The summer was full of promise. Evelyn spent the holiday with Cho and her family at their vacation home in the mountains of Scotland. They passed the days as a family unit; Mae and Robert Chang treated Evelyn like a second daughter. It was strange, being accepted without question and never admonished for things that were out of her control. But Cho's parents seemed to understand how much Evelyn had supported their daughter after Cedric's death, and they were determined to show their thanks with unending affection.
"I think my parents like you more than me," Cho joked one afternoon as the two girls roamed the green foothills near her parents' property.
"Of course not," Evelyn told her with a laugh, snapping a picture of the scenery with her Polaroid camera. Mae and Robert hadn't questioned the muggle camera and novels Evelyn had brought with her on her trip, and it was a relief to express herself without the fear of judgment or ridicule. She'd explained to them how the camera worked, capturing a still image and developing it almost instantly. Cho and her parents had listened with interest, even taking turns snapping silly pictures of each other for Evelyn's scrapbook.
"What's that?" Cho asked, pointing to a low stone building a few hundred yards away, visible now that they'd reached the crest of a hill.
"I don't know. A new neighbor?" she guessed, but Cho shook her head.
"No one else lives near here, not for miles. Let's check it out," Cho suggested, her pace quickening at the prospect of an adventure.
"It looks abandoned," Evelyn said as they approached the crumbling wall that surrounded the overgrown yard. The wooden door stood open, and the small windows didn't let in very much light once they'd crossed the threshold.
"This place is ancient," Cho commented as they explored the cramped two-room house. The main room was dominated by a large wooden table and a filthy fireplace. They found a moldy mattress in the bedroom, and a grimy oil lamp.
"I wonder what happened to the people who lived here," Evelyn said as she examined crude drawings carved into the stone by the window.
Thunder rumbled loud overhead, making both girls jump. Evelyn glanced outside to see the sky had darkened. She'd grown used to the fickle weather of the north, and it looked as though the storm would break soon.
"We should stay here until the weather improves," Cho decided. They'd been walking all day, and were at least a few miles from her parent's home. It wouldn't be a pleasant trek in the rain, and walking out in the open could be dangerous during a storm.
"Fine by me," Evelyn agreed, following Cho back into the main room. They used a decrepit old broom to sweep the dirt from the floor until they could see the stone flags beneath, then they both sat across from each other.
"So," Cho said after a few minutes of silence, leaning back on her palms and stretching her legs out in front of her. "What's going on with you and Draco?"
Evelyn felt her face warm, although she'd known this moment was coming. She'd made no effort to hide her correspondence with Draco, and the two had exchanged letters at least twice a week since her arrival in Scotland.
"What makes you think something is going on?" she said, going for plausible deniability.
Cho rolled her eyes.
"I'm not blind, you know. Your entire face lights up when you get a letter from him, and you keep them all tied up with a ribbon like it's 1820," she said, and even Evelyn had to admit her behavior was textbook lovestruck teen.
"Besides, he's your type," Cho continued, and Evelyn shook her head.
"I don't have a type," she said defensively.
"Of course you do. Everyone does," Cho said, as though she were explaining that every organism needed to breathe.
"What's yours then?" Evelyn challenged with a teasing smile.
"Dead," Cho said with such a serious tone that Evelyn didn't know how to respond. But then she smiled, and they both laughed. Cho had never joked about Cedric's death, but Evelyn hoped it was a sign that her best friend was moving on.
"Ok, I'll humor you. What's my type?" Evelyn asked.
"Bad boy, blond and brooding," Cho said with a grin, and now it was Evelyn's turn to roll her eyes.
"You're just describing Draco!" she cried, and Cho shrugged with mock innocence. "Besides, what about Fred Weasley?" Evelyn continued, hating to even bring him up but determined to prove her point. "He's not a bad boy, blond or brooding."
"Exactly. And that's why you don't like him. You want to, because you think liking someone so inherently good will make you good too. But you're not good," Cho said, and Evenlyn could only stare at her. Her best friend had never said anything even bordering on unkind to her, but here she was saying Evelyn would never be a good person. "And you don't have to be," she continued. "With Draco, all you have to be is yourself, and he would still adore you. That's the best kind of love there is," Cho said, her expression growing sad, and Evelyn wondered if she was thinking about Cedric.
"You think Draco adores me?" Evelyn asked, unable to help herself.
"Nothing that we love over-much is ponderable to our touch," Cho said, reciting the lines Draco had written at the end of his last letter. Evelyn had read them aloud to her, unable to contain her excitement when she saw the quote from her favorite poet, W. B. Yeats."He took the time to look up muggle poetry just to impress you. To show he cares enough to put aside his prejudice. Of course he adores you," Cho told her.
Evelyn hadn't allowed herself to read that much meaning into Draco's words. But hearing it from Cho, there was no denying that there was something romantic, something real and wonderful, between her and Draco.
"I think it's stopped raining," Cho said a few minutes later, interrupting her thoughts about the future she and Draco might have together.
Cho climbed up from the ground and pulled Evelyn up with her. Then the two girls made their way over the hills and back home.
Floo powder coated her lungs, and Evelyn tried not to cough as she stepped through the fireplace and into her family's living room. Her holiday with Cho had ended too soon, and now she had to return home and prepare for the beginning of the school year, just a week from tomorrow.
"Evelyn!"
She looked up in surprise as her mother rushed over to her, a martini in hand, and wrapped her in a hug. It was the first time in five years that her mother had addressed her by name, and the word sounded foreign coming from her.
"Narcissa wanted to be here for your return," her mother told her in the same bright tone. Suddenly the theatrics made sense; forever obsessed with keeping up appearances, she wanted to seem like a loving mother in front of the pureblood poster child for family values.
"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Evelyn said as politely as she could manage once her mother released her. The Malfoy matriarch smiled, looking regal as ever in a tailored navy blue pantsuit.
"Evie, it's so wonderful to see you again after all these years," she said kindly, and Evelyn felt close to tears. Narcissa had been the central mother figure in her life growing up. Even before the animosity between them, her mother still preferred to spend time with Madeline, and had little Edmond to look after. So she'd encouraged Evelyn to spend as much time at Malfoy manor as possible, and Narcissa had always treated her and Draco like they were the center of her world.
Now, five years later, the love she felt for Evelyn was clearly written on Narcissa's face. She took Evelyn's hands in both of hers and placed a kiss on the top of her head. In that brief moment, Evelyn felt more tenderness than she'd ever received from her own mother.
"Gemma, could you get Evelyn some tea?" Narcissa addressed her mother, who nodded and hurried out of the room. Evelyn noticed an untouched martini on the table beside where Narcissa sat, and she assumed her mother was on her fourth or fifth of the day.
"I'm happy to see you, but why are you really here?" Evelyn asked, as she sat on the couch across from Narcissa.
"It's about Draco," she said in a low voice, and Evelyn felt her stomach drop.
"What's happened? Is he alright?" she said, trying but failing to keep the panic out of her tone. Narcissa smiled in amusement at her reaction, and Evelyn figured by the end of the month everyone would know that she was in love with him.
"He's safe, for now. That's what I'm here to discuss," Narcissa said as her mother entered the living room with a steaming cup of chamomile tea.
"Thank you," Evelyn said as she took the mug, surprised her mother had remembered her favorite tea. Perhaps she didn't hate her after all. Well, at least not entirely.
"Gemma, you know I'm not one to drop by uninvited. But my reasons for being here today are serious. Things in the wizarding world, the world in general, are about to get very bad. I need you to be brave, Gemma," Narcissa said. Evelyn wondered why Narcissa was speaking to her mother as if she were a child. But perhaps Narcissa knew that her mother was drunk and prone to hysterics.
"You may have heard rumors, but I'm here to confirm that the Dark Lord is indeed back," the blonde woman said in a tone that was devoid of emotion. Evelyn wasn't sure if she was supposed to be overjoyed or horrified, so she settled for shock. Her mother took the same approach.
Evelyn remembered the end of her fourth year, when Harry appeared at the end of the Triwizard Tournament with Cedric's body, screaming that He Who Must Not Be Named was back from the dead. No one had believed him, and he'd been under constant ridicule for the rest of the school year. But if Narcissa Malfoy, wife and sister to two of the most notorious Death Eaters, said he was alive, then it had to be true.
"Is he...is he coming for David?" her mother asked in a small voice. It was natural for her to fear for Evelyn's father. He'd helped the Death Eaters plenty during the first war, but like the Malfoys he'd been accepted back into magical society when the Ministry failed to prove his involvement. He'd never spoken against the Dark Lord, but there was no predicting the fickle moods of such an evil man. It was possible he wanted vengeance against his less than loyal followers.
"No, this has nothing to do with David. I need Evelyn's help," Narcissa said, startling both Evelyn and her mother.
"I don't understand," her mother admitted, and Narcissa nodded.
"I know, and there's not much I can say. I'm under oath not to give anything away. But times are desperate. The Dark Lord has made demands of Draco that he cannot possibly accomplish on his own, and he will kill him if he fails," Narcissa said. She turned to Evelyn, her expression pleading. She looked more helpless than Evelyn had ever seen her, and that scared her more than the Dark Lord ever could.
"I'll do it," Evelyn said so suddenly she surprised herself. "Whatever he needs me to do, I'll do it."
"You don't even know what it is," her mother told her in a disapproving tone. "What if it's dangerous?" she asked, glancing over at Narcissa.
"Like I said, I can't give away any details," Narcissa told them apologetically. "But you would be helping the Dark Lord, even if only indirectly. You must understand what that means before you agree, Evelyn."
She thought back to Cho's words in the abandoned house they'd found. She wasn't good, and she didn't have to be. If helping the most evil wizard who'd ever lived would save Draco's life, she had to do it.
"I do understand. And I will help him," Evelyn said. Narcissa looked relieved, and the worry written on her mother's face was strangely comforting.
"Thank you," Narcissa said, rising to her feet. Evelyn thought she was preparing to leave, but then she gestured to Evelyn and her mother to stand as well. "We have to make this official. I trust your word, Evelyn, but there may come a time when you want to change your mind. I can't allow that to happen," she said with so much conviction it was almost frightening.
"You want her to make an unbreakable vow," her mother said, and Narcissa nodded. "No. Absolutely not," her mother said.
"Why not?" Evelyn demanded. Her mother had no business deciding what she could or could not do, and the very implication infuriated her.
"Because if you break it, you will die," Narcissa told her, and Evelyn's anger vanished.
Help Draco complete an impossible task for the Dark Lord, or die. She knew she'd be willing to give her life for Draco's if it came down to it. But knowing she would die if she could not devise a way to help him was terrifying.
"Is there no other way?" she said. She felt horrible for asking, but she had to know before she agreed.
"No, this is the only way," Narcissa told her. "And besides, you're the only one outside of our family that he trusts."
Evelyn wasn't sure if that last remark was intended to boost her ego or not, but it worked.
"Mother, please. Let me do this," she said. If he dies, I don't want to live, she added silently, and her mother seemed to understand.
"Alright. But don't make me regret this. You help that boy like your life depends on it, because it does," her mother said as she pulled out her wand.
Narcissa took Evelyn's forearm in her hand and Evelyn did the same, the two of them bonded in a Roman handshake. Her mother stood between them, her wand an inch above their grasp. Evelyn took a deep breath and stared straight ahead at Narcissa. The other woman smiled. It was not the warm and welcoming expression she remembered as a child, but sad and weary.
I'm going to die, Evelyn thought. Draco will fail and I will die because I'm a stupid lovesick little girl who's in way over her head.
Her mother spoke as the panic rose inside her.
"Copulationem, ad mortem," her mother said. A strand of faint white light emerged from the tip of her wand and encircled their outstretched arms. Evelyn felt a vibrating, burning sensation, and then a moment later the light faded and Narcissa released her grip.
Her mother looked defeated, as though she already regretted her decision to cast the spell. But Narcissa pulled Evelyn into a tight hug, her voice thick with emotion.
"Thank you so much, Evie. You'll save him, I know you will," she whispered into Evelyn's hair. When she released her, Evelyn's face was wet with tears.
"How about you join Draco and I in Diagon Alley on Tuesday?" Narcissa asked as she gently wiped Evelyn's cheeks the way she had when Evelyn was little. "We can shop for school supplies and have lunch," she said, clearly trying to brighten the mood and return to normal. No more talk of death, her smile said.
"I'd love that," Evelyn said, unable to keep her heart from beating faster at the prospect of seeing Draco in just a few days.
"Wonderful," Narcissa said, squeezing her hands once again. "I'll see you then, dear," she told her. "Thank you, Gemma. You have no idea what it means to me, to know my son will be safe," Narcissa said to her mother, who merely nodded. Then Narcissa took a step back and apparated away.
Evelyn and her mother stood in silence. She wondered if the caring, loving act she'd maintained during Narcissa's visit would continue, and if so for how long. Without a word, her mother picked up Narcissa's untouched martini and downed it in a single swallow. She looked at Evelyn and shook her head with an expression she'd never worn before: pity. Then she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Evelyn completely alone.
When Evelyn awoke on Tuesday morning, she was jittery with excitement. She sang muggle pop songs in the shower, and for the first time she wished Madeline was there to help her choose what to wear. She wanted to look dignified, to gain Narcissa's approval, but also dress in a way that would catch Draco's attention. In the end she decided on a pleated lavender skirt she found in Madeline's closet, and a close-fitting white jumper. The skirt was a bit shorter than she would have liked, so she added a pair of grey tights underneath. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she headed to the fireplace in the living room.
"Knockturn Alley," she said clearly, as she tossed down the magical powder. Narcissa hadn't said exactly where to meet when she'd mentioned shopping a few days earlier, but Evelyn had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly where they'd be.
Sure enough, Evelyn spotted Narcissa and her son standing just outside Borgin and Burkes. Narcissa smiled and waved when she saw her, but Draco's full attention was focused on the shop window. Evelyn took advantage of his distraction to watch him without the fear of being caught.
He wore a dark blue button down shirt that made him look even more pale, despite the brightly shining sun overhead. She could see something bulky under the sleeve of his shirt, like a bandage wrapped around his left forearm. He was taller now, and his shoulders had broadened since the last time she'd seen him.
Draco finally noticed her, but when he looked her way his smile didn't reach his eyes. As she got closer, she could make out the dark circles under his eyes, and his nails were chewed ragged. He looked stressed and haggard. The responsibility of the Dark Lord's task was clearly weighing on him.
"Hello, dear. Do you mind if we stop in here for a moment?" Narcissa asked, once Evelyn reached the storefront.
"Not at all," Evelyn said agreeably, and the three stepped inside. The room was dark and gloomy, with a damp smell that lingered in the air.
Narcissa went to the front of the store to examine items inside a glass case. Draco immediately walked over to the window display, leaving Evelyn to roam the shop by herself.
Evelyn and Madeline had always done their school shopping together, their parents giving them a set amount of money and leaving them up to their own devices. The two girls had avoided Knockturn Alley because Madeline said it was too creepy for her tastes; now Evelyn saw why.
As she wandered through disorganized shelves, she spotted a moldy severed hand and what looked like a pile of human bones. Masks with disturbing, bloody faces hung from the walls. Although she felt deeply unsettled by the surrounding items, she headed deeper into the shop.
She came to a halt before a massive black cabinet. The door was slightly ajar, and she reached forward to swing it open. A familiar iridescent butterfly vase sat on the floor, and she picked it up in confusion. The vase was identical to the one she'd found in the Room of Requirement, and the cabinet looked the same as well. They had to be connected, and she wondered why anyone would want a closet that could transport objects.
Evelyn closed the cabinet and headed back to the front of the store. Narcissa and Draco were standing by the window display with a withering old shopkeeper, who she assumed was Borgin or Burke. He was mid-sentence when she approached, describing a beautiful opal necklace.
"...gorgeous indeed, but that's the trick, ye see. Thing's cursed, very dangerous. Killed nineteen muggles before some dope finally brought it to me. Sold it to him for almost nothing, but it's quite valuable," Borgin/Burke said with a toothless smile at Narcissa.
Draco bent low to whisper in Evelyn's ear while the shopkeeper was focused on his mother.
"Distract him," Draco said in such a low voice that Evelyn almost didn't hear him. He gave an almost imperceptible jerk of his head towards the back of the shop, and she nodded with the same discretion.
"Can you tell me more about the large cabinet by the back wall?" Evelyn asked the old man with her best impression of pureblood authority. He looked at her in surprise, as though he hadn't even noticed her presence until that moment.
"Certainly, Miss," Borgin/Burke said with the same wan smile, and he led the two women into the depths of the shop.
"This here is one of my most peculiar items. She's broken, but I got hopes for her yet," the shopkeeper said as he fondly patted the side of the cabinet.
"What does it do?" Evelyn asked, although she already had a pretty good idea.
"She's a Vanishing Cabinet. Got a twin out there somewhere, and when you put an item in one, it appears in the other," he explained.
"Fascinating," Narcissa muttered, running a finger along the length of the dark wood.
"I can give it to you for a discounted rate," he offered, ever the salesman.
"Not much use if it's broken though, is it?" Narcissa asked, and Borgin/Burke shrugged.
When they returned to the front of the store, Draco was standing by the register.
"I'd like to purchase this," Draco said, holding a crumpled and rotten hand on a pedestal.
"Ah yes, the Hand of Glory! Insert a candle, and it gives light only to the beholder. Excellent purchase, Master Malfoy," he beamed, always happy to make a sale.
Draco purchased his item, and the three of them stepped back onto the street. Narcissa led them away from the seedier shops and into Diagon Alley, stopping in front of Madam Malkin's.
"Now that's out of the way, it's time for your favorite part of the day," she told Draco with a teasing smile, and he let out a dramatic sigh as he followed his mother into the robe shop.
"Mrs. Malfoy! Oh, such a pleasure! And you've brought young Master Malfoy! Just in time too, I've just received some new high-end material that seems to be very popular with my more selective clients…" Madam Malkin prattled on as she herded Narcissa and Draco over to an assortment of fabrics that all looked exactly the same.
Left alone again, Evelyn sought out her sister. Her robes from the year before would still fit just fine, and she hadn't seen Madeline since the Christmas holiday.
She heard a familiar string of muttered curses and followed the sound to the clearance section at the back of the store. Madeline stood among a heap of garishly colored garments, rapidly folding and sorting them into piles by size.
"Everything you'll find in this section is half price," Madeline said without looking up.
"And with good reason," Evelyn said as she examined a lime green frock made of stiff crinoline.
"Oh! Hullo, Evie," Madeline said, her expression brightening as she came around the table and pulled her younger sister into a hug. "Do you need new robes for school? Those are up front," she said.
"No, I'm just here with the Malfoys," she told her, gesturing to the mirrored fitting station where Draco stood draped in black fabric, a sour expression on his face. Madam Malkin was still rambling as she knelt beside him, even with an assortment of pins between her lips.
"He's quite the looker," Madeline commented. She watched Evelyn closely, waiting for a reaction.
"Also quite the brat," Evelyn reminded her as Draco snapped at Madam Malkin to hurry up. Madeline laughed.
"Don't pretend you don't see it. He's so your type," Madeline teased, looking over at Draco again.
"Not you too," Evelyn muttered under her breath, but Madeline didn't seem to notice.
"It's the eyes," Madeline continued. "That boy could break your heart and make you love him again with just a glance. And he looks intelligent. Someone who thinks on a deep level, planning out their every move."
"So how do you like working here?" Evelyn asked, eager to change the subject before Madeline started a treatise on Draco's nose.
"You just don't like me analyzing your boyfriend," Madeline said, but thankfully she took the hint. "I love designing clothes, it's always been my passion. But Maniac Malkin is a nightmare to work with. I can't wait until this apprenticeship is over and I can open my own shop."
"What's so bad about her?" Evelyn asked. She could see how the older woman might be a nuisance, but she seemed harmless.
"The things she says about young girls who come in here looking for dress robes are just so demoralizing," Madeline said with a shake of her head. "The minute a customer leaves, she always has something negative to say. Sometimes while they're still within earshot. I think buying clothes should be a positive experience, but she seems to hate every moment of it."
"Then why on earth would she open a robe shop?"
Madeline shrugged. "It's good money. Especially since this is the only shop in the area with high-end wares. Just wait until I open up my shop. She'll be out of business in a fortnight, and begging me for a job."
Evelyn laughed. She'd always admired her sister's optimism. But Madeline had ever reason to be optimistic. She was from a pureblood family, well-liked, determined, and beautiful. She could achieve anything she wanted.
"Your boyfriend is headed this way," Madeline whispered, and Evelyn turned to see Draco walking in their direction. If he recognized Madeline, he didn't give any indication; his attention was wholly focused on Evelyn.
"Mother suggested I stop by Quality Quidditch Supplies while she buys some new parchment. Would you like to come?" he asked. Judging by the way her heart was beating, he may as well have asked her to marry him. She heard Madeline snicker as her cheeks reddened.
"Sure," she finally choked out, and he surprised her with a genuine smile.
"Great, I'll meet you outside," he said, then he turned and headed out of the store.
"Could you be any more awkward?" Madeline laughed once he was gone, and Evelyn ignored her. "I guess it doesn't matter. He's obviously smitten," she said.
"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, and Madeline shook her head.
"Honestly, you're so dim sometimes. He's done nothing but glare since he walked in the door. But the moment he talks to you, he's all smiles."
"He's just excited about getting a new broom," Evelyn said dismissively, not wanting to admit how desperately she hoped her sister was right.
"Whatever," Madeline said as she returned to her folding. "Enjoy your date," she added with a wink, and Evelyn decided it was best not to give her the satisfaction of a response.
Draco was waiting for her outside as promised, and they walked side by side down the cobbled street. He held the door open for her once they reached the quidditch supply shop, rattling off facts about different brooms as she stopped to inspect them.
"Mother told me you've agreed to help with my...assignment," he said once they reached a deserted part of the store. "I'm not sure it's a good idea."
"You'd do the same for me," she replied, and he nodded.
"Still, it could be dangerous. You can change your mind, you know," he said as he fiddled with the brittle twigs of an old broomstick.
Not if I want to live, she thought. But if Narcissa hadn't told him about the unbreakable vow, there must be a good reason. "I wouldn't turn my back on you," she said instead.
He shook his head, running an agitated hand through his hair.
"I wish I'd never known you as a kid," he said, not meeting her eyes.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.
"It's just... if you hadn't known me then, would you still risk your life for me now?"
"Probably not," she admitted. "But I remember chasing fireflies together at dusk, and your mother reading us bedtime stories. How could I not stand beside you, when I still see the boy you used to be?"
To her surprise, Draco reached out and pulled her into a hug. He's terrified, she realized as he held her tightly. He knows we're going to die, and he's scared out of his mind.
"I don't deserve you, Evie," he whispered into her hair. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his strong shoulders. His smell enveloped her, and she wanted to bottle the scent for a rainy day. He was a good six inches taller than her, but if she tilted her head up, his lips would be just a breath away…
But he pulled away from her then, stepping back to take her hand and lead her out of the shop.
"Let's go find Mother; I'm starving," Draco said as they walked down the street hand in hand. If her heart was beating fast before, it was near exploding now.