Opening the Door

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 12 – Lithium

This was it.

The final showdown.

Lily, James, Sirius and Remus confronted Evangeline in Clock Tower.

Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.
Oh but God I want to let it go.

"Eve, are you sure you're okay?" Lily asked, as she entered the room.

The young girl looked up sharply, her eyes still clouded over peacefully, as she calmly folded the piece of paper in her hands and put it in her pocket.

"I'm fine." She replied automatically.

"No, you're not!" James yelled, glaring at her.

Evangeline blinked at him, her expression one of childish innocence.

"…I'm fine." She repeated.

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show.
Never wanted it to be so cold.
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me.

Remus frowned as he came forward to speak. "No, Eve, you're not. Why are you like this? Why won't you let us help you?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, how come you're always so upset, distant, cold and alone all the time?" he asked, his tone demanding an answer.

Evangeline's eyes cleared as tears filled them, washing her daze away.

"You're asking me why I'm so alone all the time? Why I'm always upset? Why I'm cold and distant?" she asked tearfully.

The four all nodded, each wanting an answer as much as Evangeline didn't want to give one.

I can't hold on to me,
Wonder what's wrong with me.

Evangeline's face twisted in pain as she fought back tears.

"…Is this some kind of sick joke?" she asked weakly, her voice strained and hovering on an overflow of tears.

Lily frowned. "What are you talking about, Eve?" she asked.

A tear fell, hitting the floor and breaking the silence that had been silently smothering Evangeline.

Evangeline's brow creased as her expression flickered.

She let it out.

Tears fell from her eyes, as her anger from the past year built up and up and up in seconds.

Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.

"Like you don't know!" she yelled, her face darkening.

James frowned. "Eve, what's wrong, what -?"

"Shut up!" Evangeline yelled, her voice wavering with her tears. "SHUT UP! You were always better than me! You were always my perfect big brother, and I was just Eve, the other one! I finally found something you weren't better than me at, and you took it from me when you told me write those stupid songs!" she screamed.

James's expression turned to shock, as the words sliced his heart inside.

Don't want to let it lay me down this time.
Drown my will to fly.
Here in the darkness I know myself.
Can't break free until I let it go.
Let me go.

"Even though you wrote your own song because neither of mine were good enough for you three, you still stole it!" Evangeline's rage began to diminish rapidly, as she fell to a crying girl on her knees once more.

Lily edged forwards, but never reached Evangeline, as she ran past her and out of Clock Tower, crying.

Sirius frowned and glanced back at Lily and Remus, who were comforting James, before following Evangeline.

He relocated her in the Gryffindor Common Room, curled up on a sofa, crying.

Sirius's expression hardened as he marched over to her.

He picked her up, startling her, as he started to carry her over towards the Boys' Dorm. Evangeline struggled, but Sirius ignored her, shooting glares at all those who questioned him.

Darling, I forgive you after all.
Anything is better than to be alone.
And in the end I guess I had to fall.
Always find my place among the ashes.

Sirius set Evangeline down on his bed, and stood towering above her.

"What were you talking about, Eve?!" he yelled. "James never did anything to you!"

He rolled his eyes mentally as Evangeline repeated her previous words, still crying, before running out, slamming the door behind her.

Taking out the Marauders' Map, Sirius quickly went to find a certain someone…

------

"Peeves, I need you to make a distraction for me…"

-----

By the time Evangeline escaped from Peeves and got to her destination, Sirius was already there, waiting under the invisibility cloak.

I can't hold on to me,
Wonder what's wrong with me.

He slipped into the Room of Requirements with her, Evangeline still unaware of his presence.

Sirius was surprised to see a piano and several other instruments there, waiting. He frowned as Evangeline seated herself at the piano, drawing some music from her pocket.

He watched, interested and bored, as she worked out tunes and beats on several instruments at once, making notes on pieces of paper she pulled out from another pocket.

Finally, just as Sirius was about to leave, or reveal his presence, Evangeline began to play, everything else she needed coming in time with her.

She sang.

Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.
Oh but God I want to let it go.

He listened.

Sirius took off the cloak, clapping lightly.

Evangeline whipped round.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh God…!" she gasped.