𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It wasn't that Eva wouldn't have invited her friends over for the holidays, it's that they basically invited themselves first. Kaelyn, Adan, and Lily Potter herself decided together that the three of them were going to stay at Eva's for the holidays, mostly to protect the girl from...unwanted interactions. 

Eva had questioned to herself multiple times why Hogwarts hadn't found the need to inform her parents on her mental state, though even if they did, with their age, she didn't think they would completely understand. It wasn't that Euphemia and Fleamont Potter had no sense of mind, but their time at Hogwarts some 40 or 50 years before would not necessarily compare to what James and Eva go through at the school. 

"Lily, are you sure you want to come? I'd absolutely love to have you over, but James is a little..."

"Eva, it's totally fine. Don't let James take control of your life and ruin things like the holidays for you. If he tries to speak to me, I'll kick him in the ass," Lily told her. "Like seriously. I'll lift my foot and hit him hard in the behind with it."

Eva briefly laughed before an anxious expression replaced her features. 

"It's fine Ev's. I want to make sure you're doing okay; we all do. Also, I just want to spend the holidays with my friend."

"Thank you so much," Eva told her. "For everything. Taking care of me, coming to visit, all of it."

"Of course! That's what friends are for, after all."

"Are you all ready to go?" Adan asked, lifting his trunk from the ground.

"Yeah," Eva mumbled, in contrast to her friends' enthusiastic replies. 

"Ok, let's go." Even though Eva told him not to, he carried her trunk to the train. 

The train ride went by quickly as Adan and Kaelyn chatted away, while Eva sat with her head against the train window. She did buy a few chocolate frogs, and a few people popped in now and then to wish them a good holiday season. 

When they arrived at the station, it was packed with witches, wizards, and muggles. The place had been decorated for the holidays, while people were wrapped tightly in jackets and sweaters. Over the bustling people, Eva heard the sound of Sirius yelling. She turned her head to see him arguing with his mother (or ex-mother for that matter). She caught Regulus' eye who simply rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, but sent her a friendly wink. She weakly smiled back before being dragged by Lily away from the station.

"There are so many people. Let's just get out of here through the floo network. I think there was a fireplace over there."

She didn't quite remember what happened, but she was spun away through the floo network and into the cozy living room fireplace of the Potter Mansion. She immediately collapsed on the plush sofa with a sigh. 

Her parent's definitely had outdone themselves with decorations. Her three guests spun around with their jaws slack, admiring the embellishments. Garlands were strung throughout the house, sprinkled with red berries. Poinsettia had been planted just in front of the house. As for outside, there was a light snowfall. Frost spikes hung off of the window like icy fingers. But to Eva, by far, the Christmas tree was the best decoration put up for the holidays. Everything from ornaments to popcorn to candy canes was hung on the tree, but it stood tall. A small angel sat on the top, watching over everyone with pure delight. It was beautiful.

"Oh, Eva!" Euphemia Potter gasped happily. She drew her daughter into a tight embrace, before doing the same.

"Oh, Adan, Kaelyn, dears its been so long," she sighed. "Lily! I've heard so much about you from James! It's about time we have met."

Adan snickered behind his hand as Lily sent him a glare. Fleamont joined them soon afterward. 

"Eva, where are your brothers?"

So Sirius is my 'brother' now?

"They sure aren't here," Fleamont chuckled. "You'd be able to tell."

With a loud swishing noise, two bodies appeared in the fireplace.

"Speaking of the devil," Lily muttered, sitting down beside Eva and her pair of friends.

The Potter parents immediately noticed the thick tension between the six teenagers in their home. 

"What's wrong with them?"

"Please don't ask me to understand the complex minds of our children. I still don't understand half of the things they say."

"What are they doing here?" James asked confused.

"We're spending the holidays with Eva, of course!" Kaelyn responded with a sweet smile. Something told James that the smile wasn't meant sweetly. 

"You have Sirius over, so I brought these three with me," Eva told him nonchalantly. 

"But Sirius lives with us. They don't."

"Oh James," Fleamont chuckled. "You had the boys over for Christmas last year-"

"And you're having them over this year too," Euphemia added.

"-So why not let Eva invite her friends?"

"Lily-flower?"

"Lily Evans to you, Potter," she growled with a sneer.

"James, Sirius, you both will be sharing a room for a little while," Euphemia said softly.

"What?!" the two exclaimed.

"Why should I have to share a room with Sirius when she is the one with her friends over?"

"Mrs. Potter, I thought there were two guest rooms?"

"Sirius, it's Euphemia. And yes, there are two guest rooms. When the boy's come we will switch up the arrangements, but for now, there is one for Lily, one for Kaelyn, and Adan will get your bedroom."

"Adan?!"

"Adan can sleep in my room," Eva told them. "I don't want to torture our guests with the stench of that room."

"Eva, watch your mouth," Fleamont warned.

"Yeah, no way is Adan staying with you. For all we know, he could end up in your bed."

"James!" Euphemia shouted. Eva simply rolled her eyes.

"You will not speak like that to our guests or your sister."

"Well, according to Eva, she is not my sister anyway," he grumbled.

"Look," Fleamont firmly told his kids. "I don't know what happened at school, but you two need to drop whatever this is."

"Tell Eva to drop it! I've tried to get along with her but she just snaps at me."

Both Kaelyn and Lily were bright red, Adan holding the two down with a grasp on their wrists.

"James, I'm sure it was just a small disagreement," Euphemia said softly. "This is the holiday season; there's no need for any silly arguments. Lily, Adan, Kaelyn, you will all get your own rooms. And yes, James and Sirius are right. Sirius should get his own room. James will sleep in Eva's room."

"What!?!?" the two shrieked.

"Yeah, absolutely no damn way I'm sleeping in the same room as her."

"Language," Fleamont scolded.

"That's it. I'm sleeping on the couch," Eva groaned. 

"You will not be sleeping on the couch Eva," her mother told her. 

"Fine. I'll sleep on the roof," she deadpanned.

"I can sleep in Eva's room," Kaelyn offered. "Adan can have the guest room and James and Sirius can keep their rooms."

Though James and Eva both furiously nodded their heads, Euphemia shook hers. "That's alright deary. My word is final you two."

...

Eva's eyes refused to shut and her mind refused to rest. Maybe it was from James' snores, or that her mind was filled with thoughts and the fear of nightmares. The dreamless sleep potion Regulus had made for her was in her school bag, but that's not what she needed. She needed to get out of the cramped room for a breath of fresh winter air. 

She kicked off the covers on top of her, grabbed her journal and pen out of her nightstand, and tiptoed over to the window at the side of her room. Had it been on the side James was at, he probably would have woken up. The frigid air hit Eva right in the face as she yanked the window open. She slid through the opening and walked over to a spot on the roof that seemed somewhat comfortable. She lay back on the roof and gazed up at the sky. It wasn't the astronomy tower, but it sure was beautiful. The sun had set hours before, so the moon and stars were the only light. Eva knew the stars were much the same as at Hogwarts, but they felt... different.

For a moment Eva closed her eyes. Not to sleep, but just to think. There was a lot to think about. Her nightmares, the war, and James. How was she supposed to deal with him over the break? Sirius? Peter and Remus? Neither of them intervened to tell their mate to stop. They didn't even try to ask her if she was okay. Once she opened her eyes, she grabbed the notebook she had brought with her. It wasn't anything special; well, the looks at least, because for Eva, the book was everything. Her aunt Adelaide, the one with warm hazel eyes, had given it to her. Her aunt had spoiled her as a child, and Eva had many things from her; knowledge, and physical items. It was a brown leather book, but the edges of the cover had begun to tatter. Her initials E.A.P. were engraved in gold ink on the front. She wrote lots of things inside the book. Eva's mind can do crazy things; her aunt had realized that. She is creative beyond belief and an amazing writer. The only reason she passes her essays is for that very skill; when she actually does them, of course. Not all of her writings were good, but most were, like her poems. She didn't write as much as she used to, though nobody would notice, because no one knew of her book.

Eva clicked her muggle-pen, and hovered over the page before writing:I know that what happens now, all doesn't matter. That in years to pass, they will be only stories to get carried away in the wind. That I will soon be the older generation instead of the newer. Though none of that helps. Time can not be shortened or extended, and so I must live in the present; with my mind elsewhere.

She thought for a moment. Maybe if I just forgive James, this will all end. We'll laugh while we tell the stories of our arguments to our children. 

Most of her writings were about her life, just as that one had been. She always had a grudge against James; anyone in her spot most likely would. He always acted as if he was in control of Eva, and at this point, he basically was. His friends either didn't notice, or didn't care, but as she wrote, what happens to her now, won't matter in the future. They will only be stories to tell to somebody else, and something to laugh at. Although she didn't know if she was being childish, or sensitive, or just cared about her own wellbeing; just as every human should for themselves.

But Eva mentally scolded herself. She couldn't let James wrap her around his finger only to upset and break her down again.

She crept back inside her room and shut the window closed. James' back was still turned on her, though at this moment, she was grateful for the fact. She pulled herself back underneath her blankets, with her notebook and pen stored safely inside of her nightstand drawer.