"every time i look at you is like the first time"

*

Eva opened her eyes slowly, closing them as an immediate headache pierced her temple. The sterile smell of the hospital wing seemed offensively strong, and it took her a moment to remember what had happened at all.

"Eva?" The soft voice of Sirius Black inclined her to open her eyes again. He pushed a few curls out of her face, the relief on his evident. "Hi."

"Hi there. What happened?" The blonde girl mumbled, already trying to sit up, but he pushed her back down. "Where is everyone? Did we win?"

"Slow down, Blondie. I have no idea if we're winning. The match is still going on. We've been here for about two hours now."

Eva's eyebrows shot up. She looked around the hospital wing, but they were the only two there. "Then why are you here?"

Sirius shook his head, a little grin on his face. Leaning closer to her ear, he said, "Because I wanted to be."

"You shouldn't be. You should be out there having fun and announcing-"

"I have a feeling that I will never be announcing ever again," Sirius joked. "Plus, it's freezing out there. Not that fun."

"I guess you're right." Eva smiled a bit. "Are you going to kill me if I try to sit up?"

"Nah. I'll help you." Sirius grasped her hand and put his other hand on her back. Just from the movement, she felt dizzy and closed her eyes again. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Did I get a concussion?"

He nodded. "Yaxley broke your nose, too, but Madam Pomfrey already fixed it. You broke a few ribs and your arm too, but that's all fine now. I think she's gonna make you stay the night just in case."

Eva reached up and felt her nose, which seemed to be relatively normal. Tentatively, she asked, "Does it look bad?"

"I don't know. It looks like a nose. What do you want me to say?" Sirius grinned and glanced around to see if Madam Pomfrey was nearby before kicking his feet up on the bed and leaning back on his chair as if he owned the hospital wing.

"Sirius, you're the absolute worst," Eva teased, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. He reached out to mess with her hair but she slapped him away.

"Come on, Blondie, girls love a bad boy." He smirked seductively and let his hair fall into his stormy gray eyes. "Don't you?"

Her stomach twisted. She couldn't tell if he was flirting or not. "No. I like boys that behave themselves," Eva replied, deciding to go for the gusto. If it sounded stupid, she'd blame it on her injury.

"Oh? Are you a good girl now?" Sirius chuckled. Their hands lay inches apart on the white sheets. Take her hand. Don't be stupid. He didn't listen to his own advice and instead left his hand where it was. "Graffiti-ing my dear cousin's face, running from Filch, turning James' robes pink?"

"Magenta," she corrected.

"Right," Sirius said, "because there's a big difference."

Her thoughts tempted her. Take his hand. You know you want to. She could feel her attraction to him like a thick fog swirling around her, clouding her judgment.

Or maybe that was just the concussion.

"You've got a lot to learn, Black."

He raised an eyebrow, daring her to continue. "Do enlighten me, my dear Miss Taylor."

A mischievous sparkle appeared in her green eyes. Her light pink lips curved upwards.

"No, I think you'll have to figure that one out for yourself."

Sirius leaned closer to her so that their faces were inches away. "All right then, delinquent. I think you've got a damn cute nose. And if you'd like, I'll break Yaxley's for denting it. Happy?" He tapped her nose with his but stayed there, his nose barely brushing hers.

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest when he didn't pull away. Lean in. Kiss him. She never would have imagined that the exact same thought ran through his mind at the exact same time.

Sirius has just about made up his mind to just kiss her after four years of waiting for this very moment, but Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to walk in, and he hurried to be away from her and to remove his feet from the bed.

"I saw that, Mr. Black," the witch said pointedly as she walked over and sat on the corner of Eva's bed. "Good to see you awake, Miss Taylor. How does your head feel?"

"Okay. Kind of fuzzy."

Madam Pomfrey frowned. "Your cheeks look awfully red."

"Oh, no, that's um, that's nothing," she stammered, sure that the scarlet color of her cheeks was deepening by the minute. From behind the nurse, Sirius had to turn a snort into a cough.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and handed her a bright purple potion. When Eva eyed it with hesitation, the woman rolled her eyed and elaborated. "This will get rid of the concussion, Taylor. I'm keeping you overnight just to be safe, but I'm sure you would rather spend the next few weeks without headaches."

"Right," Eva said sheepishly, taking the potion from the nurse, who walked back to her office. Jokingly, she raised it in a toast to Sirius, who raised a nonexistent glass, before drinking. She almost spit it out as soon as she tasted the bitter liquid. A curse word escaped her lips before her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth in horror.

Sirius laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair. "Eva Brandi Taylor!"

"I didn't mean to!" She insisted, completely mortified. She almost never cursed. Never. Growing up, her mother always taught her that there were kinder ways to get a point across.

From his spot on the ground, Sirius continued to gasp for breath. "You've been spending way too much time with Remus!"

"It just slipped out!"

"I thought you said you were a good girl!"

The hospital wing doors burst open, and their group of friends burst in, snow-covered and worried. As soon as James spotted that Eva was awake, he literally sprinted over to her bed. Remus laughed to himself. Eva was probably the only girl who could make James run away from Lily Evans.

"Hey! You're awake! Are you okay? You look better. We've all been freaked out, I'm sure the team will be here soon, and - Merlin, why are you on the floor?"

"No reason, he's just an idiot," Eva said quickly, cheeks still pink with embarrassment. "Did we win?"

Before James could answer, Sirius sat up and yelled, "SHE JUST DROPPED THE F-BOMB!"

Eva wanted to hide under the sheets and never come out again. She downed the rest of the curse word-inducing potion as quickly as possible and instantly felt better, but still embarrassed.

James looked rather impressed. "You've leveled up, Blondie."

"Oh, shut it," she groaned, but she wasn't mad by any means. "So? Did we win?"

"Three fifty to three hundred," Remus said as he took off his wet scarf and hung it up on the end of her bed like it was a drying rack. "Thank Merlin the match ended, it's bloody freezing out there. You want any chocolate?" He reached into his pocket for the standard two bars he always carried but found it empty. Smirking, Lily tossed one to Eva.

"Evans, you're a pickpocket!" Sirius exclaimed, finally dragging himself off of the floor.

"Makes sense," said James. "It's how she stole my heart so easily."

Lily looked like she wanted to die a very painful death.

After brushing the snow out of her hair, Marlene sat down on the bed next to Eva and pushed her over a bit. "You don't look like you're going to die and you've got a small butt, so scoot," she said. Eva grinned and gladly made room.

"So when are you able to get out of here?" Peter questioned, glancing worriedly at the girl.

Eva shrugged. Since she'd drank that disgusting potion, she felt perfectly fine, only tired. "Madam Pomfrey won't let me leave until tomorrow."

"We could break you out," James suggested, brightening considerably at the possibilities.

"No," she told him flatly. "That's not happening."

"That's another Remus word!" Sirius said. "He loves to tell us no!"

Remus shook his head and grumbled, "someone has to be the smart one around here," before snatching the other chocolate bar from Lily's mittened hands.

The group stayed for hours, joking and telling stories. Under the cloak, James and Sirius ran down to the kitchens and brought back food, specifically the rolls Eva liked, and they all ate dinner together around her bed. No one left until Madam Pomfrey kicked them out of the hospital wing late at night.

*

After the legend of Eva's near-death tumble from her broomstick faded into the background and new gossip took the forefront, school slowly went back to normal. Winter raged on, preventing the students from going outside, and the schoolwork increased.

With February came meetings with the sixth years' Heads of Houses about their future endeavors. At seven-thirty on a Friday night in February, Eva knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door, surprised at how nervous she was.

"Come in," Professor McGonagall called. A smile spread across the older witch's face at the sight of Eva dressed in her painted on bell-bottom pants, Gryffindor turtleneck, and maroon knit beanie. She'd always been fond of the girl, mostly because she reminded Minerva of a younger version of herself. "Good evening, Miss Taylor."

"Good evening, Professor," she said, sitting at the chair in front of the desk. "Long night?"

McGonagall sighed as she straightened a tall stack of papers. "Very. I spent over half an hour explaining to your dear Mr. Black why he could not pursue being 'professionally good-looking' as a career."

Eva giggled when she heard this. "I'm not even surprised."

She'd spent the last few weeks thinking about that moment in the hospital wing between the two of them, where their noses were touching and she could see the darker flecks in his gray eyes. Neither of them mentioned what had almost happened before Madam Pomfrey interrupted the moment, but Eva couldn't help wondering.

What if I kissed him?

Would he have kissed me back?

"Miss Taylor?" McGonagall cleared her throat, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. "Are you ready to begin?"

Eva blushed, obviously flustered. "Sorry, Professor."

"It's no problem at all, but we better be getting started." The transfiguration instructor pulled out a file. "All of your instructors have spoken of you highly. Your standout classes are Charms and Transfiguration, but Potions is definitely your weakness. Now, you've expressed interest in the past in working with the Ministry of Magic, is that correct?"

"I want to work in the justice system at the Ministry. Maybe writing laws."

"And is there a reason you are inclined to do so?"

Eva drummed her fingers absentmindedly on the desk as several memories flashed across her mind.

She was eleven, and the tall boy in shabby clothes punched the third year Slytherin who called her a word she'd never heard before. He introduced himself as Remus Lupin, and the pair immediately resolved to stick together.

She was twelve, and people laughed at her when she showed up to Quidditch tryouts. No one was laughing when her name appeared on the roster.

She was thirteen, and she found prankster Sirius Black ripping up a letter from his parents and whispering about how much he hated them.

She was fourteen, and the Daily Prophet reported the first attack on a Muggle family by Death Eaters. Too many followed.

She was fifteen, and she spent three nights in the hospital wing after getting into a fight with the boys who called Lily a Mudblood.

She was sixteen, and accidentally let it slip to her mother over the holidays that a wizarding war was on the horizon. Mrs. Taylor didn't want her to return to Hogwarts.

She was seventeen, and Sirius told her that his own mother had used the Cruciatus Curse on him. Hours later, Remus admitted that he was a werewolf and called himself a monster.

Eva swallowed, not really sure how to explain the rush of emotion flooding her. "Someone young needs to fix it all."

Minerva McGonagall peered at the determined girl over her spectacles. "I will say I admire you for that sentiment, but I also feel inclined to tell you something else."

"Professor?"

"Frankly, I think putting someone as spirited as you behind a desk at the Ministry is a waste of both talent and potential."

Eva didn't know what to say, shocked at her statement.

"I've mentioned this to the Headmaster before, and he agrees with me. I would strongly advise you to consider applying to teach here in a few years."

A shy smile spread across her face as she imagined a life of instructing young witches and wizards, and staying in the castle. "I would love that," Eva admitted.

"I know you would. And I also want you to know that should you want a teaching position, I will give you a very good recommendation in a few years." Professor McGonagall smiled as Eva lit up like a firework. "Miss Taylor, I've taught you for six years now and I can think of no better student to return to Hogwarts and teach someday."

"Wow. I mean - wow. That's so amazing. I don't think I could imagine anything better. Coming back here and teaching - wow. Wow. How do I do that?" She asked eagerly. McGonagall glanced over the papers she'd prepared, just in case.

"You need top grades in whichever subject you'd be interested in teaching. I know you perform very well overall in your classes, so you have some flexibility in your class selection next year," she said. "And you'd really be too young to teach right after graduation, so on the record, I'd suggest either working at the Ministry for a few years."

Eva frowned at the professor's word choice. "On the record?"

"Yes." A shrewd expression crossed her face.

"And, what would you recommend off the record?" Eva asked delicately, curious to what she was about to hear.

Professor McGonagall leaned forward, apprehension in her every movement. "Off the record, I have an offer for you. An offer from Professor Dumbledore."

Excitement exploded from the pit of her stomach. "What is it?"

"The war against You-Know-Who will soon move out into the open," McGonagall explained quietly, her eyes flicking to the door every few seconds. "He has been recruiting handpicked individuals to fight with him against the coming darkness."

Eva thought about this. She'd always known the war was coming, of course, but all of a sudden, it seemed so real, and so big. Wars brought about violence. They ripped apart families. They tore apart lives.

"Does the Ministry know about this?" she questioned, not believing that the Ministry would allow this for one minute.

Just as she expected, Professor McGonagall shook her head. "It is a secret society. Professor Dumbledore thinks it best to prepare in advance, not wait for trouble to find us." Her eyes met Eva's and the table lamp flickered. "You will not be involved in the group's workings until you graduate from Hogwarts School. However, I must impart upon you the dangers you face if you join. You will put your own safety at risk."

"Professor Dumbledore wanted to recruit me?"

McGonagall nodded, a smile twitching on the older woman's lips. "I would call this your formal invitation to join the Order of the Phoenix."

"Tell me more."

How is everyone?

I might start including gifs, they look nice.

Hope everyone's doing okay in this weird time. Stay safe and be smart. Listen to music. We'll pull through it.

QOTD: who's your favorite ship in this book?

AOTD: tbh Remus and Kriss, but Eva and Sirius are endgame

I need some ship names. Hmmm

Anyways, vote and comment! Xo