I Do Not Own Harry Potter.
Okay, I would like us all, in once voice, to say aloud: GINGER ROCKS!!!!
Ginger is my beta-reader and thanks to her superb, beyond human, death-defying (okay maybe not THAT) beta-reading skills, you know have the last three chapters of this fic.
jon3776: I will definitely get to your story as soon as I'm done with finals. In the meantime, why don't you relax, sip on some pumpkin juice (the choice drink of HP fanfic readers :o)) and finish reading this story.
The two months leading to the end of the school year went a lot faster than Eva wanted them to. She still had not told Harry about her and Draco's move. She had begun to tell him, but there was always something that held her back. Neville finally cornered her one day.
"What's going on, Eva?"
"Nothing. Why do you ask?"
"You're not telling us something," he accused.
"I am not. I'm just a bit preoccupied, that's all."
"You're a good liar when you're doing it to your father, but don't try it with me. I can tell you're holding something back. What is it?"
Eva sighed and looked at Neville in the eye. "I promise I will tell you soon. I just need some time to arrange it all in my head."
"Alright, but don't take too long. Time is a blabber and it says things a lot rougher than people do."
Eva sighed at the memory of that conversation. She did not like the fact that a whole week had passed since Neville had talked to her.
Draco looked over at her. "Are you alright?" he asked. They were eating breakfast at the Slytherin table and studying for their tests.
"I'm fine, just thinking." Eva went back to her Arithmancy book and tried to concentrate.
Draco gave her an appraising look before returning to his own book. He knew that Eva was probably thinking about Potter, but thoughts about him rarely made her sad. She had been depending a lot on them, since she and Pansy had been at loggerheads for nearly a month.
Parkinson had renewed her 'covert' assault on Eva exactly four weeks ago. Draco had not seen anyone play so many pranks as Pansy had. She had done everything that her Slytherin mind could think of to get Eva into trouble. Of course, Eva was too smart for Pansy's little tricks and the pranks turned out to be just that: pranks. Most of the time, Eva had managed to avoid them all together and some unsuspecting student would get the full-force of the joke.
Draco had even caught some Slytherins running a pool on who would win the contest of wits. He had reprimanded them and let them know that gambling was not allowed at Hogwarts, and then he put twenty galleons on Eva. He knew how her mind worked and he was just waiting for her to pull out her big guns: in other words, he was waiting for Pansy to do something stupid so Eva could really lose her temper.
He saw Pansy enter the Great Hall from the corner of his eye and felt Eva reach for her wand when she realized they had entered. The girls with Pansy were carrying buckets and they were making a big show about how heavy they were.
Eva fingered her wand and looked over at Draco, who had just put his hand on her wrist. She winked at him and he removed his hand. Eva waited until she knew what they were going to do. She sensed, more than saw, the buckets begin to tip in her direction. She bent over Draco and pulled her cloak over him. She shouted, over her shoulder, "Adverta Contra!" The liquid that was in the buckets flew back to the girls who were holding them.
Draco stood when Eva moved from above him. He looked at the five, now blue, Slytherin girls. He tried his best not to laugh but the sight of Pansy with a blue face that resembled an angered pug was too much for him. He laughed so hard he had to sit back down.
Eva simply gathered her books and stood from the table. Just as she was leaving she looked at Pansy and said, "You should really be more careful, Miss Parkinson. Someone else could have gotten that instead of you." The comment only caused Draco and the other Slytherins to laugh even harder.
Eva was on her toes for most of the morning. She had successfully dodged five pranks by the time lunch rolled around. She sat down heavily on the bench next to Draco.
"How are you holding up?" he asked.
"I'm trying, Drake. I'm really trying. I thought she would just leave me alone if I left her alone, but I don't think her mind works that way."
"She's a Slytherin."
"So am I," Eva retorted.
"Yeah, but you're not normal," Draco teased.
Eva laughed and served herself some stew. "I just wish she'd stop and let me finish the year in peace."
"Again, she's a Slytherin. It's not something that would enter her mind."
Eva ate her lunch quickly. She did not want to be in the same Hall as Pansy for any amount of time. She picked up her bag and went to the last place she thought Pansy would to: the library. Eva had been doing some research on the dream she'd shared with Harry and she was almost done with it. She would have just asked Dumbledore, but the nature of the dream led her to do research on her own. She had only been sitting at her private little corner when Pansy and her friends entered the library.
Eva sighed audibly. Trust Parkinson to go to the one place she avoided like the plague just to annoy Eva. She contemplated using a Disillusionment Charm, but she didn't have it down very well yet, and the sight of pages flipping themselves would probably give her away. She just sat there and waited. The girls sat at her table and Eva stood and quickly packed her things. She was just beginning to walk away when Pansy spoke to her. "It must be difficult being here all alone. No friends. No one to watch your back."
Eva turned and glared at the offensive girl. "You forget that I have many friends, Parkinson. Draco Malfoy among them. You wouldn't want dear Draco to find out that you hurt his best friend, now would you?"
"Draco's going to find out sooner or later how much of a traitor you are. I have no idea why you were put into Slytherin."
"You haven't an idea about a lot of things Pansy. I suggest you stop whatever you're playing at. Trust me, I am one person you do not want to anger." Just to prove her point she allowed some of the restrained emotion to surface and her eyes turned a menacing shade of dark blue. She quickly changed them back and winked at Pansy.
The thought of Parkinson's stunned face was enough to get her through the rest of the day. She did not have one more problem with the girl and the hope of the duel finally ended was high in her mind when she entered her rooms that night. She did not expect to find what she did.
Eva had halted in the little hallway that led to her sitting area. She'd heard whispers and giggling in the room beyond and did not want to walk in on her parents. She slowly began to walk towards her sofa. When she was close enough to peer over the edge she saw a white-blonde head; right next to a curly brown one. "BLOODY HELL!"
Draco quickly jumped off the sofa and stared at Eva. "Rave! I thought you were going to be with Potter tonight," he said.
"Eva, it's not what it looks like," said Hermione.
"Oh come off it!" cried Eva. She wasn't mad, she was actually happy for them. "Try explaining what I just saw as you two not snogging on my sofa."
Neither of the two spoke.
"Thank you," said Eva. She sighed and looked at them. "You could have told me, you know. I would have just spent some time if the Gryffindor common room."
"We didn't know this was going to happen," said Hermione.
"So . . . You two have not been seeing each other?" asked Eva.
"No, we haven't," answered Draco.
"What happened, then?" asked Eva.
"Well, Draco asked if we could talk after dinner and we went to the library. Our discussion kind of went a little to the personal side and we decided to find a private place to continue," said Hermione.
"Both of the common rooms were out of the question," said Draco.
"Obviously. I can just see how that would have gone. 'No, really Ron, we're just going to talk.' Go on," said Eva.
"Well, I couldn't think of anything else and I already knew the password for your rooms, so I decided to bring her here. I thought you and Potter were going to be in one of your tutoring sessions," finished Draco.
"Drake, Harry and I have stopped having those since I got out of St. Mungo's in February." Eva smiled at the guilty looks on both of her friend's faces. "I'm so happy for you two." She embraced Hermione.
"You're not upset?" asked Hermione.
"Why would I be upset? My two best friends have gotten together and now I'm not the only one who has a forbidden love. This is great!"
"Whoa, I wouldn't go so far as to say 'love.' We're just going to take it slow and see where it goes," said Draco.
Hermione nodded and Eva laughed. "I'm sorry, but if what I just saw was how you guys take things 'slow' then I will begin the guest list for the wedding." Both of them blushed and Eva laughed all the more. It was great that she and Harry were no longer the only ones who had to sneak around.
Eva finally controlled herself and sat down in one of the chairs by the fire. The other two teens sat down on the sofa, very close to each other. "So, at least I don't have to tell you about the move, 'Mione. I'm glad Drake took that one from me," she began.
"What move?" asked Hermione. She looked between Eva and Draco with the question in her eyes.
"You didn't tell her?!" exclaimed Eva.
"I was going to," began Draco.
"When? After your little snog session?"
"What move?!" shouted Hermione.
Draco shot Eva a murderous glance and took Hermione's hand in his. She glanced quickly at Eva with a worried look. "My Mum left instructions in her Will that my guardianship was to be given to Eva's Mum. Because of all that's happened, we are all going to have to leave the country for a bit. Eva's choice," Draco turned when Eva cleared her throat. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Mine and Eva's choice was to go to California for a month and then come back here and stay at Nocturino Manor. It should be enough time for Dumbledore to make it safe."
"So you're leaving when?" asked Hermione.
"The day after the Leaving Feast," said Draco.
"That soon?" asked Hermione. There was disappointment evident in her voice.
"I'll be back in a month, at the latest. I promise. You can come to Nocturino Manor anytime you want and I'm sure I can go to your house, too," said Draco. "Isn't that right, Rave?" Draco turned for affirmation from Eva.
"Of -" Eva cleared her throat. "Of course. We'd love to have you at the Manor." She smiled and looked down and then turned to the fire. Before either of her friends could ask her what was the matter, she stood and excused herself.
Eva was moving down the staircase at lightning speed. She made her way to Gryffindor Tower and knocked on the portrait. Neville opened it and he did not look surprised to see her. "Come on in, Eva."
Eva entered and looked around for Harry, but he only saw Ron and Ginny sitting at the table by the fire. "Do you know where Harry is?" she asked him.
"He's up in the dormitory. Is something wrong, Eva?"
"No, but maybe you should come up too, and bring Ron and Ginny. I have something to tell you." Eva did not wait for Neville to follow her; she just climbed the staircase that led to Harry's dormitory. She knocked and waited for him to give her permission to enter. Instead, he actually opened the door.
"Eva, I didn't expect you," he said.
"I know. I'm sorry for not asking to visit before, but this is important. May I come in?" she asked.
"Yes, of course." Harry opened the door wider and allowed her entrance. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I need to explain something to you," she began.
Neville knocked on the door softly before entering with Ron and Ginny behind him.
"I should have told you lot the truth when I found out, but I couldn't figure out how to say it." She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. "When Draco's Mum died, her Will left guardianship over him to my Mum. Because of what has happened recently, he cannot return to Malfoy Manor, nor can we take him to Nocturino Manor until security is perfected. As such, he and I decided that we are going to visit my cousin in California for a while and then come back for his birthday and his last year at Hogwarts."
"You're not going to be here for the summer?" asked Ginny.
"No, I'm sorry."
"What happens when Malfoy turns seventeen?" asked Ron.
"Well, he will receive his full inheritance. As you lot have probably read in the papers, Lucius has been declared insane and as such he can't handle his fortune. Draco will receive everything on his birthday."
"What did you mean by his last year at Hogwarts?" asked Harry.
Eva had purposefully avoided looking at him as she explained the situation. She turned to him now and wished she could die. He had a look of forced calm on his face. "Would you please excuse us?" she asked the rest of them.
The other students left the room quickly with last looks over their shoulders at the two left in the room.
"What did you mean?" Harry asked again.
"I'm not going to be able to come back," whispered Eva.
"Why not?" Harry's voice was emphatic.
"They - my Mum and Dad - seem to think that it would be best if I stay at Nocturino Manor. They've arranged for me to take my N.E.W.T.s at the Ministry during the next school year." Eva shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "I don't want to stay away, Harry. If it were up to me, I would stay in England for the summer and come back for the next school year, but I'm not being given many choices in the matter."
"It's never going to work, is it?" he asked in a defeated tone.
"Don't say that!" Eva declared. Her breathing quickened and she walked closer to Harry. "I will see you again, even if I have to fight all the Death Eaters in the world. We just have to wait a bit to be together, that's all."
"How long?" asked Harry.
"I don't know, Harry. But just because we can't be together doesn't mean that we can't stay in touch. We can still visit each other and write. You will write me, won't you?" she asked hopefully.
"I'd rather be able to see you in person," said Harry. He extended his hand and pulled her close to him.
"I would too, Love, but there's not much we can do about it. It seems that we're both in the same boat when it comes to security. You can't leave your family's house and I can't leave Nocturino Manor, at least not without an escort." Eva leaned into Harry and inhaled. His scent always had a calming effect on her and this time was no different. She enjoyed being like this; just holding each other.
"I won't let them take you away from me. I've had too many people taken from me, I won't let it happen again."
Eva smiled and pulled back from him to see his face. Harry leaned back onto a table and pulled her between his legs. "I will not let them take me away from you either. This is only going to be for a short while, I promise." Eva smiled conspiratorially. "Who knows? I might even convince Mum and Dad to go to the theatre when we return and we can swing by and pick you up. How would your Aunt and Uncle react to your being picked up in a stretch limousine for a night in London?"
Harry laughed out loud. "Aunt Petunia would be pea green with envy. Dudley would probably try to hit on you. Don't know if Uncle Vernon would survive the shock."
Eva laughed, too. She moved her hands up and down Harry's arms. They were well toned from his Quidditch training and she loved to feel the muscle under her fingers. They stood in silence until there was a knock on the door. Harry called for them to come in and was rather surprised at who entered.
"Draco, Hermione, how are you?" asked Harry for lack of something to say. He tried to move from where he was, but Eva was not about to budge. "Eva, could you . . ?"
"Oh no," she said. "I think it will be safer if I keep you just where you are."
"Safer?" asked Harry.
"I have something to tell you, Harry," began Hermione.
Harry looked over at his friend and noticed her hand was entwined in Draco's. "I'm in a nightmare," he whispered before putting his head on Eva's shoulder.
"It's not that bad, Harry. They really care about each other. We should be happy for them," said Eva.
"Don't try and convince him, Rave. I know just how he feels," said Draco. "Ouch!" he exclaimed at Hermione's poke to his ribs. "I was just pointing out that he's now in the position that I was when Rave told me she liked him." He gave Hermione a hurt Puppy look as he rubbed his side. She soon gave in and kissed his cheek.
"Don't fall for that too often, 'Mione. He's a big faker," said Eva.
"Could we please go back to the fact that my best friend has just told me she likes the biggest bully in the school?" asked Harry.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione and Eva in unison.
"It's alright," said Draco. "I deserved that."
Harry straightened from his position and began to walk towards Draco. His eyes were appraising the blonde before him. There had been something different about Draco since their return from Nocturino Manor. Harry knew the loss of his mother was a big blow to his life, it was one of the few things that Harry and Draco shared in common, but there was something else, something deeper. "What's gotten into you lately, Malfoy?" he asked.
"Are you afraid I'm going to take Hermione and lead her to the dark side, Potter?" he teased.
"In a word, yes," answered Harry.
"Well, I'm not," responded Draco. "I might be a bad ass at times; it's true I enjoy playing the occasional prank on an unsuspecting first year, but hey, I'm a teenager, I can do that."
"How do I know you're not just going to use Hermione to get what you want and then leave her heartbroken somewhere?" he asked.
"You don't. Just like I don't know you're not going to do that with Eva," Draco replied. "You see, Potter, we're at a little impasse here. I don't want you to be with Eva because I have the uncanny sense that she will get hurt. And you don't want me to be with Hermione because you have the same feeling. The only difference is, I can protect Hermione. Can you assure me that Eva's protected?"
Harry turned to look at Eva. She had an angry look on her face as she marched up to Draco and stood within inches of his face. Harry had not expected her to get angry at Draco's comments; if he were honest, he had contemplated those things himself.
"You have no right to ask that," she said through clenched teeth.
"Yes, I do. I am the closest thing you have to a big brother and as such I have to make sure you're safe. He can't even say that he's got somewhere to take you that's safe."
"Yes, I do," said Harry. He remembered Number 12 in London and thought it a perfect thing to throw in Malfoy's face. "I have somewhere to take her where she will be safe."
"Is it somewhere she can live in comfort? The kind of comfort she was born to?" Draco just managed to get the words out before Eva slapped him across the cheek.
"Don't you dare use that as a weapon, Draco Malfoy!" Eva was flushed in her fury.
Hermione and Harry stood back and let the two finish their argument.
"Is that the thanks I get for making sure you're taken care of?" he asked. He touched his cheek tenderly. With his fair skin there was bound to be a handprint there.
"It's the thanks you get for being an insensitive shit! How many times do I have to tell you that I am not the money that my family has?"
"I know that, Rave!" Draco shouted back. "What I was trying to say is that it's one thing for him to keep you safe, it's another to make sure you're well taken care of."
"She will be well taken care of," said Harry. While he liked seeing Eva giving Draco what for, it kind of turned him on, he had to defend himself. "I might not be able to give her a Nocturino Manor, but she will be taken care of."
"That's all I wanted to know," said Draco.
Hermione cleared her throat and everyone looked over to her. "Now that that's settled how about we go and tell Neville, Ginny and Ron about our happy little group?"
Harry grabbed Eva around the waist and pulled her close. "You two go ahead. We'll be here, ready to barricade the door when Ron blows up and tries to attack Draco."
"Thanks," drawled Draco as he turned and took Hermione's hand.
Eva giggled and watched Draco trudge out the door as if he were going to his own funeral.
Neville and Ron were very reluctant to accept Hermione's relationship with Draco. They did not congratulate her or shake Draco's hand; they simply sat there and glared at him for a while, then they told her that it was her decision to make. For that, Eva was glad. At least they hadn't tried to hex Draco's skin off. It did make for some rather awkward moments, though.
Draco and Hermione couldn't really walk around school holding hands. He had a 'reputation to maintain' and Hermione was terrified of Pansy Parkinson. Both of those excuses went down the drain a week before the school year ended.
Draco and Hermione were sitting in the library, studying for their Arithmancy test, when Pansy Parkinson walked in. She had been looking for Eva, simply to torment her with her presence. She walked into something rather disturbing, however. Draco and Hermione had chosen one of the secluded areas of the library. Usually used by students who wanted to snog, but couldn't find another place to do it. Pansy was simply checking all the corners of the library, knowing that Eva was going to extraordinary lengths to stay as far away from Pansy as possible.
She would have simply bypassed the lonely desk in the back corner of the library stacks, but she heard giggling and hoped she'd catch Eva and Potter in a compromising situation. That would be a great thing to tell Professor Snape about. She turned the corner and almost screamed at what she saw. Draco was sitting facing Hermione and it looked like he was kissing her! Pansy pulled out her wand and pointed it at Hermione. The couple still had not seen her.
"I thought you were better than this, Malfoy," she sneered.
Draco stood at the sound of Pansy's voice and put his arm out. "Don't come any further, Parkinson."
"Is this what you chose over me?" she asked with indignation.
"It wasn't a very difficult decision," said Draco.
"You arsehole!" shouted Pansy. She jabbed her wand towards Hermione, but her aim was off. The spell hit the books behind them and flew into the air.
"Pansy, calm down!" shouted Draco.
"I will not calm down!" shouted Pansy. She continued to throw spells around at the dodging teens. "You're worse than Nocturino, Malfoy! At least she -" Pansy never got to finish. Madame Pince came from behind and grabbed Pansy's wand out of her hand. She pointed towards the door and Pansy marched in front of her.
Draco and Hermione walked around the little space and replaced the books onto the shelves. Some of the students who were studying in the library came by to see what was going on. It only took one glare from Draco to send them scampering away.
He and Hermione soon left the library and headed towards Eva's rooms. Eva had told them they were free to use them whenever they wanted to be alone, so long as they left some sort of sign at the portrait that they were inside. She didn't want to walk in on anything personal.
Eva did see their little sign at the portrait that day and she sighed and went back downstairs. It seemed that Draco and Hermione spent more time in her rooms than she did. Not that she minded giving them their space, but she would have liked to use her rooms for herself and Harry. That, unfortunately, was still out of the question. Her father had not given her any sign that he was going to accept Harry as a prospective son-in-law anytime soon.
Eva walked to the main staircase and set down on one of the last stairs. She sat her bag down and pulled out one of her books. She would have gone to the library, but there were so many people in there this close to exam time that it was too difficult to study. She found this spot rather enjoyable. She'd gotten to the end of her chapter, when a shadow came across the page.
Looking up, Eva saw the face that only a mother could love. Pansy Parkinson was sneering at her. Eva did not know that Pansy had just been punished for damaging the library, so she did not know that Pansy was in a fighting mood.
"Good evening, Miss Parkinson," drawled Eva.
"Don't play nice with me, Nocturino. I know it's your fault that Draco is dating that Mudblood, Granger."
Eva stood up in a flash and her book crashed to the floor. "I would thank you to mind your language. That is not a word that is used in civilized conversation."
"Don't tell me what to do, Nocturino." Pansy walked closer to Eva, until they were inches from each other. "This whole year I have watched as people tip-toed around you like you were some sort of princess. I'm tired of watching you play the innocent victim of circumstance."
"What do you plan to do about it?" challenged Eva. She was tired of this game of Pansy's. If the girl wanted a fight, Eva was more than willing to give her one.
"Why don't we see who's the better witch, once and for all?"
"Fine with me," said Eva. She walked past Pansy and went to the door of the castle. Turning at the door, she looked at Pansy, the challenge still in her eyes. "What? Are you too scared to do it right now? I'll be more than willing to schedule you for a time that is more suited to your abilities."
Pansy growled and walked towards Eva. Knowing that Pansy was close to her exploding point, Eva turned and ran down the steps of the castle. This was the best time to do this. There were no professors to interfere and no students to get in the way of the spells; the yard was deserted.
Eva and Pansy faced each other in the middle of the yard. They raised their wands in salute and then turned and walked ten paces before turning again. They aimed, but did not fire. Matching each other's steps they turned in a circle for a bit, before Pansy lobbed the first spell. Eva dodged it and it hit the wall behind her, effectively blasting some of it away.
A passing Slytherin saw them and ran down the stairs to the Slytherin dungeons. He made the announcement that Eva and Pansy were dueling it out in the yard and everyone bolted out of their seats, homework and tests completely forgotten, racing to the door. The same boy ran to the library to tell whichever Slytherins he could find there, and ended up emptying the whole place. One of the students going down the stairs ran into Harry, Ron and Neville.
"Oh, sorry about that," he said as he straightened his robe. "You coming to watch, Harry?" he asked.
"Watch what?" asked Harry.
"Eva and Pansy are dueling in the yard. I heard Eva's hexed Pansy's hair off already." The boy did not stay for Harry's response; he just ran off with his friends.
It only took Harry a moment to process what was going on. He quickly ran after the boy and soon had passed him and arrived at the yard. He saw Eva and Pansy were, indeed, dueling in the open area. It was actually rather exciting to see Eva's nimble moves as she evaded the spells lobbed by her opponent. Ron and Neville soon joined him and watched in awe as the two girls cast and dodged the other's spells and hexes.
"Boy, I'm sure Draco's sorry he's missing this," said Ron. He knew about the four pools going on in each house about this very thing.
"Where is Draco, anyway?" asked Neville.
Harry and Ron shrugged and continued watching the two females fight it out. They had a great vantage point, but it did not compare with the one that Draco had. He was in Eva's room looking out at the silent yard, with Hermione comfortably wrapped in his arms, when he saw the two girls enter the yard.
"Oh no," he said. He saw as they saluted and walked away from each other. "This cannot be happening."
Draco hoped Eva would dispatch Parkinson quickly, but his heartbeat quickened by the minute as he watched both girls throw and sidestep.
"Draco, we have to do something," said Hermione.
Draco stood there, almost glued to the spot he was standing. It was actually quite mesmerizing to watch Eva duel. He did not come back to reality until Hermione tugged on his robes. "Oh yeah, let's go."
They were racing down the corridors and did not slow down when Mrs. Norris hissed at them. The cat scampered away to inform her master that there were students running amuck. It only gave Draco and Hermione more reason to run and get the duel finished with quickly. They shoved their way to the fore of the crowd and stood by Harry, Ron and Neville.
"Oh, there you are, Malfoy," said Ron. "Looks like we're going to see who's getting the money in those pools soon."
Hermione did not listen to what they were saying. She was trying to get Eva's attention, but it proved impossible. She seemed to be intent on her duel and not even Harry screaming her name could make her take her eyes off Pansy.
"It's no use, she's not going to turn around. It's part of her training: never take your eyes off your opponent," explained Draco. "Just shout out what you want her to hear. She's listening."
"Eva, Mrs. Norris has just gone to get Filch! You've got to get out of here!" shouted Hermione over the din of students cheering on the two combatants. Hermione wondered if Mrs. Norris was going to need to tell the professors. The students were making so much noise it would be difficult not to suspect something was going on.
Eva dodged another spell cast by Pansy and used her momentum to seamlessly hurl a hex in her direction; it worked and Pansy was thrown back into a wall. The girl fell to the floor and took her time getting up. Eva looked over at her friends and winked; she was almost done with Pansy. As she looked back at her opponent, she kicked herself for failing to follow her training.
Pansy had regained her footing and was pointing her wand at Hermione. "Rictusempra!" she shouted. The curse hit Hermione and the girl went flying backwards. She hit the wall with such force that she was knocked unconscious.
Eva saw red. "You bitch!" she shouted. Draco had gone to check on Hermione and she was now lying limp in his arms. Eva just stared at Pansy; her eyes the color of the night sky.
She was facing Harry and he now knew why she had once told him that he did not want to be near when she truly lost her temper. A strong wind began to blow around her, whipping her loose hair in every direction, but she never once blinked or lost eye contact with Parkinson.
Pansy was looking terrified at the sight of Eva. All the students could feel the magical energy pulsating from the Slytherin girl, and they all knew that Pansy was done for. Many of them began to move farther and farther away.
Eva raised her wand and pointed it at Pansy. She did not utter a word, but Pansy fell to the floor twitching anyway. Eva advanced on the fallen girl and stood over her; only after two minutes did she move her wand. There was an eerie silence all around them; the only noise was Pansy's labored breathing.
"I warned you, Parkinson," said Eva. Her voice seemed to be magnified in a menacing way.
As Eva was bringing her arm back up to cast the next curse, Professor Snape suddenly appeared. Many of the students scattered from the area. Only the most brave, or the ones who had a lot of galleons riding on the outcome of this fight, stayed.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted the Professor. Eva's wand fell out of her hand and he summoned it to him.
Eva turned and gave him a villainous smile. "I don't need a wand." She turned to Pansy and raised her arm. Pansy was lifted off the floor and Eva flicked her wrist, causing the other Slytherin girl to fly into the nearest wall. She did not fall to the floor. Eva kept her there with her upraised arm and her hand began to turn into a fist. Pansy gasped for air and clawed at the invisible constraint around her neck.
Severus was completely stunned at what he saw. Only one who had been taught the highest of the Dark Arts would be able to perform such a task. How did she know that spell? He did not think on it more. He walked up to Eva and cast a Calming Spell which lessened her ability to sustain her current curse and then placed a hand over her eyes, effectively breaking the curse on Parkinson. The girl fell to the floor and was quickly attended to by Madame Pomfrey, who had arrived on Severus' heels.
Severus was looking murderously at his daughter, and she looked right back at him with defiance in her eyes. "The Headmaster's office, right now," was all he said before turning and walking away.
Eva, now sufficiently under control to not hex Parkinson again, walked to Hermione before she turned to follow Professor Snape. Professor McGonagall had gone to see how badly she was injured. "She will be fine as soon as we get her to the infirmary. You go on and get to the Headmaster's office, Miss Nocturino."
"I can help," said Eva.
"Right now you should worry about helping yourself, Eva," said McGonagall. She nodded her head slightly in the direction Severus had just gone.
Eva took the hint and walked to the Headmaster's office. She knew that what was awaiting her was not going to be pretty. She took a few deep, calming breaths before knocking on the door of the now too-familiar office.
It opened of its own accord and she entered. Eva took the chair farthest from the desk and sat down. She waited for the lecture that was sure to come. She was rather shocked at what the Headmaster began with.
"I hope that this little incident has helped you resolve something," he began. "In light of the fact that dueling is not allowed outside the confines of the Dueling Club, I find it necessary to restrict both you and Miss Parkinson from attending the Leaving Feast at the end of this week."
Eva simply sat and stared at nothing.
"Do you have anything to say?" asked Severus.
Eva remained silent. She was not about to get herself into any more trouble by saying the things that were running though her mind. Besides, she really had nothing to say, she was merely finishing the little game that Pansy had been goading her into all year.
"Very well," said the Headmaster. "You may return to your rooms and stay there for the remainder of the evening."
Eva stood and approached the Headmaster's desk. "May I request something?" she asked.
"I'm surprised you have the gall to ask for something after that childish display of anger," said Severus.
"Hermione was hurt during the altercation. I would like to see her in the infirmary, if that is possible."
"No, Miss Nocturino," said Dumbledore. "Part of your punishment will be not to see your friends. I will be changing your password, so that no one will be able to enter your rooms and you are to return to them right after each of your exams."
"Yes, sir," said Eva in a defeated voice. She turned and walked to the door. Before she left she asked. "Could you tell me if she's alright? Later on tonight?"
"Yes, Miss Nocturino. I will bring you news when I come to change your password."
Eva nodded and left the room. She headed to her dormitory in silence.
"How is it that she will listen to you without a moment's hesitation, but any of my punishments will end up in a hissy fit?" asked Severus. He had the urge to tell the Headmaster about the curse that Eva had been performing without a wand, but decided that it would be better to talk to her about it first. After all, she had been trained for five years by her grandfather away from the eyes of anyone at Hogwarts.
"Because she is used to someone my age punishing her, Severus. Do not forget that Aurelius Nocturino was the only real father-figure she had, and you, my dear Severus, do not resemble him at all."
Severus sighed and paced the room. "It's difficult enough not letting anyone know about her parentage, how am I supposed to live away from them now that I know about her?"
"There will be time in the future for your family, Severus. We must not lose hope that this will end in our favor."
"Hope is not a luxury that I have, Albus."
"Hope is something that everyone has. It is what I had in you when you first came to me." The elder wizard looked at the man standing before him with a twinkle in his eye. "Hope is what you are expressing towards your family."
"They're leaving in a week for America and I can't go with them. I'm not feeling hope, I'm feeling desperation."
"That's a part of it as well, but, Severus, you would not feel desperation unless you knew that there was hope, some chance, that you will be with them in the future. Saveage has accepted your proposal of marriage and she is more than willing to wait for you, as she has been doing for sixteen years."
Severus stopped his pacing and looked at the older, wiser man in front of him.
"Time will pass, Severus, and you will have all that you are hoping for. Just wait for it."
Adverta: to turn towards; Contra: against. The phrase together means to turn against, thus you have a blue Pansy Parkinson along with a few other blue Slytherins.
Expeliarmus and Rictusempra are both in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (as if you lot didn't already know)