A/N: Hi!!! I've been busier during New Year's than I was at Christmas!!
This chapter would have been done a while ago, but people kept on visiting
us and so on. I hope you guys all had ur holiday wishes come (perhaps one
of them was this chapter? Hehe) This chapter is for Ron fans, he plays a
big role in this chapter and the coming up installment. I was just sick and
tired of always seeing him shunted aside in some stories; he's more than a
sidekick and in my opinion, I'd love to have Ron as a friend (then again,
it just might be my arm thing, lol). Special thanks t some of the most
dedicated readers a fanfic author can ask for, A Very Interested Reader ( I
know Harry seemed a little out of character but I'm planning on him being
his usual heroic self in upcoming chaps) , Potterlover, and Lbj5411.
Barrels of schnoogles to all of you!
Chapter Eighteen: Awakening (Part1)
Ron took a deep breath as he stood in front of Eve's door. He had knocked on it a few times, but nobody answered. 'This is NOT an amusing pattern,' he thought, remembering the silence after he had rapped on Hermione's door. He opened the door with a quick Alohomora and wasn't surprised to find the room empty. 'Stupid git,' he scolded himself. 'Of course she's directly involved in all of this. She's probably out somewhere having a pleasant conversation with dear old dad,' he thought bitterly. He thought maybe he should at least do some spying while he was there. He looked around her desk, searching for letters she may have received, or written. He glanced at the bookshelf, scanning the titles of books: The Unofficial Biography of Salazar Slytherin, Advanced Astrology, and Hogwarts, A History. There were other books in languages he couldn't read, Bulgarian, Latin, even ancient runic. Two other titles caught his eye: Most Potente Poisons, and the second, even though he couldn't read it, he recognized as Parseltongue: they were similar to the lettering on the Quidditch field, which Harry had told him was written in it. He had read it before Eve translated it. The Parseltongue book was not the one Eve was reading in the library. This one had an old brown cover, and its pages were so browned and old that he thought they would crumble if he touched them.
He picked up Most Potente Poisons and flipped through it. He was interested in this book because Hermione had pointed out that Malfoy had been reading it in the library. He wondered cynically what was in it that he was so interested in. He also pushed an even darker thought away to the back of his mind: Why was Hermione watching Malfoy so much?
He shook his head, as if to shake away cobwebs from his brain, and read on. A page in the end of the book caught his eye. It said:
'A charm often used in conjunction with the most deadly poisons is the Thirst Charm. This charm, amplified sometimes by an Attraction Charm, when applied to the goblet or container of the poison, will cause the unlucky victim to have an irresistible urge to drink the contents of the container when he or she touches it. These charms ensure that the drinker will consume the poison.'
He stopped reading. It wasn't that he was surprised at what he was reading, but that as he did he felt a familiar wave of foreboding. It was exactly what he felt when he saw that dream not more than a few hours ago. It was one of those baffling dreams, where you don't remember exactly what happened when you awaken, but you know that it had some sort of effect. He had woken up tense and nervous, sweat beading on his forehead. He had gone to sleep but woke up even more exhausted than before. The only thing he had known, and it was something he was positively sure about, was that something bad was going to happen - to him? It was one of those funny dreams that you remember only snippits of, and only when you see things that trigger some sort of reaction. And the words in the book had done so. And what he remembered made him sick to his stomach-he saw flashes of a classroom, and he remembered dying; dying and then suddenly being brought back to life by awakening. Having life rushed back to him and groggily realizing after the blur and confusion that occurs in that chasm between dream and awakening -- the chasm between life and death?-that he had been instantaneously transported back to where he originally was; after going through a horrific ordeal and then suddenly realizing it was all a sick illusion and now you're alright.
Thinking about it all made his head hurt and he closed the book. He looked over her desk again, more to distract himself than to find anything. He didn't find any letters: he didn't really expect to. He knew Eve must have destroyed anything from her father, to destroy any proof, he thought grimly. Then he noticed something shining in the moonlight streaming through a window. It was half hidden behind a leg of her desk. He bent over and pulled it out. It was a picture, one that was probably forgotten or lost when Eve had opened her album. It was a picture of her and Harry when they were babies. Thinking about Harry was painful. Ron wondered if he would continue to hold back because of him, of all people. He knew that Harry was probably waiting -and preparing-for seven years for Voldemort to use his friends as a way to lure him intro some trap. Maybe he thought the best way to protect them -and himself--against that was to not get involved at all. But he knew that was nothing like Harry. He secretly hoped he would come barging in the door any moment to help him.
He stared at the picture. They were both in diapers and baby clothes, Harry's face oddly unfamiliar because of the absence of his glasses, and, Ron realized, his scar. Eve, her emerald eyes sparkling, had her little arms around him and was giving him a slobbery kiss on his chubby cheek. Harry was fighting her, but seemed also fighting the urge to smile with pleasure. While Ron was looking at the picture, he felt a surge of anger. Here was this girl, whose parents were friends with Harry's, who was probably Harry's first ever friend, and now she was consorting with his worst enemy. He still felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps she was fighting him, and if there was even the faintest chance of that he had to go and help her. If she was on his side.. at that moment Ron felt that whatever would happen couldn't be worse than just sitting and waiting, letting Voldemort carry on.
Ron remembered his older brother Bill's stories when he had been Head Boy. He had many escapades with other girls (which he would never reveal to Ron, to his major annoyance and dismay), which included, to Ron's amazement, a young and pretty Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had moved to France later on after her job at Hogwarts. Ron realized that it might be a link to his attraction to French girls, as he was currently dating Fleur. Bill had created a secret trap door that led from his room to one of the Defense teacher's room-which was the room he was now standing in. The door also led outside of the castle, a little way into the Forbidden Forest. (That part had been created much earlier and once finding it, Bill had been inspired to make his own little extension to it.) Ron thought he could go use it to go to Draco's room, and wearing the Invisibility cloak, stun Malfoy (something he was more than happy to do) and go outside the castle, past the dementors. He realized that it was a somewhat half-arsed plan, but it was better than nothing. He fell to his knees and started unrolling the rather large Persian rug, and underneath it, still visible under a thin veil of dust, was the trap door. When he opened it he fell back and gave a startled cry as he saw two sparkling green eyes staring in astonishment back at him.
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"Hermione, are you sure about this?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"Of course I am," she looked as determined as if she were set about finishing a 100 foot long essay. "I'll change and carry you from outside the castle to Eve's room. We'll pick up Ron and then fly across the grounds, past the dementors."
Harry looked uneasy. "What if the dementors spot me? What if they spot you?"
"Well, I reckon dementors can't fly, can they?" Harry was unconvinced. She continued, "Harry, please. It's much faster this way and we won't make any noise." She paused, looking over him, as if she were examining him. "Harry, why don't you want to go through with this? I mean, even Ron stunned you because you didn't want to go."
Harry gave an exasperated cry. "He thought I didn't want to go. Once I saw that spark of light, I dunno, I felt as if I was.needed." Hermione looked at him questioningly. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I realized that I HAD to go. But Ron, the idiot, stunned me before I could tell him I'm going with him."
But Hermione wasn't paying full attention to what he was saying. She was staring at the Marauder's map, eye's widened. "Harry, look!"
Harry looked at the map. The dot labeled 'Ronald Weasley' was now accompanied by another, 'Eve Riddle'. But that wasn't what made Hermione surprised. The dot labeled 'Sirius Black' was now in Dumbledore's office. And in the Forbidden Forest, a new dot had appeared, among 'Peter Pettigrew' and 'Tom Riddle': Draco Malfoy.
Harry burst into a barrage of colorful swear words. Hermione looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You done?" she asked.
Harry nodded sheepishly, but then his face was hardened. "Let's go."
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Wormtail was looking livid with anger. "She did it again!" He pointed a crooked finger accusingly at Eve. The cloaked figure turned to her.
"What happened?" he merely asked, but his voice indicated that the short question had much in it.
"Dumbledore must have given him some sort of Portkey," she answered. Her voice was quavering slightly.
"And he chose to use it now? He could have used it before I shackled him to a dementor. I doubt Sirius Black would want to be near a dementor." Wormtail answered acidly.
"And defeat his whole purpose of coming here? He probably wanted to see where you would take him, get as much information as he can." Eve answered.
Wormtail's beady eyes were glittering. "You can read minds! Why didn't YOU tell us he had a Portkey?"
"How did you." Eve began in astonishment.
"It is only natural that you have that power," Voldemort answered. "And my feeble-minded servant has brought up a point. Didn't you know he had a Portkey? I saw you staring into his eyes for a long time."
Eve hesitated, but answered. " I was trying to read his thoughts, but I couldn't. He must have taken a thought-blocking potion."
"This all sounds a little TOO convenient, Master," Wormtail glared.
Eve gulped. Voldemort answered, "Even if it does sound untrustworthy, it is still possible. But I won't be taken for a fool, especially by a child," (As if it hasn't happened before, Eve thought bitterly.) He continued, "So therefore I ask you to leave us now. I wish to do the rest of my business here privately."
Eve lowered her head. "Yes," she answered, without adding even 'father' to it. She couldn't bring herself to call him that. The thought still sent shivers down her. She turned around and walked out the forest, out of their sight. She looked around, and seeing nobody, opened the top of a seemingly normal tree trunk. She climbed in, closing the top behind her. She lit a torch which was waiting for her, and crawled through the dark circular tunnel which led to Draco's room.
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Sirius slammed into the ground, the twig still clutched in his hand. When he rose his head, his face was warmed by the flames crackling in a familiar fire place. He got up, wiping the blood off his bleeding nose with the back of his hand and staring straight into the amused face of Albus Dumbledore.
"Sir! I uh, I can explain-"
Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him. He stared at Sirius, which made him squirm. Dumbledore's piercing gazes made it feel like he could see all the way into the back of your head. Right now, standing in the middle of his office, filthy and bloody as if he were in a fight, and looking extremely guilty, Dumbledore was reminded of the Sirius he knew in his old school days. But now he had that deadened, haunted look in his eyes which would never escape him. He was of much younger and care-free back then, so confident that he believed he owned the world. And of course he would always be flanked by James Potter, who would have looked just as disheveled, standing with him in his office. They would never fight a fight alone.
"Sir, the girl, she saved me, gave me this Portkey, but she's with HIM, and she looked-"
"I know, Sirius," he answered gravely. He dropped his hands and hung them limply at his sides as he looked incredulously at the Headmaster, who said, " If Voldemort finds out that she is with me, Harry will be in grave danger. I will explain it all in due time. I told you not to try and interfere, Sirius. But I guessed that you wouldn't listen, so I gave her a few Portkeys."
"A few?"
"You're not the only one who has the noble instincts of James Potter."
Sirius gaped. "Sir! You think Harry and his friends might try to get past the dementors?"
" I hope not, but knowing what they've done in the past, I wouldn't be surprised. Harry has been waiting for Voldemort (Sirius flinched) to come to his full power for seven years. "
Sirius ran his thin fingers through his dark hair, which was gaining a similarity to Harry's. "I usually don't question the way you do things, Headmaster, but aren't we going to do anything else? We're going to sit back and let a bunch of..teenagers go about and.."
"You should be one to talk, Sirius. Don't you remember the amazing things you accomplished with your friends when you were teenagers? And these aren't an ordinary group of them. Harry, Eve, Hermione, Ron..they all have special characterisitics, special purposes in their lives." Sirius was becoming more and more amazed at this conversation. "We have no choice but to let them carry on with their destinies in this world."
"Destinies?"
"Yes. All we can do is give them guidance..and the right tools." He paused and smiled. "Let me show you something, Sirius."
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Eve wasn't very surprised when she found Draco's room empty. But a flood of disappointment and fear entered her. She remembered what her father had said, now fully realizing it again: Green and silver will be reunited again. Green and silver, the colors of Slytherin. She had green eyes, and her stomach lurched because she knew someone with impenetrable silver eyes was with her father right now. He was planning something involving her and Draco, and for now all she could do was act as if she was going along with it. If he knew that she wasn't..she closed her eyes, wanting to close out those thoughts with it. She prayed that she wasn't the only one acting.
She continued through the tunnel to her own room. The tunnel was no more than a long hole with earth walls, and her face and clothes were covered in dirt as well as blood. She had pushed the information she had just learned away. She couldn't be immortal, she just couldn't. It seemed as more time passed, she learned more and more things that seemed to be out of her control. She didn't want any of this. All she wanted was to see her mother's face again.
But she had met many new people at this school, and even a long lost friend. That gave her a faint bright glimmer. There was one thing she had control over, and she mentally held onto that thought as if it were a precious treasure.
She finally reached the end of the tunnel, but was astonished to see that the entrance suddenly opened without her doing anything. She found herself looking at a familiar face dotted with freckles and topped with red hair, which in the dark was a dark burgundy color.
"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.
"This is my room. You on the other hand, are not in yours," she said coolly. Ron smirked. He just caught her in the act of returning after trespassing somewhere else, looking absolutely filthy, yet she managed to look calm and unruffled.
"Well it was kind of hard not to notice a humongous flash of light coming from the Forest. I had an idea that maybe you had something to do with it. Apparently, I was right." He held out his hand to help her out into the room. Once she did, he saw through the moonlight that her robes were covered in blood. He ran to her, as if she would collapse any second. He tore off her cloak, and saw that her most of her shirt was stained scarlet, which had darkened as the blood had dried. He held her and began unbuttoning her shirt to get at the presumed wound.
"Whoa, hold on. Now I know what you really came for; but you could've asked first," she smiled.
"What? No!. I mean, look at you! Are you all right?"
She brushed him off. "I'm fine," she said, and seeing his face, " No, really, I am."
"Then whose blood is that?" he asked, horrified.
Eve squirmed, "Mine." Ron opened his mouth but she said fiercely, "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? And yes, that flash of light was me, but I don't want to talk about that either."
Ron grabbed her by the tops of her arms. He was so tall he had to bend his neck to look in her eyes. She was startled by how easy it was to read his thoughts only through his expressions. It made him very endearing.
But now he was looking at her with anger. "You have Dumbledore thinking your intentions are good. Your very own mother was best friends with Harry's, and you were Harry's first friend, so he has a soft spot for you too. But I know you were with your father right now; so you are going to talk about it, so help me God."
She smiled. "And how are you going to make me?"
Ron didn't quite know the answer to that, but he didn't need to. At that moment a swift beating of wings against her windowpane told them who it was. It was Hermione, sparkling brilliantly in her blue plumage, carrying Harry by her claws. Ron scrambled to the window and opened it to let them in.
" Haven't you Gryffindors ever heard of respecting people's privacy?" she asked.
Hermione looked at her fiercely through her big phoenix eyes and transformed. She was looking at Eve angrily, her arms crossed.
'Why? We weren't interrupting anything, were we?" She asked, eyeing her bloodstained clothes.
"Yeah, it looks like Ron stabbed her with a knife." Harry said, half amused, but his green eyes were widened in concern.
"Good guess, but it wasn't Ron," she said darkly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to wash off." She said as she brushed past Harry, smelling like grass and blood, to go to her bathroom.
"Can somebody PLEASE tell me what the hell is going on? There's mysterious bright flashes of light, You-Know-Who is right outside the castle with Draco Malfoy, and you're here covered in blood!" Hermione cried. Eve was washing her hands and face, and Harry saw the basin filled with water stained red. Hermione was glaring at her, and Eve merely slammed the bathroom door in her face. She stood there mouthing silently like a fish out of water. Just as suddenly, the door opened and she walked out, wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet and hung limply across her face, shining with moisture.
She answered quickly and derisively, "I was covered in blood because my father tried to kill me. That flash of light was me trying to kill him, and Draco Malfoy is probably talking with him about a plan that most likely will involve killing us all. Any other questions?"
The three Gryffindors stood there, frozen. She continued, slightly out of breath. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere. He's not doing anything very significant yet. He still doesn't fully trust me, or Draco, yet. Besides," she said, her voice growing weary, "I just saved your godfather, Harry, who was doing exactly what you guys were about to be doing, and frankly, I don't feel like saving anybody else tonight."
"What? You saved Sirius? How?" Harry asked.
She explained everything about the Portkey and when she was finished, Hermione looked at the Marauder's Map. "They're gone!" She cried. True enough, the Forbidden Forest was empty now and the dot labeled Draco Malfoy was in his room.
"Good. I distracted you guys long enough," they all looked at her suspiciously, " to save your lives and keep you from going out there and doing something stupidly heroic." They were all looking angrily. She smiled. "Don't worry, you guys will probably have other chances. I know, I know. 'Its not easy being a Gryffindor: you try saving the world.' Blah blah blah. Well people, believe it or not, I am trying to save the world. But now's not the time. So go to bed. But before that, let me see that cool map," she said, smiling, her eyes twinkling.
"No," Hermione immediately said, and held it away from her tightly in her hand, as if keeping another dragon egg away from Hagrid. Eve glared at her, but desisted.
"Right. I guess we'd better go," Harry said to break the tension and the increased disappointed feeling that perhaps he was not needed-at least for now.
"Yeah, I guess you got what you wanted, Harry," Ron snapped.
Harry turned around. "What?"
"Why were you so dodgy on coming here? I had to stun you so you'd let me go. You wanted to just sit there and let You-Know-Who do everything he wants!" he burst. Hermione tried to restrain him, partly because what he was saying wasn't entirely true, and partly because she didn't want this conversation in front of Eve.
"Ron, you know what? I didn't want to go, but when I saw that you were gonna act like a major git and go get yourself killed, I had no choice but to come!"
Eve was watching this, fascinated. Ron was looking at him with narrowed eyes. When he spoke, it was more calm, but just as threatening. " So you only came here to save me, because you think I'm an idiot who can't take care of myself."
"Ron, no-" Hermione began placatingly.
But Eve cut her off. "Harry, is that the only reason you came? Did you want to only save Ron, or did you also want to save somebody else?" She was staring at him, analyzing his every expression.
"Well, yeah," he answered meekly. "Hermione came -on her own-(he added, glancing at Ron), and said she had seen a flash of light. And to tell you the truth, when I saw it, I had this.this weird feeling that you were in trouble." He was looking at Eve, but his voice lowered at the end of his statement and he lowered his eyes from her gaze when he finished. Eve was staring at him as if from a faraway place. She didn't seem angry, like Ron, but was looking at him with the corners of her mouth slightly curved into a smile, look with a strange mix of confusion and gratitude. Ron looked at her curiously.
Harry raised his voice again. "Ron Stunned me before I could tell him that I wasn't going to let him go alone." Ron blushed, embarrassed.
"And I think Harry was right thinking you were in trouble. Your father tried to kill you. You were covered in blood. But then you say you want him trust you. What happened?"
"I did say he didn't trust me fully yet," she said with amusement, although she was being evasive.
"How did you..survive?" Hermione pressed on, frsutrated.
Eve took a long breath. She walked over to the chair near her desk and picked up her blood-soaked robe. From one of its pockets, she took out a small vial, filled with silvery, mercury colored liquid.
"Is that unicorn blood? But whoever uses that is cursed!" Harry said, darkly remembering the events of his first year.
"Not unicorn blood. There is a small Reviving Lake in the forest." She answered, tossing the vial to Ron. He caught it, looking confused, but Hermione had a look of surprise. -+ "But those fill with the Life Water every thousand years!"
"Yeah, but it did this week, and has been doing so for all time. Why do you think unicorns live in the Forbidden Forest? I just bottled some and used it." Her last sentence was a lie. But she couldn't tell them what she had found out. Why would they believe her when she didn't even believe it herself?
"Huh? Does this stuff have healing powers or something?" Ron was still confused, and by the look on his face, so was Harry.
"It's okay. Miss Know-It-All here can explain it to you," Eve said.
Hermione glared. "You know for someone whose been in Slytherin for a few weeks you sure have all their obnoxious characteristics down." Eve crossed her arms and didn't say anything. Harry felt it was time to leave before things got unpleasant and grabbed his cloak, leading Hermione outside, still angry. He was standing out the door, motioning for Ron to come. He hesitated, then walked towards Eve, staring at her with eyes so blue they had the same calming effect as the blue waves of an ocean. It was one of his characteristics that made Hermione love him so much.
"You know, she's right, in a way. Put aside all these Slytherin ideas of what duty and pride are. Even though he makes me mad sometimes, something I've learned from Harry is that you should never forget who is it that has genuinely cared for you." He dropped the photo he had picked up earlier onto her lap. Eve raised it, her green eyes widening.
"Where did you get this?"
"It's been in front of your nose all along. You just haven't noticed it."
And he walked out of the room without another word.
Eve watched him with her lips slightly parted in surprise. She looked at the picture, showing her and Harry, what they used to be like together, what she had felt once, even though it was so long ago, but was also part of what he attempted to do for her just now
And she noticed.
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A/N: What will Eve do next?? What is Draco planning to do after his rendezvouswith the Dark Lord? What does Ron's dream mean? Will there be any kissing soon??? All these and much more to come. I've been waiting to write this chapter and the next one for a long time (I'm still not satisfied with it, but oh well), so while I was writing this chapter, it spun out of control with all the new ideas I had. So I know what I promised would be in the next chapter, but I didn't say I would update the ENTIRE chapter all at once, did I?? (I know I'm evil, ;)~~ I should be locked in a cage with a Blast Ended Skrewt). SO in the interest of time and updating as quickly as possible, I divided this chapter into two parts, and what you're waiting for will DEFINITELY be in my next update or else Satan will be ice skating to work. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming!!!! I love you guys!!!
Chapter Eighteen: Awakening (Part1)
Ron took a deep breath as he stood in front of Eve's door. He had knocked on it a few times, but nobody answered. 'This is NOT an amusing pattern,' he thought, remembering the silence after he had rapped on Hermione's door. He opened the door with a quick Alohomora and wasn't surprised to find the room empty. 'Stupid git,' he scolded himself. 'Of course she's directly involved in all of this. She's probably out somewhere having a pleasant conversation with dear old dad,' he thought bitterly. He thought maybe he should at least do some spying while he was there. He looked around her desk, searching for letters she may have received, or written. He glanced at the bookshelf, scanning the titles of books: The Unofficial Biography of Salazar Slytherin, Advanced Astrology, and Hogwarts, A History. There were other books in languages he couldn't read, Bulgarian, Latin, even ancient runic. Two other titles caught his eye: Most Potente Poisons, and the second, even though he couldn't read it, he recognized as Parseltongue: they were similar to the lettering on the Quidditch field, which Harry had told him was written in it. He had read it before Eve translated it. The Parseltongue book was not the one Eve was reading in the library. This one had an old brown cover, and its pages were so browned and old that he thought they would crumble if he touched them.
He picked up Most Potente Poisons and flipped through it. He was interested in this book because Hermione had pointed out that Malfoy had been reading it in the library. He wondered cynically what was in it that he was so interested in. He also pushed an even darker thought away to the back of his mind: Why was Hermione watching Malfoy so much?
He shook his head, as if to shake away cobwebs from his brain, and read on. A page in the end of the book caught his eye. It said:
'A charm often used in conjunction with the most deadly poisons is the Thirst Charm. This charm, amplified sometimes by an Attraction Charm, when applied to the goblet or container of the poison, will cause the unlucky victim to have an irresistible urge to drink the contents of the container when he or she touches it. These charms ensure that the drinker will consume the poison.'
He stopped reading. It wasn't that he was surprised at what he was reading, but that as he did he felt a familiar wave of foreboding. It was exactly what he felt when he saw that dream not more than a few hours ago. It was one of those baffling dreams, where you don't remember exactly what happened when you awaken, but you know that it had some sort of effect. He had woken up tense and nervous, sweat beading on his forehead. He had gone to sleep but woke up even more exhausted than before. The only thing he had known, and it was something he was positively sure about, was that something bad was going to happen - to him? It was one of those funny dreams that you remember only snippits of, and only when you see things that trigger some sort of reaction. And the words in the book had done so. And what he remembered made him sick to his stomach-he saw flashes of a classroom, and he remembered dying; dying and then suddenly being brought back to life by awakening. Having life rushed back to him and groggily realizing after the blur and confusion that occurs in that chasm between dream and awakening -- the chasm between life and death?-that he had been instantaneously transported back to where he originally was; after going through a horrific ordeal and then suddenly realizing it was all a sick illusion and now you're alright.
Thinking about it all made his head hurt and he closed the book. He looked over her desk again, more to distract himself than to find anything. He didn't find any letters: he didn't really expect to. He knew Eve must have destroyed anything from her father, to destroy any proof, he thought grimly. Then he noticed something shining in the moonlight streaming through a window. It was half hidden behind a leg of her desk. He bent over and pulled it out. It was a picture, one that was probably forgotten or lost when Eve had opened her album. It was a picture of her and Harry when they were babies. Thinking about Harry was painful. Ron wondered if he would continue to hold back because of him, of all people. He knew that Harry was probably waiting -and preparing-for seven years for Voldemort to use his friends as a way to lure him intro some trap. Maybe he thought the best way to protect them -and himself--against that was to not get involved at all. But he knew that was nothing like Harry. He secretly hoped he would come barging in the door any moment to help him.
He stared at the picture. They were both in diapers and baby clothes, Harry's face oddly unfamiliar because of the absence of his glasses, and, Ron realized, his scar. Eve, her emerald eyes sparkling, had her little arms around him and was giving him a slobbery kiss on his chubby cheek. Harry was fighting her, but seemed also fighting the urge to smile with pleasure. While Ron was looking at the picture, he felt a surge of anger. Here was this girl, whose parents were friends with Harry's, who was probably Harry's first ever friend, and now she was consorting with his worst enemy. He still felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps she was fighting him, and if there was even the faintest chance of that he had to go and help her. If she was on his side.. at that moment Ron felt that whatever would happen couldn't be worse than just sitting and waiting, letting Voldemort carry on.
Ron remembered his older brother Bill's stories when he had been Head Boy. He had many escapades with other girls (which he would never reveal to Ron, to his major annoyance and dismay), which included, to Ron's amazement, a young and pretty Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had moved to France later on after her job at Hogwarts. Ron realized that it might be a link to his attraction to French girls, as he was currently dating Fleur. Bill had created a secret trap door that led from his room to one of the Defense teacher's room-which was the room he was now standing in. The door also led outside of the castle, a little way into the Forbidden Forest. (That part had been created much earlier and once finding it, Bill had been inspired to make his own little extension to it.) Ron thought he could go use it to go to Draco's room, and wearing the Invisibility cloak, stun Malfoy (something he was more than happy to do) and go outside the castle, past the dementors. He realized that it was a somewhat half-arsed plan, but it was better than nothing. He fell to his knees and started unrolling the rather large Persian rug, and underneath it, still visible under a thin veil of dust, was the trap door. When he opened it he fell back and gave a startled cry as he saw two sparkling green eyes staring in astonishment back at him.
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"Hermione, are you sure about this?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"Of course I am," she looked as determined as if she were set about finishing a 100 foot long essay. "I'll change and carry you from outside the castle to Eve's room. We'll pick up Ron and then fly across the grounds, past the dementors."
Harry looked uneasy. "What if the dementors spot me? What if they spot you?"
"Well, I reckon dementors can't fly, can they?" Harry was unconvinced. She continued, "Harry, please. It's much faster this way and we won't make any noise." She paused, looking over him, as if she were examining him. "Harry, why don't you want to go through with this? I mean, even Ron stunned you because you didn't want to go."
Harry gave an exasperated cry. "He thought I didn't want to go. Once I saw that spark of light, I dunno, I felt as if I was.needed." Hermione looked at him questioningly. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I realized that I HAD to go. But Ron, the idiot, stunned me before I could tell him I'm going with him."
But Hermione wasn't paying full attention to what he was saying. She was staring at the Marauder's map, eye's widened. "Harry, look!"
Harry looked at the map. The dot labeled 'Ronald Weasley' was now accompanied by another, 'Eve Riddle'. But that wasn't what made Hermione surprised. The dot labeled 'Sirius Black' was now in Dumbledore's office. And in the Forbidden Forest, a new dot had appeared, among 'Peter Pettigrew' and 'Tom Riddle': Draco Malfoy.
Harry burst into a barrage of colorful swear words. Hermione looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You done?" she asked.
Harry nodded sheepishly, but then his face was hardened. "Let's go."
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Wormtail was looking livid with anger. "She did it again!" He pointed a crooked finger accusingly at Eve. The cloaked figure turned to her.
"What happened?" he merely asked, but his voice indicated that the short question had much in it.
"Dumbledore must have given him some sort of Portkey," she answered. Her voice was quavering slightly.
"And he chose to use it now? He could have used it before I shackled him to a dementor. I doubt Sirius Black would want to be near a dementor." Wormtail answered acidly.
"And defeat his whole purpose of coming here? He probably wanted to see where you would take him, get as much information as he can." Eve answered.
Wormtail's beady eyes were glittering. "You can read minds! Why didn't YOU tell us he had a Portkey?"
"How did you." Eve began in astonishment.
"It is only natural that you have that power," Voldemort answered. "And my feeble-minded servant has brought up a point. Didn't you know he had a Portkey? I saw you staring into his eyes for a long time."
Eve hesitated, but answered. " I was trying to read his thoughts, but I couldn't. He must have taken a thought-blocking potion."
"This all sounds a little TOO convenient, Master," Wormtail glared.
Eve gulped. Voldemort answered, "Even if it does sound untrustworthy, it is still possible. But I won't be taken for a fool, especially by a child," (As if it hasn't happened before, Eve thought bitterly.) He continued, "So therefore I ask you to leave us now. I wish to do the rest of my business here privately."
Eve lowered her head. "Yes," she answered, without adding even 'father' to it. She couldn't bring herself to call him that. The thought still sent shivers down her. She turned around and walked out the forest, out of their sight. She looked around, and seeing nobody, opened the top of a seemingly normal tree trunk. She climbed in, closing the top behind her. She lit a torch which was waiting for her, and crawled through the dark circular tunnel which led to Draco's room.
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Sirius slammed into the ground, the twig still clutched in his hand. When he rose his head, his face was warmed by the flames crackling in a familiar fire place. He got up, wiping the blood off his bleeding nose with the back of his hand and staring straight into the amused face of Albus Dumbledore.
"Sir! I uh, I can explain-"
Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him. He stared at Sirius, which made him squirm. Dumbledore's piercing gazes made it feel like he could see all the way into the back of your head. Right now, standing in the middle of his office, filthy and bloody as if he were in a fight, and looking extremely guilty, Dumbledore was reminded of the Sirius he knew in his old school days. But now he had that deadened, haunted look in his eyes which would never escape him. He was of much younger and care-free back then, so confident that he believed he owned the world. And of course he would always be flanked by James Potter, who would have looked just as disheveled, standing with him in his office. They would never fight a fight alone.
"Sir, the girl, she saved me, gave me this Portkey, but she's with HIM, and she looked-"
"I know, Sirius," he answered gravely. He dropped his hands and hung them limply at his sides as he looked incredulously at the Headmaster, who said, " If Voldemort finds out that she is with me, Harry will be in grave danger. I will explain it all in due time. I told you not to try and interfere, Sirius. But I guessed that you wouldn't listen, so I gave her a few Portkeys."
"A few?"
"You're not the only one who has the noble instincts of James Potter."
Sirius gaped. "Sir! You think Harry and his friends might try to get past the dementors?"
" I hope not, but knowing what they've done in the past, I wouldn't be surprised. Harry has been waiting for Voldemort (Sirius flinched) to come to his full power for seven years. "
Sirius ran his thin fingers through his dark hair, which was gaining a similarity to Harry's. "I usually don't question the way you do things, Headmaster, but aren't we going to do anything else? We're going to sit back and let a bunch of..teenagers go about and.."
"You should be one to talk, Sirius. Don't you remember the amazing things you accomplished with your friends when you were teenagers? And these aren't an ordinary group of them. Harry, Eve, Hermione, Ron..they all have special characterisitics, special purposes in their lives." Sirius was becoming more and more amazed at this conversation. "We have no choice but to let them carry on with their destinies in this world."
"Destinies?"
"Yes. All we can do is give them guidance..and the right tools." He paused and smiled. "Let me show you something, Sirius."
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Eve wasn't very surprised when she found Draco's room empty. But a flood of disappointment and fear entered her. She remembered what her father had said, now fully realizing it again: Green and silver will be reunited again. Green and silver, the colors of Slytherin. She had green eyes, and her stomach lurched because she knew someone with impenetrable silver eyes was with her father right now. He was planning something involving her and Draco, and for now all she could do was act as if she was going along with it. If he knew that she wasn't..she closed her eyes, wanting to close out those thoughts with it. She prayed that she wasn't the only one acting.
She continued through the tunnel to her own room. The tunnel was no more than a long hole with earth walls, and her face and clothes were covered in dirt as well as blood. She had pushed the information she had just learned away. She couldn't be immortal, she just couldn't. It seemed as more time passed, she learned more and more things that seemed to be out of her control. She didn't want any of this. All she wanted was to see her mother's face again.
But she had met many new people at this school, and even a long lost friend. That gave her a faint bright glimmer. There was one thing she had control over, and she mentally held onto that thought as if it were a precious treasure.
She finally reached the end of the tunnel, but was astonished to see that the entrance suddenly opened without her doing anything. She found herself looking at a familiar face dotted with freckles and topped with red hair, which in the dark was a dark burgundy color.
"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.
"This is my room. You on the other hand, are not in yours," she said coolly. Ron smirked. He just caught her in the act of returning after trespassing somewhere else, looking absolutely filthy, yet she managed to look calm and unruffled.
"Well it was kind of hard not to notice a humongous flash of light coming from the Forest. I had an idea that maybe you had something to do with it. Apparently, I was right." He held out his hand to help her out into the room. Once she did, he saw through the moonlight that her robes were covered in blood. He ran to her, as if she would collapse any second. He tore off her cloak, and saw that her most of her shirt was stained scarlet, which had darkened as the blood had dried. He held her and began unbuttoning her shirt to get at the presumed wound.
"Whoa, hold on. Now I know what you really came for; but you could've asked first," she smiled.
"What? No!. I mean, look at you! Are you all right?"
She brushed him off. "I'm fine," she said, and seeing his face, " No, really, I am."
"Then whose blood is that?" he asked, horrified.
Eve squirmed, "Mine." Ron opened his mouth but she said fiercely, "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? And yes, that flash of light was me, but I don't want to talk about that either."
Ron grabbed her by the tops of her arms. He was so tall he had to bend his neck to look in her eyes. She was startled by how easy it was to read his thoughts only through his expressions. It made him very endearing.
But now he was looking at her with anger. "You have Dumbledore thinking your intentions are good. Your very own mother was best friends with Harry's, and you were Harry's first friend, so he has a soft spot for you too. But I know you were with your father right now; so you are going to talk about it, so help me God."
She smiled. "And how are you going to make me?"
Ron didn't quite know the answer to that, but he didn't need to. At that moment a swift beating of wings against her windowpane told them who it was. It was Hermione, sparkling brilliantly in her blue plumage, carrying Harry by her claws. Ron scrambled to the window and opened it to let them in.
" Haven't you Gryffindors ever heard of respecting people's privacy?" she asked.
Hermione looked at her fiercely through her big phoenix eyes and transformed. She was looking at Eve angrily, her arms crossed.
'Why? We weren't interrupting anything, were we?" She asked, eyeing her bloodstained clothes.
"Yeah, it looks like Ron stabbed her with a knife." Harry said, half amused, but his green eyes were widened in concern.
"Good guess, but it wasn't Ron," she said darkly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to wash off." She said as she brushed past Harry, smelling like grass and blood, to go to her bathroom.
"Can somebody PLEASE tell me what the hell is going on? There's mysterious bright flashes of light, You-Know-Who is right outside the castle with Draco Malfoy, and you're here covered in blood!" Hermione cried. Eve was washing her hands and face, and Harry saw the basin filled with water stained red. Hermione was glaring at her, and Eve merely slammed the bathroom door in her face. She stood there mouthing silently like a fish out of water. Just as suddenly, the door opened and she walked out, wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet and hung limply across her face, shining with moisture.
She answered quickly and derisively, "I was covered in blood because my father tried to kill me. That flash of light was me trying to kill him, and Draco Malfoy is probably talking with him about a plan that most likely will involve killing us all. Any other questions?"
The three Gryffindors stood there, frozen. She continued, slightly out of breath. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere. He's not doing anything very significant yet. He still doesn't fully trust me, or Draco, yet. Besides," she said, her voice growing weary, "I just saved your godfather, Harry, who was doing exactly what you guys were about to be doing, and frankly, I don't feel like saving anybody else tonight."
"What? You saved Sirius? How?" Harry asked.
She explained everything about the Portkey and when she was finished, Hermione looked at the Marauder's Map. "They're gone!" She cried. True enough, the Forbidden Forest was empty now and the dot labeled Draco Malfoy was in his room.
"Good. I distracted you guys long enough," they all looked at her suspiciously, " to save your lives and keep you from going out there and doing something stupidly heroic." They were all looking angrily. She smiled. "Don't worry, you guys will probably have other chances. I know, I know. 'Its not easy being a Gryffindor: you try saving the world.' Blah blah blah. Well people, believe it or not, I am trying to save the world. But now's not the time. So go to bed. But before that, let me see that cool map," she said, smiling, her eyes twinkling.
"No," Hermione immediately said, and held it away from her tightly in her hand, as if keeping another dragon egg away from Hagrid. Eve glared at her, but desisted.
"Right. I guess we'd better go," Harry said to break the tension and the increased disappointed feeling that perhaps he was not needed-at least for now.
"Yeah, I guess you got what you wanted, Harry," Ron snapped.
Harry turned around. "What?"
"Why were you so dodgy on coming here? I had to stun you so you'd let me go. You wanted to just sit there and let You-Know-Who do everything he wants!" he burst. Hermione tried to restrain him, partly because what he was saying wasn't entirely true, and partly because she didn't want this conversation in front of Eve.
"Ron, you know what? I didn't want to go, but when I saw that you were gonna act like a major git and go get yourself killed, I had no choice but to come!"
Eve was watching this, fascinated. Ron was looking at him with narrowed eyes. When he spoke, it was more calm, but just as threatening. " So you only came here to save me, because you think I'm an idiot who can't take care of myself."
"Ron, no-" Hermione began placatingly.
But Eve cut her off. "Harry, is that the only reason you came? Did you want to only save Ron, or did you also want to save somebody else?" She was staring at him, analyzing his every expression.
"Well, yeah," he answered meekly. "Hermione came -on her own-(he added, glancing at Ron), and said she had seen a flash of light. And to tell you the truth, when I saw it, I had this.this weird feeling that you were in trouble." He was looking at Eve, but his voice lowered at the end of his statement and he lowered his eyes from her gaze when he finished. Eve was staring at him as if from a faraway place. She didn't seem angry, like Ron, but was looking at him with the corners of her mouth slightly curved into a smile, look with a strange mix of confusion and gratitude. Ron looked at her curiously.
Harry raised his voice again. "Ron Stunned me before I could tell him that I wasn't going to let him go alone." Ron blushed, embarrassed.
"And I think Harry was right thinking you were in trouble. Your father tried to kill you. You were covered in blood. But then you say you want him trust you. What happened?"
"I did say he didn't trust me fully yet," she said with amusement, although she was being evasive.
"How did you..survive?" Hermione pressed on, frsutrated.
Eve took a long breath. She walked over to the chair near her desk and picked up her blood-soaked robe. From one of its pockets, she took out a small vial, filled with silvery, mercury colored liquid.
"Is that unicorn blood? But whoever uses that is cursed!" Harry said, darkly remembering the events of his first year.
"Not unicorn blood. There is a small Reviving Lake in the forest." She answered, tossing the vial to Ron. He caught it, looking confused, but Hermione had a look of surprise. -+ "But those fill with the Life Water every thousand years!"
"Yeah, but it did this week, and has been doing so for all time. Why do you think unicorns live in the Forbidden Forest? I just bottled some and used it." Her last sentence was a lie. But she couldn't tell them what she had found out. Why would they believe her when she didn't even believe it herself?
"Huh? Does this stuff have healing powers or something?" Ron was still confused, and by the look on his face, so was Harry.
"It's okay. Miss Know-It-All here can explain it to you," Eve said.
Hermione glared. "You know for someone whose been in Slytherin for a few weeks you sure have all their obnoxious characteristics down." Eve crossed her arms and didn't say anything. Harry felt it was time to leave before things got unpleasant and grabbed his cloak, leading Hermione outside, still angry. He was standing out the door, motioning for Ron to come. He hesitated, then walked towards Eve, staring at her with eyes so blue they had the same calming effect as the blue waves of an ocean. It was one of his characteristics that made Hermione love him so much.
"You know, she's right, in a way. Put aside all these Slytherin ideas of what duty and pride are. Even though he makes me mad sometimes, something I've learned from Harry is that you should never forget who is it that has genuinely cared for you." He dropped the photo he had picked up earlier onto her lap. Eve raised it, her green eyes widening.
"Where did you get this?"
"It's been in front of your nose all along. You just haven't noticed it."
And he walked out of the room without another word.
Eve watched him with her lips slightly parted in surprise. She looked at the picture, showing her and Harry, what they used to be like together, what she had felt once, even though it was so long ago, but was also part of what he attempted to do for her just now
And she noticed.
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A/N: What will Eve do next?? What is Draco planning to do after his rendezvouswith the Dark Lord? What does Ron's dream mean? Will there be any kissing soon??? All these and much more to come. I've been waiting to write this chapter and the next one for a long time (I'm still not satisfied with it, but oh well), so while I was writing this chapter, it spun out of control with all the new ideas I had. So I know what I promised would be in the next chapter, but I didn't say I would update the ENTIRE chapter all at once, did I?? (I know I'm evil, ;)~~ I should be locked in a cage with a Blast Ended Skrewt). SO in the interest of time and updating as quickly as possible, I divided this chapter into two parts, and what you're waiting for will DEFINITELY be in my next update or else Satan will be ice skating to work. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming!!!! I love you guys!!!