In her first year of Hogwarts, Evanna had known more than the professor about the Dark Arts-how to utilize them, how to defend against them. Her second year, shabby werewolf he may have been, Professor Lupin had been far more competent a not-so-human being than Professor Lockhart. Though Slytherins had obviously not been the wolf's favorite, he had remained fairly impartial. Then, there was her third Defense professor in as many years: Professor Moody.
The former Auror seemed to have a beef with both her and her brother, having gone so far as to jinx Draco in the fall term into a bouncing ferret. (Evanna would have never admitted it, but the event was equally amusing and utterly insulting to her family's standing in the community.) In Evanna's class with the man, he was always watching her carefully and never gave her any points for doing well. He had even gone so far as to assign detentions for when she had used a jinx that most definitely did not qualify as Dark Magic in a practice duel.
About two weeks into the second term, Professor Moody had evidently found a boggart in one of the tower attics. When the Professor announced what they would be doing that day, Evanna was almost ready to stand up and leave right there and then. She glanced at Ginny beside her, and the ginger seemed ready to do the same thing.
Tom.
Evanna shuddered at her friend's thought, yet even the thought of a young Lord Voldemort did not stir greater fear than her initial reaction.
"Who will volunteer first?"
None of the class stirred, no one even daring to look up. Evanna squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to close out her classmates' fears as well as her own.
Let's see what has the daughter of Lucius Malfoy so terrified.
Ice clutched at Evanna's stomach right before Professor Moody called on her.
"You're up, Malfoy," he said. The entire class swung around to stare at her. She sat frozen, mouth slightly agape. She barely even noticed the snickers that escaped some of the Gryffindors.
"I don-"
"Up! Now! Face the boggart, show us how noble the Malfoy family is!"
The professor had grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her forward to the shaking trunk. She stared at it in wide-eyed horror.
"No, I won't! Get off me!" she shouted. Her wand was out. When did she get it out? It sparked towards the professor. He gave a grunt of pain when the sparks connected. He trapped her with those terrible mismatched eyes.
"Do you want to be expelled, Malfoy?" he hissed dangerously.
None of the class was laughing now. All of them were staring at the scene in front of them with a combination of fear and fascination. Evanna met Ginny's eyes; the other girl was just as pale as Evanna was sure she was, a fine sheen of sweat on her brow. On other days, Evanna could usually count on Ginny to defend her; today, her friend had her own demons.
"You can't expel me for not wanting to expose myself in front of half my year!"
"You turned a wand on a professor, Malfoy, and not even your daddy can keep you in this school if you don't do as you're told."
Evanna stared at her professor and back at the trunk. A boggart Lucius in front of her Housemates and the Gryffindors or the real thing, with no option to ever return to Hogwarts?
She straightened and gave her best disdainful look towards the professor.
"You will regret this," she said, gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles were white.
Professor Moody gave a nasty smile, gesturing for her to face the trunk he had placed the boggart in. She swallowed, her tongue feeling overly dry in her throat as he flicked his wand at the trunk to open it. Everything but the trunk seemed to fade away from her focus. It rattled ominously before it opened.
"Tu vas faire comme je dis."
Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the trunk, dressed magnificently but reeking of drink. His bloodshot eyes were trained solely on Evanna.
"Please, Father, don't," she said, forgetting herself and her reality in the fear.
"Tu vas fair comme je dis," he said again. "Je suis le maître de la maison, tu vas m'obeir!"
He grabbed at her robes and she struggled against him.
"No-no-"
All of a sudden, Professor Moody had stepped in front of Evanna's view and Lucius was replaced by a dark figure with rattling breath before the ex-Auror said: "Ridikkulus!" and the boggart was forced back into the box. Evanna stood shaking as he turned a calculating glare on her.
"Back to your seat, Malfoy,"
Evanna turned to see all of her classmates staring at her in shock; silent tears were pouring down Ginny's cheeks. Without a moment's hesitation, Evanna bolted for the door. She barely registered Ginny arguing that someone needed to go after her as she sought to escape the utter humiliation of the classroom.
She ran headlong into someone, tall and dark with the smell of potions ingredients.
"Ms. Malfoy, you are supposed to be-"
Before Professor Snape could get out the words, Evanna had thrown her arms around him, sobbing for all she was worth.
"Come, Ms. Malfoy," he said in a soft voice. Voices seemed to crowd around her mind; there were others gathering in the corridor, whispers floating throughout the halls of Hogwarts.
"Yes, Professor," she mumbled, following dutifully behind as her professor lead the way to his office. Once inside, he did not sit.
"Be calm, she is still very weak," he said before opening the door to what Evanna knew was his private quarters. As soon as he touched the door knob, Evanna knew what was going on.
"She's awake?" she said a little breathlessly.
"Severus, is that you?"
It had been nearly two years since Evanna had heard that voice, a time in which she had to convince herself that she never would hear it again. She fought the urge to bound over to the sick bed-or, at least, Professor Snape's heavy hand on her shoulder prevented her from doing so.
"Mo-mother?" Evanna said in an almost whisper.
She was pale, paler than she ever had been. Her hair was limp and she was far too thin, but she was dressed in a nightgown that could be described as nothing less than sheer elegance. Evanna had to smile at the thought.
"Evanna?"
Narcissa's icy blue eyes widened and she tried to climb out of the bed. Professor Snape swept around Evanna in a heartbeat to be by the blonde's side.
"Narcissa, you can't. Your core is still all but empty-exerting any energy is too much of a-"
"That is my child, Severus-"
"Just stay in bed, she can come to you-"
At the statement, Evanna seemed to wake from her daze and rushed to Narcissa's side, barely even noticing how tenderly Professor Snape had her mother's hand nestled in his.
"Mother, I didn't know if you would ever wake up and I'm so sorry for what happened I know he got so angry because of everything that I did and then he and I and you we thought you were-"
"Shh, shh, darling, everything is alright."
Thin they might have been, Evanna felt safer than she had in nearly two years when her mother wrapped her arms around Evanna's shoulders and brought her close. The scent of Chanel (who was obviously a witch) surrounded Evanna like an extravagant blanket.
"Sev, perhaps you could give us a moment? I should love to see Draco as well."
"Cissa, you mustn't exert yourself and we can't allow Lucius to become suspicious-"
"Please, Sev. For me."
Never could say no.
Evanna heard her professor heave a great sigh as he left to do her mother's bidding. Evanna looked at Narcissa in some amount of confusion.
"I would have never have thought that he would give in on anything so quickly," she said slowly, eyeing her mother with suspicion.
"It all depends on who asks," Narcissa replied primly. "Now, stand over that way, let me see you."
Evanna bounced back a few steps, smoothing her skirt carefully. She knew what her mother would see-the skirt just slightly above the line for appropriate dress code, the Weird Sisters choker necklace, the fishnet tights-
"You're still wearing the bracelet," Narcissa said. "You've grown so much but you're still wearing your bracelet."
Evanna blushed. "It-it doesn't really work any more. But-but it-it was from you. So I kept it."
Narcissa seemed to be blinking back tears. "Oh, my darling. How strong you must have been."
"Mother-please-is there not any way I could stay with you and Professor Snape? I don't want to go back to Father-"
Narcissa was already shaking her head. "You know how our world works, my darling. Children almost always go to their closest male relative. There is very little that would turn the Wizengamot against Lucius Malfoy. Unless he has become worse-"
I left my children in the hands of a monster.
Evanna felt the guilt claw up her throat like a feral cat, scared and desperate to escape. And she knew that she couldn't tell her mother, already so guilty for leaving her children, what had been happening in Malfoy Manor. That would not be her escape from the place.
"So Lucius is that for me?" Evanna pressed. "My closest male relative?"
Narcissa blinked, obviously taken aback by the question. "What a silly thing to say, darling. He is your father."
Evanna frowned, disappointment resting heavy in her gut. She had been hoping that-but no, that was just a silly childhood fantasy. What kind of immature freak wished so much for her teacher to be her father that she actually made herself believe it to be true? She swallowed, hard, refusing to allow what she had always known to be true hurt her even further.
"Darling, what is wrong?"
Evanna shook her head, and looked up.
"Nothing, Mother," she said. "I'm just glad you're well."
She clenched her teeth, swallowing back her tears.
She looks so much like her mother when she does that.
Evanna opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but needing to say something-
"Mother?"
Draco and Professor Snape were standing behind her, though not for long. Draco rushed to Narcissa's side, breaking through the grip Professor Snape had on him.
"Oh, Dragon, you've grown so tall-"
"You're alive I didn't even know you were alive-"
"-I am so sorry I left you-"
"Are you alright? What are these pillows-they aren't even down are they? We need to get you into the best Healers at St. Mungo's."
"We cannot, Draco," Professor Snape said. "Both of you have to swear to the utmost of secrecy. I do not have to tell either of you that Lucius cannot know that your mother is here."
"Yes, yes, of course, I don't know what I was thinking," Draco said. "I'm sorry, Mother, I know you have always gotten on me for being too impulsive-"
Narcissa placed a hand on Draco's cheek. "It's alright, Dragon," she said, reaching to take Evanna's hands. "Just focus on that we are all together again."
"I think it is time for you to rest again," Professor Snape said.
"Oh, just a few more minutes, Sev, I feel fine."
Draco's eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead. Evanna smirked as the professor sent glares to both of them.
"Five minutes. And then you two are to go straight to afternoon classes and not speak a word of this."
"Trust me, Professor," Draco said dryly. "No one would believe us."
"Not a soul, Sev," Evanna added, with a wink to her brother.
A/N: I'm still alive! Grad School has been a whirlwind. I wish I could give you an estimate for the next update, but I really can't. Once Christmas break rolls around, I'll do my best to give regular updates, but I can't promise anything before then. Hope you enjoy!
"Detention, both of you," he barked out. And all three laughed.