12 | muffliato

muffliato

charm; muffles sounds

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   FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE HOURS, Evelina simply stood there, clutching Tom's arm as if it was her lifeline. When she finally looked down, her knuckles were pale and Tom's skin was turning red, so she quickly let go, head down, grasping her own hand for comfort. But it just wasn't the same. Her hand was warm, but the cool feeling of his skin against hers was much more satisfying.

   It was as if she was frozen in place, just as petrified as the stilled student in front of her. Her eyes kept flickering over to the striking message, and even when she forced herself to turn away, the image kept replaying in her head, as if a broken record.

   A shudder rippled down her spine unintentionally as a shadow danced across the wall in front of her, a hiss sounding in her ear again.

   "What's happening-" Footfalls paused in shock as the person audibly gasped. "Oh my..."

   Evelina turned around quickly, seeing Professor Slughorn, an arm braced against the wall for support, his gaze blank.

   She tried to focus on something else as he talked to Tom, because whatever she heard was unclear and distorted, as if she was underwater. As she turned around, looking for something to watch intently, she noticed the sky which was unusually blank, no clouds roaming across the sky.

   Tom placed his hand on her shoulder, brushing his nose across her cheek. "Are you okay?"

   "Yes, I suppose so." Evelina answered, leaning into his touch. "Mais, l'étudiant... Elle est pas bien."

   He tightened his grip the slightest bit. "Je sais."

   She turned to face him, biting her lip in surprise. "Vous pouvez parler en français?"

   "Oui," He replied. "I thought you knew that already. What did you expect, for me to only know english?"

   "Merde." She cursed. Of course Tom would know the language, it was common sense for the smartest boy in a european school to know french, but she had hoped that he didn't. The language that had been hers and Arden's for so long wasn't just theirs anymore, and Evelina couldn't say that she liked it. The secrecy was gone. The shelter that they took in it was gone.

   A laugh escaped his mouth and she held back a sigh at how beautiful it was. It was a real one, not those other ones that were either too deep or too high, it was one that rang through her ears and made her want to laugh with him.

   "You should laugh more." Evelina smiled at him. And it wasn't the smile that she sent to her teachers when she got top marks, or the smile that she pasted onto her face when her friend told a good joke. It was just as real as his laugh, and he paused for a moment in surprise.

   And then he kissed her.

   He kissed her hard, but she knew the meaning behind it was soft. He kissed her like she was his lifeline, like she was his last bubble of oxygen underwater before he drowned. He kissed her like he loved her.

   Evelina kissed him back the same way. Just as hard but just as soft. As if he was her last ray of sunshine before darkness fell upon her. She kissed him back like she loved him. Although there were no sparks crackling inside her, no electricity running through her veins, she knew in that moment that he would give her the world if he could -and he could- because of the warmth that blossomed inside of her heart.

   But Evelina knew she had to break away because guilt was beginning to flood through her as she stepped up on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. They were kissing as a girl lay in front of them, half dead.

   That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that she'd enjoyed it.

   Tom didn't look at her as people began to gather around the pair, forming a crowd, but he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulder. The others whispered among themselves about the student who was found, Diana Forestt. She was a young third year, a Ravenclaw at the top of her class, yet she was not of pure blood. In fact, she didn't have a single drop of magical blood running through her veins.

   As Evelina heard that specific rumour come out of a brunette's mouth as she pointed to Diana, she realised that that was the problem. That was why she'd been petrified.

   Because she was a mudblood.

   With that thought, Evelina Moreau came to the conclusion that it was happening again.

   So as a genuine smile crept over her face, she pulled away from Tom and walked away silently, knowing just how to fix everything.

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since this story includes a romance [although it is not the main focus] and this is really the peak of their love for each other there's going to be a lot of fluff so beware lol. anyways, are you excited for the next chapter? because i sure am. hm, i wonder how evelina knows what's going on? cx

french translations [please correct me if my french is wrong; i'm still learning]

Mais, l'étudiant... Elle est pas bien. = But, the student... She is not okay.

+ Je sais = I know + Oui = Yes + Merde = Shit

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unedited

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