The next day, all of the Petrification victims had been released. As soon as Evanna was allowed to go, she rushed to the Great Hall to the Ravenclaw table. Sure enough, Luna was sitting there with her radish earrings and bright yellow shoes.

"Luna!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

The other girl turned and smiled brightly, hopping out of her seat as Evanna rushed up beside her, hugging her tightly.

"I'm quite happy to see you, too. Though, of course, I saw you all those times you came to visit."

"You did, but-"

It was then that Bridget slunk over to their table. "Hey, Luna, Evanna."

"Travers," Evanna said coolly. The other girl winced.

"Yeah, I deserve that," she said. "But listen-I found a nice out of the way classroom that no one seems to use. There's a sign that claims it's the middle of the castle-maybe we could all study there next year?"

Evanna nearly said something when she saw Ginny out of the corner of her eye. The other girl seemed torn, both wanting to go and see Luna, but a look of pure shame on her face at the same time.

I caused all of this.

Just as she was about to walk away, Evanna called her name.

"Ginny! Travers has a question for us!" she said. The ginger seemed to contemplate making a run for it, but then Travers marched over to her and slung an arm around her shoulders to drag the girl back into the circle.

"Tra-Bridget found a place where we could all go to study next year, if you want to join us," Evanna said.

"We'd be like the Founders Four reincarnated," Luna said. Ginny sent Evanna a look and she shuddered. Some of the things Luna said sometimes were rather too close to the truth, for all the girl's dreamy facade.

The four girls sat together at the Ravenclaw table to eat their breakfast that morning, which would soon become a common sight in Hogwarts, and Draco did not comment on it once.

Evanna soon found herself wandering the castle as she had no exams to worry about, according to Bridget Dumbledore had cancelled them in celebration. That suited Evanna just fine. Soon she found herself standing in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Somehow, as soon as they had come up from the Chamber, the words had disappeared as though they had never existed in the first place. Everything was clean and tidy, no evidence of the attack on Evanna herself there. Evanna pulled her wand when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "What you got your wand out for?"

"Well, I do believe I owe you a hex," Evanna said archly, forcing calm into her voice.

"What for?"

"Making fun of my middle name? Really?"

Harry chuckled and relaxed. "I figured that the whole accusing you of being the attacker was worse."

Evanna shrugged then smiled herself, lowering her wand. "Yes, that was rather gauche of you."

"Gauche?"

"Rude. Uncouth. I could sue you for defamation of character," Evanna said, pointing her nose in the air. Harry sighed.

"I am really sorry about that. I know-I knew Luna was a friend of yours. You wouldn't hurt her," he said. "You wouldn't hurt anyone."

Evanna looked down at the floor. She remembered what Professor Snape had said in the Hospital Wing; a time was coming that she and Harry would be pushed to opposing sides. It would cause harm for them to be in any way friendly with each other. But... Last night they had triumphed. The Dark Lord had tried to rise, had tried to kill Ginny and Harry, had tortured Evanna, but they held him back.

That time might come. But it was not here now.

"Thank you, Potter," she said. "I suppose I won't sue you."

"Or hex me?"

"I make no promises on that one."

The pair was quiet for a moment, then Harry looked up at her. "You knew I was a Parselmouth-why didn't you tell me you were one too?"

Evanna blinked. "I honestly didn't know."

Harry frowned. "I know I am not the Heir of Slytherin-Dumbledore said something last night that Voldemort must have passed on some of his powers when he gave me this," Harry touched his forehead. Despite the scar being so prominent, sometimes Evanna forgot it was there. "Does that mean you are somehow the Heir of Slytherin?"

Evanna gave him a sharp look. "I thought we already established that I'm not."

"I don't mean that you were the attacker," Harry said quickly.

"Pureblood families are known for being rather close," Evanna admitted. "I'm probably related to the majority of my House and then some. But that was a thousand years ago and Salazar Slytherin was not the only Parselmouth to ever walk the earth. Just because it's rare doesn't mean it's only in one bloodline."

Harry nodded consideringly. He was about to speak again when a new voice joined them.

"There you are Evanna! I've been trying to check on you all day-are you still hurt? Mother said you were shaking-Potter," Draco stopped himself. The two boys stood in opposition to each other. One fair and like ice, the other dark and like fire.

"I'll, um, see you around, Malfoy," Harry said awkwardly. "Have a good summer."

"You too, Potter," she said, watching as he left and sent one last dirty look at Draco as he disappeared around the corner. She shook her head at the adolescent males before turning on her brother. "What? Spying on me again?" she demanded.

She was rather surprised by the hurt she felt coming from Draco, though his face gave nothing away.

"No," he said. "I wanted to visit you in the Hospital Wing last night, but it was too late and they wouldn't let me. And then when I tried again this morning you were already gone and…"

Evanna looked at her shoes feeling incredibly guilty. This was still her big brother, for all his faults. In the end, he cared about her and she cared about him.

"I saw the hallway last night and they determined it was your blood and I found your wand in the rubble. I was scared, Ev," he said. "You're my baby sister."

"Then do you think you could act like it? You treat me like I'm father's prisoner!" she demanded, not quite ready to forgive him again.

"I'm just trying to look out for you-keep you out of trouble-Ev, you fought against the Dark Lord last night," he pushed back. Evanna bit her lip, knowing she would have to face the music sooner or later and it would be far easier to do so with Draco than it would with Lucius.

"I-I don't think it was really him. Not the way Father and Mother have always described him, at least," she said. "There was something… off about the construct. Not completely… human."

She shuddered, remembering that ocean of rage she had felt, the familiarity of it. Draco seemed to be unable to hold back any longer, throwing his arms around her and holding her just as tightly as their mother had the night before.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, do you hear me?" Draco demanded of her. Her brother demanded everything; she had never known him to simply ask.

"I'll do my best, brother dear," she said teasingly, but hugged her brother back.

Almost overnight, Evanna had become a superstar within Slytherin. Everyone wanted to know what the infamous Chamber of Secrets was like. Some even begged for her to show them, but she merely said that you had to be a Parselmouth to open it, carefully not mentioning that she was one herself. That seemed to only open more questions, which Evanna was still answering when she was riding home on the train.

Her compartment was rather crowded, with of course Bridget, Luna, and Ginny, but also with Eva and Elin, one of Bridget's Hufflepuff friends and even Colin Creevey. That did not count all of the visitors circulating, wanting to hear more about the Chamber of Secrets from Ginny and Evanna both, as well as Draco, the Weasley brothers, and even Harry checking in on them at regular intervals. At one point, after the fifteenth person had come to ask about the Chamber, Ginny stood up and slammed the compartment door in the visitors face.

"I am tired of bloody questions," she said to the compartment at large. They all laughed and went back to their game of Exploding Snap.

As they grew closer to London, Evanna sought out Draco in his compartment, ready to find their mother on the platform and get home to take a nap after all the questions.

"No longer a first year," Draco said as they climbed onto the platform. He gave her a look. "Though I doubt anyone will believe that."

"Jokes about my height are so plebeian, Draco," Evanna replied snootily. "It's like if I were to say your hair looks like a helmet."

"Excuse me?"

Evanna stopped him as she saw who was waiting for them. It was not her mother as she had expected; in fact, Narcissa was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Lucius stood before them, arms crossed with a sneer across his face.

"Come," he said.

"But where is Mother?" Draco said. "She said she would be meeting us."

"She will not be meeting us."

Evanna felt a pit open up in her stomach as she remembered the night her parents had left her in the Hospital Wing. Everything had been going so well, why did she think it would last, that there wasn't something horrible waiting around the corner? Draco did not seem to have the same sense of foreboding that Evanna did.

"Is she ill? Is she at home?"

"She is not at the Manor," he said, a snarl to his lips. "Come."

"But-"

"I do not want to hear another question about your mother," Lucius snarled, whipping around to level a glare at Draco. Her brother flinched back, grabbing Evanna's hand instinctively. Lucius did not miss the gesture and his scowl deepened. "Be ready to train in half an hour. Both of you."

Evanna exchanged looks with her brother, both of their eyes filled with fear. But, there was nothing to be done for it, was there?

A/N: And there is the end of Evanna's first year! Sorry if it was a little on the fluffy side-I thought our heroine had earned a light moment. I will be doing a little "interlude" chapter before continuing on to the next part. It seems like most of you want me to keep posting intermittently through the semester. I can make no promises to how much I'll be able to post-I'll be taking 4 classes, teaching 2 labs, and working 16 hrs a week in the costume shop, so free time will be quite limited. But I will do my best to post on breaks especially!

Thank you for everyone who has read and reviewed thus far! It's been insane how much I've written in such a short time period-I feel like I'm in middle school again. But I'm so glad you all have enjoyed it thus far, and there is still so much to come!

"Yes, Father," Evanna said softly. Lucius took both their arms in a cruel grip and they Disapparated away.