STAIRCASES
The ride wasn’t too bad. The Hufflepuff quidditch team was less rowdy than expected, though they may have been more subdued on Theodore’s account. Evangeline was eventually able to sit herself in the corner next to the window and feed Edmund another few biscuits she found stashed into her pockets. He chattered excitedly the whole ride, glancing out the window and tickling her neck with his whiskers as Evangeline scribbled. Theodore, for his part, seemed to enjoy being with his team again and relaxed soon after he came into the cabin. Gratefully, questions about his health were silenced with a look from Cedric rather than lengthy explanations.
As they got closer to the school, Theodore reminded her to change into her school robes, she did, finding another pocket to tuck her book into. It had a few notes, nothing special, some potions Evangeline had figured out here and there, something to ease the pain for Theodore, something to help her sleep (on second thought maybe that’s what Theodore put in his hot chocolate). It was special to her though, so she kept it on her person. Edmund fit well into the hood of her robes.
The train rolled into the station and Evangeline nervously taped her finger against the window. Theodore turned to her for the first time in a while, smiling truthfully and fully for the first time that day and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Do your worst Dox,” he said at the same time a deep voice called for first-years to exit the train. He pushed Evangeline along as she exited the cabin, watching her as she left the train.
Other first-years were getting off too. Draco Malfoy was there, a harsh blonde haired boy. The Dox and the Malfoy families were close, enough to require they nod to each other when their eyes accidentally connected. He was accompanied by the younger Crabe and Goyle. The youngest Weasley was there too, they were neighbors in a sense. A few others she recognized surrounded her, but that was hard not to achieve when you were part of the wizarding world for so long. A tall half-giant directed the first years to board some boats, passing by some theastral pulled carriages waiting for the rest of the students. Evangeline settled for the boat with Ron, Neville Longbottom, and a dark haired boy she didn’t recognize.
The castle was beautiful from a distance, spiraling upwards toward the dark sky, the windows lit with warm light. Dark lake water lapped at the sides of the boat, reflecting the castle and its golden hues. Suddenly Evangeline was struck by the age of those spires, all the history in those bricks. The Dox family was an old one, it had seen it’s fair share of history. It might be able to trace back older than Hogwarts, but that old school certainly had seen more of history in its years than anything Evangeline knew.
The boats coasted up to the castle and all the first years were ushered in, eventually stopping before a grand wooden door on a wide staircase. The ceilings were tall and various staircases layered upon each other and ascending, a few moved left or right, turning as if each were on an axis.
Evangeline gazed up not in surprise, but still in wonder. It was beautiful, amazing how much pure magical energy resided in the castle. How it had twisted what must have once been an at least slightly benign castle into something curious, something no one living could ever explain.
In short, it was cool. Maybe not unexpected, but cool.
Coming back to earth, Evangeline noticed that a stern looking witch in emerald green had taken her place at the top of the stairs. She was explaining how the sorting would proceed, the bun at the top of her head staying resolutely still as she turned to look at each of the new students. Evangeline thought for a moment, searching for the woman’s name in her brain. She certainly must have heard it before, whether just a few moments ago when she was distracted or at least in passing from one of her brothers. But it wasn’t really there. She would figure it out sometime. When her explanation was done, the witch opened the doors to the great hall, releasing the light and sound of the rest of Hogwarts for mere moments before she slid the doors closed once again.
The glint of white moving caught Evangeline’s eye. Malfoy went straight for the boy that had been next to Ron in the boat, tailed by Crabe and Goyle.
“Its true then, what they were saying on the train, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts,” he said after gazing at the dark haired boy’s forehead for a few moments. A ripple of shock ran through the first years, their heads each turning to get a look at the accused then to whisper to their friends in turn. Evangeline watched with some interest, but she did not move nor did the boy, except to glance at Malfoy’s shadows who were quickly introduced. Crabe and Goyle seemed to be focused on being as close to intimidating as possible. And, to be fair, they were big and a bit frightening up close. But anyone worth their salt in this forsaken system knew it wasn’t brawn that one should fear, no, a word from a sharpened tongue or alongside the flick of a wand could do far more damage.
Ron hid a snicker and the look in Malfoy’s eyes quickly made Evangeline cringe - reminding her briefly of the way her mother would look before sending a veiled insult to some other noble. Yet Malfoy’s face lacked that same finesse, it was going to be a pointed jab rather than an insult so beautifully hidden that it would take the receiver years to understand what it had been. Before he even began, she began to snake her way up to the front, but the resistant crowd stopped her from preventing anything. Not that she had fully intended to, but it had been a fleeting enough thought to cause her to move.
Malfoy caught her eye as he began to finish his rant and sneered at her, though perhaps it was meant as a grin. He thought she would agree? That she was an example?
“You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort, I can help you there, ” he finished, directing his gaze back to… yes Harry Potter. She could see the scar from where she stood behind him and to the right. She would think about that fact later.
“Can you now?” she chimed in before Potter had a chance to speak, trying to choose words that would somehow humiliate Malfoy without it getting back to her parents. She couldn’t think of some, so she decided to just bet on something, “I only see Crabe and Goyle beside you.” There was a joking tone to her voice, not as malicious as Malfoy’s had been, more light hearted as if they were both in on some sort of joke no one else knew.
Ron once again choked back a laugh.
Malfoy’s face reeled away from Potter to her - analyzing. Evangeline kept her face light and friendly. She saw him trying to grasp if she had been joking and if she had if it was some sort of inside joke. It wasn’t, but they had been on at least friendly terms for so long it was hard to tell. What she said didn't exactly make sense, it was phrased pretty terribly, and only vaguely hinted at the fact that most of his friends were either airheads, trying to gain his favor as future Malfoy head, bought, or any combination of the three. Merlin, she really had to start watching her mother more closely - however disgusting it was her word traps would be genuinely useful.
While the gears turned in Malfoy’s head, Potter spoke up, “I can tell the right sort for myself, thanks.” Malfoy bristled, clearly coming to the conclusion that both Potter and Evangeline had in fact been insulting him and went to retort when the large door to the Great Hall opened wide, the stern witch peering down on the lot of them.
“We are ready for you,” she droned. The first years surged forward in an orderly way to follow her into the hall, Ron and Potter went with them. Evangeline would have followed, but as the group passed Malfoy grabbed her wrist tightly. She was surprised not to find him angry, armed only with a penetrating gaze.
“What did that mean?” he asked, voice calm but intent. He looked as she intended, thrown off. Seemingly better at hiding it than she had anticipated. Could she risk it? A blatant insult while no one but Draco was around to witness it? To the head of a house hers was allied with no less. She wasn’t angry with him, she didn’t hate him, she didn’t even have any insults that she fully believed, but the thought of how fun it would be to do something her mother certainly would not have been fond of her doing…
“Stop using them as bait,” Evangeline finally said, “They’re too easy to use.”
He studied her for a moment, confused, but the gears were turning, “To use for what?”
“To insult you indirectly Draco”
“So it was an insult then,” he said, voice even, a small smile coming to his face.
“Well it was really more of a jab, it wasn’t that -” the witch in emerald green robes cleared her throat, gesturing to the open door as the last of the first years trickled in. Evangeline flashed red, quickly climbing up the stairs and forcing herself into the middle of the line. She didn’t see what happened to Malfoy.