As quiet, introverted Evelyn Berman agrees to spend her sixth year studying at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry, she is introduced to the school's adored Marauders.
From the moment she meets Sirius Black, there's something about the boy t...
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The arrival of April had taken the frosty winter chill out of the air, and the students at Hogwarts were taking advantage of the pleasant weather every chance that they got.
As per usual when the weather was nice, the Marauders were sprawled around the large oak tree a few yards away from the Black Lake, enjoying their break between morning classes.
"Moony, get your nose out of that damn book and pay attention to me!" James ordered, using his foot to nudge Remus who was sat cross-legged on the grass, reading a muggle book that Evelyn had loaned to him.
Remus rolled his eyes, but obeyed, closing the book and focusing his gaze on the messy-haired Gryffindor. "What exactly is it that you're doing that requires my attention?"
"Look at the way I'm twirling my wand!" He said excitedly, spinning the mahogany wand around in his fingers.
"Truly astounding," Remus said, obviously underwhelmed. "I don't know how I could have gone on with my life without seeing that."
Sirius was leaned against the trunk of the tree, snickering under his breath, "C'mon Moony. Prongs is a man of few talents—he needs all the encouragement he can get."
"Bugger off, Padfoot," James grumbled, his face in a pout as he continued to twirl his wand.
Peter, who had been lying flat on his back, watching the clouds drift by, was now sat up, looking toward the castle. "Hey, look! It's Evelyn!" he announced, waving wildly at the Hufflepuff. "Hi, Evelyn!"
The brunette glanced up from the letter she was reading, meeting peter's friendly gaze and sending a wave back at him. Her kind eyes shifted the left of the chubby-cheeked boy, immediately widening as they landed on Sirius. All color left her cheeks and, in an instant, she had spun around and scurried anxiously back toward the castle.
"What in the bloody hell did you do to her, Sirius?" James asked as he watched the girl flee, sending his friend an accusatory look.
"I told you, I have no idea!" Sirius defended, "Last I saw her, she was running out of Slughorn's party crying, and she's been avoiding me ever since." He slumped his back farther down the tree trunk, absentmindedly picking pieces of the fresh, spring grass. "Merlin, girls are confusing!"
"Well, what happened right before she ran off crying?" Remus inquired.
"Hmm..." Sirius said, trying to remember the series of events that had led up to the moment. "Well, I was snogging Jane Carter behind some drapes, and then, all of a sudden, Evans comes out of the middle of nowhere and whips them open like a maniac—"
"That's my girl!" James interrupted, smiling to himself.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, ignoring the boy, "I said 'hey, what's up', like one does, and the next thing I know, Ev starts crying and runs out of the room! It doesn't make any sense!"
