A Soul Bond - HP fanfic

Chapter 24. Rocky start.

Since the train, Harry has been very stiff. They've been almost an hour and a half away but Harry has not uttered a single word.

Evelyn has noticed this since his hand has not left hers but he's cold. She's offered a blanket that she brought or an extra sweater but nothing can make him snap out of his mind.

Hermione and Ron decided to go and buy some food from the trolley, so they left the compartment and Evelyn took the opportunity to ask what was going on.

"Harry, are you okay? You've been rather quiet since we came on the train... was it something Sirius said before we left?"

Harry finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Evelyn. His eyes looking lost, like they were all summer.

"I- uh I don't want to worry you."

"You saying that just makes me worry more." She replied as she took both his hands. "What's going on in that mind of yours?"

Harry sigh as he knew he couldn't escape her. After all, he has promised not to be quiet anymore, not to push her away.

"In the hearing I felt like Dumbledore ignored me and I don't know why. He couldn't even meet my eyes. And then, at the station... I- I saw you-know-who, but it was probably just my mind playing games-"

He stopped closing his eyes, almost as if he was seeing you-know-who again. Evelyn could sense his stressful state and she didn't know if she should panic, seeing as he literally said he could be loosing his mind, or if maybe it was true that Voldemort was at the station.

"Well let's think it this way, can you do something about that right now?" She asked, since she actually didn't know what else could make the situation better.

She had no idea why Dumbledore was being so cold to Harry nor if it was true that Harry saw you-know-who. But what she did know is that there wasn't a point in stressing about it.

"You're right, it doesn't help stressing about it when I can't do anything to help it now." He finally said after a fee moments of thinking it through. He sigh as he put his head on her shoulder closing his eyes. "Thank you for being there for me."

"Of course. Always."

***

Once they got down of the train, they noticed it would be a very hard year. If they thought last year was the worst, they were not prepared for what was going to happen next.

"I'm surprised that the Ministry has let you go around free. I've suspected that there's a space in Askaban with your name on it!" They all thought nothing of it, since Draco Malfoy has always been a pain in the ass. But Harry's anger was slowly or rather quickly, getting the best of him.

He launched at Malfoy but Ron had to stop him. Even Draco looked a bit scared as he run away with his minions.

"It's just Malfoy." Ron said, "it's not like he cares about anyone else but himself."

Harry was huffing heavily and released himself from Ron'a arms that were holding him back. "You're right... sorry." He said as he looked at Evelyn who had a bit of sadness in her eyes, like disappointment, maybe?

Well he wouldn't be surprised if she was disappointed. He has been acting like an asshole.

But she shook it off and smiled softly at him as they intertwined their hands and kept walking towards the carriages.

Once they got closer they saw that Luna and Steph were there.

"Steph! Luna!" Evelyn practically yelled as she separated her hand from Harry's and ran towards them. They saw her too and the three of them ran to hug each other.

Evelyn received them with the tightest hug she has ever given, as she was squeezed in between them. "Eve! We missed you!" Luna said.

"Yeah! We decided to wait for you to get out of the train. Since you didn't sit with us this time." Steph whispered that last part as she winked towards Harry that was watching them with a small smile.

He felt happy when Eve was happy. And right now, she remembered just how much she has missed her two friends.

"Awww I'm sorry! But you know..." she tried to explain but all she did was look at Harry and noticed his smile. Making her smile too.

"Oh we know, alright? But we need more details, yeah?" She nodded as her cheeks turned pink.

"Let's get in, yeah?" Steph suggested but were interrupted when Harry said something rather curious, or alarming, depending on your point of view.

"What are these things? Pulling the carriages?" He surely looked like he was insane. No one else could see it. Or at least that they knew could see it. That was until Luna said something even creepier.

"Nothing's pulling the carriages Harry, they're been pulled by themselves as always." Hermione said.

"I can see them too. Don't worry Harry, you're just as sane as I am." That's what made everything a bit more creepy than it was before.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Neville." They all replied.

"Uh Neville this is Luna Lovegood and Stephanie Finnigan." Hermione said, introducing them since they haven't really talked before.

"Wait, are you sister of Seamus?" Neville asked to Steph.

"Cousin, but we do not talk about that." Even Eve had tried to ask before, but she hates talking about her family, so she dropped it.

"Nice to meet you." He said and then it was as awkward as you could've imagine.

***

Back at the dining hall everyone kept looking at Harry, as if making sure he was really there. Even some of the Gryffindors sat farthest away from him.

Evelyn hated it. She wanted to say something to anyone looking at him but she couldn't, or at least she felt like it wouldn't matter.

Sadly, she had to sit at the Hufflepuff table but from time to time, Harry would look over at her and smile as he kept eating.

She couldn't deny though that it felt weird without Cedric in the table. She had a small hope that he would return the same day, but she guessed that he still wasn't okay. They weren't really telling them anything regarding Cedric. They were way too quiet about the matter.

All that they said is that people think Harry did it. But the Order doesn't want them to see or know anything about Cedric's condition. And it stressed her out.

She just wanted to know if he was better or not.

Dumbledore started his speech like every other year and what stressed her out more was that there was a new teacher that was wearing all pink in the main table and she even interrupted Dumbledore while speaking, it was obvious even he wasn't a fan of her.

When she presented herself, Evelyn looked over at Harry once more and saw him stressed again. Maybe more than how she was feeling and she had a very very bad feeling about professor Umbridge.

When dinner was over, Luna, Steph and Evelyn walked towards Hufflepuff common room. However, Luna said goodbye when they were about to enter, saying that she had some things to do.

"So now please do tell me what has been going on with you and Harry?? You were holding hands and everything! Is it official? How did it happen? How was summer-"

"Steph, calm down! I'll tell you everything okay?"

"Okay, just let me get the popcorn!"

Eve laughed as they ran upstairs to their dormitories.

Although Eve had felt like everyone was treating Harry horribly, she wasn't noticing how everyone was looking at her as well. Specially since what everyone last saw of them was their kiss at the tournament and then Cedric was cursed.

It looked bad for her and it was a very rocky start to the year indeed.