Eva at Hogwarts: Everyone Needs Therapy

We arrive during lunch and I was quick to follow Minnie up to the head table as I avoided my friends. Though I did see both Hermione and Pansy sag a bit in relief when they catch sight of me.

“You have some angry witches out to get you,” An older Slytherin warns me as I pass by. I nod in thanks and can’t help the nerves I feel at the thought of them being mad at me. 

“Don’t worry, leòmhann beag,” Minnie whispers as we take our seats, “They were just a wee bit worried.”

“Just a wee bit? My snakes were out of their minds trying to find you. Parkinson was especially insistent on finding you,” Snape scoffs from his seat on my other side. I shrink in my seat, embarrassed that everyone noticed I was gone. Snape even had the gall to chuckle at my predicament! I avoid classes that my friends were in for the rest of the day before getting cornered by the twins in my plant room.

“No note,”

“No letter,”

“Not even an explanation,”

“Just up and gone,”

“What did we do?” The twins follow me around as I take care of my plants. 

“Nothing. You did nothing, I was just feeling overwhelmed. I needed a break for a bit,” I turn to face where they were leaning against the wall. 

“Do you feel better?” George opened his arms and I sink into his hug.

“A bit,” I honestly answer. 

“The rest of the lot are going to want to see you,” Fred warned.

“And you can go round them up in the library,” I cringe before turning around to see my two frowning soulmates.

“We’ll meet you there,” Hermione dismissed the twins who were quick to leave. I hug my arms around my waist as I look anywhere but at them. I turn to continue taking care of my plants just so that my hands had something to do.

“Are you okay?” Pansy was closer than she had been, her voice coming from right behind me. I watch her step into my peripheral vision, her hand raised in offering. I debate with myself before taking her hand and letting her pull me into a hug. 

“What happened? Did we do something?” Hermione walks closer and I pull her into the hug. 

“No,” I whisper, sinking further into the hug. “Everything that has happened this year just caught up to me.”

“I’m sorry, Darling.” Pansy kissed the side of my head as Hermione leaned a bit more of her weight on me. 

“Just tell us next time,” Hermione gently admonished, “Maybe then Pans here won’t exhaust herself trying to find you. She stretched her ability to the max.” 

“That could have hurt you!” I pull back from the Irish witch to glare at her. She rolled her eyes and let go of me entirely to fold her arms. Her eyebrows raised and she gave me a look. I lean back into Hermione with a huff as I slide my eyes to my flitterbloom section. They were lazily waving their tentacle-like appendages in a dance only known to themselves. 

“Come on, we shouldn’t keep the others waiting for much longer. Curfew is coming up.” Hermione squeezed me one last time before removing her arms and leading the way out of the room. Pansy slipped her arm around my shoulders as we walked. Peeves flew through the wall ahead of us, cackling like he does when he just pulled a prank on someone.

“Ickle firsties! Oh, what fun!” Peeves was holding water balloons, my eyes widening at the implication.

“I have a meeting with the Bloody Baron in the morning, I would love to report that you have been behaving Peeves. I can’t imagine you would get away with many pranks if he was breathing down your neck.” I challenge him, and he pouts. He throws one of his balloons into the middle of our small group and we get splashed a bit, but I guess it’s better than being drenched. He blew a raspberry at me before leaving to go torment some other unsuspecting students.

“How have I managed to avoid him so far?” Pansy sighs as Hermione tugs on our hands to get us moving again.

“Luck, Peeves messes with the teachers as long as he can get away with it. First-years are his favorite tormentees.” I shrug. The others were already waiting in our space when we arrive, Neville bouncing on his toes in excitement.

“I punched Crabbe and Goyle!” He blurts out before anyone else could say anything. I blink a few times in surprise before a grin overtakes my face and I pull the boy into a hug.

“Did you really?! And I missed it!” I laugh with the boy as Draco grumbles something behind us. I turn and furrow my brow in confusion as Pansy hides a smile behind her hand.

“Speak louder Dray, I don’t think she heard you.” Pansy goads.

“Weasley attacked me,” Draco repeated louder with a glare at his fellow Slytherin, “I said something about Harry to keep up appearances, right? And next thing I know I was being attacked by a Weasel.” 

“Did you get his face?” I giggle gleefully at his smug grin. 

“What do you have against Ron?” Harry leans forward with a frown on his face. I sober and give him a pained smile that had the older boys wincing.

“Ronikins isn’t the nicest to her,” Fred starts.

“He didn’t meet Eva until dinner the first time she came over. We were a bit late getting back from The Rook so he wasn’t in the best of moods. I don’t know why that translated to him not liking her but,” Percy shrugged as the Gryffindors winced in sympathy, knowing how Ron was when it came to food. 

“Not to mention she’s better at Quidditch than he is, accused her of cheating the first game we played.” Cedric patted my shoulder. 

“I tried being nice, but he kept hurting Hermione’s feelings. When he stops doing that I will start being nice to him again,” I frown, still thinking that he deserves something worse than the prank I pulled for making Hermione cry in the bathroom. 

“Well, you missed the dungeon bat refereeing the last game. Hooch was out so Snape filled in,” George changed the topic. I let Hermione guide me to the couch where she sandwiches me between her and Pansy. I listen to what they did the past week and smile at their animated reenactments. 

“Where did you end up going?” Hannah leaned forward to direct the question at me. 

“I stayed with Dora and Bill. I convinced them to buy a cat,” I beam with pride at the rolled eyes from Bill’s brothers. 

“But Bill doesn’t like cats?” Cedric furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Okay, I convinced Dora to get a cat and Bill has gotten used to having Little Sev around.” 

“Little Sev? Please tell me it was named after the Dungeon Bat!” The twins lit up with glee. Everyone was either laughing or trying to hide their laughter after I nodded in confirmation. 

“What else did you do?” Hermione cuts through the laughter. 

“I stayed with the Lovegoods while the two of them had work, so I spent some time with Ginny and Luna.” I didn’t want to bring up the birthday celebration, maybe I can have them forget this year and not make a big deal about it. 

“Sounds like you had fun. Just maybe tell us next time? The twins are always able to find you so when they couldn’t even I started to panic a bit,” Cedric smiled, reaching over to squeeze my hand. 

“I didn’t think of that, I just had to get out.” I hide my face in Hermione’s shoulder to avoid their looks of pity.

“It’s fine Pip, no hard feelings,” Percy smiled at me. Pansy looked to the side with an expression I have come to know means she is feeling the magic around her. 

“Pince is coming over here, I think it’s time for us to leave.” We scramble out of the library to keep from annoying the librarian. She would not hesitate to ban us. Hugs were exchanged as the Gryffindors split off to go to their tower, Hermione holding on to me for a bit longer than the others. The three left insisted on walking me to my chambers.

“I never asked, did you two get emotional support Hufflepuffs?” I ask and Draco starts laughing as Pansy purses her lips. 

“Pansy is too much of a bitch, she scares everyone.” Draco ducked behind me when Pansy swiped at him. 

“Cass thinks it's just her family. The only pureblood Hufflepuff was assigned to Draco, not to mention that there were a lot more Slytherins this year than Hufflepuffs.” Cedric tussles Pansy’s hair much to her chagrin. 

“I’m sure you’ll get one next year, some of the strongest bonds formed here are between a Slytherin and their Hufflepuff,” I reassure her but she just scoffs.

“I don’t need a Hufflepuff, I have our group. Not to mention I can steal Draco’s anytime.” Pansy beams over at the blond who sticks his tongue out at her.

“Be nice to your brother Fred,” It was an automatic response to that kind of behavior. I hear it a second after I said it, sighing in exasperation at myself. I choose to ignore the slip and hope that no one brought it up. But that was an impossible wish.

“Oi! I am the farthest thing from a Weasley that you can get!” Pansy gasped, hand splayed across her chest in offense. Cedric was laughing his head off and Draco had a peculiar look on his face. 

“If I’m her brother, does that mean I need to threaten Hermione? Tell her if she hurts my sister they won’t find her body?” Draco’s musings had Cedric pause to lean against the wall as his giggles grew. 

“Oh, Merlin! This is the best thing ever!” He managed to get his breathing back under control, suppressing his enjoyment. I raise a brow at the blond before turning to see Pansy’s incredulous face.

“Piscín is more likely to hurt you, first in our year and all that,” Pansy explained like she was talking to a toddler. I giggle at their antics, falling back to walk with Cedric as the other two continue arguing. I lean into the taller boy’s side, taking in how their high society upbringing affected their interactions. 

“Cass mentioned how there was a betrothal contract between the Malfoy and Parkinson families. I can’t imagine how that helps you bond when you know there is little chance of being able to be with your soulmate.” Cedric whispered. I feel a flash of fury at the reminder that Pansy’s family would do anything to get their daughter married to the richest man they could. My magic bubbles with my anger and Pansy looks over her shoulder with furrowed brows before Draco commanders her attention again. 

“How are things with Cho? Did you finally ask her to be your girlfriend or are you still too scared?” I push the anger away, not liking the way my magic reacted. 

“I’m going to ask soon, I just want it to be special.” Cedric blushed and I pat his arm with a confident smile. 

“She will like anything you do,” I reassure him before giving the three of them a hug and entering my chambers to find Minnie grading essays in her chair. I change into my pajamas and curl up with a book. 

Everything returned to normal, and I was starting to help Hermione begin her study plans for exams. One thing I noticed was how the Gryffindor trio was acting around Snape. They were suspicious about something, and I think they had figured out whatever they were looking for. I want to ask Hermione, but I was already feeling guilty about lying to her and Pansy so I didn’t push for information. 

The end of January brought with it an increase in the work the professors were giving me. Snape increased our potion sessions to three times a week, Sprout was entrusting me with more demanding plants to care for, Kettleburn was more insistent that I come to help with his classes since the animals were getting restless, and Flitwick had insisted on extra material after helping me with the charm for the necklaces. My time spent with friends was diminished greatly, so the only time I could spend with them was at the scheduled meeting times and meals, though I had started to skip those in exchange for a quick snack from the kitchen so I could continue with my increase in study material. 

I woke up to empty chambers on Wednesday, which wasn’t too concerning. Minnie was often in her office before breakfast doing her deputy-headmistress duties so she could focus on her classes the rest of the day. Waiting for me were birthday wishes from my soulmates, all hoping I have a good day. I thank them get dressed for the day before making my way down to the Great Hall, deciding where I wanted to sit. I haven’t sat with the Ravenclaws much so I scan the blue table for a place. Padma was talking with Cho near the middle of the table and I sit in front of them.

“Good morning! How have you been lately?” I greet them with a beaming smile. 

“Our common room was almost blown up by Davies last night. One of his demonstrations got out of hand,” Cho sighed.

“There was a fire but it was quickly contained. Parvati is concerned about my mental health,” Padma giggled. 

“You should tell me when the next experiment is, I wanna see an explosion,” I inform them with a serious face before cracking at their laughter. We talk for a bit more before the morning post was delivered. I was surprised when one of the school owls dropped a letter in front of me even when Anastacia lands on my shoulder with a bundle of papers tied to her leg. I reach for the letter first, flipping it around only for my breath to catch in my throat.

Evangeline C. McGonagall

Hogwarts Teacher’s Chambers #3

“Eva? Eva, you need to breathe,” A hand lands on my shoulder and I inhale a much-needed breath. I shove the letter into my pocket and fumble to untie the bundle of papers from Anastacia. I flip through the pages with trembling hands as I scan page after page, not believing that they were real until I got to the signatures. Minerva McGonagall has adopted one Evangeline Circe Dane. I look up at the head table where Minnie smiles at me as she raised her goblet. I scramble out of my seat and sprinted up to the front, rounding the table of very concerned professors, and slammed into Minnie who had stood up to meet me partway. 

“Y-you actually want to keep me?” My words were muffled from where they were pressed against her robes, my tears soaking the fabric.

“Of course, I do my wee girl. I will never give you up,” Minnie promised, her lips pressing to the top of my head.

“Minerva?” Hooch’s voice was filled with concern and I became aware of how silent the Great Hall was. 

“What do you want to say?” Minnie gently asked me. I pull back and wipe the tears off my face with a sniffle. 

“Is everything quite alright, Miss Dane?” Dumbledore gave me the perfect way to tell everyone. 

“Everything is great Professor,” The grin on my face had the twins noticeably perking up in their seats, “And it’s Miss McGonagall.” There was no noise for a few seconds before the hall explodes in cheers. 

“Finally!” 

“Congratulations!” 

“I was wondering what took so long!”

I was swept off my feet into a hug with Cedric yelling in my ear. I laugh as the twins were quick to join in the hug, Hermione, Harry, and Neville not far behind them. 

“I believe that you got another piece of mail this morning,” Minnie’s statement had the hall quieting down as I was perched on the twin’s shoulders. I fish the letter from my pocket and a hush falls over the students as they wait with bated breath. I break the seal and pull the parchment out, clearing my throat before reading what was written.

“Dear Miss McGonagall, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.” I look over at Minnie after I finish reading. “Mamaidh, I just got a letter from Hogwarts. Can I go?” 

“I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to. You practically already attend,” Minnie smirks as the hall once again erupts in cheers. 

“The betting pool is open! Who says Eva will be in Gryffindor!” Fred yells and the red table erupts. 

“Mr. Weasley, I don’t think it’s appropriate to be betting on my daughter.” Minnie gently scolds them, lifting me off their shoulders. I stay tucked into her side as the other professors finally usher the students out from behind the head table. I stay in Minnie’s classroom for the day, practically glued to her side whenever she was sitting down at her desk. She didn’t say anything about me being clingy, she had even transfigured her desk to be bigger so I had an area to work on. 

“How is the coursework coming?” Neville walked up to me at the end of their class, leaning over to see what I was working on.

“It’s really interesting! I just want to be able to actually do it,” I sigh, frowning at the wand sticking out of his pocket. 

“At least you know you can do magic,” Neville’s smile was self-deprecating and I didn’t like it, “I still have trouble with the basic spells.” 

“It’s your wand, Nev. It has nothing to do with you,” I reassure him, standing to hug him. 

“What year are you on again?” Neville clears his throat and changes the subject. 

“Fourth-year material,” I hold up the potions paper I was working on and Neville paled a bit.

“I’m not going to survive,” He moans and I smirk, motioning to his arm with my quill raised in question. He nods and holds his arm out for me to write on.

Your soulmate is being overdramatic, please do something. Neville makes a sound of protest. 

“Did you have to tell Ginny?” Neville laughed as Ginny’s words of chastisement showed up, except they were chastisement for me.

Leave my soulmate alone! It’s okay to be overdramatic Nev, don’t let Eva bully you I laugh with the Gryffindor and shoo him away to get to his next class. 

“I’m glad I got you when I did, I couldn’t imagine finding you this year instead and how much worse everything could have been,” Minnie muttered as her next class started filing in. I lean against her side and stick my arm under hers so I could play with her fingers, twisting her wedding band around. She catches my fingers in a quick squeeze before standing to address her class. 

Pansy came to collect me after the last class of the day. I turn to look at Minnie and she gently pushes me toward the girl with a roll of her eyes. The Irish witch took my hand and guided me through people as she wound through hallways. 

“Are you trying to get me lost? Because I know every corridor of this castle. I could tell you where we are if you blindfolded me,” I inform her and she sighs.

“Right, eidetic memory. Forgot about that,” Pansy grumbles before taking a sharp turn and leading me to an empty classroom. She let me go in first and I jump a bit at the explosion of confetti that showers me.

“Happy Birthday!” Our friends cheer. Padma and Pavarti were there along with Cassius, Cho, and a few others. I tear up at the party, quickly moving to hug everyone. 

“You didn’t have to do this!” I squeeze Harry with everything that I had as he returns the favor. 

“We wanted to,”

“Everyone deserves to be celebrated on their birthday,” Fred and George informed me like it was a fact. I mingle with the people as I go around playing the different games that had been set up. I eventually make it over to the three Slytherins present, two Hufflepuffs completing their little group. 

“Thank you for this,” I hug Pansy from behind as I rest my head on her shoulder. The four in front of us smile at me, Cedric and Cassius taking turns in tussling my hair. 

“You deserve a special day, especially on your eleventh birthday. You got your Hogwarts letter!” The Hufflepuff standing next to Draco beams at me and I return the smile. 

“Eva, this is Susan Bones,” Draco introduced us and I let go of Pansy to shake her hand. 

“Eva McGonagall. I still can’t believe I can say that now!” I gush, tucking myself under Cedric’s arm. 

“I’m happy for you, everyone has so many nice things to say about you,” Susan comments. 

“Are you Dray’s buddy?” I ask, smiling at Draco’s scowl.

“I don’t need an emotional support Hufflepuff,” Draco scoffed only to deflate at the blank looks he got from all of us. “Fine! Yes, it has been nice to have someone to vent to and hang out with.” 

“Especially with everything that’s going on at home,” Pansy chimed in, wrapping her arm through Draco’s.

“Still no buddy?” I furrow my brow.

“No, I don’t have an emotional support Hufflepuff,” Pansy rolled her eyes, tightening her grip on Draco’s arm when he tried to cover a laugh with a cough. She looked away with a grumble as the others were also trying to stop their laughter.

“To put it simply, Pansy’s a bitch.” My jaw drops at how casually he said it. 

“Draco Lucius Malfoy!” I gasp, bewilderment mixing with anger as I stare at the blond. 

“He’s not wrong,” Cassius laughed, “Parkinson acts differently with her friends than she does with the Slytherin students. Everyone is scared of her spreading rumors about them.” 

I was morbidly fascinated with the thought of Pansy being mean to everyone, not able to conjure an image in my mind. Huh, I knew she wore a mask to impress the students who would report her to her parents, but I never thought it would be such a different personality. 

“Alright, everyone! It’s almost curfew, so you must get back to your common rooms!” Percy announces to everyone’s displeasure. I stand by the door and thank everyone as they left until it was only our main group left. 

“Thank you again for this,” I step between the twins so I could wrap my arms around them before tugging down to glare at them, “At least this time you didn’t bring a hippogriff into the school.” Cedric and Percy laugh as the purebloods look at them like they are crazy.

“What’s a hippogriff?” Harry raised his hand. 

“Half horse, half bird,” Cedric smirked at the gaping of the two muggle-raised students. 

“I told them it wouldn’t end well, but Charlie was set on doing it.” Percy shook his head at his brothers' actions. 

“What happened?” Draco had a mischievous look in his eyes and I narrowed my own at him, knowing what he was thinking.

“He bolted as soon as Peeves made a ruckus. I managed to calm him down before anyone got hurt, but just barely.” I was glad to see Draco deflate in disappointment.

“Nobody got hurt because you pushed them out of the way after chasing a bloody hippogriff through the halls.” Percy folded his arms as he gave me a look. I fold my arms and return his look, refusing to be the first to look away. No one should put an animal in a situation where it could be a harm to themselves or others. 

“No need to fight you two,” Cedric steps between us and I allow Hermione to pull me back to her side. 

“Yeah, we need to place bets on which house Eva is going to be sorted into!” Fred pulls a book out of his pocket and accepts the quill George hands him. 

“You can do this when I’m not here,” I roll my eyes as I thought about where I would be put. Maybe Ravenclaw? But Hermione is the smartest witch of her age and she’s a Gryffindor.

“It's getting late, we should go before getting in trouble for being out after curfew.” Hermione reminds everyone and we all say goodnight. I get back to find Minnie reading on the couch. 

“How was the party?” Minnie bookmarked her page and I fall against her side.

“It was great, but I’m tired,” I mumble. We sit with the gentle crackling and popping of the fire, the perfect ending to a perfect day.