╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
❝ since we were kids ❞
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

𝓔𝓿𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13th 1977

After everyone has left Malfoy Manor, including my reluctant friends, I make my way to the living room where I find my father.

"Have Lucius and Narcissa left already?" I ask sheepishly.

"Yes" He replies curtly.

"What of mother?" I add.

"In bed" He answers.

"I see" I frown deeply, knowing what comes next.

"So, this is the part where we fight?" I try to joke.

"Do you know how badly you embarrassed me tonight?" My father sneers, refusing to look up from his glass of bourbon.

"No" I shake my head.

"You're lucky I don't disown you for your retched behaviour" He tells me "Firstly you start a fight on school grounds and then you bring that fight here, into my home and on your brother's wedding day! Secondly, I find out that you're in some sort of twisted relationship with a measly halfblood!"

"It's not a big deal" I shrug with a frown.

"What did you just say to me?" He snaps.

"I said that it's not a big deal" I speak up clearly "He wasn't the first non pureblood that I've slept with and I doubt he'll be the last"

"You are a disgrace!" He roars at me, finally looking up.

"What, you don't like that?" I challenge him.

"Don't taunt me, girl" He snarls.

"I guess you don't like the fact your daughter has slept around, but it's not really something you can do anything about now" I laugh with no amusement at all "The amount of muggleborns and halfbloods that have been in my bed in unreal. Muggles too, father"

"Muggles?" He spits out in disgust.

"That's right" I nod, trying my best to put on a brave face.

I feel a strong hit to my face and I stumble back in surprise, holding my face with teary eyes. The man lifts his hand again and I flinch, causing him to smirk smugly. That's the thing about putting on a brave face, it doesn't actually make you brave.

"You make me sick" He scoffs, downing the rest of his drink before slamming the glass down on the table.

"What's new?" I retort.

My father grabs his wand and glares down at me through eyes filled with so much hatred and resentment that it brings tears to my eyes. I hate how he looks at me as though I'm a thorn in his side, merely a nuisance in his life that he is forced to deal with.

Most little girls were scared of the monsters under their beds or the ones that lived in the dark shadows of their closets, but not me. No, I was taught to never be afraid of the dark. What a silly fear, my father would say. I wasn't ever scared of the imaginary monsters, I was scared of the very real one that I have lived with my whole life. The man who narrows his eyes at me and lifts up his wand, causing my heart to drop in fear. I know what happens now.

"Crucio!" He growls out.

My legs buckle under me and I let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony as my knees hit the hardwood flooring.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

My eyes flutter open and at first I don't know where I am, the only thing registering is the pain throughout my entire body. I soon realise that I'm on the living room floor and my father is nowhere to be seen.

I manage to pull myself to my feet, stumbling over to the fireplace with whimpers of hurt and grabbing a handful of floo powder.

"Hogwarts" I croak out, throwing the powder down.

My body collapses onto a carpeted floor and I cry out, feeling completely awful.

"Evangeline?!" The sound of the marauders snapping in unison causes me to look up.

I groan as the four of them pull me to my feet, looking me over in shock.

"Sorry" I mumble dizzily "Wrong common room"

I try to pull myself out of their hold to stand on my own but I stumble, Peter and Remus catching me before I fall again.

"What happened to you?" James asks me in concern.

"Got into a fight with my father" I answer simply.

Remus cups my face in his hand and gently swipes his thumb over the cut on my cheek with an angry expression on his face.

"How could he do this to you?" Remus questions.

I don't answer him, simply wrapping my hand around his wrist and pressing a kiss to his palm. Enjoying the feeling of his skin on mine and the fact he doesn't look like he hates me at the moment.

"It's because you're seeing Remus, isn't it?" Sirius realises.

Remus looks at me in horror and I smile weakly, leaning into his hand.

"Cub?" Remus presses.

"It's okay, Rem" I assure him "You're worth it"

"It's not okay!" Remus argues "He's hurting you because of me"

"If it wasn't you, he'd just find another reason" Sirius tells the brunette to try and make him feel better.

"Sirius" Remus scolds him.

"No, he's right. I don't want you to feel guilty because you did nothing wrong" I declare "My father isn't really mad at me seeing you"

"Then why is he mad?" Remus frowns.

"He's mad because he never wanted a daughter, he wanted another son to carry on the family name. The minute that I am married and I cease to be a Malfoy, he will want nothing to do with me...but for now I am a burden that he must carry and he resents me every day for it" I explain to the boys.

"I'm sorry, Evangeline" James says to me with a sympathetic frown.

"Don't pity me, Potter. That is the last thing I need right now" I scoff.

The sound of someone walking into the room causes all of us to look up and see Lily Evans with a sleepy look on her face.

"What are you all doing up?" She questions before her eyes land on me "Evangeline?"

"I didn't mean to wake you, Lilypad" I say, pasting on a grin.

"It's okay" Lily smiles softly "Do you need someone to take you to Madam Pomfrey?"

"Not at all" I wave her off "Can't bother Poppy with a silly cut"

Lily decides not to argue and instead she walks over to one of the cupboards, pulling out a first aid kit.

"I don't want your help, Lily" I sigh as the redhead approaches us.

"Hush and sit" Lily retorts, gently pushing me down into an armchair.

"I think you've forgotten the roles of this relationship" I state and Lily rolls her eyes "James, I wish you luck with this one"

James cracks a smile, his gaze falling onto the redhead tending to my wound and I look to the other three marauders.

"Why so glum, Pete?" I pout "Smile for me"

A smile pulls at the blonde boy's lips and I grin proudly.

"Attaboy" I hum.

Lily applies antiseptic to the cut and I wince, grabbing the girl's arm tightly.

"Angel, that hurts" Lily warns me and I snatch my hand away as if I have been burned.

"I'm really sorry" I mumble.

"You didn't mean to. It's okay" Lily smiles, placing a couple steristrips onto the cut to hold it together and I look up at Sirius.

"Hey, this time you gotta watch me stumble through the fireplace" I point out in amusement "You don't have to wait until Narcissa tells you"

"How'd you figure out it was her?" Sirius asks curiously.

"She's always worried about me and she's the only person from that room who would speak to you" I shrug.

"She wasn't gossiping, you know. She wanted my help...to get you out before you ended up stuck like her" Sirius explains.

"What did you tell her?" I ask curiously.

"No" Sirius breathes out and I nod.

"That kinda hurts" I admit.

I stand up and start to walk away, refusing to cry in front of the Gryffindors.

"Evangeline" Sirius sighs.

"You know what, Sirius?" I snap, spinning around to face the boy who is now stood right in front of me "I feel really stupid for spending years missing you because it is so clear to me, now more than ever, that you don't give a shit about me"

"We haven't been friends since we were kids" Sirius argues.

"Who's fault is that?" I retort.

"Bloody hell" Sirius huffs.

"Oh, I'm sorry if my feelings are an inconvenience to you" I say sarcastically.

"Do you want me to apologise?" Sirius asks me.

"I don't want anything from you anymore" I answer.

"I'm done" I add, walking away.