A/N: So this chapter goes back in time a bit to the first DA meeting of the new year. Be expecting a bit of a time jump in the next chapter or two. And other than that, the only thing I can say is: I am so so sorry.

The members of the DA were rambunctious as they came into the Room of Requirement, their energy matching Harry's own restlessness. Since coming back from break, Harry had no longer been having duelling lessons with Professor Snape, though he was still learning Occlumency. Learning may have been too strong a word though, because each session seemed to leave him with a headache and a worse understanding of what he was actually supposed to be doing. Certainly, it had not stopped his strange dreams of a long corridor in the Ministry of Magic. Once or twice, he had asked the professor why they could not duel here, to which the Potions Master would snap he was already risking his position teaching a skill outside his specialty, he did not want to further risk Umbridge booting him out. When Harry said that was a risk he was willing to take, Snape had booted Harry out the door.

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Umbridge was not the only one Professor Snape was trying to avoid seeing his dueling. The Headmaster had made it clear that he did not think Harry learning to duel was a necessity. But Harry remembered that night in the graveyard. He wanted every advantage he could get. Besides, there was something cathartic about dueling, the release of energy and tension in a clash of spells.

Today, he would be able to duel again. And he knew exactly who he wanted to pair up with. However, he did not see her as he went to the front of the Room of Requirement to begin the meeting.

"Alright, everyone, good to see you back, but we've got work to do!" he called from the front of the room.

More people had joined-Hermione had said that the Azkaban breakout had done a lot to prove that Harry and Dumbledore were telling the truth and Umbridge's Educational Decrees had done even more.

"Welcome to all of our new members-I want you all to pair up with the old timers so I can get a grasp on your skills. I'm sure the usuals could use a refresher. Mione will help me pair everyone off."

Harry and Hermione went through the room, pairing people together by year and skill level, and slowly the room filled with sounds of spells and shouts. By the time they were through, it was just Ron waiting to be given a partner. Hermione gave Harry a look.

"Do you-"

Harry sighed. "I've been practicing with Snape all holiday-you two should get some practice.

"Well, mate, hate to say this, but you probably need the practice more than any of us," Ron said with a joking smile.

"I would think, Weasley, that the past few years has proven anyone around Harry needs more training than you've been given," a cool voice said from behind. Harry turned to grin at Evanna.

"Does that mean you're volunteering to be my partner?" he said with a grin. There was a certain amount of satisfaction that went through him as Evanna blushed. Ron opened his mouth-likely to say something equally funny and mortifying-but Hermione stomped his toe. Harry smirked and Evanna seemed to realize that he was teasing her.

"Well, I'm not sure if anyone else could handle the blow to the ego," she said lightly. Hermione only just repressed a snort. DA members had begun to pause in their duels to watch the exchange. Harry felt his heartbeat quicken.

"I've been practicing," he said.

"Good. I have too."

They stared at each other for long minutes. The nervousness that had been in Evanna's eyes when she first arrived had faded, giving way to excitement. There was a glint in her eye and Harry knew to dodge out of the way just before she sent her first spell at him. He rolled onto the floor, sending his own jinx back at her.

Harry was all too willing to show off what he had been learning from Professor Snape over the break. His sometimes teacher seemed to let him do so, pushing him to show off more and more. At some point, he noticed that the DA had stopped what they were doing to watch the duel. Evanna noticed his momentary distraction, taking the opportunity to send a sharp stinging hex at his cheek.

"Pay attention, Potter!" she singsonged. Harry narrowed his eyes, sending a few more spells flying her way. She dodged and blocked each with a smirk on her face.

People surrounding them were cheering and booing like it was a quidditch game, and Harry was pretty sure that the Weasley twins were shouting over the noise to take bets on the winner of the duel, but this time he kept his focus. He noted that Evanna was not fighting as fiercely as she normally did. She was holding back some of the more advanced, Darker spells that she used in the Chamber, limiting herself to spells that would be familiar to most students. While her technique was still good, it did present Harry with an advantage.

Using moves he learned from Professor Snape, he sent a couple of stunning spells toward one side, wincing when poor Neville didn't move quickly enough, then shot an expelliarmus at the same time.

As he was doing so, Evanna had been doing her own convoluted maneuver that had her spinning across the dueling floor towards him, her disarming spell hitting his wand at the same moment his hit hers.

Both wands went spinning in opposite directions as Harry and Evanna stood directly in front of each other, both trying to catch their breath. He hoped that Evanna wasn't reading his thoughts at that moment as they drifted towards the last DA meeting, when he had tried to kiss her. It was hard to think of anything else with her so close, violet eyes still dancing with excitement and mischief from the duel.

Cheers broke out from the rest of the DA. Evanna blushed, smiling a little as Harry stuck out his hand to shake hers. He shivered a little-her small hand was cold to the touch.

"Alright you lot," he yelled over the noise. "Clean up and get out of here-make sure to leave separately so Umbridge doesn't suspect anything. Hermione'll update the coins for the next meeting.

Before Evanna could slip into the crowd, Harry caught her wrist and pulled her over to the side of the room.

"I haven't seen you since the train," he said, eyes flicking over her face.

"We are in different Houses, Potter," she said, using that cool tone of voice that she did when she wanted to appear disconnected from the world. "Different years, too."

It worried him, to see her trying so hard to look nonchalant. Once, he might have been offended by the way she was trying to brush him off. But after seeing her in that dream being ordered to kill her father, after hearing complaints from Ginny for the past week and a half that Evanna had avoided her friends on the train and continued to do so-no, this cold Evanna worried him. She was too good at hiding, too Slytherin for her own safety.

"Yes, well," he coughed lightly. "I was afraid maybe you were avoiding me. And I was a bit worried."

"You should be more worried if I don't avoid you," she said in a low voice.

The cryptic statement confused Harry.

"Look, I'm sorry about before break," he said. "I didn't mean to-Look, I was wondering if maybe-wouldyougotoHogsmeadewithme?"

Evanna's eyes widened and for half a moment, Harry convinced himself she was going to say yes. But then, startlingly, those eyes went watery.

"Harry-you don't-I'm not who you think I am," she said a bit thickly.

He glanced around the room. It had mostly emptied with the exception of Ron and Hermione. He gestured at them to go on without him and for once, they actually listened to him.

"I know," he said, keeping his voice low. Evanna furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you know?" she said, voice suddenly hard. She seemed to search his face, and he knew she was trying to read his thoughts.

"You can just wait for my answer," he said, annoyed. She blushed. "I know what happened to Lucius."

She seemed to slump. "And-and you don't hate me?"

"I can't say that I think it's a good thing," he said slowly. "But I can't say that it's a bad thing either."

"How-how did you know?" she said softly.

Harry debated for long minutes what he would tell her, if he could tell her. Finally deciding that with her odd powers and his abysmal Occlumency skills that there would be no use lying to her, and he was not entirely sure he wanted to lie to her anyway, he settled on the truth.

"I saw you," he said. "In a dream. Sometimes… sometimes I can see into Voldemort's mind."

Still. Evanna went utterly still. Feeling like she thought him crazy, Harry started to speak again.

"I don't think he knows about it, but my scar hurts when-"

He stopped as Evanna put a finger on his mouth.

"Not another word, Harry Potter," she ordered. Her shaking voice, however, somewhat nullified the effect. "I'm the last person you should be sharing this with."

Harry frowned. "Evanna, whatever you're so scared of, we can help you. I want to help-"

"Harry, stop," she said. And yes, those were tears in her eyes. "Did-did it not seem at all odd to you, what you saw?"

Memories swam to the surface. He hated thinking on them, hated the feeling of being Voldemort. He remembered wanting to manipulate the girl in front of him-no, he was wanting to win her loyalty. Harry could not imagine Voldemort fighting for anyone's loyalty as much as he seemed to want Evanna's. That in and of itself was strange. What would Voldemort need with Evanna, who, despite being a Malfoy, had relatively little influence? She was only a student after all, and she was not even the heir to Malfoy Manor. It would make more sense for Voldemort to try and woo Draco Malfoy and, given his foul mood since returning from holidays, Malfoy was not happy.

The only thing Harry could think of was that Voldemort was aware of Evanna's special powers. She would be the world's most perfect spy, he supposed, with her abilities to read thoughts, not to mention her deadly skills in the Dark Arts.

"If you were really his spy," he said slowly, "you could just read my mind. There would be no need-"

"No, Harry, I am not his spy," she said in a hoarse voice. It took Harry a moment to realize she had said it in Parseltongue.

"You know the spell, Evanna."

The hiss echoed through his memory and rattled in his soul. The truth was waiting for him, like a snitch right in front of his gloved hand. But, no, he did not want to grab the snitch, like he had avoided it in third year. To catch the snitch was to lose the game, to learn the truth was to lose Evanna, the girl he had told his most hated professor he loved.

"I did not know until this summer, when he was waiting for me as soon as I arrived in the Manor," she said, her words picking up speed as though spitting them out was the only way she could say them. "At first, I was so terrified, but he starting to teach me and do all the normal things like having tea. And he told me about his childhood, what those awful muggles did to him, and I thought about you and I couldn't help but agree. The world is broken, and perhaps we could fix it. And I would have enough power that I would never be defenseless against Lucius again. But-but I just kept thinking of you. And how kind and good you are and you don't deserve-any of this.

"I started to train you so that you would stand a chance against him when the time came. I couldn't stand the thought of you dying, but…."

Tears were running down Evanna's face and Harry just managed not to reach to wipe them away.

"He-he saved me, Harry," she gasped out.

"I don't understand," he said, even as those serpentine hisses continued to echo in his mind. "Why?"

Evanna seemed to gulp down air like a man drowning.

"Because, Harry," she said. "The Dark Lord is my father."

Harry blinked a few times, something strange bubbling in his stomach. "I think Voldemort has a daughter." The memory swirled around in his mind. "Just think about it, Harry." Hermione, one of his oldest, best friends, rarely wrong in her theories. "Lucius Malfoy was given Voldemort's diary, why not his daughter?"

"Merlin damn it, she was right," he muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

The prim voice of a Malfoy aristocrat. But not a Malfoy aristocrat. What was she now, a Riddle? It would make sense-Evanna had always been a riddle to Harry. A laugh bubbled up. And then another.

"After five years-" another laugh, "five bloody years-you'd think I would listen to Hermione," he said between gasping laughter. "She's always right. About everything."

"Harry, are you-"

Harry jerked away from Evanna's touch. Voldemort's daughter. And what's more, she did not seem nearly as disgusted by the thought as she should be. In fact, the way she had talked about him-it sounded almost the way Malfoy had used to crow about his evil psychotic father. Voldemort's daughter. His parents' killer. Cedric's murderer. The man who had hunted Harry again and again. The girl he said he loved. Oh, the universe very much hated Harry Potter.

"Stay away from me!" he growled. Evanna's face crumpled as she backed up a step, curling in on herself. She was so small. So small, and yet had saved his life many times.

Save his life from her father.

"Just-stay away," he repeated, taking another step back. And another. And another. Until he had left the Room of Requirement and the daughter of Voldemort behind.

Evanna POV

It was a very long time before Evanna pushed herself up from the floor of the Room of Requirement, cheeks finally dry but still red and puffy. It seemed to be on phantom legs that she made her way back to the Slytherin Common Room, and well past curfew when she arrived. Not that it mattered. She was the daughter of Lord Voldemort and in the dungeons, she was Crown Princess.

The common room was empty except for one person half asleep in front of the fire. Evanna nearly choked back a sob at the sight of her brother. There was no one else she would want to see in that moment while at the same time being the one person she felt guiltiest toward. Well, it was a tie at least.

She stood in front of him to say in a hoarse voice, "Dray?"

Her brother startled from his sleep. As soon as he realized it was her, he stood to go to bed. Evanna slumped, all energy seeped out of her.

"Draco, please," she said softly. "I'm-I'm still your sister. Please, talk to me."

"But you're not, are you?" he said, not even looking at her. "My sister, I mean. Because if you were, it would have been patricide."

The words hit her like a blow to the gut. She hated the begging tone in her voice as she tried to get her brother to look at her.

"Look, I just-tonight was not-"

"Good night, Evanna," Draco said firmly, doing a sarcastic little bow before all but stomping his way to the boys' dormitory.

Slowly, Evanna made her way up the stairs into the girls dormitory, relief like she had never felt when she saw her roommates were still asleep. She did not even undress as she fell into her bed, pulling the curtains closed and crying herself to sleep.