Disclaimer: I can't remember exactly what characters I do own and
which I don't, so I'll say this: All copyrighted, trademarked or otherwise
owned property is property of it's respective owner and no ownership is
implied on the author's part. Enjoy!
~~Chapter Three: Evelyn~~
Kevin awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. His first thought was that he was bleeding; he rubbed his hands across his face to reassure himself he was in the real world. He had never dreamt like that before. It had felt real, realer than even his twisted, nightmarish memories of the fall of Ashallan school.
Kevin dressed in a new suit of clothes as daylight began streaming in the windows. He went down to the common room and started to play a game of chess against himself. Somehow, the pieces that were destroyed began to change in his eyes, into images of his old friends, being broken into a million pieces. He put the game away.
After pacing around the common room for several minutes, he finally walked out into the endless mazes of corridors of the school. As he left the dormitory, he heard the raven call a mournful sound behind him.
After walking out into the main intersection of corridors right at the marble staircase, he took a random passage and began walking down it. The portraits and pictures he passed all took the shapes of his friends; Julianne, Archibald, Rauol, Jerry...
Finally, Kevin found and empty corridor with no pictures. He took a deep breath and began jogging down the passageway towards the doors at the end.
'Meow.'
Kevin spun around, startled. The caretaker's cat was down the corridor from him, staring at him with bright eyes. Kevin hissed at it. The cat did not move. Unnerved, he turned around and walked up to the double doors. Pulling one open a crack, he looked to see what was beyond. It seemed to be another bare passageway. He opened the door quickly and went through, closing it tightly behind him. The passage ahead of him sloped downwards, going on as far as Kevin's eye could see.
Running down the empty passage helped clear Kevin's head. He reminded himself that he had said goodbye to his friends already. His dreams were just terror and shock induced twisted recollections of the past. Nightmares were common with people who had suffered from a catastrophe such as he had; that was exactly what his guide had said. They would go away completely soon. They would.
Feeling much better, Kevin slowed his pace. The corridor he was walking down eventually intersected with another, wider, passage, this one with portraits and paintings here and there on the walls. Kevin looked down the route to the left, and to the right; both intersected again into other passages. He began worrying if he could find his way to breakfast in time.
Deciding to go down to his left, Kevin turned and began running. He went into the other passageway, took a left there, and continued running. The passage ended with a door; he opened it and began walking down another ramp. Suddenly, his foot slipped; he tried to grab onto the walls but his hands were too sweaty to hold onto them. The ramp got steeper, and he slid further, faster, and unable to catch hold of anything. Up ahead, he could see the ramp finally even out to some kind of intersection. Bracing himself, Kevin closed his eyes...
Thud.
"What the-"
"Holy-"
Kevin landed from the ramp onto cold stone, and barely managed to stay on his feet. Right in front of him was a girl, looking shocked, with her arms pressed against the opposite wall.
Kevin, still trying to catch his breath, didn't have time to say anything before the girl spoke. "Where the hell did you come from? You just... just..."
Kevin blinked. He recognized the intersection but could not place it. "I was just, um... running and... where am I?"
The girl waved her hand. "The main intersection, of course. How did you get here?"
Kevin looked behind him. There was a blank hall where the ramp had been. He pressed his hands to it; cold stone, and nothing more. "But I was right here, I mean I just came down the-"
The girl shook her head. "You're new to Hogwarts, aren't you?"
"Er, yes," Kevin said. "Who are you?"
"Evelyn Sellina. You? You're late for breakfast, you know."
Kevin frowned. "I'm Kevin Rashall. If I'm late then what are you doing here?"
Evelyn quirked her mouth cynically. "Girl's bathrooms that way." She pointed down the corridor behind her.
"Oh."
Rolling her eyes, Evelyn started jogging down the staircase to the dining hall. Kevin turned again. He pressed his hands hard against the stone wall, feeling every inch of it. There was nothing unusual about it. Just cold stone.
Kevin ran down the staircase after Evelyn who seemed to be heading towards the Ravenclaw table. He felt like apologizing for startling her like that, but couldn't find the words to say it. 'I'm sorry I tripped down a ramp that didn't really exist and almost ran into you' didn't seem to cut it. Neither did 'It was really an accident, popping out of nowhere like that, I just tripped after all'. Kevin decided to just leave it be.
"So," Evelyn said, slowing her pace. "What year are you?"
"First" said Kyle. "But I'm-" he stopped himself again. Evelyn seemed not to have noticed, however.
"I'm a second year. So, do you still have the same first year schedule? Never mind, you wouldn't know. I don't even quite remember."
"Well it would make since that I haven't seen you yet, if you're a second year. Does it get much harder?"
"Well, a bit. It's not all that much harder than last year though. Just some different classes and more interesting homework."
Kevin smiled slightly. He took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. Evelyn, however, stopped and looked confused. Her hand was on the back of a seat at the Slytherin table.
"You're a Ravenclaw?"
"You're a Slytherin?"
Kevin laughed briefly, looking confused. He supposed he shouldn't have assumed she was a Ravenclaw, but she hadn't at all showed the characteristics of how Slytherins were supposed to act to other houses; haughty, curt, and often outright rude. Was it because he was a Ravenclaw and not a Hufflepuff or Gryffondor?
Evelyn seemed to find this strange. She frowned as if she was disappointed and turned away. Kevin shrugged and sat down in his chair.
"Who was that?" Krysten asked lightly. "You're making friends with Slytherins?"
Kevin abruptly snapped, "Is there a problem with that?"
Krysten, looking affronted, replied "No, there isn't. I was going to say that it was good to meet people in other houses."
"Oh." Kevin frowned. "Sorry then."
It was more than fifteen minutes after lunch when Kevin realized that Evelyn was the black-haired Slytherin girl he had been trying to find.
~~Chapter Three: Evelyn~~
Kevin awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. His first thought was that he was bleeding; he rubbed his hands across his face to reassure himself he was in the real world. He had never dreamt like that before. It had felt real, realer than even his twisted, nightmarish memories of the fall of Ashallan school.
Kevin dressed in a new suit of clothes as daylight began streaming in the windows. He went down to the common room and started to play a game of chess against himself. Somehow, the pieces that were destroyed began to change in his eyes, into images of his old friends, being broken into a million pieces. He put the game away.
After pacing around the common room for several minutes, he finally walked out into the endless mazes of corridors of the school. As he left the dormitory, he heard the raven call a mournful sound behind him.
After walking out into the main intersection of corridors right at the marble staircase, he took a random passage and began walking down it. The portraits and pictures he passed all took the shapes of his friends; Julianne, Archibald, Rauol, Jerry...
Finally, Kevin found and empty corridor with no pictures. He took a deep breath and began jogging down the passageway towards the doors at the end.
'Meow.'
Kevin spun around, startled. The caretaker's cat was down the corridor from him, staring at him with bright eyes. Kevin hissed at it. The cat did not move. Unnerved, he turned around and walked up to the double doors. Pulling one open a crack, he looked to see what was beyond. It seemed to be another bare passageway. He opened the door quickly and went through, closing it tightly behind him. The passage ahead of him sloped downwards, going on as far as Kevin's eye could see.
Running down the empty passage helped clear Kevin's head. He reminded himself that he had said goodbye to his friends already. His dreams were just terror and shock induced twisted recollections of the past. Nightmares were common with people who had suffered from a catastrophe such as he had; that was exactly what his guide had said. They would go away completely soon. They would.
Feeling much better, Kevin slowed his pace. The corridor he was walking down eventually intersected with another, wider, passage, this one with portraits and paintings here and there on the walls. Kevin looked down the route to the left, and to the right; both intersected again into other passages. He began worrying if he could find his way to breakfast in time.
Deciding to go down to his left, Kevin turned and began running. He went into the other passageway, took a left there, and continued running. The passage ended with a door; he opened it and began walking down another ramp. Suddenly, his foot slipped; he tried to grab onto the walls but his hands were too sweaty to hold onto them. The ramp got steeper, and he slid further, faster, and unable to catch hold of anything. Up ahead, he could see the ramp finally even out to some kind of intersection. Bracing himself, Kevin closed his eyes...
Thud.
"What the-"
"Holy-"
Kevin landed from the ramp onto cold stone, and barely managed to stay on his feet. Right in front of him was a girl, looking shocked, with her arms pressed against the opposite wall.
Kevin, still trying to catch his breath, didn't have time to say anything before the girl spoke. "Where the hell did you come from? You just... just..."
Kevin blinked. He recognized the intersection but could not place it. "I was just, um... running and... where am I?"
The girl waved her hand. "The main intersection, of course. How did you get here?"
Kevin looked behind him. There was a blank hall where the ramp had been. He pressed his hands to it; cold stone, and nothing more. "But I was right here, I mean I just came down the-"
The girl shook her head. "You're new to Hogwarts, aren't you?"
"Er, yes," Kevin said. "Who are you?"
"Evelyn Sellina. You? You're late for breakfast, you know."
Kevin frowned. "I'm Kevin Rashall. If I'm late then what are you doing here?"
Evelyn quirked her mouth cynically. "Girl's bathrooms that way." She pointed down the corridor behind her.
"Oh."
Rolling her eyes, Evelyn started jogging down the staircase to the dining hall. Kevin turned again. He pressed his hands hard against the stone wall, feeling every inch of it. There was nothing unusual about it. Just cold stone.
Kevin ran down the staircase after Evelyn who seemed to be heading towards the Ravenclaw table. He felt like apologizing for startling her like that, but couldn't find the words to say it. 'I'm sorry I tripped down a ramp that didn't really exist and almost ran into you' didn't seem to cut it. Neither did 'It was really an accident, popping out of nowhere like that, I just tripped after all'. Kevin decided to just leave it be.
"So," Evelyn said, slowing her pace. "What year are you?"
"First" said Kyle. "But I'm-" he stopped himself again. Evelyn seemed not to have noticed, however.
"I'm a second year. So, do you still have the same first year schedule? Never mind, you wouldn't know. I don't even quite remember."
"Well it would make since that I haven't seen you yet, if you're a second year. Does it get much harder?"
"Well, a bit. It's not all that much harder than last year though. Just some different classes and more interesting homework."
Kevin smiled slightly. He took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. Evelyn, however, stopped and looked confused. Her hand was on the back of a seat at the Slytherin table.
"You're a Ravenclaw?"
"You're a Slytherin?"
Kevin laughed briefly, looking confused. He supposed he shouldn't have assumed she was a Ravenclaw, but she hadn't at all showed the characteristics of how Slytherins were supposed to act to other houses; haughty, curt, and often outright rude. Was it because he was a Ravenclaw and not a Hufflepuff or Gryffondor?
Evelyn seemed to find this strange. She frowned as if she was disappointed and turned away. Kevin shrugged and sat down in his chair.
"Who was that?" Krysten asked lightly. "You're making friends with Slytherins?"
Kevin abruptly snapped, "Is there a problem with that?"
Krysten, looking affronted, replied "No, there isn't. I was going to say that it was good to meet people in other houses."
"Oh." Kevin frowned. "Sorry then."
It was more than fifteen minutes after lunch when Kevin realized that Evelyn was the black-haired Slytherin girl he had been trying to find.