Despite escaping the Room of Requirement, Evanna still earned detention with the rest of the DA members, thanks to the sign up sheet Granger had insisted on. The detentions she could handle. However, Professor Snape's face as she returned from the new Headmaster's sentencing was indicative of something far worse. The Headmaster's office had evidently locked Professor Umbridge out following Dumbledore's dramatic exit from the school. All of the Heads of House had been called to the hearing of the DA members; Evanna, however, had been Professor Snape's only student.

"Your father wishes to speak with you," he said in a low voice as he escorted her from the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

Evanna looked at him, eyes wide. "How does he even know?"

"I am not his only spy," Professor Snape said. "News travels fast in this castle."

Evanna swallowed, not quite knowing what to expect. Lucius would have killed her-or close to it. Any Death Eater, she knew, would be dead as well before they even had a chance for explanation. Now, she supposed, would be the test on whether or not she was truly more protected than the average Death Eater.

"What were you thinking, signing your name to Dumbledore's Army?" the professor sneered.

"I-I just-" she slumped. "Students need to learn how to duel."

"You already know how to duel-very well, I might add," he said snidely.

"But the others-"

"You do not worry about the others," he hissed. "You are a child. That is not up to you. You worry about living yourself. You make my job harder to protect you."

"You think I can stand by and watch my friends get hurt?" Evanna said just as they arrived at the potions master's office.

"I don't give a damn what you think you can do!" the professor suddenly exploded. Evanna flinched back, gaping at him. He seemed to almost slump-or as close to slump as Professor Severus Tobias Snape could come to it. "Your father is waiting for your Floo call."

Evanna nodded, iciness forming in the pit of her stomach, even as she tilted her chin up and walked confidently to the fireplace, throwing down a fistful of Floo powder.

"Malfoy Manor," she announced, not quite able to keep the shake from her voice. Powerful as he was, could her father really do anything via the floo when she was still behind the walls of Hogwarts? And would he do something to the heir he had worked so hard to train and to establish as an extension of his will to his followers?

She jerked a little as a hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed gently. She could hear Professor Snape's thoughts.

I'm here. He will not take you through the Floo unless you wish it.

Her stomach settled, if only slightly.

"Hello, little soldier," her father sneered, his face looking as snake-like as the night he had been resurrected. Evanna focused on that touch from Professor Snape, grounding her.

"Father," she said in as cool a voice as she could manage, dipping her head in as low a bow she could in the fireplace. "I can explain-"

"Yes, please try to explain how the last in the line of Salazar Slytherin, the heir of the most powerful Dark Lord in an age has somehow become a member of Dumbledore's Army?" he hissed in a dangerous tone.

"I-I-Harry Potter founded the group," she said.

The Dark Lord bared his teeth. "Illuminate me as to how that helps your case."

"I was trying to get close to him-on your orders, Father," she said. "You desired to know if he knew the prophecy or not-"

"I was under the impression you had determined Potter was ignorant of the prophecy," her father said. "Or did you lie to me about that as well?"

"He doesn't!" Evanna said quickly, mind whirring, searching for an acceptable answer for her father. "I haven't lied to you, Father. He doesn't know anything about the prophecy. I just thought… He's been realizing lately that Dumbledore is perhaps not looking out for his best interests. If we could separate him from Dumbledore somehow-get him to realize-"

"Enough, girl!"

Evanna flinched, memories of steely grey eyes and horrid spells and clenched fists flashed through her mind. A squeeze from Professor Snape reminded her she was in the present moment, not trapped with Lucius any longer.

"Your mother has told me of your theories to turn Potter to our side," her father scoffed. "She seems to think you need to learn your place in the world."

"I know my place," Evanna insisted, "it is by your side. Perhaps it would be best for-"

"Stop!" he hissed, red eyes flashing. "Your place will be at my side when you've earned it."

Evanna blinked. "Father, I-"

"I extended grace to you, for I knew Lucius' influence on you would need time to undo," he continued, ignoring her completely. "I knew given the opportunity, your bloodline would show true. When you return from Hogwarts, you will live up to your destiny."

It did not take hearing his thoughts for Evanna to know the alternative to disappointing him again.

"I should have been there to raise you. If not for Potter..." he said, almost to himself. A surge, a thought, had Evanna freezing. For the first time, she wondered if her father might be mad. "You would have known your place without his interferance."

Without warning, her father abruptly ended the connection, throwing Evanna back into Professor Snape, numb to the world.

"Well?" he demanded. "What did he say?"

"That I would live up to my destiny," she said without emotion. "Or die."

Her professor looked more sickly than he normally did.

"I thought… I thought with Lucius dead…." she murmured, then shook her head. "I just want to be free."

The professor opened and closed his mouth, as though he had wanted to say something but then changed his mind.

If only Albus were still here… Maybe I could convince him to protect her…

That thought snapped Evanna out of her detachment. She had watched Harry, the Boy-Who-Lived be ignored and endangered too many times to believe that Dumbledore would free her anymore than her father would.

"You need to push Harry harder in the next lesson," she said, voice becoming razor sharp, the way it did when she did her best to take on the role of heir of the Dark Lord. Even if she was no longer sure if that was who she wanted to be.

"You know that I have to be cautious about teaching Potter more than the Headmaster-"

"Albus Dumbledore is no longer the Headmaster, remember? You need to take advantage of his absence," she said. "My father is angry. I-I'm afraid Harry is in more danger than ever."

The professor seemed to search her face for something. "And you? How much danger are you in?"

Evanna pursed her lips. "I'll figure it out."

"You are not alone, however much you think you are," he insisted. "I will help you. Always."

Evanna shook her head. "You already have two masters, neither of whom like me much right now. Just… just help Harry, alright?"

And then she left.

Ginny POV

One advantage of having a boyfriend on the Inquisitorial Squad was that Ginny was still able to play pick up games of Quidditch despite being a member of the illicit Dumbledore's Army. Though Draco was frantically studying for the OWLs, he had seemed to want to makeup for his involvement in making the lives of Ginny and her friends and brothers a living hell. Though Ginny appreciated the sentiment, she did not blame Draco near as much as he seemed to think she did. She had known what she was doing when she signed Hermione's sheet.

A quaffle whizzed past her head, and Ginny didn't quite move in time to keep it from going in the hoop.

"Where's your head at, Weasley?" Draco called, a devilish smirk on his face as he flew up right next to her, far closer than he would fly to an opponent in a normal game. Ginny refused to acknowledge the swoop in her stomach.

"I know that Seeker was never meant to be my position," she said lightly, "but I'm beginning to wonder if you bought that spot on the Slytherin team just to get to Harry. You'd make a better Chaser-not as good as me mind-"

"Oh really? And what was that just now?"

"A fluke, obviously," she quipped flippantly. "Now tell me-exactly how did you intend to get Harry's attention as a rival See-"

Ginny squealed as Draco narrowed his eyes in mischief, reaching towards her. She took off on her broomstick, laughing as Draco chased after her. They touched down one after another and Draco managed to grab her, planting a sweet kiss on her.

"Study break over, I suppose?" Ginny said, doing her best not to sound too disappointed. Draco heaved a sigh, running a thumb over her hand rythmically.

"Yeah," he said. "I've an application to finish too."

Ginny frowned at that. "An application?"

Draco's face colored a bit. "Professor Snape found a-a program for me. A study program, for alchemy."

"Oh," Ginny said. "I didn't realize you were interested in alchemy."

"Since I was a kid, I suppose," he said, looking distinctly uncomfortable for a boy supposedly discussing something he enjoyed with his girlfriend. "And…. Mother and Professor Snape think it best I leave the country for a little while."

Ginny blinked. "But Dumbledore was helping you," she said.

"Dumbledore is now a fugitive. And… and I wasn't able to give him what he wanted," Draco said a bit stiffly. But he still held her hand.

"Where is the program?"

"Cairo."

Ginny's breath caught. "For how long?"

"The summer," Draco said and Ginny almost relaxed again. The likelihood of them seeing each other over the summer had been practically nonexistent as it was. But then she looked at Draco, who seemed to have more to say. "Possibly longer."

"Oh," Ginny said, pulling her hand away from his. "Oh. And… and why can't you just stay here? I doubt Dumbledore will be on the-"

"I don't think I want to be his spy," Draco admitted. "I don't agree with him."

Ginny jerked away then. "What? You want muggleborns and blood traitors dead?" she snapped.

"No-no, of course not," he said shaking his head. "It's just-Evanna is-"

"Evanna? What does Evanna have to do with this?"

Draco's eyes widened before he schooled his face into politician-perfect neutralness. "Nothing. I just wanted you to know I might not be here in the fall."

Before Ginny could demand answers, Draco had kissed her once again and then left, all but apparating for how quickly he made it across the pitch and to the castle. Not that Ginny would let that stand as soon as she realized he had left her. She took off after him, a scowl on her face that the twins would have found reminiscent of their mother.

"Malfoy, we're not finished with this conversation," she growled after him, glowering as she marched into the castle, following him into the dungeons. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy had well and truly hit his growth spurt and had a headstart to boot. Ginny rounded the corner and bumped into a distinctly male form.

"You really think you can just drop that on me and leave you bloody jerk?" Ginny demanded before realizing that the person in front of her was not Draco Malfoy, but instead Harry Potter. His mood did not seem to be much better than her own.

"Merlin, the hell I do to you?" he said, his language a dead giveaway that he had been around Ron for far too long.

"Hermione said you had your lesson with Snape tonight," she said, trying her best to cover her mistake. The only person who would have been worse to run into was Ron.

"Yeah, and he booted me from it," Harry said in a tone that said there was a lot more to the story than that. "Who did you think I was?"

"Pardon?"

"When we bumped into each other just now-you called me a bloody jerk and I honestly can't think of anything I've done to you for you to call me a bloody jerk," he said.

"Well, you've not exactly been the picture of a gentleman to my best friend since Umbridge caught us," Ginny said, thinking quickly. "I've seen you glaring at her. It's not like she's the one who turned us in."

"Her showing up the exact meeting that we were caught is rather suspicious," he defended. "She might have-"

"If she had done anything, she would be as pimply right now as Marietta Edgcomb," Ginny said, hands on her hips. Harry sighed.

"Fine, if you're not going to explain anything, I'm tired and need a shower," he grumbled, taking off for Gryffindor Tower. "Are you headed to our Common Room or Slytherin?"

It took Ginny a moment to realize that he was assuming she was going to see Evanna, not Draco. It took longer for her panic at being caught to subside.

"Our Common Room, of course," she said, gesturing down the hall, "ladies first, Potter."

He scowled at her as she gave him a winning smile. He stalked down the hall, his robes whipping around him in a way that almost made her think of Professor Snape. She glanced toward the dungeons once; Draco was probably in his Common Room by now. Shaking her head, Ginny turned on her heel and followed Harry back to the Gryffindor Common Room.