Evangeline and Ron did not speak for a few days after Halloween night. Evangeline out of anger; and Ron somewhat out of shame. He had noticed that Michael seemed to be keeping a distance, and had to wonder if Evangeline had maybe said something to him. She had clearly been upset by it, Hermione told him that she'd been crying that night, which only made the heaviness in Ron's chest worse. Her words rang round his head, "If you don't like other boys touching me, then here's an idea, DO IT YOURSELF", what did that mean? Did she want him to touch her?
The first Hogsmeade weekend of November rolled around, which meant the meeting of anyone who would like to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from Harry. The four had met up in the Entrance Hall, dressed for the cold, before heading out. Evangeline walked slightly ahead with Hermione as they made their way to the village, and Ron hung back with Harry slightly.
"When do you reckon she'll stop being mad at me?" Ron asked sullenly.
"Not too long mate, don't worry about it too much." Harry tried to console him as they walked.
They walked between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars and turned left on to the road into the village, the wind whipping their hair into their eyes.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Harry asked. "The Three Broomsticks?"
"Oh no," said Hermione, breaking conversation with Evangeline, "no, it's always packed and really noisy. I've told the others to meet us in the Hog's Head,
"Y'know, that other pub, you know the one, that dodgy place off the road." Evangeline said, looking pointedly at Hermione.
"But students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be over-heard." Hermione defended. They walked down the main street past Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop, where they were not surprised to see Fred, George and Lee Jordan, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side-street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of a wild boar's severed head, leaking blood on to the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. All three of them hesitated outside the door.
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre springs to mind, Hermione." Evangeline said, frowning at the sign. Ron didn't get the reference, but Harry and Hermione shook their heads.
"Well, come on," said Hermione, slightly nervously. Harry led the way inside. It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor was so encrusted with dirt that one may think it was made of compressed muck.
"Oh bloody hell." Evangeline said under her breath to Ron, forgetting being angry with him for a moment. He almost smiled at her talking to him.
There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth; two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows, and in a shadowy corner be-side the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.
Hermione ordered the drinks and the four took their Butterbeers to the table. Evangeline looked over the glasses the greasy and grumpy old barman had handed them, and opted to drink straight out of the bottle.
"So, who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his Butterbeer and taking a swig. '
"Just a couple of people," Hermione said breezily, checking her watch and looking anxiously towards the door. Evangeline sent her a look, knowing perfectly well that it wasn't 'a couple of people. "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is - oh, look, this might be them now."
The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people. First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually-giggling girlfriends, then Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and (Ron scowled to himself) Michael Danbury, Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy whom Evangeline knew was on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and thought was called Zacharias. Fred and George came last with Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.
"A couple of people?" said Harry hoarsely to Hermione. "A couple of people?"
"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," said Hermione happily, "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"
Evangeline stood and helped him, as Fred and George ordered many Butterbeers for everyone, whom sat down on chairs amidst chatter. Evangeline noticed that Harry looked slightly overwhelmed by it, and couldn't blame him. She cracked open her own bottle and threw back a mouthful gratefully, feeling very much in front of everyone.
Hermione cleared her throat and stood.
"Well - er - hi." The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry. "Well, erm: well, you know why you're here. Erm, well, I had the idea - that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us –" (Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) "- because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts." There were grumbles of agreement.
"Why exactly do we need to defend ourselves?" asked Zacharias Smith, slightly snottily. Evangeline felt annoyed by this and opened her mouth to reply, but Ron got there first.
"Because You-Know-Who's back you tosspot." He snapped, and Evangeline felt a surge of pride for him once again, her anger at him slipping away. 'No, don't drop it, he was an arse. Be strong Evangeline.'
"So he says." Zacharias said aggressively.
"So Dumbledore says." Hermione pointed out.
"So Dumbledore says because he says. The point is: where's the proof?" Zacharias continued. Evangeline felt her anger boil.
"What proof do you want? Do you want him looking you in the face or something? Would that be proof enough you f-"
"Look," Harry stood cutting her off mid-swear, and leaving her to cool off, "I'm not going to talk about Cedric, so if that's what you're here for you might as well clear out now." He was clearly angry, and stood, urging Hermione for them to leave.
"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna's voice randomly cut in.
There was a surprised and impressed quiet.
"Yes," Hermione answered for him, "I've seen it."
"Blimey Harry, I didn't know you could do that." Dean spoke up.
"A-and he killed a Basilisk," Neville said nervously in front of everyone, Evangeline smiled at him encouragingly, "with the sword in Dumbledore's office."
"Third year he fought off about a hundred Dementors at once." Ron spoke up, chin high. That pride came back to Evangeline as she watched Ron so fervently defend his friend.
"And last year he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh." Hermione firmly added.
"It sounds great when you say it like that, but the truth is most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I nearly always had help." Harry said uncertainly.
"He's just being modest." Hermione said.
"No, Hermione, I'm not." Harry firmly told her. "Facing this stuff, in real life, is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow, but out there, when you're a second away from being murdered, or watching a friend die right before your eyes... You don't know what that's like." No one said anything, and everyone fell into solemn quiet as Harry sat back down.
"You're right Harry, we don't." Hermione said, sitting beside him. "That's why we need your help."
"Harry, if we've got any chance of beating..." Evangeline swallowed, "Voldemort," she ignored the gasps and whimpers, "we need you."
"He's really back?" Dennis Creevey said in a small voice. Harry just nodded slowly.
"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff by the way?" Zacharias Smith spoke up again.
"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your mouth." Ron looked like he wanted nothing more than to hit him, and Zacharias flushed. Evangeline fought to keep the amusement off her face.
"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," he said.
"That's not what he said," snarled Fred.
"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" enquired George, pulling a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko's bags.
"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," said Fred. Evangeline tried not to burst into laughter.
"Yes, well," said Hermione hastily, "moving on: the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?" There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument in Fred's hand. They next moved to logistics, how and where they would arrange the meeting. That proved to be a bit of a problem.
"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," said Hermione after much talk. "We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting." She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something. "I - I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anybody else what we're up to."
"Especially not anyone who might tell tales on us... It won't be best appreciated." Evangeline said darkly.
Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully wrote his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.
"Er:" said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass to him, "well, I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."
Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing, too.
"I - well, we are prefects," Ernie burst out. 'And if this list was found: well, I mean to say: you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out –"
"Sod being a prefect Ernie, you've been going on and on about how fucking important this is the whole time." Evangeline said with exasperation, her foul mouth getting the better of her.
"I - yes," said Ernie, "yes, I do believe that, it's just –"
"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" said Hermione testily, eyebrows high.
"No. No, of course not," said Ernie, looking slightly less anxious. "I - yes, of course I'll sign."
Nobody raised objections after Ernie, though Cho's friend give her a rather reproachful look before adding her own name. Evangeline had decided she didn't like her.
When the last person - Zacharias - had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract.
"Well, time is short." said Fred briskly, getting to his feet. "George, Lee and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later."
In twos and threes the rest of the group took their leave, too. Cho made rather a business of fastening the catch on her bag before leaving, her long dark curtain of hair swinging forwards to hide her face, but her friend stood beside her, arms folded, clicking her tongue, so that Cho had little choice but to leave with her. As her friend ushered her through the door, Cho looked back and waved at Harry.
"Get in there, mate." Evangeline teased, and elbowed his arm.
"I think that went quite well." Hermione commented happily, buttoning up her coat.
"I have to agree there." Evangeline smiled.
"That Zacharias bloke's a wart." Ron said bitterly, as the four headed out of the Hog's Head and back into the cold.
"Yep." Evangeline agreed, and noted the look of happiness on his face when she finally spoke to him. "You were good you know..." She said quietly, not quite looking at him. Harry and Hermione took this as a cue to walk ahead and leave them behind, walking slowly.
"I'm sorry Evey..." Ron spoke up, voice low. Evangeline looked over at him, nose red against the cold and hands deep in his pockets; her heart ached. "I just," he ran a hand through his ginger hair, "I just worry about you."
Evangeline sighed and stopped walking. "I know you do Ron..." She said softly, and pulled him into a hug, he felt himself hold her round the middle gently, and close his eyes as he breathed in that beautiful hair of hers. "I'm glad you do." She pulled away and smiled at him, both a little pink in the face. "But there's really no need, Michael's a nice boy, and I'm not interested in him anyway." She smiled slightly. Ron felt enormously pleased by her words, but didn't want it to show. He settled for nodding, and smiling. Evangeline hated when he smiled, it made her want to kiss him more than ever. His teeth were another fantastic thing about him.
"I don't like not talking to you Ron." She commented, linking arms with him as they continued to walk. "It's so weird."
"Ah, look at the happy couple!" Snickers and laughter was heard from behind them, and of course they came face to face with Draco Malfoy and his little gang. "Surprised that you can afford to shop in Hogsmeade, Weasley." He sneered. Evangeline gripped Ron's arm discretely.
"Why don't you just piss off Malfoy?" Evangeline spat. "No need to spoil our day out is there?" She pulled Ron and turned around, but Malfoy had to speak again, this time waving away his group and walking to stand closer to them.
"What are you playing at Brown?" He said in hushed tones to her, looking over her face. Ron felt his blood boil. "You don't have to spend all your time with blood traitors." He cast a look at Ron. "You can do so much better." He smirked. Evangeline smirked in return, stepping a little closer to him.
"If Ron's a blood traitor, then so am I." She said firmly, and grabbed his hand. "And despite what you may think in that vacuous little skull of yours, Ron Weasley is just about the best any girl could have, in ways that you will never understand." Ron felt as if his chest might burst, and tried to keep the wide grin that was tugging at his lips off his face.
Draco didn't reply, just looked down his nose at them both angrily.
"Let's go." With that, she tugged Ron's hand firmly away, and stalked off, practically dragging an extremely happy Ron behind her.
...