Evanna was silent as she entered the Potions classroom. She refused to make eye contact with her professor as she made her way to the sinkful of cauldrons.
"The water should be scalding," Snape intoned. "I hope you brought your dragonhide gloves."
Evanna grit her teeth. Lucius' methods of punishment left much to be desired, but most of them were not as demeaning as menial labor like this. Still, she wanted as little interaction with the coward as possible, so she pulled out her dragonhide gloves and pulled them on, setting to work. The only sound in the dungeon was that of Professor Snape's scratching quill and Evanna scrubbing at the cauldrons until her fingertips felt raw. It took two hours before she had finally scrubbed clean the last cauldron.
She walked slowly up to the professor's desk.
"I'm finished. Unless you want me to do more jobs suited for a house elf," she sneered. He didn't look at him.
"Come," he said, standing and walking towards his office. Evanna frowned, standing still. Again, without looking at her, Snape snapped "I know you despise me but I would not think the same extends to your mother."
Evanna hesitated a moment longer, the desire to see her mother and the desire to snub the professor she had once wished was her father warring within her. The urge to see her mother was ultimately stronger and she trotted after the Professor to his quarters.
Narcissa was sitting up in an armchair beside the transfigured sickbed, covered in a blanket and reading a book. Relief flooded Evanna, a tension releasing that she didn't know she had had. Her mother was getting better.
"She's here, Narcissa," Professor Snape said sharply before striding to what Evanna assumed was his bedroom. The door shut loudly behind him.
"Hmm, it's hard to tell which one is the teenaged girl," Narcissa said wryly. Evanna laughed as she sat down across from her mother. "No, no, darling, don't think that I am not upset with you."
Evanna blinked. "But, Mother-"
"No, Evanna, listen to me," Narcissa said, holding up a hand. "Severus has been kinder than I thought possible and has done much more for us than I had any right to ask of him. It's only thanks to him that I am here now. I would have died-"
"Mother-"
"No, I am speaking," her mother responded, eyes flashing. For a moment, Evanna saw the Slytherin Ice Princess that her mother must have once been before years of living with a cruel man stole her ice. "You knew that I would not be able to stay hidden in the professor's quarters forever. Your brother-misguided as he is-is only hastening the inevitable. But I will not allow Severus to bear your father's wrath."
Evanna swallowed heavily. "He shouldn't have told you. I am working on-"
"You will do nothing, Evanna," Narcissa snapped. "I have been living on borrowed time-time that was given to me by Severus. But for better or worse, I am the wife of Lucius Malfoy and that means I have certain responsibilities. You know how our world works."
"Well maybe it shouldn't!" Evanna exclaimed. "If what that book says is true, then I'll one day be stronger than Father and when that day comes-"
Narcissa reached out and took Evanna's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes; they were icy blue that could freeze a forest fire.
"I have no doubt that you will one day be a thousand times as powerful as Lucius Malfoy could even dream of," Narcissa said. "But that day has not come. You are not to do anything, Evanna, I mean it."
Evanna looked down, eyes filling with tears despite herself. She sniffed noisily, swiping angrily at her eyes. "But, Mother, Father-he-he will-"
He'll kill you.
Evanna dared not put the thought out into the world. Yet, Narcissa seemed to understand what she was trying to say anyway.
"I am stronger than I look, Evanna," she said sternly. "I've been married to Lucius for sixteen years and I am still here. Do not underestimate me."
Evanna frowned. "But, Mother… what about Professor Snape?"
"Severus has managed to get himself out of worse situations-"
"But you love him."
Narcissa froze.
"My, my, I believe that your powers must be growing. Once upon a time-before your father-yes, Severus and I had a moment-"
"Mother, it doesn't work to lie to me. I've been practicing with that book you gave me."
A wave of anxiety swept over Evanna, a secret deeply hidden, just out of reach...
"See what I said? A thousand times more powerful than Lucius ever could be," her mother said airily. "I am so proud of you, darling."
"But, if Professor Snape loves you and you love him, then he should-"
"I believe it is nearly time for curfew, and from what Severus tells me, you are in enough trouble as it is. Scurry along to your dorm, dear."
Evanna knew when she was beat. "Yes, Mother."
The Common Room was mostly empty when she arrived, ready to go straight to her bed. It had been a long day, and she still needed to do her meditations again. She was not giving up on protecting her mother.
"Evanna!"
Of course her brother was there waiting for her as soon as she was ready to go to bed. Evanna stopped just as she had placed a foot on the stairs up to the girls' dorm.
"Ev-good-I've been trying to talk to you, but you've been avoiding me," Draco said. Evanna tapped her fingers on the stair railing, debating just going on up the stairs and ignoring him. But, she knew, she had been putting this discussion off for too long. She took a step back and turned to face her brother.
"You were saying, Draco?" she said coolly.
He blinked, somewhat taken aback. "Yeah-erm-I saved us some chairs by the fire."
"There's no one in here," Evanna said dryly.
"Right-that's true-" Draco said awkwardly. He gestured toward the couch anyway. Evanna sighed and flounced over to it.
"Well? What did you want to talk about?" she demanded rudely.
"Do you-do you not remember what I last spoke to you about? I figured that was why you were avoiding me," he said.
Evanna pursed her lips, staring down her brother.
Forget about it, Draco. Don't do this. You can't do this.
"I-I want to tell Father that Mother is alive," he said. "I want Father to bring her home. It's time for us to be a family again-"
"Be a family again?" Evanna shot back. "I'm sorry, were we living in different houses two years ago?"
"Evanna, don't be dramatic-"
"Oh, you mean that you never saw bruises on Mother? Or did you really believe that she was that clumsy?" she said. "If she goes back, Father will continue to hurt her."
"And if she stays with Professor Snape much longer, things will be that much worse! We have to get ahead of this Evanna-Father could be so grateful that his children brought his wife home that things will change!"
"Yes, and all magic springs from a hopping pot," Evanna replied sarcastically.
"I know that Father can be cruel when he's angry, Evanna, but really, you've got to stop acting like he's Herpo the Foul," Draco said, his voice patronising in every way.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Draco. He treats Mother and I differently than he does you-"
"Oh, you mean he gives you special training? Makes sure that you know enough dark magic to make the Dark Lord blush? Poor you," Draco sneered.
"You know that's not all he does-"
"Learning Dark Magic is going to be a little painful Evanna. A bruise and a scrape won't kill you."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Draco! You are signing Mother up to die!"
"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'm getting this family back together, Evanna. We'll stop being the laughing stock of Wizarding Britain and return to where we should be: untouchable."
Panic bubbled inside of Evanna and she tried to remember everything that the book had said about controlling another with her mind. It took either great focus or great stress-this had to count as great stress, right? She had to be completely sure in both her own desire to do this and in her ability to exert that kind of power. If she did not… well, she could easily permanently damage her own or Draco's mind.
She had to be sure. She had to be sure.
But she could consign her brother to a fate worse than death. But if she did nothing, she consigned her mother to the same.
She had to be sure.
Will all her might, she practically screamed in her mind.
You will not tell Father. You will NOT TELL FATHER!
"YOU WILL NOT TELL FATHER!"
It took her a few moments to realize that she had shouted the last out loud. Tears were streaming down her face as a splitting migraine overtook her head. Draco looked at her with both pity and determination.
"Everything will be better. You'll see," he said before disappearing up the boys' staircase.
Evanna gripped her head tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. She had not had a headache like this since her first days at Hogwarts. It took a few moments for her to be able straighten enough to make her way to her dorm room.
"Malfoy?" Elin said from her bed. "You look like death warmed over."
"Thanks, Gamp," Evanna replied sarcastically, tumbling into her bed and pulling the curtains shut tightly, making a very loud point. Her bookbag fell onto the floor beside her, the book sliding out. She took one look at it and turned over, squeezing her eyes shut.
In the year and a half her mother had been gone, Evanna had not been able to rescue herself from the worsening abuse from her father. What made her think that she would be able to rescue anyone else?