𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, Eva had reasoned to herself, probably wasn't as bad as it seemed. So far, it was a lot of green light - which she already knew - followed by, well, nothingness.
When eighteen-year-old Evangelina Potter opened her eyes, she half-expected to still be on the forest floor, Lord Voldemort leaning over her menacingly. It came as a surprise to the young witch when she instead found herself in what appeared to be a blinding room.
Rubbing her eyes and attempting to adjust to the bright lights, Eva began to take in her surroundings. A cloudy, misty vapour surrounded her, though it did not obscure her vision. Placing her palms flat on the floor, she found that the surface was a spotless white marble, smooth to the touch.
Can you feel things if you're dead?, thought Eva, frowning slightly.
She'd been so sure she was dead, that the game was over, but now...
She attempted to push herself upright, finding with great surprise that her body was free from dirt and injury. Just five minutes ago, in the forest, she'd been littered with cuts and bruises, malnourished from months on the run, and she was almost certain she'd broken her ankle. However, pushing herself to her feet, Eva found that she could bear weight on her ankle easily, and a quick check of her torso found her perfectly healthy.
"Do not worry, my darling. You are well once again." came a soft voice.
Eva spun around, desperately searching for the source of the sound. Her eyes eventually landed on a figure emerging from the mist. Her heart soared with hope as she laid eyes on the woman she had never managed to meet - Lily Potter-Evans.
"Mum," Eva breathed, rushing towards the figure of her mother. "Is it really you?"
"Oh, my love, it's me." muttered Lily, pulling her daughter into her arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You did marvellously, my little flower."
"Mum, I-" Eva trailed off.
Since she was a small child, downtrodden and living in a cupboard under the stairs, Eva had dreamed of this moment - dreamed of meeting her mother, of simply having a conversation with her. Now, however, she was so overwhelmed, she didn't even know what to say.
"Honestly, Lils, you get all the fun." grumbled another voice.
Eva looked up, startled to see the figure of her father, James Potter, standing beside her mother. Eva quickly accepted the offered hug from the older man, feeling love and warmth wash over her.
"We're so, so proud of you, Prongslet." grinned James.
"You're not done yet though, my love. You have a final choice to make." added Lily.
Eva momentarily pulled back from her parents in surprise - was she not dead? Pausing for a second, she drank the image of them in, committing it to memory. People had always remarked how much Eva looked like her mother, and now she understood. They had the same flowing, ginger hair, the same bright green eyes. She'd inherited her father's tall height, though apparently, not his Quidditch prowess.
"Am I dead?" mumbled Eva, half afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes, and no." answered James, shrugging.
"Very helpful, James, thank you." snorted Lily, rolling her eyes affectionately at her husband. "Technically, yes, but your journey doesn't need to end here."
"Basically, love, the fates aren't happy." concluded James.
"The fates?" questioned Eva, frowning.
Sighing, Lily snapped her fingers, materialising a large bench for the three to sit on. Eva found herself in the middle, sandwiched between her parents, and despite the circumstances, she couldn't help but smile slightly at the feeling.
"Death, in particular, is displeased. There is a plan for the world, Eva. Bigger than you, bigger than any of us. A few... individuals... have messed with Death's plan." began James.
"Albus ruddy Dumbledore, to name one!" seethed Lily, earning a surprised look from both her husband and her daughter. "Don't look at me like that, James! You've been watching, too! You've seen his manipulations. I mean, really, who leaves a baby on a doorstep, of people he knows are bad, in October? In the middle of the night! And don't get me started about once Evangelina got to Hogwarts!"
"What your mother is trying to say, love, is that the plan for the world didn't quite go as it should have. Death had planned for Voldemort to be defeated, and for there to be peace. Even if you went back now and killed Voldemort, chaos would still reign." soothed James, wrapping an arm around Eva.
"So what am I supposed to do? I can't change the past!" muttered Eva, running a hand through her hair.
Tutting, Lily shooed her daughter's hand away, before smoothing the bright curls back into place.
"Can't you? What did your friend, Hermione, do throughout your third year? How did you save Sirius?" reminded James, smirking proudly.
"Well, we, uh... time travelled? But that was a few hours, to change this, I'd have to go back..."
"Years. 1991, to be exact." confirmed Lily, nodding.
"It's your choice, love. You've spent enough of your life being pushed and manipulated into things you didn't want." nodded James.
"Would it work?" questioned Eva, raising an eyebrow. "Could I make it worse?"
"Theoretically, yes. However, being dead has it's benefits." shrugged James.
"JAMES! What your father means, love, is that we can see all possibilities, and right now, the current one is bleak."
"Essentially, it can't get worse." finished James. "But you can make it better, Kiddo."
The small family fell silent in thought for a minute. Wrapping an arm around his daughter, James pulled Eva into his side, embracing her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Meanwhile, Eva's head was spinning, her thoughts jumbled.
"So, IF I go back... do I have to do it alone?" questioned Eva warily.
"That would be up to you. You would have all of the knowledge that you currently have. Think how much you can advance the timeline of events, darling. The lives that could be saved."
Fred. Remus. Tonks. Sirius. Hell, even Lavender Brown. I could save all of them, she thought. It could work.
"Ok. Ok, I will." nodded Eva, albeit hesitantly. "Any advice?"
"Be very careful who you trust. Albus Dumbledore is not to be trusted. I'd extend caution to anybody that blindly follows him - we made that mistake. Do not repeat it." began James. "Use your power to your advantage."
"When you are able to, go to Gringotts. Request a blood identity check, followed by the reading of our will. This will make life much, much easier for you, love." continued Lily.
"Our time is running out, darling. It is very draining appearing here, and Death is calling for us once more. Just know that we love you, and we are so, so proud of you, flower." explained James.
"We'll be with you, every step of the way, in here." finished Lily, taking Eva's hand in hers, and placing it over her daughter's heart. "We love you so much, sweetheart."
"I love you too, Mum, Dad."
Eva watched, heartbroken, as the lingering mist began to expand, taking first her father, followed by her mother. She allowed a single tear to escape and run down her cheek, before the mist overtook her, too.
She felt like everything was covered in a hazy cloud, though, in reality, it couldn't have been more than a minute. When Eva opened her eyes, she found herself in the one place she vowed never to return to - the cupboard under the stairs, in Number 4, Privet Drive.