"You know, you keep following me down here, even though I've told you I don't have to go home over Eostre, but you won't let me help you with the Tournament," Evanna said as she sat on the floor of the Chamber writing her Potions essay. At some point, Harry had brought down a bean bag chair leading her to pad the floor with a cozy rug. Soon the Chamber had become more like a sitting room.
"Isn't that kind of cheating?" Harry said as he joined her on the rug. Evanna rolled into a sitting position, thankful for her roommates introducing her to the marvel of denim trousers.
"You've been through one of these tasks already and you are still naive enough to believe that no one else is cheating? Maybe not Diggory, but the others certainly," Evanna scoffed. "And I'll be damned if we don't have a Hogwarts victory."
Harry laughed. "Never realized you were so full of school spirit, Malfoy."
"No, I just don't like the French and my brother is far too taken with the Bulgarian," she said. "So, how are you doing with preparations for the next task?"
"Erm-fine, I guess."
"You haven't even started, have you?"
"I thought you were working on controlling your purple eye thing."
"I don't have to be a mind reader to know that, Harry," she said, shaking her head. "You are a terrible liar."
Harry laughed. "You sound so disgusted by the thought, too,"
"Don't change the subject, Potter! Now, do you have the egg with you?" Evanna asked.
"I still feel like this could be cheating-"
"Why, because I'm a Slytherin?" Evanna said teasingly.
"No, because you're a mind reader. You could have figured it out from one of the judges or something like that," he countered. Evanna rolled her eyes.
"Yes, because between classes, learning to control my gift, and fighting off lingering rumors that I'm dating the Boy-Who-Lived, I've had so much time to go snooping in the minds of a bunch of Ministry officials," Evanna said. "Has anyone ever told you not everything is about you, Potter?"
Harry wrinkled his nose. "You've been spending too much time with Snape."
She laughed. "Do you have the clue or not?"
Harry sighed and reached into his bag and pulled out the golden egg, nervousness rolling off him in waves. Evanna frowned at his obvious trepidation. "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
"What won't be-"
Evanna was cut off by a sudden screeching as Harry opened the egg. She clapped her hands over her ears as Harry scrunched his face in pain.
"Close it-close it now!" Evanna shouted. Though she certainly couldn't hear her own voice, Harry seemed to understand what she was trying to say and closed the egg. It took Evanna's ears several moments to realize that the screeches had stopped.
"Obviously, I'm not facing anything good in the sec-"
"Shh! I'm thinking and I think my eardrum may be busted," Evanna said, putting up a finger. Awful as it was, the noises of the egg seemed familiar, and not in a terrible way. She had heard it before, she was sure, but whe-
"That's it!" Evanna exclaimed.
"What's it?" Harry said.
"Mermaids!"
"As in the little?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Never mind."
Evanna spared him one more look before explaining. "Mermaids can't sing above the water. Mermish sounds like screeching. I should know-the Slytherin common room has windows to the lake and the mermaids get angry if you don't at least try and talk to them."
Harry had that expression on his face that he tended to get whenever he learned something about the Wizarding World that he found just a little too weird.
"You'll need to open the egg somewhere underwater in order to hear whatever the message is, but my guess is that you're going to need to swim."
Harry shook his head. "That's it then. I'm dead."
"C'mon, Potter, chin up," Evanna said. "You've only nearly been killed five times-I'd say that puts you at four lives left."
He snorted. "Thanks Malfoy."
"Don't worry, I'll help you once you listen to that egg. But I promised Ginny I would let her copy my Potions essay if she let me copy her Transfiguration."
"You mean help her with?"
"That's what I said, wasn't it?" Evanna said, smiling brightly as she gathered her stuff into her bag. "Remember, wait a few minutes before you leave."
I wish she wasn't ashamed of me.
"I'm not ashamed of you, Harry," Evanna said.
"I thought you were working on that," he said. Evanna shrugged.
"It's a slow process," she said. "But, honestly, Harry, I think you may be the best friend I ever had. I just-things aren't safe. And it's not just about me, there are-others-involved too. Lucius Malfoy is not a man to cross."
"Why are you so afraid of him?" Harry pushed. "He's supposed to be your father. You shouldn't be so scared of him."
Evanna blinked. "I should go. Remember, at least five minutes."
She turned to leave the Chamber.
"Evanna wait-"
Harry grasped her wrist and she felt that now familiar zing go through her skin. She gasped a little and turned back to him.
"-can't you just tell me what's going on?"
"I have to go," Evanna insisted, pulling out of his grasp and running out of the Chamber. This time, Harry didn't chase after her.
"There you are!" Ginny exclaimed as she walked into the Castle Centre. "I was beginning to think you were going to bail on me again."
"Sorry, got distracted. Here," she handed the red haired girl her Potions essay. Ginny immediately set it aside.
"I mean it, Ev, you're really starting to worry me! I barely saw you after the incident in Defense! Are you alright?"
Evanna nearly groaned. Damned Gryffindors and their bloody savior complexes, always wanting to stick their noses into places it doesn't belong. "I'm fine," she said.
"I don't think you are, though, and you certainly won't be when you go back to class! Moody was really bloody pissed when you left and took points from Slytherin!"
"I figured as much."
"But, Evanna, though I don't necessarily like your Dad, it isn't normal to be scared of your parents like that! I mean, sure, I've been a bit nervous when I've done something to upset Mum, but that's twice now that you've run away because of something to do with your father and there's all these rumors about your mum and-"
"SHUT UP!" Evanna finally exclaimed. Ginny looked at her in shock. "It's my life, okay? And if I try and do things to make it a bit easier on myself, then that's just fine, got it? I'm not a bloody Gryffindor so terrified of not always being bloody perfect that I won't do things I don't like just so I can have a little easier life! We can't all be the bloody hero!"
Ginny blinked a few times as Evanna took a moment to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding like it had been in Moody's class; she had to get things under control before she spilled all her secrets to someone. She could not imagine the shame of it all, much less the rage of Lucius. She had to get herself under control. Feeling wetness on her cheeks, Evanna wiped at her eyes.
"Are you done?" Ginny said softly.
Evanna nodded silently.
"Alright," Ginny said, putting a hand on Evanna's shoulder. "I just-I just wanted to make sure you knew that you could talk to me. I know that I was a bit of a jealous bitch over the whole Yule Ball situation-"
Evanna chuckled. "A bit?"
"Oi," Ginny poked her in the ribcage. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm your friend. And as your friend, I'd really like you to come visit over the summer, though I understand if that isn't exactly possible. Okay?"
Evanna smiled. "Can you imagine the looks on our parents' faces?"
Ginny laughed. "Mum would be all for the chance to fatten someone as skinny as you up. My dad and yours… hmm, that would be a sight to behold."
Evanna laughed. "I'm sure yours would be just as red as Weasley hair."
"And yours would probably be remembering that great shiner mine gave him."
The two girls continued to giggle until Evanna pointed out they should probably work on their essays. After an hour or two, Luna and Bridget wandered their ways into the room. Bridget's eyes immediately landed on Evanna and Ginny's respective essays.
"Please tell me your not cheating off each other again," she said.
"We're simply sharing research duties," Evanna said in a lofty voice.
"And collaborating on conclusions," Ginny added with a flourish.
"I think it's lovely," Luna said. "Learning is much more effective when peers share with each other."
Bridget rolled her eyes. "At least paraphrase it."
"Are you implying that I would copy word-for-word?" Ginny asked, hand over heart. "Why, then the teachers would know that I was cheating!"
"See you are cheating!"
"Oh, quit being such a Hufflepuff," Evanna said as she pulled out a quill and piece of parchment. "Professor Snape has always been more disappointed in the students who get caught than the ones who are smart enough to get away with it."
"What a Slytherin thing to say," Bridget responded dryly.
"She is a Slytherin, isn't she?" Luna asked, swinging upside down from her table perch.
"I swear, the whole lot of you is insane," Bridget told the room at large.
"And you're one of us, aren't you proud?" Ginny crowed, standing up on a table and striking a pose. Evanna poked her in the ribcage.
"Sit down before you end up in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey is overworked enough with the Tournament going on."
"Speaking of the Tournament, Evanna," Bridget said. "You never did fully explain what happened with you and Potter at the Yule Ball."
"I got loopy, he was the typical noble Gryffindor gentleman," Evanna said. "End of story."
"That picture didn't see-"
Evanna shot the girl a glare. "I said end of story."
"Ooh, look at the big, scary Slytherin!" Ginny teased. Evanna turned to face her just in time for a pillow to be smacked into her face. She gaped for a few moments as Luna and Bridget laughed.
"You-you-"
Ginny shrieked as Evanna grabbed another pillow and began chasing her. Within moments, all four girls were laughing and shrieking, not a care in the world.
A/N: Super fluffy, I know :). But, I had had requests for more Evanna/canon characters interaction and I needed some transition to the second task. I am very ready to get through to the end of the TriWizard Tournament.
To my guest reviewer, thank you for reviewing! And don't worry-Ev will overcome her fear soon, but right now she is a 13 year old girl and Lucius is the only sadistic father she has ever known. Interesting theory as to the other statement in your review ;).