I Do Not Own Harry Potter.
I think the title of the chapter says it all.
Severus ran to the Headmaster's office. He informed the man of the situation and asked what he could do.
"Severus, I need you to stay here. As I said before, your position as our eyes and ears in Voldemort's camp is essential."
Severus reluctantly nodded. He now knew what Saveage must have felt when she left Eva here. "Just bring her back to me,"
"I will." Dumbledore moved to his fireplace and disappeared in a whirl of green flames.
He appeared inside the Nocturino family home and made his way to where he knew Eva's room was located. He was rather pleased to see the happy reunion taking place in the room. He entered through the open door and cleared his throat. All eyes turned on him and he smiled. "I had rather hoped you would listen to my advice to stay at the school."
"You wouldn't have had any more luck than us, to get her back there," said Draco.
"Yes, I recall your assessment, Mr. Malfoy." Albus turned to Narcissa. "Mrs. Malfoy, it is a pleasure to see you again."
"The feeling is mutual, Professor Dumbledore. I expect you have people coming to help with the situation."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there are people arriving at the gates as we speak. They will organize and clear out the woods as soon as there is light."
"And Eva?"
"She will be returning to Hogwarts until the end of the school term," said Albus.
"I really wish people would stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room," Eva said. "Professor Dumbledore, I would really like to stay here instead of going back to the castle. I'm sure that there are some members within the Order that would help with my education if you asked them. Remus Lupin could help with my Defense training."
"I'm sorry, Miss Nocturino, but as you noticed, it is still not wholly safe for you here. I will need a few more months before a ward is perfected and placed on your forest."
"What kind of ward would be placed there? I might consider using it in the forest adjoining Malfoy Manor," said Narcissa. She took Professor Dumbledore to a table with chairs around it, in a corner away from the students.
"Well, since it looks like we're going to be here until morning, how about I get you all rooms?" said Eva. She turned and shook the little bell that was on the table. In an instant five house elves appeared in front of her.
"Mistress Eva called?" asked Binky.
Hermione had a shocked look on her face as the elves bowed low before their Mistress.
"Yes, Binky. I would like you to prepare some rooms for our guests. I believe that all the rooms in this wing are open and furnished. Please see to it that they are comfortable."
"Of course, Mistress. Would Mistress like Binky to help her dress for the night?"
"I will be fine, but please return when you're done settling them in for the night."
The house elves left and all the guests of the Manor followed them. Hermione hesitated for a moment, until Eva gave her a little nudge to get her going. Eva realized she would have to explain the house elf situation to Hermione.
Eva listened as each of her guests was deposited in their rooms. She wondered if the Aurors and members of the Order would need rooms for the night as well. She would have Binky ask Professor Dumbledore. She went to her bedroom and pulled out one of her silk sleeping gowns and undressed. The material felt good flowing over her body and she decided to forego her robe. It was warm enough in her room to just walk around without a robe.
Noni returned a short while later and bowed to her Mistress. "Are they all settled?" asked Eva.
Noni's face saddened. "No, Mistress. Noni has come to alert Mistress that one guest has offered clothes and freedom. House elves have sent Noni with a request for Mistress to help."
Eva couldn't help but giggle. She did not think that Hermione would actually offer them clothes so soon. Grabbing her robe and tossing it over her shoulders she began walking down the corridor, letting the material billow out behind her.
She knocked on the door that Noni had stopped in front of. She could hear Hermione trying to convince one of her elves to take a sock; most likely one she'd just taken off. "'Mione?" called Eva as she opened the door. As soon as she walked in, she saw a little creature scurry across the room and hide behind her. Nagie was the elf behind her making noises like she'd just had a nightmare. "I would really appreciate it if you didn't frighten my house elves," Eva said through a chuckle.
"I can't believe you have house elves in your home, Eva!"
"Well, generally that's where you keep them, 'Mione," she teased.
Eva had left the door open and the rest of the Hogwarts students came to the door to watch the exchange. Hermione was wearing a pair of Eva's satin pajamas and her hair seemed a bit bushier because of her high emotion.
"Who do you think is gonna win this one?" Neville asked the other boys at the door.
"Definitely Eva," said Draco. "I'll put ten galleons on her convincing Hermione that it's okay to have house elves."
"I wouldn't go that far, Malfoy," said Harry. "Ten galleons says that she convinces Hermione her house elves are okay."
"Deal, Potter."
Draco and Harry shook hands and went back to watching the two girls.
"I thought you were better than this, Eva," said Hermione.
"'Mione, I explained this to you before. House elves are attached to the family they serve. It does not mean they are mistreated. Some families do hurt and take advantage of their elves, but mine are treated very well."
"But they're not free!" cried Hermione.
"Is that what this is all about? All that stuff about spew and everything?" asked Eva, her voice suddenly showing comprehension.
"It's not spew. You're just as bad as Ron. It's the Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare."
"Spew," said Eva simply.
"It's not spew!" cried Hermione. "I can't believe you're not taking this seriously. I thought you had higher ideals that this, Eva."
Eva could not help but laugh at the indignation in Hermione's voice. She could see how Draco thought she was cute when she was brassed off, not that he'd said anything, but Eva had a feeling about them. "Come and sit with me, 'Mione." Eva moved towards the bed and sat down. She motioned for one of her house elves to come sit next to her. "Noni, if you would be so kind as to check on Professor Dumbledore? And could you ask him if the Order members will be needing rooms as well?"
"Yes, Mistress," said Noni. She bowed and was gone in a pop.
"Now, 'Mione, I think it's time that you know about how we do things in this house."
"If you're going to try and convince me that the house elf enslavement is all right, then you can save your breath," she said scornfully.
"You will not speak to Mistress like that in this house," said Nagie.
Hermione was a bit shocked at the house elf's order. She'd not heard any of the Hogwarts house elves speak like that.
Eva smiled at Hermione's shocked expression. "You see, 'Mione, in this house, the elves are given much more freedom than in any other wizarding house I've known. In fact, they are given the choice of freedom when they turn fifty." Eva raised a hand as Hermione's mouth opened to argue. "Fifty is not old. House elves age just as fast as wizards and live twice as long. Nagie here, is one hundred and in reality is free."
"What?! But she is serving you!"
"She has made a choice to stay in the service of this family. We pay her a monthly stipend and she receives whatever days she would like off. If I say so myself, I think she rather likes it here," said Eva. She turned to the little elf sitting beside her and smiled.
"Nagie likes Nocturino Manor very much."
"I'm glad that you do," said Eva. She pulled the diminutive creature into a warm embrace. "Go on about whatever you need to do. Have a good night."
Nagie hopped off the bed and bowed before exiting the room.
Hermione sat staring at the door through which her burst bubble had just walked away. "I can't believe it."
"I know that you don't agree with the house elf enslavement, but you should understand that I do not treat my house elves as some pureblood families treat theirs. However, I will not insult them by forcing freedom upon them. Different Magical Creatures have different customs and traditions. Hippogriffs have their own customs, as do house elves. We give them their freedom, if they want it, but we give them a choice to stay here to avoid the shame that would come from their fellow elves."
"But they should not be ashamed to be free," said Hermione.
"No, they should not, 'Mione, but that's how their world works. I hope you at least understand that I do not treat my house elves as most pureblood families do."
Hermione sat looking at the floor for a few minutes. Harry actually thought that Draco might have won the bet and reached into his pocket to get his money, when Hermione spoke up.
"I can't say that I think the house elf enslavement is okay. I still think that they should all be free, but I can't find anything wrong with the way you treat your house elves. I'm glad that you give them the choice."
Harry smiled and turned to Draco with his palm out. He'd won. Hermione had not consented, but Eva had convinced her that her house elves were all right.
"Don't think this will happen again, Potter. I very rarely lose bets." Draco pulled out the ten galleons and looked at Eva with a mock glare.
The two girls in the room had not noticed the boys at the door until Ron and Neville laughed at the look on Draco's face. Harry was counting his galleons and smiling.
"What's going on?" asked Eva. She stood from the bed and walked over to them. She forgot that her robe was not fastened and so her silky, and almost see-through, sleeping gown was in full view.
"Potter and I had a little bet going on how much you could convince Hermione about house elves," said Draco. He reached out and pulled her robe closed, then tied it, at which Eva rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd get her to completely agree with the whole thing, he said you'd get her to agree that your house elves were okay. He won."
Eva turned to Harry. "I expect you to share some of those winning, Harry. After all, I did help you get them."
"I will give you anything you want," said Harry.
Draco tssked at Harry. "Rule number one, Potter. Never promise a Slytherin the world, they'll take you up on it."
"Don't go ruining my fun, Draco. I think I'll hold him to it," said Eva. "Now, I think that it's time for you lot to get to bed. Do you need anything else? Towels? Sheets? Water?"
"No, your elves took care of everything," said Neville. He walked over and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Eva."
"Night, Neville."
"Good night, Eva," said Ron.
"Night, Ron."
Eva walked out into the corridor and closed Hermione's door. "Could I talk to you two for a minute?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she began the walk to her room at the end of the corridor.
She entered and led them to the table where Dumbledore and Narcissa had been conversing. They waited until she was seated and then took chairs at opposite sides of the table.
"The reason I wanted to talk to you both, is to make sure that you understand that I will not be leaving this house, unless it is absolutely necessary. And by that I mean that Voldemort, himself, comes and tries to take me away."
Draco winced at her casual use of the name. Even his father never called the Dark Lord by his name and he was pretty much his right hand.
"I don't think Dumbledore is going to accept that answer," said Harry.
"I do not expect him to accept it. In fact, I would like for him to argue with me so I can tell him just what I think about being held prisoner in a place I would rather not be."
"You don't like Hogwarts?" asked Harry, a note of hurt in his voice.
"I don't like the fact that I was held there without an explanation for near six months," explained Eva.
"You have your explanation now, though. Will you stay here, even though you know it is definitely not safe?" asked Draco.
"This is my home, Draco. I have experienced chaos and hurt at Hogwarts, the Manor is my safe place."
"Is that all you've experienced at Hogwarts?" asked Harry.
Eva looked at Harry. She could tell that he was fighting to keep the hurt out of his face because of Draco's presence. "Would you excuse us, Draco?" she asked without taking her eyes away from Harry's.
Draco stood and left without another word. He had the fleeting thought that Potter would probably not be leaving this bedroom tonight and had the urge to put a magnifying spell on the door, so that whatever noise was made would be heard through the corridor. He smiled at the thought, but decided against it. He needed some sleep and doing that would only cause everyone to run amuck.
Eva sat looking at Harry for a few moments before standing and taking his hand. She walked him to the bed and crawled in. He followed her onto it and she snuggled close to him. "Harry, I want to tell you something that I've been holding back for quite some time." She took his kiss on the top of her head as his signal that she could continue. "You know that I've always thought you are a powerful wizard. I've liked watching you master the concepts and spells that I throw at you all the time. You're amazing to watch." Eva moved away from Harry and sat on her haunches so she would be able to see his face. "I have found myself watching you all the time. I can't stop thinking about you; I dream about you more than I care to mention." She was not surprised at her own blush, but his was a bit unexplainable. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you. I think I've loved you from the first night that we trained together."
Eva waited for his answer. She knew that there were only two things that could happen. He would either say he loved her, too, or he would say that he just thought of her as a friend. She hoped for the former, but she would be happy with either of them.
"Your father's going to kill me," said Harry. He hadn't planned on saying that out loud. He'd wanted to confess his love for her just as she'd done for him. He wanted to tell her how he loved the way she talked, the way she walked, her every move was beautiful to him. He wanted her to know that he was always craving her touch and her smile. He wanted to see her happy all the time, just so he could see that beautiful smile.
Eva was a bit confused at his comment at first, but she realized the meaning of it and flung herself on top of Harry. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She began with small pecks on his lips, and progressed to longer, more lingering kisses. They tumbled around her huge bed kissing and petting for a long time. Harry was the one who actually called the halt to their play.
"Why do you do that?" asked Eva. She had hoped they would be able to finish what they'd started the night of the Yule Ball.
"Do what?" asked Harry.
"Stop. You always stop right in the middle of our little snog sessions. Am I doing something you don't like?"
"No, it's not that. It's just I don't feel right putting you in that position," said Harry.
"What kind of position are we talking about here, Harry?" she asked.
"I don't want to put you in the position of making a commitment to someone who is not very . . . secure."
"Harry, I have more money that I know what to do with. I am more than secure for both of us."
"Not that kind of secure. The kind of secure that brought us here tonight."
Eva finally realized what he was trying to say. "Do you know why my mother brought me to Hogwarts?" she asked him. Harry shook his head. "Voldemort was asking for my hand in marriage from my grandfather. Apparently, that's why he killed them the day that I was brought to Hogwarts. I wasn't on the train, Harry, if you recall. I got to Hogwarts about a week before school began. My grandparents were killed downstairs in their study by two Death Eaters; I saw the whole thing. I didn't know what was going on until my parents and Professor Dumbledore told me in St. Mungo's. In some sort of twisted way, I'm in the same boat you are."
Harry felt a sudden rise of anger and he saw the curtains on the bed sway in an invisible breeze. Eva put her hand on his arm. "He's not going to touch you. I promise."
Eva smiled and moved down on the bed. She snuggled into Harry's side. She fell asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
Eva awoke the next morning in Harry's arms. She looked up at him and smiled. His mouth was slightly open and he was snoring softly. She moved to sit next to him and traced her finger over his nose, cheeks, and forehead. She wanted to memorize every line of his face. She was still poring over his features when her door opened and Nagie entered the room. She put her finger to her lips, so the house elf would not make too much noise. Eva tore herself away from Harry's side and followed the house elf into her bathroom.
Eva was soon sitting in her bathtub surrounded by rose-scented bubbles. She leaned her head back and allowed Nagie to wash her hair. She missed this part of her life. She and Nagie would have the most interesting conversations during her morning bath and hair washing. This morning was no different.
"Is Mistress happy with her choice of mate?" asked Nagie.
Eva smiled. Since Nagie was free, she had every right to ask Eva such a personal question. "Harry is not exactly my mate, Nagie, but I am happy with him. He makes me feel complete."
"Master Harry is kind to Mistress?"
"Harry is very kind to me. He does things sometimes that I would rather he not do, but then again, not everyone can be perfect."
"Does he hurt you?" asked Nagie with concern.
"No, of course not. I guess I can't expect him to do something he isn't ready to do yet. I love him so much, Nagie, and I want to show him how much. I guess I have to wait until he feels the same."
Nagie finished rinsing her Mistress' hair and went to fetch her robe. She returned and Eva stood from the tub. Nagie snapped her fingers and the tub was devoid of any water. Another snap brought crystal clear liquid to fill the vessel.
"I'll wake Harry so he can have his bath. I think he'll be okay on his own, Nagie. You can help me dress."
Eva walked over to the bed and kissed Harry on the lips. She waited for him to open his eyes, but he just gave a little smile and snuggled into the blankets. His arm moved to his stomach and he looked like he was reaching for her, but found only air. His eyes opened and he saw Eva above him.
"Good morning, Sunshine," she teased.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"It's seven o'clock and time for your bath," she said. She stood and lifted the covers from the bed. Harry tried to grab them, but Eva just yanked harder. "Come on, Harry. Breakfast will be cold if you don't get a move on."
"Alright, alright, I didn't think you would be this bossy in the morning," he teased.
Eva tossed a pillow at his retreating form. When she heard the soft splash of water, she turned to her wardrobe to pick out what she would wear today. Nagie had chosen three dresses that might suit the day's activities and Eva chose one. By the time Nagie had finished tying the laces in the back, Harry had finished his bath and was now exiting the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Eva sheepishly.
"I don't know where my clothes went. I was washing my hair and when I opened my eyes, they were gone."
Eva just smiled at him. "Well, I guess you're going to have to walk around with that towel all day." Harry's eyes bulged to the size of saucers. "Or you could just forego the towel and walk around starkies." Eva couldn't help laughing at Harry's shocked face. "I'm just kidding, Harry. Nagie took your clothes to be washed. She'll be back up here in a minute."
Harry nodded and stood awkwardly. He was used to being naked in front of other guys, he shared a room with four of them after all, but he was essentially naked in front of a girl right now. It didn't help that the girl in front of him had been the object of a rather intimate dream.
"Why don't you sit at the table and wait for Nagie. I need to do my hair in the bathroom," Eva pointed to a different table, one closer to the bed, which had three books on it. She entered the bathroom and Harry sat down.
He figured he might as well do something constructive while he waited for his clothes, so he opened the book closest to him. It was titled: Occlumency: Strange Cases of Connections. Harry raised an eyebrow at this one. It didn't seem like the scholarly kind of book that Eva would read about Occlumency. He read the title of another book on the table: Dreams: What They Mean. Harry smiled at this one. He'd had a similar book for Divination once. He opened the book to a page that Eva had flagged and was shocked at the heading. "Sex Dreams and Why You Have Them."
Harry closed the book quickly, he knew enough from listening to Hermione that if he read that it would be in some strange way like reading Eva's diary. He pulled the third book over and read the title, he wasn't surprised by what he saw: A Guidebook for Teacher and Student of Occlumency: A Complete Look at Theory, Form, and Connections.
Harry opened this one to the page that Eva had marked with a paper. The chapter title was: "Connecting Over Long Distances." He read about two pages and saw that it pretty much said that long-distance connections were not possible. He looked down at the paper that Eva had used to mark the chapter and saw a question scribbled on it. "What if the two people are in love?" There was a date on it, too: February 5th.
Harry remembered that was the day Neville had received news of Eva's waking from her coma. It was also the date that he'd had that dream. Could it be?
Eva came out of the bathroom and saw Harry reading the books she'd taken out of the family library. She felt the blush run to her cheeks. What if he figured out she had a sex dream about him? "Harry?"
Harry slammed the book shut with the paper in its pages again. He stood quickly, too quickly in fact. He just barely managed to grab the towel before exposing himself to Eva. "I-I-I was just looking at your books," he said trying to keep the towel on and his voice normal.
Eva panicked. "I-I-I was just doing some reading. I thought it would be interesting when we started training again. They're mostly reference books. I was curious. I swear I didn't have a sex dream about you," Eva rushed it all out so quickly that she couldn't stop her mouth from pouring forth the last comment. She clamped her hand over her mouth and stared at Harry with wide eyes.
"You had a sex dream about me?" he asked incredulously.
Eva was spared from having to answer. Nagie entered the room with Harry's freshly laundered clothes and Eva dashed out of the room before he could call her back. Eva ran to the first floor and found more than a dozen adults sitting in her dining room. They were all eating breakfast, Binky and Minky being their servers.
Professor Dumbledore saw her and stood from his seat, the other men in the room did the same. Eva walked to the front of the table and stood next to her grandfather's chair. She was going to move to her usual seat when Professor Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the head of the table. "You are the hostess of this house, Eva," he said.
Eva tried her best to smile and slowly sat in the chair. She swore she could still feel the warmth from when her grandfather last sat there. She did not have much time to think about the past because her friends entered and sat to breakfast, Harry threw her a curious look and she turned her attention to her food and the conversation the adults were having.
"From the last check, Albus, there are a dozen Eaters," said Remus Lupin. "They have noticed that we're here and Shacklebolt reported that one of them headed West around midnight."
Albus gave Remus a look that must have conveyed some sort of private meaning, because Remus stood and went outside. Some of the other Order members soon followed. Eva turned to Professor Dumbledore and asked what the plan was.
"Well, the plan is to get you back to Hogwarts and then remove these trespassers from the property."
"I am not going to leave," said Eva.
"Excuse me?" asked Narcissa in surprise. "Did you just question the man whom your mother and father put in charge of your safety?"
"Yes, I did," replied Eva.
"This is not something that is up for debate, Eva. You are going to return to Hogwarts and that is final," said Narcissa.
"I will do no such thing," said Eva through clenched teeth.
"You do not have a say in this, young lady," said Narcissa.
Eva slammed her fist on the table, causing the silver to fall to the floor and the house elves to squeak in surprise. "I will not be trapped!" she shouted. Standing from the table, she stormed out of the room. Draco stood to follow her, as did the other teens. They only saw the bottom of her robes disappear around a corner, but when they reached the place where she'd turned they found a solid wall.
"Is there a passage here, Draco?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know. I've never seen one here before." Draco reached out his hand towards the wall and it went right through. He put one foot forward and was going to walk through when Hermione grabbed his arm.
"We don't know what's back there," she said.
"Eva went in didn't she?" Draco proceeded and disappeared behind the wall.
Harry walked through right after him. Neville followed and soon they were all walking down a dark corridor, lighted by torches. The Gryffindors soon caught up with Draco and the group found a door at the end of the corridor and knocked. Eva opened it.
"How did I know you would follow?" she said to no one in particular. She opened the door wide and moved aside to let them enter the room.
The students looked around the enormous room in awe. Even Draco had not seen a room like this before. It was twice the size of any classroom at Hogwarts and had an assortment of magical instruments. They seemed to know that this was Eva's training room. It was the only room in the house that had the look of magical purposes.
"You're not going to convince me to leave," Eva told them all.
"You're not safe here, Eva. We can't just leave you here and hope for the best," said Neville.
"I'm as safe here as I was at Hogwarts. I'm sure that as soon as they fix that problem with the forest, I will be fine."
"No, you won't be Eva," said Draco. "I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought it would just go away, but now I know that I should have said something."
"What happened?" Eva asked warily.
"Lucius wrote to me. He's not in Azkaban."
"What?!" cried the Gryffindors.
"Why didn't you say anything, Malfoy?!" asked Harry, the fury he felt for the other boy evident in his eyes.
Draco glared at Harry. He did not like people questioning his decisions, least of all Gryffindors. He'd not said anything because he was scared about the decision he had to make.
Eva walked in between the two boys who were having a stare-down. "Okay, okay, let's just forget that Draco did not say anything and focus on what's going on now." Eva turned to look at Draco. "How long ago did he write?"
"New Year's."
"Shit!" cried Eva. She put her face in her hands and tried to clear her thoughts. "That means he's probably one of the Eaters outside."
"Probably not, Rave. I think he went to get the Dark Lord, last night. He's more than likely the one who's leading the Eaters."
"This is not good," said Eva.
"Why not?" asked Hermione.
"Because Lucius Malfoy knows this manor almost as well as he knows his own. There are precious few rooms he does not know about; this being one of them."
"I think I may be able to do something," said Draco.
"I think you've done enough, Malfoy," spat Harry.
Draco took two steps and he was face to face with Harry. The two boys looked at each other with pure hate for a few moments.
"Does the precious Boy-Who-Lived have a plan? I haven't heard you say a word to help, Potter."
"Sounds like we've been doing the same thing then, Malfoy," said Harry.
"Stop it, both of you," said Eva. "I have had enough of your little rivalry. If you think I will sit here and watch you two throw jibes and insults at each other, you are sorely mistaken. If it weren't for the fact that we need to work together, I would hex you both right now." Eva looked at all her friends in the room. "You are all going to have to put aside your differences. We are all fighting against the same thing now. Can you do that?"
Hermione, Neville and Ron were the first to nod their heads yes. Eva walked to where Draco and Harry were still staring each other down. "Can you work together?"
Both boys stepped back and considered the one before him. They seemed to reach a silent agreement and shook hands.
"Good, because it's not just me you're going to be fighting for. I have a feeling we're going to be fighting for our lives by the end of the night."
As if to prove her point, a crash sounded above them. They all looked around at each other and pulled out their wands. Eva moved to the door and proceeded down the corridor quickly. "A simple spell you can learn in two seconds: Ardeo Arsi, all you have to do is move your wand like your slashing the air." Eva looked at Hermione, she knew that the Gryffindor remembered the effects of that spell particularly well. "Try to get to my room if you can. The ward there is foolproof and we can figure out how to get you all out of here. Neville, Ron, you first."
The boys took the exit at a run. The others did not hear any screams or anything. Just the sound of Ron and Neville running. They all hoped that the two boys had run to the stairs and not towards the fighting that was now more audible. "Harry, Draco," said Eva.
"I'm not leaving you," said Harry.
"He's right, Rave. You and Hermione should not be going out there alone," said Draco.
"Any other time I would tease you about agreeing with Harry, but I don't have the time right now. Fine, Drake, take Hermione and move to my room."
Draco took Hermione by the waist and led her out of the corridor. Outside of the secret compartment in the house, he did not let her get too far from him. They made it to the stairs when Draco heard a familiar sounding scream. He turned and saw his mother being dragged away by his father. "No," he whispered.
He turned and ran towards the fight that was ensuing in the front of the house. Hermione had no choice but to follow him, they had to stay together. Just as she passed the place where the compartment entrance was, Harry and Eva exited.
Eva saw Draco and Hermione running towards the fighting. Harry ran after them, not about to be left out of the fun. Eva ran after him, but remembered Ron and Neville. What if they didn't remember how to get to her room? She turned and bolted up the stairs. She would go straight to her room and hopefully she would find them there already. She found them halfway. They had turned back because they were worried that no one had joined them yet.
"Draco and Hermione went to the front of the house. They're in the middle of the fighting. We need to help them," said Eva.
Neville and Ron didn't need anymore of an explanation. They followed Eva right to where she had split with Harry. They approached the corner that would lead them to where the real fighting would be. The spells bouncing off the walls could be heard.
"Where's Dumbledore?" said Neville in frustration.
"Yeah, he would have finished all these Death Eaters off in an instant."
Eva was looking outside one of the windows that were nearby. She nudged Neville in the ribs and nodded her head towards the window. Outside was another group of at least twenty Death Eaters and maybe fifteen Order members. Flashes of light would illuminate the window and Eva knew that fighting was probably worse outside than it was inside.
Ron was the first to move around the corner. He had seen Hermione with Draco; they were fighting their way towards a room at the far end of the corridor. Neville and Eva followed close behind. Neville was quickly parted from Eva by a blast that sent him flying in the air. Eva kept moving and was soon shielded by Harry. He hunched over her and tried to move her towards a spot in the room where there was not so much fighting.
Neville had revived and was back to fighting. Eva was somehow not surprised at his adeptness in Defense. He was rather frightening in his fury. Eva caught a glimpse of Draco and Hermione. They had been slowly making their way towards the East Parlor. Draco seemed determined to get there.
Eva tried to see through the slightly open door and saw her Aunt Nary and Uncle Lucius. His wand was pointed at her chest. "No!" Eva pushed Harry aside and ran towards Draco. He was almost there and could hear his parents.
"You will not have them!" screamed Narcissa.
"I am not asking, Narcissa! Where is my son?!"
"Draco will not follow you, Lucius."
"He will as soon as I get him away from you! You conniving bitch! If I had known you were subverting all my training I would have killed you long before this," spat Lucius.
Draco and Eva were now level and both crashed into the door at the same time. They stumbled into the room in a heap of limbs and robes. Narcissa moved in front of the little pile they made. "Get out of here, both of you!"
"Not without you, Mum," said Draco. He stood and moved in front of his mother.
"Admirable sentiment, Draco, but you need not defend her. Our Lord has already given the order to remove her. She is not supporting our cause," said Lucius.
"Who said he was my Lord? I have no master," growled Draco.
Eva had now stood and moved next to Draco. Lucius eyed her with appreciation. "The Dark Lord will reward us well, son, if we bring his bride to him. It is the reason that we are all here."
"Neither you, nor he, will have her," said Draco. "Eva, take my mother and leave."
"You are leaving me no choice, Draco. I did have such plans for you." Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco. "Avada Kedavra."
From the time that Lucius spoke the words to the time that the green light reached the group of people in the room, Eva had placed herself in front of Draco. Just before the light reached them, however, Narcissa managed to move her body between the two teenagers and the Killing Curse sent by her husband. Lucius did not stay long enough to see what had actually happened. Eva opened her eyes, expecting to be in a room full of light, or wherever people went when they died. Instead, she saw the carpet inside her East Parlor. She and Draco had fallen over with the force of the spell and Narcissa's weight.
Draco sat up quickly and rolled his mother over. Her eyes were open, but there was an expression of peace on her face. With a sob he closed her eyes and held her to his chest. He rocked her for a while and sobbed into her hair. Eva wrapped her arms around him and sobbed with him. They were both pulled out of their mourning when they heard someone shout: "She's in here!"
"Eva," said Draco. He put his mother's body down gently and stood. "Let's get you out of here."
Eva and Draco got out of the room and began to maneuver their way to the door. Two things happened when the rest of the Hogwarts students joined them. There was a chorus of high-pitched screaming coming from the door that led to the kitchens. Eva's house elves were being chased by Death Eaters. Then there was a loud blast from the direction of the front door. It had been blown off its hinges and Death Eaters were pouring in.
"Where are all the Order members?!" cried Draco.
Just then another group of people began to pour into the house. Members of the Order of the Phoenix began to throw curses at the Death Eaters around the house. Many of them were caught off guard and fell, but most fought back.
Draco and Harry began to lead Eva towards the door, but she was pulling back.
"Eva! We have to get you out of here!" said Harry.
"My house elves!" she cried.
"Go, Eva!" said Hermione. She pulled out her wand. "I'll help them." She moved towards the diminutive creatures and began to hex anyone who was in her way. Ron and Neville quickly went to her aid.
Draco and Harry continued leading Eva, but were sidetracked by several Death Eaters. Remus Lupin finally appeared, somewhat worse for the wear, but he managed to clear their way for a bit. A Death Eater engaged him a fierce duel and he moved away from the group. As they approached the door two figures appeared. One was definitely Lucius Malfoy; the long white-blonde hair gave him away. The other was hooded and cloaked, but there was a coldness that oozed out of his very being.
Eva and Harry heard Draco growl at the sight of his father. He pulled his wand and advanced. Eva would have stopped him, but another Death Eater did it for her. He was blasted to the opposite end of the room and lay prone on the floor, a small pool of blood coming from his bleeding nose, which broke when he hit the floor face first.
"Potter," hissed the cloaked individual.
Harry moved Eva behind him. She knew who the person was. Lord Voldemort, himself, had come to her home to take her. Eva grabbed onto the back of Harry's robes. Harry was not surprised that he felt no pain in his scar as he looked at his enemy. His Occlumency lessons were now paying off. He was perfectly concentrated.
"Isn't this nice, Lucius? Potter thinks he can fall me."
"Amusing, indeed, My Lord," drawled Lucius.
"Move aside, Potter. This time, I have no interest in you. I want that beautiful creature behind you. But don't feel bad, when I have my first child I will devote all my energy to making sure you are no longer breathing." The voice dripped not only ice, but venom. A pure hatred that seemed to seep into the bones.
"You'll never lay a hand on her," Harry ground out through clenched teeth.
"Oh, I'll lay more than just a hand on her," said the Dark Lord with a menacing laugh.
Eva pulled tighter onto Harry's robes. She felt sick at the thought of even looking at this person's face, let alone having him . . .
Harry moved his left arm behind him, holding Eva closer. He knew she must be scared at the thought of what might happen, but he was determined to protect her. He saw Lucius pull out his wand and quickly moved his own to point right at the man's chest.
"No spell you could say could harm me, Potter."
Eva felt a hatred stir inside her at the sound of Lucius' voice. This man killed her Auntie Nary. Harry could feel the power radiating from her, "Concentrate," he whispered. Eva flattened her palms on Harry's back and concentrated all the energy she felt flowing through her to move in his direction. "Stupefy!" he shouted.
Lucius was blasted off his feet by the force of the spell. He lay rigid and motionless where he fell. Harry turned his attention right back to Voldemort. "Harry, we're not strong enough for him," whispered Eva.
"You're quite right, my wife. You are not strong enough to hurt me. I would suggest-"
The Dark Lord was cut off by a distinctly positive presence coming into the house. Albus Dumbledore walked in and saw the situation. Voldemort hissed at the sight of him and took advantage of Harry's turned head. He pushed the boy out of the way and made to grab Eva. Fortunately, she had not turned and as she saw his hand approaching she ducked and plowed into his stomach. Voldemort was pushed back and Eva kept running. She reached the place where Draco lay, still unconscious.
"Come on, Drake, wake up!" she cried as she shook his shoulder. Making sure no one was close enough to hurt them, she put her hand on his head and focused her Energy into him. He revived and looked up at her.
"Where's Lucius?" he asked.
"No time for that, Drake. He's here, we have to go." Eva did not have to explain who he was. Draco stood and they made their way towards the door again, wands hexing at anyone they recognized as a Death Eater. Draco made a few good spells that probably saved some Order members.
Eva noticed that Voldemort and Dumbledore had moved from their previous position. Harry was fighting off one of Voldemort's Death Eaters and Eva did not know where the rest of them were.
"We have to find everyone, Drake. We can't leave without them."
Draco nodded. "We'll find them and get them to Floo to Hogwarts." He looked around and spotted Neville and Ron fighting with a Death Eater over two of Eva's house elves. "Let's get them first."
Eva was separated from Draco by a Death Eater along the way, but he continued on to the duo. He stunned the Death Eater from behind and quickly took up one of the house elves in his arms. "You two have to get back to Hogwarts. Take Noni and Minky with you. The Floo is in the East Parlor," Draco pointed to a door not far away and free of Death Eaters. "It's that door." Neville took the house elf that Draco had in his arms and Ron picked up the other that was behind him.
Just as they were going to head to the parlor, Draco put his hand on Neville's arm. "Do me a favor?" he asked in a husky voice. "Take my Mum's body with you?" He tried his best to keep his emotions from showing, but the tears still welled in his eyes. He only just forced them not to fall. Neville and Ron nodded their heads and were off.
Draco looked around the room and tried to find Harry and Hermione. He saw the female Gryffindor first. She was cornered by a Death Eater, which Draco recognized as a man named McNair, it looked like his father was not the only one who escaped from Azkaban. Hermione was trying desperately to keep the house elf safe, but she looked tired. Draco's aim was blocked by dueling Eaters and Order members so he grabbed one of the vases closest to him and flung it at McNair's head. Draco had always had good aim and he didn't miss this time.
Hermione looked up from the fallen Eater and saw Draco running towards her, dodging spells and hexes as he came. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Hermione nodded her head. "Moby is hurt, though." She picked up the house elf and showed Draco the gash on his back.
"That's not too bad. Eva will fix you up in a minute, Moby, you just hold on." The elf nodded and placed his head on Hermione's shoulder. "Listen, Ron and Neville have probably gone back to Hogwarts. We need to get you to the East parlor and back to school. Hold onto Moby and I'll get you there."
"But what about Harry and Eva?" she asked as Draco led her to the room.
"I'll get to them, don't worry." Draco led Hermione, still holding a scared and hurt Moby, towards the open door. He did not see his mother's body anymore and was grateful that the other two had taken her body. "Alright, Hermione, you go first with Moby and I'll make sure you're clear."
Hermione nodded and turned to the grate. She really didn't know what had gotten into Draco Malfoy. He had never acted kind to any Gryffindor, and here he was, making sure that Hermione Granger, the girl he called a Mudblood whenever he got the chance, got back to Hogwarts safely. She turned back around and put Moby on the floor. She'd actually thought of doing this for a long time, but she never thought she would ever get the chance to. She tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hermione, you should really go." Draco turned and looked at the girl. He couldn't help thinking that she looked beautiful with her hair going every which way and just slightly out of breath.
She closed her eyes and leaned into him. Her lips met his and she was surprised at how soft and silky they were. She was no more surprised when Draco put his hand at the nape of her neck and licked her lips. She parted her lips and let his tongue enter her mouth and entwine with her own. He was a lot better at this than Ron had been.
"Bloody hell!" cried Remus Lupin. He'd come in here after seeing Draco and Hermione run in. He never thought he'd find what he did. "There's one I didn't see coming."
Draco and Hermione jumped away from each other and looked at anything but each other.
"Don't be ashamed of liking each other. Just think of all the doors that Harry and Eva have opened for you two. Anyway, don't have time to talk about all that right now. Draco, where is Eva?"
"I lost track of her when I told Ron and Neville to Floo to Hogwarts."
"Damn! Listen, you two get to Hogwarts and don't leave there for any reason."
"But what about Harry and Eva?!" both students chorused.
"Don't worry about them. I will make sure they are back at Hogwarts. You two go on and get out of here." Remus turned and went back into the fray that was the rest of the house.
Hermione turned to the grate, but felt Draco's arm on hers. "Are you really going to leave them here?" he asked her.
"Lupin asked us to go to Hogwarts," she replied.
"Yeah, and Dumbledore asked us to stay there in the first place. Come on, Hermione, can you tell me you really want to go back?"
Hermione looked down at the frightened house elf at her feet. She knelt down and looked the house elf in the eye. "Moby, I know I'm not your Mistress, but she wanted you to be safe, so I need you to go to Hogwarts and wait for us there. Can you do that?"
The house elf nodded his head and snapped his fingers. He was gone with a small pop. Hermione stared at the place her had been standing. "Why did they not just do that in the first place?"
"Because they didn't want to leave Eva on her own. She treats them all like friends, and they worry about her." Draco held out his hand to Hermione. "Come on, we don't have too much time."
Hermione took his hand and they were out in the fight once again. Draco did not let go of Hermione's hand, and even pulled her close to him when some spells got too close. They finally reached Harry, who was still dueling with a Death Eater, and found Eva not too far away, also dueling with an Eater.
Draco and Hermione finished off the Eaters from behind and the four students made their way to the East Parlor. On the way to the room, Eva was grabbed from behind.
"HARRY!" she cried.
The other students whirled around and saw Lucius Malfoy lifting Eva off the floor and hurling her over his shoulder. He made a path towards the front door, but was stopped by Binky, Saveage's personal house elf.
"You will not take Mistress Eva from this house," she said in an authoritative voice.
"Out of the way elf," said Lucius. He kicked at the elf and was blasted backwards by a spell from the creature. He dropped Eva on her head and Binky was at her side in an instant.
"Is Mistress well?" she asked.
"Yes, Binky. You must find Nagie and get to Hogwarts. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mistress," Binky said and ran off to find her fellow elf.
Eva stood and oriented herself. She was dizzy from the fall and the room was spinning in front of her. She spotted her friends to her left and tried to turn to get to them, but she fell to the floor in the attempt. Harry reached her before anyone else did. He lifted her head onto his shoulder.
"Eva, are you alright?"
"The room is spinning, Harry. I don't think I'll be able to walk," she replied. "You need to get Draco and Hermione out of here."
"We're all going together, Rave," said Draco.
"Hand her over, Potter!" cried Voldemort. He was coming down the stairs quickly and heading straight to the group by the door.
"Eva, get up." Harry helped her stand and she leaned heavily on him.
"You are mine, Nocturino," said Voldemort confidently.
"I will die before I let you touch me!" yelled Eva. She felt a wave of nausea overwhelm her and she fell to the floor holding her stomach. The three students stood in front of her.
Voldemort held his wand at them, but some force behind him pulled him back. Dumbledore was coming down the stairs in a whirl of fury. He grabbed the first object he could find and waved his wand over it. The vase he enchanted glowed blue and then went back to normal. He tossed it to Harry, but the throw was short and Harry had to dive to catch it.
Voldemort had thrown off the spell and was running towards the girl still on all fours. Eva was too dizzy to know what was happening, all she knew was that someone or something had caught her by the arm and was dragging her towards the door. She tried to turn and see what was happening and she saw Hermione and Draco throwing spells in her direction. She turned and saw the hand on her arm was pale and spidery; it definitely was not Harry's hand. She stopped and felt a tug as the person dragging her stopped as well.
"Do not force me to hurt you, Eva," said Voldemort.
Eva did the first thing that came to mind; she lifted her knee and knew she'd connected with his groin by the look of pain on the man's face. She was still dizzy and fell to the ground again, but this time she tried to crawl to Draco. He and Hermione reached her and dragged her away from the Dark Lord's form. Harry was running towards them with the Portkey Dumbledore had tossed. The Dark Lord reached a hand out to try and stop him, but Harry jumped over his body and slid the remaining distance to his friends. The Portkey glowed blue again and Harry grabbed onto Eva, who was still too dizzy to know what was going on.
The last thing the Dark Lord saw of them was Harry's uplifted middle finger.
Ardeo: to burn
Arsi: to burn
I did it double because I wanted to give an image of an inferno. I seemed to get that image when I read OOTP and Hermione got hurt in the Department of Mysteries. I thought it would be some kind of internal combustion kind of thing. Maybe I'm just weird. :o)