By My Side

Chapter 10.

"I guess we can go then," Eve said after a very long silence.

She and Draco were still crouched in their uncomfortable corner of the owlery, having just caught the sender of Eve's threatening letters.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, frowning.

"Hmmm, I think so," Eve lied, pulling herself up and stepping out of their cupboard.

"You can't go back to Gryffindor Tower," Draco told her, grabbing her arm in fear she would go anyway.

"What do you propose I do? It's my house."

There was another long silence as the couple contemplated what they had just seen.

Parvati Patil, posting off an envelope with Eve's name on written in red.

"Maybe she's working on behalf of someone else," Draco suggested, then mentally slapping himself for defending not only a Gryffindor, but someone who was terrorising his girlfriend.

"I think I know why......." Eve sighed. She was in deep shock, and suddenly forgetting where she was, she put her head on her hands and sunk down onto a near-by bale of hay.

"What d'you mean?" Draco asked leaning against the windowsill.

"It all makes sense I guess...." Eve was re-playing the hurtful conversation she had heard Ron and Harry have -

"Lavender was asking if you and Eve were going out." Ron said casually.

"Why would she want to know that?"

"Well, Parvati fancies you, doesn't she mate?"

"Eve?" Draco prompted and Eve mentally shook herself.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," She lifted her head from her hands and looked into the Slytherin's deep grey eyes that were now full of concern. "Parvati fancies Harry, and she seems to think he likes me...."

"Oh!" Draco threw up his hands in exasperation and began to pace. "Bloody Potter. He's behind everything, isn't he?"

"Draco, don't be like that," Eve sighed wearily.

"Well, not only is it a Gryffindor that's doing all this, but Potter is in the middle of it. Sorry Eve, the irony is too much for me to pass up," Draco gave a short, bitter laugh then stopped pacing and took a look at Eve, who was staring into the distance.

"I mean, Parvati?" she said, as though she hadn't heard Draco's last comment. "She's always been alright with me. A little frosty maybe, but I thought it was because I was new. How could she do this?" Eve suddenly addressed Draco. "Why didn't she just talk to me? I mean, I could have told her, Harry doesn't even like me!"

"It seems pretty obvious to everyone else he does," Draco bent down and took her cold hands in his. "He makes eyes at you," There was a tinge on bitterness and jealous in his voice that Eve caught.

"He's just looking out for me," she smiled warmly and touched Draco's cheek. "Our father's were best friends. He sees me as more of a sister I think," Eve frowned a little then absent-mindedly planted a kiss on Draco's cheek before looking away. "I still can't believe I slept in the same dorm room as her this long. Why didn't she hurt me before now, if that's what she wanted?"

"You're not sleeping there tonight," Draco shook his head.

"Oh, and what do you suggest? I hang out here all night? maybe you could sneak me into the Slytherin dorms. Come on, Drake, be realistic. I have to go back."

"Oh, so you can give her chance to attack you? don't make me laugh. Go to your dad's room, go to that fool Dumbledore or something, but I'm not letting you go back there."

Eve simply sighed and hung her head.

"Why couldn't it have just been a Slytherin or something? even a misguided Ravenclaw!"

"Hmm, does sound like something Pansy would do, I admit," Draco laughed.

"You know, I hadn't really expected to find out who it was, didn't even have many ideas about the sender even....."

"Shit," Draco stood up, pulling Eve with him.

"What?"

"Filch. He makes his checks round here soon, we'd best get going."

The two of them left the owlery hand in hand, checking around corners and listening carefully as they went. If they were seen, they wouldn't only get caught out of bed, they would get found out, and Eve had no doubts that her father would stop her seeing Draco if he ever found out.

"Where now?" Eve asked when they made it to the relevant safety of the disused charms classroom.

"Could you get into your dad's room now?" Draco asked, drawing Eve's cloak tighter around her as she shivered in the November night air.

"Yeah, of course, but what would I tell him? and what would Hermione and everyone say when they find I'm not there in the morning?"

"Tell your dad the truth, you staked out the owlery."

"Oh come on, Draco, I'd never think of that!" Eve snorted. "You're the evil Slytherin, remember?" she poked him in the chest with a smile.

"Oi!" he pulled her in for a protective kiss on the forehead and a cuddle. She willingly snuggled against him. "So tell him I was there," Draco suggested in a quiet voice.

"You're joking, right?" Eve smiled. "He'd kill me before Parvati ever gets the chance."

There was a long silence as the two contemplated the difficult situation.

"Right," Eve eventually said, pulling away from the confines of Draco's arms, as she was secretly beginning to fall asleep there. "I'll go to dad. I'll tell him it was my idea and that I was alone. There's no other way. He'll figure things out from there, he's good like that."

"What about me?" Draco asked, suddenly feeling very alone.

"Go back to bed," Eve smiled, taking his pale face in her hands. "You look like you need the sleep."

"Trying to say I look like shit?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Never," she kissed him soundly. "Right, let's go."

The two ventured back out into the corridor and when they reached the Great Hall, they stopped.

"I'll see you at breakfast."

"Shouldn't I walk you to the teacher's wing?"

"No, I'll be fine," Eve nodded.

"But what if evil Gryffindors are waiting around the corner?" Draco risked a sly smile.

"I know one or two nice hexes that should fix them," Eve assured him.

"I bet you do," he leaned down and kissed her goodnight - the kind of goodnight that suggested he wished it wasn't goodnight.

"Go," she chuckled, shooing him away.

"See you in the morning," he whispered as he made for the dungeons.

"Night Draco," she smiled. When he was out of sight, she turned her attention to the staff wing and prayed she didn't meet Filch or Mrs Norris.

Before long, she was whispering the password to the door, and tip-toeing to her father's room.

"Pumpkins," she whispered, and the door unlocked slowly.

"Dad, dad!" Eve shook the sleeping form of her father. "Dad, wake up, it's me!"

"Eve?" Remus asked, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his wand, just in case.

"It's okay," she smiled, "Only me!"

"Oh, sweetheart, what time is it?" while Eve checked the clock in the mantel, Remus sat up in bed, pushing his grey hair out of his eyes.

"Around two."

"Two? what the heavens are you doing up at this time, you should be in bed!"

"Oh," Eve laughed, "This coming from a Marauder," she shot him a cheeky grin before grabbing him a drink from the bathroom and sitting on his bed. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh dear...." He shut his eyes. "You do know that no father ever wants to hear that, don't you?"

"Dad, you're so witty in the mornings," Eve smiled, she knew to be delicate, her father was still regaining conciousness.

"Don't be cheeky," He said through a yawn, then smiled. "What's the matter?"

"I know who sent me those notes, and who destroyed my bedroom."

Remus, who was still angry from hearing about that incident when he recovered last week, blinked back the last bit of sleep from his eyes and listened intently.

"How do you know, and who is it?"

"You're not going to believe me," Eve warned him.

"I will, go on," Her father replied, not missing a beat.

"Parvati Patil," Eve said after a moment.

"Parvati?" Remus asked, "Are you sure? she seems so - "

"Nice, yeah, I know," Eve finished.

"It wasn't her twin, Padma? they do look awfully alike, you know."

"I know," Eve nodded, "But I saw the Gryffindor badge on her cloak."

"Where did you see her?"

"Well, this is the difficult bit......" Eve hesitated. She looked to her father's expectant face and considered reminding him of all the dangerous rule breaking he and Sirius and Peter and James had done at school, but then decided better of it. "Okay, so I hid in the owlery and watched to see who sent the letters to me."

"Eve!" her father nearly choked on his drink. "What were you thinking? you could have been caught or - "

"Yeah, I know," Eve held up her hand. "But I had to find out, dad."

"You thought of that idea yourself?" Remus asked her through suspicious eyes.

"Um-hm," Eve cringed. She hated lying to her father, he was the closest thing to her in the world but.....she couldn't mentioned Draco. She was close to him too, and she didn't want to loose him. Especially not now.

"We must tell Dumbledore," Remus said assertively, missing his daughter's lie and getting straight out of bed. Eve smiled warmly at her father's faded pyjamas. They were far too big for him, but she had bought them herself for him one Christmas and he had never had the heart to throw them away or change them for a smaller size. "Come on then, love."

Eve looked up from her thoughts and found her dad holding out his hand to her. The other was on the door-handle.

"Right now?" she frowned, getting up and taking his hand anyway.

"Yes, right now."

"But dad, I'm tired."

"So am I," he smiled sleepily, reaching the headmaster's door and knocking at it.

For a moment there was no noise, then there was a rustling sound and when the door finally swung open, a bleary-eyed Albus Dumbledore greeted them in floor-length bed-robes and peaking out from underneath, pink fluffy rabbit slippers. Eve bit back a laugh, imagining what Draco would say if he witnessed this sight. She silently decided he would never have to know.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore smiled, and he had a twinkle in his eye as though he had almost suspected his Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher would be waking him at this time of the morning.

"Sorry to disturb you Professor, but Eve has some news," at this, Albus Dumbledore looked down at Eve's angelic smiling face and allowed himself a chuckle.

"I trust you won't tell anyone what you've seen here tonight my dear."

"Of course not, headmaster," Eve gave a little laugh.

"What appears to be the problem?" Dumbledore asked, before the door behind them opened and Professor McGonagall stuck her head out of the door. She was wearing rollers in her hair and had a black sleep-mask pulled up on her forehead.

"What is all this noise, Albus?" she asked in her slight Scottish lilt. Eve nearly laughed once more, and looked up to her father's face which she could also tell was holding back a laugh. As she was still holding his hand like a little girl, she gave it a squeeze to let him know how funny this was, and in the second their eyes locked, Eve thought the laughter would fully escape.

"I think we'd best take this to my study," Dumbledore twinkled once more, "Before Severus arrives in his best black nightdress."

*******

It was certainly the oddest, if not the most embarrassing meeting Eve had ever had the grace to attend. As head of Gryffindor house, Professor McGonagall came along, and of course Eve's father and Professor Dumbledore. Also, little Professor Flitwick had been invited along. Apparently he had been working in league with the headmaster in an effort to find out who the perpetrator was. Thankfully, they were all now dressed.

"That's highly serious rule-breaking, Miss Lupin," McGonagall scolded.

"I understand Professor, and I'm sorry," Eve apologised. McGonagall looked like she didn't want to let it go, but at this, Professor Dumbledore interrupted.

"Obviously we will need proof in order to confront Miss Patil," The old headmaster explained. "Indeed we did have her down as one our suspects, but frankly I was highly unconvinced it was her. Upon dealing with her in the past I have found her a most hospitable girl. Do you have any idea, Eve, as to why she would do this?"

Eve looked to her father and saw clearly in the breaking morning light streaming through Dumbledore's study window, the age-lines creasing his young face. Each time she saw him looking so frail she always wanted to fling her arms around him and protect him. Right now was no different, especially as this time it was her causing the stress upon him and invariably lying to him.

"I think I know sir but........"

"But what, my dear?" Dumbledore asked gently, dragging Eve's attention from her father's now worried, frowning face.

"It sounds kinda stupid," Eve explained nervously. All eyes were now on her and she shifted a little in her chair. "It's to do with Harry."

"Ah!" Professor Dumbledore nodded knowingly. "Mr Potter."

"Yeah, well, Parvati likes him.....as in fancies him, and she thinks that he likes me," Eve told them, then added quickly, "Which he doesn't."

"The opposite sex," Dumbledore smiled kindly at Eve, who was now blushing furiously. "The cause of most problems, I think you'll find."

"Yeah, don't I know it," Eve muttered, looking down. She caught the look on her dad's face though, which was for a second genuine suspicion and confusion. When she looked up at him however, the look was gone, replaced by a small smile.

"While that is absolutely no excuse for her actions, we will still need proof," Dumbledore announced, shifting some papers on his desk. "Around what time did you see her, Eve?"

"Well it was just before I told dad, so around half one I suppose."

"Maybe if myself and Minerva visited the owlery tomorrow night at that time, we would meet up with her?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, that's the thing," Eve shifted once more in her seat. This was going to be difficult to explain. "I've been hiding out there for over a week now, and never seen her before, so she must pick different times every night."

"A week, Evelyn?" Remus asked, shocked. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"

"Yes dad, I'm sorry."

"Hmm, this may prove more difficult then." The headmaster considered. "It is a most highly irregular occurrence, but maybe we will need to intercept every school owl that is sent tomorrow night, Professor Flitwick?"

"Yes headmaster, I think that would be the best idea," nodded the tiny Charms teacher.

"Yes...." Dumbledore considered, then snapped back to the present. "No punishment will be given for your nightly jaunts Eve, as I understand your motivation. I will, however, impress upon you the importance of your actions. It was a very dangerous thing to do, as your father has already said, and no doubt he will have more to say to you on the matter." Dumbledore then looked from Eve to Remus. They exchanged 'a look' and the headmaster transferred his attentions back to Eve's quivering form. "In future you must leave all matters of this importance to a teacher, and if you feel at all in danger, ever, then you must come directly to either myself, Minerva or your father. In fact, any teacher will do. You should never feel alone here, Hogwarts is literally your home, and you must treat it as such." Then the headmaster smiled. "Now, I understand you cannot return to Gryffindor Tower, yet we must not cause alarm to Miss Patil or raise her suspicions so I suggest tonight you sleep with your father in his room, if that is agreeable, Remus?"

"Of course, I'd love to have her," Remus grinned over at his daughter.

"Then early tomorrow morning, before your house wake, I suggest you return there. Is that alright with you?"

"Oh, yes." Eve nodded.

"I assure you that things will return to normal quite soon," Dumbledore finished. "Now if that is all I really do think I need some beauty sleep."

*********

Eve received a mighty lecture from her father on the return to the staff wing. All the time she was biting her tongue, thinking of the stories her father had told her. Especially once when he admitted that himself and Sirius and James had all wandered into the Forbidden Forest one night to see what creatures they could find, capture and then leave in fellow student Severus Snape's book-bag.

The chair in the corner of Remus' room was transfigured into a bed, and Eve slept a sound sleep that was over far too soon. She was escorted back to Gryffindor Tower by her father at around 6:30 and promptly fell asleep in the comfy chair by the fire. Harry and Ron discovered her there the next morning.

The day passed without note, except everyone being excited about the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Harry cornered Eve after Potions and on the way to Divination to discuss their plan.

"Eve!" Harry shouted. Eve turned from passing a silent wink at Draco to her friend.

"Hi Harry."

"Can I have a word?"

"Course," Eve smiled, noting from the corner of her eye the scowl and jealous look Draco shot at Harry before pushing through the crowd to get to his next lesson.

"About Hogsmeade....."

"Oh yeah! oh course. I nearly forgot. What day is it today?"

"Thursday," Harry laughed. "I think you're going mad."

"Hmm, I must be," Eve agreed. "Either that or just plain too much work."

"I guess there is that," Harry reasoned, running a hand through his messy raven hair.

"So what's the plan? Are we leaving them on the way there, or chickening out before we even leave?"

"Well, I thought that if I say I'm not going while we're still in the common room, Ron will just say he's staying too, so we sort of have to get half-way there."

"I get you," Eve laughed.

"The problem is, what excuse do we give?"

"Okay, erm.......we forgot we had Charms essays to do?"

"Nope," Harry shuck his head, "Ron and I finished ours last night in the common room, together."

"Oh yeah," Eve groaned. "How about you have a Quidditch practise?"

"Ron would want to come," Harry negated.

"Merlin, I never realised our friends were so difficult to get rid of!" Eve laughed. Harry soon joined in.

"I never thought of it that way."

By this, they had reached the fourth floor, and were nearing their Divination class. Also Ron was up ahead and kept glancing back from his conversation with Lavender to find out what Harry was doing.

"I sort of have an idea....." Harry suggested warily, smiling at Ron.

"What?" Eve asked, intrigued by the way Harry had said it.

"I could tell Ron that I really wanted to go to Hogsmeade with you. Alone, I mean, then he definitely wouldn't want to get in the way," Harry had flushed red, and hoped it didn't show. Eve of course, saw the blush and couldn't help a look over to Parvati. But I heard him say he likes her.....why is he blushing at me?

"You mean like a pretend date?" Eve asked, unsure.

"Yeah. I mean, if you don't want to, I understand - "

"No," Eve shook her head. "If it helps get Ron and Hermione together, I don't mind. And I suppose that after Saturday, if they're together, then we can let it be known we're just friends, so that if you want to see someone else, there'll be no confusion."

"See someone else?" Harry frowned. "Who else would I want to see?"

"I mean.....er....." This time it was Eve's turn to blush, and get her words tangled. Thankfully, they had reached the ceiling trap door, and the rope ladder that led to Divination, and Ron was wandering over to them.

"What are you to up to?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Harry and Eve said together, rather guiltily.

"Hmmm," Ron mused, surveying them through narrowed eyes. "If I see anything in my crystal ball about someone planning my untimely death, I will suspect you two, you know."

"Whatever mate," Harry laughed, patting Ron on the back and directing him, still laughing, to the rope ladder.

******

Friday morning at Hogwarts started cold and rainy. It also started a little earlier than planned for the girls in the fifth year Gryffindor dormitory. There was a pounding on the door, which Hermione answered, and while Eve roused herself , she realised what must have been going on. All her questions were answered when she saw Professor McGonagall at the door with her lips drawn into a very thin line.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. I'm sorry to disturb you so early."

"Oh, that's okay, Professor," said an ever-polite Hermione.

"I would like a word with Miss Patil, if I could."

"What?" Parvati asked, emerging from behind her bed-hangings. Indeed, all four girls were now looking out to see what had woken them and drawn their room-mate out of her bed.

"It would be best if you dressed, Miss Patil. I will wait for you in the common room," at this, Professor McGonagall retreated down the stairs and left the room of girls discussing what might possibly be going on.

"Maybe someone's ill at home?" Lavender helpfully suggested.

"I expect it would be nothing quite that bad," said Hermione with a warning glance at Lavender.

"What do you think, Parvati?" Lavender asked, ignoring Hermione.

"I have no idea," Parvati replied quietly from behind her hangings. When she emerged, she was fully dressed and she looked knowingly at Eve. "I'll see you all later." She left amidst deathly silence.

"We should follow them in secret!" Lavender suggested. Hermione rolled her eyes skyward to Eve before dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand and return to bed. Eve smiled gently at her friend, doing the same.

She did not sleep, however, as there wasn't long until the time she usually got up. She took the chance, however, to grab the new piece of enchanted parchment that Draco had given her, and she wrote on it :

they came for Parvati this morning. I'm scared Draco. What do you think they will do? I wish you were here.....

Evelyn-Jane.

Eve threw the paper aside and turned over in bed. She lay there momentarily, and when she leaned over for a glass of water, she saw a reply had appeared on the paper.

which Professor was it? McGonagall? did Dumbledore go to? Don't be scared! they'll sort it out. I think it highly unlikely they'll cause a scene. I suspect they will move either you or her to another bedroom though. Probably (knowing Dumbledore) there will be a meeting between the two of you, so you can kiss and make up. That's the most Gryffindor thing I can thing of. :) hmmm, I wish I was there too.......

Draco.

Frantically, Eve grabbed the parchment, hoping no-one heard her and came to enquire as to her business.

It was only McGonagall, but she looked real angry. I don't want anyone knowing, that would be so embarrassing. I just want to blend into the wallpaper! It's so unfair that she's done this to me. On a lighter note, I missed you yesterday.

E.

Although she stared for at least ten minutes, no reply came and eventually Eve got up to dress and wash. When she returned, her patience had been rewarded.

Missed you too. What were you and Potty talking about? oh, and you could never blend into the wallpaper, you're too pretty.

D.

p.s. you looked sexy leaning over that cauldron yesterday....

Eve chuckled to herself.

Sex? is that all you ever think about? HARRY and I were talking about the Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow. We have a plan to unite Hermione and Ron, so we've decided to go together and leave them on their own. So whatever you hear about us going to Hogsmeade as a couple, it's just a plan. No need to worry, I spend every second of the day thinking about you.

E.

The reply that Eve got came quickly and she grinned at her boyfriend's obviously jealous response.

Going to bloody Hogsmeade with Potter?!?! Eve! how could you do this to me? Merlin, even going with the Weasel would be better! I think you should invite someone else along. What about the Irish boy who's always making things explode? or that dunce, Longbottom? Potter will be all over you! like some prize he won!

And yes, sex is all I think about, needless to say you figure there. All the time.

Bloody Potter!

A very angry Draco.

Eve replied quickly as she heard the rest of her dorm-mates rousing.

Don't be so jealous, Drake. I'm not interested in Harry, he's my friend, that's all. (Will I still be re-assuring you of that when we're 90?) I'm playing match-maker to Ron and Hermione. Besides, you and I could hardly go together, could we? people would ask questions if we simply spoke to each other, never mind held hands and gazed into each others eyes on the way to Hogsmeade!

And who are you going with, may I ask? I'm sure Pansy is in your little group somewhere. I could get all jealous and girly about that, but I won't.

You know how much I care about you, don't you? Don't I make it obvious enough that you're the one for me?

E.

By the time Eve had discussed what could possibly be going on with Parvati with Lavender and Hermione, Draco had written a very final note back to her, that made her feel both scared and happy at the same time before she ran off down to breakfast........

Malfoy's don't fall very often, but when they do, they fall hard.

I care about you too, Eve. Very much. More than I think you understand. This isn't a game for me, I feel like I've reached a stage where I can't go back.

I'll see you at breakfast.......

Draco.

Over in the Slytherin dorms, Draco Malfoy pushed the lock of parchment into the back pocket of his grey school trousers and adjusted his Slytherin tie in the mirror.

"I don't feel in control of my feelings any more," he told the his mirror image and the empty room. "I'm loosing it." He sighed.

"You don't look like you're loosing anything to me dear," replied the mirror as a distracted Draco left the room and made to join his fellow housemates for breakfast.

********

The Gryffindor table was buzzing with ideas about what could have happened to Parvati. In fact, they were all so wound up that no one noticed when post came and went without Eve receiving a single thing.

In their first lesson, History of Magic with Professor Binns, there was a knock at the door. Eve almost sighed with relief when she saw it was the headmaster. She had been expecting this call, and now it had arrived, she simply wanted it over-with.

"Good morning, Professor Binns," Dumbledore smiled at his ghostly teacher. Binns nodded.

"Headmaster."

"I was wondering if I could see Eve Lupin for a moment, please?" automatically, all eyes shot to Eve. Harry, who was sitting next to her, frowned.

"Yes, of course headmaster," the transparent teacher gesticulated at Eve that she should follow the headmaster, and with a simple smile at her friends, she did so.

"Hello, Professor," she smiled when she was out in the corridor and they began the walk to Dumbledore's study.

"No need to tell you what this meeting is about my dear," the headmaster placed a gentle hand on Eve's arm and she smiled gratefully. She was shaking at the idea of seeing Parvati. "I have spent most of the morning speaking with both Miss Patil and Professor McGonagall. We have come to a conclusion of sorts, but for finalities, we wanted to discuss things with you."

"Me?" Eve frowned.

"Yes, my dear, come this way."

Dumbledore led Eve up to the gargoyle at the edge of his study, and then onwards up to a dusky room Eve had not noticed was on the same passageway. The room was surprisingly well lit, with several windows, and in the middle was a round table. It appeared to be made of some very old oak, as was most other ornaments in the room. The pictures on the wall were of Princes and Princesses, and Eve thought the place to be very beautiful. Beautiful except, of course, a sobbing Parvati Patil sitting next to a stern looking Minerva McGonagall around the table.

Parvati didn't look up as Eve and Dumbledore walked in, except she kept sniffling into the tissue that was held at her eyes.

"Please, sit down," the old headmaster told Eve, and she did, but no where near Parvati.

"I would like to make this quick," started Dumbledore when they were all seated, "As you both have lessons to attend, and your education is of high importance to me. I feel it only right that I explain to you, Eve, what has taken place this morning." His eyes fell on Eve, who wasn't to sure what expression to put on her face, so she went with blank expectancy. "Two nights ago, Professor Flitwick and I set up spells to intercept all mail sent via school owls, in order to find out exactly who has been sending you threatening letters and more recently, destroyed your dormitory room. While I won't go into the exact science of our investigations, I will inform you that the perpetrator was Miss Patil here, of Gryffindor."

Parvati didn't look up, and Eve didn't look at her. Eve decided any forms of reconciliation or friendship were now definitely out of the question.

"Myself and your head of house, Professor McGonagall, have been seriously discussing punishments for Miss Patil's actions, and we decided that to take house points from Gryffindor would be unfair, as you yourself are part of Gryffindor house. Therefore, we have decided that Miss Patil should be treated individually on this occasion. She will be moved from the dormitory room that she shares with yourself, Miss Granger, and Miss Brown, into another part of Gryffindor Tower. All privileges, also, will be taken away from her, such as access to Hogsmeade and extra-curricular clubs. A serious set of detentions has also been arranged, and Miss Patil's parents have already been informed. Professor McGonagall has also decided that it would be completely unfit for Miss Patil to have the option of staying at school during the winter and Easter breaks, so all holidays will be spent at home. A close eye will be kept on Miss Patil by an informed Prefect, and I can promise you that she will not trouble you again, Miss Lupin."

Eve nodded, a little dumb-struck. She thought that was an awful lot of punishments, but she wasn't sure if she should say that infront of Parvati.

"However," Dumbledore started again, and Eve snapped her eyes back to him. "I do feel that a formal apology from Miss Patil and some sort of explanation for her actions to you, is necessary. Miss Patil?"

When Dumbledore turned his eyes on Parvati, she looked up. Her face, Eve could see, was all blotchy and red where she had been crying. Her eyes never fell on Eve, at any time, even during her speech.

"I'm sorry, Eve," Parvati mumbled, eyes on the floor. "I was stupid and I should never have tried to upset you like that. I was angry at you, and - " she seriously mumbled the next word, Eve had to lean forward to make out she said, " -jealous. No one else knew what I was doing, everyone else likes you. I'm sorry."

She went back to sniffling into her tissue, and looked away, thoroughly ashamed.

"Thanks," Eve shrugged, unsure of what to say in the deadening silence.

"Right, you may both return to your classes," Professor McGonagall finally said, after a nod from the headmaster. Both girls rose, as did the headmaster and Minerva.

"You father will be advised of the outcome of this meeting," Professor Dumbledore told Eve with a kindly smile. "If you need anything, do please come to see me."

"I will, Professor, thank you," Eve returned the smile.

With that, Professor McGonagall led both Eve and Parvati down the steps back to the corridor and the gargoyle jumped shut behind them.

"Please return to your History class, Evelyn. Parvati and I shall be along shortly," Minerva gave Eve the slightest of smiles and the two figures hurried off down the corridor in the direction of Gyrffindor Tower. Eve simply stood, stunned. She heard the footsteps disappear and felt a little empty. Things seemed to have gone rather quickly and she realised that finally the horrid time she had just been going through was now over for good. While she would never class Parvati a friend again, she didn't expect any trouble from her in the future, the shame would ensure that.

Eve felt like going to her father, or even Draco, but with heavy footfall, she turned in the direction of History, and returned to the normal routine.

********

News of what happened spread like wildfire through Hogwarts. Within hours, it seemed the whole school seemed to know.

"I don't believe it!" said a very shell-shocked Hermione.

"Right under our noses!" ranted Ron. "I should have seen it. I can't believe she'd do that, it's so evil!"

"Are you alright?" asked Harry, touching Eve's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just want to forget it now, it was horrible."

"Eve! Eve!" Lavender ran through the crowded corridor to reach her dorm-mate. "I just want you to know, I had nothing to do with it, I really like you and - "

"It's okay, Lavender," Eve smiled, "Parvati told me she was in it alone."

"Did she say why she did it?" Lavender asked, forever one for gossip.

"No, not really," Eve said dismissively, looking at Harry with a smile. He still protectively had his arm around her and Eve suddenly became very aware of someone's eyes on her. She turned to see Draco, Crabbe talking animatedly at his side. Draco was wearing his usual scowl of indifference, but in the few seconds they locked eyes, she saw hurt in his face. Hurt and maybe a little anger.

Oh no! Eve cringed. He saw me with Harry! Their conversation via the magical parchment this morning came rushing back to her and she wanted to explain, but realised too late that Draco was gone, off to another class with the Slytherins.

"I take it Parvati will be moving out of our dorm?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, Dumbledore said so," Eve nodded, a little preoccupied, Harry's hand burning a mark on her shoulder.

"I was so sure it was Malfoy!" Ron muttered. He sounded thoroughly disappointed.

"Did she give you any reason as to why she was doing it all?" Harry asked. His voice was so close to her it knocked her out of her thoughts of Draco, and when she turned to her right, his face was set in a concerned frown.

"Said it was because........erm, she was angry or something."

"I think she was jealous," Hermione deduced.

Please don't mention Harry!!! Eve cringed.

"Jealous of what?" Ron asked, hitching his bag up on his shoulder.

"Well, Eve's been getting a lot of attention since she's been here and - "

"Do we have to analyse this?" Eve blurted out. "It's just I........want to forget it," she explained when all eyes fell on her.

"Of course, sweetie," Hermione smiled, "I'm sorry, I should have thought."

"No, it's okay," Eve fidgeted. It felt as though Harry's grip on her shoulder was growing tighter. "I'm just....jumpy, that's all."

"Well, that's understandable," smiled Lavender. "I mean, it's such a shock though, isn't it?"

And the all walked along with that thought in their head - that it was such a shock. Of course, Eve wasn't shocked, she was thinking about Draco, and more importantly, about loosing Draco.

"Herm, I need to the loo before lesson, you coming?" Eve killed the silence.

"Yes, of course."

"I'll come to!" Lavender giggled, and the three girls said goodbye, Eve feeling her heart sigh with relief.

Ron and Harry continued to make their way to second lesson.

"Errr, Ron?"

"Yes, mate?"

"You know tomorrow," Harry sighed.

"Yeah, Saturday."

"Well, it's Hogsmeade, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Ron smiled. "Good, I've nearly run out of Honeydukes chocolate."

"Well, I know we're supposed to be going together, me you, Eve and Hermione, but I was wondering........"

"You want to loose them?" Ron asked.

"No, not exactly," Harry squirmed, climbing the stairs.

"What then?"

"Well, I was wondering if you and Hermione could go together so that me and Eve were forced to go together."

Harry kept on walking up and stopped when he realised his friend was no longer by his side. When he looked back, Ron was frozen in mid-step, a look of surprise on his face. For a second, Harry wondered if his ginger friend had been put under a spell, but then the frozen figure spoke.

"Together? bloody hell mate!"

"Yeah, well, I just thought........"

"Are you sure this is the best time to make your move? She's only just found out Parvati was doing all those gruesome things to her, and if you ask me, I think Parvati was doing them because she was jealous of you liking Eve."

"Oh Ron!" Harry laughed. "Don't be silly. Besides, if I don't make a move now, I never will. Please? say you'll do it? then I can make out to Eve that you want time with Hermione."

"Oh, and what if she tells Hermione that?"

"She won't."

"Yes she will. Girls talk, Harry, they spend their life looking for gossip and boys to conspire about - look at Lavender!" Ron had continued to mount the stairs at this, and Harry had to run to catch up with him.

"Please, Ron? I might not get another chance."

"Alright, but take it slowly, okay?"

"Great. Thanks mate," Harry beamed, patting him on the back and imagining Eve's happy face when he told her everything was going according to plan.

******

Draco threw his books down onto the desk in Ancient Runes and scowled at Pansy when she tried to start a conversation with him.

He was in a furious mood. Okay, he felt sorry for Eve, knowing how much she would hate all the attention she was getting after this Parvati thing, but to get to close to Potter? that wasn't really necessary, was it? He decided that some serious action must be taken, and pulling out the parchment he had charmed, he wrote :

Meet me tonight, midnight in the disused muggle studies classroom - we need to talk.

******

Eve wasn't at all shocked when she found Draco's note, although it did have a pretty ominous feel to it and she was slightly worried. DADA had gone well, Parvati sat at the back, and Eve was glad her father made no comments to the Gryffindor girl. Most of Eve and Parvati's fellow housemates were too shocked to take sides or comment, although two girls from the year above, Jenny Spinster and Leonie Bracket, took Parvati under their wing. It seemed Eve had more enemies than she had first previously thought. All the important people, however, were sympathetic.

Harry spoke to Eve about the impending Hogsmeade trip, and she assured him she was still fine with the plan, and still wanted to go, even though she felt it might ruin things completely with Draco. If it came to it, she knew she would have to tell Harry she was just to ill to go, she wasn't ready to loose Draco, especially not over something so stupid.

Harry said he had spoken to Ron, explained that he wanted some time alone with Eve, and hinted it would be a good time for Ron and Hermione to get close. Harry said Ron took the news calmly, and Eve simply avoided the conversation with Hermione, hoping that if she left it late enough, Hermione wouldn't be able to invite Lavender or anyone else along. She didn't mind playing match-maker, as long as it went right.

As she neared the empty muggle-studies classroom on the second floor, her knees started to shake. She was dressed only in her Hogwarts pyjamas and although her cloak was draped about her shoulders, she was shivering. She wasn't sure whether it was the cold or if she was just scared of Draco's reception. She did, however, have a plan, and the memory of it brought a slight smile to her lips.

When she pushed the door open, he was there, early as ever, sitting on the couch, fiddling with something in his hands. He looked up as the door creaked open slightly and she slipped in, but he did not smile.

"Hi," Eve whispered, standing at the edge of the couch.

"Hello," he sighed. For a second, Eve waited, then flopped down onto the couch next to him. It was surprisingly comfy.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked timidly, looking at his hands and remembering how those long fingers had so often wound in her hair.

"You," Draco said, looking her in the eye. "And Potter."

"Oh, Drac, we're not having this conversation again, are we?" Eve sighed, exasperated.

"Yes, we are, he had his arm around you!"

"Shhh!" Eve hissed, looking to the closed door. She pulled out her wand and muttered a silencing spell. For a second, a shimmer of light flew around the room, then it was gone. She turned back to Draco, who had an expression of quiet admiration. "I can't stop him damn touching me!" Eve blazed. "Why are you so jealous, anyway?"

"Because - well, isn't it obvious? you're my girlfriend!" Draco shook his head as though his actions needed no explanation.

"If I have to tell you that he's my friend one more time, Draco......" Eve warned. "My other friends touch me all the time and - "

"Your other friends don't fancy you, do they? they're not The Boy Who Lived! He thinks just because he's a hero that - "

"Oh shut up!" Eve sighed, shifting over to him and pressing her lips to his in order to quieten him.

Draco made a muffled, shocked sound, and for a second did not respond when Eve kissed him. He soon melted into the kiss though, and unlike their usual passionate desperate kisses, this one instead told of sorrys and forgiveness on both parts.

"I'm just..........I don't want to loose you," he whispered when she gently pulled away from him.

"You won't," Eve smiled a little, suddenly warm. She shrugged off her cloak and leaned in for another kiss.

"I - really - like - you," Draco managed to mutter between soft, wet kisses.

"Hmmm, me too," Eve nodded, placing her hand against his cheek. She looked into his grey-blue eyes, seeing his emotions clear as day. "You've got to stop this," she wagged a finger at him playfully before provocatively pushing her cloak to the opposite end of the sofa and straddling her boyfriend. Draco's eyes went wide in shock, then a little smile played at his lips.

"What are you up to?" he asked, raking his eyes down her now carefully positioned body. She was nestled comfortably into his lap, fitting like they had never been two separate entities.

"You obviously don't believe me when I say how much I like you, so I thought I'd show you," Eve raised a perfect eyebrow and leaned down to touch his lips with hers. His hands immediately went to her hips, pulling her into him further.

"Just because Harry is thought of as some hero in the wizarding world," she told him after a suitably knee-trembling kiss, "Doesn't mean I like him more than you. You're my hero. After all, you did save me from Parvati."

One more kiss and Draco seemed to have relaxed to his usual self.

"I just get so angry that I can't touch you," as if to demonstrate, he ran his hand lightly from her hip downwards to her behind and up onto the top of her thigh, "I wish we weren't hiding things all the time."

"Draco, so do I, but.......you can't keep getting angry. It's you I want," Eve whispered, placing her mouth softly onto his ear. "It's you I need, okay?" she felt him nod and she heard a hitch in his breath. She suspected his mind was seriously elsewhere now, and the edges of her mouth curled into a small smile.

"Will you just forget about Harry Potter for five seconds?" she asked, looking into his eyes once more.

"Harry who?" he frowned with a delicious smirk.

"Good, because I have. No more Potter talk, alright?"

Draco nodded dumbly as if the power of speech was no longer a quality he possessed, having her body positioned so closely to his. Then, as if someone gave a silent signal, they launched into each other passionately. Kissing, licking, sucking, hands everywhere, and after some time, when both of their pyjama tops lay discarded on the floor, Draco pulled away.

"Okay," he said in a funny, strained voice. He had been lying on top of her but he sat up suddenly and threw her pyjama top back at her. "I think I've got to stop now."

"Right," Eve grinned, covering her nakedness, only slightly embarrassed.

"Anyway," Draco said, blushing and re-arranging his pants. "What was I saying?"

"You weren't saying anything," Eve chuckled, thinking how a blush suited him. It wasn't something he did very often, but it gave his cheeks a lovely flushed glow, and blended nicely with his eyes that were now dark and heavy with arousal.

"No, I wasn't, was I?" Draco laughed lightly, only now daring to look at her that she was finally dressed.

"No, but your body language was talking quite loudly," Eve smiled and curled up against him.

"I'm.......not sure if you should do that," he said uncomfortably when she started drawing little figure eights on his chest. The arm he had draped around her tightened.

"Okay," she shrugged slightly, resting her hand around his waist instead. "Draco?"

"Yeah?" he asked hesitantly, hunching up his knees. Eve bit back a laugh, wondering why he was trying to hide how turned on he was.

"We can talk about sex, can't we?"

"Not right now."

"Why not?"

"Not a good idea."

"Oh, okay. What should we talk about then?"

"Anything but.......well, you know."

"Yeah," Eve nodded with a smile. "Sorry." She sat up and he frowned.

"What for?"

"For the......" She gestured towards the bulge in his pants and obvious cause of his discomfort.

"Oh, don't worry," he shook his head.

"Why do you keep stopping us?" she asked, crossing her legs and sitting at right angles to him.

"Because......I don't know," he smiled. "Don't you want to? be stopped, I mean."

"I don't know. We just keep getting closer and closer every time we meet and........" Eve's voice trailed off, not sure if she should be having this conversation. She tried to remind herself that she hadn't known him long, they hadn't been together that long. She just wished someone would remind her hormones.

"Look," Draco put a finger under her chin and brought her eyes to his. "I go crazy every time I look at you, but we won't do anything until you're ready, right?"

Eve smiled. "Yeah."

"Even though it is killing me," he muttered, covering his face with his hands and Eve saw another blush spread up from the wrongly buttoned neck of his pyjama shirt.

"Aw! poor baby!" Eve laughed heartily, pulling him into an embrace where she stroked his head absentmindedly. Draco soon relaxed into this position, and they sat sleepily together for a while, Eve listening to Draco's still ragged breath as it eventually relaxed back to normal.

"Any idea what the time is?" Eve asked after what seemed like hours. Draco kept his eyes closed but held out his watch hand and Eve tugged at his wrist until she could see the time. "Damn, Draco, it's nearly two."

"Let's sleep here," Draco smiled, nuzzling against her chest then letting his lips trail up her neck.

"Oi, you!" She grinned, poking him playfully. "Come on."

Draco sat up wearily, rubbing his eyes.

"Your buttons are done wrong," Eve leaned in and proceeded to undo all the buttons. Draco's eyes went from her hands to her eyes and when they locked, they shared a smile and a kiss.

"You're very sexy," he told her nonchalantly, raising his chin so she could get to the top button. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, so he didn't see her blush or her ridiculous grin.

"As are you," she finally answered, tapping his chest. "There we go."

"Thanks," he smiled. "I'll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower."

"But - "

"No buts. I'm going to start looking after you properly, come on."

Eve didn't complain, she just followed him.

"I won't see you tomorrow, will I?" Draco asked as they neared the corridor that held the picture of the Fat Lady. They couldn't go too close of course, otherwise she would see.

"Probably not. I'll write to you though," Eve smiled.

"Don't get too friendly with Potter," Draco warned, leaning in for a kiss.

"I thought we weren't talking about Harry," Eve smiled.

"I'm just saying, if he tries anything, then you more than have my permission to hex him."

Eve laughed. "Well thanks, I'll take that into consideration."

The couple shared another long, sweet kiss and Eve sighed, keeping her eyes closed when Draco pulled away. She heard him laugh a little.

"One night you'll have to sleep in the Slytherin dorms with me," he announced. Eve's eyes shot straight open.

"Draco! I can't!"

"Why not?" he smirked. "I'd stick some protection spells around my bed, maybe that cool silencing charm I saw you perform earlier. We could have sex until the sun comes up then I could walk you back here."

"Sounds........interesting," Eve smiled coyly. Draco was still grinning.

"I think I'll dream about that tonight," he decided.

"You mean you'll just dream about the sex bit?" Eve laughed.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding his head.

"I'll write to you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Draco planted a swift kiss on her cheek then winked very seductively and turned back the way they had came.

It took Eve at least ten minutes to stop grinning and all her will power not to follow him

*******

"See you guys later!" Eve waved to Hermione.

"Bye!" Ron called.

Ron and Hermione set off down Hogsmeade high street heading for Honeydukes, while Harry and Eve decided to start off their day with a drink in The Three Broomsticks. They were also, of course, going to talk tactics.

"So I thought that I could ask Ron to help me with my Astronomy homework one night, and you could ask Hermione, so that they both turned up but neither of us did," Harry smiled when they were settled with a butterbeer each at a cosy table.

"Hmm, good plan, but I'm worried they'll guess something is up. Hermione seemed suspicious even this morning," Eve explained.

"If she works us out, we're in trouble," Harry pointed out.

"Hmmm," Eve said distractedly, staring into her butterbeer.

"Oh God," Harry groaned. "I've been really insensitive, haven't I?"

"What?" Eve asked, looking up from her thoughts of Draco, and how close they were to sex the previous night.

"You must be thinking about Parvati, and here am I, babbling on about bloody Ron."

"No! no!" Eve smiled. "Not at all." Oh, if only you knew, Harry, you'd hate me. I'm falling for your arch enemy..........

"How has everyone been with you?" Harry asked.

"Oh, okay. Most people were really sympathetic and nice about it. My dad had been rather over-protective though," Eve gave a chuckle at the way her father had questioned her about who she would be going to Hogsmeade with and if it would be safe.

"At least its over, that feeling of insecurity," Harry pointed out, watching his strangely sub-dued friend over their tiny table.

"Yeah, I know, but somehow I don't feel any better," Eve shrugged.

"Things will get better," Harry assured her. "Back to normal. I mean, the Quidditch season starts soon, then there'll be mock O.W.Ls, Hermione will be pestering us to revise."

"I guess," Eve chuckled. "My Gran always used to say that you can do almost anything in the world, but you couldn't stop time, no matter how clever you were, or how rich you were, time always ruled supreme. She told me that was why I should never worry, because before I knew it, time would move me on, somewhere else, with different feelings, and time heals all wounds."

"You think it does?" Harry asked, thinking of Voldemort and the incident in the grave-yard just months before.

"I'd like to believe that," Eve mused, "Gives you a kind of secure feeling, to know no matter how bad things get, it'll always be better sometime soon."

"Hmmm," Harry muttered, running his thumb around the top edge of his class.

"'The only thing to fear is the unknown.' Another thing my Gran would say, but I don't think that's true because I'm more scared of Parvati now that I know it was her. Before it was just......a force. Now my enemy is a real thing, a real person."

"Somewhere more specific to channel the fear," Harry noted with a sigh of a re-signed man. Eve simply nodded.

There was a very long, contemplative silence between the two. It was Harry who finally broke the air.

"Have you seen her? Parvati I mean. She wasn't in the common room last night."

"No, someone said they saw her in the library sitting with some Slytherin girls."

"Yeah, they're the only people who'll talk to her now," Harry mused.

"I don't know about that......" Eve muttered.

"Okay, so a few people have taken her side, but you've still got me and Hermione. And Ron, of course," Harry smiled.

"How do you feel about it?" Eve asked, just trying to shift the conversation away from herself.

"I think it was really cruel of her. Infact, I can't believe it's the Parvati I've known for four years. I guess you can get some people wrong."

"Hmmm," Eve agreed, brooding once more.

"Anyway," Harry said brightly. "This is our day out, we won't let her spoil it, will we?"

"Certainly not," Eve smiled. "Now, are we off to Zonkos?"

*******

In later years, when he looked back on it, Draco could pin-point the second he fell in love with Eve Lupin. It was that morning, a Saturday, watching her walk to Hogsmeade.

In fact, if you want times and dates, he'd probably say it was the second he watched her wave to the mudblood and walk off with that bastard Potter.

But then, he mused, maybe he'd always been in love with her, from her first sassy comment in the potions class about Potter being good in bed. Maybe, he decided, it was just the second he watched her walk off with Harry that he realised he loved her.

The feeling was like someone ripping at his soul, he thought. Ripping at his soul because these days Eve was his soul, and watching her walk off in the opposite direction was like leaving him lifeless.

Of course, he didn't make a big scene, he just carried on talking to Blaize Zabini about some muggle novel she had read, and he let in sink in, the idea that he was in love with someone. A foreign concept, really, but he knew it was real because how could it be anything else? It was so much in the fore-front of his mind that all he knew was that he wanted to tell her. Wanted to say it to her face and see how she reacted.

He wasn't a person that said 'I love you'. In fact, he hadn't said those words in years. The last time was when he was young, very young. Although, he wanted to say it to her, wanted her to know how he felt and more than anything, wanted to make her feel happy.

Yet another foreign concept.

It was, of course, terrifying.

He understood what love meant, it meant needing a person, wanting a person. However he also understood that love was not something he could deal with. He had duties, his life was pre-planned. Love didn't figure in that plan.

He thought back to the night before, on the couch, when they had been so very much together. He didn't want to give that up, couldn't imagine giving that up. Yet he was the heir to the undeniably magnificent Malfoy fortune. His family was richer than any he knew, their family home of Malfoy Manor was worth millions of galleons in itself and he was expected to take on that fortune and entertain the guests his father entertained. Only last summer, his father had started grooming him, teaching him the ways of the accounts, how much to tell the Ministry and how much to keep from them. They must, of course, seem law-abiding, despite the many rooms filled with Dark magical objects.

Eve represented everything that Draco was not. She had grown up in a small cottage with her father and her grandmother because at six, her mother had disappeared, leaving her in a seemingly one-parent family. The Lupin's were also desperately poor. Remus's werewolf affliction determined that he didn't hold a job down very long, after all, who wanted an employee who was useless for three days every month?

If Draco took Eve home to meet his parents, he cringed at the thought of the way his father would react. Not only was Eve in a different social class, she was on a totally different wizarding side. The predicament made Draco's head spin, and silently made him feel very sick in the pit his stomach. Maybe he should stop this right now? before he had chance to get any more attached to Eve. He knew that is what his father would order should happen if he knew, but Draco didn't have that much re-straint. Malfoys were famous for restraint but here, Draco felt he had missed out on the family genes.

I'm actually scared...... Draco thought. Actually scared of how I feel.

Inside, Draco felt like walls had come down, walls that previously protected him from such scenarios.

I'm going to have to carry this on with Eve, I can't se any way of myself existing and yet not going insane if things are any other way. I will simply have to act to everyone as though things are fine, nothing has changed, I am not a different person inside and out.

Draco gave a little frown to himself.

Can I carry this off?

His weak side asked.

Of course I can. I'm a Malfoy, lying is what we do best.

With that, the handsome blond boy smiled to himself. He felt he was at the start of some big journey, on a threshold of something new, and although he knew it wasn't possible, it could never be, an image flashed in his mind, of himself and Eve walking hand in hand through the grounds of the Manor, not a Lucius or Narcissia in sight.