Evanna spent several days in the Chamber of Secrets and the pipes system around it. Every time she tried to convince herself to leave and go out to the school proper, she could not find it in herself to do it. It did not help that every time she went near the Slytherin dungeons, she could sense Professor Snape's growing anger and worry, as well as her brother's aggravation and anxiety.
It seemed that perhaps the founder of her house had found the Chamber of Secrets to be a sanctuary as well, for Del had shown her a small set of bedchambers located behind a lock of hair of the large bust of Salazar Slytherin that dominated the room. Some magic of the castle had kept the rooms maintained in the millenium it must have been since they were last used. There was a large canopied bed in the center of the room, which Evanna took great delight in bouncing on. There was also a rather lovely bathroom with a heated, natural pool.
"The hot water comes up from the earth," Del had informed her."Keeps the nest warm."
With secret visits to the kitchen every day, Evanna was beginning to think she may just live out the rest of her life down here. It wasn't so bad, if a bit lonesome with only a great honking snake for company. But down here she didn't have to worry about where her mother was or what Professor Snape was still hiding from her. She didn't have to listen to Draco nag her about being a proper Malfoy, nor did she see the hurt look on Ginny's face when Rita Skeeter's article came out. But, most importantly, she would not have to face her father's wrath if she stayed safe and warm down here. No more brutal training sessions. No more sneering remarks. No more being forced to do everything he said even as she could practically feel her soul growing darker and darker and…
By her estimations, it was nearly New Year's Eve, though with no exposure to sunlight or other people, Evanna couldn't really be sure. Del had begun to chide her for staying so long.
"Do you no longer like me?" Evanna challenged. "Am I no longer your massster?"
"Massster is sssad," Del said firmly. "Massster needs more two-legsss. Master wasss not meant for life alone."
"It isss dangerousss up there, Del. No one likesss me. No one underssstandsss me. They all want to force me to be whoever they want me to be."
"Then don't let them," Del said as though it were the simplest thing in the world to fly in the face of expectations. For a snake hatched from a chicken egg under a toad, Evanna supposed it was.
"It's not that sssimple, Del," she said. "I have to do what people tell me to up there. It'sss bessst if I ssstay down here."
"Don't do what people tell masssster. Massster is more powerful than they are. Massster need only pleassse herssself."
Evanna chuckled darkly. "I am all but failing two of my classsssesss. It'sss for the bessst I ssstay."
"But Massster isss sssad. I sssmell sssalty water from Massster every night. Masssster needsss to go back."
"The ssssnake isss sssmart," a new voice hissed. Del reared back, wrapping her tail around Evanna protectively as Evanna's purple eyes narrowed in on the newcomer, who had covered his eyes in fear. Of course. It could not be anyone else but Harry Potter.
"Easssy, Del," Evanna said, placing a hand on the basilisk's cool scales. The basilisk gave an annoyed hiss, but slowly uncoiled from around Evanna, likely to go and hunt down a deer or the likePotter slowly opened his eyes, giving the basilisk a wary look.
"Suppose sneaking into a basilisk's lair wasn't one of my smartest ideas," he muttered, giving Evanna a sheepish grin. Evanna rolled her eyes.
"I'm not coming back," she said immediately, turning on her heel and beginning to climb up the hair of Salazar Slytherin. Del had told her that only her master could enter the rooms, and though Potter was a parselmouth, the basilisk had never referred to him as master.
"Evanna, wait-" Potter immediately began climbing after her.
"No, Potter, everyone's better off-"
"-I'm sorry you were embarrassed-"
"-if I just stay-"
"-but your brother came to me-"
Evanna cut herself off from whatever she had been about to say. "He what?"
Harry only just narrowly avoided crashing into her as she stopped suddenly near the ear of Salazar Slytherin. Evanna quashed down the urge to smile; they were constantly crashing into each other.
"Malfoy, he came to me," Potter said again after hoisting himself up onto the ear. "I was surprised, too, but he seemed pretty worried about you, and to be honest so was I, and I just thought of this place today-"
Evanna shook her head, trying to dislodge the fuzziness. "But why you?" she asked. "No offense, but my brother hates you. Besides that, is he an idiot? Father sends me a Howler because I dare to appear in a news article with you and I think he might quite literally kill me and oh Merlin, what have I done-I can't possibly go home but if I go up there I will have to and-"
Alarm was pouring off Harry. "Breath, Evanna," he said, placing a hand on her arm. It was like a bolt of lightning. She stared at him, seeing her wide-eyed pale face in the reflection of his glasses. Her clothes were more rumpled than they had ever been in her thirteen years and she couldn't help but wonder how awful she must have looked (and smelled) to him.
"You shouldn't be down here," she said, backing away.
"You shouldn't be down here," Potter countered. "C'mon-hols are ages away. You'll ruin the rest of term just sitting around and dreading their arrival."
"And what would you know about it, Potter?" she snapped.
My relatives hate me. They put bars on my window and feed me through a cat flap.
Evanna scoffed before she could stop herself. "Your Muggle relatives putting bars on your window isn't exactly on the same level as Lucius Malfoy using Dark Magic on you. Merlin only knows what he did to my mot-"
Harry was shaking his head. "I'm sorry, how do you know anything about my relatives?"
Evanna looked at him in shock. He was right; never had Potter said anything to her about his muggle relatives. She had no right to know anything about what his relatives may or may not have done to him. While it wasn't exactly a secret that Harry Potter didn't get along with his family-he never went home over holiday, after all-she could tell by his reaction that no one knew the details.
"Rumors-you know Slytherins love secrets-"
"The only ones who know that are the Weasleys, and except for Ginny, they don't exactly speak to Slytherins," Potter said through gritted teeth. "Stop lying to me."
Why does everyone have to lie to me?
Evanna looked at him, heart thumping uncomfortably. What could she say to him?
Harry seemed to soften a little. "I promise, Evanna, I won't tell anyone. I just-I just want to understand you better."
Evanna gulped and looked up at him. When had he become so much taller than her? "I-I can't. My father-I just-I can't be seen around you anymore."
She's like her brother and her father, trying to use me.
"No! I'm not! I'm not like Lucius Malfoy!" she spat. "I like you, Harry, I want to be your friend but I can't!"
Harry looked shocked. "How did you-call me crazy-but do you read minds? Is that a thing in the Wizarding World?"
Sometimes, Evanna forgot that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, TriWizard Champion, had, in fact been raised by muggles and was a half-blood. However, in such a moment, she could not help but laugh at his naivete, and her own for that matter. Despite having accidentally read minds all her life, she had not even considered it as an option until she got to Hogwarts and was forced to find an explanation for knowing what she should not. Yet, Harry had guess it in less than two years.
She thinks I'm stupid.
"Fine, whatever," Harry said, turning away from her.
"Wait, Harry, I didn't mean to-" She grabbed his hand and her heart flipped inside her chest. He looked at her, hurt in his emerald eyes. "I didn't mean to make fun of you. I just-it took me years to guess what was happening myself-I mean, most people believe Legilimency is the only way to-and us with violet eyes are so rare-"
"Wait-you can really read minds?" Harry's voice went all high and squeaky, eyes wide and ears red.
Oh, Merlin, if she knows what I think of her-Merlin if Malfoy can read minds, too-
Heat rushed to Evanna's cheeks. "Draco doesn't have the ability-as far as I can tell, it is passed through the female line."
Harry blinked. "Erm-can you-erm-"
"Control it? Usually, with the help of this," she jangled her bracelet, "though if I'm especially tired or emotional, or the people around me are, it doesn't really help."
"Huh," Harry ran a hand through his hair. "So erm-what you said earlier-about your dad using Dar-"
"Please, Harry, don't repeat it," Evanna said darkly. "He's already angry enough that I was at the Yule Ball with you, if there are rumors started about him using Dark Magic on me-I-I-"
"It's okay, I won't say anything. Though maybe you should go to the Headmaster…"
Evanna shook her head. "He's not exactly a friend to Slytherins. You should have heard Draco and the rest raging about him stealing Slytherin's seventh House Cup win away from us."
I'll talk to him.
Harry shook his head. "You still can't stay down here forever. Snape's going spare and classes begin day after tomorrow."
Evanna groaned. Professor Snape would be truly unbearable if she missed classes; he would be bad enough for her having hid all this time. But the fact remained that Lucius was going to kill her.
"Look-maybe we can figure out a way for you not to have to go home," Harry said with so much optimism that Evanna almost believed him.
"I told you I can't be seen around you anymore," she said.
"Then we meet down here," he said simply. "No one would see us down here, would they?"
"But you have a highly dangerous TriWizard Tournament you should be preparing for, not babysitting me," Evanna countered wryly. Harry winced.
"Yeah-erm-maybe we trade off then? I help with your Lucius problem, you help me prepare for the Tournament," he said. "I've heard rumors you're brilliant at dueling."
Evanna chewed her lip, unsure.
"C'mon," he wheedled. "I'll just stay down here bothering you until you come up to the castle any way."
Evanna shot a glare. "We can't be seen leaving the Chamber together. That would cause a whole new round of rumors."
Harry chuckled. "That's fair. So you go on up and I'll wait five minutes to follow."
"Damn," she muttered. "I thought you were supposed to be an oblivious Gryffindor."
"I was nearly Sorted into Slytherin."
For a moment Evanna let herself be drug away by the thought. She could have seen him in the Common Room every day and not even Lucius Malfoy could chastise her for being friendly with an older, famous Housemate. Perhaps she could have even invited him over in the summers, they could have been dueling partners…
She shut down that line of thought harshly. She was the daughter of one of the highest ranking Death Eaters. She and Harry Potter would never be allowed to be friends.
A/N: I know I said it would be two weeks, but y'all ain't mad are ya? :)
"That's a load of dragon dung, Potter," she said, a teasing lilt to her voice. She did her best not to allow the warm glow to build as she heard his laughter following her out of the Chamber.