Author's Note: Hi, everyone, another chapter's here! And a note, if something has a [1] next to it, or a two or a three, then it's something I clear up at the bottom. And also, just trust me that everything in this story has rhyme and reason….well, at least in my head…..

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

~*~*~Eyes Wide Shut: Ch.3-In Death, His Soul Shall Be Saved ~*~*~

So, Sunny, send at least one thoughtful letter

My heart goes out to you

Tell us all how things are so much better

My heart, it left with you

What else can I do?


-Sunny, by Morrissey

A zipping noise. A flash of something bright. A pair of blue eyes, illuminated by the light, watched with rapt attention.

Evie reached out with her free hand, and picked up a piece of yellowed parchment from the desk, drawing it slowly towards her right hand and the flaming lighter. Blue flames danced over the sheet, before a small fizzling noise was heard and the paper was lit. She held it by a corner, face solemn, till the heat in her hand and fingers got too much and she was forced to drop it on the desk. She watched it burn, blinking only once when the sweat from her forehead got in her eyes.

The paper crumpled into a small pile of black ashes, and once the last embers had died down, the mask cracked off, and Evie stood with a shaky smile, closing the lighter and slipping it into her pocket. It was still slightly warm, and the familiar weight was so comforting.

She flopped back on the bed, smiling a bit but shivering slightly also. She hadn't meant to burn anything so soon after arriving, but she couldn't help it. She'd just been too angry. Dumbledore had sent a house-elf with a message saying that tonight she'd be Sorted with the rest of the first years. The rest of them. He was grouping her-her, a sixteen year old witch!-with a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears little first-years, half of whom had never even heard of magic before now! Evie had paced and fumed about that for about an hour, before her lighter fell to the ground with a clunk.

And she'd just smiled in a vague, relieved sort of way.

But now, in retrospect, it probably hadn't been the best idea. Evie felt so drained. It was an almost foreign feeling to her. She slid back onto the bed subconsciously, fingering the silky soft duvet color. The last thing she remembered thinking before falling asleep was about that fascinating, swirly tiled pattern on the ceiling, and then she was out like a light.

*~*~*

Rumble, rumble, rumble, thunk, thunk, clank. Rumble, rumble, rumble, thunk, thunk, clank! At the last jolt of the carriage, Ginny jumped and banged her chin on her arm, before scowling and leaning back from the window. She looked quickly to see if the second years occupying the carriage with her had noticed, but they were too caught up in some gossip about one Hufflepuff couple or another. She sighed quickly.

They were in the carriages drawn by invisible horses (A/N: remember, I've disregarded OotP!), heading to Hogwarts castle. Night was falling quickly, turning the distant Forbidden Forest black against the pale twilight sky. She craned her neck slightly, to see the last golden rays of the sun. They were just as light and as brilliant as Malfoy's hair.

Her hand clenched slightly, partly angry at herself for even thinking of that prat, and but mostly furious at the thought of him. Around everyone else, she was fine, perfectly guarded, hardly ever losing her temper, but all Malfoy ever had to do was smirk and Ginny would snap. And she hadn't even known he had that power until today.

Sighing faintly, she turned her head to look anywhere but those golden rays of the dying sun. The second years had abandoned their conversation to stare at her.

"Yes?" It came out slightly harsher than she had planned.

They all quickly averted their eyes, but the bravest one, a tiny boy with a fair complexion, piped up. "Are you a Weasley?"

Ginny gave a sort of sideways glance at the locks of bright red hair hanging in front of her face. "Yeah," she said grudgingly, knowing exactly what was coming next.

She wasn't disappointed. All three gave short gasps, before looking at each other and then her. The boy who had spoken first, stammered out a quick apology, and Ginny stared, before inclining her head ever so slightly, and turning back to the window.

Everyone was quiet for the rest of the ride.

*~*~*

"Oh that's priceless! Ahahaheeeheee!!"

Draco winced and gritted his teeth at the sound of Pansy's hyena laugh. Thankfully, she rarely ever used it, but when she did, it was enough to make you gag. Even Zabini, who'd been smirking ever since Pansy had thrown herself on his lap, was grimacing. But then she left her hand drift down out of sight, and Blaise immediately smirked wolfishly. Draco shut his eyes to block them out.

The carriages only held four people, Draco, Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle, but Pansy had whined so much that the boys had finally just thrown her onto Zabini. Come to think of it, Draco had no idea why she'd even want to sit with them, he scorned her openly, only Zabini ever even acknowledged her really.

He was thinking hard over this and other random things when the carriage wheeled to a slow, lurching halt. Crabbe and Goyle scrambled out, probably already smelling the feast food, Draco reflected. He was the last one out, and still slightly spaced out as he walked up to the castle door, which is probably why he didn't see the hand until it had shot out and dragged him behind a statue.

He choked for a second-whoever it was had gotten a good drip on his tie-before looking up and gaping. "Pansy?" Draco wheezed, before scowling. "What the hell are you doing?"

She sighed impatiently before flipping her bright blonde hair out of her face and scowling right back. "Don't take that tone with me," she warned, then her expression changed abruptly. "I wanted to talk to you."

Draco still wasn't happy. "About what, you can talk to me whenever!"

"Malfoy…"

"What?"

"Just shut up and listen for once."

*~*~*

"Hey Janis! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Hon, I know I didn't owl, but I was really busy…"

"Oh my GOD, you broke up with him?!?"

"It's good to be back!"

Harry winced and rubbed his temples. He was walking towards the Great Hall, the main greeting place for the returning students. All the people talking and yelling and shrieking were starting to give him a headache, not to mention how annoying all the whispers were. He could hear snatches of conversations, and knew that a lot of students were talking about him.

That thought made him suddenly feeling rather depressed.

"Ginny!" He heard Hermione squeal, and he turned to see his best friend hug the younger girl tightly.

Harry gulped slightly. His mind flashed back to the conversation he, Ron, and Hermione had had at the beginning of summer.

*Flashback*

Ron's voice was unusually gruff, Harry noticed. That was the first thing that came to his mind, sadly enough, as he started to speak.

"Since-since everything that's happened," Ron said a little shakily. "My mom's not doing too good. She has to stay in bed a lot nowadays, so you guys can't come to the Burrow this year."

Hermione touched his hand lightly. "It's ok," she whispered, eyes a little red, "we can all go to my house this year. It's the least I can do."

Harry, who had been completely silent up to this point, finally spoke. "What about Ginny?"

Ron blinked and ran his hands through his hair. "She has to stay with Mum, and help around the house. Don't worry, the twins will be there most of the time, she'll be fine."

*End Flashback*

Looking at her now, Harry thought she emphatically did not seem fine. Her face held a harassed, slightly morbid expression, and she wasn't laughing as she hugged her friend back, only smiling slightly. He narrowed his eyes as he walked closer with Ron. She just looked so much different than she had at the end of last year.

Harry wasn't so sure if he liked the change.

*~*~*

Ginny walked into the Great Hall slowly, feeling overwhelmed at the sudden rush of students all around her. Once again wishing for the peaceful quiet of summer, she started towards Gryffindor table, only to be stopped by someone shouting her name.

It was Hermione, who caught her up in a fierce hug. She smiled. "Hey 'Mione," she said.

The bushy haired girl started speaking quickly. "Oh Ginny it's so great to see you again! How was your summer? I hope you got a lot of work done, you know this year is very important. And speaking of important, I made Head Girl!"

Ginny sighed. "Like there was ever any doubt."

Hermione shrugged and started talking about her new duties, and other things like that, while Ron and Harry came over.

She hugged both of them briefly. "Hi guys," said Ginny as she stepped back. Rather unsure of what to say next, she opted for silence and letting Ron and Hermione speak. Harry was oddly quiet.

Hermione chatted to her a bit longer, and she smiled politely. They started towards their table, before being interrupted by a shout.

"Harry, Hermione, Ron, I saved you guys some seats!" Called Neville from the middle of the long table. Looking ahead, Ginny saw three open seats by him. Hermione looked too, and her face fell slightly.

"Oh, Gin," she murmured. "I uh, guess we'll see you later? We can sit together at breakfast! You can tell me all about your class schedule!"

Her brother chimed in. "Yeah! We'll see you later."

"Bye Ginny!" Said Harry as they walked away.

Ginny smiled as she waved them off, but after a while the grin started to hurt her face and she turned away.

*~*~*

Evie groaned and rolled over, opening her eyes blearily. Her hip hit the lighter in her pocket and remembering her dream, she grabbed it and threw the damned thing across the room, oddly satisfied when she heard it hit the wall with a solid thud.

Her dream. She barely remembered any of it, just fire. Fire, all around, the temperature up in extremes, getting hotter and hotter till finally she felt herself melting, before a burst of bright light. And then she woke up.

Feeling more unsettled than ever, Evie sat up and checked her watch, then gasped. Crap. She had about, oh, five minutes to get dressed in her new uniform (house-elves were wondrous creatures, Evie decided, for all the work they did[1]) and run down to the Great Hall to be Sorted. And she didn't even know where the Great Hall was.

Groaning, she threw the basic skirt, blouse, vest and robe on, before grabbing her wand (Ash, with a unicorn hair core) and rushing out of the portrait.

"Slow down!" Called the man in the painting crabbily, shifting on his throne.

Evie whirled around. "Where's the Great Hall?"

The king just gave a fake sigh of sadness. "Always rushed, these young ones. Never a simple 'Hello,' or a 'Thank you,' at all!" He huffed, before noting Evie's scowl, and shrugging meekly. "Go down those stairs, take left, a right, the center fork in the hall, then two more rights and if you tap your wand against the statue of Merlin at the end of the hall, the Great Hall will be right through the door." Evie ran off, and the king sighed again. "Blasted modern kids."

*~*~*

"I want to warn you, Draco," Pansy started.

He scowled. "About what? I'm fine."

She sighed and took an awkward seat on the slight edge of stone behind the statue. Her gaze didn't even attempt to meet his as she rearranged her skirt and robe. "Everyone by now knows about your fa-uh, Lucius," she said hurriedly, noting his scowl. "And a lot of the Slytherins I've heard aren't too happy. When he was still alive, they obeyed your 'rule' out of fear. Now, they don't care what you think."

Draco paced in front of her, wanting to yell but instead waiting till his temper had cooled a bit to finally speak. "What about Crabbe, and Goyle, and Zabini?"

Pansy shrugged, now examining her nails. "They must actually like you." Both snorted at that, and she smirked. "But seriously, they've been closest to you here, and they should know better than anyone what your really capable of."

"And the rest? They all just believe that I hid behind my father for years?"

"I suppose so," the blonde girl hesitated for a moment. "And they're all rather doubting of your devotion to the Dark Lord."

Here he finally lost his temper. Draco whirled on the flinching girl. "What?! What Dark Lord?? He's dead, the cause died with him!! The Death Eaters are either in Azkaban, or dead! Hell, half the graduated Slytherins were among them!" He rubbed his face with his hand, causing the next words to be muffled horribly. "There's no one left."

"I know that, just as well as you do. But some people…I don't know. It's like they've forgotten the losses, everything. Some believe he isn't dead. Others think they can start over, a new Lord, a new reign of terror." Pansy shook her head, before seemingly remembering Draco's presence and smiling weakly. "Makes you think, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

She smiled bitterly. "You know what I mean. We're both older than most in our year, and if we had been born only months later, we'd have been in that class last year. We'd have the Mark and be dead, or in jail right now."

Draco stared off into the setting sun as she spoke. The sun was huge and orange, and he felt inferior in comparison. The golden rays illuminated the back of the mountains, and for a moment, it looked like the hills were on fire. He blinked, and it disappeared. Draco sighed in slight disappointment. Finally, he realized the girl had stopped talking and turned back to face her once more. They looked at each other, and simultaneously started towards the Hall.

Right outside the doors, Draco stopped. "What happened to you, Pansy? I always thought you were just some ditzy girl, you still act that way around Blaise and others," he accused.

Her eyes narrowed in thought, and when she finally spoke, Draco could tell she had chosen her words carefully. "I grew up, Draco. No matter how much people may forget, others have suffered just as much as you." And with that, she slipped into the hall. Draco followed slowly, brow furrowed in thought.

*~*~*

"Stupid castle, I hate this place, I hate it, I hate it," Evie muttered to no one, aiming a vicious kick at the wall. She winced as a jarring pain shot up her leg, and made a face at the wall. It stared back innocently, and she gave a growl before spinning around and placing aforementioned wall at her back.

She was in some random hall, completely lost. That portrait's directions were absolute crap. There was no center fork, no two consecutive right turns, no statue of Merlin at all. 'Stupid picture,' she thought to herself with disgust.

Evie started to lean against the wall, but suddenly, it moved and slid away behind her. She fell backwards-hard, judging by the pain in her butt-and felt the breath knocked out of her. Looking up, she saw the granite arms of a statue, and standing up, she saw it to be Merlin.

Evie wasted no time in tapping his robe with her wand, and walking through. Luckily enough, Professor McGonagall and the first years were just walking by. They all stopped at the front doors, and looked at her curiously as Evie walked up to the older woman.

She eyed the purple hair and piercings with distaste. "Evelyn Ashton? Yes, yes, the Headmaster has informed us all of your unique position. You'll be Sorted with the other first-years in a few moments." Then the Professor smiled slightly and leaned forward. "I look forward to seeing you in my Advanced Transfiguration class," she said, eyes sparkling. Evie was about to respond, but the older woman disappeared behind the huge double doors, and the words on her tongue just turned into a sigh.

The wide-eyed eleven year olds turned their attention on her. One especially annoying one stepped forward. "Hey, what are you doing with the first years? Were you just too stupid to come here before?" All the other kids snickered, and Evie could feel her face heating up slightly. She reached into her pocket to caress her lighter as a sort of worry stone, before remembering how she had thrown it at the door after her nightmare. The remembrance of the nightmare and the absence of her lighter combined to fuel the rage sitting in her heart. In two quick steps, she was right next to the little boy. He was rather tall for his age, so he was the perfect height for her to grab his robe at the throat.

"Listen to me you little snot-nosed piece of wizarding trash," she ground out, fisting her hands in his clothes and pinning him against the wall. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the best mood for teasing right now. So if you and your little friends don't leave me alone right this instant, I'm going to hex you into the next century. And I'm a sixth year, so I can sure as hell do it, too." Her voice had dropped to a threatening whisper, though it was perfectly audible amidst the hushed silence. The boy was trembling, but he managed to nod, and Evie dropped him with disgust on her features.

The double doors opened, the boy scrambled to his feet, and the whole group walked through. Evie followed silently.

*~*~*

Ginny watched as the Transfiguration professor walked up to the small stool, her footsteps loud in the silence, and placed the tattered hat upon it. The redhead leaned forward in her seat just a little bit. Every year, she waited for this one moment, it had always given her a kick to see that wide seem split open into a mouth and adjust itself, like one awakening from a long slumber. The song was always exciting too, of course, but she had always loved that first moment best.

She wasn't disappointed. There was a slight ripping sound, and Ginny could hear a yawn escape it amidst the loud gasps of the first-years. The Sorting Hat then started to sing.

"Though time and change may fray my edge

I haven't lost my mind

I still know what House is best

And for you just that I'll find

From brave lion to sly snake

Four houses stand side by side

Each with their own strengths and weaknesses

Together they are impossible to divide.

The lion roars for each new student

To enter in Gryffindor's den

The brave and courageous there must go

To find people like them as friends.

The badger is the gentle one,

Of all the Founding four.

It stands to reason new students

Must be loyal to enter Hufflepuff's door.

The raven of Ravenclaw house

Has wit enough to spare

Ravenclaws have knowledge enough

With new ones they will share!

And last, but in no way least,

We come to the Slytherin snake

Cunning, sly, and ambitious too

I'll put you here if that's your make.

Step right up, and cram me on!

I'll fit right snug around your head

I'll look inside, and then decide

Just where you'll find your bed!"

Everyone in the hall broke out into tumultuous applause, and Ginny could swear she saw the animals on the House banners move slightly, in their own silent approval. She allowed a slight smile, before passing her eyes over the first years.

They all looked scared, and she felt a fleeting moment of pity for the younger kids. Her brown eyes alighted on a particularly tall girl. She didn't look much like a first-year, with dark purple hair and eyebrow piercings, though she did look just as scared. Their eyes met, and Ginny could see blue eyes harden into a scowl, and the redhead quickly looked away. However, she could hear snatches of whispers around her as the first student was called.

"-Who's that girl?"

"-She looks way too old-"

"Check out that hair!"

"-What a weirdo-"

"-I hope she isn't in Ravenclaw with us-"

Ginny switched her attention back to the Sorting and away from all the cruel whispers around her. By now, quite a few of the first-years had been Sorted. Ginny heard the hat call out "GRYFFINDOR!" and she clapped a bit along with the rest of her house. They had gotten into the M's, and still the girl hadn't been called, though from the look on her face, it looked like something was wrong. She had retreated to the back of the quickly diminishing group, and was gnawing on a fingernail anxiously.

Finally, there were only two people left.

"Zechner, Alex!"

The boy walked to the stool and jammed the hat over his head, fidgeting as he waited. Finally, it called out Ravenclaw, and the table to Ginny's far right exploded in cheers. The whispers about the girl grew louder now, and some of the Slytherins burst into mocking laughter at something Malfoy had said. Ginny watched her eyes flick over to that table and the blonde, and she paled noticeably. The redhead was stopped from contemplating this by Dumbledore, who stood again.

"First, I'd like to welcome all new students. May you all find your new houses as enjoyable as countless students have before you," he took this opportunity to beam at all those in the Great Hall, before starting to speak again. "And we have one more student to join us this year. She's just transferred here from the Salem Witches Institute in America, and will be in sixth year. Evelyn Ashton, can you come up here to be Sorted, please?"

The girl walked between the tables, her footsteps a hesitant shuffling sound. She finally reached the stool, and sat down, placing the hat on and shutting her eyes.

*~*~*

Hermione had stopped talking as Dumbledore introduced the new girl, but now she wrinkled her nose. "That's not possible, it says specifically in 'Hogwarts: A History' that no transfer students are allowed!" She sounded scandalized at the very thought that someone could go against something written in a book.

Harry shrugged, watching the girl fidget as she waited for the hat to make its decision. Her skin was pale, though he couldn't tell if that was just nerves, and her purple hair gleamed in the light. He smiled a tiny bit. She was exactly the kind of girl Aunt Petunia meant when she said anything about, "ruffians."

Ron's stomach growled next to him. Hermione made an impatient tutting sound. Harry could hear a clock ticking loudly. Merlin, this girl was taking a long time to Sort.

Harry felt like he was about to nod off; afternoon naps always ended up leaving him more tired than before. And speaking of nap…he looked down and discreetly uncovered his arms, looking down at the fresh looking gashes. He gulped. They still hurt a bit, but it was considerably less than when the girl had first cut him.

As much as Harry would have liked to write this off as some stupid dream that was a result of too many Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes, by now he knew more than anyone that there really was no such thing as a coincidence.

*~*~*

Evie tried to draw in a calming breath, but it was interrupted by a voice in her mind, causing her to jump in the stool.

'Why hello Evely-oops, I mean Evie.'

She gaped. 'How'd you know?' She thought with amazement.

'I'm inside your mind. I'm here to Sort you into the right House-you were paying attention to the song?'

'Yes, yes of course. So, umm, where do I belong?'

She winced at the odd sensation of something digging around in her mind and memories. Evie waited for the hat to continue talking. It took quite a while, before, finally she heard it again.

'Hmm, quite a difficult decision…I can see almost all of the trademark House characteristics in you, well, except for Hufflepuff. You aren't that loyal, are you?'

Evie rolled her eyes mentally. 'No, I suppose not. So, where do I go?'

'Not really Slytherin, not quite your style I don't think. But Ravenclaw seems just right so…' Suddenly she felt the arrival of another presence in her mind. She figured it was some kind of helper, but another thought changed that. The Sorting Hat felt sort of like a comforting presence in her mind, like some big bright beacon. This other thing…felt dark, somehow. It brought to mind forests and such, but it was still dark.

The Sorting Hat stiffened in her head. She knew it was about to say Ravenclaw, but then she heard it roar, "GRYFFINDOR!" to the hall. Both presences were suddenly gone from her mind, and Evie stood shakily. The Gryffindor table was clapping for her, and she attempted a smile as she walked over. On the way

*~*~*

Draco's head snapped up at the name Dumbledore mentioned. He never usually paid attention to the Sorting, but now, he had to. 'Oh Merlin,' he thought hurriedly, 'it can't be her. Not here!'

Pansy saw his eyes widen and his hand clench. She followed his gaze to the girl now sitting with the Sorting Hat on her head and raised an eyebrow. She leaned over and whispered, "Draco, what's wrong? Who's that girl?"

Still wearing the face of someone who'd smelled bad fish, he paused before answering. "Evelyn Ashton. My least-favorite cousin."

Pansy's eyebrow rose higher. "Oh I remember, you always talked about how annoying she was when we were younger," she mused. "Isn't she from the States? What's she doing here?"

Draco's hand clenched a bit under the table. "No idea," Draco murmured. Then he scowled. "Well, I'll ask her tonight. She'll be in Slytherin."

"Are you sure about that? She may not be like you and the rest of the family. You know how Americans are-Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, all of them," Pansy said with a smirk.

He just turned his glare on her. "She'd better not be. At least not if she wants to stay in this family."

The blonde girl stayed silent, inwardly thinking Draco was stupid to be so presumptuous. As it turned out, a second later, she was proven right as the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" and the boy next to her started to curse.

*~*~*

"Alright, girl's dormitory is on that side, boy's on that one. Try and get a good night's sleep, tomorrow's your first day of classes!" Harry called after the first years now obediently trooping up the stairs, most too tired to talk at all. A few cast looks back at him, in awe or shyness, before scampering up and out of view. Harry grinned and collapsed on the couch, next to Ron, who looked half asleep.

When his best friend sat down, however, Ron instantly sat up, and checked the common room. It was empty, so he leaned forward.

"We need to talk," he said gravely.

Harry knew what was coming; Ron wanted to talk about his arms and the cuts. He sighed inwardly. Just when he had forgotten about that, Ron had to bring it up again. Hoping to stall, Harry gave a mock gasp. "Wait-does this mean you're breaking up with me?" He joked in a high falsetto.

The redhead didn't laugh. "I'm serious Harry," said Ron as he ran a hand through his shaggy red hair. "You need to tell me what happened to your arms. You never explained on the train."

A million excuses chased each other through Harry's head. Accident, hex, fight, masochism, or-God forbid-the truth. "No idea," Harry lied. "I guess I scratched my arms on the windowsill or something while I slept." He yawned widely. "Now if you don't mind, I'm tuckered out, I'll see you tomorrow."

He got up, and upon seeing Ron still frowning, smiled softly. "Hey," he said, "don't worry about it. We've both gotten much worse in Quidditch and the like. I'm fine."

Later, as Harry reflected in his bed that night, it wasn't the lying that had disturbed him. It was how easy lying had been.

*~*~*

Evie ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly, grimacing at the feel of dry strands. Her hair was completely dead. Magical dye always left it that way. She picked up her wand and thought of changing it back to her normal dark brown. She'd only really dyed it to annoy Aunt Esther. But now, she was free from her forever. Evie raised the wand, determined to get rid of the color, before remembering Draco. She knew he hated it. And that settled the decision to leave the color in.

Evie turned away from the mirror and dropped her bathrobe before sinking into the big tub, allowing herself a small smile. At least she had her own bathroom. The smile faded. Of course, that just meant that she was completely alone in her room. It was now her permanent room, Gryffindor's Head of House McGonagall had informed her that after the feast. Even now, almost an hour later, Evie could still remember the feeling of blood rushing to her cheeks as the older woman informed her that the dormitory was too full to accommodate her at such short notice. There had been the abstract sound of laughter around her, and Evie's mind had immediately seized it, changing it so in her ears, it had felt like they were all laughing at her. She felt awful, like she was drowning in the awful sound.

On the outside, she calmly nodded to the Professor and said she understood, before walking back to her room quickly. When she got there, the sheets had already been changed to scarlet and gold, Gryffindor colors. Evie had sat on the bed gingerly, smoothing out the red coverlet with apprehension and distaste. She'd much preferred her nice, calming blue.

Evie blew a strand of hair out of her face in the tub. She sunk down deeper, till the water was covering her shoulders, and thought back to the Sorting. She was sure the hat had been about to say Ravenclaw as her house. But then that other thing came and changed its mind. And so into Gryffindor House she went.

She lowered herself more. The water was now up to her chin. That was another thing that bothered her. The whole House system. Was she allowed to talk to other people in different houses? What about classes and points and a million other things she didn't understand? Evie had no idea who to ask about anything.

With a frustrated groan, Evie dunked her entire head underneath the water. She smiled and opened her eyes to tranquil blue. At least everything made sense here.

*~*~*

Ginny sat and looked at herself in the mirror. Longish red hair, brown eyes, pale skin, freckles. Somehow, it all looked the same as last year. She sighed slightly, before grabbing the hairbrush and beginning to drag it through her hair.

She was in the girl's bathroom. Well, she was actually more in the 'lounge' as everyone called it. There were many mirrors and chairs, even a sofa. Ginny usually went there to do her make up and hair, as it was much more quiet than her room and the bathroom.

She kept up with her brushing, completely absorbed in the mundane task. Like it always was…

::Flashback::

Ginny was brushing her mother's hair again. She did it everyday in the afternoon, right after Molly Weasley's nap, and before Ginny cooked dinner.

The girl both loved and hated this time. It was easy to get lost in the steady rhythm, not having to pay attention to anything. But she hated it whenever her mother tried to speak. Like she did now.

"G-Gin…Ginny," came the familiar wheezing voice.

She bit her lip. "Yes Mum?" Her hands kept up with their steady stroking, of the dull red hair that was once so fine and luxurious. Ginny remembered playing with it as a child, tugging on the silken strands and giggling. Her mother would laugh right back. She half closed her eyes, in memory, but a cold frail hand on her arm stopped that.

"Where…Arthur…?"

Ginny swallowed, but managed to keep both her voice and her hand from shaking. "I've told you, Mum, he's gone," she said calmly.

The hand remained on her wrist, though she tried to discreetly shake it off. "Ginny…my beautiful little baby," Molly murmured again. Her head started to drop onto her chest, but Ginny pulled her back upright. "You'll always be here for me, won't you?"

The hand maneuvering the hairbrush pushed on the worn handle just a bit harder. "Always," Ginny vowed quietly.

::End Flashback::

Ginny threw the brush down. She smoothed out her plain white nightgown, fingers trembling a bit. Looking up, she saw that her eyes were wide and blank looking.

'Like that new girl,' Ginny thought. Her mind floated back to her memory. Evelyn or whatever her name was had looked so sad and bewildered when she stumbled in, and that look had only intensified when she'd sat at Gryffindor table.

"Where's she's sleeping?" She wondered aloud. Evelyn was in her year, but she knew for a fact that her own dorm was full. The other girls had even been petitioning for more space last year.

Ginny sighed, before casting one last apprehensive glance at her reflection and heading towards her dorm.

*~*~*

Draco shifted in his sleep, flipping over onto his stomach and burying his face in the pillow, shifting smoothly from his dreams of beating up Potter to something very, very different.

He was at Hogwarts. There was some sort of huge crowd in front of him, a thick line shuffling slowly to the front. Draco felt his stomach twinge. Something felt wrong. The sky portrayed by the ceiling was sunny and clear, but inside the hall he could hear some sad muttering.

Frowning, he pushed his way through the line. Along the way, he started hearing snatches of conversation.

"-He's finally gone, thank Merlin-"

"I don't see why we should have to pay respects!"

"Fucking Death Eater…"

Draco felt that same ugly twinge. No one seemed to notice his presence there, which only made him growl slightly and push harder. Finally he got through to the front, and felt his heart stop dead.

Everything faded around him, all the noise and footsteps, till all he could hear was his own shallow breathing. Finally, that too died away, and it was like he was stuck in a soundproof box, with only a window to watch the outside world.

But Draco fervently wished that the window would fade away too, taking with it the event he now realized was a funeral procession.

For his own death.

Yes, it was him. He peered closer at the black lacquered coffin with the lid open. The same aristocratic features, frozen in a blank stare, the same pale hair slicked back like he had worn it years ago. He leaned even closer to the glass covering. His eyes were open, a little wide, but there was nothing behind the gray iris. He was dead. But that wasn't the worst part. His arms were at his side, but Draco could still see a slight black mark. He was a Death Eater.

Draco gulped and backed up quickly. He stumbled and fell into someone behind him, but that person just shook him off and continued towards the front. From his place on the floor, Draco could see that the person he had bumped into was Potter.

The raven-haired boy stopped by the coffin, a grimace of distaste on his face. The rest of the students hushed, knowing of the legendary feud between the two boys. Finally, Potter just shook his head and walked off, still looking disgusted. As his two friends followed like bodyguards, Weasley spat on the marker near the coffin, before all three swept out of sight.

Draco stood and walked to the marker, but dropped to his knees again as soon as he had read it.

'DRACO MALFOY. December 4, 1980-October 12, 1997. IN DEATH, HIS SOUL SHALL BE SAVED.'

Those words swam inside his head, chasing each other and rearranging themselves, till finally, he broke down in sobs, and buried his face in his hands. All around him, the students in line kept moving to see the coffin, to look at his body and pass judgment on his life.

*~*~*

This is all in my HP world, mind you:

[1]: House elves were first created/bred in Europe. By the time America existed and they could have been imported there, America had so many anti-slavery laws that they were illegal. Thus, Evie's only seen like two house elves in her lifetime.

AND BY THE WAY, I think in Chapter 1, Evie calls Draco 'Draconius.' That was a mistake. I sorta typed it as a joke, and thought I fixed it, but I guess not. So sorry, she really calls him Draco!