Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
A few days later, a surprise came in the post for Evangeline, Ron and Hermione. Their prefect badges. In honesty, Evangeline didn't understand why they would get them and Harry wouldn't, after all, they'd caused just as much trouble. Molly practically attacked her and Ron with pride, and commanded Evangeline choose he award. Evangeline didn't like to ask, she hadn't been left much money by her parents, and knew how little money the family had to spare.
"Just surprise me Molly." She had said, leaving her free to spend as little or as much money as she wanted.
Harry seemed a bit annoyed for a while, but seemed to get over it. Dumbledore must've had deeper reasons for not making him prefect... But it wasn't like Dumbledore to immediately make his reasons clear.
Most of the day was spent packing while Molly was at Diagon Alley buying books and equipment, as well as Ron and Evangeline's rewards.
"Bloody hell, when did I have so many clothes?" Evangeline groaned, folding up another shirt.
"Have you seen my spellotape?" Hermione asked, digging through her trunk. Evangeline looked around her, and spotted the spellotape sitting on her bedside table beside the lamp she had broken and repaired. Evangeline tossed it to her, and Hermione looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"You are the clumsiest person I know."
"Hey! Tonks is worse than me!" Evangeline defended.
"Oi! Are you talking about me?" Tonks' voice called from the bottom of the stairs.
"No!" Evangeline lied, laughing slightly.
...
It took them most of the afternoon to retrieve their books and belongings from all over the house and put them back in their school trunks. They all noticed that Ron kept moving his prefect badge around, first placing it on his bedside table, then putting it into his jeans pocket, then taking it out and lying it on his folded robes, as though to see the effect of the red on the black. Only when Fred and George dropped in and offered to attach it to his forehead with a Permanent Sticking Charm did he wrap it tenderly in his maroon socks and lock it in his trunk.
Molly returned from Diagon Alley around six o'clock, laden with books and carrying a long package wrapped in thick brown paper that Ron took from her with a moan of longing.
"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs." She said, but the moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper in a frenzy and examined every inch of his new broom, an ecstatic expression on his face.
Down in the basement Molly had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read: CONGRATULATIONS RON, EVANGELINE & HERMIONE NEW PREFECTS.
"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told them all as they entered the room, looking happier than she had in a while. "Arthur and Bill are on their way. I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled," she added, beaming. Fred rolled his eyes.
Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already there and Mad-Eye Moody stomped in just as they were all laying into their Butterbeers. Molly crossed the room to Evangeline.
"Your present is in the drawing room Evey." She said, beaming. "Go on."
Evangeline's eyebrows were raised with confusion, but with a slight giddiness, she left the party and headed upstairs to the drawing room. She opened the door fairly slowly, and peered inside. Her 'present,' came bounding toward her, panting with it's tongue out.
"Oh my god!" Evangeline exclaimed with a wide grin, and picked up the Lakeland/Irish Terrier mix puppy. "You are adorable." The dog wriggled in her arms excitedly; a little ball of sandy ginger and brown curls. She fervently stroked the dogs face, and it nibbled on her fingers with small teeth, playing.
Evangeline chuckled, and rushed out of the room and down the stairs to show everyone. A chorus of 'aww's' and 'where did you get that's' came from the group as she re-entered the kitchen.
"Molly got him for me." She grinned widely, crossing the room to her guardian. "Thank you so much." She kissed her cheek, and set the puppy down, allowing him to run around the room and sniff everyone's legs while they doted over him.
"Not a problem dear... I've never had one in the house before, I got him from a Muggle shop, and the woman said that they make excellent pets. Contacted Professor McGonagall and she said they're fine at Hogwarts as long as they don't get too big or kill any cats."
Evangeline smiled widely and clapped her hands together in delight.
"He's the best present ever." She grinned, looking over at her puppy as he sat on Ron's lap, occasionally pawing his chest to make him carry on playing with his ears. Ron seemed to be enjoying her present too, as he was beaming at the dog and occasionally picking it up. Evangeline grinned... As if Ron couldn't be more adorable than usual.
"What are you going to call him Evey?" Tonks asked, taking a sip of her Butterbeer.
"Hmm..." Evangeline looked at him considering. She'd always wanted a dog; Ruth would've never allowed it, obviously. It had to be something unique, something that would make her smile and something that meant something. "Baldrick." She grinned.
Everyone in the room looked at her with blank or confused expressions.
"You know like from Blackadder?" She said, as if it were the most obvious thing, before realizing; of course they didn't. "Never mind." She grinned. "C'mere Baldrick!" She tapped her thighs and spoke in a high voice; immediately the dog leapt off Ron's lap and over to her.
...
Evangeline and Ron sat at the table digging into their food, and occasionally throwing bits of chicken to Baldrick, who leapt up and caught it. Moody limped over to Evangeline, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Can I talk to you a minute?" He asked gruffly.
"'Course." She smiled, standing.
"I'll have her back in a minute son." He said to Ron, who nodded. Mad-Eye frightened him a little bit.
He led Evangeline out of the room, and closed the kitchen door behind them, both his eyes faced her, rather than turning wildly in his head.
"Now, I hear that you performed some wandless magic the other day." He said to her, and she nodded. "Have you ever done it before?" He asked, in his brisk Irish accent.
"No, I don't even know how I did it."
"Interesting." He said. "A lot of the time, a natural ability with wandless magic can be genetic y'know... But your parents could never do it, and they knew little about their own families as you know."
Evangeline nodded.
"I'll have to look into it and get back to you. But just know Evangeline..." Mad-Eye leaned in and lowered his voice. "This could have great implications, and if Dumbledore sees fit, we could help you to become a great duelist... It might by prudent in these times."
Evangeline nodded again, feeling slightly dry-throated. "So-"
"Mrs Weasley just get out of here!" Sounded Harry's voice from upstairs, and the sobs of Molly's voice could be heard. Evangeline stopped dead in her sentence, and wasted no time in running up the stairs, taking them two at a time with Mad-Eye hot on her tail.
All the air seemed to vanish from Evangeline's lungs when she reached the door of the drawing room before everyone else; she felt as though she had been stabbed in the stomach, and that someone was twisting the blade - Ron was dead on the floor, no, it couldn't be. No, it actually couldn't be... He was downstairs playing with Baldrick.
Crack, Arthur's body replaced Ron's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.
"No!" Mrs Weasley moaned. "No: riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!" Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry. Crack. Dead Evangeline.
"Molly, get out!" Evangeline shouted, horrified at the sight of her weeping guardian on her knees, and her own dead body on the floor.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin had cast the incarnation firmly, and the bodies vanished. A silvery orb hung in the air over the spot where it had lain. Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Oh - oh - oh!" gulped Molly, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.
"Molly, it's not real." Evangeline got on her knees beside her, and pulled her into her neck tightly, holding her while she wept. "It's not real."
"Molly, it was just a Boggart," Lupin said soothingly, helping her stand, where she threw herself into his arms and sobbed. "Just a stupid Boggart." He tapped her head gently.
"I see them all d-d - dead all the time!' Molly moaned into his shoulder. '"All the t -'t - time! I d - d -dream about it."
Evangeline felt herself tear up slightly at the sight of Molly crying... It was like seeing a parent cry. The sadness that comes with knowing that one of the figures of solidity in your life still can break down, and still cries.
"D-d - don't tell Arthur," Molly was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. "Id - d - don't want him to know: being silly:" Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.
"You're not silly," Evangeline said firmly, offering her a small smile. "You're perfect."
Molly gave her a watery smile in return, before it faded.
"Half the f - f - family's in the Order, it'll b - b - be a miracle if we all come through this: and P - P Percy's not talking to us: what if something d-d - dreadful happens and we've never in - in - made it up with him? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g - g - going to look after Ron and Ginny and Evey?"
"Molly that's enough;" said Lupin firmly. "This isn't like last time. The Order are better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to - look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one."
Evangeline thought about the photograph of the old Order, which sat in the photo album that she kept with her; and the letter her mother and had written her before they left her at the orphanage.
"Don't worry about Percy" said Sirius abruptly. "He'll come round. It's only a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.
"And as for who'd look after the children if you and Arthur died..." Lupin said, smiling slightly. "Do you think we'd let them starve?"
"Being silly," she muttered again, mopping her eyes.
Evangeline stepped over to her again and took her hand.
"I think it's time for some of your treacle tart, and a glass of milk before bed." She said brightly, and kissed her temple.
...
Evangeline couldn't deny that the episode with the Boggart hadn't bothered her; as she lay in bed that night, scratching behind Baldrick's ears, and listening to Hermione's steady breaths. She thought about the way she had felt when she'd thought Ron was dead. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if Ron died, or any of the others for that matter; she couldn't think of a situation in which she'd be able to cope with it... But Ron, what if something happened to him and she never told him how she felt... Never kissed him... Evangeline shook her head at the thought.
She also thought about what Moody had said, 'we could help you to become a great duelist,' if that were true then why shouldn't she? If she had the ability to become a great witch, then it would be stupid for her not to use these abilities. One thing was certain in her mind... She would not let harm befall the people she loved, and if anyone should try, well, they'd regret it.
With those soothing thoughts in mind, she slept calmly, Baldrick snoring quietly on her stomach.
...
The next morning was mad at Number Twelve. If Molly wasn't screaming at someone, then Mrs Black certainly was. Evangeline and Hermione entered Harry's bedroom just as he was tying his trainers. Evangeline had gone with comfortable jeans and her Chudley Canons t-shirt for the trip.
"Are you ready yet?" Evangeline asked, leaning on his doorframe. ''Nearly. Is Ginny all right?' Harry asked, shoving on his glasses, referring to her fall down the stairs.
"Mrs Weasley's patched her up," said Hermione. "But now Mad-Eye's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short."
"Guard?" said Harry. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"
"Well, you do really mate." Evangeline corrected him.
"Why?" said Harry irritably. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in?''
"We don't know, it's just what Mad-Eye says," said Hermione distractedly, looking at her watch.
"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Molly bellowed and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room. Evangeline rolled her eyes, and followed her leisurely, picking up Baldrick who had been waiting obediently in her bedroom.
"Good boy..." She praised, making her way downstairs.
"... Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!" A bear-like black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Molly. Baldrick barked a small bark, and Sirius growled back, making Evangeline laugh.
"Oh honestly." said Molly despairingly. "Well, on your own head be it!" She wrenched open the door, and stepped out, with Harry and the dog hot on her heels.
Arthur was in charge of taking Evangeline, Hermione and Ron, and unfortunately everyone was travelling on foot as the Ministry had not allowed Arthur to borrow so much as a quill of late.
Evangeline allowed Baldrick to run delightedly around them on the way to King's Cross; apparently, he hadn't much enjoyed his time and the Black house either. He stayed close in her arms at King's Cross Station, and seemed confused when they casually leaned on the barrier between Platform's 9 and 10, and fell through.
Molly, Harry and Tonks had arrived a little before them, and Mad-Eye with all their luggage. The rest weren't long behind them, and soon everyone exchanged goodbye's and handshakes.
Tonks hugged the three girls before the warning whistle sounded.
"Quick, quick." Molly hugged them all randomly, squashing Baldrick between her and Evangeline twice in the process.
Soon, they were all aboard the train, waving until everyone became but dark figures in the smoke.
"Ah, it's nice to be back on the way to Hogwarts." Evangeline grinned, and lifted Baldrick up higher. "You're gonna love it."
Baldrick gave a small bark of approval, and the group laughed.
"C'mon, let's find a compartment." Ron said, leading them down the train to an empty one.
"Surprised they're let you run around free Potter..."
There was a voice they hadn't heard in a while. Draco Bloody Malfoy. Evangeline squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to get wound up as they turned to face him and his lackeys.
"I expect there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it." Ron gripped Harry's shoulder and Hermione held his wrist.
"Piss off Ferret-Boy." Evangeline spat, noticing Harry was shaking in anger... He did seem to be getting easily wound up lately.
"Touchy, touchy Brown." Malfoy jibed, but his face showed no sign of amusement, as he looked her up and down. It made Ron's blood boil.
"Come on." She said quietly, turning away and gently nudging Harry and the rest toward the empty compartment she had spotted. "He's not worth the trouble."
Ron and Harry seemed to throw themselves into their seats.
"I don't like the way he looks you up and down Evey..." Ron commented, arms crossed. It's slimy."
"I know Ron." She sighed, "But as you know, he's taken a bit of a liking to me since year one for who knows what reason." Evangeline took a bite of her liquorish wand.
Ron knew full well what reason.
"Especially considering he thinks I'm a 'blood traitor,'" she rolled her eyes. "Such a prick."
Hermione laughed. "If you ever take him up on his offer..."
"You'll know I'm under the Imperius Curse." She grinned, and the compartment laughed.
...