Don't own, never will.
Chapter Four: Interrogations
I stalked up to the Gryffindor common room, puzzling over my strange day. I had been fairly certain that Malfoy...Will...despised me. Now I wasn't so sure.
"Where have you been?" Rose demanded when I entered our dormitory.
"Uh...out?" Rose rolled her eyes and hopped off of the top bunk to sit beside me.
"Out with...whom?" She smiled deviously.
"Um...no one?" I have never been a good liar.
"Lies! I know you! You have that look on your face...so...what's his name?" Flushing, I stood and went to pet Roxie, who was sitting on the windowsill.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rose snorted. "How was practice?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Evey..." I rolled my eyes.
"His name is...Will." Rose jumped up and clapped.
"Ah-ha! I knew it! Thank goodness you moved on from that rat, Finnigan...ugh. So...do I know this Will?" I shook my head. "Then tell me about him...now!" I heaved an exaggerated sigh.
"Well...I don't really know much about him. He's sort of quiet and...shy, I guess, but...it's like...we're alike. I don't know..."
"What house is he in?" I flinched. I had known this was coming, and I hated to outright lie to Rose like this, but...
"Ravenclaw."
"Ah, young love...ow! That was totally uncalled for!" Rose exclaimed after I had snatched up a pillow and clocked her upside the head with it.
"Oh, come on, you deserved that. Anyway, I have other things to tell you..." I recounted the encounter with little Artemis, hoping for some information from my brainy friend. Rose listened intently, only speaking when I was through.
"I've read about that...'bonding,' it's called. It's really rare and a great honor to be bonded by a hippogriff," She went over to the desk we shared and picked up her copy of Magical Creatures—Separating Myth from Fact, one of our required books for Care of Magical Creatures. Luckily, this one was a run-of-the-mill book. My father had told me horror stories about the textbooks Professor Hagrid had assigned when he was in school.
"Here!" Rose handed the book to me. I read the passage out loud.
"'Hippogriffs are possibly the most misunderstood of all magical creatures. While generally friendly, they require the utmost respect from all wishing to approach them. The hierarchy of Hippogriff herds is one thing that wizards have long sought to study, but has proved to be nearly impossible to obtain any information on, due to the privacy that hippogriffs demand. The only things known to date are that herds can consist of as few as two to as many as a hundred specimens, and that there is generally a dominant male.
'There have been a few accounts of hippogriffs accepting humans into their herds, but this only occurs when a newborn animal 'bonds' with a human, which is a difficult and rare feat, considering that hippogriff foals are closely guarded by the entire herd. However, on the rare occasion that this does occur, the lucky few who have experienced this bond are said to have mental links with their particular foal for their entire lives.'" I shook my head in wonder and turned to Rose, who was gawking at me.
"Wow. I'm speechless," Rose said.
"There's a first!" I laughed, "Alert the Prophet, Rose Weasley's speechless!"
"Really, Evey! Do you know how lucky you are?"
"I know, I know...but what am I supposed to say? I mean...wow." Rose nodded.
"Come on, let's go tell the boys, and while we look for them, you can tell me more about your day with Will!" I groaned in dismay, but Rose only laughed maliciously.
The date for the first Hogsmede trip was posted outside the Great Hall. Girls chatted happily about ordering dresses early for the winter ball at the new store that had opened in Hogsmede. Even Rose, who was generally more interested in studying than fashion, entertained the idea of dress shopping the following weekend.
"We should have a girl's day, Evey! We can go to Madame Levine's and see if there's anything that catches our fancy!" Rose exclaimed at breakfast on Monday morning. I rolled my eyes.
"Rose, you know I wouldn't last ten minutes dress shopping...I wouldn't be any fun at all. Besides, you know I always make my dresses, anyway. Let's just do what we always do in Hogsmede...get butterbeers and window-shop until we wind up at Honeyduke's. That way the guys can come."
"Hear, hear!" Fred piped up. Rose frowned.
"Oh, forget you! You probably just want to go snog with your new boyfriend, anyway...oops."
"Ro-ose!" I exclaimed, but the damage was done.
"What's that? Evey, care to explain?" Fred asked, his mouth full of bacon.
"Um...I've got to go," I said quickly, grabbing a blueberry muffin. "I just remembered something that I forgot to do for Herbology...see you at lunch!" I shot Rose a dirty look and all but fled from the Great Hall, leaving the rest of my cousins to shout questions behind me.
It was drizzling slightly outside. I glanced upward as I headed towards the greenhouses, buttoning up my jacket.
"Evelyn! What a pleasure!" Professor Longbottom greeted me warmly.
"Good morning, professor, did you need any help?"
"Actually, if you'd set out these--" the professor was interrupted by the sound of the greenhouse door opening again, and I had a hunch who it was before I turned around. "Mr. Malfoy! Feeling a tad guilty for your tardiness last week?" Will nodded, his almost-smile in place. "Well, you can help Miss Weasley with setting out these spades. We're cultivating Pinching Pansies today...oh, that reminds me..." the professor disappeared into a storeroom. I glanced at Will.
"Hi," I said, undoubtedly trying to woo him with my wit.
"Hello," he said. "You know, I never actually liked Herbology before..." I blushed just as the professor reentered the greenhouse.
"Alright, Miss Weasley?"
"Yes...a bit warm in here, isn't it?" I muttered, unbuttoning my jacket. Will helped me out of it, causing me to blush deeper. I glanced up to see if the professor had seen, but if he had he didn't let on as he scurried about, moving potted flowers from the adjacent room to the low tables around the greenhouse. We followed him, placing spades at each of the tables. I fought viciously to control my pulse and to calm the gnawing feeling somewhere along my diaphragm.
Slowly, other students began to filter in. Alyssa and Lydia found me and struck up a conversation about dresses. I feigned interest, keeping Will in my peripheral vision. Finally, Professor Longbottom began class.
"Alright, partner up again, same as last week if you would. These partners will be yours for the rest of the year, so learn to cooperate!" Alyssa and Lydia glanced at me guiltily, and I quickly concealed my true feelings behind a disappointed expression as I joined Will at a far table.
"Did you hear that? Stuck with me for the rest of the year," Will said breezily.
"The horror," I replied. I tried to pay attention to the professor's exuberant speech about the fanged flowers before us, but that feat soon proved a lot easier said than done, especially with my partner standing next to me...when the professor finally turned us loose, I realized that I had no idea what our task was or how to begin.
"Uh...you didn't happen to catch any of that, did you?" I asked Will. He chuckled.
"You know, I didn't."
The rest of the week passed quickly, peppered with glances across corridors and looks shared in Potions class with Will. Saturday morning arrived and I prepared for Hogsmede with Rose. Lydia and Alyssa invited us to come dress shopping with them, but I quickly told them we had other plans, but to find us after they were finished so we could have a butterbeer. They agreed and scurried off to find other friends.
"So," Rosie said after our roommates had left. "Are you really going to spend the day with me or do you have other plans?" She teased
"Oh, can it, Rose. We're not a couple or anything...anyway he's not going to Hogsmede today." Rose looked a tad disappointed, but shrugged.
"Well, then let's go."
We met James, Albus, Fred, Lily, and Hugo at Honeyduke's, where we stocked up on Every Flavor Beans and Sugar Quills. Our group headed over to the Three Broomsticks. Fred tried unsuccessfully to order a Firewhisky, and we finally all ordered butterbeers.
"Don't look now," Lily whispered to me, "But the Scorpion is looking at you!" I turned my head slightly and caught sight of Will, sitting with a few other Slytherins, but gazing at me. As soon as my head turned, he looked away. I pressed my lips together to hide my smile. I turned to my cousins and shrugged.
"You know, he's really not all that bad. We're partners in Herbology, and he's quite...civil." I said. There was a silence, then Fred began to laugh. The laughter picked up around my table.
"Oh, that was rich, Evey...nice." I looked at my hands, which were folded in my lap.
"Oh, look," Rose exclaimed, and I turned, hopeful for a distraction. "See all the people at Madame Levine's?" She sighed. Normally I would have ignored her, but I was desperate to steer the conversation away from Will and willing to make a sacrifice.
"Oh, alright, Rose. Let's go-but only for a few minutes!" My cousin jumped up excitedly and grabbed my hand, pulling me from the booth. Lily followed behind us. "See you guys later," I said. Fred hummed an ominous tune as I was dragged from the safety of the Three Broomsticks and into the mayhem of the dress shop.
Madame Levine's was undoubtedly woman's territory. There were plates of frosted sugar cookies on little end tables, and pink armchairs with matching throw pillows were arranged so that girls could rest between dresses. A bright banner was stretched above the register, reading "Winter Ball Headquarters." Long tables situated around the register were lined with every sort of mask you could imagine. Nearly every girl third year and older must be in the store.
Upon entering, Rose gave a high-pitched squeal and made a mad dash for the nearest rack of lacy contraptions meant to pass as dresses. I snagged a sugar cookie and trailed Rose, who jumped from dress to dress excitedly. Even Lily, usually so level-headed, was caught up in the moment. Rose held up frilly pink things for me to see, and I cringed at each one. As Rose disappeared into a fitting room, I made my way over to the long tables where the masks were. Several girls crowded around, trying on the intricately beaded and feathered things. A flash of something bright caught my eye, and I sifted through the bright masks to find the source. Finally, I freed a simple half-mask from the pile, and held it up to the light. It was very plain compared to the other masks on display, with no embellishment but a subtle flower design along the edges.
Lily, Rose, and I exited the dress shop some time later. I held a dainty box containing the silver mask, wrapped in tissue paper. Rose was in a foul mood.
"I can't believe that you're the only one of us that bought anything, and you didn't even want to go!" she pouted.
"Oh, come off it, Rosie, you have three months! And we can go shopping over Christmas break, remember?" She nodded. "Let's go find the guys." Fred was demonstrating Exploding Eclairs to a gaggle of first years, and the rest of the group was not too far off. We rounded them up and began to head back to the school.
When I stopped by our room to drop off my purchases before heading to dinner, I noticed Roxie and a strange black cat sitting on the window ledge outside. I cracked the window to let them in.
"Hello, Rox, who's your friend?" The cat meowed, and I bent down to read his collar. There was a rolled up piece of parchment tied to his tag. Frowning, I removed and unrolled it.
E-
Can you meet me in the defense against the dark arts hallway at seven?
Send a message with Lysander.
-W
"Are you Lysander?" I asked the cat. He meowed. I scribbled my reply beneath Will's on the parchment and replaced it beneath the cat's collar. "Could you give him that for me?" I asked. Lysander rubbed against my legs. I cracked the window for him, and he jumped out onto the ledge. I watched him go.
"Why can't you deliver my messages?" I asked Roxie. She looked at me and yawned. I shook my head at her before heading down to the great hall.
"What's wrong with you?" James asked at dinner. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"Sorry, just tired. Hey, I think I'm going to go and take a bath. See you guys later." I excused myself and headed in the direction of the girl's baths, but took the turn to the dark arts hallway instead. I was there first. I turned to a man in a portrait.
"You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?" I asked.
"Five to seven," Will's voice answered behind me.
"Hello." I willed my heart to beat again.
"I want to show you something." He beckoned for me to follow, then led me down a little-used hallway and stopped at a large vase. He pulled the handle and it swung aside, revealing a narrow doorway. "After you." I stepped into a large drawing room. A single, over-sized chair sat in front of a roaring hearth. A few books lay on a table beside the chair.
"What is this place?" I asked him. Will shrugged.
"I found it in my second year. I thought you might like it."
"It's so...private." Will sank into the chair and motioned beside him for me to sit, too. "Was...there a reason you wanted to meet me tonight?" I asked him as I sank next to him. Our arms brushed slightly.
"Not really..." he grinned suddenly. "I just...wanted to see you." I was surprised he couldn't hear the blood rushing through my veins as I returned his smile.
"Oh." I murmured. "I wanted to see you, too."
"Your cousins...don't like me, do they?" He asked.
"They don't know you. Anyway, don't mind what they think. I've been ignoring their opinions for sixteen years, and I've turned out alright." I was rewarded with a laugh. "They just think that, since our fathers were enemies, then we have to be. Very Shakespearean, you know."
"And you don't?" I shook my head.
"Well, I am most certainly not my father, and I'm fairly sure you're not your father, so what's the fuss?" He bit his lip.
"My father wouldn't necessarily agree with that logic." He murmured.
"Well, who agrees with their parents?" I asked. He smiled again. "I mean, take my brother, for instance. My dad had a twin brother that was killed in the war, and Fred is named after him. But Fred isn't the Fred that my dad lost so long ago. Dad expects my brother to come and help him run Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes after he graduates, but Fred wants to work at the Ministry...see my point?" Will nodded reluctantly.
"I see, but...well, it doesn't matter. Tell me more about your family, they sound a lot more interesting than mine."
"Well...like I said, my dad owns a joke shop and he's always experimenting with new things...they get him into trouble all the time. Like once, when I was five, he was experimenting with Transfiguring Treacles, these chocolates that make you grow a beak or a tail or something, and he accidentally left them out. So, of course I found one and ate it—which would have been alright, if the formula hadn't been too strong. As it was, it turned me into an elephant. Well, I panicked and started to run around...so when my mom came up to see what sounded like a herd of elephants tromping all around upstairs, she found an actual elephant. I've never seen her so mad...it was great." Another laugh from Will. I retold countless stories from my rather colorful childhood, and we laughed until our sides ached and we were gasping for breath.
"So...what about you? You've got to have stories, growing up in Malfoy Manor, right?" Will lowered his eyes.
"Let's just say that your childhood was a lot more eventful than mine was. Being an only child is rather dull, in all honesty."
"Well, I more or less grew up with six siblings...seven if you count Teddy Lupin...there was never any time to be by myself. Big families aren't really all they're cracked up to be, either."
"I think we came from two extremes," Will yawned.
"Yeah," I answered, gazing into the fire.
The next thing I recall is waking up and realizing that I was curled against Will, still in the secret study. My hand and cheek were pressed against his chest, my knees were pulled up against my stomach, and his arm was draped over my shoulders. We fit against each other perfectly. I looked up at him. He had fallen asleep with a smile on his face.
"Will!" I whispered sharply.
"Hmm?"
"Will! Wake up!" His head jerked up and he looked around at the walls and the glowing embers in the fireplace.
"What...?" He finally looked down at me, and realization dawned on him.
"We fell asleep," I murmured, sitting up. He took his arm off of my shoulders. I wished he would put it back on...it was cold without the fire. "What time is it?" I asked him.
"...half past eleven," he said, glancing at his watch.
"Oops." We scrambled out of the chair and crept to the door. Mrs. Norris stood in the corridor. "Bloody Hell," I muttered. Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a package. Placing it on the ground in front of Mrs. Norris, he motioned to me. We crept away from her.
"What was that?" I whispered.
"Cream-filled sardines...she's easy to bribe," Will whispered back.
"I, however, am not so easily dissuaded," came a stern voice from behind us. We turned to see Professor Ludwig, tapping his foot.
"Bloody Hell," Will said under his breath.
"Three hours! You'll miss our Quidditch try-outs!" Lily exclaimed. I had been sent up to my room.
"What did you even do?" Hugo demanded.
"Um...I...fell asleep in the bath, and when I woke up it was past curfew and I got caught." I said, waiting with bated breath to see if they bought it.
"But you never get in trouble! Why'd it have to be today?" Lily whined. Rose had already informed me that she would not speak to me until I told her the truth.
"Funny, being in the bath for four hours without even getting wet," Rose muttered.
"What was that, Rosie?" asked Albus.
"Nothing." Rose said, picking at an omelet.
"I'm sorry, guys...but you can recount to me in grueling detail how the try-outs go, alright?"
"I guess..." Lily muttered. My cousins turned the conversation to who would make the team. I had nothing to contribute, and Rose was pointedly ignoring me, so I glanced across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table, where Will was getting similarly ragged on for detention by his fellows. I watched Marc Zabini and Mindie Moon heckling him about his detention. He caught my eye and winked. I gave him a small smile. At least I knew he was looking forward to the detention as much as I was.
I helped myself to an apple, half-listening to the argument about brooms Hugo and Lily were having.
Will and I were sentenced to hand-dust the trophies in the trophy room, which might not have been too horrible a punishment, if the trophy room wasn't as long as a Quidditch field. We set to work, and every once in a while, Filch would poke around and inspect things.
"When do you think Filch will retire?" I muttered to Will.
"I'd expect when Mrs. Norris dies..."
"Oh, so we've got a couple generations to go, then." We broke into a laughing fit, and Filch turned around, giving us the stink-eye.
"Dust!" He shouted at us, and left. We worked in earnest for a while. I had been mulling over a question for some time, and I finally spat it out.
"Will?"
"Hm?"
"Why were you sorted into Slytherin, do you think?" He didn't answer right away.
"I think...that it's mainly your own decision where you're placed. Didn't the sorting hat ask you where you wanted to be?" I nodded.
"All of the Weasleys have been sorted into Gryffindor." I said.
"And all of the Malfoys have been sorted into Slytherin."
"So you chose to be a Slytherin?"
"I chose to do what was expected of me. So did you."
"Yes, I guess I did. Do you ever...wish you had chosen differently?" He gave me his almost-smile.
"I didn't," he said, "until I met you." I felt my cheeks get hot. He turned to look at me. "You know, I've never seen someone blush as much as you do."
"Well I didn't used to blush so much until you came along." I said, feigning offense. He wiped off a Quidditch trophy, then set it back in its place.
"I think it's cute," he said with a devious smile. I blushed deeper.
"Stop it!" I exclaimed, coming down off of a ladder to reach the trophies on the floor. He came closer.
"Veeery cute..." I covered my cheeks with my hands.
"No!"
"Adorable, even..." I walked to the other side of the trophy case.
"Scorpius Malfoy..." I warned as he followed.
"Evelyn Weasley..." He mocked me.
"Stoppit..." I squeaked as he chased me around the cases. We ended up on either side of a table.
"You're trapped," he observed, grinning.
"Not if I can help it," I made a break for it, and almost made it past him, but he snatched my wrist.
"Ha!" He said victoriously, grabbing my other wrist and pulling me around to face him.
"Truce?" I pleaded.
"Not a chance," he pulled me closer, releasing my wrists and placing his hands on either side of my face. Our lips were centimeters apart when Filch burst back into the room.
"Oh, what do we have here?" We jumped apart, grabbing our rags and dusting the trophies closest to us, both of us blushing furiously this time. "That's what I thought." He loomed over us for the rest of our detention, inspecting our work. Finally, he barked at us.
"Alright, you can go!" We dropped the rags and bounded out of the trophy room as fast as we could. We paused at castle door.
"I've got to go this way," I said, nodding up the stairs.
"I've got to go that way," Will said, nodding down the hallway towards the dungeons. .
"Well-" I was interrupted by a large gaggle of Quidditch hopefuls that burst through the door.
"Results posted for all four teams outside the Great Hall tomorrow!" someone from within the throng yelled.
"Hey, Scorp, how was detention?" someone called, at the same time James shouted,
"Evey! What's up?" in my direction. Will and I glanced at each other and mouthed our goodbyes as we joined our respective parties.