Evangeline Merrick sat in the carriage that had been provided to her by the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, her old school, a school she hadn't seen in a little over 5 centuries since she herself had attended from the tender age of 11 until she turned 17. 

Snow had begun to fall during the hours leading up to her arrival as if welcoming her back to one of the few locations she truly loved with all of her undead being.

It was the first time that she was traveling alone since the formation of her coven and their relocation to Transylvania, but she was eternally grateful it was only to a location she knew and felt safe in. A small smile grew on her cherry coloured lips as the castle that served as a school came into her limited small carriage window view, a sense of calm and longing blooming in her chest.

She remembered the adversity she suffered for being a woman of colour, but somehow when attending Hogwarts she never suffered from it, she was often made insulted due to being a half-blood but never due to the colour of her skin, which was a pleasant contrast from her muggle life as the daughter of the Queen's private servant.

Her travels had been arranged so that she only needed to travel in the night, something that made her chuckle when she heard about, but then again she couldn't really blame those who did not know of her kind, they were truly a quiet and often reserved species.

When the carriage came to a halt at the top of the hill, before a doorway that led to a covered bridge, allowing her to step out and have very little snow fall on her coal coloured cloak, by the doorway to the said covered bridge was a man with a horrible sneer on his face, a sneer that disappeared as he caught a glimpse of her features when she looked up, allowing a few moonbeams to illuminate her face briefly.

"Mr. Filch?" She questioned softly, her voice softly and velvety, entrancing the man in a sort of spell, "Yes m'lady." he replied after a brief moment, his voice rough and tired, a light blush covering his hollow and wrinkly cheeks, it was a natural occurrence for those who met her. "I'm not too late am I?" Evangeline questioned almost shyly, the man, Argus Filch shook his head and extended his bony hand to her.

An action Evangeline knew was cordial and an invitation to help her up the three or four steps that led to the covered bridge, "Thank Rowena." she smiled in relief, taking Mr. Filch's hand and grabbing the skirt of her dress with her free hand before climbing the snow-covered steps, "The Ministry held me back for lack of documentation and plausible forgery of letter." she explained, although she knew that she did not need to explain herself to anyone.

Filch walked silently, politely leading the entrancing woman next to him to the Great Hall through her arm, that was politely hooked through his. "Take it the headmaster did not inform students and staff alike as to what their guest was." she commented, pointing out the obvious, especially considering Argus Filch's reaction to seeing her.

Filch shook his head, not being able to find any words, feeling like his beloved cat Mrs. Norris took his tongue and ran to the other side of the castle with it. 

The difference between Argus Filch and Evangeline Merrick was utterly sticking, she held the poise of a court lady of the middle ages, head held high, although not to the point her hood fell from her head, although it seemed like she was floating rather than walking as she moved fluidly and noiselessly while the School's caretaker walked with his back hunched, feet dragging slightly and very human-like.

The doors that lead inside opened magically, greeting the caretaker and the guest with a gush of warm air and the scent of burning candles, while the set of doors before those remained closed, a set of door Evangeline recognized as the ones that lead to the Banquet Hall.