"Hey - Evelyn. You look extremely pretty today."
That was the first thing Tamara's familiar, monotone magic voice said as she hopped across the threshold into the compartment. She twisted around and gave her trunk a hard tug along the floor. She straightened up, wiping at her face, little breaths of exertion escaping her lips.
"Here - let me help," Harry said, standing and moving to grab her trunk.
"She does look nice." Susan entered the compartment behind Tamara, and the three of them got Tamara's trunk up into the luggage rack. Then, Susan's own was placed there beside it.
The two girls sat down together, side by side, and they both looked at Harry and Evelyn across from them.
As soon as Harry had sat back down, Evelyn had laid herself down across his lap again.
Tamara's eyes went wide, a huge smile stealing over her face. "Are you two going out with each other?"
"No! It's just-" Harry began.
"I wish we were..." Evelyn murmured.
Harry's closed his mouth, gazing down at her. She blinked up at him.
"Um...well...so how have you guys been since- you know-" Harry addressed Susan and Tamara quickly, his face heating up.
"My mum has been stressed out - she lived through the last war, you know," Susan replied grimly. "She isn't happy it's back. Even more so that I have to go through the things she did, too. The things my...relatives did..."
"My parents almost weren't going to let me come back," Tamara's flat tones issued. Her face was twisted with anxiety, her lips a frown. "I had to convince them that there was a lot less of a chance of these Death Eaters getting to me at Hogwarts than if I were to just stay home with them for the next couple of years. In the normal world, there wouldn't be any magical protection for me."
"I'm glad you did," Harry told her firmly. "You're right about that one; Hogwarts is probably going to be the most protected, secure place ever this year. Especially with the other schools coming over."
"I wonder what they're like," Susan mused.
"Probably all noisy...and if they have to stay in our dorms with us..." Evelyn grumbled, trailing off.
"They'll probably get their own places to stay," Harry assured. "The castle changes all the time on its own; I'd bet the teachers could do something for them, so they won't crowd up our dorms."
"Here's hoping," Evelyn replied, sighing.
"You never could stand people normally, could you?" Susan teased. "It seems like that really hasn't changed with you."
Evelyn looked at Susan. And it wasn't a friendly look. "Yes. That hasn't changed. I almost wanted to change my mind about this; I remembered how much I didn't like the crowds - or having to talk to people. Not that you would know," she finished quietly.
Susan stared at her. "What does that mean?"
"You don't care," Evelyn muttered darkly.
"I don't care about...what?"
Evelyn's dark eyes narrowed. "Exactly..."
"Can we just-" Harry started swiftly.
"No, I'd like to know what she's talking about," Susan cut across firmly, frowning and crossing her arms.
Evelyn rolled onto her back, staring up at the compartment's ceiling. A long sigh hissed out of her lips. "In two goddamn years, Harry's been the only friend I've ever seen. You never visited - either of you two. And the first thing you do to me after two years of nothing, is just leave me to die in the middle of a Death Eater attack while you screw off with your goddamn mother! Or...worse. You left me alone with a masked terrorist in a burning campground at night. You let the man put all his attention on me, right there in the dark. Don't act like you care about my health now; you didn't start out asking me if I was hurt, or- or worse. Just, 'Hey, you look nice today!'"
Evelyn looked to Tamara, raised a hand and showed her middle finger. "At least you didn't leave me to fend for myself against a Death Eater - but you still never came and saw me either! You people aren't my friends - you skipped out on me for two years, without even telling me! Now you want to just act like we're still fine? Fuck that. Fuck you both!"
"You- you killed your own parents!" Susan burst out. "Even your dad, who didn't even deserve it - who tried to keep you safe! A defenseless, kind muggle! And at the World Cup, you were the one who cast a Killing Curse at the Death Eater! And when he fired back because of you, it came within a foot of my face! My mother pulled me out of the way, but if she hadn't I would have been dead on the spot! Because you attacked him, you provoked him by wanting to be- I don't know- some kind of psycho again and murder someone again for a third time! You're a murderer, and you really expected me to just ignore that and keep being around you after your trial? I couldn't!"
Evelyn was shaking against Harry. She parted her lips and flushed, glancing down and away. "Like I don't...know that," she quavered, raspy and high. "I k-know...I've known for two years! From the moment after I did it...He didn't deserve it; he always just was doing his best for me...I know..."
"Then you know that's why you don't deserve friends anymore," Susan pressed on viciously.
"Okay, get out!" Evelyn yelled, pushing herself up off of Harry as best she could (he grabbed at her shoulders, on reflex more than anything, to hold her up and steady her). "Both of you, get the hell out! Harry and I were here first, and it was fine that way - and it's going to stay that way! I hate you both, we're not friends, right, and- and I wish that fucking Killing Curse would have hit your dumb face so I wouldn't have to keep looking at it! I'm sick of looking at it!" she screamed.
Tamara up and left without a word, tears in her eyes.
Susan jumped up and stalked out, slamming the door behind herself.
"I...hate...people," Evelyn breathed harshly, breaking the silence.
"You'll- you'll get by," Harry attempted to say, just for something to say. "You did before - first year."
"Yeah... Hey, can you...stroke my hair a bit?"
"Sure. Yeah." He set his hand down on Evelyn's head and did as she asked. He thought, in a burst of realization, that she probably really was worrying over all the other people she was going to have to be around again. Not just in the dorms, not just classmates, but the teachers, and now all these foreign students and teachers as well. And everyone at Hogwarts would all have heard about her - about what happened. They'd know. Would anyone treat her badly for it?
Would anyone think badly of her for it, like Susan and Tamara did? Would they avoid her over it, too? If her own friends treated her like this over it, didn't even want to be friends anymore...
A few people before, back in their first year, had treated her badly just for her disability - her hoverchair. Of course, the teachers and Harry hadn't stood for that, and had made sure it didn't keep happening...but...
This was something a lot bigger than that, something that a lot of people might...if even their- friends would.
Harry wasn't going to let anyone treat Evelyn wrong for it! It didn't matter, they didn't know what she had- they couldn't understand! And if they wanted to harass her for it...Harry wouldn't let them!
He'd told her he was always going to be there for her - be her best friend - and he had meant it. He had told her it was never going to change - and it never would. No matter what.
Not even if his other friends wanted to treat Evelyn badly for it, look at her differently for it. Judge her for it.
Even still...it hurt Harry, seeing his friends acting this way toward each other. He had to talk to them again soon; he was sure they could get past all this. But even if they didn't...Harry was willing to keep his friends as his friends, even separate and apart from each other.
After all, a secret part of him voiced, he had been friends with the other two girls before even befriending Evelyn. Only for a few months, true, but he had.
And that still meant a lot to Harry.
He couldn't lose them.
He wouldn't.
If Evelyn didn't want to be their friend anymore, if they didn't want to be Evelyn's friend anymore, then fine - but Harry wasn't going to lose any of them, personally!
As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station in Hogsmeade, it was to a rather unfortunately timed storm.
A downpour and rumbling thunder.
Dark, cold.
Harry took one look out the window, then took out his wand. "Here - I know a spell that'll help with this: the Impervius Charm." He concentrated, tapping his wand to Evelyn and crying, "Impervius!"
"Thanks..." she said, with a brief glance up at him and a pleased smile.
"No problem," Harry replied, and he focused on casting the same spell on himself.
Harry helped her into her chair, helped her secure her trunk to the underside of it, and they exited the train together. They were a rare two largely unaffected by the weather (Harry was relieved he'd actually cast it properly).
A seventh year student actually stopped to ask if either of them had cast the spell, and complimented Harry when he admitted he had done it; the older boy said it was impressive for a fourth year - especially to charm the entire body.
Harry and Evelyn made their way to one of a hundred odd horseless carriages, enchanted, undoubtedly. He watched her lift up a few feet vertically and slide right into the carriage - which magically had enough room for her, chair and all - and then he climbed in with her and sat on the seating proper beside her.
Even though they weren't getting wet, the rain was still hitting them, and the storm in general was...a terrible inconvenience.
Just, less of one, for them.
They didn't talk on the way to the castle's front doors.
They would have had to shout, for that, and Harry knew he wouldn't get much of that out of Evelyn if he tried.
After the carriages arrived at last at the castle, they disembarked and made their way inside.
Into the familiar, well-lit, and warm castle.
Through the entrance hall, into the Great Hall.
Harry sat at the very end of the Hufflepuff table, and Evelyn placed herself beside him (the table stretched out for her a few extra feet, though the bench remained short, giving her a nice empty space to scoot up to the table with).
They had to wait a while for the new students to arrive across the lake - something Harry felt bad for them for. They looked miserable, but still somehow excited.
The Sorting began, after a song by the Hat.
Notable to Harry was that their House received a few new students - new first years - in an "Eleanor Branstone," and an "Owen Cauldwell," along with a "Kevin Whitby," and a "Lucy Linnen." Lastly, there was a "Laura Madley" who became a fifth Hufflepuff!
Harry clapped hard for them, feeling proud of his House for getting so many new ones; it was far more than last year, or even the one before, if he remembered right.
Branstone walked her way toward the Hufflepuff table with a long cane of white, sweeping it left and right in front of herself. She placed a hand on the edge of the table and spoke to an older girl, who slid over for her to seat herself.
Harry caught himself staring, curiosity welling in him, but he pushed it down with some shame and turned his focus back to the teacher's table (plenty of people had been curious about Tamara and Evelyn before, and Harry knew how much that curiosity could be rude, inappropriate, and embarrassing).
The food appeared, promptly stealing away all of Harry's attention.
Evelyn's, too; she had a wide smile on her face, undisguised as she began scooping food into her mouth, her head down - though not, this time, out of any kind of aversion to people.
Harry felt relief blossom in his chest at the sight. Things might have gone badly with their friends, but the rest...it was still really great that Evelyn was going to be back here again! He was so glad to have her back here. He was sure she was even more glad, herself! He hadn't really seen her smile like this in a really long time, he thought.
After dinner, he shared a dessert of a chocolate pudding with her.
Then, the food vanished, and Professor Dumbledore stood up to begin start of term announcements and notices.
Next, he introduced their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: a woman named Leila Thorn. She was short, pale, with long yellow-blonde hair in braids, hanging down front of one shoulder. Light freckles adorned her face, through which light blue eyes blinked rapidly. She wore almost matching, light blue robes that barely reached her knees - more of a short dress than actual robes. Her legs and her feet, were bare. Small toes of painted blue nails wriggled on the stone.
The woman looked hardly thirty, and she looked like she hardly wanted to be here; she swayed and looked all around herself as she was introduced - moved those bare toes of hers - like she wasn't even paying attention to it all.
Some of the other professors looked varying degrees of irritated and offended, but Dumbledore was smiling the whole time he spoke - and he clapped the hardest for the woman when she took her seat again at the Head Table.
After that strangeness (a sure sign to Harry that, yes, he was back at Hogwarts), Dumbledore went on to explain something a lot of them already knew, but were no less excited for: The Triwizard Tournament. Its history, the new rules and measures established by the Magical Department of Games and Sports to ensure it could be done safely, brought back again after many years now - and the special new rule saying that no one under seventeen could enter their name for it. Dumbledore informed them all that the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive in October, when the Tournament selection would occur for the Champions (representatives of their schools - one for each).
At long last, he dismissed them all to their dormitories for bed.
In the Hufflepuff common room, somehow, Evelyn and Susan's eyes found each other.
Susan strode off into the fourth year girls' dorm room after shooting Evelyn a harsh look.
Evelyn bowed her head, as ever, folding hands in her lap.
Gone was the girl from the feast, or from the train, or this past summer, who had been so much more free and emotive and expressive than ever. So much happier, relaxed.
Typical Evelyn was back again.
Harry sighed, patted her arm, and told her he'd see her tomorrow morning.
He went to his boys' dorm room, found his trunk and his bed, and fell right into it without even taking off his glasses.
Today had been a rather eventful day, hadn't it?
He hoped tomorrow would be a return to normal.
For everyone.