evelynn | t.riddle

8 | TIME TRAVEL SECRETS

Tom's glaring out the window. The school year is already bloody over. It's too soon; it's always too soon. Three months, just another three months, and I'll be back at Hogwarts. You can do it again. You did it for ten years.

The entire cabin is dead silent after he violently Cursed a Sixth Year last year when they made the mistake of asking about his summer plans. Well, dead silent bar the scratching of a quill on parchment - Evelynn is already working on her assignments, has been since they were given.

Theodorus Nott asks, "You're doing the summer work already? You already spend practically every free moment of your time buried in books. Should've been a Ravenclaw."

Evelynn shrugs and says, "The Hat considered it for me for a moment. Then decided my willingness to survive was stronger than my thirst for knowledge to do as much." She looks back down at her essay, continuing to write down information without ever looking at the book she's using to write with - Tom noticed she was doing the same thing with the Transfiguration Essays and figured she'd get Acceptable's on all of them.

No, to his shock, she got O's on every single essay - that must've hurt Dumbledore, having to give a Slytherin an O. Much less so many of them all at once. Evelynn had the entire Common Room in stitches as she 'innocently' asked as much, then pretended to point out a wobble in a few grades. The thought makes him smirk briefly before he glances at the incredibly confusing girl sitting opposite him and writing away.

She's absentmindedly nibbling at her bottom lip as she concentrates, making it turn slightly redder as she keeps working, and it's- Merlin, eyes off her lips. Tom thinks to himself. They aren't that interesting. She's shot up in height since coming to Hogwarts, gaining a few inches in what seems like as many weeks - growth spurt, or the potions Pomfrey had her on for the rest of the year? Probably both, he decides.

Avery raises an eyebrow at her trunk and says, "That's some serious Warding, Peverell. Where did you learn that?"

Evelynn flashes him that shark grin and says, "Aw, now that would be telling. Nice try." Do they think she was born yesterday? Or would she be willing to tell them her secrets just because school is out and she's not wearing a green tie?

Abraxas narrows his eyes at her and says, "You put up a convincing act in public, Peverell, but you're no Second-Year."

Evelynn's expression goes blank, and she asks, "You want to know?" Everyone leans forward at that, eyes locked onto her form, including Tom's. "I time-travelled." They finally decided just to corner me, hm? Nobody would believe the truth, anyway.

For a moment, there's a dead silence in the compartment. Nobody breathes, thinking she'll smirk at them and say, 'Got ya! Ha!' Instead, she looks down at her trunk, shifting two sliding numbers to different positions.

After a moment, Abraxas clears his throat and says, "Haha, very funny, Peverell. Don't tell us, then. Nobody can just Time Travel without a Time Turner; those only go back a few hours at a time."

Now Evelynn looks up at them again, smirking as she says, "Add to it the detail that I didn't have one when I arrived."

"Right, and how would you have travelled in time anyway? The Deathly Hallows?"

There's a round of chuckling and laughter. Still, Tom's eyes are locked onto Evelynn - suggesting the Hallows as an explanation of impossible things even by magical standards and then laughing at the well-known joke is nothing new. Still, he's never seen this particular expression on Evelynn's face. Suddenly, her smirk seems frozen as she stares at the others. She leans back and says, "You never know; there's always a grain of truth in stories somewhere. Where do you think they came about anyway? Sleeping Beauty in the Muggle World happened; Prince Charming was just a Wizard with the antidote for Draught of Living Death on his lips. A helpful witch, etc., transfigured Cinderella's dress. So, where do you think the truth in The Deathly Hallows is?"