Chapter 14
The fall and a plan

It all happened too quickly. The game was going on for far too long and everyone was getting carried away.

"Don't underestimate him!" shouted Lucinda Talkalot at her fellow teammates, while Rosier was shouting at Severus to go for 'that blasted loop'.

Only for Severus to pass the Quaffle to Carrow.

What if he missed? They would lose a possible point. No. He would rather pass it to Rosier or Carrow, so in case of failure, they would be the one to blame.

"Snape! You should have gone for the loop! Now, they have the Quaffle!" shouted an angry Rosier.

"Not for too long!" shouted Mulciber shooting the Bludger with great strength at Barty Crouch Jr., who had a difficulty trying to pass the Quaffle to one of his teammates at the front.

Now that he was actually playing, he had to say that Quidditch was a difficult sport. Maybe it was the fact that he was not one for sports, maybe the fact that they were several hundred feet in the air using their magic to navigate the broom or the fact that they had to be quick and pay attention to many things at once - like getting the ball and score a goal while trying to avoid getting injured by a Bludger. He had to say that now he had a newfound appreciation for Quidditch players.

'Maybe Potter's arrogance is rightfully placed as he is considered to be something of a Quidditch star?' he wondered, before quickly letting go of the idea.

'No, his skills are no excuse for his awful behaviour.'

Speaking of skills…

While the others were busy trying to get back the Quaffle, Severus was trying to locate his supposed to be girlfriend. She was hollering in the air watching the game unimpressed.

'Of course, she would find it more interesting if it was Black and Potter playing…' thought Severus annoyed.

Suddenly she found something in the air, and a smirk formed on her face before she took off.

Severus found himself wishing for it to be the snitch so one of the seekers could catch it and finally end this godforsaken game.

"Snape! Get back to the game! You can ogle Williams later!" shouted Rosier.

Ogle her? Him? Not a chance.

Scoffing Severus flew after Rosier ready to get the Quaffle. Even though he was busy getting the ball, his mind was still stuck on Rosier's comment.

Was he really staring at her in such a way or did Rosier just say it to get a rise out of him?

No. Of course, he wasn't staring at her like that. He… he promised to keep an eye on her! Yes, he was just fulfilling his promise.

Then again, why would he? She had her lapdog on the ground probably watching her every move, making sure that nothing happened to her. She didn't need him…

With this in mind, he decided to continue playing, so that Rosier would stop being annoying. But then, when he finally got the Quaffle from Barty Crouch Jr. he heard a terrifying scream cutting through the air and the blood in his veins seemed to freeze.

'Was that-?'

As he turned to the source of the sound, he saw Evelyn falling with a terrified expression. Everyone seemed to freeze, and it seemed that he was the first to come to his senses as he let go of the Quaffle and steered his broom towards the falling witch.

'Goddamn it, I won't make it!' he thought horrified as he urged the broom to go faster


As Evelyn gave up every hope, Regulus' voice filled her mind.

"If you were to fall, you would be dead even before you hit the ground," he said and Evelyn mentally groaned.

'Great, my last thought will be about Regulus…' she thought annoyed, before another thing came to her mind, 'What about my projects? So many things I wanted to do! So many projects I have never had the chance to start… not to say… I was actually looking forward to working with Severus…'

She kept thinking about these things, but deep inside she knew that it was just a coping mechanism. She always did this when she was anxious. Pretended that she was all logical and cold, but now it as different. She was moments from dying, she had every right to be anxious.

'Fucking hell, I don't want to die! Think, Evelyn think!' she thought, however, nothing came to her mind, "Is this the moment when I swear to change so that the Gods would spare me?"

As she kept falling, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable. Then…

"I got you," said Severus breathlessly.

Evelyn's eyes went wide, as she felt Severus catch her hand and pull her up on his broom. She put her hands around Severus's waist to keep her from falling off the broom. She let out a relieved sigh, while she laid her head on his collarbone. Her heart was still beating in her ears, and before she knew it, tears were running down her cheeks.

"Thank God," she whispered.

"We are almost on the ground, no need to cry…" said Severus awkwardly, "you don't have to worry about your weight pulling us both down either," he added making Evelyn laugh.

They landed quickly, however, it seemed that Evelyn was still shaken up, as she couldn't stand right. She was shaking and her knees refused to listen to her.

As they landed, some of the onlookers were hurrying toward them, while the rest were in their seat waiting to see what is going to happen next. Seeing the group of people approaching, Evelyn was quick to wipe away her tears.

"Oh God, I can't let them see me like this," she said as she took a deep breath trying to calm herself.

"You almost died, everyone would be distressed," commented Severus.

"But I'm not like everyone else! I can't afford to look weak!" snapped Evelyn.

However, no matter how she tried her cheeks were still red, her eyes were still full of tears and she was still shaking. The crowd was getting closer, and of course, the first one running was Sirius Black. Severus could see him running up to them, embracing Evelyn, asking if she was alright.

Then an idea popped not his mind.

He could… but should he?

He looked at the girl next to him, his cheeks heating up at the thought. It would fuel the rumours, not to say that it would be a nice payback to Black…

"Don't take this the wrong way…" he said as he pulled the girl into his arms.

"Wha-?"

Before she knew it, Evelyn was pulled into Severus' chest and her eyes went wide in shock.

"I – I am aware that you are not into public display of affection, but this way you can hide your face. And get used to being back on the ground as you are still shaking," pointed out Severus

He… he had the point. Evelyn nodded as she gulped.


Evelyn hated other people touching her intimately. It reminded her of the gatherings where everyone pretended to like each other, while behind the scene they were plotting against their "friends". As her father used to say: "A hug is just a way to hide your face" and after observing the pureblood way of living she found it to be a lifetime truth.

This hug was not different.

"Yes, you are right. Thank you, Severus," she said with a small smile as she buried her face in Severus' neck and put her arms around his waist.

This was just a way to hide her face, to hide the proof of momentary weakness.

So why was her heart beating so fast? And why did she feel her face heat up? Not to say that there was a feeling of warmth in her chest…

'It's probably from the adrenaline,' she thought.


It greatly surprised Severus how readily she accepted him hugging her in such an intimate manner in public, and while the closeness made him blush slightly, an unusual warmth filled his chest. Even though he hated being touched by others, he had to say that this was not a bad feeling. Sure, he and Lily were friends, and she had hugged him countless times, but this one was different.

He knew that this time the reason for embracing him was to save face, maybe even to fuel the rumours about them, however, the way in which the slightly shaking girl embraced him was new. Lily's hugs were friendly hugs, lasting around five seconds, or in case of pity hugs after accidentally seeing his scars – proof of his father's discipline - around half a minute. However, now he had a distressed girl on his hands, and it was his responsibility to provide the support she needed. While it was the first time something like this happened and he wasn't sure what to do, he had to say that it was a pleasant feeling to be needed – even for a short while.

Just like Evelyn had commented about accidentally pulling him off his broom, Lily made similar comments on his built, saying that she had to be careful around him, because he seemed too fragile.

He hated those comments.

His mother always assured him that when puberty hits him, he will change. Though now he was already fourteen, yet somehow his build hasn't changed much. He grew a few inches, but it was hardly noticeable…

And now it was him who saved the girl! That will teach them that he is not as weak as they think.

As he kept thinking he saw the others getting closer, being led by none other than Sirius Black. As Black got closer a smirk formed on Severus' face.

"Evie! Are you okay? What happened?" he asked worried as he ran up to them.

"I – I am fine. Severus caught me. Could you send the others away, please?" she said, her head still buried in Severus' neck as Madam Hooch landed next to them after cancelling the match.

"Everyone get back to school, the match is over!" she shouted as she turned to the young Slytherins.

Sirius glared at Severus, ready to pounce and wipe the smirk off his face, but then he looked at the girl in his arms and turned to send back the others to the castle.

"Nice catch Mr Snape. 50 points to Slytherin! Miss Williams, are you alright, do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" she asked, but Evelyn just shook her head.

"No! No… I – I will be alright, just give me a minute…" she said while taking deep breaths to calm down.


"Alright, alright, that's enough for today! The show is over – the girl lives!" shouted Sirius while he tried to get rid of the last students trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening with the Slytherins.

"What happened? Is she okay?" asked Remus as he and his friends run up to Sirius.

"She is alright – Snivellus caught her…" growled Sirius.

"Maybe you should put your hatred aside - he saved her, that must mean that he might not be as bad as we thought…" said Remus, but Sirius wasn't paying attention.

No, he watched as the Slytherin Quidditch team surrounded his brother, shouting.

"Be right back…" he mumbled walking up to the Slytherins.

However, he was once again stopped, by a worried Lily Evans.

"Is she okay?" she asked panicked.

Sirius just give her a quick "yes" before walking past her and towards the Slytherins.

"Are you out of your mind? You know she can't fly very well, and you threw her off like that? Just for a stupid game?!" roared Sirius looking at his brother.

"Get lost Black, this is none of your business!" shouted Mulciber and another fight started.

"I didn't do anything! It was her broom!" defended himself Regulus making everyone shut up.

"Her broom?" asked Emma surprised.

"You are saying that someone sabotaged her broom?" asked Bonnie putting a shaking hand before her mouth.

"Impossible! I checked the brooms with madam Hooch before the match. There was nothing wrong with them," said Emma putting her hand on her chin thinking.

Sirius just watched his brother, deep in thought, trying to figure out if he was lying.

"Someone must have jinxed her broom…" said Evan Rosier.

"But who?" asked Bonnie earning herself a couple of looks saying 'really?'

"The more fitting question is who wouldn't?" said Regulus.

"We need to find out who did this… I will not tolerate anyone sabotaging my practice!" said Emma passionately, before she added, "Of course, it doesn't help that it was one of my best friends they tried to hurt…"


While the team and Sirius were coming up with plans to catch the culprit, Evelyn was still in Severus' embrace. Severus had the feeling that this hug was getting too long, but he didn't want to hurry the girl.

"It seems that Black did a surprisingly good job – everyone left," he said, and Evelyn took a deep breath.

"Yes," she said as she let go of him and took a step back, "I – I am sorry. I don't know what to say. I feel so ridiculous right now,"

Her face was back to its normal colour, however, her cheeks and eyes were still red.

"If it helps, you don't look as shaken up as someone who almost fell to her death," said Severus and Evelyn laughed dryly.

"Well, this has to be good enough until I get back to the changing room," she said trying to lighten up the situation before realisation hit her, "but you – you actually saved my life! I – I feel that I cannot thank you enough."

The way she said it, the soft way she looked at him while her voice was full of gratitude and serenity, made Severus choke on air. It was the first time someone spoke to him this way.

"You are welcome," he mumbled as he looked to the ground.

"But really! You - you actually came! I – I don't know how I could repay you! If you need something, anything – "

"We are snakes, we look out for each other, right?! And I had a promise to keep…" he mumbled and for some reason, he felt his face heating up.

"Oh, yes, right…" mumbled Evelyn as a slight blush formed on her face before she couched," Still, my offer stands – if you need anything let me know." she said before the commotion on the other side of the training grounds caught her attention.

"What are they up to now? We should probably go and see what is happening…" she said motioning to their group of friends.


"So, what are we going to do about it?" asked Rosier as he crossed his arms.

"They tried to seriously injure her… it must be someone who had a bigger reason to hate her than anyone else…" said Emma.

"I don't even know why they hate her, I mean, I am the mean one in our group," scoffed Lucinda.

"Jealousy?" suggested Regulus quietly, making Sirius take a deep breath.

"You know, contrary to what you lot like to believe, not everyone wants to be us…" he said earning himself a lot of confused looks.

"I'm sure that the headmaster will solve this," said Bonnie trying to cheer up her friends.

"The headmaster is not going to do anything," spat Avery, "you know how they operate - as long as she lives, nobody cares…"

"But if she tells her parents, I'm sure-"

"There will be no telling!" cut in Evelyn as she and Severus arrived.

"But Evie – " started Sirius.

"No! I won't tell my parents and I expect you all to keep this to yourself! Nobody outside of Hogwarts can know about this!" she said shocking everyone.

"So, you are not going to do anything about it?" asked Lucinda surprised.

"Don't be stupid, of course I will! I will find out who messed with my broom and teach them a lesson they will never forget…" she said darkly.

The others, excluding Sirius and Severus smirked. While Sirius was curious what was going to happen to the idiot who did it, Severus found the change in Evelyn's presence fascinating. One minute she was ready to take on the world and get rid of every witch and wizard that stood in her way, while the next she was blushing and crying. Yes, Evelyn Williams was interesting, and he couldn't wait to see more of her personality.

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Regulus.

Evelyn shrugged, "Sooner or later they will make a mistake. I guess I will just have to be wary of my surroundings,"

"That's the plan? Wait and see?" asked Sirius alarmed.

"What if they attack you when you are alone?" asked Bonnie worried, but Evelyn just laughed.

"When I am alone? When? When am I ever alone? We are always together!"

"Not when you go to the greenhouses," commented Lucinda.

"Or to the library," pipped in Emma.

There was a minute of silence before Evelyn's eyes went wide.

"Oh God no! Please don't say that-"

"Evie, they tried to injure you! The least we can do is to keep an eye on you!" said Sirius.

"Sirius, I have little privacy as it is; I don't need - or want - any of you constantly breathing down my neck," sighed Evelyn.

"Just shut up and be happy that we like you enough to do this," said Lucinda annoyed.

"I appreciate the thought, but I can take care of myself,"

"Obviously," mumbled Severus and Evelyn turned to look at him with a look of surprise.

"Not you too… Well, I would like to see any of you trying to take hold of a bewitched broom! Why don't we try it now, I bet it will be a thrill to watch!" snapped Evelyn, "I am not some weak princes waiting around for others to save me! I can take care of myself – and I will prove it!" she said before she turned around and ignoring her friends' shouts walked to the castle.

"Now you have done it," said Regulus before he followed the girl to the castle.


Frustration, anger and humiliation was just a small part of what Evelyn felt as she walked up to the castle.

How dare they imply that she was so weak that she couldn't go anywhere alone? She was not an imbecile! Just because she messed up one time, suddenly everyone thought that she was just another Mary Sue waiting for a man to save her.

She was grateful for Severus of course, but his comment just fuelled the fire inside her.

'Obviously,' he said, and Evelyn found herself replaying the comment in her head.

How dare he comment in such a tone, in such a – such a sarcastic tone! What an ass!

'Just you wait! I will show you all! I will find out, who did this and get my revenge!' she thought.


The walk to the castle was weird. Yes, weird was the right word to use.

After Evelyn and Regulus left, the team sighed and decided that since it was getting dark it was the best for them to return to the castle. On the way, they kept theorizing what would be the best course of action.

"We need to keep an eye on Evelyn!" insisted Sirius.

"Oh yes, Black, we all know that you would be more than happy to volunteer to keep watch," rolled his eyes Severus.

Ever since the idea came up, Sirius was stuck on it, not willing to consider anything else.

"She could have died! We have to be around her all the time so we can help her!"

"I'm with him on this," said Rosier calmly and Severus shot him a look of betrayal, "that way we can all take our time and look for the culprit without having to worry about them attempting something,"

"And how do you propose we do it? You heard her, she was not fond of the idea,"

"We will take turns to make it look like it is nothing out of the ordinary," explained Rosier.

"She already spends a lot of time with us. We just need to account for the hours when she is usually alone," said Emma.

"It would be too suspicious if we offered to go with her," added Lucinda.

"Severus likes to read, maybe you could read in the library and keep an eye on her?" suggested Avery.

"And Sirius usually just appears randomly, so he could keep an eye on her in the greenhouses," said Bonnie excitedly.

"So, is it agreed? We do what we usually do, but Snape will keep her company in the library and Black in the greenhouses?"

The boys just nodded. It was evident that neither of them liked the arrangements much.


Arriving in the common room, Regulus found Evelyn sitting on the sofa, with an old book opened in her lap, yet she was glaring at the fire burning in the fireplace.

With a sigh, he sat down on the other side of the sofa. Looking around he saw that they were the only ones there. It was a perfect opportunity to talk, however, he had no idea how to go about it.

"It's unusually quiet here," he said.

"The others are probably having supper," mumbled Evelyn, not tearing her gaze away from the fire.

There was a moment of silence before Regulus asked, "Fancy a game of chess?" and just as expected Evelyn nodded.

It was a hobby they both enjoyed. While at the times Wizarding chess was confusing, Regulus enjoyed the challenge that playing with Evelyn meant. Walking up the stairs to his dorm to get his set, he remembered the first time they played together.

A small boy, not older than seven was sitting in his room, reading the book his father gave him. It was supposed to help him with playing chess, yet he couldn't find interest in it. Not in the book, and neither in chess. No, he enjoyed Quidditch, where the players could fly high and fast with grace and skill. However, as his father put it 'Being a proficient chess player means being a refined gentleman', and it was only expected that he be a refined gentleman.

Now, Regulus was smart. He was already being taught the basic of Potions, History, and Charms. He knew a few things about magical creatures – how dangerous they were and why. He knew both Latin and French, not fluently yet, but he was getting here. He knew about the ancient branches of magic and how they were used. He knew about the most influential covens in both Great Britain and the United States.

No, he wasn't a dunderhead.

He knew it.

His mother knew it.

His tutors knew it.

So why couldn't he play chess? Even his brother, who was constantly bored, was better than him.

With a sigh, he put the book down and laid down on his bed. He couldn't wait for the day when he could leave for Hogwarts, where he could do what he wanted to. Study spells, learn about History of Magic and most importantly play Quidditch.

As he got into another daydream what it would be like, the doors to his room suddenly opened and closed. He quickly got hold of the book, pretending to read.

"I am studying," he said to no one in particular.

The intruder was quiet, so he decided to take a look at them over the book.

He expected it to be one of his parents or his brother, maybe Kreacher checking on him, however, it was a girl with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a dress, and there was a large pink bow in her hair. They kept looking at each other for a while before she spoke up.

"I – I apologize, I wasn't aware that this room is occupied,"

Regulus was about to retort that there was a sign on the door when he remembered that he removed it after Sirius enchanted it to say something rude again.

Regulus knew that he had seen her before. Wasn't she the Williams heir?

Now that he thought about it, his mother may have mentioned that they will be visiting.

"Um – yes, this is my room," he said awkwardly.

"We are playing hide and seek with Sirius, you could join us – " she offered

"No thank you! I – I have something to do…"

While he wanted to play, he knew that first he had to learn how to play chess. He was certain that his father will test him from what he learned from the book.

The girl just kept looking at him, "'The Art of Chess', hm? If you want to, I could teach you…"

"No, I – I wouldn't want to keep you from the game,"

"Nonsense," said the girl with a smile, "It gets boring quickly if you win all the time,"

"What?"

The girl just laughed before she whispered something, and a couple of footsteps appeared on the carpet, showing the trail from the door to where she stood.

"That's cheating," said Regulus before he could stop himself, but the girl just laughed.

"It wasn't fair, to begin with - it's my first time visiting your home. Your brother had the upper hand, to begin with,"

Regulus couldn't help but smirk at the girl's comment. Unlike other girls, she seemed to be less annoying and somewhat smart.

"So, do you fancy a game of chess?" she asked motioning to the chess set laying on the table.

Now, sitting down opposite of Evelyn, he has gotten a lot better than he was back then. He learned a lot from the girl and not just about chess.

They played in silence before he said, "You know, nobody thinks that you are weak. They are just worried,"

Evelyn sighed and it took a while before she replied quietly, "I know,"

"But?"

"I don't need them to worry about me. I'm not an imbecile - I can do things by myself,"

"We all know that; however, I believe that you were the one who told me that it's okay to accept the help of fellow snakes,"

"I said that there is no shame in accepting help when you need it, but I don't,"

"Suit yourself, but don't be surprised if you end up in the hospital wing," said Regulus and Evelyn just sighed.

The duo continued playing until the entrance to the common room opened and professor Slughorn stepped in.

"Miss Williams, if you would be so kind as to follow me please," he said softly.

"Is there anything wrong, professor?" asked Evelyn.

"The headmaster wishes to speak to you about that unfortunate accident,"

"There is nothing to talk about. I wasn't hurt, so there is no need to talk about it," argued Evelyn.

"Of course, we don't want to pressure you. It must be difficult to speak about it, however, seeing that you haven't visited madam Pomfrey the headmaster would like to see for himself that you are doing well,"

With a sigh, Evelyn gave in, bid goodbye to Regulus and left with Slughorn. However, in the Entrance Hall, she came face to face with her friends.

'Great, just what I needed…' thought the annoyed girl.

"What's happening?" asked Emma.

"The Headmaster wants to see me," explained Evelyn shortly.

"I will go with you!" offered Sirius in a heartbeat.

"There is – " started Evelyn before Mulciber cut in.

"Why you? Severus is her boyfriend, if someone, he should be the one to accompany her,"

He had the point, causing Evelyn and Severus to share a look.

"He doesn't have to!" argued Evelyn, the same time that Severus said that Mulciber is right and he will go with her.

In the end, Evelyn was walking up the Grand staircase with Severus on her right and Sirius on her left. They walked in silence, evidently, neither boy liked the presence of the other one. Evelyn wanted to say something to both of them, however, as the professor was walking just slightly ahead, she chose to stay quiet.