gave her morbid flashbacks to Cedric, the same startled yet dead eyes and frozen position.
Harry knelt down in front of him. Meanwhile, Luna stepped out from the crowd and took Eva's arm, leading her back a few paces. Eva's expression was so stunned that she was almost unresponsive, and unlike last time, she didn't have Draco as a shoulder to cry on.
"It's okay to be sad," Luna murmured as Eva's eyes finally began to water, squeezing her hand reassuringly before pulling her into a loose hug. "You'll miss him, we all will. He's the greatest wizard of all time."
McGonagall, standing at the centre front of the crowd, raised her wand towards the sky. A faint flicker of light emitted from the tip, illuminating the air around her. One by one, students and teachers alike raised their wands, including Eva, her arm trembling.
Gazing through the crowd, she couldn't see a single person who wasn't crying. The combined light of the wands created a faint gap in the dark grey clouds, just enough for a sliver of light to shine through onto Dumbledore's body. They lowered their wands in unison, Eva now crying into Luna's shoulder.
Dumbledore was dead.
They sat at the top of the Astronomy Tower together. While Harry and Hermione looked out at the sunset over the balcony, the very balcony Dumbledore had fallen from, Eva and Ron sat beside each other on a step in one of the study rooms indoors. Eva twisted her emerald promise ring around on her finger absently, remaining uncharacteristically quiet.
"Do you think he would've done it?" Hermione asked. "Draco?"
Eva raised her head in interest. "He didn't want to," she said, causing everyone to turn towards her. "Harry, you saw, he cried daily from the guilt it caused him. He used to cry himself to sleep nightly," she revealed, knowing it probably wouldn't matter anymore anyway if they were unlikely to see him again. "That's why I was always so tired."
Even Hermione had a soft sympathetic expression on her face. Ron pursed his lips in thought while watching the remaining conversation.
"He was lowering his wand," Harry responded to Hermione. "In the end, it was Snape. It was always Snape." He sighed. "And I did nothing."
Eva hardly listened to the rest. It was like Voldemort was set on taking each little thing from her one at a time. Her best friend, the guy she considered her crazy uncle, her freedom, her family, and now Draco too. She spent the previous year thinking that the term 'war' was a bit dramatic for what was happening in the wizarding world, but maybe it was exactly that – war. They were teenagers, fighting in a war.
"I'm not coming back, Hermione," Harry said, gaining Eva's attention once more. "I've got to finish whatever Dumbledore started, and I don't know where that'll lead me, but I'll let you, Ron, and Eva know where I am when I can."
Hermione seemed amused. "I've always admired your courage, Harry, but sometimes you can be really thick. You don't really think you're going to be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you? You need us, Harry."
Eva sighed, leaning sideways into Ron's shoulder. "So much for our apparent final year at Hogwarts."
Ron hummed in agreement. "This isn't school anymore."
"I miss first year," she admitted. "Playing that giant game of chess to save the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort, and that detention in the Dark Forest where we almost all died. Wasn't life so much simpler?"
Eva packed up the last of her belongings from Draco's dorm which had been abandoned by him when he'd left. She had a feeling he wouldn't be gone from the school for long, though. There was a good chance he would return the following year, all things considered. It was the start of a Death Eater dominated society, and she knew it.
Before finally leaving the room, she opened his wardrobe and pulled out his green and silver Quidditch jumper. Folding it up neatly, she stowed it away in her bag and pulled out a small book, placing it on his desk with a note.
Draco,
By the time you're reading this, if you're reading this, I'm gone. I can't say where, because I honestly don't know. All I know is that I won't be at school this year. Sorry about that.
I took your Quidditch jumper, don't come for me about it, I won't ruin it. I did, however, spray it with some of your aftershave and steal an apple from your fruit bowl which, by the way, you should really empty that bowl out soon.
That thing I left under this note? Yeah, that book. You know how I had that little camera all the way through school? These are some of the processed photos. Not magical, obviously, but there are some gems, especially from your spaghetti hair era. It's a shame I didn't get a photo of you as a ferret though, so for that I apologise. It was iconic.
I wish I could say goodbye face to face, but we're both terrible at those anyway. This isn't goodbye forever, I promise. I'll be back, and maybe I can finally show you my Patronus like I promised to a year ago.
I'm sorry, ferret boy.
Eva.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Author's note: Wow, I rewatched Dumbledore's death scene and almost cried myself. Fuck, even Luna was crying too. This I feel concluded the Half-Blood Prince arc pretty nicely to be honest. It was long, it was painful, but, most of all, it was the last of Draco we'll see for a whileee.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, stay safe, and ily lots!
