The three sat together for several minutes, simply trying to recover from what had just happened.
"Master…. Master, help…"
Both Evanna and Harry looked up at once. The basilisk's eyes were rolled up and its breaths were coming out in shallow breaths. There was something within Evanna pulling her towards the creature, something in her that knew the snake was hers.
"Help me," she said to her friends. Her foot was so swollen that Evanna found it best to simply Vanish her shoe and gasped. It was all but the size of her head. Harry swung one of her arms around his shoulder, Ginny put the other on hers. Together, the three limped forward. Without adrenaline propelling her, Evanna could feel the aches in every inch of her body, sweat pouring off her forehead. Slowly, she knelt beside the creature and put a hand on its snout.
"Your Master is gone," she said in a hissing voice. Ginny gave her a look of shock, but Evanna ignored it.
"My old Master... New Master is here… You are New Master."
Harry gaped at her. "Guess I wasn't wrong…. Makes sense that Malfoys are related to Voldemort."
"Shut it, Potter," she growled, before turning back to the snake. "Will you hurt anyone else?"
"Never wanted to hurt…. Was meant only to protect…."
"Potter, call Fawkes over here," Evanna ordered.
"Malfoy, you can't be-"
"You want to get out of here? Call the bird."
Harry sighed and did as Evanna requested. She looked at the bird in the eye, then at the basilisk.
"I know it's crazy," she said. "But please? It's been abused."
The phoenix blinked slowly before squawking loudly and flying up to the great snake. Evanna watched in fascination as the bird cried over the basilisk's wounds and slowly, they each sealed themselves over. Slowly, the basilisk began to stir and Ginny let out a little gasp as Harry moved to stand in between the girls and the serpent. Evanna, however, felt absolutely no anxiety or fear in the situation.
"If you could, keep your eyes closed," she asked politely. The basilisk seemed to nod, keeping its great eyes closed shut. "Do you have a name?"
"Gadel Glas, New Master," the basilisk responded. Evanna furrowed her eyebrows.
"Mind if I just call you Del?" she asked.
"Whatever Master requires."
"Can you take us out of here?" she asked.
"Of course," Del responded. "Where in the castle do you wish to go?"
"You probably need to go to the Hospital Wing," Harry said immediately in English. Evanna shuddered at the thought.
"Take us to the entrance of the Headmaster's Office," Evanna said. She hoped against hope that her Head of House was not indulging his anti-social tendencies during such an emergency. She was sure that all the parents involved would have arrived at the school already and did not have it in her to face Lucius Malfoy all alone at the moment.
"As you wish, Master," Del replied.
"Fawkes, go and find Ron and Professor Lockhart," Harry ordered. The bird blinked and was gone in a flash.
"You brought Professor Lockhart?" Evanna asked.
"Long story. Get on the snake."
Harry and Ginny first helped Evanna up onto Del's back before clambering on themselves. Soon, they were traversing the walls of the castle, pipes passing by at tremendous speed. It was barely ten minutes later that the three children found themselves standing in front of a gargoyle statue, covered in blood and slime and all manner of nasty things.
"It goes without saying," Evanna said before they went in. "But maybe don't mention that I accidentally acquired a Level 5 Dangerous magical creature as a pet?"
"You're making that thing your pet?" Ginny exclaimed. Evanna shrugged.
"I'm allergic to cats."
Something in the magic of the castle seemed to know that this was no moment for passwords because as soon as the three stepped up to the gargoyle, the stairs to the Headmaster's office took them immediately to the door. Evanna could hear sobs behind the heavy oak and was already dreading the headache sure to come in the next few moments. Not that her foot and entire body wasn't already aching enough.
Ever the Gryffindor, Harry opened the door for all three children to stumble through. Headmaster Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, fingers tented together, as Professors McGonagall and Snape stood on either side of him. On one side of the room was a pudgy woman with red hair and her balding husband, both looking absolutely devastated. They could only be Ginny's parents. On the other side were Evanna's own parents. She was shocked to see the red rims around her mother's eyes, but her father was utterly stoic.
"Could someone please get me some Skele-Gro?" Evanna asked the room at large. She was shaking so hard that Harry and Ginny was the only reason that she was still upright. "And maybe a chair?"
The next hour and a half was a blur of potions and spells and emotions and questions. So many, many questions. Her mother barely let go of her through the entire story, but she could feel her father becoming angrier and angrier. The strange thing was, so was Professor Snape. The looks he was shooting at her father should have incinerated Lucius on the spot, but somehow he remained uncombusted. Every now and then Narcissa would send nervous glances between the two men, but mostly she just gripped Evanna to her. Her mother had never been so demonstrative in the past.
Neither Harry nor Ginny mentioned how Evanna had saved the basilisk, allowing the adults to draw their own conclusions. Nevertheless, she felt Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes resting on her many times throughout the sordid tale.
She has a role to play, but what? And for which side?
Finally, finally, the story was over. All the adults in the room were silent. Dumbledore slowly stood behind his desk, ever the venerable grandfatherly figure that Lucius had so often mocked.
"I think the most important question we must ask ourselves is how did Lord Voldemort's old school things end up in the hands of a student?"
His eyes were focused solely on Lucius. Her father shifted.
"Yes, that is most concerning."
Miserable old coot, things were so close to righting themselves tonight and not even the great Albus Dumbledore could have-
"I think it time for the children to get to bed," her mother said. "It has been a trying night."
"I think you are right," Mrs. Weasley replied.
"I will escort you to the Hospital Wing, Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Weasley," Professor Snape said. Evanna felt a wave of surprise from Professor McGonagall, but at that point she was swaying on her feet and no longer truly cared.
"But sir, I really don't want to-"
"You're going to the infirmary and that is final, Evanna Belinda," her mother said. She saw Harry mouth 'Belinda' out of the corner of her eye and made a solemn promise to hex him later for it.
Narcissa herself saw to it that Evanna's robes were transfigured into pajamas and tucked her up to her chin in covers, though shivers still wracked Evanna's body.
"Oh, darling, are you still cold? Should I cast a warming charm?" she said worriedly.
"No, they just won't stop for awhile. Crucio's always linger," Evanna said casually. Narcissa froze.
"I'm sorry, how do you know this?" she said, her voice dangerous.
At that moment, Lucius walked into the Hospital Wing, a face worse than thunder. He did not even look at Evanna as he marched up to his wife.
"Come, Narcissa, we must walk to the Apparition point," he said roughly.
"Walk? But where is Dobby?"
"That Potter boy-" Lucius cut himself off and swung his glare in Evanna's direction. "You had best be ready to train when you get home."
"I think we may need to rethink her training, Lucius," Narcissa said, a faint snarl to her voice.
"Mother, don't," Evanna said. Narcissa closed her mouth but glared at her husband before walking around to kiss Evanna's forehead.
"Take care, my darling," she said softly. "And remember I love you always."
Lucius took his wife harshly by the arm and drug her from the room just as Professor Snape walked in. Evanna watched as her mother and professor exchanged significant glances before her parents left.
"Sir!" she exclaimed as soon as he made it to her side. "You have to go after them-he's so angry and she and she-"
Evanna's breath was catching in her throat. Professor Snape laid a hand on her own.
"Breath, Ms. Malfoy, breath," he said, though she could feel the waves of anxiety coming off of him. Evanna looked at him with fear-filled eyes. "We've discussed this before-your mother is a fully capable witch able to make decisions for herself."
Despite evidence to the contrary.
"Sir-"
"I will hear no more of this tonight," he said. "You can share more of your worries in the many, many detentions you will be serving for running off like a Gryffindor with a basilisk roaming the castle."
Evanna frowned. "But sir, that's not-"
"-fair, I know, you students are all experts on fairness," he said flippantly. He gave her a stern look. "You are not to go on any more of Potter's adventures, do you understand?"
"I didn't truly mean to go on this one, sir."
"Evanna," he said sharply. She blinked, shocked. "I need you to understand this. There are more powers at play than you could hope to understand at your age. If we learned anything tonight, it is that the Dark Lord will be back. And you and Potter naturally fall on opposite sides. You could very well be putting yourself and him in more danger by your continued association."
Evanna frowned. She had heard her father's rants about blood purity and politics, yes, and she largely agreed that wizards should come out of hiding. She had lived her entire life isolated from the world and hated it; yet that was how their entire world had to live. But…
Tonight she had experienced Lord Voldemort's cruelty. Toward herself, toward poor Del. Toward her friends. He was just as terrible as Lucius, but with more power to back him up. The world she lived in now had its own cruelties and injustices; could she really support a world even crueler and more injust?
"I understand sir."
"Good," Professor Snape stood, turning on his heel, robes swirling. Evanna bit her lip.
"But what if I don't want to be on a side?"
Professor Snape faltered in his steps just slightly, but enough that Evanna knew he had heard her. But then he continued to walk away.
A/N: There are two, maybe three chapters left for the Chamber of Secrets-we'll wrap up at Hogwarts and start the summer before a sort of epilogue/interlude. Then, I will be picking up around the Yule Ball for fourth year. Here is a friendly reminder about my poll on updating schedule throughout the semester-you've till the end of the week to make your voice heard!
This has been the quickest that I have ever written a story, as well as the most responsive readership and for that I want to thank all of you. I knew that there would be many twists to this story (and there are more to come) and expected people to be upset with me for them. But, everyone has been so sweet and supportive in their reviews! Thank you all.
In order to make it easier for everyone following, all of Evanna's story will be posted under "Eyes of Violet", so you can just keep on following this story until the very end. :) I may post some one-shots that aren't part of the main narrative at some point-let me know what you might like to see!