Ten. Muggle Borns and Muggle Studies.

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 All through lunch on Wednesday, Evelyn was quiet, picking at her food. She kept glancing up at the staff table where Professor Mason, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's seat was empty, as it had been at every meal that week.

She knew Sean and Marlowe had noticed her odd behavior because they were looking at each other across the table, side eyeing her. Neither of them said anything. She almost wanted them to. She wanted them to ask what she was thinking.

Finally, just as they began to pack up, she broke the silence herself.

"I was thinking," she said.

"We noticed," said Marlowe. She glared at him.

"I was thinking," she repeated, pulling her long hair out from under the strap of her bag where it had gotten stuck. "That we ought to ask Professor Mason about the article."

They had updated Caiti and Marlowe on Sunday evening in the common room. Or rather, she had. Sean, it seemed, had forgotten all about it. But Evelyn was muggle born. The knowledge of the attack on the muggle school children and it's lack of resolution had been sitting uneasily in her stomach all week, always at the front of her mind.

"Why him?" asked Sean, frowning.

Evelyn had thought this was obvious. "Well he used to be an auror didn't he?" Indeed, Professor Mason had been hired by the auror's department a few years after he'd finished school. He had only remained there for three years before he had quit and taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts job at Hogwarts. He never discussed the reason why he left although he would occasionally speak about his experience which had been, mainly, rounding up the remains of the death-eaters after You-Know-Who had gone for good. Evelyn had always assumed that it was lack of work that brought him to the school. Certainly there were fewer dark wizards than there had been when he had finished school. But she did not know whether her theory was true.

The conversation was cut short as they made their way up the aisles between tables and to the front door, because Marlowe was walking along the outer edge and she didn't think the subject was appropriate to be shouted across the heads of the other Ravenclaws who were finishing their lunch.

"As I say," she continued the moment they all passed into the entrance hall, as if this break had not occurred. "He was an auror. He might still be in contact with the other aurors, maybe that Elise whatever her name was from the paper, even. I'd just like to hear what someone thinks. And besides, haven't you noticed he's been gone?"

"He's not really been gone," said Marlowe, hoisting his bag up his shoulder. "Elliot had him on Monday. And Caiti had him yesterday. Neither of them said he missed his class."

"No," said Evelyn, frustrated. "But he hasn't been at a single meal - not even dinner - all week."

"What do you think you'll find out by asking?" asked Sean. He recoiled under the look she gave him.

"Well if neither of you care to know, then I'll do it myself," she said. She sped up to walk ahead of them, but Sean hurried to catch back up with her.

"Ev, I didn't mean I wasn't interested, it's just-"

But she cut him off. "Just that it's not really a concern, right? Just that it's one incident that happened far away and didn't involve us." She didn't know why she was so angry with him. Only that she had been on edge ever since she had read the article and it was getting more difficult to act her normal self. It felt good to have someone to lash out at, even if she knew, beneath her unfair anger, that Sean did not deserve it.

"That's not what I said," he said quietly.

They had arrived outside the door of the classroom. Evelyn stopped, turning to glare at him. Marlowe, who had evidently not sped up, was still down at the other end of the hall, not appearing in any rush to catch up with his friends.

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