And Then There Were Three

Chapter 11

Harry followed the others as they made their way towards a table near the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Their time in the bookstore had taken much longer than it should have, and not because Harry, Draco, and Brielle hadn't found their books. It was because Snape and Evelyn were walking up and down the rows of books and chatting about different ones they had read.

Twice Harry noticed something strangely close to a smile spread across Snape's face at something Evelyn would say, and once, Snape said something that Harry didn't catch, but Evelyn laughed!

Severus Snape, Bat of the Dungeons, Potions Master and Death Eater Spy, had said something witty?

"Do you think he likes her?" Draco whispered suddenly, causing Harry to jump.

"What?" Harry hissed. "No."

Draco raised an eyebrow and looked back to where Snape was pulling out Evelyn's chair so she could sit. "Are you sure? Because it seems like he does."

"Shut up," Harry said, louder than he'd meant to.

"Harry," Snape scolded, looking over at them.

Harry could feel his cheeks growing warm and he ducked his head before pulling out his seat and dropping heavily into it. He crossed his arms over his chest and slouched, drawing Snape's gaze to him once more.

Snape leaned over from where he sat beside him at the round table and spoke quietly so that only Harry would hear, "What's going on? I thought you were hungry."

"Nothing. I thought we were going home," Harry said, just as softly. When Snape only continued to watch him, Harry huffed and sat up straighter.

Snape let his hand rest on Harry's shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before turning his attention to the waiter who was taking their drink orders.

"So, Harry," Evelyn said, "how did you like the beach?"

Harry frowned. "How did you know we went to the beach?"

"Severus mentioned it," she said with a smile. "I used to love visiting my grandparents in America, because they retired to a condo by the ocean in Florida, so my sister and I, Brie's mum, would get to spend all day at the beach. We would have such wonderful times."

"Is that why you don't have a French accent?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. "Because you're from America?"

"Harry, that is none of your business," Snape said sternly, turning in his chair to fully face the teenager.

Evelyn, however, simply smiled before placing her hand atop Snape's wrist on the table. An action that Harry did not miss. She patted it once before she said, "Oh, no, that's alright!" She moved her hand back to her lap and said, "You're mostly right, actually, Harry. My family is quite spread out. My mum was an American, muggle-born witch who went to Ilvermorny, in New York. After she graduated, she wanted to travel and so she went all over the world before ending up in France, where she met my father."

"He went to Beauxbatons," interjected Brielle.

Evelyn nodded. "That's right. They fell in love at first sight and at first, they settled down in London, and that's where my sister and I were born. But then they decided to move back to America when I was just a baby. Marie is five years older than I am, so when it was time for her to go to school, she got to go to Ilvermorny, but when I was six, my dad's mum fell ill. Now she had moved to London by this time, and we moved back there to take care of her, but my parents wanted my sister and I to go to Beauxbatons, so even though we lived in London, we went to school in France."

"Wait," said Draco suddenly, "So you were born in London, but then raised in America first, then London again, just so that you could go to school in France?"