Albus Dumbledore internally groans as he walks through Diagon Alley with Evelynn Peverell - she refuses to look him in the eye, has been avoiding him as much as humanly possible. He doesn't understand it, yes he's been a bit curt with her but most people react exactly the opposite of this!
Perhaps I shouldn't have questioned her so much at first. She had just woken up from an attack that should've killed her. Supposedly.
In less than a week, to. A true miracle-recovery, in a world filled with everyday miracles where the standard is rather high. At least, that's what she wants them all to think - he's got his suspicions, though. There was nothing on her but the half-destroyed clothes on her back, no amulet or artifact that could've healed her, no spell responsible for her recovery that anyone could detect, but a recovery like that on her own shouldn't have been possible.
Now, despite his objections, Dippet has enrolled this mystery child into Hogwarts upon her explaining how she's never known about magic before and was attacked by who they deduced to be Grindelwald's forces.
From her description, Gellert himself was there and wanted the other two Hallows - and thought she, a Peverell, would know where they are. When she claimed not to know what he wanted, he tried to Imperious her - she didn't say as much, just that there was a voice whispering in her head to tell him where 'the stone and cloak' were after he said something like 'empero.' And she still claimed she didn't know what he wanted, ostensibly throwing off the Imperious Curse - through ignorance or sheer stubborn will, it doesn't matter much. She did it once, she'll be able to do it again.
And then Gellert decided to Crucio her for the information - she didn't know. He got more creative with the torture - she still didn't know.
He was talking about taking her back to his current hideout - she didn't give a name, saying she was too out-of-it to hear right - and she wished that she was somewhere safe…and then opened her eyes after feeling like she was sucked through a small straw to the Great Hall in Hogwarts, and freaked out upon seeing someone else with a wand coming towards her. Resulting in him going flying backwards like he'd been backhanded by a giant hand.
A well-crafted story, if its a lie - or a very tragic one, if its the truth. He's not sure which it is, yet.
As it turns out, there really was an attack in the Ukraine - the Aurors on the case called Dippet a mere few hours later, and he was lucky enough to be in the room with Dippet when it happened. It didn't take long to confirm that there had been an attack by Grindelwald's forces, and that Fiendfyre had been used extensively. Almost nobody survived the attack - nobody but Evelynn Peverell, apparently. Evidence in her favor, but she could simply have been there and been sent to Hogwarts during the attack.
Still, its good enough for Dippet. So now, despite his hesitation and suspicions about Evelynn Peverell, he's been forced by Dippet to take her shopping.
Even now, he can't sense her magic - which is, perhaps, the most disconcerting thing about her, other than the detail that she won't look him in the eye. Especially since anyone in the Hospital Wing was all but literally bombarded by her magic when she was unconscious.
She's acting perfectly excited - if he didn't know any better, he'd think she was just another excited child - but her magic isn't spiking and flaring like that of most other children when they get excited. And, speaking of her magic…that alone makes him wary of her - however she really came to be inside Hogwarts, past the Wards, it can't be good. True Accidental Magic, or a spy sent by Grindelwald, she successfully got through the most secure Wards in the entire Isles.
There's darkness in her, he's sure of it - now he's got two threats to keep an eye on, instead of just one. Great. And he's currently helping one become armed and even more dangerous.
He heads to Ollivander's first, since he's always believed that a wand can tell you a lot about a person. Thirty minutes, about a hundred rejected wands, and a migraine later, they get to a Holly Wand that has Fawkes' other feather in it - the feather burns right through the wood upon her touching it, making a pit of dread form in the Transfiguration Professor's stomach.
No, no, this can't be happening!
Ollivander, much to Albus' dismay, takes Evelynn down into the basement where he works custom wands and keeps all his supplies - and only he and a customer that needs a custom wand are allowed in there. Because he can't keep track of multiple people and make a wand at the same time.
Ergo, he's no way of knowing which wood she's about to pick.
Evelynn looks around in shock at the hundreds of different wood pieces as well as the numerous Cores - no Veela Hair, she's guessing, but Thestral Tail Hair, Thunderbird feathers, Unicorn hairs, gross-looking Dragon Heartstrings…there's every wand material imaginable here, for the most part. She doesn't even have to fake her awe as she says "Wow. Quite the collection. You must come down here often…"
Ollivander chuckles, and says "Indeed, Miss Peverell. This is where I make the wands I sell. Both en masse and custom jobs such as this. Now, go around and see what calls to you. It may be a single wood, or it may be more. If your drawn to it, even by simply curiosity, pick it up and see if you feel anything."
Evelynn goes around the room, box by box, and eventually ends up with a piece of Acacia, Larch, and a Thestral Tail Hair.
"Hm, very interesting. You see, I sold the brother Wand to the one that was destroyed to a remarkable young man. Yew and Phoenix Feather, it was. Thirteen and a half inches. Something told me, then, that he'd end up doing great things, and I get the same feeling about you."
Evelynn shrugs, and says "I don't know about that, Mr. Ollivander. I'm just trying to live my life." I've had enough with 'great things' for at least a lifetime.
Ollivander chuckles, and says "That's how it always starts, Miss Peverell. That's how it always starts. Now, Acacia…it'll only cast for its chosen Witch or Wizard. Larch will withhold its greatest effects from all but its perfect match. An interesting combination on their own, equal parts picky and powerful. And Thestral Tail Hair…you need to have seen death and accepted it to truly master this Core. You, Miss Peverell, seem to be a very interesting customer."
When they get back up, an hour later after Evelynn got her wand and made sparks fly from it - and, Merlin, it works even better than her old Holly wand did! - he charges her five Galleons and says "Should you need somewhere to put that wand, Miss Peverell, I sell Holsters as well for an extra two Galleons."
Evelynn looks at the coins she was given, seriously debating whether or not to get one, and says "I can't, I'm afraid. I need to buy my books, Mr. Ollivander." Oh well, she can just get one from the Room and Charm it herself.
Ollivander chuckles, and says "Well, once your done, come back. Whether you have enough or not. I've got a feeling about you, and I've long-since learned to trust in my instincts."
Albus frowns at the man, what is it about people being attracted to this girl?! It's the same as with Tom, apparently only he can see the danger they are! Why, oh why, is it on him alone to keep an eye on the monsters hiding in his students?
Evelynn stays quiet through the rest of the trip, getting books quickly and her robes easily since Madam Malkins is blessedly empty. Evelynn grins at the trunk she got - it looks nice enough, but it's the most basic trunk there was. A simple three-compartment trunk, no extras at all. Which is perfect, since she experimented with trunks she found lying around in the various places she stayed in the last twelve years after picking up Runes more than discretely reading Granger's notes and found a book on trunks and enchanting them the right way.
She can turn a Muggle Trunk into a five-star flat in about two hours, give or take a few minutes for organization and another few hours for protective spells. It might take her about a day if she was trying to make it really fancy, with a Potions Lab or a Ritual Room with all the protective spells that would be required to not kill herself through Potions Fumes or such...if she didn't have any interruptions or anything else to do.
She chatters to Madam Pomfrey for a few minutes, hoping to sell the image of an excited twelve-year-old being introduced to magic - well, the much-younger Pomfrey seems to buy it, at least, so she can't be doing too bad a job at it. After she shows off her Acacia-Larch wand for the Mediwitch, she takes out a book and starts pretending to read it to keep up appearances.
Hopefully, she can get Sorted soon and 'catch up' with her classmates - she just considers herself lucky she's heading into second year and not third, as something tells her there are more classes to choose from compared to her original time, and it would be a lot harder to play off picking everything up so quickly as being a fast learner.
Which means she's abso-bloody-lutely going to out-O Granger, the bloody traitor. And she'll do it without a bloody Time Turner to get to all her classes, to! What a shame the vindictive, bossy, I'm-the-best-in-class girl will never know.
That night, Madam Pomfrey helps her get ready and does her tie, saying "There, your all set. I must say, your looking much better with a few good meals, some Nutrient Potions, and new clothes!" And its true, Evelynn Peverell doesn't look quite as bad as she did when she woke up - and significantly better than when she arrived.
Not pale as an actual corpse, for one - still pale, yes, but looking like she just doesn't get out much rather than being death warmed over. The not bleeding out helps, to. The new clothes hide some of how emaciated she is, and with her hair being brushed out so its nice and full instead of wildly messed-up it hides some of just how sharp her cheekbones are along with the Curse Scar on her forehead. It makes her look rather cute, truth be told.
In truth, Death took away the most obvious Potter characteristics - the messy, untamable hair and terrible eyesight - and now, her Peverell lineage is there for everyone to see. They just have to go looking for it, and know where to look.
Not that most anyone knows, these days, since the Peverell name all but died out in history - it disappeared, taking on the names of the houses the children married into to avoid attacks exactly like Evelynn described for the Hallows. Because, back then...the Hallows were taken much more seriously back then, despite the tale being a bedtime story. Little details that make her story that much more believable, if people do any digging into the family's past.
In a few years, they'll all be thinking more about her than who her parents might be anyway. She's going to be stunning when she grows up.
Tom Riddle watches as the figure of Evelynn Peverell sits down on the stool used for Sortings and the Hat get placed on her head. And, amusingly enough, goes over her eyes. About four and a half minutes later, it calls out "SLYTHERIN!"
There's some polite clapping from the professors' table, and a spot clears itself directly in front of him for her to sit down in. The first thing he sees is those enchanting emeralds for eyes, he could swear they've darkened a bit - maybe they really were glowing with her magic when she arrived. Still, they're so very vibrantly green that he has to wonder if magic made them that green or not.
The next thing he registers is that she's almost as pale as he is. Still, significantly less pale than when she arrived.
Probably from the blood loss.
The contrast is only made more apparent by her midnight-black hair, which just brushes her shoulders in a bob cut with layered bangs. This time, she's unnervingly blank when she meets his eyes - last time, her emotions hit him with all the force of a thrown bag of bricks.
Now…nothing.
Nothing at all.
She, just like the Professors on the rare times he's accidentally looked them in the eye, can somehow keep him out of her head. Just as he's about to turn away, though, he suddenly gets the barest wisp of her emotions - amusement, and a bit of curiosity. Like she knows exactly what he was trying to do, and let him at the very end. Is she saying hello to him?!
If he hadn't been curious before, he most certainly is now.
And then she looks away, breaking the moment as she starts eating.
Well, at least she's in my House. Gives me five and a half years to figure her out.
And figure her out he will, no matter what it takes.
AN: Hey, everyone! Alright, Evelynn is Sorted! And, really, after that story she gave...did anyone really expect her to go back to Gryffindor? Sorry, but NOPE! Twelve years of being on the run, her Slytherin side has thrived. If anyone's wondering where she stayed...eh, mostly abandoned Manors, where all the previous residents were either dead or in Azkaban. Between those times, wherever she was, be it a forest or somewhere else. Evelynn's not a Metamorphmagus, so she was always the single most-recognizable face there was. And, yeah, Evelynn was secretly really smart - between the Dursleys and Hermione's need to be the best, she hid that intelligence. And it came back to bite her so-called friends later. And, yes, she knows Occlumency now. Figured it out with some books and stuff, perks of living in ruined manors that still have a bunch of books in them.
Anyway, enjoy! more chapters coming soon! Please review!