"growth and comfort do not coexist"

*

Her sense of touch came first.

Eva could feel a calloused hand holding hers, warming hers, comforting hers. With a foggy mind, she couldn't quite tell who it was. For a moment, she let herself pretend.

Her sense of hearing came next, followed by sight, and the dream was over.

"Eva."

As soon as she could push herself up, she wrapped her arms around Remus, who was sitting at the bottom of her bed in the hospital wing. He held her tightly.

"You're back," he breathed in relief. "You're okay."

She nodded, smiling, but still a bit disoriented. A mild headache plagued her temple. "What... what happened?"

"You were petrified," Remus said gently. "Madam Pomfrey gave you and the students the restorative draught a few hours ago. All of the students have already came to. I was getting a bit worried."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" He laughed. "Not exactly your fault, Eve. I'm not tossing blame around or anything."

Eva laughed too, her voice still a bit raspy from disuse. "I guess not."

"So, I don't mean to pry," Remus began, fiddling with a stray thread coming off of his shirt, "but do you remember what happened to you?"

Eva bit her lip and absentmindedly played with her necklace.

Sunset. The frost-covered window blurred its colors, but not its magnificence. Pale pink into vibrant orange into dusky blue. It looked like a memory unremembered. Like a watercolor painting someone had cried on.

Eva pressed her fingers to the cool glass and drew in a rattling, shallow breath. The world was still so beautiful, but it felt like she couldn't see it clearly anymore. That was a side effect of fear. She knew all about those side effects.

If she squinted, she could imagine Ringo in the distance, flapping haphazardly in the fading colors of the sky. He would be carrying a letter from Remus, a response to her worries, a comfort in the darkness. If she could just read his reply, just read the comforting yet realistic things he had to say, everything would be all right for a few minutes. Anymore, he was the only person she could consistently count on to bring a smile to her face. Everyone else with that ability was gone.

The young professor sighed slowly, wishing as always that things were different. Her fingers found the rings, and as she ran her thumb across the opal lotus flower, she recalled the beautiful uncomplicated chaos of her youth with the faintest ghost of a smile. Her green eyes flitted up to the window again, where she saw her reflection along with the sunset. Her gaze shifted to a slight movement behind her, connected with a set of slitted eyes, and then she saw nothing at all.

Eva recalled all of this as best she could, often tripping over her words or going back to a certain moment as she remembered. She did keep her reflections of the past to herself, not wanting to discuss them with anyone, even her best friend.

Instead, she quietly listened to Remus as he recounted all that had happened in the school in the last few months. She nearly sprung out of bed when he mentioned that Harry and Ron journeyed into the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny with nothing but Gilderoy Lockhart as their source of protection, but he forced her back down and continued with an amused air of patience.

"Remus," she ventured after he had finished, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. "What day is it? How much time's passed?"

Remus scratched the back of his neck, obviously hesitant. "Last day of term. Everyone's at the feast, mostly."

"The last day?" Eva exclaimed. Her green eyes widened. "But the Board! What about the Board? I haven't been teaching since February! Who took my classes? What if Malfoy-"

"Hey, easy. You came back from petrification, like, five minutes ago, so calm down." Remus raised his eyebrows until she nodded. "Don't worry about the Board of Governors. Lucius Malfoy has no power over you. You're not getting kicked to the curb or anything. What happened wasn't your fault, so they had no real cause to fire you. Besides, every single professor in the school vouched for you, including Dumbledore and Hagrid, who I forgot to mention are also back."

Her spirits lifted. "Really?"

"Mhm. I don't know how you got a greasy stickler like Snape to like you, but that secret skill is about fifteen years too late," he joked. "Anyway, it's all smoothed out and fine. You can breathe."

A bright smile spread across Eva's face for the first time that she could remember in a long time. The school was safe. Her job was safe. Harry was safe.

It was all going to be okay.

"Who covered my classes?"

"Flitwick. I offered, but they said they had it covered." He shrugged. "This might be the perfect segway into informing you that I am currently... how to say this... in the total absence of a career."

"What? Why?" She exclaimed worriedly. "Are you okay? What happened? Did DeHaan fire you? That university president was always a rat-"

"No no no." Despite the situation, Remus laughed. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he continued. "No one ever told me that you had been petrified, you know. I just stopped getting letters from you. I didn't know why."

Eva frowned, surprised at her coworkers, who certainly knew that Remus was her family. "No one wrote to you?"

"No. I started to get pretty paranoid, and by early March, I couldn't take it anymore. I tried to request time off to come and see you, but DeHaan told me that I hadn't given them enough notice, so I couldn't go. Newt tried to convince me to stay, but I had to see you. I couldn't sleep or eat, I was so worried. I've been staying in one of the rooms at the Three Broomsticks ever since. McGonagall let me in to visit you a few times."

By the time he finished, Eva's eyes had welled up with tears. "You shouldn't have done that for me," she murmured, shaking her head. "That was a good job, Rem. You loved teaching there."

"Yeah, I reckon I did, but to be honest, it was getting a bit boring. Maybe this'll be good for me. Maybe something better's coming."

Remus Lupin had learned when optimism had a place and when it didn't. Now, in a time where he most likely should have been concerned, he was surprised to find himself carefree. Maybe it was the relief that his friend was okay, or maybe it was the hope that something better was on the horizon for him. It's about time, he thought.

Eva's gaze moved from Remus to the only other occupied bed in the room, and shock coursed through her. "Rem," she whispered, "what's Gilderoy doing in here?"

He burst out laughing. "Well, your flirty pal apparently ended up on the wrong end of a backfiring wand. Pair that with a Memory Loss Charm and you'll get that thing in the bed over there."

"He doesn't know who he is?" She asked, astonished. While she knew that she ought to feel bad, she giggled.

"Not a clue. Turns out he's a total fraud. Oi, Gilbert!"

Lockhart sat up in bed slowly, rubbing his eyes. In a dazed voice, he asked, "is that me?"

"You bet that's you," Remus replied boisterously, speaking in a loud voice to hide Eva's snort. "Just wanted to say hi."

"Oh. Hi, then..."

As the famous wizard laid back down in bed, Eva and Remus exploded into quiet laughter all over again. She loved how normal it felt, how she didn't have to put on any masks around Remus. So few people were like that for her, but they'd been there for each other since they were eleven and never stopped.

"Anyway," Remus said after their laughter had finally died away at least ten minutes later, "I'm going to head down to Hogsmeade, I think. I want to send an owl to Newt and Queenie. Tell them you're all right, you know. They've been worried, too."

"Oh, yeah. Of course."

As stupid as it seemed, she didn't want him to go just yet. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so lonely.

Remus, as always, followed her thoughts with ease. "Hey," he said gently. "I know it's been an overwhelming year, but last a few more hours and it's over. Then it'll be summer, and we can get away from here for a couple of months. We've got a great holiday of job hunting ahead of us. You'll be back to yourself before you know it."

"You're right," Eva said, exhaling slowly. Tucking a curl behind her ear, she asked, "Why are you always right?"

"It's a blessing and a curse." He winked as he stood up. "You'll be okay?"

Eva nodded. "I'll be okay."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, Eve."

"Bye, Remus."

Once he was gone, Eva tentatively stood up and looked around. What she saw filled her eyes with tears.

Flowers. Flowers everywhere. Everything from wildflowers growing on the hill down to Hagrid's hut to the wide array that Professor Sprout took care of in the greenhouses. A few cards were attached to various bouquets. There was also a signed photo of George Weasley and pink coconut ice from the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

A tear slipped down her face, taking the same track that sorrow often followed, but this was joy. She'd almost forgotten what happy tears felt like.

"You're a mighty beautiful person," said the disoriented voice of Gilderoy Lockhart. He gave her a wink, then frowned. "Lovely eyes. They really pop. Do you have a mighty beautiful name to go along with your mighty beautiful self?"

"Nope. Not a one." She winked at him in return, grinning at his flustered expression before quickly escaping the room.

*

The following morning, Eva's office was flooded with well-wishing students. This did make it a bit hectic, as the young professor also had to find the time to pack for the summer herself, but she never sent anyone away before they wanted to leave. Instead, she chatted cheerfully with them, caught up with everything that she'd missed in their lives, and waved them off for the holidays with a genuine smile.

When Harry poked his head into her office, he grinned at his godmother swaying to ABBA songs as she dusted off her record player with care.

"Professor?"

Eva turned around and her face broke into a grin. "Harry! I didn't see you last night!"

"No, you never showed up to the feast," he reminded her, his voice nearing teasing. "I'm really glad you're okay. We all missed you."

"Well, don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere anymore. Hogwarts is stuck with me for the long haul, I'm afraid." She looked at the office with fondness. "I bothered Dumbledore about it again last night, but you coming to stay with me this summer is still a no-go. I'll probably try to swing by Privet Drive a few times, though. Maybe we can go to Diagon Alley or something."

"Oh, cool!" Harry said enthusiastically, excited at the prospect of even a few hours away from his aunt and uncle, but even more excited at the prospect of spending a few hours with his godmother. Most of the students missed Professor Taylor in the last months, but he missed Eva. "Ron's going to Egypt with his family this summer, but he mentioned me coming over again, too, so that should be good."

Eva loosely braided the curls out of her face and glanced around, gaging what she still had to accomplish before meeting Remus in Hogsmeade. "Sounds good to me. Write if you need anything, okay? I'm in your corner, Harry. Don't forget that."

He smiled shyly. "Thanks, Professor. I hope you have a relaxing holiday."

You and me both, kid, she thought to herself. As she wrapped him in a tight hug, she said, "keep out of trouble, Harry, but don't forget to have a little fun, too."

Harry grinned, petted Ringo on the head, and made to leave, but Eva's eyes fell on something that made her call out.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Grab that book on your way out."

The boy picked up a small photo album sitting on the table closest to the door. 1972. Harry looked up at Eva, beaming. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

*

"Now Professor," George said with mock seriousness, "word on the street is that there was some guy visiting you during your time in the Hospital Wing, and to be honest, I'm feeling a bit like the dirt on your Oxford heels. It's not a good feeling."

Eva laughed and flicked her wand. The simple charm floated all of her records on the shelves lazily through the air and into a bag. "Mr. Wealsey, you shouldn't be jealous of something that didn't exist for either of the men in question."

"Is that really the case?" Fred leaned against the doorframe, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. "Then who was the bloke Angelina saw while bringing Hermione flowers? She said he was really tall."

"Oh, that was just... Bert," Eva said, biting her lip to hide her growing smile. She folded a Gryffindor blanket neatly and placed it on her desk. "He owns a plastic utensil company, and he likes grizzly bears."

"A plastic utensil company?" George asked. He sat on the corner of Eva's desk until she swatted him away. "Weird bloke."

"I'm all for the bears, though," Fred added.

"He doesn't own it, actually. Not yet. Bert's father wants to retire to Florida, but he wants to pursue harmonica as a career. He's quite talented, too." Eva laughed, moving onto the photographs on her desk. "Poor guy's been in love with me ever since '89. I can't say that I feel the same way."

"So, what you're saying is that you're not in love with him?" George asked hopefully. Both he and Fred crossed their fingers.

Eva smiled and shook her head as she continued packing the photographs. As the final strains of 'Our Last Summer' died out on the record player, she picked up the remaining frame, one Lily took on their graduation day. It perfectly captured the thrill of the moment, from the confetti to the screaming to the hugs, but she found herself focusing on two people in the photo.

"No," she said softly, more to herself than the Weasley twins. "He's not the one I love."

And here ya have it, ladies and gents! The last chapter of 'Chamber of Secrets'! I know it went pretty fast, but I felt like this book was least relevant to Eva's storyline, and let's be honest, we all want PoA, right?!?

You are not prepared for the coming chapters.

Anyone have a favorite part in this book so far?

What are you guys most looking forward to? Predictions???