As Easter holidays approached, more and more students were spending their time out of doors, though that did not include Harry. For some reason, Professor Snape had begun dueling training again, though he refused to tell Harry what had lead to this change in heart. Instead, everytime Harry tried to ask, the surly professor just sent another stinging hex at him.

The DA had been progressing even more now that Harry was using lessons from Professor Snape to augment his teaching. Even the second years were doing better than Harry could have imagined taking on opponents much larger than themselves.

"I think," Hermione said one day, "that it's time to teach the Patronus."

Harry had to admit, he was not surprised by that suggestion and readily agreed to do so. He was however, surprised by his friend's next question.

"Do you think Evanna Malfoy knows how to do a Patronus?"

But Hermione was not finished. "Do you-do you think you could ask Evanna Malfoy to come back to the DA if you teach her the Patronus?"

Ron, who had been munching on some biscuits his mother had sent him, began to choke. Harry wasn't quite sure he could blame him as Hermione pounded his back a couple of times.

"Look, I get that you've got some sort of weird thing to learn whatever it was that Malfoy-ette demonstrated when she duelled Harry," Ron said. "But shouldn't we just be glad to be rid of her in the DA?"

"Ronald, she's your little sister's best friend," Hermione scolded.

"Just last term you thought she was You-Know-Who's daughter!"

"I highly doubt that Lucius Malfoy taught her a Patronus," Hermione continued, ignoring Ron even if Harry could not. "And she deserves to learn it just like the rest of us, especially if it's true that Voldemort uses Dementors."

"I still say that she has nothing to be worried about," Ron said. "It's her lot that's dangerous."

"Fine," Hermione snapped. "I'll ask her myself. Are you coming Harry?"

Harry opened and closed his mouth. Even if Evanna would come back to the DA, which he doubted, was it really smart to teach the daughter of the Dark Lord anything?

Hermione seemed to recognize his silence for what it was and huffed, marching out of the Common Room without another word just as Ginny walked in.

"What did you two idiots do to her this time?" she asked as she sat and took Ron's remaining biscuit.

"Oi!" Ron grumbled. Ginny stuck out her tongue at him, showcasing the half-chewed biscuit.

"We didn't do anything to her," Harry said quickly. Ginny's brown eyes narrowed.

"That's likely," she said.

"'Mione just had this barmy idea that we need to invite Malfoy-ette back into the DA to teach her the bloody Patronus-she was the one who left in the first place and good riddance I say!"

Ginny smacked her brother in the stomach. "Surely you don't agree with this idiot, Harry," she growled. Harry wondered if she knew who Evanna's real parents were, or if she had been left in the dark.

"Evanna decided she no longer wanted to be in the DA," Harry said. "Just leave her be."

"But why did she stop coming?" Ginny pressed. "She's refused to tell me. And usually that means it's something to do with you."

Harry pressed his lips together. "Where have you been lately anyway, huh? Usually you're up here helping the twins with their pranks when you're not at quidditch-but you've rarely been in the Common Room!"

Ron looked interested in hearing for himself where his sister had been, especially as Ginny turned as red as her Gryffindor tie.

"That's not what this is about," she said. "I believe I will go and help Hermione with Evanna. The Patronus is too important-she'll just have to start coming again."

And that was how on the next Monday, Harry watched as Hermione and Ginny walked through the door to the Room of Requirement with Evanna Malfoy squeezed in between them. The supposed heir of the Dark Lord looked none-too-pleased with the situation as Bridget Travers and Luna Lovegood wandered up to join her. Harry heaved a sigh and began the lesson, performing a demonstration of the spell.

There were gasps throughout the room as Prongs galloped around the room, throwing his head and shaking his antlers. Harry smiled at the warmth seeing his father's form normally gave him.

He did not notice how Evanna shrank towards the shadows, a look of awe and longing on her face.

Soon, the room was full of students crying out "Expecto Patronum!" Harry walked around, giving pointers as needed and praise Harry paced the room, offering help where he could, complimenting those who even made a wisp come out of their wand. The room cheered as the first Patronus-a swan from Ginny-gallop through the room. Then an otter from Hermione, a jack-russell terrier from Ron chasing after. More creatures and wisps of light filled the air, bouncing around each other and playing. The joy in the room was palpable. However, Harry found himself drawn to one dark corner.

Harry drew in a breath through his teeth, unsure even as he approached her why he was doing this. It would be best for the both of them to despise each other, to stay away from one another. That was likely the one thing that Voldemort and the Headmaster could ever agree on.

But since when had Harry Potter done what he should do?

"Evanna?"

The dark-haired girl was standing by herself, eyes half-closed and wand hanging limply at her side. While the rest of the Room of Requirement was full of light, the shadows seemed to be drawn to her, drowning her. Her eyes opened, the purple never having looked so close to black.

"I can't do it."

The statement was so soft Harry could barely hear it. She glanced down at the floor, clearly embarrassed.

"You are one of the most powerful witches I know, Evanna," Harry said, unsure why he was encouraging her, but unable to stop. "Everything you've taught me-surely-"

"I've always been rubbish at Charms," she said. "At all light magic, really-and this is the epitome of light magic. At first I thought it was just because of… well all my training. But now…."

Evanna didn't have to say anything more. Harry knew what she was getting at. For some reason, he was reminded of the night they had rescued Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, his own worry about the similarities between him and Tom Riddle….

"It is our choices that define who we are," he murmured. Evanna looked at him, confusion flitting across her eyes for a moment. "Close your eyes. Think about your happiest memory-it doesn't even have to be real. Mine wasn't."

Evanna opened her mouth to say something, her eyes flitting across his face before she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Go on," he said. "Try again."

Evanna closed her eyes, her face smoothing in a way that made her look more at peace than Harry had ever seen her. Slowly, she rose her wand, the shadows seeming to dance around her.

CRACK!

Evanna's eyes flew open and in the middle of the room stood Dobby the House-Elf. Squeezing his ears so tightly they were white, the little elf spun around the room until his big eyes locked on Harry. Harry ran up to the elf.

"Harry Potter… she… she…"* It began to smack itself repeatedly in the face before Harry grabbed his hands. The last of the Patroni faded from the room and the shadows surrounding Evanna dissipated.

"Who is 'she', Dobby?" Harry demanded, his voice unnaturally loud in the sudden hush of the room. "Umbridge?"*

The elf nodded his head, while also trying to kick himself.

"What about her? Dobby—she hasn't found out about this—about us—about the D.A.?" Dobby continued trying to kick himself as Harry struggled to stop him. "Is she coming?"*

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"* Dobby said, beating his feet on the floor.

Harry looked up at the faces around him, all frozen in a moment of time. His eyes finally landed on haunted violet. Her first night back, she had just stood there and then... Anger and panic solidified into some dark inside his chest. Realizing everyone was still standing around like idiots, Harry rose his voice.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR? RUN!"

Pandemonium reigned as the members of the DA scurried about to escape the room. Evanna ran straight to him.

"It wasn't me-Harry, I swear-"

Harry ignored her, turning instead to get all the other students out of the room before Umbridge descended on them all.

Ginny POV

Ginny grabbed for Evanna's hand as the members of the DA ran from the room. The Slytherin had stood frozen in the middle of the room, face painfully blank.

"C'mon, Ev," she growled. "We've got to get out of here!"

Evanna blinked slowly and allowed herself to be pulled into the corridor, Ginny deciding to run toward the Slytherin dormitories, guessing that fewer people would be running that way, thus lessening their chances of getting caught. As they ventured further into the corridor, Evanna seemed to come back to herself, guiding Ginny towards what had to be the Slytherin Common Room.

"Someone's coming!" Evanna hissed suddenly, yanking Ginny into an alcove just in time for her to catch a glance of silvery hair.

"It's Draco," she hissed back.

"Draco?" Evanna put emphasis on the name, clearly questioning the use of her brother's first name. Ginny blushed as the boy in question came nearer.

"What the hell are you two doing?" he hissed. "Professor Umbridge sent out a notice to the Prefects that Potter had a huge group of idiots-don't tell me you two are apart of this?"

Draco had interrupted himself at Ginny's glare. He groaned.

"Evanna, you know how to disillusion yourself-get back to the Common Room before anyone sees you and stay there," he said in a commanding tone. Evanna's eyes flashed.

"I don't take orders from you," she hissed.

"Do you want everyone knowing where you were tonight?" he snapped. "No? Then get back to the Common Room and make sure people see you there!"

Evanna glared at him, but surprisingly didn't put up any argument. As soon as she was out of sight, Ginny turned to Draco.

"Since when are you taking orders from the toad? I thought you were working for Dumbledore!" she said. Draco's eyes widened and he clamped a hand over Ginny's mouth.

"Say it loud enough for her to hear! As if Dumbledore isn't looking for any reason to stop helping me already!" Draco hissed.

Ginny pulled his hand away from her mouth but did not quite let go of it.

"Evanna wouldn't rat on you-you're her brother," she said confidently. "And Dumbledore-"

Before Ginny could finish what she was saying, Draco pulled away from her, face paler than usual. Ginny had always known the Malfoy siblings to be fearful, even as they hid that fear behind a mask of propriety .

"You need to get back to Gryffindor Tower," Draco said. "The secret passages should be safe enough if you pay attention-Filch is the only one patrolling those."

"Draco, stop," Ginny said, pushing against him as he tried to pull her out of the alcove to the secret passageways.

"You've got to-"

"No, first tell me," she demanded. "Who is it that Dumbledore has you watching? I can't imagine that a Hogwarts student-even the heir of the Dark Lord-could possibly be so dangerous as to make you this scared, Draco. So scared that you think your own sister will betray you!"

Draco didn't quite meet her eyes. "You know what happened over break."

Ginny did. She knew how much that had hurt and scared Draco, but that couldn't replace the relationship between siblings. After all, as much as Ginny wanted to hex Percy for doing to their parents what he had done, she knew that he would never knowingly endanger her. It was just what siblings did.

"She can speak Parseltongue, Harry!"

"So can I! Are you going to start saying I'm Voldemort's heir now? I look like Tom Riddle, after all!"

"You speak Parseltongue because of your connection to Voldemort-Dumbledore told you as much. Doesn't it stand to reason that Evanna is also connected to him?"

"Evanna Malfoy is not bloody Voldemort's daughter."

Ginny shook herself from the memory of her brother and Hermione trying to convince Harry that Evanna was the heir of You-Know-Who. She stood by her statement. What had happened over Yule had confirmed to Ginny what she had long suspected-Evanna was not the daughter of Lucius Malfoy. But to be Tom Riddle's daughter? No, it was much more likely that she was the daughter of Severus Snape, especially with the way the dour professor seemed to all but dote on her. It even explained why the other Slytherins listened to her so much, if she was their Head of House's daughter.

"How long have you known that she isn't a Malfoy?" Ginny said, the question escaping her before she could stop herself.

Draco's grey eyes flashed, his face taking on a grey pallor.

"C'mon," he said. "We need to get you out of the dungeons."

Ginny huffed a sigh, but finally agreed to do as Draco asked, mind still swimming with questions.

*taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, pgs 607-608

A/N: Holy hell, guys, this is 100 chapters and over 200K words! I can't believe how much this story has grown and changed already, and there is at least two more years left to it! I just wanted to take this moment to thank everyone again for your reviews and follows and favorites, I really do appreciate them.