TWENTY

Eve was determined to spend her last week before holiday break going entirely unnoticed and unbothered. She only engaged in conversation when she was spoken to, freely ignored Douglas's presence when he was near her, and simply pretended she didn't notice when George would glance her way during DA meetings. Of course, that didn't mean Eve didn't deal with Fernando's desperate attempts at cheering her up or Fiona and Lucie's overtly passionate pressure of holiday spirit. Still, she decided to take everything in careful stride, as if at any possible moment everything could come tumbling down and promptly shatter into a million different shards of specific miseries. She really had fallen into the faithful teenage melodrama.

In her week of self-inflicted solitude, she even was able to conjure a Patronus charm, much to her surprise and her DA teacher's delight. It wasn't much, but it was more than sparks, and at one point, Eve thought she could even see the shape of a figure, although the spell was lost before she could come close to making out the animal form. But the achievement was enough to ignite a newfound flame in Eve, and she found herself replacing every deep teenage concern in her head with the image of the blue sparks on her wand. Every time she thought of Douglas's callous looks to her, or Umbridge's words on her hand, or the conclusion she had made that George must think she had utterly lost all her marbles, she instead thought of two words: Expecto Patronum. She focused on those words, and to the memories it manifested, and the feeling of the spell traveling through her body and out her arm. She clung to the happiness for dear life.

"Special delivery for Miss Eve de Santos."

Eve's breakfast was promptly scattered about by the drop of a small cherry-red wrapped box smack in the middle of her plate. Her eyes traveled up to find Lucie standing over her side, a bright smile engrossed on her face despite the pain of the early morning.

"Did you have to drop it on my eggs?" Eve asked, but a grin spread on her face as she picked up the present and studied it between her fingers.

"I know we don't like to do gifts because the greatest gift is the gift of friendship, yaddy yeah. But, it's the last day of classes, and I'm particularly jolly this Christmas, and I thought of you when I saw it. So, open it," Lucie said this all rather quickly and sternly as if she anticipated a protest from Eve, but the latter gave no inclination of one.

Eve hastily tore the paper, uncovering a small wooden box. She opened the lid, revealing a thin gold-plated ring with a sharp diamond-shaped dark stone on top. Eve grinned, gingerly peeling the ring from the packaging and holding it close to her eyes. The stone was a curious shade of black, seeming to move in its hue as Eve turned it in her hands.

"Oh, it's beautiful, Lucie," Eve said, looking up at her friend now. Lucie grinned, obviously pleased at Eve's reaction, and nodded towards her hand that still held the ring.

"The stone is meant to change color with your mood. I think muggles have something like it, but obviously, the muggle ones don't work. I thought it was kind of artistic," Lucie said with a modest shrug, but Eve knew she knew Eve enough to pick out a perfect gift. Lucie was always good with things like that.

Eve took the ring from her hand and slipped it on, feeling the ring's band magically expand to fit her finger perfectly. She watched the stone's color immediately form into a wave of various colors of the rainbow before settling into a bright yellow shade that held waves of soft orange as if capturing a moving, tangible sunset.

"I love it, thank you," Eve said, her words coming out in a dry choke as she felt a tinge of tears forming in her face. Lucie's grin widened as if tears were precisely what she had been waiting for, and the girl threw arms around Eve's shoulders.

"Oi, get a room."

Fernando took a seat across from the girls, his stare holding mild amusement as he grabbed a clean plate from between them. His comment didn't seem at all to dwindle Lucie's spirits, though.

"Fernando, my Christmas gift to you this year is the hope that you somehow manage to find support for your hindering juvenile mood swings. Perhaps, Eve can let you borrow her present once and a while," Lucie said this with all the tender and sweet Christmas spirit she had to offer, and with the wave of her hand, she sauntered off and presumably into the arms of her boyfriend somewhere. Fernando raised his eyebrows and turned to Eve.

"What was that all about?" He asked, but he didn't seem all that concerned as he promptly began to fill his plate.

"I think she was implying you have an attitude problem while also insinuating that we are romantically involved," Eve said with a shrug before taking her fork to her plate to move her eggs back in place.

"Oh, so the usual banter, then," Fernando muttered between a spoonful of porridge.

"Are you excited about the DA meeting tonight?" Fernando asked, his voice lowered now, although their neighboring students were not remotely interested in them.

"Yeah, I am actually," Eve replied, with far more confidence than she had intended. But she knew she meant it, and Fernando must have known it as well because a wide, food-filled smile grew on his face.

"And will there be weeping in the corridor again if everything goes to hell?" Fernando asked tentatively, although his smile still remained on his face.

"Are you asking me if I will cry if I don't form a Patronus tonight?" Eve reiterated, although she knew exactly what he meant, "Yes, of course, I will."

"Oh, two weeks away from you cannot come soon enough," Fernando replied, his head shake accompanied by an incredulous laugh. Eve sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure everyone feels that way," Eve said with a shrug, although she meant the comment to come out more as a joke than it did. Although, perhaps, she did feel that way, even if it was just a pathetically tiny little bit.

"Well, maybe not everyone…." Fernando began, his eyes traveling from Eve's to a direction far behind her. Eve turned, although she already had an inclination of who Fernando was looking towards.

George was sat at his place on the Gryffindor table, surrounded by his usual circle of friends. His head shifted wildly as he took turns talking to Fred and Lee, who were sat around him, Fred beside him and Lee across from them both. One of the boys had presumably said something funny, and George broke out into his usual broad smile. Eve wished she could hear the laughter that she knew was coming from him now, but it was drowned in the typical dining hall noise. A hopeless sigh fell from Eve's lips, and she swiftly turned away from him and faced her front again, where Fernando was already waiting to meet her eyes.

"I've been avoiding him all week," Eve said, although she wasn't quite sure why she was revealing this, as if it was some guilty secret she had been hiding, rather than just a pitiful fact of the matter.

"Yes, I noticed that," Fernando said simply, although his eyes softened in his innate sympathetic nature.

"Suppose I've been avoiding everyone a bit," Eve continued.

"Yes, I noticed that as well," Fernando replied.

Eve did not meet Fernando's gaze at his reply, instead finding her eyes on the ring now embellishing her finger. She watched the yellow and orange shades turn and fade away, instantly being replaced by a deep blue hue, almost entirely solid except for a glimmer of white specks growing in and out of view. It was like dark, clear midnight, almost scary and ominous, if not for the splatter of bright shining stars reflecting through the deep expanse. She focused on the stars a little bit longer before the morning bell chimed.

The last day of classes was mostly spent with whispered conversations behind teachers' backs and loud, unforgiving groans from when said teachers assigned work for the holiday break. Despite the melancholy that ended the breakfast hour, Eve didn't let the mood follow her the rest of the day. She was determined to keep her spirits settled for her evening activities, hoping to prove herself as not the hopeless child she felt herself feeling to be so as of late. Eve thought perhaps if one good thing happens to her now, surely more good things would follow in time. There had to be some semblance of redemption for what had been the single most difficult year of her life.

When Eve and Fernando entered the Room of Requirement that night, they found themselves to be one of the last members left to come. Although they were far from late, it seemed as though the final meeting before break caused mostly everyone to arrive early, perhaps, in hopes of getting as much practice as possible. But there seemed to be no practicing insight, as the room was only filled with casual conversation and the occasional exchanging of holiday gifts. The room had been decorated some time at the beginning of the month, most likely by Hermione. With the twinkling lights, gold streamers, and tall decorated tree set by the fireplace, one would think perhaps they were walking into a holiday party. And Eve thought maybe this was a fitting atmosphere to see the Room of Requirement in, as the room had served as the students' own little private sanctuary the last couple months. A safe space far from the grips of reality and Umbridge's quill that served not only as a place of practical lessons but also a place where teenage selfhood could come to laugh and complain.

Cho came in only moments after Eve and Fernando, and from the initial look on her face, she also seemed surprised by the crowd of students already gathered. Eve cocked her head to side between faces, hoping to catch eyes with the girl and say their goodbyes for the holiday break. But Cho's eyes were already set at a distance in front of her, and when Eve turned to look, she saw Harry's eyes at the other end. Their lingering glance, caught by Eve and presumably no one else, was cut short by the sound of loud clapping. Eve's eyes turned to Harry's side, which held a cheery-looking Hermione, who was currently attempting to control the aimless scene. When the students quieted down, she turned to Harry for an anticipated address. Harry nodded and took a glance around the room.

"Well, thank you, everyone, for coming to what will be the last meeting for the next couple of weeks," Harry started, his words earning a couple of groans from the most disappointed of students amongst them. This audible reaction caused a small smile to creep on Harry's face.

"We will work on whatever spells you had left on from our last meeting. Most of you are working on your Patronus spell, so hopefully, today, we can finalize some really great results. I know you all have been practicing loads these past couple of weeks."

At the end of introductions, everyone quickly organized in what now had become their routine positions. With the practice of Patronus', the students had formed a large circle around the room, garnering enough space for Patronus' to be cast and animated around the room, that is, if you were lucky enough to get that far.

And most of the older years had done so already. Fernando had been able to perform the spell by the last meeting, and this meeting had been no different. After a few practice wand flips and a concentrated moment with his memory, Fernando was able to achieve the spell again. No longer than twenty minutes into the meeting did Eve watch a Patronus of a wolf leap out of his wand. Large in size but lean in stature, the wolf took a fierce look around the room, taking a few cautious steps, before running in the opposite direction of them and disappearing into a far corner of the room. Eve grinned and gave a playful slap on Fernando's back, the latter turning to her with his own smirk.

"Quite manly, isn't it, a wolf?" Fernando asked, his brows arching with a proud look, but it came off more bashful than pompous.

Eve rolled her eyes with a laugh, but she was impressed by the form all the same, even if she didn't let his ego know. In reality, Eve thought the wolf was perfect for Fernando, both strong and loyal in nature, with a fierce sense of purpose, and although an innate leader, is far more comfortable amongst their own.

"Expecto Patronum," Eve said now, turning to her own wand and casting the spell with a turn and flick. There was a pulse in her fingertips for a moment, and she watched bright blue sparks ignite from the tip of her wand, but nothing else occurred. She sighed and dropped her arm.

"You need to focus more. I can hear it in your voice," Fernando remarked, turning to Eve altogether now and lowering his tone, "Forget all that other shit in your head. Just for a moment, please."

Eve nodded, but it was easier said than done. She glanced amongst the room and watched a flurry of blue dance around the circle of students. There were some sparks, but there was a good deal of animal forms prancing amongst one another in some strange, magical makeshift zoo. A massive horse galloped around the circle, only to be sideswiped by a small otter, floating in an invisible stream of a river. Another blue spark caught Eve's eye, and she turned to see George's face lit up, and in a second, a small bird shot from out of his wand and took a turn around the room, fluttering around the tops of the heads of the students. The bird crossed the side of the room, and Eve lifted her gaze, grinning as the bird fluttered over her head. She dropped her glance again as the bird turned and look towards George. To her surprise, his eyes were already on her. He grinned; however, it wasn't his usual mischievous smirk, but something much softer, innocent even if at a glance. Eve smiled back, and she realized that this was the first interaction she had had with him all week.

"Keep with the distractions, and you're going to end up crying all the way back home," Fernando whispered, and Eve quickly broke her stare, turning to Fernando again with a guilty look.

Eve took a deep gulp of air and closed her eyes, trying her best to rid her mind of all her lingering thoughts of begrudging friendships and cute teenage boys. Or one particular begrudging friendship and cute teenage boy, respectfully.

"Focus on the memory and that feeling, take yourself to that very moment and relive it."

Fernando's words played in Eve's ear as she watched the visuals of her memory begin to illustrate in her thoughts. She saw her mother's face, younger now, and the smell of saltwater flooded over her.

"Don't say it until you feel it."

She heard waves crashing now and the music of her father's laugh far off in the distance, his footprints on the sand marking where he had stood only moments ago. Her mother called her name to the sea.

"Expecto Patronum."

There was a sharp surge of powerful energy, and Eve opened her eyes just in time to watch the bright blue sparks begin to fly. But this time, they did not stop short of creation. Instead, the sparks turn into a wash of color, pouring into a far stream of blue, and in another second, there was a white flash of light from the end of the blue. Blurred from the bright light, Eve initially couldn't see what appeared from behind her wand, but as the form strengthened in reflection, she recognized the apparition of a lamb.

At first, the lamb only hobbled slightly on its feet as if taking its first steps of life in its new world. But in a few more moments, it began to quicken in its steps, and before long, it was prancing amongst the circle in frenetic energy, earning a few unidentified 'awes' from the crowd.

There was a howl of delight, and Eve knew instantly it had come from Fernando beside her. She turned and met his eyes, a broad, awestruck grin already formed on his face.

"I thought you only made that sound during quidditch?" Eve teased, but Fernando's arms were already around her, and she felt her feet lift momentarily off the ground.

"I've made an exception," Fernando breathed, dropping Eve once again, but his grin still remained on his face, "That was so brilliant, I knew you could do it."

Eve began to feel the pats of various hands on her shoulders as those around exchanged their congratulatory remarks on her achievement. She gave her 'thank yous' with a shy grin and shrug as if what she had just done had not been the product of her mad obsession for the last two weeks.

"That was wicked, Eve. You think you can do that again?" Harry asked, approaching Eve from the quick dispersing huddle around her.

"Yeah, I'll try," Eve nodded, although she had no idea of the trust held for her words. All she had been waiting for was the moment when she would finally be able to do it, to finally form a Patronus. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of having to do it again and again. And again.


Author's Note: So, I took the longest time writing the longest chapter ever, just to end up cutting it in two. So if it seems like this chapter ended abruptly, it's because it does, HA! Also, I've entirely fallen in love with Fernando LOL.