Professor Snape saw to it that Evanna was safely in her dorm before he informed the other teachers of the attack. After all, it would not look right for a young Slytherin to be found again at the sight of another attack. She was shaking as she walked into the Common Room and her roommates rushed to her.
"What's wrong Evanna?" Eva said.
"There's been another attack," Evanna said to the room at large. "Luna Lovegood."
There were several gasps as the information rippled through the room. Someone near the back finally said it.
"But she's a Pureblood!"
"Maybe enemies of the heir are also blood traitors?"
"The Lovegoods aren't blood-traitors, though. They're just… eccentric."
Conversation in the room grew to a crescendo as everyone tossed out their own ideas and theories. Evanna was swaying on her feet as a wave of may different fears rolled over her like a tsunami from every direction in the room. She reached out and caught the arm of someone before she collapsed.
"Oi, Malfoy! What's wrong with your sister?" a voice from far away called. Evanna squeezed her eyes shut, though it did nothing against the noise. "She looks ready to pass out!"
"You should get her to the Hospital Wing-it looks like she's in pain!"
"NO!" Evanna said forcefully, coming out of her daze for a moment to see her brother's worried grey gaze.
How horrible was Father over Yule that she's still refusing the Hospital Wing?
This time, it was Evanna's own shame that washed over her. She had been training for years; her body was bruised and scarred in ways that she knew a mediwitch could recognize. And if someone probed too deeply into Malfoy family secrets, they were bound to get hurt. Besides, Evanna was eleven now; she knew enough that she ought to be able to hold her father off during their training sessions, right?
"I think she just needs some air," Draco said lightly, putting an arm around her and pulling her along with him to one of the study rooms along the window to the lake. Evanna took a deep breath as the noise ebbed.
"I thought you said Mother helped you over break?" Draco asked. "And that Father was gone?"
"She did and he was most of the time," Evanna said. "It's just, when everyone is scared like that and emotions are so high… It's hard to control."
"What about that bracelet, isn't working?"
"Mother said the more I use my gift the less the bracelet will work," Evanna said glumly. Draco hummed.
"Well that's a terrible gift-you can't go into a room of people without getting a migraine," he said.
"Somehow, I have a feeling that could happen even without my Gift," Evanna replied. "I'm sure that's why Professor Snape has that look on his face most days." She pulled the face that she had seen her professor give his students many times.
Draco snorted. "It's uncanny how you can mimic him so well."
Evanna froze for a moment, then shrugged the comment off as casually as she could. "Yes, well, I'm tired and ready for bed."
She turned to leave, but her brother caught her hand. "Wait, Ev-are you okay, truly?"
Her brother seemed so sincere. But, she remembered earlier in the year, how her father had known every move she was making. Draco had been afraid of Lucius being told from another source and made sure he was the one to give such information. Once she had froze him out, he had stopped sending as many letters, but Evanna knew he still sent some. Her brother may care about her, but he was no confidante.
"No, no, it's nothing. Just tired," she said.
"Alright," he replied trepidatiously.
The next day, it was announced that teachers would now be escorting all students to and from their classes. Students were not even allowed to go to the bathroom by themselves and quidditch was cancelled. Anti-Slytherin sentiment was rising along with spring temperatures throughout the school. A couple of seventh-year Gryffindors had hexed some third years on their way to the greenhouses. The same Ravenclaw girls who had hidden Luna's shoes were making loud comments about expelling all the Slytherins and possibly even sending them to Azkaban in order to find the heir. Evanna buried herself in books, often taking the book Luna had given her to the Hospital Wing in order to read to her friend. Though the book contained some interesting historical facts, it was lacking in practical application for her powers.
"I wish I could just look into your mind and know who did this to you," she whispered to Luna one afternoon. "I would have them wishing they had just been expelled."
Rumors floated around the school that Hogwarts would soon be closing, what with four attacks and six Petrification victims and the teachers still being no closer to finding out the culprit. The thought of going home that summer and staying there under Lucius' tutelage until she came of age sent shivers down Evanna's spine. She began to have nightmares of never having her wand during their training sessions and Lucius throwing Cruciatus and Imperius and worse at her until she finally woke with bright green flashing under her eyelids. She soon took to hiding pillows under her covers to distract the Prefects and then hiding out in the study rooms to avoid awkward questions from her roommates.
As for her friends (or at least acquaintances) in the other Houses, Bridget shot her dirty looks whenever she saw her, deliberately sitting in the middle of her own Housemates in the classes they shared together. Ginny, however, looked about how Evanna felt. She was pale and shaky, with deep shadows under her eyes. Not for the first time, Evanna wondered if Professor McGonagall all but ignored her Gryffindors. Potter, for his part, seemed to be deliberately avoiding her. She tried not to make anything of it, but her own loneliness and fatigue made that somewhat futile.
It was in the library towards the end of April that Evanna figured out why Potter had been avoiding her so much. Evanna had been in the history section, looking for more mentions of the léitheoir aigne, when she heard voices on the other side of the stacks.
"...it has to be Malfoy!" a girl's voice was saying.
"But, Mione, we made the Polyjuice Potion and we know it's not him," another voice came.
"Not Draco Malfoy, Ron. His sister."
"His sister?" Ronald, apparently, replied. "No way."
"What, you don't believe a girl could be the Heir of Slytherin?" the girl was saying. "This is the twentieth century Ronald-"
"Hermione, it's not Evanna." She immediately recognized Harry's voice.
"Just because you think she has pretty eyes doesn't mean she's not as bad or even worse than her brother, Harry!" Hermione responded.
"Personally, I think she's rather creepy myself," Ron was saying.
"She's not like her brother," Potter said, his voice rather high. "I don't think it's her."
"Look at the facts, Harry," Hermione said in a reasonable tone. Evanna felt her dislike for the muggleborn growing with every word she said. "Firstly, no one even knew that Draco Malfoy had a little sister-very suspicious if you ask me. And it wasn't until she showed up at school that all of this Chamber nonsense starts. Then there's the fact that you find her nearby every time you hear that voice and find the victims. Thirdly, not a week goes by after Seamus hexes her and he's Petrified. And finally, she goes away for winter holidays and there is no attacks. As soon as she gets back, there is another attack."
"Dunno, Hermione," Ron said. "She seems to be friendly with Ginny, who I know is friends with Lovegood. Why would she Petrify her own friend?"
"Have you ever known a Slytherin who wasn't okay with stabbing someone in the back?"
At that, Evanna slammed her book down on the shelf and rounded the corner with robes billowing in a marvelous impression of Professor Snape. The three Gryffindors looked shocked to see the subject of their conversation standing in front of them.
"Luna is my best friend. Don't you dare accuse me of hurting her, you filthy Mudblood!" she hissed, tears springing to her eyes.
"You can't talk to her like that!" Potter demanded.
"But she can talk about me like that when I've done nothing to her?" Evanna demanded. "I thought you Gryffindors were supposed to be noble!"
"You take it back or else!" Ron Weasley was pointing his wand at her. Evanna snorted, remembering the story her brother had told her about the redhaired boy attempting to hex him on the quidditch pitch.
"As Potter said, I'm not my brother, Weasel," she sneered. "You'll have worse to deal with than a misfiring wand if you try to hex me."
With that, Evanna spun on her heel and left the library, but she waited until she was safely down the hall before she allowed her sobs to overcome her. Why was she allowing Potter's opinion of her hold such sway over her emotions? She was better than that. She knew more dark curses than full-grown wizards who had studied the Dark Arts for years and could likely out-duel them too. Her father had always said that Potter was nothing more than a little boy with a lot of luck. Such a boy should not be able to touch her.
But the tears still fell any way.