A WEEK AND A HALF INTO NOVEMBER, nearly everyone in the castle is outside, enjoying the snowfall from the previous night. Tom, Orion, and Theodorus stroll across the grounds, dodging a group of Hufflepuff First Years engaged in a fierce snowball war. They find Dorea and Walburga gazing in surprise over the Black Lake. Orion approaches them, asking, "Is something wrong?"
"Did you know Evelynn can ice skate?!" Walburga asks, bewildered.
Tom turns his head so abruptly he might get whiplash, exclaiming, "What?"
Dorea confirms, pointing towards the Lake where a figure can be seen gliding back and forth. The dark hair identifies her as Evelynn, even though she's too distant to see clearly.
"I didn't know she owned skates," Orion remarks.
"She doesn't. She's just balancing like that," Dorea explains, suggesting that Evelynn might have Transfigured her shoes into skates.
"Oh, like when she landed on the back of the chair and didn't even waver," Theodorus recalls, still amazed by that particular feat. Such skills must have helped her survive an attack from Grindelwald and his forces.
"Dolohov's been saying she's not a normal Third-Year after that," Orion adds, frowning slightly.
"Everyone already knew that. She threw Dumbledore across the Hall after Apparating into Hogwarts!" Theodorus retorts dismissively. "And then, she made a miraculous recovery."
Tom remains silent, his gaze fixed on Evelynn's figure on the ice.
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Evelynn glides back and forth on the frozen lake, lost in her thoughts, seemingly unaffected by the cold. Her mind is on Hedwig, her owl. At this time in her previous life, she had released Hedwig for winter hunting.
She deeply misses her owl, her first friend who had been there through it all: the good times, the bad times, and even during the Dursleys. Hedwig had always been there to nip at her ear and preen her hair when she needed it most, even during her most challenging years at school. Then, Hedwig sacrificed her life for Evelynn, flying into the path of a Killing Curse.
Evelynn believes Hedwig was her only true friend back then—maybe Neville and Luna too, but she may never know. If she could have taken one thing from her past, it would have been Hedwig, without question.
She spots movement at the edge of her vision, wipes her face, and sees someone approaching. Despite feeling down, she greets them, "Hey, good to see you. Something up?"
Dorea frowned and asked, "Something wrong, Evelynn? Or is it just the cold?" She doubts Evelynn realizes she has tears on her cheeks.
Evelynn shrugs and replies, "Yeah, probably just the cold. Let's head back in if you want. Or..." She glances at the boys standing on the edge of the lake with Walburga, a mischievous grin spreading across her face, "boys vs girls?"
Orion and Theodorus look at each other, doubting Dorea and Walburga would be up for it until Orion gets hit with a snowball. Evelynn laughs and quickly makes another to throw at Theodorus.
The two Purebloods brush the snow off their faces, exchange glances, and then scoop up snow themselves. Theodorus declares, "Oh, it's on."
Tom stares in mild shock as Evelynn starts a snowball fight with four Purebloods, three of whom are Blacks. They are usually the epitome of decorum, but now they've abandoned all dignity to throw snowballs. Just as he wonders how Evelynn managed this, a snowball hits him in the face.
Everyone freezes, horrified, except Evelynn, who has hit Tom with a snowball. He clears his face, expression unreadable, then flicks his fingers in Evelynn's direction. A snowball strikes her in the face, causing everyone to freeze again. "Now it's on."
Orion exclaims, "Yes! Finally!"
Theodorus adds, "We haven't been able to hit her yet!"
Soon, two snow forts emerge, and the guys take cover beneath some trees. They're putting up a good fight, even keeping score like in a Quidditch match. Dorea grumbles, "Those two and their love of Quidditch."
Walburga chimes in, "Just be glad Abraxas isn't involved. Remember what happened last year?"
Evelynn, confused, asks, "No. What happened?"
Dorea explains, "Right, this was before you arrived. He broke his arm on a Bludger first game in the year but refused to leave until it was over! He then walked to the Hospital Wing like it was nothing, even though his arm was smashed so badly he had to take Skele-gro."
Evelynn finds no resemblance to Draco, who complained about minor things and exaggerated his scratch from Buckbeak for weeks.
Evelynn looks at the snow fort she and Dorea made while Walburga provides cover. She ducks to avoid one of Tom's snowballs and whispers, "I might have an idea, but I need you two to cover for me."
Dorea nods, replying, "Go for it, Evelynn. We'll keep them distracted."
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Tom peers over the wall of snow he magically assembles, sharing a grin and a smirk with Evelynn. His playful snowball throw distracts her long enough to miss, but he doesn't mind. Between the ice cream and snowball fight, Evelynn has a knack for introducing him to new experiences.
Orion and Theodorus's sudden yelps snap him out of his thoughts, and he senses the familiar tingle of Evelynn using the Hallows. He'd been so engrossed in the fun that he'd missed it.
Tom silently moves behind a tree, discreetly watching footprints in the snow. He surprises Evelynn, grabbing her shoulders and pinning her to the tree. Red-cheeked, with sparkling eyes and handfuls of snow, she drops her ammo. Tom laughs at her sneakiness and teases, "I think that's cheating."
Evelynn retorts, "All's fair. We didn't set any rules."
Tom leans in and whispers, "No, I suppose we didn't..." He feels her shiver - despite her ageless nature, Evelynn often acts her apparent age.
Evelynn has always been unable to control her blush. In this life or her previous one.
Tom decides to tease her further, aiming to make her blush. He presses her against the tree and murmurs, "Distracting my opponent, for instance." Evelynn's breath catches and her cheeks turn beet red.
But then Tom notices the tear tracks on her face. Gently cupping her chin, he asks, "What happened?"
Evelynn quietly replies, "Just thinking about Hedwig."
Tom remembers Evelynn's heartbreaking scream when her snowy owl was killed. He consoles her, "She hasn't been born yet. You can wait and buy her."
Evelynn leans into his hand, murmuring, "It won't be the same though. Hedwig was there through everything - the good times, the bad times, the Dursleys. She was brilliant. Even when I was alone, I had Hedwig. People gossiped about me, insulted me, hexed me in the halls, but I could always talk to Hedwig in the Owlery." She shared everything with Hedwig. The thought of buying another owl, even after such a long time, is unthinkable - no one could replace Hedwig.
Tom suggests, "She might've been a Familiar, not just an owl. Since she died protecting you, she might come back." Evelynn had never known if Hedwig was a familiar, but if she was, and if the bond was strong enough, she might return. After all, Hedwig's death was the catalyst that awakened the darkness within Evelynn. Being the 'Master of Death' might also help.
Neither of them realizes they're getting closer until Orion interrupts, yelling, "Oi, Tom! We're getting destroyed!" They jerk apart as Orion appears, snow-covered. Tom glares at Orion while Evelynn blushes.
Orion realizes his poor timing and braces for potential retaliation from Tom. Evelynn, on the other hand, is fervently denying any romantic feelings for Tom. Despite his good looks, intellect, humour and attentiveness, she insists she's not falling for him - even if he did help secure her favourite table at school. She's just realized that she has her first crush on Tom Riddle.
She can't understand why she feels a surge of energy when he touches her or why there's a hum of power in the air between them. She chalks it up to their shared magic - an ordinary explanation, as far as magic goes.
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Theodorus raises an eyebrow at Orion, asking incredulously from within the safety of his room, "You caught them doing what?!"
Orion confirms, "I swear, they were inches apart, Theo. If I'd arrived even ten seconds later...I don't think they'd have noticed me."
Theo muses, "Well, that would certainly explain the snow down our backs if Evelynn was there. How she managed to sneak up on us, however, remains a mystery." He's clearly more concerned about the near-kiss between Tom and Evelynn.
Orion chuckles, "Dorea and Walburga created a diversion for her. They thoroughly enjoyed watching us squirm with the snow going down our backs and dodging their snowballs."
Theodorus chuckles in return, then asks, "So, they were really-"
Orion interrupts, "He had her backed up against a tree and was leaning in, Theo! What else could have happened?!"
"Fair point. But couldn't you have arrived just a few moments later?!"
"I know, trust me, I know!"
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Dorea finds Evelynn lying in the corner of the couch, furthest from the fireplace, and asks, "What's wrong?"
Evelynn murmurs, "Nothing much, Dorea. Just dealing with a minor existential crisis at the moment." One revolves around 'why on earth is she developing a crush on Tom Riddle?!'
Voldemort has always claimed that love and anything similar is a weakness. He has mocked and scorned the very idea of it. Whether he truly believed that initially or whether that view emerged out of paranoia, he came to believe it in the end. The one person she knew, even before she woke up, it would be ill-advised to get involved with... and yet she develops a crush on him. From her discussions with Lavender and Parvati, she knows crushes can lead down two paths. They either evolve into love - a concept she's unfamiliar with, as Lavender and Pavarti were usually more preoccupied with the physical aspects of having a boyfriend, and her life before time travel was hardly conducive to learning about even crushes - or they end up like Ron and Lavender's relationship: All about physical affection, with Lavender constantly throwing herself at Ron to try and get him alone.
Frankly, she's unsure which outcome would be less intricate. She has never been with anyone, and she's never been in love, either.
She's even less certain about which one Tom might be receptive to. Assuming he hasn't already deemed such feelings as ridiculous, pathetic, and a waste of time, effort, and potential. Dumbledore claimed that all the 'love' in her mind and memories was too overwhelming for him...she thinks it was more likely her mother's sacrificial magic protecting her, even if he could touch her by then. Because nobody truly loved her back then - they worshipped her, turned on her, constantly crowded her to touch her scar, and hexed her in the halls. They never cared about her, let alone loved her. She wouldn't recognize love even if it hit her square in the face, leaving her grossly unequipped for a simple teenage crush.
Dorea hums, then asks, "Want to talk about it?"
Evelynn puts a hand to her forehead, massaging her temples. "Not really. I doubt anyone can help me through this," she says.
Dorea's eyes light up, and she grins broadly, exclaiming, "You like somebody!" The entire Common Room falls silent, even as Tom's head snaps up to glare fiercely at the Black witch.
Evelynn opens one eye to give Dorea a stink-eye of her own and asks, "What did I say about girl talk?" Specifically, she said no girl-talk with her - what she didn't mention was that she'd had more than her fair share of that second-hand from Lavender and Pavarti to last several lifetimes, especially after the Durmstrang boys arrived at Hogwarts in the Fourth Year.
"Yeah, yeah, but this is serious! Who is it? Maybe-"
"Oppungo." Dorea is promptly hit in the face with a nearby cushion. Moments later, all the cushions and pillows in the common room are chasing a laughing Dorea out.
The cushions then return to their places in the ensuing silence, which is broken by Evelynn flatly stating, "Next time, I'm summoning Woodpeckers." She heads to her own dorm, leaving Tom with a stern expression and Walburga, Orion, and Theodorus exchanging looks. They realize they need to handle this situation perfectly. So far, it hasn't backfired, but Tom is clearly planning to curse anyone he suspects Evelynn is interested in.
They might have unwittingly put an innocent bystander in the line of fire.
Tom, on the other hand, is considering who dares to covet what's rightfully his and how many curses he can cast before Evelynn realizes it's him. Perhaps he should ask Antonin to teach him that curse, as Evelynn's spell, won't work as efficiently for him.