1
Evangeline would have been content spending the rest of Christmas in Hogwarts’ library, brushing up on her spellwork and develing into little stories of magical beasts and daring adventures. It would’ve been a well deserved break after everything that happened in the beginning of the school year. But, unfortunately for her, she could never seem to catch a break.
On the outside, she was the student who joined as a fifth year, survived a dragon attack, mentored by Professor Fig, and was strangely talented in the dueling ring. On the inside, she was still suffering from her parents’ untimely death. Her mother was a witch and her father a wizard, but due to her mother’s illness, it never seemed right for Evangeline to leave; any day could’ve been her last. At the end, though, it wasn’t her mother’s sickness that killed her, but instead an ‘accidental’ fire that claimed her and Evangeline’s father. So, she reached out to the only family she had left. Well, not by blood, but Professor Fig had been a close friend to her father, and when no one else knew how to help, he had stepped up. Trained her, taught her what her parents could not, and pulled some strings to get her into Hogwarts as a fifth year.
It was a nice gesture, and Evangeline was forever grateful, but the school experience was not what she was planning to sign up for. Sure, she was thriving in her classes -call it the Ravenclaw skill in her- and the castle was a lot easier to navigate now, after a few months, but everything outside of the school’s curriculum was a bit overwhelming. Little did she know at the time that the dragon attack was not, in fact, a fluke, but instead cascaded into a flurry of life-threatening experiences that never seemed to stop. It was too much for her to take on at once; she was already struggling to make an actual life for herself here. Aside from the everyday routine of class, reading, studying, eating, and sleeping, she didn’t involve herself in much, especially in the social sense. She didn’t see the point in making relationships with people she would probably never see again after graduation. That sort of mindset had developed soon after the death of her parents, but she chose to ignore that minor detail. Who cares if she was friends with the other students if she didn’t get good scores on her tests, anyway? That was the whole reason for going to the school.
Now, standing in front of the closed library doors, she felt an odd sense of grief wash over her. Twelve days until the other students came back from the holidays. Thirteen until classes started back up. And yet, the small piece of paper plastered on the locked entryway promised that she would be forced to live without her blessed reading corner for another three days. “Resorting literature,” apparently took a long time, even with the help of magic.
She huffed, turning on her heel to retreat to the Ravenclaw common-room, but not without sending one last longing glance toward the library. She knew she was the stereotypical Ravenclaw: study-oriented, always seen with a book in hand, good grade marks. But drowning herself in schoolwork was a good distraction. The only sound in the hallway was her echoing footsteps; only a handful of students stayed on campus for the holidays. But then, just as she was about to turn the corner, a stray breeze caught her off guard. None of the windows were open, and even if they were, the castle was enchanted to keep the warm in and the cold out. Usually a similar feeling brisked her skin by passing ghosts, and yet, she couldn’t see a thing. Brow furrowed, she turned around completely, scanning the hallway she had just walked through. Nothing out of the ordinary.
She stayed for a moment longer before shrugging it off as a mere figment of imagination, when a click sounded from behind her. This time, when Evangeline turned around, there was a shimmer, almost as if the light was bouncing off an object, and the library door swung open. Shocked, and a bit intrigued, Evangeline blinked a few times at the odd sight before carefully making her way back to the library door. The lock had opened, but there was no sign of anybody. Even when she stuck her head inside the room, not even the librarian could be seen inhabiting her usual spot at her desk.
Evangeline tried to fight back the small smile forming on her lips, but the situation was perfect. No librarian, so no risk of getting in trouble. She could spend some time reading in her usual spot, maybe pick out some new books, and then head back to the common-room. At least she would have some reading material until the library actually opened again.
What she couldn’t explain, however, was who or what made the door open in the first place. Sure, she was bummed at the library’s closing, but three days wasn’t forever. In no instance would she actually use a spell to unlock a clearly closed room just because she wanted to. She wasn’t a rulebreaker. But, if it was already open, that didn’t mean she was breaking in, right?
Although anxious jitters thrummed beneath her skin, Evangeline made her way into the library, keeping her ears open to any possible noises. The library was just as incredible in the dark as it was in the light. Only a few candles were lit around the expansive collection, emitting a dull golden glow onto the thousands of literature pieces. Unfortunately for her, though, there was only so much time before she would be discovered, and she needed to use her time searching for things to read.
The rows of bookshelves seemed to go on forever, each twist and turn revealing only more filled shelves. She picked a small hardcover with a golden owl embellishment on the front, as well as a textbook on the newest potion ingredients that would likely be reviewed in the upcoming semester. There was nothing wrong with being prepared. Just as she turned down the next row, something caught her eye. It was that same shimmer -like a trick of the light. It moved and shifted in front of the restricted section’s locked gate. And to her surprise, a huff of annoyance emitted from the spot.
“Is someone there?” Evangeline called out, not entirely sure why. Obviously if someone was there, they wouldn’t want to be found.
The shimmer of light went completely still and silent, as if waiting for her to turn away and mind her own business. She waited a moment long, debating on what to do, before opening her mouth again. “I know you’re there. I’m not going to go telling, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just wanted some books.”
The light remained still, contemplating her words. Evangeline thought whoever it was might just ignore her invitation to reveal themselves and stay out until she left, but instead, the illusion warped and dissapeared. The first thing she noticed was his hair, tousled and dark brown. The second thing she noticed was his height. He was tall, likely nearing six feet, and even from this distance, she could tell he had at least a handful of inches on her. The third thing she noticed was the earthy green coloring of his clothing.
Evangeline wasn’t one to hate someone because of their house. She didn’t feel very strongly about many people in the school, so a student’s house was the last thing she considered in a conversation. Except for Slytherin. Now, she had never had a bad experience with one, but that was because she had only talked to two in her time at the school. It had been passing conversation in class, a quick question on the notes or a collaboration on an assignment. However, coming from the other students of the magic school, they were a force to be reckoned with -or even better- avoided. They were the troublemakers, the daredevils, the rulebreakers. Everything Evangeline was not.
“Hi.” The boy looked at her from the entrance of the restricted section. There was an expanse of space between them, but Evangeline was a bit thankful for that. He had brown eyes that watched her carefully, sizing her up. Seeing what she was going to do.
Evangeline looked back at him, “Hi.” She paused, shuffled on her feet, readjusted the books in her hands. “What are you, uh- what are you doing in here?”
The Slytherin opened his mouth to answer her, but the sound of clicking heels cut him off. “And what is going on in here? Last I checked this library was locked for all students.” The librarian approached them, and Evangeline’s eyes darted nervously from the boy to the woman. She had only seen her a couple times before, and only from a distance. She had gray hair and a hard expression on her face, a majority of the aggression pointed toward the boy standing further away. Evangeline had a feeling this wasn’t the first time he had gotten in trouble with the librarian.
She wasn’t sure what to expect from this interaction. A reprimand for both of them, maybe? A simple warning? Perhaps a conversation with the headmaster. What she did not expect, however, was the words that came out of the Slytherin’s mouth.
“I was walking past the doors and saw them open. When I peeked in, she was in here, looking through the gate to the restricted section. I was trying to convince her to not break in when you arrived.” He mocked an exasperated expression, using flamboyant hand expressions in his explanation. Evangeline’s mouth had fallen open, and she shut it quickly when the boy looked at her. His eyes were not apologetic.
“Well I have to say I am very disappointed in you, miss…” The librarian’s voice caught her attention again, and Evangeline ripped her eyes from the boy’s frame.
“Barlowe.”
“Miss Barlowe.” The woman tisked and looked to the Slytherin. “As for you, Mr Sallow, I am pleasantly surprised with the change you have made. I’m pleased to know your troublemaking days are behind you.”
Evangeline couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Hold on-”
“And you,” The librarian snapped. “You are lucky this is the first time I’ve caught you breaking the rules. Next time it’ll be a trip to the headmaster. Now, both of you get out of here and don’t come back until the doors are unlocked and opened. Three days.”
Evangeline felt as if she was stuck in place. The reprimand was like a slap in the face. How could she be so stupid, entering the library when she knew it was closed? And to trust a Slytherin. He didn’t know her, but the least he could do was take some accountability. With a harsh stare from the librarian, though, she made her way out of the room alongside the boy. When the doors closed behind the pair, she turned to face him. Surely, with the anger brewing inside of her, the usual calm blue-hazel of her eyes would be flashing with emotion.
“What the hell was that?”
The boy was looking down at his hands, picking at the edge of his fingernail. “What the hell was what?”
Evangeline scoffed, eyebrows shooting up. “You just threw me to the wolves! You were the one who broke in, not me!”
He looked up at her, an inquisitive expression plastered in his face. “I did not throw you to the wolves, I was using my resources, sweetheart. Besides, you got a slap on the wrist, it’s not like anything bad happened.”
“Nothing bad happened? Did you not see her face? I’m sure this will be reported to the professors and-”
“Listen, I’m sorry your ‘perfect student’ facade was broken with our unfortunate meeting, but I have other things to do, so-”
Evangeline cut him off. “Like what? It’s the middle of Christmas break. There is nothing to do.” She squared her shoulders, contemplating how brave she wanted to be. “ I want an apology.”
The Slytherin coughed out a laugh. “Right, so that’s not going to happen.” Evangeline opened her mouth, but he waved her off. “Don’t you have a book to read or something?” His eyes gestured to her arms, which were still holding the pair of books she’d collected from the library shelves.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Yes, I am very offended. Can we go our separate ways, now?”
Evangeline narrowed her eyes on him. “Gladly.”
The boy nodded, pushing his hands into his pockets before turning to leave. “Later, Barlowe.”