The following day was cold and rainy. Eva paced up and down her room, fighting the urge to scream. She was going to go mad in here; there was nothing to do, nowhere to go. She was starting to have nightmares again: horrible, terrifying nightmares that left her shivering and drenched in sweat. "I need to get out of here," she muttered through clenched teeth. She grabbed her cloak from a hook behind the door, and pounded down the stairs to the bottom floor of the inn. No one paid her more than a fleeting glance as she hurried out the door. The rain was coming down so heavily it felt as though someone was running a faucet above her head. Not surprisingly, hardly anyone was out on the street, which happened to suit Eva just fine. She turned and began walking in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. She'd been there hundreds of times on school trips to Hogsmeade, but since the weather was particularly nasty and the Shack was still given a wide berth by civilians, it was a convenient spot if you wanted to be alone.

Eva finally reached the hill next to the Shrieking Shack, drenched to the skin. It had never occurred to her to bring her wand, in order to cast a rain repellent charm, and she wistfully regretted not buying an umbrella from the wizard in Diagon Alley. She sat down on the stump of a tree, resting her head in her hands and staring morosely at the Shack. She needed something to do, to take her mind off things. Another job, maybe. Or a hobby. For a moment she almost regretted retiring as an Auror. Until she remembered what the price had been. "So many lives ruined," she whispered. And now…now that the Dark Lord had returned, how many more lives would it take, innocent or otherwise? And the Death Eaters…would they continue to massacre, mutilate, and otherwise destroy those that opposed them, now that their master had returned? An icy chill slid down her spine.

Eva stood up, rubbing her frigid arms. The icy feeling felt as if it were seeping through her body and into her bones. She shuddered, and turned around to begin making her way back to The Hog's Head. What she saw made her stagger backward several feet. A dementor was gliding toward her, its breath rattling as it turned to look at her. Even if she'd had a wand to conjure a Patronus, she doubted if she could have. She seemed to be frozen to the spot, her heart hammering against her ribs, her breath coming in small shallow gasps. Eva felt her knees buckle as the dementor drew closer, one of its dead-looking hands extended toward her. Her head was swimming; she couldn't think straight. The cold was wrapping itself about her like a shroud.

Eva groped blindly around her. "Liam," she moaned, praying he would answer. She felt his hand beneath hers, and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. "Liam! Wake up, we have to…" she trailed off, terror making the rest of the sentence stick in her throat. She felt him stir and sit up. Eva didn't have to explain what had happened; he already knew. "Are you alright?" he asked, pulling her to her feet. "Fine. I'm fine," she lied, wincing a little as she stood. "Did they take your wand too?" he asked, knowing it was gone before he even reached for it. "Yes. It's gone." Liam walked over to the door of their prison and tried the handle. "It's locked, don't bother," Eva said, her voice toneless. "Damn it." He ran his hands over the door's steel surface, searching for a crack, a loose hinge, anything. Predictably, there wasn't one. "It's times like these, you really wish we didn't depend on magic so much," said Eva, with a lopsided grin. Liam grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Stop it, E. There's got to be a way out." Eva tugged away, her voice rising hysterically. "Wake up, Liam! There's nothing we can do!"

Liam opened his mouth, then shut it again with a snap. He backed away from her slowly until he was pressed against the wall, slid down until his was sitting on the floor, resting his head on his knees. "I'm just as scared as you," he murmured. "But I can't give up now. There has to be something, and…even if there isn't…I'm not going to give up." He looked up at her, fierce determination on his face. Eva walked over to crouch beside him. "I'm sorry," she said heavily, putting a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his eyes to hers, and it was suddenly obvious how young both of them were. They were barely out of Hogwarts; they weren't ready for this kind of brutality. There was an ominous rumble f laughter, and the door swung open, revealing three Death Eaters, their eyes glittering malevolently from behind their masks. Their heads snapped up, and they scrambled quickly to their feet. Eva's teeth were chattering against each other, and she clenched them together, trying to turn her fear into rage. Liam's eyes were hard as he gazed calmly back at the Death Eaters. Two of them stepped into the room moved toward them, drawing out their wands.

Liam moved closer to her, his shoulder brushing hers. "How touching," one of the Death Eaters said coolly to Liam, circling the two of them like a falcon; deadly. "Two aurors barely out of the Academy, cut down in their prime." He turned to Eva, cupping her chin with a pale hand, turning her to face him. "Pity," he murmured, "you'd actually be quite lovely." She glared at him, biting back a scream of rage. He dropped her chin roughly. Liam's frame was taut, the look in his eyes murderous. The Death Eater laughed at his discomfort, running a finger teasingly down Eva's throat, to rest on her collarbone. She resisted the feral urge to bite him. Liam had other means of insuring her safety. He moved so fast that his fist was little more than a blur, catching the Death Eater in the throat. He staggered slightly, and two of his companions rushed forward. One seized both Liam's wrists and pinned them behind his back. The other caught Eva by the shoulders and forced her back against the wall. "Son of a bitch," Liam spat through clenched teeth. "You are hardly one to talk of heritage, you filthy Mudblood bastard," his captor replied, giving his arms a cruel yank. Liam inhaled sharply, gritting his teeth as tiny pinprick of pain shot of his arm. "Let me go," Eva snarled, her cheek pressed hard against the cool stone of their cell. She tugged her wrists out of the Death Eater's vise-like grip. He drew his wand, but his comrade waved him off. "But Antonin--" Antonin Dolohov Eva thought with a shudder. "No, Karkaroff," Antonin barked, rubbing his throat where Liam had struck him. "Leave her. She can do nothing." His mouth curled into a reptilian smile. It's true. The sinking feeling of dread sucked the strength right out of her. I can't do anything. "Your impudent friend is going to discover what happens to those who make the fatal mistake of defying the servants of Lord Voldemort." Liam let out a harsh laugh, which was quickly silenced by a rough jerk of the head. "Crucio!" Liam tried in vain to suppress screams of agony as his limbs went rigid, and his eyes rolled back in his head, and his body writhed and twitched on the floor. "Stop it!" Eva shouted desperately, trying to be heard over the screams and the Death Eater's laughter. "Stop!" she begged, abandoning dignity and throwing herself at Antonin's feet, tears sliding unbidden down her face. He smiled down at her; a cat welcoming a mouse to supper. The sudden silence was punctuated only by occasional screams from Liam. "Please stop," she said quietly, prostrate on the floor. Dolohov did nothing for several moments; gazing down at his prey, he slowly lifted the point of his wand away from Liam's chest. Liam's strangled screams turned into labored breathing, and he lay face up on the floor, his chest heaving. Eva scrambled to him on all fours, lifting his head gingerly and smoothing his hair away from his forehead. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whimpered, tears continuing to trickle down her cheeks. Choking on her sobs, she rocked gently back and forth, unable to say more. The Death Eaters glided silently out of the room, and the room was dark and silent once more.

"Expecto Patronum!" a voice shouted, sounding muffled as though in a fog. Then again, more clearly: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" There was a flash of blinding white light, and the dementor released Eva's shoulders. It had been gently lifting her toward it, and now turned to glide quickly away. Eva came to, lying facedown in a puddle of muddy rainwater. The icy cold feeling was ebbing slowly from her body, and she moved several fingers tentatively. A pair of glasses swam into focus, followed by a pair of anxious bright green eyes. Eva opened her mouth, but all that came out was a rasping sound. There was something familiar about that lightning shaped scar…what was it, what was it? "Harry Potter?" Eva managed to croak. Harry nodded anxiously. "Are you alright?" She nodded, and then groaned as her vision spun and blurred.

"Harry? Harry!" Hermione, Ron, and Lupin were sprinting up the hill toward them. "Oh no," Eva muttered, trying to sit up. "Don't," said Lupin gently. She ignored him and grabbed Harry's shoulder to keep herself upright. "Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked worriedly. "I'm fine," Harry replied shortly, glancing at Eva out of the corner of his eye. "What happened?" Lupin asked, glancing from Harry's hand (which was still clutching his wand) to Eva's ashen face. "There was a dementor…" Harry muttered. There was a brief flicker of fear in his eyes, and then it was gone. Ron blanched, and Lupin's brow furrowed in concern. "They keep turning up, don't they?" he muttered. He pulled a Chocolate Frog out of his pocket and offered it to Eva. She unwrapped it, glanced at the WOW card out of habit, and then took a bite. Her stomach churned, and she stumbled over to a nearby tree as it ejected its contents. Hermione hurried over to hold her hair away from her face, patting her back soothingly and shooting warning glances at Ron, who looked rather revolted. When Eva stopped heaving up her breakfast, she spat, wiped her mouth, and coughed dryly. Lupin had gone very red. "I'm sorry, I thought--" Eva waved away his apology. "I'm fine, really," she assured him, and then collapsed.

"I'm fine, really," Liam rasped, his voice hoarse from screaming. Eva was silent. "It…doesn't hurt once it's over." Eva stared, unseeing, at the wall across from her, Antonin's face leering in her mind's eye. "I'm going to kill them," she vowed, hugging her knees to her chest. "No!" Liam exclaimed, sitting up and grabbing her wrist. "No…" he said again. "Please don't, I couldn't…" his voice broke, and he turned away, his whole body shaking with repressed sobs. She put her arms around his shoulders, as if just by touching she could draw some of the hopelessness out, like poison from a wound. "You don't always have to be so strong, Liam." "I can't lose you too," he murmured, burying his face in her hair, his breath moist against her neck. "You're not going to lose me," she said firmly, kissing the top of his head. He sat up, so that their faces were only inches apart. "I can't lose you too," he repeated, reaching out to brush her cheek with his fingertips. A wave of warmth washed over her, despite the chill emanating from the stone walls. His lips brushed hers, and Eva found herself moving forward, placing one hand on his shoulder; the other rested gently at the nape of his neck. She could feel his pulse beating just beneath his skin as they kissed. It was as if that were the only thing keeping them from dropping dead on the spot.

Harry watched as Lupin prodded the fire with an iron rod, sending a spiral of sparks flying up the chimney. "Will she be alright?" he asked, glancing over at Eva's still form stretched out on the couch. Lupin nodded. "I'm sure she will be." He eyed Harry, concerned. "Are you alright Harry?" "Yes, thanks to that Patronus Charm you taught me in my third year." Lupin turned back to the fire. "Horrible creatures, dementors," he said quietly. Harry agreed with him silently. Then he realized something about the afternoon's encounter.

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"She's the only other person I've met who falls apart around dementors."

"Perhaps she, like you, has had horrific experiences." Lupin's expression was sad, and vaguely thoughtful. Eva made a soft, moaning sort of noise and stirred. There were tears tracking silently down her face. Harry felt a surge of pity that was the first that hadn't been for himself in a long time.

Wonder what those are…