Author's Note: Hello to all my lovely readers! I know I know, I've been MIA and I do apologize. I did write a TON on the train to the wedding and was planning on writing on the way home too but fate had a different plan. I woke up with a sore throat and fever and ended up sleeping the entire trip home. I then started a new job two days later and I'm still not feeling 100% but I now have an update for you and if anybody follows The Correction of Time as well an update of that will be coming along shortly. I'm not going t promise another update since my schedule over the next few weeks is going to be a little crazy but please don't abandon me! I promise I will never abandon this story. I am here until the very end. Anyway after that spiel please review and let me know what you think and I love details as well so if you think something doesn't flow well or doesn't make sense please tell me! Also this will eventually have a pairing. I'm inclined to Theo/Everleigh but I haven't commuted. I know it's early but who would you like to see Everleigh end up with, and anybody is fair game. Okay, enough of my rambling enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling therefore I don't own anything you recognize.
Ten minutes after the red headed Ravenclaw ran out of his classroom, Severus Snape was still staring at the door lost in thought. He had been convinced the girl would be just like her father and brother: arrogant, reckless, entitled. The girl, however surprised him. No Potter he knew would ever lower themselves to an apology, especially to him. She definitely seems to have more Evans in her than Potter. She is intelligent, confident, happy. So much like Lily. Severus was right about one thing though, even being in the same room as her was painful. After a few more minutes of silent contemplation he came to the conclusion that his best course of action would be to simply ignore the girl's existence as much as possible. He felt enough guilt over his role in the death of his best friend, looking into her face everyday would tear him apart inside. No...the best thing to do is to pretend she doesn't exist. With that thought, Severus turned back to the book he was reading and forced himself to forget about red hair and emerald green eyes.
Everleigh left the potions classroom in a hurry: 1) to get away from the surly professor and 2) she didn't want to be late for Herbology. That first class definitely did not go how she expected. Yeah she had been warned about the Potions professor but she thought they had to have been exaggerating. I mean how could a teacher be that awful to students? She thought to herself. Harry did say Snape has something against him just because of who his father was; maybe he feels the same about her. Either way she can't worry about it just now as she makes it to Herbology just in time for Professor Sprout to start class.
The rest of the week passes without any incident. She had Potions again on Wednesday but only sat quietly taking the exact notes Professor Snape instructs. He seems to avoid looking at her or even being on the same side of the room as her, but she thinks that may be for the best. She had decided to give it a few weeks before approaching the wizard again and hoped until then she could simply let her work speak for itself.
Before Everleigh knew it, she had made it through her first full week at Hogwarts. Despite missing Sarah and Sean, she had made some good friends so far. She spent most of her time with Nanette, Ginny, and Luna either out on the grounds since it was still nice out or in the library attempting to stay ahead of their homework. Neville joined them a couple of nights as well. Friday had now ended and Everleigh quickly made her way to Professor Flitwick's office for their meeting.
She hoped the meeting would be quick since she wanted to spend most of the evening in the library to finish her homework for the weekend and next week. Everleigh hadn't spoken with Harry since breakfast on Monday but had a plan to speak with him privately over the weekend. Ginny had mentioned a group of them were going to go flying and play a pickup game of Quidditch on Saturday so Everleigh asked if she could come and watch.
She finally had made it to the Charms classroom, knocks on the door and enters when she hears Professor Flitwick's voice.
"Miss Garrison, right on time. Thank you for coming." The tiny professor greets her.
"Hello Professor Flitwick. So what did you need to discuss with me?" Everleigh jumps right in, wanting to make this as quick as possible.
"Well as I said last week I like to meet with all first years in the first week or two of school. I just like to see how they are settling in and make sure they know I am here as a resource for anything they might need. While you aren't a first year, this is your first year at Hogwarts. So how are you settling in? No problems?"
With a small smile, Everleigh responds. "Things are going well. Everybody has been welcoming for the most part. I'm not sure Professor Snape likes me too much but I've heard that is normal."
The Charms professor just laughs. "That is true. Professor Snape is a difficult teacher but he knows his subject very well. If you can get past his surliness you will be able to learn quite a bit from him."
"I hope so. Potions is my best subject and I really want to supplement what I'm learning in class. We'll see if Professor Snape agrees."
"Yes. I've never heard of Professor Snape doing something like that, but there is a first time for everything I suppose. Now the other reason I asked you here,, Professor Dumbledore asked me to speak with you. Not only are you starting at a new school but you are also dealing with a new brother. I won't ask how that is going or for details, it is personal so I don't want to forcibly insert myself into the situation, but I want you to know that I am here to talk if you ever need to, and I know Professor McGonagall feels the same way. Your parents were particular favorites of both of ours."
This is what Everleigh was afraid of. The professors seemed to be especially invested simply due to her parents, but she doesn't know these professors. How can they expect her to open up to them about James and Lily and Harry? Professors Flitwick and McGonagall, even Remus, knew James and Lily. But Everleigh doesn't feel connected to them at all and she doesn't want to admit that to anybody. The journal has helped but they are still simply names on a paper or in a history book to her. Shouldn't she feel connected to them somehow? They are her birth parents. Maybe though having somebody at Hogwarts could help. She wants to know about James and Lily and Harry as her brother, even though the thought of telling him makes her slightly nauseous, but if he reacts poorly….well she doesn't know if she can handle that alone. Her family and Remus are great but they are still hundreds of miles away. A professor here at Hogwarts could be helpful.
Everleigh begins with a small smile. "Thank you Professor. I appreciate that. I still haven't talked to Harry but I plan to this weekend, well hopefully. I'm a little nervous; it's still a little surreal for me to be honest even though I've known for almost a year so I am only imagining worst case scenarios right now."
"Understandable. Well that is all I needed to discuss. Remember my door is always open but I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy your weekend Miss Garrison." Professor Flitwick finishes with a smile.
"Thank you, you as well," Everleigh responds as she stands up and heads out the door.
Everleigh immediately heads to the library and grabs a table half hidden in the back. Needing to finish her transfiguration essay first she pulls out her parchment, quill, and books that she's been using for research.
Everleigh has always been a good student; she likes to get her homework out of the way so she doesn't have to worry about it later on, and when she is doing school work she tends to block everything out. Lucas is similar and they used to always do their homework together from elementary school and then their summer work together. When she is away, Everleigh misses her study time with him, they always seem to be able to anticipate what the other needs and when they need a break. Studying with Sarah and Sean, and now the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors is great but not the same.
Distracted for a moment by thoughts of her brother, she quickly gets back to work and before she knows it, she checks the time and realizes there is only15 minutes left in dinner. Not knowing where the kitchens are, Everleigh throws her things in her bag so she can run to the Great Hall and hopefully grab something to eat. As she gets up, she trips over her own two feet, both her and her bag go flying. Great. She thinks to herself. She starts to gather her books (including Lily's journal she had taken to carrying around with her over the past couple of days) when she notices a pair of very expensive dragonhide shoes standing in front of her. Looking up she sees who it is and groans.
"What do you want Theo?"
They Nott bends down and begins to help pick up her things.
"Why is it every time I'm around you, books seem to end up on the floor?" He asks with a blank look on his face.
"Why do you even care?"
"Maybe because I actually have respect for the written word. More respect than you clearly have."
"Hey! I have respect for books and literature. No need to be rude about it." Everleigh indignantly retorts.
Theo finally cracks a small smile and let's out a small chuckle. "Relax. I was kidding. I actually wanted to see if you were okay. That looked like it hurt."
Evaluating him through narrowed eyes for a moment, Everleigh finally gives a small slightly self-deprecating chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. I grew up with two brothers. I've been through worse than this. Thank you though."
Theo finishes gathering the books, while Everleigh picks up the parchments and quills, and quickly repairing the ink bottles before both stand up. Examining the books she has with her, Theo notices the same journal from the train.
"Why do you have this?" He questions her. "It says Lily Potter. Isn't that Potter's mom?"
"Umm...yeah. Don't worry about it. It's personal." Suddenly very nervous she makes a grab for the books in his hand but he holds them out of her reach.
Undeterred, Theo will get his answers and keeps questioning her. "No. I want to know. Why does a muggleborns from the States have a journal that clearly belonged to the mother of the boy-who-lived?"
"First of all, not a muggleborn. Second of all, none of your business. Why do you even care anyway?"
"Call it curiosity. And what do you mean you're not a muggleborn?"
"Did you not listen on the train?"
"No, not really."
Rolling her eyes, Everleigh tells him part of her story again. "I'm adopted."
"So? That doesn't mean your parents were magical."
"True, but I know who my birth parents were." Everleigh tries to grab her books again, but once again he moves them out of her reach, not done with his interrogation.
"Were?"
"Yes were. They passed away shortly after I was born. Now will you please give me back my things? I've missed dinner but maybe I can find somebody who knows where the kitchens are."
Theo prides himself on his intelligence and deduction skills. In all honesty he should have been a Ravenclaw, the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Ravenclaw, but Nott's are Slytherins and he knew that is where his father expected him to go, no matter how much Theo wished it could be different.
Despite him not being in Ravenclaw, he still knows what to pay attention to and can read between the lines quite well to determine somebody's secrets. It is this skill that has him finally putting the pieces together. He can't quite believe it. There has never been any mention of a Potter daughter, but he'd seen some small pictures of James and Lily Potter in some books he read under his father's nose and the wife had red hair. From what he could remember, and his memory was quite good, the two looked enough alike. Combine that with the journal, her adoption, and knowing who her parents are. There could only be one explanation. "Wait...are you related to Potter? Are the Potter's your parents?"
Everleigh finally managed to snatch her books out of Theo's hands and is in the process of stuffing them back in her bag when he asks her the one question she doesn't want to answer. "Why would you ask that?" She snaps.
"Deductive reasoning." He replies shortly.
On one hand she could lie, tell him no that he was being ridiculous but the truth would eventually come out. Theo's actions, or really inaction, on the train did not endear him to her but there was something about him that she felt drawn to, and she didn't want to lie to him. She did want Harry to know first, but she had been planning on talking to him tomorrow anyway. What's the likelihood that Theo would tell Harry or anyone before she could? From what she could tell Theo and Harry didn't interact at all, except for maybe in classes they have. The Slytherins and Gryffindors kept away from each other for the most part. Deciding it won't hurt to simply confirm what Theo already knows, she offers one single word, "Yes."
