'Old Friends'

Chapter 1 - A Familiar Place

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you."

"Take the curse off him, then!"

"... There you go, you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"-I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!"

   The words ring in Evelyn's ears, still as harsh as the day she first heard them. It was a terrible day for everyone, whether they knew it or not. Evelyn had stuck by Lily's side for the rest of that day, consoling her and trying to distract her from the memory of it - she muttered words of comfort and affirmation, but in truth she was speaking to herself at the same time. She was always closer to Lily and, by proxy, the 'marauders' gang - but if it had been possible, she'd have liked to stay friends with Severus as well, since she'd known him for as long as she'd known Lily: they'd all lived nearby as children, before even being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But, after that fateful day, Evelyn never really spoke to Severus again.

"I don't know why you or Lily ever hung out with that weasel."

"You don't have to be so insulting all the time, Sirius."

"Eve, clearly there's something wrong with him. I mean, you're a Slytherin, we hang out with you, and you're nothing like him. -Except for maybe the hair..."

".. You're incorrigible."

   Evelyn blinks hard to bring herself back to the present moment, a small tear dropping as she opens her eyes again. Merlin-knows why I'm going back there, she thinks to herself. It had been a small eternity since she had left Hogwarts, and left all of that behind her. -But in truth, she needed the money and lodgings desperately - and convincing Dumbledore to take her on had not been an easy task. Looking down, she gives a final swish of her wand, packing up the last of her belongings in preparation for her new life to come. In the panic of her decision, she hadn't really considered how she was going to get there; of course, there was the infamous Hogwarts Express, but staff were required to get there before the students, and she wanted to get settled-in first, anyway.

"Apparition it is", she says under her breath, picking up her suitcase and grabbing her hat quickly.

   With a cracking sound, Evelyn lands just outside the Entrance Gates, on the very edge of the castle grounds. As she finds her balance, she drops her suitcase down and uses it for support for a moment whilst catching her breath. Gotta get used to that, she thinks with a sigh. -The nausea eventually subsides.

"Locomotor trunk", she speaks with her wand directed at her luggage, and it obediently levitates - following her as she begins up the path.

   A lengthy, refreshing walk up to the castle seemed like a good idea, and Evelyn didn't even mind taking the scenic route since it gave her a nostalgic trip down memory lane: sights of the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake were familiar but unnerving - beautiful, but painful. Vague memories flood her thoughts, rekindling a spark somewhere at the back of her mind. Even with a fair trek ahead of her, she could see the old castle clearly ahead, floating in an unusually clear blue sky; walking further down the track, the fresh air fills with the scent of pine, rushing through Evelyn's lungs in a way that almost burns.

"Blake, Evelyn."

"Good luck, you'll be fine!"

"Thanks, Lily.. I hope we get to stick together..."

"-- Let's put you in.. Slytherin!"

"... Evans, Lily."

"-- Hmm, better be.. Gryffindor!"

   Looking up, Evelyn's view of the castle was growing clearer - she was most of the way there now, completely surrounded by a green blur of trees. As she soaks in the fresh air and beautiful scenery, she catches sight of something moving within the forest from the corner of her eye: a single deer stands frozen behind the trees, looking back at her. They both acknowledge each other silently for a moment, before the deer scarpers off into the distance and Evelyn is left to finish her journey up the path.

   Seeing the deer only reminds her more of Lily, and of James too. She remembers their wedding day - Lily's maid of honour, watching her two friends beginning their lives as a new family... She remembers their excitement when Lily became pregnant too, and all of the joy and love surrounding them, until...

"Miss you, Lil." -The old nickname feels strange in Evelyn's mouth - familiar, yet distant.

   A sharp chuckle erupts from her throat, as she thinks back on her childhood friends. Absolute dorks.. -Typical Gryffindors, eh?

   The sun had travelled quite a distance across the sky, now covering Evelyn and the forest with a golden glow. Her memories disperse into thin air and she returns to reality once again, finally reaching a familiar spot on the grounds: the Whomping Willow. She keeps her distance, not wanting to risk an injury just yet, and traipses through the grounds, up to the castle entrance. Her trunk takes itself into the castle, no doubt to be transported up to her new quarters for her arrival.

   She takes a deep breath, staring up towards the highest reaches of the castle - though she was now older and bigger than her student-self, the structure is somehow more intimidating than it had ever been. Tall stone walls encompass her - an air of magic and mystery filling her lungs, like a drug she didn't know she was craving. How strange it feels, to be back in a place of both safety and sorrow. Every part of the grounds was the same, as if it had been frozen in time since she had left all those years ago. But Evelyn hopes, to herself, that things have changed for her now - that not everything is still the same.

"Well, here we are", she exhales. "Home again."