Theodorus Nott watches as a young Snowy Owl swoops down to their table and lands in front of Evelynn and Tom - Hedwig, it has to be. Because Evelynn runs her fingers through the white feathers, and then the bird goes for the plate of bacon after nipping at her fingertips.
Tom just shakes his head, covering his own plate when she glances at the four strips sitting on it. "Not a chance."
Evelynn smiles slightly, then says "Go hunting, Hed. I'm sure there's plenty of mice or rabbits in the forest, beautiful." To everyone's amusement, the bird actually puffs up at the compliment before flying off. With all the bacon in reach.
Orion chuckles, and says "That bird of yours is scary-smart, you know that?"
Theodorus says "Don't look now, guys, but someone's watching. Again."
Evelynn just rolls her eyes, knowing who it is without having to turn around - Dumbledore, its always Dumbledore. She's long-since used to being stared at, in both lives, but he's always done it even when most everyone else had their fill. In this life and her last, the masses would stare at her whenever something happened - though, this time it's a bit more reasonable since she appeared literally out of thin air in the middle of the Great Hall, even with all the Wards that are supposed to be all but impenetrable, and half-dead to boot - but they'd eventually taper off and get on with their lives, more or less. And it didn't start back up this year, either.
Not Dumbledore, no he's always had far too much interest in her.
Last life, she was his pawn and he felt the need to watch her at all times - this life…well, she's betting it has something to do with the Hallows. Because, whether Tom's near her or not, whether she's talking with Dorea and Walburga or making her way to the library, he always seems to be watching her. He and Grindelwald were utterly obsessed with them, Aberforth told her of the many months they spent thoroughly researching Cadmus and Ignotus' lines late into the night in the hope that they would find the Hallows and become immortal rulers of the world.
They came up with the Potter and Gaunt lines after five months, even knew exactly how to identify them.
Why he even gave her the Resurrection Stone in the first place, is beyond her - did he think he was the Master of Death, so it wouldn't work? Or was he convinced by his impending doom that it was all a myth?
Maybe he wanted the Stone to urge me to die. Its not entirely unlike the Mirror, after all. Tempting me with the shades of my loved ones…
It's a viable theory, induce a rapid depression of sorts over the course of a few months as she carried the Snitch around in her pocket, or make her want to join the parents she'd just met - and its absolutely something the old man would do, he was manipulative enough for everything else after all.
Dumbledore watches as Evelynn Peverell heads to Charms class with Tom Riddle and the rest of the Slytherin third years - where did she get that bird? It looked like any ordinary Snowy Owl, but she didn't have it before winter break.
Something's changed between her and Tom Riddle, he's sure of it - he's not sure what, exactly, but he is sure its worrying. Tom Riddle was dangerously powerful already, and Evelynn Peverell just as much. Add to it the detail that Tom was already Dark long before coming to Hogwarts, and with a control over his magic far beyond what most can achieve until around Sixth year when they start on Wandless magic…the thought of the two of them getting together chills him to the core.
Evelynn, while apparently unknowing of her magic, survived an attack by Gellert himself, Apparated straight through Hogwarts' Wards while grievously injured, and then healed herself at a rate that should've been impossible - or should've killed her, Poppy couldn't figure out how the young girl hadn't burned out from the rate she was healing at. Evelynn Peverell, is, he's certain of it, much more than she wants everyone to believe.
He's just not sure what it is she's hiding - could she be a spy from Gellert? He's still not sure, even now her story checked out, every last detail that could be found, and she didn't have anything on her but the partially-destroyed clothes on her back - and yet, she's picked up magic far too quickly for him not to be suspicious. Despite the detail that nothing's happened, that she hasn't done anything - that he knows of, anyway - he's still suspicious.
So, long story short, the detail that the two of them seem even closer than before is more than worrying, its all but an absolute disaster. If she turns Tom to Grindelwald, he's sure there'll be no stopping his ex-lover. And, on the chance Evelynn Peverell isn't a spy for the Dark Wizard, Tom will undoubtedly try to use her power for himself. And Peverell seems utterly blind to it all! She must not see the darkness in Tom Riddle, the monster that's lurking below the surface - why else would she be with him if she wasn't just like him?
Evelynn and Tom are in the Library after classes are over for the day, Evelynn reading up on Pureblood customs - because, despite finding a book like that in almost every Manor she stayed at it was always drier than ancient mummy dust and she never figured she'd need it since she was permanently on the run - and Tom with a book on Runes that Evelynn found in a Manor five years before coming back that was equal parts interesting and ridiculously advanced.
Right up until a familiar voice asks "You two know its almost time for the library to close, right?"
Evelynn looks up to see the Carrow twins, Lestrange, Nott, and Orion Black sitting at the table they're at…how long have they been there? "Um…oh. Shoot."
Amycus Carrow nods at the books she's got, asking "How are those going?" He can take a guess, though.
Evelynn just gives him a dry look, and says "Long, slow, and incredibly boring. You all have my deepest sympathies if your parents really made you memorize them before you hit double-digits."
Lestrange chuckles, and says "Its important, though. Especially since we're going to take over fr- as the Heads of our houses."
Evelynn nods, giving him a rare look of gratitude for a moment at his redirect from the topic of their parents - still a sore spot, even now, as Evelynn came to an awful realization about the Prophecy about four years prior to getting cornered - then smirks and says "Still doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't be surprised if this book was Transfigured from a Mummy's dusty old remains."
There's a round of muffled laughter, and Lestrange teases "So, no chance of any of that Etiquette section sticking?"
Evelynn just gives him a raised eyebrow, and says "I'm not going to be kissing up to people, no. I'm also not going to just be some perfect little housewife, not saying anything and hanging on my husband's approval for every little thing like the world seems to think I should."
This time, there's a round of grumbling…and the Carrows and Lestrange hand over a handful of Galleons to Nott and Orion. Evelynn gives them a mixed look, and asks "Did you…bet on that?!"
Theodorus chuckles, and says "I tried to tell them you wouldn't just be what everyone thinks you should be. Tried to tell them that just because you read the section, it didn't mean you were going to take it as some code of conduct."
"And they didn't listen?" She thought Slytherins were supposed to be observant.
Orion barks out a laugh - oh, look, that's where Sirius got it from! - and says "I was with him. They didn't listen." He glances at the way Tom's gone stony-faced - ever since Evelynn mentioned 'her husband' - and adds "At all."
As Tom and Evelynn head to the front desk to check out their books, they hear the Carrows murmur "I'm upping mine to twenty."
"I'm for thirty."
Tom and Evelynn share confused looks, and Evelynn murmurs "You have any idea what they're talking about?"
"Not a clue, Evelynn, not a clue." This is the first time hearing anything like it, but he's suddenly convinced its to do with all the weird behavior surrounding them. And he doesn't like it.
She glances back, then says "Probably about Quidditch, maybe a betting pool on who'll win the House Cup? You know how into the sport they get. Or on who'll get the highest marks in classes."
Tom just hums, casting a suspicious glance behind his back. "So long as its not about you marrying one of them."
Evelynn raises an eyebrow, asking "What? Where did that come from?!"
"Evelynn, the first thing they all jumped on after Mark Flint reported that you were awake, and what your story was, was what you looked like. From what I can tell, all their minds are lust-filled gutters." He hasn't even tried to get into their heads, not particularly wanting
Evelynn smirks at him, and quietly asks "Jealous?"
Tom scoffs "Of what? A pack of…this is revenge, isn't it? For Diagon Alley?" Sneaky, sneaky Slytherin...
Evelynn just laughs as they make their way back to the Common Room.
Evelynn heads to her room to keep reading, and Tom gives the entire Common Room such a death glare that nobody hardly dares breathe until he heads to his room to put his own homework away. And then the others arrive, and immediately notice something's off.
Orion goes to sit by Walburga and Dorea, asking "What happened?"
Dorea says "Tom happened! He and Evelynn got back, and he gave the entire room such a look…"
Lestrange nervously asks "You think they heard us?"
"They know about the betting pool?"
The Carrows wince, and Alecto says "We may have upped our bets while they were checking out their books…"
Dorea frowns, then asks "So why would that result in him giving the room a look of death?" Unless...uh-oh...
The room is completely and utterly silent for a moment, and then Abraxas Malfoy sums it up nicely by saying "We're fucked."
Twenty minutes later, Evelynn comes back down…and the entire room all but freezes. Rolling her eyes, Evelynn sits down next to Dorea casually. And then shocks the entire room when she asks "So, what's going on?"
After a minute, Dorea asks "What?"
"Is there some kind of Quidditch Betting pool or something? Or about who's going to get the highest Marks in which class? Forget the politics for a minute, because Tom's one weird look away from going on a warpath to find out the answers himself." And she doesn't particularly need to go into detail about what Tom on a warpath looks like. Apparently, he scared them all well enough in his first year.
Thinking fast, Dorea 'confesses' to a betting pool on who'll get the highest Marks in the electives they're all taking.
After a minute, Evelynn bursts out laughing, laughing so hard tears run down her face and she's holding her aching sides. "Oh, oh man, you guys have got to be kidding. Seriously, that's what all the weird looks were about?"
Everyone all but freezes, and Dorea asks "Weird looks?"
"Uh, yeah. Almost since term started, we've noticed everyone in here acting weird whenever Tom and I are both in the Common Room. You guys might've been trying to be subtle, but it wasn't nearly enough. I grew up always watching my back for my cousin and his gang of thugs, and you'll have to ask Tom about his own childhood since I wasn't there. But, seriously, all this time you all have been waiting for one of us to…what? Blow our tops or something? Have some kind of breakdown from our workload?"
She's still laughing when she heads back into the dorms, and Orion sighs in relief. "Oh, thank Merlin. We'll just have to fabricate some evidence to show Tom."
The Sixth and Seventh Years quite literally spring into action at that.
Tom stares at Evelynn in shock for a few moments, then asks "Are you having me on?" He wouldn't usually think so, but...it does sound pretty ridiculous.
Evelynn shakes her head, and says "No, I swear. Everyone was serious about it being a betting pool on who'll get the highest marks in Electives."
Tom frowns, saying "I never heard anything about that last year…but it's possible it's for Third Years and up…"
Evelynn rolls her eyes at Tom's back, then walks over and puts her arms around his shoulders while saying "Relax, they aren't plotting anything. They wouldn't dare, and everyone wearing green and silver here knows it."
Tom grumbles "I know, I know…"
"You want a backrub? Because you still feel so tense." She buries her face in the crook of his neck for good measure, making him tense up even further at once
Tom mock-sighs, and says "You're a bloody tease, Evelynn." Even so, he lets her pull him onto the bed and sit behind him, setting to work on rubbing out the tension in his back muscles and shoulders. And, good Merlin, she's amazing at it.
Eventually, he moans and murmurs "You must be using a spell of some kind, I swear…" That, or its this connection between them - because even through the fabric, he's feeling more and more like putty in her nimble hands. Its all he can do to stay upright, at this point.
He can practically hear Evelynn's grin, despite not seeing it, as she says "No spells, just some skill. Something I picked up over the years."
Considering the detail that he apparently melts whenever she does this, he's going to pretend not to believe her for his own pride.
AN: Hey, everyone! Sorry about the missed update - had my first week of 12-hour shifts, and I sorta...forgot, what with the excitement of finishing up a chapter for 'Girl Who Survived'. OOPS! At any rate, here's the next chapter! Hope you all like it, enjoy!