Dum Spiro Spero

Chapter 30

In the first couple months at Hogwarts, Evalyn dealt with mostly Harry obsessing over an old potion's book he had possession of. Every other day he would barge into her office to convince her that Draco is a death eater and brag about his newfound talent in potions. She could only imagine what it was like to be Ron and Hermione.

Speaking of Draco, the boy hardly said a word. Blaise and Theodore stopped by fairly often to hang out like before, but never the blonde. It was clear that he was troubled and needed some help. Today would be the fifth time that she would go to Snape for advice on it. "It's obvious he at least needs someone to talk to, are you not worried?" The Professor let out a breath while guiding her out of his classroom.

"His father is in Azkaban Evalyn, that would trouble anyone." He pushed the door open and held it for her.

She walked through with her head trained to the ground in thought. "It has to be more than that Severus, he —." Just as she was about to finish, the boy in question was accidentally bumped into by a small second year Ravenclaw.

"Watch it mudblood." He sneered at the child before turning away.

"Draco Malfoy." He snapped his head up to Evalyn's voice. "15 points from Slytherin and you will be seeing me in detention tonight. My office 7 P.M."

The young Slytherin stood tall and straightened his robes. He walked closer with a disgusted look. "You aren't allowed to do that, you aren't even a real professor here." Theodore sucked in a breath from behind him and looked between the two.

Evalyn stared up at the teen, a glint of challenge shining in her eyes. "I'm afraid I just did, question my authority here again and we will make it an entire month." For a moment they stared at each other, daring the other to say something more.

Snape cleared his throat. "You heard her Mr. Malfoy. Detention in her office. In my opinion, she let you off easy. I would have sent you to Filch." Draco looked between the two adults and scoffed before turning around.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Evalyn, I'll make sure he's there on time tonight." Theodore rushed out before running after his friend.

Evalyn shook her head as they continued walking. "He's a good person, I know it." Snape chose to say nothing in return and Evalyn didn't even mind.

Sure enough, 7:00 came around and there was a loud commotion outside of her office door. Two people were bickering before there was a loud thud. Evalyn opened it to reveal a disheveled Theodore and a furious Draco. The shoulder of his suit was wrinkled as if he were dragged this way. The witch held back a laugh. "Thank you Theodore, you are a man of his word." The teen smiled and gave a salute before darting off the opposite way.

Draco slumped in his seat, pulling out a quill and a piece of parchment. Evalyn shut the door and sat on her desk. "What are you doing Mr. Malfoy?"

He shrugged, refusing to meet her gaze. "I assumed I'd be writing lines. You don't seem like the type to make someone clean."

She sighed, "You're wrong." That made him slam his quill down and groan before pulling out his wand to hand it over. "You aren't cleaning either." Finally he looked at her. Her eyes were soft and welcoming. The look on her face made him feel guilty and ashamed. He subconsciously reached for the chain that was gifted to him. He should have used it when he found out he was to be marked. However, if she were to get him out, his mother would be left alone. Probably killed at the hands of Voldemort himself. "We are going to sit here and talk. You don't have to talk about what's troubling you, but about anything. Romantic interests, classes, your mother. I'm all ears."

His head hit the desk with a thud and Evalyn frowned. She stood up and pulled out some cupcakes that she made earlier and placed one in front of him. "Would you like to hear a story then?" The chair next to him was pulled out as she sat down. He gave a short nod, without lifting his head. "What would you like to hear about?"

Finally, he sat up and leaned back in his seat. He anxiously fiddled his fingers, spinning his Malfoy ring around and around. "What were your Christmases like growing up?"

"Mum liked to do things the muggle way." She had a dreamy look in her eyes as the memories were brought up. "Reggie and Barty would lie to their parents so they could spend the holiday at my house. My parents adored them. We baked goodies, danced, sang songs, and hung up ornaments without magic. All holiday we would stay in our pajamas and watch muggle Christmas movies while wrapping presents. That morning we would be up bright and early, mostly because of Barty. We would drink hot chocolate while opening gifts. Then we would eat a nice breakfast as a family. Afterwards was a snowball fight. The rest of the day was spent playing muggle games or napping or just talking. It was very relaxed."

"What happened after?" Evalyn assumed he meant after she stopped hanging out with them.

"I spent the rest of my Christmases with the Marauders. Harry's parents, Sirius, Professor Lupin, and Peter." The last name came out as just a whisper. "Overall, things stayed pretty much the same. The Potters would have a Christmas ball, but I'm certain it's nothing compared to what you have."

Draco stretched, seemingly more relaxed after the conversation. He was still slightly tense, but Evalyn tried to keep things as lighthearted as possible. "What's he like? Sirius?"

Evalyn's eyes lit up. "He is everything." She said softly. "As silly as he can be, that man has the biggest heart. He is stubborn and hard headed like every Gryffindor, but he loves with his entire soul. I would trust him with my life. Sirius has such a big personality it is hard to explain in words. There is honestly no one who could compare to the Sirius Black." She smiled at Draco and nudged his shoulder. "But don't tell him I said that, it will just go to his head."

"It's not like I'd ever get the chance to meet him anyway." He muttered under his breath. However, Evalyn still heard him.

"He would love to meet you. He might not like your father, but he absolutely adored your mother. The war tore them apart like everyone else. If you ever want to meet him, you can. We are family you know." She winked at him. There was a knock on the door, startling the pair. Evalyn stood up and answered it. Draco sat up straight and turned his head away when he locked eyes with Harry. "Harry, I'm sorry, you will have to come back another time." She tried to use her body to shield Draco from his view.

"What is Malfoy doing here? Are you alright?" He whispered, his brows were furrowed and he had a hateful look in his eyes.

Evalyn crossed her arms, "That is none of your business Harry, need I remind you that I do have a job here? You can come back tomorrow." The boy groaned and turned away. She waited until he was out of view before shutting the door again. "Sorry about that Draco."

He stood up and grabbed his belongings before pushing his chair in. "No worries. Thank you Mrs. Evalyn." She watched as he rushed pasted her before she was able to say anything else.