Dum Spiro Spero

Chapter 48

At Shell Cottage, everyone healed. Evalyn and Hermione talked about their daily nightmares. Any physical wounds were now faded into scars. Bill, being a curse breaker, was able to take her magic restraining cuffs off when she had gotten to the house. Each morning, Sirius and Regulus helped exercise her powers from her bed as to not strain her. Afterwards, her and Harry would go on a run or a swim to try and build strength back.

However she had yet to tell Sirius and Regulus what happened. They understood she needed her time, but they could also tell that it was hurting her. She struggled to sleep due to the nightmares. There would be instances where she would flinch away from sudden movements. Many times the witch would be caught staring into the distance as if in a trance. Everyone moved carefully around her, but eventually the brothers confronted her.

The three sat cross legged on the bed playing a card game. Sirius tapped his fingers restlessly on his cards. Regulus glanced between Evalyn and Sirius, sending his brother a pointed look when she dazed off again. The older brother sighed and set his cards down before gently tapping her knee. "Lynnie, love..." He trailed off when she focused back on his face.

"Sorry, I lost myself for a minute there." She gave a small smile to him. He pulled her into his lap. "Reg can you give us a moment?" Sirius looked to his younger brother when she spoke. Regulus shook his head firmly in disbelief.

"E, I'm not a child to just send away when something goes wrong. I can handle it."

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to make you feel guilty again." She buried her head into Sirius neck as he rubbed circles on her back. Her scars were felt through the thin fabric of her shirt.

Regulus scooted in front of her, his hand finding hers. She peaked briefly at him as he squeezed it softly. "You have always been there for me when I went through something. Let me be there for you. I can handle it." The room grew silent before she shifted into a comfortable position on Sirius' lap.

It all came pouring out, the torture, Voldemort's threats to breed her, how she tortured Mulciber by taking the water from his body, the nightmares. She told them about the three young Slytherins who healed her. Not a single detail was left out. The men sat quietly, listening to every word. Their jaws were tensed and the hold Sirius had on Evalyn tightened. They made a mental list of all the names that she mentioned who hurt her. By the end of her story, she was tired. Tears didn't fall when she told it this time. She was just exhausted. She was angry for allowing them to break her like they did. "We will get through this Lynnie."

"Together?" She looked at both of them.

"Together." They nodded. Sirius shifted her onto the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to start you a bath, okay?" Evalyn grinned and nodded, watching him walk away.

"Don't get yourself hurt trying to get revenge Reggie. You weren't a Gryffindor like your brother, it's not like you to go headfirst into danger. I can see you contemplating it."

"They hurt you E. I can't just let that slide anymore. My own cousin did that!" He gestured to her ribcage where she was nearly killed.

Evalyn sighed and gave him a hug. "They will get what's coming to them in time. I can't live with myself if you get yourself killed because of me. Too many people have died Reggie, you stay with me and Sirius."

"Okay." He whispered into her hair. "I'll stay."

Sirius called out from the bathroom so Evalyn made her way over. When she opened the door, candles lit the room softly, and music played quietly. He held her in his arms and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "If you need me, I'll be right outside the door." Evalyn bit her lip anxiously.

"Can you stay?" His eyes lit up at her request and he flashed his signature smirk.

"Anything for you love." He winked, but out of respect, he turned around while she undressed.  The sound of her stepping into the water made him turn back around. With a small smile, she passed him the bottle of shampoo. He chuckled and grabbed it from her. Her eyes closed as he washed her hair gently. Sirius tried to not show it, but she could tell what he was thinking.

Her voice was soft as she spoke. "They're ugly." He rinsed the soap from her hair. "The scars."

"You sound like Moony." Evalyn opened an eye to see Sirius staring at her face. "We spent years telling him those silly things didn't matter to us."

"Those were different. I can feel their hands on me constantly.

"But they aren't. They are injuries that have healed. They are reminders of how strong you are. How you can go through so much pain and hurt and come out on the other side with your beautiful heart still in tact." He sat back and slipped his own shirt off. Her eyes darted to his torso bearing his own scars, ones she was already familiar with. Ones he's had most of his life. Her fingers softly traced one on his abdomen.

"You're right Siri."

"I always am." He smirked down at her until a splash of water hit his face. She laughed at his expression and before she knew it, he jumped into the bath and splashed her face.

The sounds of their laughter made Regulus feel a bit better. The corners of his lips turned upward before he left the room. The couple got dressed and Sirius dried her hair with his wand before she went to find Harry. The teen sat on the couch and she plopped down next to him with a smile. One that he was very happy to see. In a world of darkness, her smile would always bring light. "So Harold, whatever happened with Ginny?"

The boy blushed and turned away. His hand covered his smile. "We kissed." Ron grimaced from the other side of the room.

"Ask her on a date when this is over. She's a keeper."

"I'm planning on it."

Sirius smirked as he walked into the room. "Need some advice mate?" Both Harry and Regulus wrinkled their noses. The man gaped in offense. "What? I could give the best advice! Look at what I pulled in my day!" His arms gestured to Evalyn who wrinkled her nose.

"You see Haz, first snippet of advice, don't be a prat and talk about women like your godfather does. It shouldn't be your goal to 'pull her'." Hermione giggled at the air quotes. "Him and your father bragged about their charm with the ladies but it was really Remus who could charm anyone."

Sirius gasped and held a hand to his chest. "I'm hurt, truly." Regulus laughed, surprising the group but nobody brought attention to it.

"Don't let her fool you, she was smitten for him the moment he set his attention on her." It was Evalyn's turn to gasp.

"Reggie!" She squealed. "I thought you were on my side!" Evalyn threw a pillow in his direction.

"I knew it!" Sirius jumped up and down in excitement. "I knew you couldn't resist me!" The living room was filled with laughter as they reminisced on their teenage days. 

In that moment, there was no war. No death. No fighting. All they wanted was one last night of good memories before everything goes bad.