THE ESSENCE OF TIME
~HOGWARTS~

•••

A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE Evangeline has time traveled. She was starting to miss her friends greatly. A day after she had finished buying her supplies. Evangeline lay down on her bed and thought about her friends. She wasn't given enough time to grieve and was immediately thrown into a world where she didn't know anyone. Anyone but an old man.

Thoughts ran through her head, wondering how Draco and Hermione were doing. How Hermione was coping with the loss of Harry and Ron in one day, not to mention her parents were in Merlin knows what part of Australia.

Draco also had no one, his parents were for sure within Voldemort's circle, and he couldn't get back to them now that he's considered a traitor. Thankfully, after finding Draco in the bathroom crying his eyes out in the sixth year, she found out the truth about his distance.

The air was cold, the breeze was freezing, and Evangeline was alone. Wearing her Ravenclaw sweater and her wand with a light glow on top, she made her way through the corridors of Hogwarts. Evangeline was silently wishing that her Prefect partner, Terry Boot, would trip down the stairs tomorrow on his way to breakfast.

The male told her earlier that he couldn't come with her on their duties due to his ill state. He had eaten too much candy the day before and now had food poisoning and a stomach ache.

Evangeline hated Hogwarts during the night, it felt haunted. Granted, Hogwarts was known for its ghosts that usually roamed around the halls and were quite friendly to students but Evangeline felt like she was in a muggle horror movie. The ghosts were nowhere to be seen at night, making it more disturbing than it should have been.

She recalled the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, telling her that the reason why they don't come out at night is because they also feel scared during the dark hours of Hogwarts. Evangeline became more terrified, what in the world scared ghosts?

Continuing down her path, she stopped when she heard someone crying. At that moment, Evangeline wished that she had died instead, it was becoming more real to her that she was inside a muggle horror film and this was the part where she was gonna meet her inevitable demise.

Gulping, she made the idiotic decision to investigate.

"I'm gonna die today, this is where I die, someone is here to kill me." She mumbles, asking herself why she's doing this.

She reaches the bathroom where the noise is heard, and a bit of relief approaches her shaking body when she realizes that it is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She thought that the cries were from Myrtle. Content with her revelation, she turns around to leave until she hears another sob, but this time, it doesn't sound like a girl. It sounded like a boy.

She froze from the noise, having second thoughts on whether she should continue to investigate or just make a run from it. Then the image of Moaning Myrtle popped into her head, the way she died from being alone in the bathroom.

Cursing her kind heart, Evangeline decided to check on the boy, in case something similar happened to him.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

She can hear the beat of her heart every second. Terrified of what may come. She looks inside the bathroom only to find a boy hunched over the sink, violently sobbing. His shoulders which were covered in a Slytherin sweater moved up and down. His whole body was shaking.

Evangeline narrowed his eyes, 'What the hell is a boy doing in a girl's bathroom?' Moving toward the boy, she noticed the messy platinum hair that the she all know and love.

Opening her eyes more, she ran towards him.

"Draco?!" She asked, moving towards the boy and holding him, "What happened?! Are you okay?! Why are you crying?! Did someone do this to you?!" Evangeline interrogated.

Draco only replied in sobs, gasping for air, "I-" He couldn't form words. "I- I- kill-killed," stuttering at every syllable.

"Breathe, Draco." Evangeline was worried about him, she had suspicions that something happened to him over the summer, especially with Voldemort back. Draco had mysteriously stopped mailing her back, the last letter she received from him was to tell her to stop sending him letters.

Seeing as Draco was still struggling to breathe, she performed a spell to make him calm down, the same one she used for the Gryffindor boy earlier that week.

"Draco?" Evangeline held his cheek.

"Ange... I... I killed the bird."

Evangeline looked at Draco for a second, wanting to slap him. She was worried for his well-being, only for him to tell her that he had killed a bird. Composing herself, she shut her eyes and formulated her response.

"Okay... You killed a bird, why are you crying? You also stepped on a ladybug when you were 12 years old and didn't give a second thought to it." She asked.

"No, you don't understand. I failed, Ange, I failed him." Draco elaborated.

Evangeline felt the world stop as soon as she heard him say the last word. Him. She immediately knew who he was referring to. She looked at his tear-stained eye, the bags under it were prominent, and his face had gotten bonier.

"Draco..." She said, before engulfing him in a hug. Once the blonde boy realized she was hugging him, he instantly hugged back and started to sob again.

"Is that why you've become so distant? You started ignoring me." She asked she could feel the boy nod into her shoulder. She broke their hug and Evangeline wiped away the tears on Draco's cheek.

"I told you that we're a team, you should've told me, I would've helped you in whatever mess he got you into."

"You cannot help me, Ange. You can't help me with this. It's too dangerous."

"What is he forcing you to do?"

Draco pauses for a moment and looks away, "I can't tell you."

Evangeline stares for a moment, putting the pieces together, remembering the words Dumbledore had told her.

"He told you to kill Dumbledore..." She whispered, realizing the doom that Draco was in.

The blond looked at her once again, nodding, tears were resurfacing.

"Oh Draco, I am so so sorry-"

"Don't apologize, it's not your fa- AH!" The blond started but cut himself off from the searing pain that had made itself known on his left forearm.

Breaking from Evangeline's hold, he kneels and holds his left forearm, hoping that the pain will stop.

"Draco! What's happening?!" She asked, kneeling with him.

"He's angry! He's getting i-impatient! It h-hurts Evangeline!" Draco explained, crying.

Evangeline holds Draco's left forearm, pulling his sweater off of it to reveal the moving Dark Mark on his arm. Evangeline let out a small gasp, looking at Draco before holding out her right arm and putting it on the tattoo.

And in an instant, the excruciating pain that Draco felt was now gone. The tattoo had stopped moving.

"How... how did you..?" Draco asked, his chest moving up and down, clearly exhausted.

Evangeline offered him a smile and took his right arm to get the both of them to stand up. She hugged him as tight as she could, feeling the warmth that Draco's arms had provided.

"Don't ever ignore me again, I will curse you myself. Now I don't know what it is that you're doing, and I don't care what your answer is, but I will help you and you cannot stop me." She said, breaking the hug and looking at Draco's eyes sternly.

"But Dumble-" Evangeline raised her finger to Draco's mouth, cutting him off.

"I don't give a fuck about Dumbledore. He knows this is happening, he doesn't give a fuck about anyone but himself. Plus, he's already old, death is practically banging on his door. I will try and help you as much as I can." Evangeline said.

Draco mustered a weak smile before hugging Evangeline again, "Thank you."

Sighing at the memory, Evangeline didn't even feel the tear that had left her eye. Once the memory resurfaced, the tears kept coming. She recalled every adventure she and the three Gryffindors had, the yule ball where she danced like nobody was watching even though every eye was on her.

Her awkward date with Fred in her fifth year. The boy who made her laugh once was now six feet under. She wondered how George was doing, losing his other half.

Her parents... Oh how she missed her parents.

She was tired. She wanted out, she just wanted to sleep. Her eyes began to drift when suddenly, the alarm clock on her bedside table started to ring.

Wiping her tears, she slammed the alarm clock, harder than she anticipated, accidentally breaking it. Evangeline rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers to fix the alarm clock.

Remembering the day, it was the 1st of September, she had to leave before the train went to Scotland. Luckily, her things were already packed. Evangeline fixed her image and went downstairs to be greeted by Anne once again.

"Are you ready for Hogwarts, dear?" The woman smiled and Evangeline gave her a nod.

"The fireplace is right over there, I'm sure you're aware of how the floo network works. Now go on, the train might leave without you." She shooed Evangeline to the fireplace.

The fireplace was just like any normal fireplace, covered in soot, Evangeline stepped inside and grabbed some floo powder, her stuff just right behind her.

"Good luck dear, I know you will do great. Hope to see you in my house." Anne winked, showing Evangeline the black and yellow pin with a badger in the middle that was on her apron.

"Thank you, Anne. Platform 9 and 3/4!" Said Evangeline, and poof, she was gone.

•••

The first thing she took note of when she opened her eyes was the hundreds of family saying goodbye to their children. And there she was, all alone, stuck out like a sore thumb. The train was in the background, letting off steam, some students already inside.

Oh, how she had missed this.

Grabbing her things, she took off to the train after it let out a noise, signaling that it was time to go. Her suitcases magically disappeared when she got on, assuming they went to where it was supposed to, leaving only her satchel that was hanging on her arm.

The train was still the same as she had remembered, the wooden floors that were covered by a red carpet, the mahogany walls that encased the students safely, and the compartments that fit 6 students in were still as homely as ever.

Taking a deep breath and putting on her best smile, she took off, finding a compartment to spend the hours in.

Sadly, she could not find a free compartment. Evangeline scratched her head, she thought that she was early, and there were still a ton of students outside the train when she went inside. Her luck was always MIA in times of need.

Gathering up the courage, Evangeline walked towards the compartment filled with fifth years and tried to find a compartment with less than three people who also screamed 'Ravenclaw' to her.

It was no secret that she was going to be in Ravenclaw once again, it was her home. She also could not survive the year by herself, might as well find some friends while she's at it.

Laughter filled the halls, the joys of students bouncing off the wall, unaware of the danger that the train was carrying. Turning her head, she saw two students in one of the compartments.

A girl, no older than her, and a boy with curly locks.

The girl was holding a sketchpad with a pencil in her right hand, she was sketching something, looking out at the window every 7 seconds. Her hair was straight as a pole, the color of it was darker than brown but lighter than black. She was pretty, Evangeline thought.

The boy in front of her was reading a book, the cover read "The Secrets of Magic", his hair was curlier than the ribbons on a birthday present wrapped in haste. His hands were bonier than the spine of an ancient book pressed tightly shut.

She composed herself and knocked on the door, both heads looking up at her. The boy that was closer to the door opened it.

"Um hi, I'm Evangeline, sorry to intrude but I was wondering if I could sit here? I'm new and everywhere else is full." She smiled sheepishly.

The pair looked at each other, having a silent conversation using their eyes before nodding and smiling at her.

"Oh yeah, for sure! Come sit!" The boy beckoned.

Evangeline went inside and sat beside the girl that was sketching. She put down her sketchbook and faced Evangeline.

"Hi! My name is Emily!" Emily lent out her hand and Evangeline shook it.

"I'm Lysander." Lysander nodded towards her, closing the door of the compartment before sitting down.

"Nice to meet you both." Evangeline smiled.

"You said you were new? I didn't know that Hogwarts accepted new students that weren't first years." Lysander asked.

"Yeah, I was homeschooled because of the war with Grindelwald and whatnot, my parent wanted me to stay safe until Dumbledore convinced them that I was safer at school with him."

"Cool! I wasn't aware that was something a person could do." Lysander said, smiling.

"You know, Dumbledore?" Emily asked before shying away. "Sorry, I'm just really curious. You don't have to answer that."

"No, it's okay! Dumbledore is an old family friend." Evangeline reassured her with a smile.

After a minute of awkward silence, Evangeline asked them. "What house are you guys in?" Already know the answer.

"Ravenclaw!" Both claimed, Evangeline laughed. "I figured as much." She said, smiling.

Both furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"I came in here and noticed Emily sketching the scenery which displayed creativity, not to mention her curiosity about my background. And you, Lysander were reading 'The Secrets of Magic' by Winona Thorne– a great book might I add– which is full of theories about how magic came to be, how it started, and the origins of it, which also displayed curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. This was the only compartment that did what you guys were doing. The others were either busy chatting, taking a nap, playing chess, or making a fool of themselves and stuff. But I'm not saying that if you have those traits you're automatically a Ravenclaw, it was just what I noticed. Also, the fact that both of you are wearing Ravenclaw prefect badges." Evangeline smiled, shyly.

The pair of friends looked at her impressed by her observation. They did the eye thing once again, making a conversation that only the two could understand, and nodded.

"Looks like you'll be one of us, dear Evangeline," Emily said.

"With your great skill of observation, there's no doubt you would be an eagle too," Lysander smirked, letting his back fall on the couch and opening up his book.

"Well I certainly hope I would, that's the reason why I chose to be in this compartment." Evangeline laughed causing the two of them to follow suit.

Evangeline didn't know it at the time, but these two eagles were going to be by her side no matter what happened. Creating their own Golden Trio amid the chaos that would inevitably surround them.

•••

Emily and Lysander had just come back from their Prefect meeting. The sun had set, leaving a whisper of frost weaving through the trees. It had been hours since the train had left the station, and she could feel the echoes of memories stirring deep within her chest as her home got closer and closer.

The pair were already wearing their school robes, the blue peeking out with every movement. Evangeline was wearing the plain robe that didn't have color to it, as she wasn't sorted yet.

Evangeline felt the train slow down until it came to a stop, they were finally here, at Hogwarts, at home. Emily and Lysander smiled excitedly as they grabbed their stuff from the shelves, Evangeline followed.

"We're here! Oh, Evangeline, you are going to love it! Maybe except for the stressful part especially O.W.L.S are happening– but other than that! You are going to be enthralled!" Emily exclaimed.

"She's right, the sight of the castle is breathtaking. I still can't believe that it's real. It's like those fantasy castles that you would see in a muggle film." Lysander grin.

Lysander was well versed in the muggle world as he was a muggle-born. Emily too, but not as much as Lysander as she was a halfblood. Emily grew up in the wizarding world, occasionally going to visit the muggle world where her mother's side of the family lived. Her dad's the pureblood.

"My mum's a muggle, dad's a wizard, bit of a nasty shock for her when she found out," Emily explained to Evangeline.

Evangeline laughed at her, remembering her friend Seamus.

They were on the way to the carriages when a voice called out from behind.

"Ms. Lunaris!" A voice yelled out to the crowd, Evangeline didn't seem to notice until Lysander tapped her shoulder and told her that someone was looking for her. She made a noise of confusion until she remembered that her fake name was Evangeline Lunaris.

She couldn't use her real surname, for the reason that the Moonlights at this time did not have a daughter.

"Ms. Lunaris, there you are, come with me." A grubby old man, about the same age as Filch, came forward towards her and motioned for her to follow him.

She reluctantly waved goodbye to her two new friends and made their way to the castle.

"Ms. Lunaris, you were quite a shock when Headmaster Dippet told me that a transfer student would be arriving today. I was tasked with getting you to his office." The man huffed, and Evangeline examined him.

He looked quite dainty, his back was hunched, his left eye looked like it was constantly twitching, his beard was unkempt, and he had unruly hair that reached his shoulders. He resembled Filch.

"The name is Silas Filch, I'm the caretaker here." He introduced.

Evangeline let an "Ah.." sound, knowing that this man was related to Filch.

The two kept walking until they reached the headmaster's office. Once again, Evangeline was sweating and heaving after going through so many stairs. She never claimed to be fit, it was a miracle that she hadn't gained leg muscles from all those steps she took.

"Thank you, Mr. Filch." She told the man.

"Yeah, whatever kid. The password is 'Maroon', best to wait inside till the sorting ceremony of the first years are done. The Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster will come see you. I'm off." Filch said before limping in another direction.

"Maroon." And the Griffin started to move once again. She goes inside and examines the office, a few changes were present from what she remembered. The statue from the future isn't on display, there was a huge painting at the side, and some trinkets scattered around.

Evangeline saw a chair in front of the table and decided to sit there and wait.

•••

An hour had passed and Evangeline was getting bored. She was ready to leave and go to the great hall herself but her scheming got interrupted by the two men that entered the room.

"Ah, Ms. Lunaris. I sincerely apologize for the long wait. There were much more students this year than I anticipated." The older man apologized. This must be the Headmaster, Evangeline thought.

"It's alright, sir. It wasn't like I was starving or anything." Evangeline said, muttering the last part under her breath.

"Very well then, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore here shall assist you with your sorting, I am sure no introductions are necessary as you both are already acquainted with one another." Dippet said, gesturing to Dumbledore.

Evangeline stood up once Dumbledore had found his way in front of her, placing the Sorting Hat on her head.

"Ah... yes... I know who you are. I have already sorted you into your house." The Sorting Hat said.

"I see... I know of your mission. You must change the path that the boy would inevitably walk on. I've seen into his mind, it is not something that you should dive into, child. You cannot change someone who is not willing to change. But then again, you might just be able to do it." The hat continued.

"What does that mean?" Evangeline asked.

"All in due time, child. Now I can make things easier for you and place you in Slytherin, you have what it takes to be a snake. Your ambition and determination to change his path grow strong. You harness the power that only those who seek it wish they could have. But what is this? Your loyalty is bigger than that of those in Hufflepuff, you strive to save your friends, and that is why you're here. You care greatly for every one of them, even those innocent who perish that you have no idea of. The lion is also inside you, your bravery to step forward and put yourself in danger shows how courageous you are. But alas... you have all the qualities of all these houses but you seem to remain loyal to only one. The eagles are calling your name, your wit helps you succeed, and your creativity makes those who do art seethe with jealousy. Your intelligence rivals your founder, and your observance is more than what you can bear. And for that, I will put you into, RAVENCLAW!" The hat roars, causing Dumbledore to take it off of Evangeline's head.

Evangeline smiles with contentment, noticing her robes change colors into the house she has come to love.

"Congratulations Ms. Lunaris, Professor Dumbledore shall lead you the way to your new home." Dippet smiled at her causing Evangeline to do the same.

The two walk out of the office. Once they had reached the cold corridors, Dumbledore turned to look at Evangeline.

"Evangeline, congratulations on Ravenclaw, although I already had a feeling that is where you will end up," Dumbledore said.

Evangeline looked up at his face and scrunched hers up, "This is weird." She said.

Dumbledore tilted his head at her comment, "What is?"

"You... you're... young."

Dumbledore chuckled at the girl.

"I would love for us to talk about my appearance but I am afraid that it would take us the whole night. I assume you know your way to your common room? You must take your rest, classes will start tomorrow." Dumbledore said.

"I suppose... Goodnight professor." Evangeline said, waving goodbye to the man before heading her way to the Ravenclaw tower.

•••

Evangeline finds her way to the Ravenclaw tower, gasping for air once again, staring at the door with the Eagle that lay upon it.

"I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have rivers, but no water. What am I?" The eagle asks.

"A map." Evangeline manages to get out, the door opens and reveals the beautiful Ravenclaw common room.

Stepping inside, the first thing that you notice is the blue circular carpet that looks like a clock. The walls were covered with tons and tons of bookshelves that had books on them. There was a second floor in their common room that led to more bookshelves. It was like they had their library. When you look at the top, a circular glass dome is present, and the stars scattered across the night sky appear. Telescopes were also around the common room for students to use. There were blue chairs and couches with stars across decorating it. Some desks and tables were present with the chairs.

Evangeline was still in a trance every time she stepped foot into her common room. She was about to move when a voice called out for her name.

"Evangeline!" She turned to her side to see Emily, waving for her to come sit next to her and Lysander by the fireplace. The picture of Rowena Ravenclaw on top.

She walked towards them when Emily took her arm and excitedly sat her down.

"We told you you'd be here with us!" She giggled, Lysander nodding in agreement.

"How do you like the castle so far?" Lysander asked.

"I love it! Words can't describe how much beauty the castle brings, the common room is wonderful too! I love the stars." Evangeline expressed.

"I'm glad that you love it here! It's a shame you missed the welcoming feast, you haven't been to the great hall, haven't you? Don't fret because tomorrow morning, you are gonna see where we eat every single day." Emily stated.

"The food is bloody delicious too," Lysander added

Evangeline couldn't believe it, she was at Hogwarts again. Normal Hogwarts, the Hogwarts she had come to love. The Hogwarts without the screams, the blood, the pain, and the dead bodies.

She turned to look at the picture of her house's founder. Rowena Ravenclaw. She was already looking at Evangeline, giving her a small nod and a wink before looking away.

She somehow always knows.

Evangeline wasn't here to enjoy her education again, but oh boy was she going to make the most of it.