Albania, Summer 1994: the Dark forest
"So, do you play any instruments?"
Evelyn Pettigrew had never murdered anyone (up until this point of her life, anyway) but she was getting extremely close to murdering her own Father. They'd been on a very long journey together, one that was taking longer than Evelyn thought it would.
After escaping her annoying older brother (of course he was still clueless to the truth, stupid boy: why was he a Ravenclaw again?) Evelyn had turned invisible, and with her Father in rat form on her shoulder they'd fled the country.
Being invisible had its perks. They'd sat in the back of muggle lorries all the way down to Dover, then skulked on a ferry to France, and crouched in coaches and more lorries until they reached Albania Her Father had been back in human form by then, and even more annoying than she remembered.
"No." she snapped, and a whimper came from behind her. "Oh, shut up, you pathetic hag."
This was another annoyance. Her Father had convinced her they needed to rest, and they went into an inn. But a British Ministry worker—Bertha Jorkins her Father said she was called—had recognised her Father and had began to hurry away.
Of course, that had been a problem, one not even Evelyn had seen coming.
They'd had to tie Bertha's wrist to Evelyn's, and even though she was gagged with Evelyn's school tie she kept whimpering and begging for her life. They were taking her to their master: who was somewhere in the foreboding Albanian forest: to see if she had any information before she was killed.
Evelyn could deal with pathetic mewling things—she'd grown up in an orphanage for Christ's Sake—but her Father trying to get to know her? Agonising, worse than keeping this stupid woman quiet.
"Katherine played the violin." Pettigrew said, his voice wobbling. He was intimidated by Evelyn, which she liked. "I wondered if you were the same."
"I don't want to talk about her." Evelyn snapped.
She really didn't. Her mother had abandoned her in the orphanage at birth—knowing straight away how powerful Evelyn was, fearing her—only to sparingly visit her once a year from when she was five until she was ten.
Then Evelyn got sick of her Mother's lies, stole a Hogwarts letter, pretended she was a year older (and somebody else) and discovered her Father squeaking around the castle.
"She does care for you, Evelyn." Pettigrew said firmly.
Evelyn knew things her Father didn't: the truth about her Mother, and what she had done to her. Not that she'd tell him: if he'd once betrayed his best friends, she was certain he would sell out his daughter.
"Whatever."
The forest was getting darker, small animal skeletons crunching under her school shoes, dried blood splattering up trees. The muggles in the inn had said they feared the deepest part of the forest: that there was a fearsome snake that preyed on anything that went near.
Evelyn and her Father were certain that was where their master was.
"Do you think he'll be proud of me?" Evelyn asked her Father, feeling fear coil inside her stomach. "The Dark Lord, I mean."
Pettigrew looked startled by her question. "Of course, dearest daughter. Look at all you can do—all the information you gathered from the Malfoy girl, all for him. He appreciates loyalty."
Evelyn nodded, tugging Bertha harshly. It had been a long couple of weeks, searching for their master. Her mind kept drifting back to Cassie, who had been nothing but kind, and yet she had betrayed her: even if Cassie wasn't aware of it.
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