evelynn | t.riddle

22 | SONGS OF SOLITUDE

ORION AND THEODORUS EXCHANGE GLANCES as Tom looks around the Common Room. Only a month into the term, it's become almost painfully clear to practically the entire house that something changed between Tom and Evelynn over the summer. Nobody knows what exactly, but it's there, evident in the little things if one pays close enough attention.

Tom's eyes are almost always drawn to her, and she seems to relax slightly in his presence. She spends more time in the Common Room, often occupying a table in a darker corner to stay unobtrusive. However, if you observe closely, she is attentive to the ongoing discussions, especially when Tom is involved. Tom's glare, whenever someone glances at her - except for Dorea and Walburga, who became close to Evelynn last year by sharing a dorm with her - is quite revealing.

At the moment, however, Evelynn is nowhere to be found. She has been moody all day, but nobody seems to know why. She disappeared after lunch and hasn't been seen since. It's a good thing it's the weekend and there are no classes. Taking a leap of faith and hoping Tom doesn't curse him immediately, Orion asks, "Theo, do you have any idea where Evelynn is? Dorea said she has a book I need to look at." He could feel Tom's intense gaze snap at him at once, but thankfully, no curse hit him, probably because of the book excuse.

Theodorus, catching on quickly, says, "No, sorry. I haven't seen her since lunch when she helped Warren with Olive Hornby." And wasn't that an amusing sight - Olive Hornby having to hop all the way to the professors' table to undo the Leg-Locking Jinx because nobody was willing to risk Evelynn's wrath after the death glare she gave Hornby? All she did, though, was make a shield that reflected the other girl's own Jinx back to her. And Warren seems to be hero-worshipping Evelynn now that she's made it clear she'll keep Hornby off her back at the start of term, something that horrifies the girl to no end - hence the three days she spent finding books for Myrtle Warren so she could defend herself.

Tom smoothly says, "Let's go find her, then."

Knocking on her door, she gets no response. Eventually, Tom says, "She's not in there. I can't sense her magic." That's not strictly true - he can sense her magic in there...but it's all spells she's cast or the magic she used last night, not magic that's actively coming from her.

Dorea clears her throat behind all three of them, asking, "Looking for Evelynn?"

Orion nods and says, "It's about that book you mentioned she has; I need to take a look at it." However, Theodorus points to Tom, who is invisible to the other teens.

Dorea quickly understands and says, "Ah, of course. Well, she hasn't returned here. We separated in the dungeons. She mentioned something about having a tough day and needing some alone time. She said she'd return later."

Tom frowns, contemplating where she might seek solitude. The Chamber is too predictable, and if she truly yearned for isolation, she wouldn't choose it because it's the first place he'd search. The Room of Requirement is a possibility, but it's not located in the dungeon - and he sincerely hopes she hasn't chosen the Room. If she requested it to create a private space, they would never gain entry. After a pause, he suggests, "There are many unused rooms in the dungeons. If one desired solitude, that would be the ideal starting point."

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Theodorus is the first to find Evelynn. By pure chance, he also finds Orion and Tom before she does. Meanwhile, she's holed up in one of the old rooms deep in the dungeons.

Playing the piano.

He noticed all the dusty, rickety old furniture piled up along one wall in the back. Now, a grand piano occupies the middle of the room, with Evelynn playing it. He distantly notes that she plays as though she's been doing it for years under an expert's guidance.