"He left again," Violet sighed, her face falling into her hands. She was sitting on the steps, staring at the now-shut door. Snape had just walked out of it, his black cloak swishing. "He always leaves."
Evangeline sat next to her and also stared at the door. She had a pair of Converse in her hands and was pulling them on over her socks. She gave her twin a smile and said, "Let's get out of the house, too."
Violet stood and ran up the half-flight of stairs left to the next floor. She jogged down the hall and grabbed her high tops, pulling them over her feet as she hopped back to where Evangeline was sitting. As she looked at her sister, she found it funny how much the two had matured since they had finished their fourth year. Their faces had lost all the younger kid look to them, and their bodies had evened out. Evangeline was back to her natural blond hair, but it was wavy and elegant, matched with big, chocolate brown eyes. Violet's hair was neon green that practically glowed in their dark bedroom. Her eyes, though, were pale blue.
She sat down to finish tying her shoes, and the two stood. They descended from the stairs and Evangeline locked the door behind them. Violet's hands entered her pockets, fingers gliding over loose change. Evangeline's hands swung at her sides as they walked down the empty street. The sun beat down on them, but they didn't notice.
"So, where should we go?" Evangeline asked after a few minutes of silent walking.
"You mean you didn't think of where to go?" Violet asked, chuckling. "Let's go down to the park on the other side of the woods."
"Okay," said Evangeline cheerily, smiling and skipping ahead.
Violet grinned at her sister and let her skip ahead.
"Over the bridge and through the woods, to grandma's house we go!" Evangeline sang as they neared the woods.
"And then," whispered Violet, sneaking up behind her. "The big bad wolf - gets ya!" she shouted and tackled her.
The two laughed, and Violet rolled off, staring up at the clouds and foliage of the trees. Evangeline got to her feet and brushed the leaves and dirt off. Violet rolled onto her stomach, and pushed herself up.
"You're covered in dirt and leaves," Evangeline said, and helped her brush everything off.
"And you have twigs in your hair," Violet said, as she put her hands in her pockets again, pulling her iPod out. She put in one ear bud as Evangeline brushed through her hair with her fingers, trying to find the twigs.
They entered the park ten minutes later, Evangeline ran to the swings. Violet sat on the merry-go-round, looking up at the clouds.
"That one looks like a duck!" she called.
Evangeline looked up and couldn't find a single duck-looking cloud. "All I see are butterflies, flowers and jungle animals!"
Violet looked over at her sister, her eyebrow raised. It was her imagination... Violet lied down on the merry-go-round, and put the other ear bud in. She found it slightly strange that no kids were there. Oh well. That was fine by her. She smiled to herself, and put her hands behind her head, watching the giant white masses float by.
Evangeline was watching everything but the clouds. She was watching the birds fly by, and the squirrels run up trees. As she soared high above the park, she saw a man start to walk into the area. She drug her feet on the ground to slow herself as she saw he had a dog. She hopped off the swing and was running before he hit the ground.
Violet saw the flash of blond hair while she was gazing up at this cloud that looked like Michael Corner. She sat up and saw Evangeline running towards a decent-looking dude, with some little wrinkled dog. It was small and she couldn't even make out the eyes, but it had rolled onto its back and was wagging its tail. She jogged up to the man, and got a better look at him. He was dressed very well and his hair was combed back.
"Sorry about my sister," said Violet. "She loves animals."
"It's fine," said the man. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties. "Many people love Max."
Max gave a little bark, and Evangeline giggled.
"I know this might seem slightly strange," said the man, "but, might I say, you look quite familiar?"
"I don't believe we've ever seen you before," said Violet, taking out her ear buds. She wrapped them around her iPod as the man continued.
"You look like – oh, what were their names? Ah, yes! Evelyn and Alexander Willow, was it not?" he said. "When I last saw them, Evelyn had just left and Alexander and I were doing some work."
"That's our parents' names, yeah," said Evangeline. Then she directed her attention back to the dog. "Who's a good doggie?"
"Are they around? I would love to have tea with them," he said.
"They're dead," said Violet, no emotion on her face or in her voice.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I knew them well."
"Oh really?" said Violet, her skin crawling.
"Do you believe in magic?" he asks.
"Are you a wizard?" Evangeline asks, looking up. The dog rolled over and sat up.
"Yes," he said. "Witches?"
"Yep," said Violet.
"I would like to show you a memory that I have from a time when I was working with your parents," he said. "Would you happen to have a Pensieve?"
"Severus does," said Evangeline.
"Severus Snape?" asked the man.
"Look, you never even told us your name," said Violet. "I'm not taking you to our home."
"That's a good attitude to have about strangers," he said. "You can call me Mr. J."
"Mr. J? What, is that code for something?" she spat back.
"Vi, be nice," said Evangeline. "She has a bit of a temper."
You're too trusting, Violet thought.
Evangeline gave her a look that clearly said 'shut up.'
Violet rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else.
"She is right though, we don't really know you," said Evangeline.
"That's alright," said Mr. J. He pulled out a wand, and Violet tensed. He lifted it to his temple and pulled out a strand of memory. He pulled, from his pocket, a small book. He placed the strand on the book and whispered something. A pool appeared, and the strand disappeared inside. Mr. J placed the book on the ground. "Shall we?"
Violet stared at him for a minute, but Evangeline picked up the dog and walked straight in. Now she had to go. Violet grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him into the book as well. Like hell she was going without him.
The room was white walled and tiled in white. Like a restroom. But clean. Silver tables lined the walls and shelves filled with weird liquids and potion ingredients covered the walls. A very young version of Mr. J was standing with –
"Mom!" cried Evangeline.
Evelyn and Alexander Willow were standing at the far end of the room, bottles of potion and pills scattered on the tables surrounding them.
A small cry came from beyond the three adults. Violet and Evangeline inched forward and crawled onto the tables to see. Three little babies were snuggled in the crib together.
"He's weak," said Alexander, picking up the baby in the green blanket. He picked up a potion and tried to get the little boy to drink it.
"He won't survive," said Mr. J.
Evelyn was trying not to cry.
"At least we have Evangeline and Violet," said Alexander, placing the boy down and picking up the two girls.
Evelyn took the one wrapped in a yellow blanket and cuddled the baby close.
Violet climbed off the table, and so did Evangeline. Their parents placed baby Evangeline and baby Violet in the crib, and Mr. J picked up their brother again.
"You should leave, Eve," said Alexander as they started transferring to another table. "You can't work like this."
"And how can you?" asked Evelyn before running up the stairs behind the older Mr. J.
Mr. J was on the far side of the room, by the older Mr. J.
"I think we can save him," the two Js said together.
"How?" asked Alexander, coming closer to him.
"I know of potions that increase strength and stability," said Mr. J. "But none have ever been used on infants. I don't mean for your son to be an experiment, but he already is."
"I know," said Alexander, looking away. Baby Violet was crying, and he walked over to her, his footsteps echoing coldly in the room. "I want him to live."
"Run," whispered Mr. J harshly. "Run!"
"What?" Alexander asked, spinning. He had Violet in his arms.
Mr. J was sprinting for him, and grabbed the boy off the table. Alexander picked up Evangeline and Violet, and the three real ones followed the two men. They entered a hallway just as an explosion sent everyone flying. Alexander twisted in the air, curling around his daughters. Mr. J twisted as well, and also landed on his back, the baby just fine.
The scene changed, and they were in a nursery. Three cribs filled the room – green, yellow and aqua. Their brother, Evangeline, and Violet. Evelyn was bent over their brother's crib, sobbing, and Alexander had his arms wrapped around her.
The twins looked over, and found the crib empty except for a red tulip.
"My baby!" Evelyn wailed.
"We've seen enough," said Mr. J and pulled everyone from the memory.
"We had a brother?" Evangeline whispered, falling to her knees on the ground.
"We were experimented on?" said Violet. "The hell?"
Mr. J placed a hand on Evangeline's shoulder.
"It was You-Know-Who's plan to make you – exceptional," he said.
"Um – what?" Evangeline said, looking up. Violet hauled her to her feet.
"You were experimented on as soon as they found out Evelyn was pregnant. They wanted you three to be – super weapons."
"That would explain a lot, actually," said Violet, her arms folding over her chest. Evangeline gave her a curious glance. "What? We're metamorphmagi, and you're a Parlsemouth and I'm a Seer. It makes sense!"
"It does, indeed," said Mr. J, staring at the two. "Did Severus ever tell you about this?"
"No," said Evangeline after a pause and glance at her twin.
"That bastard!" shouted Violet. "He's been lying to us!"
"Violet," said Evangeline softly, tugging at her sister's sleeve. "Calm down. We'll have to take you back to anger management."
"Dammit, I hate that place," muttered Violet. She turned to Mr. J. "Thank you for telling us this. Maybe we'll be in touch again."
Later that night, as the twins were cooking dinner, waiting on Severus, they debated telling him about what they'd been told by Mr. J.
"Seriously, how could he keep that a secret from us?" said Violet. "It's our bodies and gifts – we have a right to know."
"Yeah, but, what if we're not supposed to know. What if this is a trick from-from You-Know-Who?" countered Evangeline.
"But to not tell us we were experimented on?"
"What?" said a voice from behind them.
They spun around, the sauce on the spoon Violet was holding flying around room. Snape was standing in the doorway leading to the kitchen.
"Why didn't you tell us, Severus?" Violet spat.
"Tell you what?" he asked.
"That we were experimented on," said Evangeline. "Seriously, you should have told us."
"You were experimented on?" he whispered.
"Yeah, before we were even born," said Violet, turning her back to him. She went back to making her sauce, adding garlic and a touch of parsley. She tasted it and added more garlic.
"We had a brother, too," said Evangeline. "You didn't tell us that, either."
"I didn't know," he said.
"You're lying!" Violet screamed, her entire body shaking. She was facing Severus again, her fists clenched at her side. "What else have you been keeping from us? Do we have more siblings that are buried somewhere? Do we have family alive somewhere and you're not letting us visit?"
"I never knew!" he shouted back.
"Both of you calm down!" yelled Evangeline, getting in the middle of the two. "We'll talk this out in a civilized manner – or both of you are going to family counseling!"
"Bullshit," said Violet.
"No, I'm serious," said Evangeline.
"Make your own damn dinner," said Violet, throwing the spoon in the bowl and walking away. "I'm not hungry."
Severus walked towards his library, and Evangeline was left in the empty kitchen, a pot of sauce on the stove, and a large bowl of spaghetti for the three of them. She sighed and finished the sauce, trying to recreate Violet's mental recipe. It was close, but not as good. She made two bowls, and then an extra. Violet ate a lot more when she was mad. She put them on a tray and grabbed forks before going upstairs.
She opened the door and found Violet sitting in front of the window, watching the stars. She was becoming more and more fixated on them and the future. But she was a Seer, after all.
"I brought dinner," said Evangeline, putting the tray on the bed next to Violet. She crawled on and picked up a bowl.
Violet took one silently and shoveled a huge mouthful down her throat. She pointed at her bed with the fork and Evangeline looked over.
Their school bags were sitting next to eat other and there were two extra bags. All four were stuffed.
Evangeline looked back at Violet as she was swallowing.
"I'm leaving," she said. "You can come with me, or you can stay here."
"I'm coming with you!" Evangeline said instantly.
"Keep your voice down," said Violet. "I don't want Severus to barge in and stop us."
"Right," whispered Evangeline.
"The two on the left are yours," said Violet. "The two on the right are mine. I didn't cage your owl, just in case you didn't want to come with me."
"Where will we go?" Evangeline asked, opening the window and calling to her owl.
"I – hadn't thought that far ahead," said Violet. "I was thinking we would just get the hell away from here and go somewhere. Get out of the U.K."
"Maybe," said Evangeline. "I don't think we'd fair well."
Violet shrugged and picked up her cat. Evangeline's owl flew in and landed gracefully on her shoulder. She winced a bit as the claws dug in, and put the owl in its cage.
The girls grabbed their bags, and Violet said goodbye to her cat. Violet slipped out the window first, and climbed down the trellis, begging that Snape wouldn't pick that exact moment to walk into his study and look out the door.
She held her arms out, and Evangeline tossed her two bags down. Violet caught them and placed them on the ground.
"One step at a time," she called quietly to her twin.
Evangeline bit the handle of the cage and threw her legs out the window. She found footholds and slowly made her way down. She handed the cage to Violet as soon as possible, and she placed it on the ground, watching her sister to make sure she didn't fall.
Evangeline hopped to the ground when she was a foot from the end. She stumbled a bit, and Violet steadied her.
"C'mon," she said, handing her her bags and the owl. "Let's get out of here. I feel like Snape's gonna walk out the door any second now."
They slipped around the back, and Violet led the way to the woods. At night, the woods were silent, and the animals were long gone. It was – eerie. Her breath came faster, and she was seeing those – things – that Snape had saved them from years ago. She clenched her teeth, and tried to block them out. It wasn't working.
"No!" she screamed, falling to the ground and closing her eyes. Her fingers clawed at her face, and Evangeline rushed to her side, trying to rip her hands off. She was afraid Violet would claw her face off.
"Get out of my mind!" she cried.
"Vi!" Evangeline whispered.
A strong wind began, and Violet pulled her fingers away, the vision leaving her eyes. There were scratches on her face, some deeper than the others. Violet's bloodied hand went for Evangeline's and she pulled her sister close. She gave her a hug. Something inside said to. And she listened to her gut.
"Be strong," she whispered as a massive gust of wind pushed them apart and brought them into the air, sending them flying. That was the last thing Violet remembered.
Evangeline, however, took much longer to black out. She was still being battered by the wind, clinging to her backpack and trying to find her sister's hand.
"Violet!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. But even then, she couldn't out-scream the storm.
This storm was like no other. The thunder was three times louder, the lightning ten times hotter and brighter. The wind could knock down a cement house. Twigs were turned to swords as they were battered in the wind.
"Violet!" Evangeline screamed again. Her owl was nowhere to be seen. She prayed it hadn't been killed in this – storm. "Vi!"
A branch came from the storm and hit her in the stomach. Now it was time for Evangeline to visit the black abyss.
Driving along in an old pickup was Michael and his father. They were coming back from town after picking up some groceries for his mother. She had come up with the idea to make a dessert for each of their neighbors – by hand.
"Your mother is right for doing so," his father said.
"I know," said Michael, his head resting in his hands.
"We're the only ones not suffering right now. "We're lucky, me being a doctor and all."
"I know," said Michael again. His dad was the Muggle in the family. He looked up and leaned into the sun shining in through the windshield. He sighed and looked out at the road. There was some weird shape lying there. Something with bright color at one end and really long, really pale legs.
"At least we didn't have to-"
"Dad, look out!" Michael shouted, pointing at the shape. It was a girl.
His father swerved around, slamming on the brakes. Michael was out of the truck even before it stopped and running to the side of the teenaged girl. He knelt at her side and brushed the neon green hair from her face. Cuts covered every inch of her exposed skin. Two bags sat with her, both beat up.
"Oh, God, Violet!" he shouted, shaking her. "Please don't be dead! I need help in Divination!"
Her eyes opened a bit.
"Is that all I'm good for?" she whispered and started coughing, blood staining her lips. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.
"I'm joking, kid," he said. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Tell – ya – later," she whispered, still coughing.
Michael's father rushed up and bent down.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Later," Violet whispered, her eyes shutting again.
Mr. Corner picked her up, causing Violet to let out a scream, waking back up.
"Oh my, God!" she shouted, holding a hand to a gash on her right thigh.
Mr. Corner ignored her screams, and took her to the truck. He sat her down in the passenger seat, and Michael climbed in, picking her up and setting her in his lap.
"Oh my, fucking, God," she hissed, her hand clamped on her bleeding leg.
"Did Snape do this?" Michael asked, pulling Kleenex out of the glove box. He pressed them to her stomach, trying to help her stop the bleeding. His hand laid on top of hers, and Violet couldn't be happier.
"No, of course not," she said. She looked out the window. "Where are we going?"
"To the hospital," said Mr. Corner.
"No!" she said, struggling to get out of Michael's hold. But she stopped and thought about where she was – and settled back in. "Don't take me there."
"Why?" he asked.
"Dad you've got your tools at home," said Michael. "Let's go home."
"No!" Violet moaned. "I need to find – I need to get Evangeline."
"Where is she?" he asked. "You guys are never separated."
"I don't know," she said, staring straight out the window. "This is all my fault!"
"You need to stop talking," said Mr. Corner. "You're stressing yourself and you'll bleed more."
"Dammit," Violet wailed.
Evangeline pushed herself to all fours. Then sat back on her hells. She pulled herself up to her feet. She couldn't lay in the middle of the woods. She had to find Violet.
"Be strong?" she mused aloud. "Did she know this would happen?"
She leaned against the tree for a few minutes before picking up her bags. But as she bent over, it felt like something was tearing in her stomach. She lifted her shirt and saw a bleeding cut.
Stupid branch, she thought to herself. She opened her bag and found one of the shirts she slept in. She rolled it up and pressed it to her stomach, soon drenching it in blood.
Evangeline staggered for a second, trying to take a step. Everything ached from that storm. That couldn't have been an ordinary storm, though. Normal storms don't pick you up and carry you off.
She paused, pressing the shirt closer to the cut on her stomach. She took one step, wincing, and then another, again wincing. She kept forcing herself to take one step after another, putting one foot in front of the other. She grabbed the trees for support when it felt like she would fall, and somehow made it out of the woods.
She stayed at the edge, panting and pressing the shirt to her stomach. She was starting to feel light-headed. Not good.
She looked around, trying to find a person or a house – anything. Her eyes searched the surrounding field and found a large house. She was drawn to it. It seemed – familiar.
One step. And another. And she soon found herself knocking on the door.
A very, very familiar face opened the door. Light hair and skin, and holding some strange plant in a pot.
"Hi, Neville," said Evangeline, before her eyes shut and she fell forward.
Neville dropped the plant and caught Evangeline in his arms.
"Gran!" he called. "Gran!"
He looked down at the girl in his arms and shifted her weight. He pressed his hand over hers to hold the bloody shirt in her hand.
"Gran!" he shouted, pulling her into the house. An owl flew in at the last moment and landed on Evangeline's shoulder. It had a dead mouse in its mouth, and seemed quite proud.
His gran came huffing into the foyer as Neville laid Evangeline on the floor.
"Good, Lord, is she dead?" his gran asked.
"Don't say that!" Neville moaned, his face paling considerably.
"Take her upstairs – to the extra room," she said.
Neville pulled her bags off, and the owl left her shoulder, hooting around the mouthful of mouse. He picked Evangeline up as best he could. He wasn't used to lifting anything close to the weight of a person. He worked to get her upstairs and laid her out on the bed. His gran dropped the bags at the foot of her bed.
"I'm calling a mediwizard," she said.
"Please," said Neville.
Within minutes, a witch walked into the room, her hair pulled back in a bun.
"Oh my," she said, looking at Evangeline. "What happened?"
"I don't know," he said.
"I shall do my best to fix her up," said the witch and shooed Neville from the room. She shut the door in his face.
Neville sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down it. He waited and waited until he dozed off.
"That hurts!" Violet shouted. "Couldn't they have called a mediwizard?"
Mr. Corner was stitching the gash on her leg.
"What the hell is up with all this Muggle shit?" she asked, looking at Michael.
"It's quicker," he said, giving her a sheepish smile. "And besides, he's really good at what he does."
"But this – why don't I get anesthetic?" she asked, her fist clenching and unclenching. "Seriously. I should be knocked out right now."
"Because I don't bring the drugs home," he said and put the needle through the wound again.
"Fuuuuuu-"
"Violet," warned Michael.
"It hurts!" she said and crossed her arms over her chest.
She kept wincing and snapping every time he added another stitch. But he finished – after twenty-three stitches.
Then he went about caring for her other wounds. Once he finished, he left, and Michael stayed to help her switch to the other bed so he could change the sheets, but Violet was so comfortable that she didn't want to move her.
"I need to find Evangeline," she said. "Seriously, I need my sister. And – aw, shit."
"What?" Michael asked, sitting at the foot of the bed.
"I had a plan to run away from Snape, and Evangeline follows me and wouldn't let me go alone, so she had to come with me. And this is my entire fault. And Snape has no clue where we are. I need to leave and find her."
"Like hell," said Michael. "You're way too weak to do that. You just got stitches. You're staying here."
"Then I'm sleeping in this bed," she said.
"But it's mine!" he complained.
She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but didn't you say I'm too weak to move and I just got stitches? Shouldn't I stay here? Not move more than I have to?"
He glared.
Violet giggled a bit, and his face softened.
"I need to write Ginny," he said, walking from the room.
"What?" was all she could get out before he left. "Shoot me."
Violet sat there, her mind worming around about ways to ruin this relationship before it even started. Her fingers drummed on her good leg, and her eye brows twitched further and further down until she just about screamed. But she remembered where she was and didn't.
A knock on the door brought her face back to indifference, the usual mask she wore around anyone other than her sister.
"Yeah?" she called, wanting to get out of Michael's bed. It was his – and if he didn't like her, then screw sleeping where he once did.
His mother walked into the room, and she had the same hair and eyes as Michael. She had a warm smile and aura drifting off her. And she held a plate of cookies.
"Ooh," Violet said.
"Peanut butter," said Mrs. Corner, sitting on the foot of the bed. She held the plate out, and Violet took one.
Violet bit into it, and the warmth of the cookie spread through her.
"This is delicious," she said, through another bite of the cookie. "You can really cook."
"Thank you, dear," she said. "But chew, swallow, and then talk. You're just like Michael."
"Oh – uh," Violet wasn't sure how to respond. So she simply said, "Okay."
Mrs. Corner stood and shut the door. She came back and sat down closer to Violet.
"So, tell me about you and Michael," she said.
Violet started to choke on her cookie, and coughed until she dislodged it from her throat.
"Um, I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked, setting the cookies down on her knees.
"Tell me about you and Michael!" she squealed. "He told me you almost kissed at the Yule Ball and you danced a lot together."
"There was mistletoe," Violet lied. "It's tradition – you're supposed to."
"Then why didn't you?" his mother asked.
"Because we had gone to the dance with other people and I had to dance with Potter," she said, propping her head up with one hand. "He was the champion for Hogwarts – well, one of them – and we were forced to dance. Stupid rules. I can't even dance!"
She gave Violet the look most teenage girls would give their best friend after they just confessed they were engaged to their boyfriend of four years.
"You have to date my son!" she declared.
"Uh," said Violet, completely lost for words. She had never felt quite like this. "You approve? But he likes Ginny! That stupid Weasley girl."
Mrs. Corner hugged Violet as gently as she could.
"She'll be right as rain if she continues drinking one potion a day," the mediwitch told them.
"Thank you," said Neville, shaking her hand and kneeling next to his sleeping friend. His gran showed the woman out and left the two alone.
Neville leaned over and started combing his fingers through her hair. It was so soft and silky. He'd never seen this color before, but it looked great.
A soft sigh issued from Evangeline's throat. She didn't want to open her eyes. Everything felt perfect. Except she couldn't feel where Violet was. This caused her eyes to open.
"Neville!" she cried, surprised to see his face so close. She pulled her head further into the pillow.
"Oh, hi, he said, blushing and standing up. "How are you feeling?"
"Way better," she said. Her hand went to her stomach, surprised to not feel any blood.
"Gran called for a mediwitch and she fixed you up," Neville explained. He gestured to a stack of potion bottles. "One a day."
Evangeline pushed herself to a sitting position. She looked out the window and grinned. Her owl was sitting outside.