Sanguine - (adj.) eagerly optimistic, especially under terrible circumstances.
Evangeline was a pureblood witch, her parents' perfect porcelain doll. Evangeline lived a sheltered, predictable life, and she didn't mind it. She didn't know there was a...
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Evangeline awoke at four o'clock in the morning on Saturday. She recognized the familiar pangs of hunger stirring deep within her. She could usually go a few days without, longer if she tried, but the stress of the day had finally caught up to her. She needed to eat, and she needed to do it soon.
She pulled off her covers and donned her cloak. She was a lightfooted individual, and she had spent a great deal of time last night pacing the dormitory to learn which spots on the floor creaked, so she was able to slip out without making too much noise. She had been rooming with Alice and Pandora for many years and knew how to avoid waking them, but this was the first year she'd shared a living space with Narcissa, Fiona, or Phoebe and she hadn't had the chance to learn them yet.
Feeling quite like a criminal, she crept through the empty common room, down the hallway, up the stairs, and out into the chilly September air. She had only the light of her wand and the companionship of the moon to guide her. It stared down at her, round and silvery, sending a chill down her spine. She tried to avoid going out during the full moon. The creatures in the forest were all on high alert, and the blood-curdling screams originating from the Shrieking Shack disturbed her greatly. She knew there were dangerous creatures in the forbidden forest. Tonight, she was one of them.
She took no pleasure in it, but it must be done to get by.
Squirrels were less than ideal, but beggars couldn't be choosers and she resolved to make quick work of it. She wasn't terribly fond of the creatures, one or two wouldn't be missed, but she had to steel her nerves anyway. She got used to it, but it never got any easier.
Evangeline saw him on her way back. The moon was sinking rapidly, as if it were growing heavier by the minute and the sky couldn't bear the weight of holding it up. The shadows of the trees seemed to move in real time. In the vast space between the castle and the edge of the forest was a willowy figure. He was trudging towards the castle from the direction of Hogsmeade, the same path she had walked the day prior. Panic set in, and Evangeline froze in place. She stood at the edge of the forest, hoping the shadows concealed her, staring as the man staggered towards the castle.
Staring as he stumbled. Staring as he fell to his knees and began to crawl.
A pang of pity struck her then. She steeled her nerves, clutched her fir wand, and ran towards him. As she neared him, she quickly realized that the man was actually a boy, not much older than she was. He was a great deal taller, but thin and weedy...and covered in blood.
At ten meters away she recognized his sandy brown hair and lanky figure. He was a prefect, if she recalled correctly. A student. Evangeline barreled towards him with reckless abandon and dropped herself to the ground.
If he hadn't noticed her before, he surely noticed her as she tumbled down into the mud beside him. His brown eyes grew to the size of saucers as she started mumbling reassurances in a language he didn't recognize. He knew "episkey", and he knew full well it wouldn't do much to the deep gashes carved into his flesh. Her blood loss spells seemed to be sticking, though. He didn't know what she was saying, but he was familiar with the concern in her tone. He just wasn't used to hearing it from tiny foreign girls as they helped him to his feet.
