CHAPTER 23
"Returned Favors"

History of Magic with the ghostly Professor Binns was the same as usual, if not rowdier, what with all his students shamelessly chatting about their Christmas breaks (and quite loudly in fact) while he continued droning on about witch hunting in the Middle Ages and having conversations with the chalkboard, unaware of the ruckus right behind him.

Perhaps the loudest of the bunch would have to be the tall dark-haired boy who had moved his seat closer to a particular blonde's desk.

"I've been teaching my little bro how to use some jinxes, too!" The dark-haired boy tried to contain his laughter (though, in truth, he didn't really try that hard at all). "Thomas actually amplified the effects of the Trip Jinx, resulting in a whole crowd of people falling over at the same time. Merlin, it was hilarious!"

The pony-tailed girl sitting in his group shook her head. "What a marvelous example you're setting for your brother, Theodore."

"Indeed." Eva was chuckling as well. "How old is your brother?"

"Thomas is just turning nine this year!" Theodore leaned back into his chair and smiled proudly. "That kid's got talent, I swear."

Draco, who was sitting right behind them, snorted. "Talent for mischief, huh? Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

Eva rested her head in her hand and looked at her friend thoughtfully. "He's only eight years old, and yet he has his own wand and can apparently use it well. He must really be skilled."

Millicent stopped secretly shoving candy into her mouth long enough to chortle at that. "Your younger brother's even smarter than you!"

The tall boy simply shrugged his shoulders, the smile never leaving his face. "Well, he is! And he's not too bad on the eyes either." He waggled his dark brows at Millicent. "Guess you can tell where he got that from."

The chubby Slytherin made a face that was a cross between disgust and mortification, issuing gales of laughter from the group.

The rest of the class continued much this way, with their quills and parchment long forgotten. Nobody could blame the students, really. Everyone was excited to be back and share the tales of adventures (or misadventures) they had during the break.

The Great Hall was even livelier during meals, with students crossing over to other Houses to chat with friends. Not many dared to cross over to the Slytherin tables, of course...not that the students in that particular House minded. They were quite content with the company of their housemates.

As always, Daphne was busy reprimanding their chubby friend from unceremoniously stuffing her face with whatever she could get her hands on. She was on a diet, after all, imposed by a very loving (and equally worried) grandmother as was shared by Millicent herself on their train ride back to school.

In between mouthfuls, Millicent would simply say, "what she doesn't know won't hurt her" or "I'll start the diet tomorrow" (with the latter actually being promised on a daily basis).

Theodore, Tracey and Eva, on the other hand, engrossed themselves on lively chatter about the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Seeing as it was Eva's last match with the team (as the blonde witch had later confessed to her friends), they had vowed to do everything in their power to win the match and were already strategizing over lunch.

On the other end of the table, Blaise and Draco were engaged in a discussion about something that seemed quite serious if the look on their faces was any indication, with the blonde constantly trying to push a very clingy Pansy away.

After several failed attempts to get cozy with Draco, the short-haired girl sighed in defeat and scooted back to her friends who were being loud and annoying, as usual. She gruffly told them to "shut their traps", but was thoroughly ignored by the rambunctious group. As usual.

Truth be told, she wasn't just trying to flirt up a storm with her Slytherin prince (though that was the primary motive behind her actions...and she was pretty sure she would have been successful, too, if it weren't for Blaise selfishly hogging all of Draco's attention). She was also trying to eavesdrop on the boys' conversation.

Ever since they had gotten off the train at Hogsmeade Station, Draco had been quiet. Somber even. (Blaise was, too, but she never really cared that much about him in the first place.) While their group had not stopped flapping their lips about how wonderful (Daphne) or god-awful (Tracey and Millicent) their vacation was, or how many gifts they received, or whatever else they foolishly thought she actually gave a damn about, Draco seldom joined in, mostly keeping to himself with a distant look in his (dreamy) eyes. And the ever observant Pansy (observant only where the blonde wizard was concerned), had thought that perhaps something had happened during the break.

Whatever it was, Blaise was clued in apparently, if the similar awful scowl on his face was any indication. And she resolved to get herself into that loop before the school year ended.

Pansy looked over at the three Quidditch-junkies who were busy with their own conference and rolled her eyes.

"Cho Chang may look like an angel, but she sure as heck can hold her own on the pitch," Theodore warned as the discussion continued to revolve around their favorite sport. "While she and Draco make a run for the Snitch, you Chasers will have to try and score as much as you can. Try to get as much distance between the scores!"

"And try to keep that arse, Bole, in place," Tracey scowled, eyes shooting daggers at the heavy-built boy sitting a few tables away from them. "That wanker better not try anything in this game or I swear to god I'll-"

"Don't worry," the tall boy interjected, a dark look clouding his eyes, fists clenching tightly on the table. "Draco told me he'd had a good, long talk with the arsehole. And you know how persuasive he can be. Besides, the moment he tries anything, I'll make sure he gets a good taste of my bat."

Tracey huffed. "Make sure to save some of his teeth for me."

"Easy, guys..." Eva chuckled uneasily, trying to dispel the tension that had built up. "Let's just try to get through our last game without someone getting suspended, alright?" She sighed and flashed a genuine smile. "I'm just thankful I get to play with you guys for one last term."

Theodore couldn't stop himself from turning his frown upside-down. "We'll make sure to win this time!"

"I'm confident we can do it," Tracey beamed, popping a tart into her mouth. "Montague's been working hard over the break as well to keep up with Eva and myself. And I dare say, with me as his coach, us three Chasers will be raising hell and giving the Ravenclaws a run for their money!"

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "So you and Montague have been spending quite some time together, eh? Even during the break?" he asked amusedly. "Is that all you're coaching him on? No other extra-curricular stuff on the side?"

Tracey spluttered and coughed, turning pink in the face faster than she could deny whatever the tall boy had been implying as he continued to nudge her in the side with a look on his face that could only be described as perverted.

"W-What are you going on about?" she stammered, trying to laugh the matter off. "Don't be a git! Our coaching sessions are strictly for Quidditch!"

"Of course they are." Theodore's devious smile widened, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter. "Quidditch is a pretty complicated sport after all! You'd have to know a lot about the different balls involved. So I'm thinking you two have been practicing with all kinds of balls, haven't you?"

The tall boy could not contain his boisterous laughter any longer as Tracey turned beet red and repeatedly smacked him around. Eva smiled at the pair but looked mildly confused as to what had her best friend out of sorts. Theodore raised his hands in surrender, but the pony-tailed girl wasn't taking it sitting down.

"I'm sure you of all people understand how important it is to help out new members." Though her cheeks were still somewhat inflamed, it was Tracey's turn to flash her own smug and self-satisfied grin. "You did offer your coaching services to Eva after all."

Theodore's smile quickly vanished, eyes growing wide with the realization of where this conversation was going. It was his turn two sport two pink patches on his face.

Eva perked up as she was finally able to contribute to the discussion again. "And they were most helpful! I'm still very grateful for all his help!"

"Oh don't worry, Eva. You're not the only one who's grateful." Tracey chuckled, watching the tall boy squirm under her gaze. "I remember Theodore here telling me just how much he enjoyed those little Quidditch lessons...especially those times he got behind you on your broom and–"

Tracey's mouth was quickly stuffed with another tart.

"Okaaaaaaay..." Theodore nervously butted in, the blush on his face intensifying as he kept his hand on Tracey's stuffed mouth and as the girl struggled to be freed. "I think it's almost time for our next period!"

Before the students knew it, the first day of classes had ended. Most had crawled back into their common rooms to continue socializing. Most of the professors, too, had retired to their quarters, exhausted from their classes' extra energy that day, seeing as their students suffered from a severe case of vacation-hangover. The professors were more lenient with the amount of chatter they had to put up with on the first day (except of course a certain professor who taught Potions to the insufferable brats).

They did, however, promise to themselves that they would be much stricter the following day (for the sake of their mental healths, really – there was only so much noise they could tolerate before a few objects in the room started to spontaneously combust, and if that did happen, it honestly wouldn't have been a complete accident). And besides, exams were coming up. The students needed to get their heads back in the game.

Some students were still far from retiring to their respective common rooms though. Due to the unfortunate dementor incidents that had taken place quite recently, the school's Quidditch tournament had been abruptly cut short. Therefore, the Quidditch match coming up would be the last one this school year was going to see, and it was coming up soon so it was no surprise that the teams involved were preparing non-stop for it. There was much training to be done.

After their first day of training, most of the Slytherin team headed back to the castle, wiping the sweat from their brows, satisfied with their workout. Eva was still helping Draco put some of their gear away when Tracey waved to let her know she was going ahead, saying something about getting some library work done. Shortly after, Eva spotted Graham Montague running to catch up with her friend.

She chuckled under her breath.

"What's so funny?" Theodore asked, slinging the bag of equipment on his shoulder.

"Just remembered something from lunch."

The tall boy thought for a while before turning a nice shade of red, thinking Eva was recalling how Tracey had teased him at the Great Hall. As a way of changing the topic, he turned to the other blonde who was placing the Quidditch balls into their corresponding cases, struggling a bit with the Bludgers that were constantly moving. "Need any help, mate?"

"No," Draco gruffly answered, successfully locking the cases. The blonde wizard then stood, brushed the dust from his robes and, without another word, walked ahead to deposit the equipment in the storage room.

Theodore and Eva followed slowly behind him.

"Is it just me or is he more quiet than usual?" Eva whispered to the tall boy flanking her.

For once, Theodore had a serious, almost grave look on his face. Eva was actually surprised to see it on the usually carefree boy.

"It's probably nothing," he said, but it didn't sound convincing to the blonde witch's ears.

"Did something happen...?" Eva ventured. "Maybe during the break? He seemed kind of distracted during training, too."

Theodore thought for a moment before replying, "He's probably just anxious about the exams coming up...or the game."

The rest of the walk to the storage room was spent in silence. A faraway look seemed to settle in the tall boy's eyes, leading Eva to think that perhaps he knew more than he was willing to let on. She dropped the topic, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable with her prying questions.

Time passed quickly in school and their trainings grew more rigorous as the day of their match with the Ravenclaw team steadily approached. Draco's temper seemed to get worse, too.

"Oi, Bletchley! Get your head in the game!" Draco scolded after one of their training sessions. "You let far too many Quaffles through the ring today! Don't tell me you're just going to serve us up on a platter come next week!"

Their team's Keeper looked down dejectedly and could only muster a nervous "sorry".

Tracey put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Ease up, Malfoy," she said. "We're all just pretty beat. He did his best."

Draco shook her hand off and sneered. It had actually been a while since anyone saw that on his face. (He had recently just been looking pensive and somewhat irritable.) It was a familiar sight but it wasn't exactly a good one.

"Well his best isn't good enough." The blonde turned back to the Keeper. "Here that, Bletchley? You better improve your focus or so help me god, I will end your Quidditch career prematurely!"

Tracey was never one to back down. Not after all this time.

"Oi! I said ease up! Threatening him's not gonna do any good, you know?" Tracey patted Bletchley on the back and told him to rest up. The poor boy was only too eager to get his things and leave, but only after promising Draco that he'd do better the following day.

Bole and Montague followed the boy out, not really caring to get in the middle of whatever was happening.

When there were only four people left in the pitch, Tracey bravely added, "Besides, he wasn't the only one who seemed out of it today." She sighed and brought her tone down a notch. "No offense, but you've been spacing out more than you care to admit. And you're the captain."

It was true. Everyone was starting to notice. Something was different about the boy. Theodore kept quiet about the matter and maintained that he had no idea what could be troubling his friend (though that was extremely unlikely). And, when questioned, Blaise would just tell them to mind their own business. What was up with those three anyway?

Draco just harrumphed and turned away from the group to pack up.

"If you don't wanna talk about whatever it is that's got your wand in a knot, that's all fine and dandy, but don't take it out on other people." Tracey slung her bag on her shoulder and called for Eva and Theodore to leave with her, but Theodore motioned for the two girls to go on without them.

As Tracey and Eva were leaving the pitch, the blonde glanced back at the boys left behind to see Theodore place a hand on Draco's shoulder and pull him into a loose embrace.

It was four in the morning, and usually, she would have been asleep at that ungodly hour. But seeing as their Quidditch match was coming up, Eva wanted to be in tip-top condition, so she had rediscovered her drive to go jogging in the quietness of the early morning.

It was still cold out, snow barely melting away, so she had bundled herself up, not exactly wishing a repeat of the god-awful cold she had contracted when she had been training for their first Quidditch match.

So much had happened since then. A lot of unfortunate things had happened. But there was also a lot of good mixed in with the bad. She was never going to regret joining the team, of being part of something bigger than herself for once. She relished each day she spent training with her friends (though their Quidditch practices had become somewhat tense lately).

And she sure as hell was going to do her best in her final game.

She was going to do it for her House.

She was going to do it for her team.

And she was going to bloody do it for herself.

To redeem herself from the humiliation of their last match. To prove to anyone that doubted her that she could do it. That she wasn't just wasting her time. That she wasn't just wasting other people's time. That she belonged in her team.

That her parents had been wrong.

Maybe...maybe if she did really well, her parents might reconsider and let her stay another year on the team.

Maybe.

But she quickly shook the thought from her mind. She knew her parents well enough to know that that wouldn't be possible. They wouldn't reconsider their decision a second time and entertaining any hope of them doing otherwise was definitely just rubbing salt on her wounds.

She let her mind wander to other things. The beauty of the school grounds so early in the day. How wonderful it was to be back, and away from the stifling confinement of her home. But also how she missed her friends back home, particularly one blue-eyed and timid little elf.

She passed the Quidditch pitch, thinking of the latest confrontation that had occurred between her pony-tailed best friend and their team captain. What was going on with her fellow blonde anyway? He was acting quite strange, and as much as it made her wonder to think it, she was actually really worried and bothered about it. During class or breaks at the Great Hall, she would often find herself sneaking peeks at him. He kept his eyes straight in class, but she could tell he was far from listening to their professors. Physically present, mentally absent, really.

Sometimes her stares would linger too long and she would observe other things about the boy.

Like how his brows would furrow, then relax, then scrunch right back up again – as if contemplating something. Like how he would randomly drag a hand down his face and rub his temples. Like how he would distractedly dot his parchment with his quill. Like how he would sigh every few minutes. Like how tired he seemed or how alone he looked in a hall full of rowdy students or how he looked like he could use a hug.

Like how long his lashes were. How fair his skin actually was. How neat his hair looked right before he ran a hand through it, making it look slightly disheveled. How soft his hair probably was. How nice his smile looked that day on the train when she told him the good news. How–

Eva quickly shook her head. Where in the world did that come from? She shook her head again and sped up as she tried to ignore the heat that was spreading to her cheeks. She was just worried about the boy, that was it! Nothing else! So why was she thinking of his hair of all things? Of his smile?

It didn't help that her heart was currently thundering against her chest.

"But of course my heart's beating fast...I'm jogging!"

She ended up on the path that led to the Black Lake, and before she could stop the gears in her head from turning, memories of a certain boy and a certain black umbrella on a certain rainy day assaulted her, making her flush a bit more.

Which was why she almost tripped when she saw the lone figure sitting at the lakeside. The lone figure wearing a black hoodie. The lone figure with platinum blonde hair.

He didn't have to turn around for Eva to know that he would be looking at her with serious gray eyes.

She wasn't going to lie. The thought of continuing her morning jogging routine and just pretending she hadn't seen him there briefly crossed her mind. But then she realized, why was she thinking of avoiding him? Why in the world was she getting flustered? And about silly memories, too? This was just Draco. Draco Malfoy. What was she getting so worked up about?

It had taken a long time to get comfortable around him. It had taken a painfully long time. After two threats with her wand, some angry conversations, and some not-so-angry conversations with the boy, they had become friends, had they not?

She was absolutely not going to go back to being awkward around him again.

And just because her brain was being ridiculous at the moment. (She chalked it up to lack of oxygen or exhaustion brought about by her morning exercise.)

So she took a deep breath, then let the air out slowly. That seemed to calm her down.

She approached the boy, who was still staring off into the distance, and smiled.

"We've got to stop meeting like this."

The boy turned to his side, surprise etched onto his features. When he seemed to finally register who had snuck up on him, he simply asked, "What?"

"Nothing." Eva chuckled lightly, now coming to stand beside the boy. "I was just wondering why we couldn't wake up at regular hours like two normal teenagers."

Draco continued to look up at her before finally huffing, lips curling into something that fell between a smile and a smirk.

It was better than nothing, Eva thought. She didn't think twice about voicing it out either.

"That looks better. Hadn't seen a smile on your face in a while." Eva offered a genuine one of her own. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Can't stop you even if I did. I don't own this place," he replied, smirk growing just a tiny bit. "At least not yet."

Eva laughed lightly at that as she took a seat beside the boy, careful not to sit too close so as not to invade any more of his personal space. Being able to joke around with him in his current state was already an accomplishment in itself.

They sat in silence for a while before the witch dared to break it again. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Draco threw her a sidelong glance before sighing (probably for the nth time since he had been there, Eva guessed). The smile-smirk had left his face.

It took perhaps an entire minute for him to answer, and all the while the girl thought that perhaps she shouldn't have intruded on his privacy after all, or perhaps he preferred to be by himself. She was about to give up waiting for an answer and just sit back in (hopefully) companionable silence when he cleared his throat.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh with Bletchley."

The witch weighed his words carefully in her mind and thought for a moment. "We're all anxious about the game. But maybe you could have approached him in a different way."

"I'm not that worried about the game," Draco said, picking up a stray rock near his foot and tossing it into the lake. "We can win the next match. I've got no doubt about it."

Eva had a hard time suppressing a smile. "You have no idea how comforting it is to hear that from our captain." However, there were more pressing matters to discuss. "If it isn't our match you're worried about, then what's been bothering you lately?"

Arms leaning against his bended knees, Draco seemed to tense right back up. She could almost see the metaphorical wall that Draco was quickly putting back up, brick by brick, at her question.

"I know you're probably tired of people asking you if you're okay," she continued. "Especially when you feel like you're anything but. It's just...your friends are worried about you, is all."

When he refused to say anything else, Eva sighed. "I understand if you're not ready to talk about it." She laughed a little in spite of the tense atmosphere. "As silly as it sounds, I was actually just hoping I could play counselor for once."

Draco quirked an eyebrow at her, as if to ask what she was going on about now.

"Well," she continued, hugging her legs to her body in an attempt to stay warm. The wind was starting to pick up and it sent a chill down her spine. Or perhaps it was the boy's stare that made her shiver.

"You've always sort of been there for me...even if you never really meant to be. I can talk to you about things...the kind of things I can't talk about with anyone else. And you've helped me sort through some of them. More than once."

Eva rested her cheek on her knees and looked up at the boy. "I was just kind of hoping that I could return the favor sometime."

They kept their eyes on each other for a moment before Draco looked away. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Eva thought she saw a touch of pink on his pale face.

"Soon," he said.

The smile was back on Eva's lips before she knew it.

"Okay."

They spent the rest of the morning waiting for the dawn.

Draco was considerably less snarky and irritable for the next few days. Eva even overheard him giving Bletchley a rare "good job" and a quick pat on the back during one of their training sessions. This simple recognition boosted their Keeper's spirits significantly and practices seemed to go smoother since then.

She still had no idea what was troubling their team captain, but she had resolved to patiently wait for the day when he would be ready and willing to let her in. That was the least she could do after all.

Soon enough, with their term exams over and done with, the day of their Quidditch match with the Ravenclaw team arrived. Inside their tent, the Slytherin team could feel the vibrations of the drums and trumpets sounding off outside, signaling that it was almost time to step out into the pitch.

Despite Draco's assurance that they "most definitely had it in the bag" and that the Ravenclaws would be "pissing in their trousers and calling for their mums" when they were through with them, Eva still couldn't help feeling like a swarm of butterflies were fluttering about in her stomach. This was going to be her final game after all. She had been waiting for this for weeks now and it was finally here. Her heart was hammering violently against its cage. In all honesty, she felt like throwing up.

She was, however, slightly comforted by the fact that at least this time, she wasn't the only one who had been reduced to a bundle of nerves. Montague, their newest Chaser, was sweating profusely and kept wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

Tracey chuckled and patted his back none too gently. "Relax, Montague! You've got this!"

Theodore laughed as well. "Hey listen, mate. If you score at least a hundred points, Tracey here'll go on a date with you! How about it?"

Tracey then proceeded to strangle the tall boy while Montague continued to look like a tomato.

"Alright, alright," Draco shouted over the noise. "Play time's over, kids!"

Outside, they could hear Lee Jordan announcing their team line-up. It was time.

With a gleam in his eyes and broom clutched tightly in his gloved hand, Draco flashed them one of his most devious smiles.

"Let's go roast us some Ravenclaws!"

Theodore thought he was going to puke any moment now, but he didn't care.

Being tossed up and down by adoring housemates and fans was something he could get used to.

The Slytherin common room had somehow turned into one of Charles Warrington's exclusive and utterly insane parties, complete with Silencing charms to keep the blaring party music and boisterous cheers and laughter from disturbing the outside world, which was, at that particular time, actually sleeping quite peacefully.

It was complete madness in the dungeons.

School robes, banners and streamers were scattered and hanging everywhere. Incredibly forbidden alcoholic beverages occupied almost every solid surface like nobody's business. A large blue doll that resembled a bird was skewered and roasting in the fireplace. Hyped up teenagers were jumping up and down and dancing and snogging, with some skillfully doing all three at once. And every now and then a random Quidditch player was being carried and tossed in the air.

Again, it was madness.

Theodore looked beside him and watched as his blonde best mate was thrown into the air as well. "Having fun yeeeeet?" he shouted, laughing his arse off (and speaking of his arse, one of the people carrying him was getting rather friendly with it, not that it mattered – it's a party after all – woohoo).

Even Draco couldn't pretend he wasn't enjoying himself. And that was all Theodore really wanted, for his best mate to be reacquainted with the word "happy", and for him to at least have a good time before–whoa, okay, whoever was touching his butt was really getting out of hand.

Eva and Tracey laughed merrily from their place by the fire as they watched Theodore try to scurry off the throng of students who had been throwing him around like a ragdoll. He was flushed, but it was probably because of all the drinks that he'd been forced to partake in.

But it wasn't just him who'd had to keep up with the incredible amount of booze at the party. Whenever a student passed them, the two girls would be congratulated and gratefully given a bottle of who knew what. Tracey and Eva would give their thanks, take a sip, grimace (in Eva's case), and push it into the hands of whoever happened to walk by.

Daphne happened to walk by.

"Beetle Berry Whiskey?" she frowned, turning the bottle in her hand. "Sorry, not my taste."

It was, however, quickly grabbed from her by an already inebriated Millicent. "Just what I was looking for!" Slinging a heavy arm around Daphne, the chubby girl took a swig of the beverage and exhaled with a satisfied look on her face. "Ah! That hit the s-spot!"

"I think you've had enough," Tracey chuckled, confiscating the bottle from their friend.

"Y-You were incredible!" Millicent hiccupped, leaning on an increasingly irritated Daphne for support. "T-That Chang swot never saw you c-coming! You showed 'er! You s-showed all those dumb, stupid, dumb Ravencows!"

"Your vocabulary is astounding, Millicent," Daphne huffed, pulling their friend up to stand straighter. "And as much as we would like to hear more witty insults coming from that mouth of yours, I think it's time you did everyone a favor and crashed on your bed."

"I love you too, Greengrass..." the chubby girl chortled as she was promptly escorted back into their room.

"Never thought Millicent could be such a die-hard fan of ours," Tracey shouted over the music before taking a long drink from the whiskey, banging the bottle back down on the table and finally standing from their spot. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's my turn to make a fool out of myself! Exams are over, it's a Friday night...and we bloody woooon!"

Eva laughed as she watched her friend dance and literally bounce off random Slytherins. Within minutes, she was up in the air, her name chanted repeatedly by a group of students.

The blonde witch continued to survey her surroundings with amusement while looking around for her teammates. Graham Montague was being thrown about by a crowd as well. Miles Bletchley was surrounded by some older and very interested girls on the couch and was incredibly red in the face. Even Lucian Bole seemed to be enjoying himself in a corner as he nursed a few bottles of hard liquor with his other buff guy friends.

Today was a good day.

Even with her eyes closed, she could still hear the crowd going wild from the stands when she scored. When Tracey scored. When Montague scored. When Bletchley blocked out the enemy's Quaffle. When Bole and Theodore smacked the Bludgers right at the Ravenclaws. And ultimately, when Draco snagged the snitch just a fraction of a second before Cho Chang could.

Not bad for the last Quidditch match she would ever get to play in her life.

Someone cleared their throat.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting alone over here?"

Eva opened her eyes to stare up at an older boy hovering over her, weight supported by a lean arm against the stone wall. The devastatingly charming smile and gelled chestnut brown hair told her it was Charles Warrington himself who she'd met before the Christmas break, who'd held a party at the Shrieking Shack of all places, and who was hosting the wicked party currently tearing through their common room.

"Oh, forgive me, I see you have company," he joked, pointing to the almost empty bottle of whiskey beside her. "Looks like you can finally hold your liquor, eh?"

Eva chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Something like that."

The smirk on the older boy's face widened as he leaned closer. "You were pretty good holding onto your broom out there," he whispered, voice low, tucking strands of hair away from her face. His fingers lingered on her cheek, actually making Eva cringe internally. "Makes me wonder exactly how good you are with those hands."

"Um."

"Eva, is this guy harassing you?"

The blonde witch could not have been more grateful for Theodore's sudden appearance beside them. The situation was getting increasingly creepy, even if the older boy was just kidding around.

Warrington withdrew his hand from Eva's face to sling an arm around the glaring dark-haired boy, laughing all the while. "Relax, Nott! Just having some fun! And speaking of having fun..."

Warrington pulled the witch up from the couch only to push her into the arms of the dark-haired boy.

"W-What are you–"

"It's a party, Nott!" Warrington continued to laugh. "Go show your friend a good time!"

And before the two younger students could say anything, they were shoved right into the throng of students who were dancing like there was no tomorrow.

They just stood there awkwardly, getting jostled by the people around them, before Theodore heard the blonde chuckle. "He's right," she said, smiling up at him. "It's a party after all...so let's dance!"

Theodore watched in awe as the blonde witch jumped up and down, in time with the upbeat music, raising one arm up and cheering with the rest of the crowd just as the party lights started to flash on and off repeatedly.

It was like looking at a series of still pictures of the blonde every other second the party lights flashed back on. It was mesmerizing.

"Come on!" she shouted gleefully.

And just how could he resist?

Before he knew it, everyone in the room seemed to be jumping with them as one body of sweaty, drunk teenagers, the ground shaking considerably – it was amazing no one had come to bust them yet. Everyone seemed to get lost to the music, the beats thundering right through their systems. Every now and then, someone would pass a bottle of something and he and Eva would take a swig and pass it on, the heat in their faces intensifying with every minute.

Just in case anyone was still wondering, it was madness.

But perhaps a little madness was just what everyone needed.

Seeing his best mates, Draco and Blaise, on the other side of the room dancing along with the crowd, scowls completely gone from their somewhat flushed faces, convinced him of just that.

Those two seriously needed a break.

Well, he needed a break, too.

While there were still breaks to be had.

Before their time ran out.

Before shit officially hit the fan.

But no, he wasn't going to think about that now.

Not when the girl he'd had his eye on was dancing right in front of him with abandon. Not when some particularly rowdy students had accidentally bumped Eva right into him. Not when she didn't look like she cared in the slightest, nor made a move to step away. Not when she was laughing and wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.

Oh Merlin, this was happening, wasn't it?

Sure, it was probably the alcohol making her clingier than usual, but damn it all, beggars couldn't be choosers.

He wasn't sure how many hours had passed since he had his arms around the blonde as they bounced around together to club music, but now, the music was reduced to a low thrumming sound, the lights were dimmed considerably, and the throng of partygoers had long dispersed (some retiring to the privacy of their respective rooms while some opted to just crash on the common room couches or wherever seemed comfortable enough – the cold and sticky dungeon floor curiously being one of those places).

Looking around the place (with some degree of difficulty – his mind still felt quite fuzzy), he wasn't sure how they could possibly clean up all the mess they'd made before an outsider discovered the horrific state their common room was in.

Their friends were nowhere to be seen, though a couple of their housemates had crashed in almost every nook and cranny of the place.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been cuddled up on the couch nearest the fireplace, where the large blue doll had become a pile of ash.

And looking down at his chest, at the soft platinum blonde hair resting there, he realized he bloody sure as hell could not for the life of him remember how he managed to have Eva sleeping comfortably and peacefully in his arms, a blanket bundling them up together in a cocoon of warmth.

He blamed it on the alcohol.

He wasn't really sure how they'd gotten into that position. Couldn't remember for the life of him.

But thank his lucky stars, he bloody did.

He's not gonna lie. He was entertaining a great many thoughts about what he could have been doing in that situation, especially when she kept moving around trying to get more comfortable in his arms, making those cute little sounds. And if it had been any other girl with him at that moment, like the ones he'd dated before, he'd probably be doing almost all the things he'd listed down in his head. And with no regrets whatsoever.

But seeing as it was this particular girl that was with him now, even through the alcohol-induced haze that was fogging up his brain, he knew he just couldn't–no, wouldn't–do any of those things that could potentially destroy their precious friendship.

But.

Doing just one thing out of the list of things he could do...

...wouldn't be so bad, now would it?

He stared at the girl with hooded eyes. He stared at how her chest would slowly rise and fall in time with her breathing. How her long lashes rested on her colored cheeks. How her pink lips were parted slightly in sleep.

It wouldn't be so bad of him to do just one thing...right?

Careful not to wake the girl, Theodore lifted one shaky hand to gently tuck strands of her fair hair behind an ear. He could feel his heart thundering against his chest, palms getting sweaty, resolve slowly melting away with the heat he could feel crawling up his neck.

"Just this one thing…just this once…"

Slowly, slowly, slowly so as not to wake the girl, Theodore bent down. The last things he saw were those beautiful, soft pink lips, before he finally closed his eyes.

And before he could think twice about it, he kissed her.

Yes, kissed her.

Right on the forehead.

And he was smiling like a goof and pulling back when the girl started to slowly open her eyes. Glazed mercurial orbs stared up at his dark green ones.

And for a moment, Theodore panicked, quickly thinking of an excuse to give to explain why in the world he was kissing his friend while she was asleep. But the girl was smiling drowsily up at him and was hugging him even tighter, that it threw him off. And finally, in a soft voice, she said, "Teddy."

"W-What?" he asked, feeling her burrow deeper into his arms.

"So soft and warm," she replied, yawning and closing her eyes again. "Just like a Teddy...can I call you that?"

Normally, Theodore detested being given childish or feminine nicknames (like his best mates would often call him when they were in the mood for some teasing). But somehow "Teddy" didn't seem so bad. In fact, hearing the name escape her lips sent a warm, tingly sensation right through his chest.

The feeling wasn't so bad.

"Okay," he said, though she had fallen back asleep.

That day was a really good day.

The walk up the spiral staircase leading to the Astronomy Tower should have been an enjoyable one considering the incredible view they got of the school grounds beneath them. Unfortunately, it was spent trying to endure all the sniggering and catcalling and teasing that came from Eva's loud and incredibly obnoxious housemates.

Theodore, who was walking a ways behind her, was red from the neck up and was constantly telling them to "shut the hell up".

Ever since the two of them had woken up to horrible headaches, snuggled up to each other on a couch and with a crowd of gushing students gathered around them in the common room, they had become quite the topic for gossip within their House, but just within their House (what happened in Warrington's Slytherin parties, stayed in Warrington's Slytherin parties because, really, no one wanted to deal with the consequences of a prefect or professor finding out about their House's shenanigans and having all their points taken away with a flick of a wand).

And really she was mortified, not even remembering how in the world things had ended up that way. But she was still somewhat thankful that at least she had ended up crashing with a close friend that she trusted enough to not take advantage of the situation.

In fact, she was grateful enough to let the tall boy know her sentiments. Curiously though, he had turned a disturbingly deep shade of red and had avoided the topic altogether.

Students from other Houses just looked at the Slytherins inquisitively and with a touch of irritation from the commotion they were making. And really, it was ridiculous. It had been three days since that insane party, but the teasing had not let up in the least. Other students woke up in more compromising positions, too, so why were she and Theodore getting all the flak?

Eva felt like flinging herself off the Astronomy tower in shame. Hopefully the fall would disfigure her in such a way that no one would ever be able to recognize her extremely embarrassed corpse.

She was never going to touch alcohol again.

Never. Ever. Again.

Once they reached the tower, however, the class seemed to settle down as the ever serious and strict Professor Sinistra started her discussion on constellations and their relevance to the use of higher levels of magic.

Eva was peering through her telescope and admiring the stars of Orion when she felt someone elbow her.

"Do I even want to know what happened last Friday?" Tracey asked, looking into her own telescope. Eva could see that she was forcing back a smile.

She sighed, jotting some notes down on her parchment. "I couldn't even tell you what happened even if I wanted to." Eva looked into her telescope again. "At least it was Theodore I woke up to and not some creep..."

Eva heard a spluttering sound beside her and turned to see Tracey pink in the face and holding back her laughter.

"Not you, too," the blonde whined, feeling her own face heat up from embarrassment.

"Sorry," Tracey chuckled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's just too funny."

Eva harrumphed. "Nothing happened, of course."

"Too bad."

The blonde's brows furrowed in confusion but she decided to ignore her friend's statement. "I just wish people would hurry up and move on already. Why are they making such a big fuss about it? I mean, we're just really good friends!"

The pony-tailed girl shook her head and sighed, as if out of pity. "Of course, you are."

It wasn't just Tracey bugging her about it, too. Every now and then Millicent threw some lewd jokes her way, with Daphne and Pansy shooting her what appeared to be looks of disappointment. Theodore was pointedly distancing himself from her, and although Eva was a bit bothered by it, she figured it was for the best, at least until the gossip blew over.

In all fairness, it had been the most interesting Astronomy class yet.

After a few minutes of stargazing and taking down notes, Professor Sinistra instructed the class to pair up for their next activity.

Pansy and Daphne were automatically partners, so Millicent grabbed Tracey without a second thought. The pony-tailed girl mouthed an apology as she was dragged rather unwillingly away from the blonde.

Eva looked around the room for someone to partner with, but it looked like almost everyone had found someone already. She spotted the trio, Theodore, Draco and Blaise who seemed to be discussing how to partner up. But once she made eye contact with the tall boy, he immediately blushed and pulled Blaise with him to the other side of the room, nervously laughing and scratching his head.

Which means...

Eva approached her fellow blonde, who seemed to have the same idea as her. "Mind being partners?"

Draco harrumphed, folding his arms. "Not like we have a choice."

He sounded a bit testy, but she let it go thinking he probably wanted to pair up with Blaise anyway, just like she'd hoped to pair up with Tracey.

The two blondes therefore set their telescopes up beside each other and started to fill in the star chart provided by their professor for their activity.

Draco's mood didn't seem to get any better though.

"Oi," the boy gruffly said as Eva started to plot some stars on the parchment. "Consult with me first before you start writing on that!"

The girl looked at him, then back at their chart, then back at him. "Did I make a mistake?"

Draco glanced at the chart, made a "tsk" sound, but went back to gazing through his telescope. "No."

After a while, he started to complain that they should have used a different layout and scale to make more efficient use of the space on the chart. So, with a flick of their wand, their star chart went blank again and they started over.

After a few more minutes, Draco grumbled that his telescope was due for retirement and that he couldn't believe the tuition fee his father was paying was going to purchasing such "shoddy, low-class" equipment. When Eva offered her own telescope which seemed to be working just fine, he simply continued to grumble that her telescope probably wasn't going to be any better than his.

Eva really would have preferred to let his bad temper pass, especially since she knew that he was going through something, but seeing as the people in the tower were slowly dwindling (the students who had finished their work were allowed to leave early) and seeing as their star chart wasn't even half-filled in, AND seeing as it was getting colder and colder by the minute and she had unfortunately left her scarf in her room, she instead felt the need to put her foot down.

"I know this is probably painfully obvious," she said, sighing and setting her quill down on their table. "But you seem to be in a really bad mood." She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to preserve whatever warmth was left in her body. "I know you're not ready to talk about whatever it is that's bugging you, but if we keep working like this, we'll end up having to camp out up here."

Draco raised a brow at her and frowned. "You probably wouldn't mind if you were partnered with Nott, now would you?"

Eva blinked. She was not expecting that question from him at all.

"What?"

"You heard me," he brusquely replied. He tried to adjust his telescope, cursing at the equipment as he did.

"Oh my god," Eva groaned, running a hand down her face in exasperation. "Look, I just want to finish our work so we can get back to the dorms and warm up because it is freezing up here."

Draco shot her a sidelong glance, frown still set in place. "You mean, warm up in front of the fire. On the couch. With Nott."

In case anyone was wondering, that was pretty much the last straw.

Eva wedged herself between Draco and his telescope, arms crossed and an indignant look on her face.

"Okay, people need to stop with that," she huffed, staring straight at the boy who looked mildly startled. "Theodore and I are just friends. I honestly have no idea how we got into that position, and I would really like to blame the alcohol and my low tolerance for it. So please get those weird ideas about us out of your head because it's getting ridiculous real fast."

"So...nothing happened then?"

Eva could have rolled her eyes. "Of course nothing happened."

The two blondes stared at each other for a moment, neither of them willing to turn away, before the corner of the boy's lips seemed to tug upwards. His shoulders shook and, to Eva's surprise, he started to chuckle.

"Just friends, huh? Alright, alright," he said, sitting down on their bench. A genuine smile was on his face and it immediately chased the girl's irritation away. "You really need to watch yourself around alcohol, Bellator."

Eva couldn't help the smile that crawled back onto her face. "Agreed."

Their pair work went smoother after that. Draco stopped complaining about every little thing and Eva was reminded of just how good and capable of a partner the boy could be. By the time they had filled up most of their star chart, however, the only other pair that was with them had high-fived and gone back down, leaving the two blondes at the tower, fingers beginning to grow numb from the cold.

"Achoo!"

Eva excused herself, wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

"What are you doing going out in this weather without a scarf anyway?" Draco asked as he drew a line from one point to the next on their chart with the help of a straightedge. "You looking to get sick again?"

He glanced at her fleetingly to see her nose, cheeks and even the top of her ears had turned pink from the cold.

The girl sniffed, turning away from her telescope to sit down with him on the bench. "Just forgot it. No big deal."

Eva pulled their parchment towards her to plot two more stars. When she had finished, she was surprised to have her vision obstructed by dark green fabric passing in front of her face, only to settle warmly around her neck. The boy beside her fixed the scarf in place before pulling their star chart back to him to continue the work.

She saw the skin of his neck before he flapped his collar up to cover it.

"Y-You don't have to..." she stammered.

"No," he replied, turning his head away from her. "No, I don't. But just accept it anyway."

She thought she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks but realized he was probably just cold like her.

Eva nodded almost imperceptibly. The scarf was soft and still held warmth from the previous body it had been on. And it smelled just like him, too. She didn't know why, but those observations made her face feel hot despite the cold winds blowing through the tower.

"Then," she quietly said, holding onto the scar with both hands. "Can I return the favor now?"

She wasn't looking at the boy but she heard his scribbling stop. Then he placed his quill beside hers on the table and sighed.

"Merlin, you're persistent," he huffed, though he didn't sound put off.

Draco swung his long legs around on their bench to lean back on the table and face one of the humungous windows in the tower. He kept silent as he looked up at the starry sky. Eva stayed in her position on the bench, folding her arms on the table in front of her and resting her head on them. She waited patiently.

"Humor me," he started. "You ever feel like you've run out of choices in life? Like you've got nowhere else to go. Like you're stuck and the only thing left to do is walk the path that's been laid for you."

Eva turned to stare at the boy. Was this what he was worrying about all this time?

She turned his question around in her head and her thoughts immediately went to the people who had indeed made her feel that way at some point in her life, the same people who had an incredible amount of control over her: her parents. But she didn't give an answer. She sensed that the boy didn't really need one at the moment.

"Well, I've hit a dead end, and pretty hard, too." Draco smirked, but it looked like it pained him to do so. "Worst part is there's no turning back."

He breathed out a humorless laugh. "I'm not making any sense, I know. I probably sound ridiculous, too."

"No," Eva finally answered. "You don't."

He glanced at her before looking back up at the night sky. "Honestly, as much as I hate being a cryptic bastard, I can't say much right now...except that everything is fucking ridiculous. Our society. This school. My family. My life. Me. I'm ridiculous. I'm a fucking joke."

"Why?" was all she could ask.

The boy bent over on the bench, hands clenched into fists on his lap. "Because I can't do anything. Can't do anything to change things. Can't do anything to help myself. Worst part is there's no turning back. Worst part is I'm running out of time."

"Time for what?"

Draco kept quiet at that.

After a moment, Eva spoke up. "I wish I could help you...I really do." She swung her legs around the bench to face the same direction as the boy. "I wish I knew more about your situation so that I could do something, anything to help."

"There's nothing to be done," he said solemnly. "But I'll let you in on a little secret, since you're so persistent." He looked at her this time and the look in his steely eyes made Eva's heart feel like it had just been torn in two.

"I'm going to need to do things in the not so distant future," he continued. "And you're going to hate me for it."

Eva was taken aback by the boy's words. It took her a while to process them because, really, how in the world could she ever hate the boy beside her? The boy who had easily become one of her closest friends? What could he be talking about? She wanted to voice these questions out, she really did, but she knew she wouldn't be getting an answer. Not at that moment anyway.

"So now do you regret returning the favor?" he asked, bitterly laughing.

"I don't," Eva answered. And she really didn't. "At the risk of sounding ridiculous myself, I'm happy you let me in...even just a tiny bit. Even if I don't understand much. Even if I can't do anything to help at the moment."

"You don't," Draco replied. "Sound ridiculous, I mean."

"The truth is," the girl continued. "After everything we've been through, I don't understand how I could ever hate you, Draco." With a smile, she added, "I mean, if you had told me all this during the first month of school, I probably would have believed you."

Draco couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his mouth at the memory of their legendary fight that felt like something from years ago, though really only a few months had passed since then. They really had been through a lot.

"You worry about the future and I somehow get that," Eva said, folding her hands in her lap. "I mean, who isn't worried about their future? But I think if you let this worry overwhelm everything else, aren't you sacrificing the happiness that you could be having now?"

Eva turned to the boy to see him deep in thought, so she took this as a sign to continue.

"If you feel like you're running out of time before what you dread comes and hits you like a ton of bricks, then...I don't know...shouldn't you be making the most out of the time you have left? I mean...instead of being miserable about it everyday?"

She was still met with silence, so the girl mustered the courage to say the next thing on her mind.

"And...you know...if you ever feel like it's getting too overwhelming...I'll always be around to offer my counseling services. For free."

When the boy continued to sit quietly, Eva started to feel a bit self-conscious.

"I'm sorry...my advice sounds so general...probably sounds cliché, too. But it's all I can offer for now."

Finally, the boy sighed and cracked a slight smirk. "I'll take what I can get."

"And I just want to throw it out there again: I know for a fact I won't ever hate you!"

"Don't go making promises just yet," Draco huffed, but amusement was now coloring his features.

"I'm serious!" Eva exclaimed as earnestly as she could. "So...if you ever need to just talk...don't hesitate to come to me."

The smirk on the boy's face widened a bit, the distant look in his eyes temporarily gone.

"I'll have to take you up on your offer sometime."

Draco then stood, picked up his things along with their star chart and rolled the latter up. "Alright, that's enough feelings for one night. Let's get this to Professor Sinistra. My arse is starting to freeze up here."

Eva quickly grabbed her belongings and followed him down the stairs.

"Besides," Draco turned to the girl, a smug first-rate grin on his face. "Nott's probably feeling lonely by the fireplace."

"You know what, I changed my mind," Eva laughed. "I do hate you."

A/N: Shit. I can't believe it's been more than 2 years since my last update. I've been a complete and utter asshole...and for that I apologize. You're probably sick of my excuses. I'm sorry. It's just been difficult trying to balance working while studying. Equally difficult to get back into writing fiction after a long period of just being a work-and-no-play zombie.

But I never forgot this story. Though it seems I had. For that, I AM TRULY SORRY.

I wouldn't be surprised if some people stopped following this (2 years is a damn long time), but for those who still do and for those who had been waiting for an update, I thank you from the bottom of my bleeding heart for not giving up on this.

I hope this chapter makes up for my unnecessarily long absence and for the lack of Draco/TheoxEva fluff. The party scene in the Slytherin common room (lol) was written listening to Avicii's "Levels" on loop! I suggest reading that section with this (or other club music) playing in the BG. Just makes things more fun. Wee.

The upcoming chapters are ones I have been dyiiiing to write. New characters, more romance/jealousy/tension, etc. Theo gets more proactive (where Eva is concerned). Romance, romance, romaaaance! Squee.

4th year is going to be THE shit.

Again, thank you so much for the support! And no, I won't be abandoning this. I owe the people who may still appreciate my work at least that much.