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CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. HAPPINESS

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It was Evangeline Caspian's sixth birthday. Her parents had thrown her a little party with all of her friends. Her aunt, uncle, and cousins hadn't been invited though, something she didn't quite understand. However, she had been having a blast, laughing with her friends and her sister. The party was now over though and she had just opened her birthday gifts. There wasn't much and she hadn't wanted any to begin with.

But some of her friends had gotten her things. Things that a child, much like herself, would enjoy. Her favorite gift of all, however, hadn't been from one of her friends. It had been from her parents, a beautiful locket with a picture of her and her family. She absolutely adored the locket, one, because her sister had gotten something similar on her own sixth birthday and Evangeline was happy that the girls could match now and two, because she liked flipping the locket opened and closed (it was fun).

She happily walked around the manor, enjoying the peace and quiet. When she walked past her father's study, she stopped, hearing voices inside. "Did you do it then? Give her the amulet, I mean?" A male voice questioned. "Of course we did," her father had replied. "And you made sure that it was enchanted with protection spells?" The voice asked again.

Evangeline peered into the room through the cracked open door. "Yes, and blessed and charmed it with a mother and father's love. We did everything that you said, Remus. Just like with Vivian," her mother replied. The man, Remus, sighed audibly. "I'm just making sure that you've taken the proper precautions," he said.

"Of course we've taken the proper precautions. These are our children, Remus. And they're in danger because of us," her mother said. Evangeline could tell that the woman was growing upset. "It's not your fault. You two didn't choose the families you were born into," Remus said, patting Eliana's shoulder. "And you didn't choose to know what you know," he said, his eyes peering into her own. Evangeline's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not understanding what he meant. It was quiet in the room for a moment. Evangeline tried to see inside better.

"What's our next step?" Nathaniel questioned. "Pay attention to the gossip. Keep an eye and ear out for Death Eaters and protect your girls," Remus said. "We shouldn't be doing this. The Dark Lord is long gone. What I saw, it might not be true," Eliana said. "Surely you don't truly believe that," Remus said. "He'll be back, Eliana. I can feel it. And when he returns, they'll come after us and our children. We must be prepared," Nathaniel said.

He turned back to Remus and sighed. "If anything happens to us—" Remus cut him off. "I know what to do. But nothing is going to happen to you." Nathaniel pursed his lips. "You'll need the will. I've hidden it somewhere safe. Somewhere that they can't find it. But you'll have to find it, Remus. And quick. I'll write you a letter, when I know for sure that they're coming. As a warning," Eliana said. "Just tell me where it is," he replied. "She can't, they might be listening," Nathaniel said.

It was quiet again. "Do they know that you're here? That you've come back?" Remus questioned. "We don't know. If they do, they're keeping their distance. But it's only a matter of time," Nathaniel answered. Evangeline's nose began to tickle and a sneeze made it's way out. She quickly covered her mouth and the conversation ceased. Her eyes widened as she listened, slowly taking steps away from the door.

The door opened completely and she could see Remus looking down at her, giving her a pointed look. "Eavesdropping now are we? Don't you know not to get into grownup business?" He asked. Evangeline smiled sheepishly up at him. "Sorry uncle Remus, I was only passing by," she said innocently. "Oh really?" He questioned, walking closer to her.

Evangeline took a couple more steps back. He lunged at her and she took off running. "I'm gonna get you," he said. "No!" She shouted, laughing maniacally. Remus continued to chase her around the house, Evangeline skillfully dodging him. She had quickly forgotten about what she had heard, figuring that it was none of her business.

Instead, she focused on having fun on her special day.

••••

The natural light that streamed through the window was blinding when Evangeline finally opened her eyes. They felt heavy, as if she hadn't slept enough and was still tired. She didn't know how long she was out or even where she was. The room around her seemed to blur together and she couldn't really make out anything. Except for the light. It was too bright.

She slowly blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. When the blurs had finally formed into shapes she sighed. She managed to turn her head to the side and squinted. Vivian was sat in a chair next to the bed Evangeline was laying on, sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Evangeline groaned loudly when a sharp pain went up her back. Vivian lifted her head up and looked around in confusion.

When her eyes landed on Evangeline, they widened and she shot out of her chair, almost knocking it down. "You're awake. She's awake!" Vivian screamed, turning around to call out to someone. Evangeline winced, "A little quieter next time, Viv," she rasped. Vivian went to the small table beside Evangeline's bed and poured her a glass of water. She pressed the cup to Evangeline's lips and helped her drink.

Evangeline sighed, her raw throat feeling soothed by the liquid. When Madam Pomfrey walked into view, she realized that she was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. "Hello, Evangeline. It's good to have you back," the woman said with a kind smile. "How long was I out?" Evangeline asked, clearing her throat when her voice cracked. "Two and a half weeks. Almost three whole bloody weeks. You scared the crap out of me, you know. I thought that you would never wake up," Vivian answered.

Evangeline winced again at the loudness of her voice and Vivian sent her an apologetic smile. "You young lady are very lucky. It's not often that one gets hit by that curse and lives to tell the tale," Madam Pomfrey said, pouring an unknown liquid into a small glass. Evangeline's hand went up to her neck to find her locket missing. Panic began to set in when she couldn't locate the jewelry.

"Don't worry, the amulet is safe," a voice said. Evangeline turned her head to the other side and saw Professor Lupin walking towards her bed. "Had to take it off, the doctors didn't want it choking you whenever you were, uh, thrashing around," he continued. He stopped in front of her bed and smiled. "Professor Lupin?" She asked in confusion. "Please, call me Remus," he said. Evangeline stared up at him, his name sounding more familiar than it ever had before.

"What happened? How am I alive?" She asked him. "Well, you've got your parents to thank for that," Remus said. Evangeline's face scrunched up, "My parents?" He nodded his head, "Yes, your parents. They gave you that amulet on your sixth birthday, remember?" Evangeline breathed out a sigh. "The purpose of amulets is to protect the wearer from Dark Magic. They're enchanted. Your mother and father added a little extra protection to you and your sister's amulets. It's a good thing too," Remus explained further. Evangeline nodded her head slightly.

She turned back to Vivian. "How did I get here?" She asked. "Well, after the incident, Voldemort came and almost killed Harry. Then we took you to St. Mungo's for treatment. After you were deemed stable enough to move, they brought you here for further treatment. Dumbledore thought that you'd be more comfortable here and that seeing a familiar setting when you woke up wouldn't freak you out as much," the older girl answered.

Evangeline's head was pounding as she tried to make sense of everything. She didn't remember much from that night. The last thing that she could remember was her uncle trying to kill her and her not dying. Madam Pomfrey held out the glass to her, "Drink this." Evangeline took the glass, not asking any questions and drank the liquid. It tasted bitter on her tongue and she gagged. She handed the glass back to Madam Pomfrey and she walked away.

Evangeline turned back to Professor Lupin and frowned slightly. "What are you doing here?" She asked him. "Making sure you're all right, of course," he responded. "Why?" She asked next. Remus took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. "Well, because you're sort of my responsibility," he said. Evangeline grew confused. "Your parents and I, we were good friends. When they died, I was supposed to take care of you and your sister. That was the plan," he began.

The pounding in her head intensified and she closed her eyes. She took a breath and released it before opening her eyes. She looked up at him, her eyes squinting. "You were at the party," she realized. He didn't need to ask what she was talking about, already knowing. He nodded his head. "I heard you guys talking," she continued and he nodded again.

"Yes, you always were a nosy little one," he joked. "I don't understand. If you were supposed to take us in, why didn't you?" Evangeline asked. He sighed, "Your parents left a will. It had instructions for me and for you two. It gave me guardianship over you and left things to you two, like your house. Eliana hid it so that no one that wasn't me could find it. She hid it pretty well, and I couldn't find it. Without it, I had no proof of your parents' wishes. I didn't find it until recently."

The youngest Caspian took in his words, her mind turning. "We spent years with those people who claim to be our family. And all of this pain and suffering could've been avoided if you found a stupid piece of paper?" She said. Remus looked down, "I'm sorry. That was entirely my fault. I did everything I could. But I could never get close enough to either of you or that house. But I kept an eye on you two throughout the years, making sure that they didn't do anything. Filing complaints when they did. Nothing ever worked."

Evangeline sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "So, what happens now?" She asked. Remus stood, "Now, you rest. We'll talk about everything else when you're better." Evangeline rolled her eyes but nodded. The man took ahold of her hand. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, giving her hand a squeeze and walking to the exit. Evangeline turned to look at Vivian who smiled. "You're awake," a familiar voice said from the door.

She turned to the door to see Ronald Weasley standing there, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. A smile lit up Evangeline's face when she saw him. He walked over to the bed, a relieved smile on his own face. Vivian looked between the two before grabbing her things. "Well, I'm just gonna go," she said, quickly leaving the room. But not before sending Evangeline a wink. Ron came around the bed and set the flowers on the table. Evangeline sat up slightly in the bed. When she took a closer look at his face, she noticed the purple around his slightly swollen left eye.

"Hey," he said. Her smile widened, "Hi." He sat down in the chair that Vivian was previously occupying. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Um, good I guess. I'm not feeling any pain," she replied and he nodded. "That's good," he said. There was a beat of silence.

"You scared us pretty bad. You kept screaming in your sleep. Nobody knew if it was from the pain or... something else," he continued. Ron practically shuddered at the memory of her screams. They sounded so agonizing and her body would always thrash around, he couldn't bear to stay in the room when the event occurred. It was terrifying.

That explained the rawness of her throat. "Well, I feel better now. No more screaming for me," she said, trying to lighten up the mood. "That's good. I'm glad," he said. The two fell into an awkward silence. "So, did you want to talk?" Evangeline asked. His head snapped up to look at her. "Wha— Now?" He asked. "Well, yeah. Might as well," she replied. "B-but you just woke up. And you're still gonna need rest," he said.

"I can rest later," she replied, taking his hand in her own. She squeezed it lightly and looked up at him. He visibly gulped and she rolled her eyes. "I'll make this simple, Ronald. I like you. And I don't mean just as a friend. I like you as more than that," she said. His cheeks began heating up in a blush and he looked away bashfully. Evangeline watched him carefully.

"Well, you already know that I like you too, Angel," the words spilled out of his mouth before he could register what he was saying. His eyes widened and his cheeks burned a darker shade of red when he realized what he had called her. "Angel?" She questioned, a cheeky smile on her lips. It was then that Ronald Weasley became a stuttering mess.

"Uh, uh. I-i-it's a nickname. I-I was just, uh, I was t-thinking about n-nicknames. A-and then I thought about you and your nicknames and I w-wasn't sure if you had any and I just t-thought of that," he tried to explain. Evangeline pursed her lips, "I have nicknames, Ronald. And why were you even thinking about nicknames? That's so weird." She chuckled, her laugh making him smile a little. He shrugged his shoulders before looking away from her. He was embarrassed. Evangeline found that cute.

She squeezed his hand again and he looked down at her. "No need to be embarrassed, Ronald," she said. He didn't reply, just continued to stare at her, his cheeks still red. "How did you even come up with that nickname anyway?" She asked. He scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn't holding hers. "Uh, i-it's in your name. Angel, I mean," he explained. She nodded her head.

"Well, you can call me Angel if you want," she said. "Really?" He asked unsurely. Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Yes, really. I think it's cute," she said. "You do?" He asked and she rolled her eyes again. "Yes, Ronald," she replied. "You know you can call me Ron, right?" Ron asked her. She nodded, "I know. But I prefer Ronald." He smiled down at her and she bit her lip.

"So, what now?" He asked. Evangeline thought about it for a while. "I don't know," she replied. She looked away from him them, casting her eyes downward. Ron noticed the change in her demeanor. "What's wrong?" He questioned and she shook her head. "Nothing," she said. She removed her hand from his and placed it on her lap. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at her. "What are you doing?" He asked.

She looked at the wall across from her. "What do you mean?" She asked back. "You're pulling away. Why are you doing that? It's like, the minute you want to be happy, you get into your own head," he said. She scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself Weasley." He ignored her words, knowing exactly what she was doing. She was trying to push him away. But he wouldn't let her, not this time.

"First you tell me you like me and now you're acting like you never said it. We were having a good conversation and you made it seem as if you wanted more and now, now it's like you don't want anything to do with me," he continued. Evangeline bit her lip and shook her head. "I didn't say that..." Ron huffed, growing annoyed.

"You keep putting up this façade, pretending to be something that you're not. Right now you're acting as though you don't care. As if you didn't just admit to having feelings for me. You let me in and now you're trying to push me out again. Why do you do that?" He said. She looked down at her hands again and bit her lip. "I'm scared," she admitted. "Scared of what?" He asked softly. "Of letting people in. I'm scared to show people who I really am because for so many years, I was told that who I was, wasn't good enough. That nobody would give a crap about someone like me," she said.

He looked at her long and hard. Ron took her hand again and she looked up at him. "I give a crap about someone like you," he said. Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes before she rolled them. "That was cheesy," she said with a small smile. "It was also true," he said. Evangeline sighed and he squeezed her hand. "So, I ask again. What now?" He said. Evangeline bit her lip again, thinking over everything he had just said before shrugging slightly.

"Uh, I don't know. Do want to be my boyfriend or something?" She asked. Ron's eyes went wide and he began sputtering. Evangeline sighed, shaking her head at the boy who was clearly a mess. "Merlin, Ronald. It's a simple 'yes or no' question," she said. "Y-yes," he finally answered and she smiled. "Okay. Once I'm out of here, you're gonna take me on a date. I think that's what people who are boyfriend and girlfriend do," she said. He only nodded his head, too shocked to say anything.

"You're awake!" Hermione exclaimed from the door, rushing into the room. Harry and Cleo were behind her, followed by Neville, Ginny, and Luna. Evangeline smiled at them. "Finally. You've been out for weeks," Cleo commented, taking a seat on the bed. "So I've been told," Evangeline retorted.

The group of teenagers began talking to her all at once, filling her in on what she had missed and the news. Evangeline noticed that Harry looked to be distant and extremely sad. She would have to talk to him in private later.

Evangeline found herself feeling a little overwhelmed by the information she was being told but she didn't mind. She was just happy that her friends were alive. That was all that mattered in that moment.

••••

The Rovangeline ship has finally set sail! One more chapter before part 2! Are you guys excited? Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Be sure to comment and vote!

-N