"Evelyn...Evelyn - hey - come on, sit up, please..."
Harry begged her, whispering to her. He risked kicking her desk.
Evelyn's face was on her desk, her hair spread all over, hanging over the sides. And she wasn't moving.
She had been doing so much better at breakfast! But now they were actually in class, she was just...
Come on, please...
"You're going to get a detention!" Harry hissed. "You need to-"
"Mr. Potter - Ms. Milgrid, why are you sleeping in my first lesson of the year?!" McGonagall was outraged. She flicked her wand; Evelyn sat upright as her whole desk rocked. "This is not the way you want to start your year, Ms. Milgrid, believe me. Do try and pay even the minimum level of attention in class."
Evelyn dropped her head, nodding wordlessly, hiding behind her hair.
McGonagall eyed her. "Straighten up; look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you."
Evelyn slowly raised her head, and met Professor McGonagall's gaze. A frown, her dark eyes glistening with trepidation and discomfort...
McGonagall pursed her lips and gave a miniscule sigh. "Ms. Milgrid, I understand you are only just returning to us after - a period of difficulties in your life - but if you truly wish to remain in school, you need to put in the effort. Do you understand? We cannot have this sort of behavior, or you may as well not have bothered coming back."
Evelyn nodded, clearly now. "Yes...sorry..."
McGonagall gave a satisfied nod in return. "Very well, then." McGonagall swept her gaze around the classroom and continued on with her lecture.
When she instructed them to pair off and start trying to turn a hedgehog into a pincushion, Harry immediately put his chair over at Evelyn's desk.
Evelyn's hands were in her lap - her gaze was unfocused, staring at the surface of her desk.
Harry held back a sigh and gave her a little nudge. "Hey - time to do some magic! Come on, get your wand out. It'll be fun."
Evelyn stared for another minute, before her hand moved, and she drew her wand.
McGonagall conjured up a hedgehog for them and placed it on their desk with a point of her wand. Easy as could be. Like she had done for everyone in the classroom.
"Screw the hedgehog!"
"Evelyn-"
"Diffindo, Depulso, Reducto-!"
Evelyn's mutilated hedgehog flew off the desk, and her follow-up curse exploded it into a shower of dust.
"As impressive as your ability to cast curses is, this is Transfiguration, not your Defense lessons," McGonagall said sharply. "And to cast such Curses in the classroom without regard for the safety of your peers...Fifty points, Ms. Milgrid, from Hufflepuff. And I shall be giving you detention with me for the entire week."
Evelyn bowed her head. But Harry saw...a tiny smile growing on her lips.
"What is it you find so amusing, Ms. Milgrid?" McGonagall snapped.
"Are you going to send an owl to my parents?" Evelyn replied, a humorous undertone to her voice.
McGonagall stared at her, looking well and truly thrown. And a little unnerved. She regathered herself, her nostrils flaring. "Another fifteen points, Ms. Milgrid. And I believe we will have much to discuss during your detentions," she finished, with the slightest note of softness.
Evelyn shrugged, that smile still there.
Harry felt about as unnerved by it as McGonagall, really.
On the other hand, Evelyn was the living example of the fact of, different people react to and cope with trauma and abuse in different ways. And almost all non-destructive ways (of self or others) are valid and acceptable. At least, in his mother's words over the years. So if Evelyn wanted to find some amusement in her own situation now...well...it had to be better than what she had been doing before, didn't it? Hurting herself, neglecting and abusing herself?
Wasn't it a nice change from all that? From even just an hour ago, this morning?
If she was going to keep moving, keep feeling...well, just feeling at all, then - then it was okay, wasn't it?
And Harry had more than enough experience with the humor mechanism: his godfather used it all the time, over anything from his family and childhood to his ten years spent in Azkaban for a crime he hadn't committed.
If Evelyn wanted to be a fair bit healthier about all of this than usual, then Harry should accept it.
Whatever she wanted - as long as she stopped hurting herself.
Harry really couldn't bear to see it happen again.
He just wanted her to be happy and okay (for longer than a couple of weeks at a time!).
And maybe this was Evelyn's way of trying out new ways to be "okay." And if that was the case...
He'd support her as best he could.
Somehow they got through their lesson, and moved on to Charms with Flitwick.
It went about the same.
Herbology was actually a lot better, Harry thought. Probably because Evelyn had to keep moving - and because their own Head of House was their teacher for this one.
Potions...was an entirely different story.
The point at which the day itself broke.
They were meant to be making complicated antidotes to a type of poison.
Harry and Evelyn were together on it.
Well, honestly, it was more like Harry was doing most of the work and Evelyn was just watching him.
He did get her to do a few things, here and there, though.
Apparently, it wasn't enough for Professor Snape.
He kept passing them by, making little comments and shooting them little looks.
Before finally, he seemed to have decided to be a lot more direct with his problems.
"If you can't pay even the slightest bit of attention to your own work, then pack up and get out," Snape spoke, swooping down on them and glaring at Evelyn down his hooked nose. "I won't have you sitting around wasting my time, girl."
"She's trying, okay? Get off her back already!" Harry snapped.
"Five points from Hufflepuff - I didn't ask you, Potter. I see no effort whatsoever on her part."
"Look, you don't know what she's been through-"
"Nor do I care - another five, Potter. I'd advise you to be quiet." Snape's eyes bore into Evelyn. "If you aren't fit to be in this school, then go back to the hospital, girl. Go on: get out of my sight...if you can't stand to be here," he finished quietly, with relish.
Harry jumped up from his desk, his chair falling back. "Shut up! You're vile and pathetic, you know that?! What, you can't get at me, so you're going to go after her now that she's back?! Why not find something worthwhile to do with your time, instead of using it to be a giant bullying prick?! Or is that really all your stupid little brain can come up with in life? If anyone's a waste, it's you!"
Snape's cutting gaze turned to Harry. His shocked face twisted into rage - and then his lips curved. "Detention, Potter, this weekend. And twenty points for such blatant disrespect of a teacher - you're as foul-mouthed as your father."
"I only respect people who deserve it," Harry snapped. "And shut up about my dad already, would you?! Over ten years and you're still hanging onto that? I'm serious, sir, you really need to get yourself a life. It's just starting to get sad."
"Another ten points - sit down, now, Potter!"
"No," Harry refused, his hands shaking, becoming fists.
"Then get out of my class," Snape snarled. "And take your friend with you!"
"Gladly," Harry shot back. "Evelyn, come on. We're not putting up with this git a second longer - and I won't do your detentions, Snape, so don't bother waiting around. Or, wait, actually, go ahead: I love the idea of you sitting alone for hours waiting for something that's never going to happen."
Harry watched Evelyn exit the classroom, and started after her. His heart was pounding, his head was buzzing. He could never recall being this angry before - over anything, or at anyone. Not even his relatives. Was this how Evelyn had felt...toward hers? That night? Even a portion of it? How angry did you have to be to do something like that to someone? A part of Harry whispered that he really wanted to find out - with Snape. Another part of him spoke up in horror at the other, telling it to shut up because that was beyond the pale. He couldn't even think things like that-
"Planning on running home to mummy again, then, are we?" Snape sneered. "How nice it must be to have someone to listen to all your little whining complaints in life."
"At least I have someone who loves me and listens to me in life!" Harry scoffed. He continued on viciously, "Whereas you're so cruel and pathetic that no one on earth could ever find it in them to love you!"
"OUT, POTTER, NOW!" Snape erupted, screaming, his expression twisted.
Harry laughed and walked out, slamming the door behind him with great satisfaction.
He started off down the corridor at a brisk pace; Evelyn caught up to him, floating along beside him.
"Where are we going?"
Harry stopped. He turned to Evelyn. He breathed. "Are you alright? Listen, anything he said - he's just petty and cruel. He doesn't even matter. And you can make it through the year. The next four! You just...need some help with it. And I'm going to help you, okay?"
Evelyn nodded. "I know..." A silence, a pause. "My mother's said worse to me."
"M-maybe...but that doesn't mean it can't still hurt," Harry said softly. "And he was wrong to hurt you. To say something like that at all. And we're going to make sure he pays for it. Let's go...go see Professor Dumbledore. Then, we can Floo my mum. And after that...we'll just go back to the dorms. Wait for our next class to start up. Is that a plan?"
"Yes. Alright." Evelyn twisted her hands, then her head came up. She looked him in the eye, against her own visible discomfort at the action. "Thanks for sticking up for me like that. It means...everything, Harry."
"You're welcome. Let's go."