"Caelum!" the girl cried, racing into her lover's arms. He was stiff when she embraced him, arms barely coming up to hold her.
"Caelum, what's wrong?" she demanded.
"You've tricked me," he said in a low voice.
She frowned. "Caelum-"
"I was supposed to die! I should not be living if it weren't for your infernal dealings with the devil!"
She grabbed his hand, face etched with hurt. "Caelum, I saved your life. I-"
"Keep your hands off me l, witch!" he all but shouted, throwing her away from him. She would have fallen, if not for a burly man behind her catching her roughly. Suddenly, the trees around them were full of people holding pitchforks and torches.
"Witch! Burn the witch!" the crowd was shouting. The girl was sobbing as the townsfolk tied her to a stake, stacking dry tree limbs and debris around her.
"Caelum, Caelum, please," she sobbed. "You said you would love me no matter what. Please, don't do this! Don't let them do this! Please-ple-"
Her sobbed pleas became screams on the wind as the flames began to engulf her. A tall man stood next to Evanna.
"I didn't know that she had continued her relationship with that wretched boy," he said in a growl. Evanna turned her gaze upon Salazar Slytherin.
"What did you do to him?" she asked.
When she looked, it was in his eyes. The muggle, naked and bound on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, poison slowly dripping onto his head, running down his face and into his eyes as he died screaming and sobbing, just as Morgan's had.
"He deserved it," she said viciously.
"But not everyone I or my son's hurt in our quest for vengeance did," Salazar said. "And not everyone he sets you to kill will deserve death either."
Evanna was surprised to find both her father and her birth mother sitting at the dining room table the next morning for breakfast. She took her seat somewhat nervously on her father's right hand side.
"Good morning, Father, Mother," she said, bowing her head towards her father, barely even giving her mother a nod.
"Your letter from Hogwarts arrived," her father snapped his fingers and a House-elf appeared, handing Evanna said letter. It was heavier than it had been most years. "It seems as though you may have earned Prefect. I did as well when I was your age."
There was an odd sort of pride in his voice. For a moment, Evanna imagined what it might have been to grow up in a more normal family, with her mother and father present from day one, celebrating her successes at Hogwarts, disapproving of boyfriends, telling her to keep her grades up and out of trouble. It was a lovely picture, where she could easily perform the lighter magicks and Harry would come over for dinner to nervously meet her parents and…
"That should make it easier to complete your task," Bellatrix said. Complete her task. Assassinate Albus Dumbledore.
Just like that, the illusion was shattered.
"My time as prefect also allowed me influence over the younger years," her father said. "See that you foster those connections as well. The students of Hogwarts are the foundation which we will build our new world upon."
Evanna took a sip of pumpkin juice to moisten her dry mouth. "Of course, Father," she said, looking through her mail. There was a letter from Bridget that she opened.
Dear Evanna,
I have been made Prefect for Hufflepuff this term. I assume you are the Prefect for Slytherin. My parents have offered to take us both to Diagon for new school supplies and a nice dinner for celebration-please say you can come! We'll be going this Saturday.
Your friend,
Bridget Travers
"Bridget will be my counterpart in Hufflepuff," Evanna said, putting the letter on the table. "She says her parents would like to take us for dinner in Diagon as a celebration for our achievements."
Bellatrix snorted. "Just like a Travers to suck up-"
"Please, Father," Evanna said. "Bridget is a good frie-ally. She helps me stay aware of what the other Houses know and believe about us."
There was a moment of silence, before Evanna began again. "Besides, I want to visit Borgin and Burke's. See if there is anything that may aid me or your Death Eaters in…. My task this year."
Her father studied her carefully. "Very well," he finally said. "But you will be accompanied on the train by the children of my closest followers to keep you safe."
Evanna bit back any protests. This was as good as she would get. "Of course, Father. Thank you."
Harry POV
Though Harry was grateful to Sirius for having planned his very first surprise party, the event itself was overshadowed by the attack on the muggle bridge and just who exactly Remus had found Harry hiding with in the aftermath. Throughout the party, more reports had come through of exactly how many muggles had been killed, what Death Eaters had been present, the cost of the damage exacted on muggle London, the international magical community's response to the breach in the Statute of Secrecy. All in all, what Harry had once thought would be his best birthday ever was one of the gloomiest.
He spent most of the week dodging questions about the incident, but he knew he wouldn't be able to forever. His luck ran out on Wednesday, shortly after receiving an invitation to the opening of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. He had been trying to complete his Transfiguration homework when Sirius bounded into the room in Padfoot form, jumping into the bed and transforming in one smooth movement.
"What are you doing?" Sirius said.
"Homework for McGonagall," Harry told him, a bit confused at why his godfather was lounging across the bed like he was a model on the cover of a magazine.
His godfather glanced over Harry's assignment list. "I see ole Minnie still doesn't understand the concept of summer hols."
"I'm just glad I don't have to try and cram all of it on the train anymore," Harry quipped. Sirius's eyes darkened at that and Harry quickly distracted him. "Did you come in here for a reason, or-"
"Remus reminded me that we haven't spoken about the attack on your birthday," Sirius said. "Or who you were with."
"You already knew that Ev and I are friends."
"I think you two are-how the youths put it-more than friends."
Harry's face burned red. "Maybe."
"And you know it is incredibly dangerous right now? That the Order knows she is living in Voldemort's headquarters and he seems to have taken an interest in training her as his protegee?"
Harry knew quite a bit more than that, but he wasn't about to say as much to Sirius. "Yeah, I know. I was the one who saw her kill Lu-her dad."
Sirius' mouth pursed in a thin line. Obviously, he could have done without that reminder.
"I won't tell you what you already know," he said. "I won't even warn you away from her, because I know that you are enough like me and your father that the rebel in you would be drawn that much more to her. I don't even know what to tell you, honestly. Everything I try to come up with just sounds…. Old."
Sirius said the word 'old' as if it were something terrible to be. Harry had to smother a laugh at his godfather's expression.
"If it helps, I promise not to do anything you wouldn't do," Harry said with a smirk. Sirius groaned.
On the same day, Harry received his Hogwarts letter, OWLs results, and an invitation to join the Weasleys in Diagon Alley for the grand opening of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Though Remus had been proud of Harry's seven OWLs, Sirius had made all the breakfast dishes dance in celebration for Harry being named Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and had even insisted on purchasing Harry the brand new Thunderbolt, which had been rumored to be able to break the sound barrier.
"My Firebolt is really fine, Sirius-"
"Fine for the youngest Seeker in a century, of course," Sirius said with a grin, "but not for Gryffindor's captain!"
"Don't try to stop him, Harry," Remus had said. "One of Padfoot's favorite pastimes is spending his family's money on ridiculous extravagant things that his mother would have hated."
So, that weekend, Harry met up with the Weasleys and Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron with Sirius. The Leaky Cauldron had much fewer people in it than last time Harry had been there. In fact, there was hardly anyone present in the old tavern.
"It's like last time," Sirius told him softly. "People are scared to leave their houses."
Indeed, Mrs. Weasley looked on the cusp of nervous breakdown as she stood toward the back of the tavern with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione immediately ran up to Harry and threw her arms around him, having not been able to come to his birthday party.
"I heard you were at the bridge-it was just awful, Harry! I'm so glad you're okay!" she babbled in his ear.
"Let the man breathe, Mione," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back in the way all Gryffindor boys seemed to greet each other. "Ready to see the twins, mate?"
"Yeah, I-"
"I'm still not sure we should be endorsing a prank shop as prefects, Ronald-"
"Oh, come off it, Hermione," Ginny said, also giving Harry a brief hug. She was wearing some sort of amulet around her neck that he did not recognize but looked foreign and seemed to have an aura of some kind. "Good to see you, Harry."
"Come on, come on, I want to get home well before dark," Mrs. Weasley said, bustling the children out and into the alley. When they arrived at the twins' shop, Mrs. Weasley nearly had a conniption at the sign out front advertising 'You-No-Poo', while Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Sirius all laughed hysterically. Even Hermione was fighting to keep a straight face.
The inside of the shop was complete chaos, just like the twins. Harry grinned, sure that there was no better way to have spent his Triwizard winnings. He had found his way to the 'Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder' when he brushed against someone. His eyes widened as he recognized his girlfriend.
She seemed very tired, her hair pulled into a tight ponytail and wearing some light grey robes that seemed to shimmer in the light. It took a moment, but she curled her lip into a sneer, eyes shifting around them.
We're being watched, Harry, Evanna's voice, just as tired as he suspected, sounded in his head.
"Will you ever learn to watch where you're walking, Potter?" she said in a disdainful drawl that Harry found strangely attractive. He had to clamp down on a smirk.
"Suppose I'm doomed to keep on knocking into you, Malfoy," he said, only just keeping a grin off his face.
Evanna's lips twitched a little. She had opened her mouth to say something that would likely be devastatingly snide and attractive, when another voice came.
"You're really shopping here, Malfoy?" Ginny said, coming up behind Harry. "It's not too Gryffindor for you to be seen here?"
Harry was a bit surprised at the venom in Ginny's voice and positioned himself subtly between the girls. Evanna evidently did not think it that subtle because she threw a look at him. He didn't move though, as Evanna turned back to Ginny, face hardening though Harry could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Ginny, how has your summer-"
"Don't do that," Ginny snapped. "Don't act like you're my friend when you're a coward who would see me and mine dead."
Evanna visibly flinched at the accusation.
"You're out-of-"
"Don't, Potter," Evanna said, a brittle edge to her voice. "Let Weasley say her piece. I'm sure she's been practicing all summer."
That statement seemed to anger Ginny even more, as her face took on the purple-y color that Harry recognized in Ron when he was in a temper.
"You just think you're so much better than the rest of us, don't you?" Ginny sneered.
It was then that Bridget Travers joined them, her face hard as stone.
"I thought we had solved this at the end of term, Gin," Travers said, standing nearly as close to Evanna as Harry wished he could. "You know things are different for us."
"Obviously, why else would you be wearing long sleeves during the summer?" Ginny said. "And that's just the problem, isn't it?"
Travers face went blotchy while the color drained from Evanna's.
"C'mon, Ev," Bridget said. "My parents are waiting."
Harry wanted nothing more than to reach out to his girlfriend, pull her into a kiss, and assure her that Ginny was wrong about her, that he knew she had come to the Ministry because she was a good person who wanted to protect her friends, even from her father. But he couldn't. So instead he just whirled on his friend's little sister.
"Was that really necessary?" he said. "She looks like she hasn't slept since my-for days," he corrected himself quickly.
"Probably because she helped the attack on muggle London and has been scheming some other way to kill innocent muggles!" Ginny hissed.
"You're supposed to be her best friend-Merkin, she helped save her life in the Chamber!"
"Obviously people change, Harry," Ginny glowered. "Tell me why it is that Draco Malfoy can escape the Death Eaters and Evanna Malfoy stays to follow Voldemort if she didn't want to?"
Harry didn't know what to say to that, least of which because it was news to him that Draco Malfoy had 'escaped' the Death Eaters. But Ginny seemed to take that as an indictment.
"That's what I thought," she said. "I hate it as much as you do, Harry, but we're going to have to be stronger if we want the good guys to win this war."
Harry clenched his jaw as the redhead marched off, disappearing into the crowd.