Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this next chapter! School has been kicking my butt this past month, BUT I have made this chapter extra long to make up for it! I'm really excited about this chapter and I hope you enjoy it! As always, I only own my OC and the general plot direction. JK Rowling and BBC's Sherlock own the majority of these concepts and characters. Feel free to leave a review, as I love and appreciate your feedback! XOXO
Chapter 7
Dear Sherlock,
I hope school is going well, and that Mycroft is not giving you too much of a hard time adjusting to being at high school. I can practically hear him going on and on about how juvenile it all is, but you know that's only because he was too arrogant to make friends! Don't let him discourage you, though. I know that you're nervous (no, I know you are Sherlock!), but I promise it will be
"Promise it will be what?" Evalane mumbled to herself and crumpled the parchment before throwing it into the waste bin. If she was being honest, she had no idea what to even say to Sherlock. The guilt of leaving him in the dark about her current situation was beginning to sink in, and her view of the golden sun crawling over the horizon and illuminating the trees and grass freshly covered in dew did not make her feel any less guilty. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to be able to talk to her best friend about magic and how curious wands really were, but she knew she couldn't, or shouldn't at least.
Evalane glanced over to the clock hanging over the door- a fairly odd place to put a clock if she really thought about it -and noticed she had about twenty minutes before breakfast began in the Great Hall. She was not entirely sure what all she could bring to her classes, as she had yet to receive the rest of her textbooks and other supplies. At least she still had the spare uniform from Hermione, even if they were a little too short, and the prefect gave out Slytherin robes and ties to all of the first years. Hopefully she would learn some spell or potion that could help her duplicate things. Evalane chuckled at the thought of the actual possibility of those things not only existing but at her disposal.
"I guess I'll just figure it out," Pulling her black hair into a ponytail, Evalane smoothed out her robes and grabbed her backpack that had the few textbooks from Hermione's first year, a few spare sheets of parchment she found in the desk of her room, and a "Muggle" pen she was able to bring from home to head over to the Great Hall. The common room was swarming with students' chatter, so Evalane tried to make her way through the crowd without bringing too much attention to herself. It's not that she did not want to make friends; her first priority was getting to know her brother before knowing anyone else...
"Trying to run off are you, Potter?" There was the icy voice of that Malfoy boy again. Her eyes rolled so far back into her head that she could practically see her own brain, but she turned anyway to look at the nuisance. Apparently the smug smile on his face was a permanent feature, and from the crispness of his uniform, Evalane could tell he took a long time to get ready that morning. Little did this boy know that Evalane could also see the wrinkles in his pants, meaning he had been waiting for her specifically to make an appearance. How juvenile, but then again, the boy was thirteen after all.
"Just going to breakfast, Draco. You know that meal that everyone has at the beginning of the day? Some people even call it, THE MOST important meal of the day?" Some of the first years standing near the door began giggling.
Draco's slender nose scrunched in disgust. "I know what breakfast is, POTTER. I had a question for you. How does it feel to be the reject child of the family?"
"Just fine, thank you. Besides, from the sounds of it Draco, your parents saw how you turned out, so they decided not to risk bringing more defective spawn into the world." More snickering emerged from around the common room, and Evalane was beginning to enjoy the sound of people laughing at the young Malfoy's expense. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to breakfast. Unless you had some other half-effort insult to throw at me?"
Without responding, Draco stormed off with whom appeared to be two of his own personal lackeys. Rolling her eyes, Evalane left the common room and did her best to make it back to the Great Hall without getting too lost in the winding and seemingly endless corridors and staircases. Once she had finally made it to breakfast- with two minutes to spare -she decided to make her way over to the Gryffindor table to say hello to her little brother. Maybe he would want to meet up at some time that day and get to know each other better? She took excited strides over to where she saw Harry enjoying his breakfast and the company of his friends, but she noticed that a wave of silence would pass as she walked past Gryffindors of every age.
"Good morning, Harry!" Her brother turned to face her, but his expression suggested he was slightly apprehensive to do so. Not only was it his expression, but his hands gripped the table just slightly tighter than a moment ago and his eyes never truly made connected with hers.
"Morning."
"I was wondering if you had any free time this afternoon? Maybe we can hang out and catch each other up on, well, our lives I suppose?" Harry's friend, Ron, turned and gave Evalane a look that nearly sent chills down her spine. In fact, many of the students sitting near them were doing the same, except for Hermione, who simply smiled but in a way that read off as nothing more than cordial. Evalane could not help but shift her weight uncomfortably. She became very aware of how tight her blouse and skirt were. She really did hate skirts. They had always seemed like a lazy version of shorts but were even more unflattering on her since the waistband was too large but was too tight around her thighs. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"
"What?" Harry jerked back like he had just been pulled out of some kind of trance. "No...no why?"
"Well everyone here is staring at me as though I grew another head?" Before she could finish the sentence, the Gryffindors quickly turned back to their food to devour every last morsel.
"Don't...don't worry about them," Harry shook his head quickly, but he silently shot Ron a warning look because his stare had not broken with the rest of the table. Ron suddenly must have become famished because he started to completely destroy the overly buttered waffle in front of him. "I'm free around 3 o'clock if you want? We can meet by the lake?"
To that, Evalane could not stop herself from smiling, and she even allowed a few of her slightly crooked teeth to make an appearance. "I would absolutely love that! I will see you there!"
Harry, thankfully, returned the smile before returning to his breakfast. Evalane then started to make her way to the Slytherin table to get herself one of those waffles, and probably some eggs, and maybe some sausage, and fruit…
"Hey! Evalane!"
"Wait up!"
Evalane was slightly surprised to see the Weasley twins chasing after her in the Great Hall, but there they were nonetheless. Fred and George both neglected to have their robes on, but they were sporting grey sweaters with the Gryffindor crest on their left breast. Fred's tie was slightly more askew than George's, but that was not saying much since George's undershirt was poking out from underneath his sweater.
"Hello boys," stopping for the twins to catch up, Evalane gave both Weasleys a quick once over. "Running late this morning?"
"How did you…" Fred began, panting softly from running over to her.
"Know we were late?" George completed the thought before putting his hands on his hips to catch his breath.
"Besides the fact that you're both heaving like you just ran a 5-kilometer race? I mean, come on! Your hair is a complete mess, both of your ties are flying all over the place, George I can see your undershirt is untucked at your sides, neither of you have your robes on, and Fred...are your shoes even on the right feet?" Fred immediately shot his head down to stare at his while, and George scrambled with cat-like reflexes to tuck in the rest of his shirt. "All signs are pointing to the conclusion that you overslept and were almost late for breakfast. Fred, just the fact that your shoes were on the wrong feet I can tell George is the one who woke up first."
Fred's face flushed in a crimson shade, and George started laughing hysterically at his brother's inability to dispute the accusation.
"You got us, I guess!" George threw his arms into the air like he was surrendering at war. Fred grinned and imitated his brother and threw his head back dramatically in defeat.
"We just were wondering what classes you had today?" Fred jokingly squinted his eyes shut to avoid anymore berating from Evalane.
"Oh stop," she playfully nudged both boys on the shoulder. "Well to start I have Potions for about two hours? Then I have a quick break for lunch, and then I have Transfiguration!"
"First day and you have double Potions?! Blimey, that's dreadful!" George pulled Evalane into a tight embrace, and then loudly whispered in her ear, "Good luck, mate! I hope you survive!"
"Oh get off her, Georgie!" Fred laughed and ripped his brother off their friend like there was Velcro between them. "It won't be nearly that bad the first day. I mean, it'll be bad, but you should make it out alive."
"Professor Snape is that bad, huh?"
"You should be alright since you're a Slytherin." Fred reassured her, but George was nodding his head like he wanted it to fall off.
"You're also a Potter," George glanced over to the Head Table, where they could see the old Potions professor scowling at a bowl of oatmeal. "So I would just lay low if I were you…"
"Has my brother given him a hard time or something?" Nervously tugging at the sleeves of her robes, Evalane also looked towards Snape. Though she did not care to admit, the man did make her rather uneasy. She just assumed her experience with him would be decent because of her mother, but she should have considered the kind of relationship the man had with her father. "Or has he given my brother a hard time?"
"A little bit of both, I guess," Fred chuckled. "Just don't do anything to push his buttons."
Rolling his eyes, George replied, "Isn't that simply existing all together?"
"ANYWAYS," Fred shouted over his brother. "We also have lunch at that time! Care to join us?"
Remembering the incident a few moments ago, Evalane wondered if eating lunch with the twins would be a good idea. "I don't think your fellow Gryffindors would appreciate that. For some reason, they all have a grudge against me."
"Oh don't worry about that!" Fred swatted this away as quickly as she mentioned it.
"That's just the old rivalry between our houses talking!" George added. "It's not you, it's just your house."
Slightly offended by this, Evalane could not help but ask, "So why do you two want to have lunch with me? Kind of defeats the whole purpose of a rivalry, don't you think? Wouldn't want to ruin your reputation."
"George and me were never much of rule followers, right Georgie?"
"Never, Freddy!" George nodded with mischief sparkling in his eyes.
Evalane happily agreed to meet the boys back in the Great Hall for lunch, mainly because at this moment, they were the only ones besides Harry willing to offer her kindness, let alone friendship. She was well aware that she was in no position to turn away friends, but she still wanted to make her relationship with her brother her main priority. She supposed that befriending the twins would be a decent exception, however.
No matter what the twins tried to say, her anxiety about her double Potions lesson was keeping her optimism cornered in her mind. Ideally, Professor Snape would completely ignore her throughout the entire two hours, but judging from his permanent brooding glare, he did not seem like the person who would let someone like her go unnoticed. Confrontation seemed to be inevitable, so Evalane tried to do some last minute preparations while scarfing down an entire waffle.
The Potions classroom was far too similar to the dungeons to be a comfortable environment. The desks and chairs were mysteriously stained and beginning to splinter on the sides, like the wood was rejecting itself and tearing apart. There were candles illuminating the room in a yellow haze, and you could see the thousands of dust particles dancing in the light and forming a cloud of misery from past students. All four walls were lined with a rainbow of jars and bottles, all filled with strange liquids and unidentifiable objects. The labels on the jars were scribbled in the kind of handwriting that looked more like splattered paint than actual words. At the front of the room stood a plain black chalkboard, and in the furthest corner of the classroom was a high-standing desk that had next to nothing on top of it.
The students, all of whom were first years besides Evalane, were happily chatting at the desks while they waited for the lesson to begin. It seemed like the class was a combination of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Before Evalane could make herself comfortable in the back table on a nearly broken stool, a massive boom echoed from behind the desks and a bat like mass floated past the now silent students.
"There will be no foolish wand waving or ridiculous incantations in this class." Professor Snape's voice was deep and cold, like he had recited this speech a million times. These children were nothing to this man except a way to pass time during the day. Once placing himself in front of the class, the air seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature. His eyes were like the night: dark, empty, and silent. His robes were also black, which made Evalane realize how little this man cared about appearances. More likely than not, he owned multiples of those same robes for the sake of practicality.
"I do not expect any of you to appreciate or understand the subtle science or exact art that is Potion making; however, for those of you who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses, bottle fame, brew glory. I can teach you how to put a stopper in death. Any questions before we begin?" No response from the small group of actual children, and Evalane really could not blame them. The superiority complex this man possessed was utterly terrifying. Evalane, on the other hand, saw this as a challenge. No one could act this cold and condescending without having experienced it themselves. She knew her mother would not defend this man for no reason, and that was enough for her to go on. She decided to raise her hand.
"Ah yes, Miss Evalane Potter." Snape mused. "Already trying to interrupt lessons, just like your brother."
"Feel free to call me Eva, Professor Snape," Evalane smiled sweetly, making the younger children visibly nervous for her. "I only wanted to ask if wands will never be a necessity in potion making, or is this just a general rule for this class in particular?"
Faster than a gust of a storm's wind, Professor Snape was standing before her, his lips curling in disgust revealing slightly yellowed teeth. "Miss Potter," he snarled. "I should have expected you to be just as arrogant as your brother. Let me ask you this, what would you get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
The question Snape presented to Evalane was quite complicated. In fact, the first year textbook barely touched on how different forms of each ingredient affects the potion. Nevertheless, Evalane took a moment to scour the depths of her mind palace and was able to retrieve the answer seconds later. "I believe...if my memory serves me properly...it creates a sleeping potion. In fact, the potion is so powerful that it is more commonly known as the Draught...yes, the Draught of the Living Dead."
Snape, involuntarily, raised his brow in shock, but quickly erased it to resume the form of an emotionless chalkboard. "Your brother warned you about this class, didn't he?"
"Pardon?" The word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself, or that's what she wanted them to believe.
"I asked Mr. Potter that same question during his first lesson. Now, I will only ask one more time. Did he or did he not have you prepare that answer for this class?" A chair screeched along the floor, and though Evalane did not dare look away from the professor, she knew all eyes were on her.
"He did not," Evalane smiled, sensing the man wanted confrontation, craved it even, but he wanted to face an opponent he knew he could easily defeat. Professor Severus Snape seemed to be nothing more than a bully. It just so happened that Evalane's favorite hobby was to prove bullies wrong. "Perhaps you could ask me a different question? One my brother did not get?"
The first years shifted their focus back to Snape, who seemed a little taken aback by the offer. "Very well," he began slowly, unsure of how to approach this situation but never backing down. "Name the side effects of the Elixir to induce euphoria and what is used to counterbalance it?"
"Singing as well as nose-tweaking, if I remember correctly." A first year actually gasped from two rows in front of her, but he or she was quickly shushed by a classmate. "Oh, and the potion is counterbalanced by peppermint."
Snape tilted his head slightly, telling Evalane's deduction skills that not only did she disprove everything Snape assumed about her, but she had actually impressed him. "Where were you able to learn all of this?" He spoke almost a whisper, like he was worried someone would hear him being in a state of disbelief.
"Just the textbook, Professor," Evalane smiled. "But I know I have much more to learn. I'm excited to do so."
Snape did not respond to this, but Evalane sensed that he really did not know how. He quickly turned his back to her and made long strides back to the front of the class, but before he resumed the lesson, which went on without another incident, he spoke out in his booming voice, "Ten points to Slytherin, for Miss Potter's preparation for today's lesson."
Evalane took down careful notes during the lecture, but mostly as a formality and to lead by example for the younger students. Before the lesson ended, she pulled out a spare sheet of parchment and began to write.
Dear Sherlock,
I hope school is going well, and that Mycroft is not giving you too much of a hard time adjusting to being at high school. I can practically hear him going on and on about how juvenile it all is, but you know that's only because he was too arrogant to make friends! Don't let him discourage you, though. I know that you're nervous (no, I know you are Sherlock!), but I promise it will be wonderful in the end. If you happen to find yourself in a situation where someone doubts you or your abilities, don't cower from them. I was just harassed by my professor (My FIRST lesson of my first day!) because he assumed I did not know enough or that I was not worthy of his time, but I used the knowledge I know I have to prove him wrong. That's all it takes! Never let people underestimate you, Sherlock. Once people see how smart and wonderful you are, there's no stopping you!
Hope to hear from you very soon! I miss you friend.
-Evalane L. Potter