"I still do not understand why we are doing this," Draco said softly.
"Because we must learn how much he knows and how he does," Lucius said quietly, giving his son a stern look. "Now, please, do not interfere. You can tolerate this for a short period of time."
It was the next day and Lucius had received a reply the night prior from Evan. He had agreed to meet them and it would be held in a private room at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Lucius and Narcissa had gone earlier to get Draco and they went to the nice tavern in the village near the school. Upon entering, Madam Rosmerta, the proprietress of the Three Broomsticks, had greeted them professionally and taken them to the private room.
Evan was already there and was wearing very neat dress robes. They were black and trimmed in dark green and he smiled and bowed to Lucius and Narcissa, surprising them and Draco. "Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy," he said with a polite tone. "It is nice to meet you in person."
"Thank you," Lucius said, taking the offered hand and shaking it politely with his wife doing the same. They sat at the table within the room and a house elf appeared to serve food and pour out cups of tea.
"The food and drink were prepared by the establishment," Evan said without preamble. "Feel free to check in any manner you wish."
"I am sure that will not be completely necessary," Narcissa said pointedly.
Evan's smile became a grin. "I also am sure. And to further show," he took a bite of a sandwich and sipped his tea, "that you have nothing to worry about." He sat and continued to grin as Narcissa and Lucius also took a bite and a sip for the food. After watching him sit there unmoving for another moment, Lucius gave Draco a look and the young man also ate and drank.
"There, the mutual guest rites," Evan said after Draco finished his bite and sip. "We all agree to follow the rules of propriety and act as guests in a neutral location."
Lucius smiled thinly. "You are knowledgeable in protocols, Mister Potter."
"It's better to know the rules so you know what they are when you break them," Evan said back pleasantly, adding more sugar to his tea and taking a healthy sip. "That and knowing your enemy and how they operate."
"And are we enemies?" Lucius asked mildly.
"Not right now," Evan said honestly, making Draco bristle. Lucius continued to smile politely.
"Were we?" Lucius asked. "If rumor is correct, you are from the future and a different plane."
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Evan asked. He finished a sandwich and looked at Lucius and Narcissa directly. "Shall we abandon pretense and treat each other as competent individuals?"
"That would be refreshing," Narcissa said while Lucius snorted genteelly.
Evan's posture relaxed slightly. "To answer your question, yes. Yes I am from a different time and plane. It was a few more years in the future from now and the world I left was a very different place." He made direct eye contact with Lucius. "And you and I were enemies because you served the mad bastard that was trying to kill me as well as do his best to ruin everything because of his rather substantial inferiority complex."
Lucius coughed and looked at Evan with cautious disapproval. "I do not know-"
"I thought we were going to treat each other as competent individuals," Evan interrupted politely. "You served Voldemort. You still might. You know he's not completely dead, don't lie."
Lucius opened his mouth and closed it abruptly. Narcissa stared at him while Draco looked back and forth as if he were at a tennis match.
"Don't worry, I have very strong and complete privacy charms around us," Evan said with amusement.
Lucius stared at Evan for a moment. "So what if I did, that does not mean I serve him now," he said cautiously.
"Good, because if you were, I'd kill you here and now," Evan said pleasantly, making Lucius start and Draco glare. "But you're not, so that changes things." He grinned slyly. "Have you explained how your father died yet?"
"No," Lucius said coldly.
"I'm happy to do it if you would rather," Evan said magnanimously.
Lucius hissed with frustration before he looked at his wife and son. "He did have dragonpox," he said with dignity. "That is no lie. But…he did not die from it."
"You said it was the Taste of Greed," Draco said, staring at Evan. "What is that?"
"He…drank molten gold," Lucius said slowly, making Narcissa gasp and Draco's eyes widen. "Molten hot gold. As you might imagine, it is not generally a survivable experience. Not without considerable preparation."
"Why did he do that?!" Draco cried.
Lucius shifted uneasily. "He was forced to."
"Basically your grandfather was tired of playing second fiddle to Voldemort and tried to blackmail him," Evan said, making the Malfoys stare at him. "Tom, took offense, and decided to give him his blackmail by pouring it down his throat and killing him that way. He also did it in front of all of his followers to prove a point."
Lucius closed his eyes to blot out the memory of watching his father die from having melted bubbling gold forced down his throat slowly. He could still remember the expression of shock on Abraxas' face. The gurgled muffled screams, the smell of burning flesh.
"Why?" Draco whispered, horrified.
"Because Tom Riddle is a Halfblood," Evan said plainly. "The son of a Muggle father and a witch mother. He pretended to be a Pureblood to rally followers and to start a campaign of intolerance and hate. Abraxas didn't like that and tried to extort Tom to keep his silence."
"How did you know of this?" Lucius asked, opening his eyes.
"We dug through your burned out manor," Evan said and the Malfoys gasped. "A lot of things were destroyed but plenty of old journals and records were found."
"So you took your revenge then in your time?" Lucius asked, face hard.
"No, that was after Tom got tired of you and your incompetence. He decided to make an example of you as a warning," Evan said without heat or embellishment. "It was a bad death."
"But, if Father was a loyal servant, why would he do that?" Draco asked with disbelief.
"Because Riddle is a crazy idiot that lashes out and punishes people for perceived sleights and failure," Evan snorted. "He's not a leader. He's a madman and rules through fear and cruelty. He doesn't think Purebloods are superior. He thinks he's superior and everyone else exists at his whim. Everyone is expendable to him."
He looked at Lucius. "You know I'm right. I've heard stories of how the First War was ending and how insane he was becoming. Changing plans, growing more erratic towards the end. More heartless."
Lucius said nothing, staring at Evan silently.
"The thing was, you lot were doing fine for a bit," Evan said, sitting back. "Had the Ministry wrapped up under his control, on the surface things looked good, legitimate. But he wasn't getting what he wanted fast enough. He was losing prestige, reputation. He grew more impatient and started punishing people harshly for the smallest infractions."
He looked at Draco. "After the second time you failed to kill me, he decided to kill her." He looked sadly at Narcissa who paled and Lucius groaned. "Very publicly too. Called her a traitor and did it for all to see and barely anyone made a fuss."
"I would not allow that!" Draco shouted. "Neither would Father!"
"But you both did," Evan said. "Then you failed another task and died because of it. And Tom decided to make Lucius watch as he tarnished his name and reputation in front of everyone and burned down his manor and legacy."
"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Lucius asked softly, eyes piercing. "For all we know, this is all lies and manipulation."
"You don't," Evan nodded agreeably. "You only have my word that I'm not lying." He flexed his right hand. "For the record, I'm not lying. Also, I could have easily come after you the moment I got back and let's be honest, while the Malfoy name is one to be wary of, there really aren't many who'd come running to your defense. Agreements to ally aren't the same as actual allies after all."
"Why are you telling us all of this?" Narcissa asked, cutting her son and husband off. "Why not use the information against us? Bend us to your will?"
"I'm not about that," Evan said frankly. "I'll tell you what I've told others. I have three goals here. Ensure Harry has a good life and is protected, the other Harry. Kill Tom Riddle and anyone that's working with him." He smiled at Lucius' flinch. "And finally, win the TriWizard on my merits."
He opened his arms. "I'm not here to influence others or any of that nonsense. As long as my goals are accomplished how I want them, then that's it. That's all I care about. I just want to take advantage of my second chance here and make sure things go well for as many people as possible."
"Things really do end that poorly?" Lucius asked quietly.
"You were at the top of a pile of ashes for a bit," Evan said. "Until you became a part of the ashes."
Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other.
"In the interests of brevity and the continuation of treating you like competent individuals, I will tell you how we can do this," Evan continued. He opened his right hand, holding it flat. "You work with me, I ignore all that you did in the past. We work together, and when I win, we can continue to have a mutually beneficial relationship where we all get some if not most of what we want. That doesn't mean I'm going to partake in your Pureblood agenda at all, but as long as you're decent, so am I. I don't forget the people that work with me."
He opened his left hand. "Or, you don't actively work against me and I leave you alone. As long as you don't endanger any of my goals, I won't bother with you. Maybe that'll change in the future, maybe not."
He clenched his hands and made direct eye contact with Lucius. "You actively work against me, you keep serving Voldemort when he makes contact with you, you try to hurt me and mine, I kill you. I burn your manor down past the foundations. I make sure everyone knows everything and tarnish your name for eons." His smile was sharp and cold. "Your bad faith will be truly forsaken."
Narcissa and Draco shuddered and Lucius stared at Evan, his heart pounding. He frowned. "You are the reason there has been change in the Ministry. You and Skeeter, you are working together."
"No one said you weren't clever," Evan said with ungrudging admiration. He looked at Narcissa. "I'm also working with Sirius on this, and Andromeda. They're aware of a lot. Not everything."
Narcissa turned wistful for a moment. Her expression went still and she looked at him once more. "I suspect you still have information that could sway our opinion."
"It's possible," Evan said. "I'm doing my best not to give information freely if it would influence things too much. But certain questions, well, I could be convinced to answer."
"How did he kill me?" Narcissa asked without fear or reservation.
Evan looked at her with clear respect while Lucius and Draco looked at her with horror. Evan looked down at his teacup and stirred it lightly with a spoon. He then held his spoon over the top of his cup, watching the drops of tea slowly fall back down, sending ripples over the surface. "Voldemort loves to use people's greatest fears against them, or delight in killing them with what they wanted most."
He looked back at her while the drops of tea continued to fall. "He made you die to your fear."
Narcissa stared at the falling drops and shivered. She smiled wanly when Lucius took her hand, growing surprised when Draco took the other but she clenched both with sudden strength and desperation. She looked at Lucius and nodded.
Lucius took a deep breath and looked at Evan. "Your terms?"
Evan smiled. "You tell me anything and everything about your old fellow Death Eaters, especially the ones that are still around and unpunished, and I pass it along to the authorities. You become informants and will be protected. As far as past crimes, maybe an arrangement can be made about them. If Tom or his followers reach out to you, ignore them and tell me instead."
Lucius nodded. "Easily done."
"I won't keep you from playing the game. But if you can be less of an arsehole about Muggles and Muggleborns and things like that, I'd appreciate it. You have to know by now that some things are more important." He chuckled at Lucius' grimace and turned to Narcissa. "Bellatrix was given something, something important. Much like Lucius was given the diary." He held his hand up to cut off Lucius' inevitable protest.
"I believe so," Narcissa said, also choosing not to deny either allegation. "A cup I believe? She has it in her personal vault."
"Work with Sirius and Andromeda and get me that cup. It's important," Evan said.
"Done," Narcissa said without hesitation.
Evan looked at Draco who flinched slightly. "Don't fuck with me or get in my way. You want to mess with Harry? Keep it to annoying school nonsense. I won't fight his battles in this and the stuff you two get into can be ignored as simple school bullshit. But rein it back some."
Draco looked at his parents, at his mother, and then looked back at Evan. "I will try," he said through gritted teeth.
"Then that's that. In return, I'll vouch for you to the DMLE and if you need help from me, depending on what it is, I'll give it." Evan offered a hand. After a moment, Lucius took it and they shook.
"Not going to lie, thought that would be a lot harder," Evan said with a cheery smile. "Not complaining at all mind."
"Your recent exploits during the First Task lends some weight to your claims," Lucius said dryly.
"Then I will continue to try and impress," Evan said. He rose from the table and made an elegant leg to the Malfoys. "Thank you for the meeting. It was mutually beneficial and I am glad for it."
"Why are you doing all this?" Draco asked, giving Evan a confused look. "You go from one…attitude to another without any sort of consistency. You act as if you are proper Society one moment, then you are completely inane the other."
"It's about sincerity," Evan said, turning serious. "I respect what the Malfoys are, what you and your family represent. Just because I normally don't act the way Society does, doesn't mean I don't see its value and its place. So I have no problem meeting you at your terms to show how sincere I am taking you, and that shows how I respect what I say and mean."
He looked at Narcissa. "Andromeda misses you. So does Sirius in his way."
"I do as well," she whispered.
"Then take this chance to see if there's anything to mend," Evan said kindly. He smiled broadly. "And don't fuck it up this time," he added less kindly.
Draco bristled at that but Narcissa snorted richly. "I will take that under advisement. Thank you, Lord Potter."
"I'm no lord," Evan said, giving her a look.
"Perhaps you should not act like one then," she replied.
Evan snorted and left, leaving the Malfoys alone in the room.
"Why did we agree to this?" Draco asked but in his usual way. It was more calm, less filled with indignation. More curious and genuine.
"That man is dangerous," Lucius said seriously. "Better the dragon you see than the dragon you do not. He has information that none should know. He knows what could happen and is actively working to change it. He has thrown so many things into chaos just by being here and by acting. There is a chance that the Dark Lord could best him, but it is so slim of one, I would not like to bet on it. I rather stay on Potter's good side and ensure our legacy."
His expression chilled. "He was not wrong. The Dark Lord grew more erratic towards the end of the war. Not even the ones that served him were safe from his moods. It was perilous to be with him and against him. With Potter, we know how we stand. We can remain in his good graces, continue to prosper as we are, and most importantly, live."
His expression became calculating. "I honestly do not know who would win. The Dark Lord at his peak, or Lord Potter."
"He's that powerful?" Draco gasped.
"And intelligent," Narcissa said. "He is playing the game well. I will not go against him." She rose to her feet. "I will contact Siri and Andi now and will work with them to get into Bella's vault and get the item he wishes." She turned to Draco and gave him a stern look. "You will not endanger us, do you understand? Heed his words and do not antagonize him. And be mindful how far you try Harry Potter."
"Yes Mother," Draco said with a hint of sulk.
"We have been given a second chance," Lucius said, looking at Draco. "I doubt we would survive to obtain a third."
-0-
Despite the wind and falling snow, there were a few people outside in the elements. People flew over the newly restored Quidditch pitch, showing that Quidditch players were their own breed of people that were willing to fly in such weather. Others sat at the stands and chatted while watching their friends and housemates play. More than a few sat at the lowest level by the ground, watching another form of sport being played.
Dean and others had asked Evan how he made the Godzilla model and how it worked. Evan had happily taught them a scaled down version and now many had made smaller scale models of their favorite kaiju and monsters and they routinely fought each other in small contests. It was a growing thing and McGonagall and Flitwick had been delighted by the rising interest in transfiguration and charms spells being used together to animate the small models and had helped as well. A circle of students watched and cheered as a small dragon fought a small turtle kaiju in a ring they drew.
Evan was sitting on the ground on a conjured pillow, leaning against the stands comfortably. He was discussing magical theory and practice with Hermione while petting Wisteria and Hedwig who fluffed in his lap.
"I still can't believe that you took books and media and distilled them into a solution for the models," she said.
"Hey, it works. They don't act as well if you skip that step," he replied.
"It doesn't make sense though."
"Doesn't it? It's like following a potion recipe."
She frowned. "How so?"
"Why do you use a sopophorous bean?"
"Because its juices have anesthetic and sleep-inducing properties," Hermione said without hesitation.
"Right. So if you make a Draught of Peace or Living Death, they won't work without it, right?"
"Right."
"So it's just like that. If you don't have the essence of Godzilla, then the model won't be Godzilla."
"But you're putting in pages of a comic or a book into the magical solution," she argued.
"And? It's an ingredient. I intend the solution to provide the source of the animus for Godzilla, and that is the distilled form of it. If there was a Godzilla bean that did the same thing, then I'd use that." He smiled as both Hedwig and Wisteria cheeped at him when he stopped petting them for a moment and resumed, enjoying how they plumped up and cooed happily.
"So if I were to take the recipe for a sleeping potion, distill it down, add it to a solution, it could become a sleeping potion in its own way?" she asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. Might be worth trying that actually," Evan mused.
"It doesn't work, that was rhetorical," she sighed. "Because I tried it after you said what you did for Godzilla."
"Oh well there you go." He grinned at her annoyance. "Hermione, this is magic. Magic doesn't always make sense."
"Well it should," she replied, smiling despite said annoyance at the face of his good cheer.
"Magic is not logical," Evan intoned with a straight face and serious tone. He grinned again at her snort and smile. "Just think that you're instilling the essence of the model into the model itself so that it will model the model's nature. Like when a person puts on a mask to pretend to be said mask subject for a costume."
"I know what you did there," she laughed. "I've watched enough Star Trek to understand that."
"I thought you'd love Star Trek," Evan said. "There's so much logic and science and process to it." He peered at her when she looked away. "No, you're more of a Star Wars fan?! Love it. Actually that makes more sense."
"How so?" she asked, frowning at him,
"Knights in space, laser swords, action." He fluttered his eyelashes. "Romance. All of those things are what Hermione Granger values most."
"Wow, you're good at winding Hermione up," Ron said as he and Harry landed and walked over. They watched as Hermione threw handfuls of snow at Evan who was laughing before she shrieked when Wisteria and Hedwig flew at her in retaliation, barking at her and gently tugging her hair with their beaks.
"It's fun," Evan smiled, wiping snow off his face.
"You're like an annoying older brother," Hermione sniffed, unsuccessfully stifling a smile as she shook a hand at the two cackling snowy owls who flapped back to Evan looking quite pleased with themselves.
"Good catch," Evan said and Harry preened. "You got Ced good this time."
"Snow and wind are a whole lot better than storm and Dementors," Harry said wryly.
A murmur caught their attention and everyone turned to look at the source of the shift. Viktor was walking up with other Durmstrang students, a good amount of them carrying brooms. Viktor nodded politely to people who stared at him and whispered to their friends but smiled genuinely when he saw Evan. "Hello my friend," he said warmly, surprising students from both schools.
"Hey there. You're not cold?" Evan asked.
Viktor looked down at himself. He was wearing a Quidditch jersey and related clothing but no cloaks or outer wraps. He then looked around at the falling snow. "No," he laughed. "This is not so cold. Very pleasant as you would say."
"It's not bad," Evan laughed. "Especially when you have the best warmers with you," he added when the snowy owls fluffed in his lap again.
Viktor nodded genially at the owls who nodded back with lordly grace. He then looked at Harry. "That was good flying."
"Thanks," Harry said in an awed tone. To be praised by an internationally acclaimed Seeker was no small thing.
"Perhaps we can play a game," Viktor said. "Durmstrang against Hogwarts?" There was a flurry of happy agreements and after a few minutes of making teams, they took to the air. The Durmstrang students that were not playing sat beside Evan and soon started talking with other Hogwarts students that eventually sat with them.
"He's not holding back, that's good of him," Evan said, looking up.
"Shouldn't he? He's a professional player after all," Hermione asked.
"Sure, but it's a sign of respect too," Evan said. "He's treating the others as equals even if they technically aren't. In terms of skill at least."
Ana Petrovla nodded. "Viktor always plays like that," she said proudly with a slightly thick accent. "Treats practice like a serious game. You can tell when he is playing to how you say, make fun of you."
"Right, humiliation versus respect," Evan said and Ana and the other Durmstrang students nodded. "He's a good guy."
The game continued with players from both schools subbing out so more people got a chance to play. Eventually it came down to Harry flying against Viktor. The two suddenly dove, weaving around each other as they plummeted down. Harry snapped up and evened out sooner and flew for the Snitch but Viktor had spun as he pulled up, maintaining momentum and had gained precious distance on Harry. The older player grabbed the Snitch and the watchers all cheered.
"That was good," Viktor said to a slightly disappointed Harry. "No, really. You are a good flyer. I have more experience than you. In time you will learn too as you play more." He turned and frowned as he saw Evan laughing with Ana and the other Durmstrang students with Hermione shaking her head at him. "What is so funny?"
"I was telling Evan that you do not have that kind of experience as far as we know," Ana giggled with a bright red face and the others howled with laughter.
"Do not listen to her, she likes to speak ill of me," Viktor said with dignity.
"I don't know, sounds the opposite really," Evan smiled.
Viktor snorted and ignored Ana's rude hand gesture. "How about you. Surely you fly."
"It's been a bit since I've played," Evan demurred. "Been a bit since I could fly for something not serious."
"Then join me. Let us fly against each other. Will be an unofficial task with no points so we will not have to worry," Viktor said. "You and me. We let the Snitch fly. Best of three catches."
"Oh, I don't know," Evan said slowly.
"Come on, you can do it," Harry said excitedly.
Evan looked at his younger brother thoughtfully before he nodded. "Guess I can do it a little." He gently deposited Wisteria and Hedwig on the pillow he was sitting on and rose to his feet. "I'll need a broom." He looked over at the stands of school brooms that the others had brought out to use. He held his hand up, not walking over. The entire rack shuddered and one came flying out and landed into his palm with a heavy thud, surprising everyone. "This will do nicely," Evan smiled. He twisted and threw the broom forward in front of him and jumped, all in one continuous motion. Landing on the saddle, he flew into the air and after a moment, Viktor laughed merrily and jumped onto his broom and followed.
"Did he just summon a broom without using the command and from like fifty feet away?" Ron asked, eyes round.
"Oh wow, he really does look like he knows how to fly," a Durmstrang student gasped.
"Of course he does," Harry said proudly. "Go Evan!"
Cedric threw up the Snitch and the golden ball was visible for a second before rocketing away at high speed. Evan and Viktor flew around the pitch some before they changed direction and converged on the same point. They weaved around each other and broke apart before both zoomed towards the far end of the pitch, side-by-side.
"Holy crap," Angelina Johnson said, watching them fly. "Harry, please tell me you're going to grow up and fly like that."
"I hope so," Harry said, watching with awe and pride.
"Or get him to teach you," Katie Bell said, also watching. "What a flyer!"
Another murmur drew attention away from the aerial duel and more people gaped at the appearance of a small group of Beauxbatons students. Unlike the others, they wore heavier robes and cloaks to combat the cold and snow.
"Bonjour." Fleur nodded politely at the watchers. She looked around a little before she joined the others looking up at the sky. She sighed softly, recognizing the flyers. "Of course he flies," she said softly.
"He flies very well," Aimee admired.
"They had a spontaneous competition," Hermione said. "Best of three." A cheer broke through her words. "And it looks like they are both at one catch each."
"May we join you?" Fleur asked and smiled when the others nodded. She and her friends sat with the others, choosing to sit closer to one of the crackling fires that Evan had conjured.
"Do you fly?" Ron asked, looking surprised at his own boldness and his ears went red.
Fleur shook her head. "I can, but I do not enjoy it. Aimee and Sophie do, however."
There was a gasp and people watched as Viktor and Evan suddenly plummeted straight down from a very high point in the sky. Both young men were flying at a sharp 90-degree angle, heading straight for the earth. They flew in a straight line, as if daring the other to break off first.
"That's a Wronski Feint," Cedric said, eyes round.
"They're going to plow into the ground!" Fred and George Weasley shouted together.
Students jumped to their feet, craning their heads to see, their voices raised in admiration and panic. At the last moment, Viktor leveled out, barely any distance from the ground. He looked around wildly, confused and concerned. Another great shout filled the air as people saw Evan still flying, but his broom was barely feet off the ground.
"How is he flying?! His feet would be in the ground!" Cho Chang cried, jumping up to look over the heads of others.
"He's surfing it!" Hermione shrieked, deeply appalled.
Evan was indeed riding the broom with both feet planted on top, no longer riding the saddle. One foot was set where the bristles met the shaft and the other up along the grip and he swayed with complete control, as if he were standing on solid ground. He swayed gracefully, moving with the motions of the broom and he turned around easily, his right hand up in the air with the wings of the Snitch beating against his fingers.
He turned to the crowd and his proud smile faded a little as he saw the utter shock from the others staring at him. He leaned forward slightly and flew over to them, still surfing the broom. "What's wrong," he asked, growing concerned.
"What are you doing?!" Fleur screeched, staring at him.
"Oh hey Fleur," Evan greeted warmly. "I was just flying against Viktor. Caught a Snitch. See?" He held his hand out with the Snitch sitting there, no longer furiously beating its wings.
"That is flying?!" she cried, pointing to him standing on the broom.
He looked down. "Oh uh, yeah. I mean, I do it from time to time when the need arises and-"
"That's so cool!" Harry shouted and others took up the cry, applauding wildly.
"I have never seen anyone do this," Viktor said, flying over and looking at Evan with open admiration and a little wariness. "How are you doing this?"
"Take a bit of practice but it's doable, as you see," Evan said, jumping off the broom and landing on his feet in the snow.
"Except you could easily fall off and hit the ground when you're hundreds if not thousands of feet up in the air!" Hermione shouted.
"Well sure but bring your wand and be careful," Evan said.
"Be careful?!" Hermione and Fleur repeated together in increasingly irritated tones.
Evan looked down and sighed when he saw Wisteria and Hedwig also staring at him with disapproval, eyes half-lidded and beaks clacking. They flew at him and he fled with them chasing and chastising him loudly.
"He faced a dragon without blinking and now he flees from two owls," Viktor remarked while others laughed at the sight.
"Well to be fair, Hedwig is really good at chastising," Harry said. "And Wisteria is basically Hedwig's twin, so that's a lot to withstand."
Eventually Evan returned, well-pecked, and sat back down on the ground with both owls sitting on him to keep him in place. Another game of Quidditch started with teams made from students from all three schools flying together.
"That was awesome flying," Harry said, looking at his older brother.
"Thanks! I'll teach you-" he sighed at Hermione's glare, "not the surfing thing but the other flying tips I've picked up." He smiled at Fleur who was still looking at him with a miffed expression. "I thought you lot didn't like the cold."
"We do not," Fleur said. "But we saw the crowd and this is about getting to know each other more, so decided to brave the weather to make the attempt." She blinked a few times, suddenly feeling warmer. She looked at him and saw him murmur softly, waving his wand in a wide arc. The chill was muted and the fire crackled a little more loudly. The wind around them subsided and she relaxed, feeling better.
"Thank you," she said before giving him a sly smile. "Or are you taking pity on me? Or something even more nefarious, lulling me into false security?"
Evan laughed loudly. "You can think that if you like. Otherwise, I'm just being neighborly."
"Thank you," she said again. "I will remember your kindness while defeating you in the competition."
"I'd expect nothing less," he replied genially.
Time passed pleasantly and as the night came, the temperature plummeted even further. The students finished the last game and streamed for the safety and warmth of the castle with the promise for good food to soothe the chills. They all entered the Great Hall and split for the tables. The Durmstrang students went to the Slytherin table like they did since they arrived with the Beauxbatons students going to the Ravenclaw table. After saying goodbye to the different groups, Evan joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.
Evan loaded their plates with good food and fell to with his usual good appetite. After sating his hunger somewhat with a few mouthfuls, he looked over, noticing Ron and Hermione arguing. "What're they on about now?" he asked.
Harry rolled his eyes at his friends. "Hermione thinks Fleur is sweet on you. Ron then made a comment about the other Beauxbatons girls and now they're arguing."
Evan paused at that and shook his head. "I don't think she is."
"I think she is." Luna sat beside Evan without hesitation and smiled at him when he greeted her with a hug. "She talks about you in French with her cousin and friends. I've heard them."
"Oh, well, I hope it's more them just gossiping about me," Evan said, filling Luna's plate.
"It doesn't sound like that to me," Luna said before applying herself to the food.
"Why are you against it?" Harry asked, looking at him. "She's pretty and seems nice."
Evan shrugged evasively. "Just…wouldn't be good for her I guess. I've got more pressing things to worry about."
Harry looked at him for a moment. "You wouldn't be good for her? You're awesome."
Evan smiled. "Thanks little bro. Not that, but maybe that. I don't know. Like I said, I have some really important things I need to do before I have any right to think about anything else."
Harry and Luna exchanged a look. "A right?" Harry repeated.
Evan waved a hand. "Don't mind that. I'm fine and she'll be fine. Don't worry." He laid out a spear of asparagus onto a small plate. "So anyways, a better way to control your broom is to use your hips and your knees. Imagine your knees as these potatoes here," he put a slice on either side of the asparagus, "and when you clench them for balance, you then pivot with your waist. You can direct the broom that way without having to steer with your hands."
"Shouldn't you flip the asparagus around so the head is like the broomtail?" Luna suggested.
"Good point," Evan grinned, flipping the asparagus around. He continued to tutor Harry and that eventually drew Ron and others in and the dinner continued, filling stomach and mind in equal measure.