A/N: Hi folks! I am back with yet another chapter of Last Doomtreader story. If you want any particular character to interact with Evelyn, I am taking requests.
Oddity Update: Brrr... it's coming along. I'm of two minds currently. Going into more political aspects or with more action. Open to suggestions as each route will take the story to different places.
Symbol Update: Oh this one is good and well padded. Have upto 15 chaps in backup, so no worries with it.
Anyway without further rambling...


Chapter 3 – How About A Little Fiendfyre?


Harry felt his insides flutter as he heard what the woman said. While the casual tone in which she spoke – no ordered – Dumbledore was something strange, he couldn't help but anticipate what this woman wanted to do with him. If those words have come from anyone else's mouth, he wouldn't be pleased with them.

Despite the complaints he had against Dumbledore for his treatment of him since last year, he immensely respected the Headmaster. So, anyone disrespecting Dumbledore would be automatically on his shit list. But, the way she spoke with Dumbledore seemed to perfectly fit with her. So, he didn't know how to feel about this particular woman, who had walked into his life and was demanding to see him. Harry shuffled sideways a little to get a clear view of her.

"I am afraid I can't allow you access to Harry until I am certain of your intentions towards him, Miss Thorne," Dumbledore replied not moving an inch from where he stood.

"And pray tell, what gave you the impression that I was asking you, you old coot," the woman sneered in reply. "I am here to see Harry and this isn't Hogwarts, so you can't shove your bony nose in my business. Move aside or I will take drastic measures."

"Evelyn!" Professor McGonagall shouted sternly from the side in a reprimanding tone.

"I am not joking Professor," the woman replied stubbornly, "Don't think I don't know what the old coot is doing. I know perfectly well what he is doing. He is playing power games and wants to establish his authority over the situation. But, if he is thinking that I will play by the rules, he is dead wrong. I am not Lily; I am not James; I am not his pet werewolf; or any of his blind followers. I am Evelyn Thorne, and I play by my own rules."

Dumbledore didn't respond to her speech. Harry watched as he looked at the woman piercingly. The woman held his gaze for a few moments, before she snorted and raised her wand. The tension in the room rose up a notch.

"This is Black family ancestral home, isn't it? How ironic for the mutt to return here after he ran away from his home when he was young? Do you remember Sirius that I once told you that one of my dearest wishes is to burn down this sorry excuse for a house? Maybe, I should give that a try. What do you say Albus Dumbledore? Will a Fiendfyre destroy the ancestral home of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black?"

Gasps echoed all around. While he didn't know what this Fiendfyre was, the reaction of the others present in the room made him realize that it was something terrible.

"You wouldn't!" Mrs. Weasley screeched from behind him.

The woman arched her head to look at her.

"You look similar to Gid and Feb, I assume you are Molly then. Well, Prewitt –"

"Weasley," Mrs. Weasley interrupted sharply.

"Ah, Weasley then… Well, Weasley, I never make empty threats. You can ask that mutt over there. I am not here to play your games. I grew up with shit like that. I came here for Harry and if I have to cast a Fiendfyre to get to him, I will gladly raze this house down to earth."

Silence engulfed the room once more in the wake of her statement. It was broken by none other than Sirius. It started slow, but soon Sirius was laughing his head off from the floor.

"Merlin, I missed you, Eve. There is never a dull moment around you," he started wheezing as he tried to control himself.

"Don't talk to me as if we are friends, mutt," the woman snapped in irritation.

"You will be doing no such thing Evelyn," Professor McGonagall said exasperatedly.

"No Professor, I will be doing the exact same thing if that green robed monstrosity in front of me doesn't move in five seconds," the woman said vehemently. "I have a real good control of my Fiendfyre Professor. While I can guarantee mine and Harry's safety, I don't give one whit for anyone else's here. DO NOT TEST ME ON THIS!"

"Albus,"

For the first time Professor McGonagall sounded nervous and it scared him to realize that she was worried that the woman would do exactly that. Both the woman and Dumbledore were in a stare off as the tension mounted in the room. With each passing moment, everyone started fidgeting more.

"One,"

"Oh shit, for Merlin's sake, let her see Harry," Sirius cursed from the floor.

"Professor," Remus sounded panicked.

"Two,"

"Albus, you of all people should know how headstrong she could be. Move aside!" Professor McGonagall urged.

"Three,"

Moody watched the duo silently, not speaking a word.

"She's crazy," Mrs. Weasley screeched from behind.

"Four,"

"Albus, its not worth it," Mr. Weasley said from the side anxiously.

"Someone, stop her," Mrs. Weasley screeched once more.

Harry saw Professor McGonagal purse her lips as she trained the wand on the woman. Remus started to back away from the place slightly. Sirius was cursing up a storm from the floor. Arthur and Mrs. Weasley were edging behind slowly. Moody looked poised to cast a spell at a moment's notice. All through this, both Dumbledore and the woman had only eyes for each other.

Harry saw the woman's lips twitch in annoyance and a stubborn, ruthless look flash across her face. He felt as if his body was dunked into cold ice as he saw that look. He recognized that look all too well. The woman wasn't willing to back down. He knew even if he raised his wand now, he would be too late – not that he knew what to do with something that scared all the adults in the room.

"FIEN-"

"Enough!"

Dumbledore bellowed causing the woman to pause halfway in her incantation. Harry had never seen Dumbledore react like that. His robes were billowing in the air and magic was emanating from him in dreadful amount. Everyone was forced to take step back to maintain their footing in the onset of powerful magic emanating from the Headmaster.

Everyone, but the woman.

She resisted the onset of magic from Dumbledore calmly and still pointing her wand at the table in front of her. She was smiling and her eyes danced in victory.

"Enough of this childishness, Miss Thorne. You will inform me of your intentions towards Harry this instant, or there will be consequences," Dumbledore spoke commandingly in a powerful voice that reverberated in Harry's soul.

For a moment there it looked like the woman would cave in. But, Harry saw Sirius shake his head from the corner of his eyes. Even McGonagall looked exasperated at that moment. If those didn't clue him in, Moody and Remus's identical groans made it clear that was exactly the wrong thing for Dumbledore to say. Harry saw the woman's eyes narrow, and three things happened in the next instance.

"FIENDFYRE!"

The woman snarled.

The table in front of her caught fire and was reduced to crisps in an instance. The flames cast an eerie glow to the already gloomy house.

A red bolt erupted from Dumbledore's wand and it travelled across the space between him and the woman – only for it to meet an invisible barrier. A gong like sound echoed causing the house to shake. The force from the collision moved the woman a few paces behind. A wave of magic burst forth and scattered across the house waking Mrs. Black's portrait, who promptly started screaming her head off. Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her.

The woman sneered at a dumbfounded Dumbledore. Everyone in the room was pointing their wand at the woman, but she only had eyes for Dumbledore. Harry felt dizzy from both the sound and magical backlash.

"Try me, old man," the woman sneered. "This is a new shield I invented to fight against Nundus in Africa. If I am not wrong, it will take all of you – including you, to punch through this. Even then it would take upto five seconds for the shield to fall. Guess how much damage I could do in five seconds," the woman chuckled.

Everyone sported a troubled look as they glanced between the woman and the fiendfyre she had conjured up.

"That is also when I am concentrating on the fiendfyre. If I lose control of that, I could do a lot more damage than you could ever imagine old man. The way I see it, you have two options. Move aside or start containing my fiendfyre. Either way, I will be meeting Harry. The only question is whether you will have your dignity left after that."

The flames billowed eerily between the woman and Dumbledore.

"Evelyn, for merlin's sake, there are kids upstairs," Professor McGonagal was fuming at the woman. "Stop this nonsense, now!"

"Looks like the old man doesn't care about them either, Professor. Why should I care when even the esteemed Leader of Light, Albus Dumbledore, doesn't care about them? All he has to do is move aside, but he isn't budging, is he? He always wants everyone to dance to his tunes. How does it feel old man to be on the other end of the wand?"

"Your display is truly disappointing, Miss Thorne. And you wonder why I am afraid to provide you access to Harry without knowing your motivations?" Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment.

"Cut you kindly grandfather act, old man. I am not James to buy into that shit!" the woman snarled and the flames rose higher. "I will ask one last time, move or else I won't be responsible for the consequences."

Harry watched both the woman and Dumbledore stand off. Neither willing to give an inch. The tension in the room mounted and Harry felt that he was entirely to blame for this mess. If someone didn't defuse the situation, this might really blow up. And he didn't want his friends to be hurt on his account. The apprehension everyone, but Dumbledore and the woman, had towards that fire made him uneasy. So, he decided to intervene before things could get out of hand.

"They are my friends," he spoke into the silence causing everyone to turn towards him,

"What?"

"You asked why should you care, right? They are my friends and if anything happened to them, I would never forgive you," Harry said strongly more than he felt.

The woman's eyes narrowed. Harry held her gaze and refused to look away. It was true. No matter who this woman was, he wouldn't forgive her if she hurt his friends. Silence lasted for a few moments after his statement. In the end, the woman scowled and vanished the flames.

"Bloody hell, he is as stubborn as Lily!" the woman swore as she rose from her chair and walked out of the house unceremoniously.


A/N: Evelyn's character is a headstrong hardass. I will give you more on her background in the next chapter in the form of discussion between Harry and the Marauders. Not much, mind you, just enough to let you know her and her circumstances.
When I mentioned manipulative Dumbledore in the summary, it is more in regards to his hidden puppet master aspect. There won't be obvious bashing, but you will see how characters react when they learn of his manipulation.
Things will start to unravel from Harry's trial. as more of his manipulations are brought to light, the trust people have in him will shake. But, make no mistake, he will be a major powerhouse and also an important player as the story progresses.
Anyway, signing off for now. Always open to hear about your opinions.