Self-conscious and insecure Evelyn Garrick has a history of comparing herself to others, longing to be anyone but herself.
She is trapped in her own mind and is drowning in her negative thoughts.
She meets a boy. A boy who also struggles to accept...
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Evie made her way into the History of Magic classroom. She settled into her desk at the back of the room, the one beside her empty.
Evie sighed as she eyed the empty desk. It was Pippa's desk, when she actually came to class, that is. The reason Pippa took this class was to be able to skip it. Evie knew that, but the idea of being alone make Evie sigh sadly.
"This desk free?"
Evie's head snapped up to see Remus standing over her, a hopeful look in his eyes. Evie's body stiffened up. Why would Remus want to sit next to her? He had a perfectly good next next to some gorgeous Gryffindor.
Evie must have nodded since Remus smiled and slid into the chair next to her.
The class soon began. Evie busied herself making notes, wanting to do well in this class.
Evie prided herself on being focused; it was one of the few things she was good at. But during this class, with Remus beside her, she couldn't concentrate.
Evie couldn't stop herself from glancing over at Remus from time to time. Every time she did it, she swore she wouldn't do it again. But there was something about the way his hair fell into his eyes and how he bit his bottom lip as he wrote that kept Evie intrigued.
She found herself admiring his handwriting, it seemed almost too neat for a boys. Her eyes lifted up from his notes and moved up to his side profile. That is what she was expecting anyway but instead, her brown eyes met his.
Evie's eyes widened as she looked away, her cheeks flaming up like a forest fire. She felt Remus vibrate beside her, with a chuckle she presumed.
A folded piece of parchment landed in front of her. After hesitating, Evie picked it up and unfolded it.
Are you ok? was written in Remus' curvy writing.
Evie, with her flushed cheeks, guessed that she looked a mess. She picked up her quill and wrote a reply.
Yeah.
She passed the piece of parchment back to Remus, who opened it instantly and scribbled something else.
Sorry my friends barged it on us the other day.
It's fine. I had fun anyway.
Remus looked up at her and smiled before picking up his quill again.
So did I. But I still can't believe you live in a barrel.
Evie rolled her eyes and wrote back 'It's a tunnel to the Hufflepuff common room!'
They continued to pass notes back and forth. Many times, Evie had to bit her lip in order to stifle her laughter and Remus' smiled widened with every note Evie passed him.
Lost in her own little world with Remus, Evie didn't notice the time flying past her. When the bell rang, she was snapped back into reality. Panic took over her features as she looked at her half-empty parchment.
She should've been taking notes! Why did she let herself get so distracted?
"Why don't we head to the library?" Remus suggested after seeing Evie's expression. "To catch up on what we missed?"
Evie nodded and packed up her bag. They both made their way to the library, making light conversation.
They arrived at the library and settled at a table, taking out their books and getting to work. They sat in silence; it was comfortable, not awkward as Evie had expected.
The silence was soon interrupted as a particularly noisy group entered the library. Evie heard Remus sweat under his breath as James, Sirius and Peter came towards them.
"Well isn't this familiar?" Sirius said in a sing-song tone.
"Yeah. If you and Remus keep hanging out, we'll have to give you a nickname," James said. "One better than Evie."
Neither Evie nor Remus spoke as the three boys joined their table. They began to discuss a new name for Evie and Evie wanted nothing more for them to stop.
"What about Gary?" Peter pipped up. "Short for Garrick?"
"Nawh," Sirius said. "She's a Hufflepuff. What's a Hufflepuff-y name?"
James stayed quiet for a moment, deep in thought it seemed. "Hufflepuff- Hufflepuff," he wondered aloud. "What about- Puffy!"
"Ok that's enough," Remus burst in as Evie's face went bright red. "Get lost. The three of you!"
James was confused for a moment. His face then showed an expression of realisation. He opened his mouth to speak but Sirius got there first.
"Ok fine," Sirius stood up. "We'll just have to call you Evelyn then-"
"Don't call me that," Evie blurted out. The four boys were taken aback.
"Oh so she speaks!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at James. "We'll see you later Mooney."
They left, leaving Remus and Evie alone once again.
Remus sighed into his hands. "Sorry about them. They're idiots."
"It's fine," Evie stated simply.
They made eye-contact for a few seconds until Remus spoke again. "Why don't you like the name Evelyn?"
Evie let out a breath and let her eyes wander around the library. "It's too... elegant and beautiful. It should be the name of a princess or a mermaid- or something. Not someone like me."
Remus reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "I think it suits you quite nicely."
