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Evelyn Skylar of Slytherin house was about to begin her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a pure blood from a long established aristocratic house that had recently fallen on tougher times due to both her parents being devout Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War. Evelyn was raised by her unaffectionate Grandmother (a Death Eater herself but one who sold-out high-ranking ministry sympathisers to save herself when captured) as both her Mother and Father were serving lengthy sentences in Azkaban for various atrocities committed against Muggles, Muggleborns, and enemies of Voldemort. She was exceptionally pretty, with the platinum blonde hair which she wore she wore in long, loose curls, refined facial features and deep green eyes synonymous with the Skylar family. However her personality was cold, arrogant which mixed with her family makeup of pure blood supremacist terrorists and traitors to the cause of you-know-who led to her being shunned by the wider student body. She believed everyone beyond a small handful judged and hated her, so she judged and hated them back taking comfort in her intellectual and even aristocratic superiority over those who wronged her whenever it got to her. Fertile ground for a future Death Eater. This repression of emotions led to a rumour that she was in fact cursed to show no emotion by either an overzealous Auror or even a disgruntled Death Eater seeking revenge for her Grandmothers betrayal. Evelyn had spent much of her previous five years deep in study, honing her already impressive intellect rather than engaging with the wider Hogwarts community. Even though she was the same year as the infamous Harry Potter, who Evelyn saw as an arrogant child, the escapades of the so-called Golden Trio had caused little to no impact in her reclusive and solitary life. This however was a new year, and things were about to change for Evelyn in a way she would never have expected.



The year began as every other had. Evelyn took herself to platform 9 3/4 with little or no acknowledgment from her Grandmother as she left "High Peak Park", the Family's gloomy and depressing ancestral home.



She had spent the summer as she usually did, reading alone, and playing with her cat Jeffrey in the overgrown grounds and labyrinth of empty rooms. A proud black tomcat, Jeffrey was the thing Evelyn cared most for in life. Jeffrey brought out a different, hidden side in Evelyn, a warmer even kinder nature in the girl who had no feelings. Maybe that's why she refused to bring him with her to Hogwarts or maybe it was the fact that she was worried someone would harm him out of spite for her.



As she was going to board the Hogwarts express, she received some glares and hushed whispers from her fellow Slytherin and students from other houses and even some parents who are all too familiar with her family name. This year was especially bad with Harry Potter running around claiming you-know-who had returned and killed that Cedric Diggory boy during the Triwizzard tournament.



She ignored such slights for now.



Eventually she found Miranda Tateworth, Evelyn's best and only friend, sitting in a box near the back of the Slytherin carriage. She was painfully shy but an affectionate girl, especially with Evelyn who was also her only friend. As fellow misfits, Evelyn and Miranda grew close together from the outset of first year as she proved the only person to see past the toxic name and hard exterior. Like Jeffrey, Miranda could bring out a slightly better side of Evelyn.



"I was wondering when you would get here!" Miranda excitedly exclaimed as she got up from her seat and rushed over to hug Evelyn.



Evelyn tacitly accepted the hug, even though she cared for Miranda, expressing such levels of affection such as returning the hug was out of the question. Plus Miranda's long black hair smelt of flowers, Evelyn hated flowers.



"Its good to see you Miranda" Evelyn stated in a slightly warmer tone than her usual cold, sharp tongue. Though this was part as she was just relieved that Miranda was withdrawing from the hug. The train began to move and the girls sat down opposite each other.



"How was your summer?" Miranda initiated.



"Not to the worst ever" replied Evelyn, "Only had to threaten to turn the groundskeeper into a frog once".



Miranda laughed, she knew Evelyn wasn't joking but her uncompromising attitude was something she admired. "What did he do this time?" Miranda eventually asked, trying to hold in another bout of laughter.



"He threatened to set his dog on Jeffrey if I didn't keep him away from his bird table, the great oaf. He reminds me of that bumbling fool Hagrid," Evelyn replied.



"Don't be mean", Miranda quickly retorted. Evelyn immediately felt remorse, realising it had upset Miranda who had a passion for Magical creatures and Hagrid who she saw as a fellow outcast.



"I am sorry" she said in almost a forced mutter, while looking at her feet, making it obvious she was not used to apologising.



"It's okay, no worries", Miranda replied with a pleasant smile on her face, knowing Evelyn was quick to judge but had obviously regretted her comment. Evelyn looked up just in time to notice the smile and gave a very half-hearted, forced half-smile in response.



"How was your summer?" Evelyn quickly started to try and change the subject, all too aware of how awkward her attempts to smile had looked and made her feel.



Miranda went on to discuss how she and her family and had gone on holiday together to France and how her Dad had redecorated her room with the help of her younger brothers. Miranda's parents were muggles, and subsequently Miranda was Muggle-born. This mixed with her far from outgoing or cunning nature is why she was an even bigger outcast in Slytherin than Evelyn. Their friendship, the friendship of a pure blood and a muggle-born added more scandal to Evelyn's name but she didn't care. Many wondered why Miranda was every placed in Slytherin but Evelyn for one was glad.



"You really should meet my family someday; you could come visit us at the holidays!" Miranda stated after reciting what seemed like an endless escapade of family activities, adoring parents and grandparents and sibling drama. An outside perspective would assume this would make Evelyn feel sad or resentful when contrasting a normal coherent family background with her own, but she felt nothing. Not because of any curse but because she buried such feelings long ago, she had too, she is a survivor.



"Will, they not think I am strange?" Evelyn asked unsure, "I have never met any muggles, and your fathers’ job as, what do you call it, farmer? Sounds terrifying with all those dangerous beasts".



Miranda laughed, "Goats aren't dangerous" she replied holding in another laugh.



"They have horns do they not?", Evelyn replied dangerously serious and in exclamation much to Miranda's amusement.



"Oh Evelyn, do just consider it okay, you can even bring Jeffrey" Miranda said.



Evelyn muttered something that Miranda couldn't make out but sounded as if the word nice was present.



"What was that?" Miranda asked. Evelyn quickly retorted that it was nothing.



"No, it was definitely something" Miranda gleefully asked, knowing Evelyn was open to the idea.

"I said it might be NICE" Evelyn exclaimed in a forced way with specific reluctance on the word nice. Miranda smiled, Evelyn struggled to hold in a genuine smile this time. The train pulled into Hogsmeade station.



As per usual Evelyn and Miranda got the carriage from the station to the castle together on their own. They choose beds beside each other in their new dorm and they sat with each other at the start of year feast (with their fellow Slytherins sitting at a comfortable distance away). Evelyn had no love for Albus Dumbledore. Not that he had done anything directly to her, but she just saw him as condescending and mistook his wisdom for hubris. Naturally she gave his speech the attention she felt it deserved. When the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, a ministry employee named Dolores Umbridge interrupted him however to spew drivel about "becoming friends" in a sickly sweet tone, Evelyn knew she had found her new least favorite teacher. This was specifically problematic given how successful Evelyn had been in that class.



After the feast started to wind down, Evelyn and Miranda made an early escape to their dorm. Evelyn was looking forward to getting back into her usual routine of avoiding all other people (besides Miranda), at all costs, at all opportunities. In a sense she took comfort in that. This was not due to last however as when they arrived in the common room about to make their way to the dorms, they came face to face to face with Rose Newcross.



Rose and Evelyn had always been rivals, Rose was also a pure blood who was sickened by Evelyn's friendship with Miranda who she saw as less than an animal. Rose's great grandfather was also one of the ministry sympathisers sold out by Evelyn's grandmother. Evelyn of course hadn't helped mend bridges by setting Rose's bed on fire in second year after an argument and snapping her broom in half in third year after Rose called Miranda a "filthy mudblood" for the first time.



"I see they still let you two attend here then, the meek little muggle-born and her blood traitor protector," Rose said snidely. Miranda, clearly uncomfortable made her way quietly over to her bed without acknowledging the slight.



"Why are you not still at the feast Rose? Did you have too much sanctimonious stew?" Evelyn snidely retorted. A subtle smirk came across Miranda's face.



Evelyn and Rose locked eyes, "You better stay out of my way this year." Rose snarled.



"Sure it's not like you are going anywhere Rose. Pining after Draco Malfoy is hardly an academic subject." Evelyn said in her trademark icy voice with an unsettling grin on her face. Rose's eyes were nearly as fiery as her red hair, she was furious. Evelyn remained worryingly calm with almost a cruelness in her demeanor.



"Shame the apple fell so far from the tree and you took after your pathetic grandmother", Rose stated in an aggressive tone, "Gregory and Luciana Skylar knew exactly how to deal with Mudbloods and trouble makers".



For a brief moment, a short glimpse of emotion shot across Evelyn's face. Was it sadness, pain or just shock. She rarely ever heard her parents’ names, not even her grandmother used them, to hear Rose say them for the first time had Evelyn floored. These emotions are almost immediately repressed in favour of anger. Ironically a go-to response for girl said to have no emotions or feelings. Miranda saw Evelyn beginning to subtly reach for her wand.



"Leave it Evelyn, lets go to the dorm" Miranda said quietly and timidly but with a sense of urgency.

Evelyn realising things could easily escalate beyond control, took her friends advice, calmed herself down and started making for the door.



"That's it run away Skylar!" Rose shouted.



"Why exhaust myself now when we have all year, don't get too attached to that new broom" Evelyn retorted calmly but in a threatening tone before following Miranda to the dorms.



The first two weeks at Hogwarts passed largely without incident minus a heated exchange between Umbridge and Harry Potter in Defense against the Dark Arts. Why couldn't he just shut up about Dark Lords and Death Eaters and why couldn't she just go back to her cats was Evelyn's main thoughts on this.



Today was going to be an eventful day for Evelyn Skylar however and she had blissfully no idea. The day started as per normal, breakfast with Miranda, potions with Snape (Evelyn didn't like Snape but she didn't dislike him either which was high praise for her. She did her work, and he didn't annoy her, he even stayed out of her ongoing feud with Rose), Lunch with Miranda, DADA with Umbridge and spending the rest of the day in the library before going to meet Miranda for dinner.



As she was placing her books back on the shelf at then of the pre-dinner library session, suddenly someone barged into her sending her books flying across the floor. Evelyn, anticipating this to be one of her many rivals, was getting ready to turn around and shout and/or possibly cast a spell at this unknown assailant.



Before she could, she heard something she was unaccustomed to "I am so sorry I didn't see you there", she looked around to see the face of George Weasley. She recognised him as one of the twins from his various antics. His face dropped when he realised who he was speaking to and the glare on said persons face. "Oh it's you" he said sheepishly, knowing all too well of her reputation.



"Oh it's you" Evelyn mimicked in a mocking tone. "If you knew it was me, would you not have apologised then, or would you not have run into me?" She barked.



"Here let me help you" George said kneeling down after an awkward pause to try to pick up Evelyn's books, unsure what else to do.



"It is your mess you might as well help fix it Weasley," she snarled back.



After he finished helping Evelyn gather the books in an uncomfortable silence, George, trying to quell the tension said, "History of Magical social science, I am reading this at the minute for my classes! Why are you reading books for classes beyond your year?"



"Just because I can read you half-wit" Evelyn growled back.



George looked visibly offended yet remained silent. Evelyn felt something strange, it was almost remorse, for offending someone other than Miranda.



"Sorry, thank you for the help" Evelyn muttered timidly, she was all too aware that this was her second apology in two weeks, a personal record.



"No need to worry, I ran into you" George laughed, unsure how it would be received. Evelyn calmed down and gave a forced, fake, half-smile. "I am George, George Weasley" he said outstretching his hand for a handshake.



"Thought you were the other one if I am honest," Evelyn said while shaking his hand in reference to Fred. There was no need to introduce herself, he clearly knew who she was already.



George laughed not knowing Evelyn well enough to know this more she wasn't joking.



"I have already read all the books for fifth year. I am moving on to the other years now as they are far more interesting" Evelyn admitted.



"Doesn't it get boring sitting in the library all day?" George asked, "Look at me, I was trying to run away" George joked.



Evelyn didn't find this particularly funny, yet she appreciated the attempt at humour, she even was tempted to smile but repressed such a notion. "Books are great company, they don't talk much, ask too many questions or run into me," she retorted in an obvious joke and a jab.



George once more hadn't picked up on Evelyn's tone so laughed. She found that annoying but also oddly amusing.



"Well goodbye Weasley twin," Evelyn said in a tone far from nice but far less cold than intended.



"It was nice to meet the infamous girl-with-no-feelings" George responded in a joking but kind way. A pleasant change from the mocks she received from her other peers before she threatened or intimidated them back into line.



Evelyn dare not admit it but besides Miranda that was the nicest anyone had been to her, and she had been to anyone in a long time. The gravity of this was yet to be seen. She left the library to go meet Miranda.