When Evanna returned triumphantly with the imprisoned Death Eaters, it was only to find that her father had gone off to the Continent once more on yet another diplomatic mission. He had not even had Bellatrix tell her; he had left Narcissa waiting in her room to inform her of the change in plans.

"How am I supposed to be his second-in-command if he never tells me any bloody thing?" she hissed, finding the warmest sweater she could in the back of her closet, trying to warm the cold that had seeped into her bones.

"Powerful as you may be, you are not even of age yet," her once-mother said.

"Yes, well, he still sent me on the rescue to Azkaban to prove myself and was not even here when I returned!" she scowled.

"You know your father is an impo-"

"Yes, I bloody well know the Dark Lord is important."

"Evanna Belinda!" Narcissa gasped. Evanna winced. She had not meant to snap at the older woman, but her usually well-controlled anger was boiling over.

"I apologize, Mother," she said. "I just….. I don't want him to think me an incompetent failure."

Narcissa pursed her mouth.

"I ought to know better," she muttered to herself before pulling an envelope from her robe pocket. "This came for you. At Hogwarts."

Evanna took the envelope slowly, unsure of what would possibly be coming for her at Hogwarts. She opened it and pulled out the letter.

E,

I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to mail this to you directly. With you missing our last date, I thought it was possible that someone was back from abroad. I was hoping, though, that you might be able to meet me for my birthday? Our usual spot. I rather like seeing you dress muggle.

Yours,

H

Evanna felt her cheeks heat a bit. She whirled toward Narcissa, clutching the bit of parchment to her chest.

"When is Father supposed to be back?" she said, her mood and demeanor unmistakably different. Narcissa pursed her lips.

"At least a week and a half."

That put them into August. Evanna smiled.

"Wonderful," she said.

"Evanna, please," Narcissa said. "In some ways, you seem to have centered your father. His decisions are not so…. rash as they were in the final days of the war. But I fear he could easily slip back into that version of himself."

Evanna frowned. "What do you mean?"

Narcissa's eyes flickered. "Many things about the last war have been exaggerated by the other side. The gruesome ends of those who the Dark Lord suspected of treason were not."

Evanna's blood went cold.

"I am his heir."

"That would only make things worse, I fear," Narcissa said. Evanna nearly turned away, but Narcissa gripped her wrist, cupping her face. "Your father, I believe, values you immensely. He is proud to see that his power has been passed on and that the line of Salazar Slytherin has had new life breathed into it. But that pride is very conditional, Evanna."

"You could be underestimating his loyalty," Evanna said, trying her best to keep her voice even.

"It is possible."

Evanna did not have to be a mind reader to know that Narcissa did not believe what she was saying.

That disbelief, however, did not stop Evanna from standing in front of her wardrobe, tapping her foot impatiently the morning of July 31st. It had been weeks since she had seen Harry and had to pull out her muggle outfits. Outside her bedroom window, she knew that the day would be scorching hot. Finally, she settled on a long, flowy dress with fluttery sleeves and a pretty daisy print all over. She thought she remembered one of her roommates insisting she buy the thing from a catalogue, though she had not quite thought it appropriate for the daughter of the Dark Lord.

But you are not trying to be the Dark Lady today, she reminded herself.

Slipping into some sandals, Evanna pointed her wand at her hair and it twisted itself into a plaited crown around her head. On a whim, she slipped a flower from the bouquet sitting on her vanity into the plait. If she was trying to not be the Dark Lady today, she may as well go all the way with it.

The manor was strangely empty that day, without the usual nervous Death Eaters scurrying about. She supposed even her father's followers were entitled to give into a lazy summer's day when it was this hot out. It seemed even her birth mother was hiding from the heat. Evanna could not find a single complaint within herself for the day off she had not been informed of; it made it all the easier to slip into the Manor floo unseen.

The London street outside of the Leaky Cauldron was indeed suffocating. Evanna felt sweat begin to trickle down her back, making her dress stick to her skin. She was glad for the decision to put all her hair up on top of her head to keep herself that much cooler.

Her heart quickened when she spotted a familiar mop of messy hair leaned against the railing of the walking bridge. He was wearing denim trousers that fit much better than what she had seen him wearing in years previous outside of his school uniform. His t-shirt was a lovely green that she just knew would bring out his eyes when he turned around, and fit just tightly enough around his broadening shoulders, accentuating the muscles created and toned by years of quidditch.

"Officially sixteen years old and you've yet to master a hair comb," Evanna said fondly, a wide grin on her face as Harry whirled, his scar stark against his tanned face. He did not have the sunken, starved look to him that she had become used to seeing when they would return to Hogwarts. But, his jaw was definitely more man than boy, and she thought she recognized the shadow of a beard coming in.

"Sixteen years and I've never met a comb that could master my hair," he said wryly, green eyes sparkling with humor. "I-I wan't sure if you would come."

Evanna didn't answer. He knew that because she was here, that meant her father was still out of the country. That it was a grand stroke of luck that she had been able to come here at all. Instead, she decided not to waste any time and stepped forward to kiss him boldly, shaking off the voice that said it was dangerous or improper.

They were just two normal teeagers, falling in love.

"I'm sorry I haven't-" she started to say when they pulled away from each other.

"Don't be-I was just-worried," he admitted haltingly.

Evanna's heart stuttered at just how heartfelt that statement was. She took Harry's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Well," she said. "It's your birthday, no time for worrying now. What would you like to do?"

Despite her words, Evanna was very worried by the mischievous glint in Harry's eye as he said, "There's something I always wanted to try."

Against her better judgement, Evanna soon found herself lacing her feet into awful wheeled contraptions that would likely soon prove why she nor Harry had not been Sorted into Ravenclaw. Behind her, muggles were rolling around in the odd shoes on hardwood floors, music (if it could be called that) blasting from some hidden band.

"Remind me again why we are doing this?" Evanna said as a she watched a muggle girl fall and land hard on her rump, her friend laughing until he, too, became suddenly introduced to the floor.

"It'll be fun, I promise," Harry replied, eyes sparkling as he stood, rolling easily on the wheels. He pulled her to her feet and she wobbled, a swooping in her stomach as she tried to regain her balance, gripping onto Harry's green shirt tightly. If she went down, he was going with her, she determined.

Harry seemed to read that thought on her face and just smirked at her.

"You said it was my birthday, so we could do whatever I wanted," he reminded her teasingly.

"Just-don't let me look like an idiot."

"Never," he said, pecking her cheek gently before spinning her away from him.

"Potter!" she yelled.

They ended up having a good time, even if Evanna felt sure that her rump would never be the same again. She had made sure that Harry also found himself on the ground when she did, despite the Gryffindor being obnoxiously good at the activity on his very first try. They skated for two hours, until their rentals on the shoes were up and both of them were breathless and red-faced.

"I'm famished," Harry admitted as he finished tying his trainers. "What would you say to some fish and chips?"

"Only if I get all of your chips in payment for never being able to walk right again," Evanna grumbled. Harry laughed and took her hand, swinging it merrily as they made their way to the walking bridge where he had taken her the last time. He did indeed order extra chips.

"Just for you," he said, popping one into her mouth. Had she not had food, she likely would have stuck her tongue out at him. It was still unbearably hot outside, her behind still ached, but Harry was there smiling at her, with such joy in his eyes. Nothing could have ruined their wonderful afternoon in that moment.

But then something did.

Evanna was not sure exactly when she felt it, but it was like a sort of dark ringing in her ears, the hair on her neck standing straight up.

Magic.

Harry seemed to sense it a moment later, his eyes flying wide. He dropped the food he had just purchased and tackled her to the side of the walking bridge as that dark ringing became a high-pitched whine and then a deafening boom.

Harry was laying overtop of her, crushing her into the bushes. The ringing in her ears had become all that she could hear, nothing else making its way through.

Harry wasn't moving. Harry wasn't moving.

Evanna rolled from under him, pushing him onto his back. She dared not look to the bridge behind her, half in the river below with muggles still screaming and running, smoke billowing, dark smudges flying around. Harry's eye were not open, his glasses cracked, and his hair was sticky with blood.

Harry. Harry!

She could not even hear herself calling his name as she shook him. She pulled off his glasses and held them under his nose. They fogged. He was alive. She almost sagged in relief at the realization.

But there were Death Eaters swarming the bridge, Death Eaters who would likely be all to happy to whisk them both away to her father.

Evanna glanced around at the chaos around her and made a quick decision. She maneuvered herself behind Harry, before hooking her arms under his and hefting with all her might.

I'm sorry Harry, she muttered, or at least thought to herself as she barely managed to heft her boyfriend across the grassy slope and behind an overturned food cart. The cart they had just bought food from. She refused to wonder where the owner of the cart was as she hid herself and Harry behind it, praying to whatever gods might exist that they would not be discovered.

A/N: I know, it's been awhile. This semester has been intense on many levels, so I have found myself too exhausted to write most nights. Spring break is coming up, so I hope to write a couple chapters then. Then comes summer and free time! Anyway, hope you enjoy.