She Traitor

The Hogwarts library was a place of silence, order, and concentration. At least, most of the time.

Evan Rosier sat at one of the far tables, engrossed in a book that looked old and forbidden. His posture was relaxed, but Sarah noticed his fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the page—a barely perceptible movement that told her he wasn’t as calm as he tried to appear.

She walked deliberately quietly. Not because she wanted to startle Evan, but because she liked to watch people’s natural reactions when they thought they were being watched. As she approached him, his eyes widened slightly in surprise—only for a split second before his signature Slytherin mask returned.

She saw his shoulders tense. It wasn’t a defensive reaction, but something else—something hard to define.

And then he smiled.

That smile.

It was exactly the look he wore when they discussed the Dark Arts. When he taught her complex spells, and when they talked about things they wouldn’t talk about with anyone else. It was a smile that had once been a given, but now seemed almost rare.

Sarah returned his amused glance and leaned nonchalantly against the edge of the table. “Is this part of the library reserved for antisocial Slytherins only, or may I disturb your world for a moment?”

Evan’s eyebrows raised slightly, but the corners of his mouth were still held in an amused smile. “That depends. Do you have something interesting to say, or did you just come here?”

Sarah shrugged. “I came for peace. Some people are easier to find than others.”

“So in other words—everyone irritates you.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Evan laughed softly and shook his head. It was the relaxed laugh Sarah remembered from earlier. “You’re so incredibly picky, Potter.”

“If I’m going to spend time with someone, he should be worth it.”

He didn’t answer, just studied her for a moment. Sarah was sure he was wondering why she had come to see him. She probably would have asked him—if it mattered. But finally he nodded his head slightly toward the empty chair next to him. No words were needed.

Sarah didn’t hesitate. She pulled out her chair and sat down beside him with ease, as if it were completely natural. As soon as she placed her hands on the tabletop, she noticed that Evan had stopped turning the pages for a moment. It was a barely perceptible hesitation, but she had noticed it.

She felt his gaze, but she didn’t show it.  Instead, she untied the ribbon that held her potions textbook together and slowly opened it. She flipped through the pages as if she were completely absorbed in finding the right chapter, but she was aware of every movement of the man beside her.

Finally, Evan took a quiet breath, shook his head in an almost imperceptible movement, and returned to his book. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah watched as his fingers tightened around the edge of the page before he turned it over.

And then there was silence.

That strange, tense silence, but not an uncomfortable one. Sarah knew something was different from a year ago, and she was determined to find out what had changed so much that Evan had avoided her for the first days of school.

Sarah finally smiled to herself, but said nothing.

She let him think. She let him watch.

And then she just sank into her reading.

•••

Dorcas had been watching her younger Slytherin friends for some time, and she couldn’t help but notice that something had changed. It was the way Evan looked over his shoulder, the way Regulus stayed further away than usual, the way Rabastan looked more rigid than usual, the way Barty tried to keep moving, as if he didn’t want to stop and think.

And she knew Sarah could see it too.

Unlike her, Sarah didn’t seem to be planning on solving the problem right away. She was too calm, too calculated. It was as if she was waiting for the right moment to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Dorcas watched her leave the library with Evan. It was an odd pairing—a Slytherin aristocrat and a Gryffindor princess—but not really shocking to those who knew them. Evan walked beside her with unusual ease, even laughing as Sarah pointed to something in a book.  She could only guess that they were dark arts. They had found a common passion for them last year, and it clearly didn't let them go now.

Evan eventually walked her to Gryffindor Tower. It was unusual, but he didn't seem to mind, and Sarah obviously didn't either. They said something more, then he turned and headed back to the dungeons.

Sarah had closed the painting of the Fat Lady and turned around. Her gaze immediately fell on Dorcas, who was standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest.

Dorcas was nervous. She didn't know what to expect. But when she saw the amused smile on Sarah's face, she knew she was going to get it. The Gryffindor princess hugged her tightly, and Dorcas melted into the younger girl's warm embrace.

Sarah pulled back just enough to get a good look at Dorcas.  Her eyes flashed with amusement, but also something more subtle—genuine enthusiasm for her friend.

“So,” she drawled, folding her arms across her chest, “which one of you ended up doing it first?”

Dorcas rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help but smile. “Well… it wasn’t Marlene.”

Sarah laughed briefly. “Of course not. McKinnon is brave when it comes to all sorts of things, but when it comes to feelings, she’s as blind as a bat.”

Dorcas sighed, but there was no real irritation. “Let’s just say it was… complicated. We kept circling each other and never said anything out loud. And then, one day, when I walked her back to the tower, I just… kissed her.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “That simple?”

Dorcas shrugged, but her eyes danced with joy.  "That simple."

Sarah grinned. "Well, finally. I thought I'd have to intervene."

Dorcas laughed and nudged her lightly. "Sure, like you have something to say."

Sarah looked innocent. "Me? I'm completely straightforward about relationships."

Dorcas looked at her skeptically. "Oh. So you're telling me that when someone looks at you a certain way, you don't avoid it?"

Sarah grinned. "I enjoy the game, Dorcas. That's different."

Dorcas shook her head, but the smile remained on her face. "Well, I'm glad that I am not on your bad side. Marlene is great."

Sarah nodded. "She is. And she deserves you."

There was a moment of silence between them.  It was a comfortable, friendly silence that only people who trusted each other completely had. Unfortunately, at this moment it was only between her and Sarah, not Pandora.

Dorcas noticed that something had changed between her and Pandora. They had become colder since they had met on the train, and it bothered her. Pandora was closing herself off, and Dorcas felt that a barrier had formed between them that she couldn't easily overcome. They were no longer as close as they had been, their conversations were more superficial, more often avoiding what had previously been taken for granted between them. What was more, Pandora didn't seem to want to deal with it.

Dorcas focused on Sarah, more on her attitude during this first week of school. It was clear that Sarah knew more about all of this than she did. She could see Sarah noticing the Slytherins, observing them with that strange calm that wasn't just her natural demeanor. It was something different.  Perhaps something she had more in common with her Slytherin friends than Dorcas would ever know.

But what worried her was that Sarah had kept quiet about it. They had never talked about it, and it didn't seem normal to her. Dorcas didn't know exactly what was going on, but she was sure that Sarah knew something. Something she wanted to tell her, but wouldn't. Maybe when she had it all figured out.

Dorcas had to accept that some things would remain a secret from her, but Dorcas had a feeling that in time everything would come out.

•••

Regulus sat in the dark Slytherin dormitory, his eyes fixed on the fire, but his mind was elsewhere. When Evan finally came back into the common room, he looked so much lighter than he had in the past week.

Maybe it was just an illusion, but it seemed to Regulus that something inside him had finally loosened, that he had finally let go of some of the pressure that had been weighing on him since everything had started to fall apart. And for Regulus, it was just the beginning of a week that could be summed up in one word: disaster.

Regulus felt that the whole holiday had brought more information than anyone had wanted to know. Rabastan knew about the things his brother and his wife were involved in. And he, Regulus, was lucky to have managed to escape so many things that could have pulled him even deeper into the darkness that surrounded them. But then there was Evan, and he, alone with such a heavy burden, found himself in a situation that almost destroyed him.  When his father ended up in Azkaban, all the problems had been transferred to him. And it had been harder than anyone could have imagined.

Regulus felt that nothing would ever be the same. Maybe it was because he still had something that could be called control. But when he thought about all the things that had weighed on him, and what had happened between them during the holidays, he couldn't help but think.

Sarah was here. And her image haunted him constantly. It was strange how she could change everything with a look, a word. Sarah was... A mystery to him. And he was already aware of it.

That day on the train, when he had finally seen her after months, had affected him more than he had expected. It had all happened so quickly, yet it felt like an eternity. As she entered the first carriage, surrounded by Barty, his eyes couldn't leave her. Just standing there, in that light, with her soft dark brown hair, her bright eyes that shone like nothing else.  He felt his heart race. And in that moment, he knew it wasn’t just some little fascination. It was an obsession. It was a desire he couldn’t suppress.

And what made her irresistible to him was her naturalness. She always pretended to be so effortlessly, as if it wasn’t even an effort. She changed her faces, and anyone who looked at her believed it. Even his mother, Walburga Black, who had always been so tough, so untouchable, couldn’t remain unaffected by her presence.

Sarah was a woman who could control everything, and yet she seemed so… natural when she talked to anyone. With him. In that moment, when he saw her in that train car, he knew he would never be able to control her. And that was the part that attracted him more than anything else.

He tried to ignore her. He tried not to seek her out. He knew it would be dangerous for him.  And yet, as he had seen her this week, chatting amicably with Barty, walking by, drawing the attention of everyone around her, he felt his heart pounding in his chest.

Pandora was clearly struggling, clearly devastated by what her brother had gotten himself into. And Barty... Barty was growing closer to Sarah. She was like a sister to him, and he knew it. Maybe that was what kept him sane, that he wanted someone to keep him afloat. Maybe it had saved not just Barty, but himself. Maybe everyone he was with, including himself.

And it was hard for him to fight it.

Everything revolved around Sarah. It was like a bubble in which he was beginning to drown. And yet he couldn't help but wonder if there might have been more than just politeness between them.