Chapter 27

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school." HP2

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She was back. She realized. It wasn't like a dream. Her body was still aching, her scratches were still on her skin, her clothes were still medieval ones.Soon she heard some approaching steps, so she removed the transfiguration from her clothes and turned her hair into their usual darker colour.She was standing up from the floor when Dumbledore stepped into the room."Miss Burke, here you were" he said with a happy tone "We had been looking for you for hours".She frowned. Hours? She spent days in the Middle Ages."I'm sorry" she stammered trying to hide how messy she was "What time is it?"."It's 11 pm. You missed dinner and your patrolling shift"."Damn. So I will get detention?"."It's not something that bad" his smile was a warm remedy to her worries "All that matters is that you're alright. Are you?".She was still alive, she couldn't ask for more "I think so".The wizard nodded, but before he could speak again other steps warned them that someone was coming.Evelyn's eyes widened in shock as she recognized Tom Riddle peaking into the opened door.He stepped in, noticing the professor so he turned into the polite and innocent student he was famous for."I'm sorry, I heard voices" his eyes lingered on Evelyn, his face showing surprise and worry "Can I help?".Dumbledore glanced at the scared face of the girl "I don't think so. You can leave".Tom glanced back at him clearly disagreeing, but he didn't dare to argue, so he left.Evelyn felt momentarily safe."Can I walk you to the infirmary?" Dumbledore offered."I think I need a bathroom more than an infirmary" she admitted, looking forward to enjoy the comfort of a real bathroom."Alright" the professor led her to the prefects' bathrooms "You will find some healing potions in your common room when you'll go back there".She thanked him and hurried to lock herself into the bathroom.She felt like a queen when she got rid of her damaged clothes and enjoyed a bath, using a lot of perfumed soap. She had never felt that dirty before. She didn't take a bath nor a shower for days, she hated how her body was stinking. But after all she had been through, she got her deserved reward.

When she stepped out of the bathroom enjoying the feeling of being clean, she felt a hand wrapping around her wrist and pulling her to a dark corner where she came face to face with an upset Tom."What the hell happened?" He asked scanning her bruises and scratches."Nothing. Leave me alone" she struggled against his grip, her wet hair made her feel cold."Who did that to you?" He insisted."None. I just got some troubles, but now it's over. Why don't you go back to your lover? She must be impatient to know where you are".She attacked him staring into his eyes. She missed him too much, but she had to force herself not to tell him that she met Slytherin.Tom slightly grimaced but agreed to let her go. His face turned into a mocking smirk "She can wait. I know you are hiding something. I will find out what it is, no matter what".Silent as a ghost, he moved away, disappearing in the night.Evelyn sighed heavily and rushed to her tower that she missed so much.

On the following days she was obsessed with finding something to prove if her experience was just a trick of her mind or it had historical evidences.She spent most of her time in the libraries, focusing on history more than she ever did.There was nothing about wars with Scottish muggles. Also there were more legends and fables around the Founders than historically facts.But how could that all have been just an illusion? When the Founders looked so realistic? What kind of wicked magic she experienced?She wished she could ask Tom's opinion, but they weren't together and she didn't want to involve him.She stayed away from him, but she knew she attracted his attention and he wouldn't get peace until he knew what she was hiding from him.Evelyn sneaked out from the Restricted Sections keeping a pile of books close to her chest."What are you looking for there?".Tom's voice gave her start, but she didn't look intimidated by his hungry face."Nothing. This library is mine just as it is yours".He tried to snatch the books from her but when he spotted the title of the first book he gave up. It was just a banal title of a historical volume."What's the matter, Tom? Control freak?" She teased him."I simply wanted to know if I could help" he said with a penetrating stare that unsettled her.He could read everyone's mind except hers. But in that moment she wished he knew about her adventure and would tell her his opinion."I'm afraid you can't" she replied unwillingly. It was her secret and her secret only. And she had to solve the mystery by herself.

She visited the Founder's Tower again and again. The dusty books didn't mention any wars that involved the young Hogwarts. She wanted to know what happened to those muggles and the mysterious dark muggleborn girl.Evelyn almost gave up. She stood in front of the portraits of the Founders, mentally talking to them, until one day she noticed something weakly sparkling on the painting of Ravenclaw.Evelyn recognized the strange signs that had opened a portal to the past or to an illusion.She wasn't sure she wanted to be in the middle of a war again or if the painting would have sent her somewhere else. It was crazy to deal with that again, but Evelyn moved closer to the painting until she felt into the darkness.She fell badly on the ground and recognized the back of the young Hogwarts.She sighed in relief and transfigurated her clothes and hair.The castle was still there, but she had no hint about how the previous battle ended.She took out her wand and roamed around the castle, until she fell into a levitation trap.Her scream made wizards arrive.Salazar made her fall back on the ground "Lady Evelyn. Where have you been? I feared... That we lost you in battle".She glanced at the familiar faces of the Founders. Somehow she felt home "I survived, as you see. How did the battle go?"."We succeeded in keeping her far from the castle, so as you see it's safe" Godric replied proudly "She couldn't control her magic so she ended up hurting her own army"."Where have you been in the meanwhile? I looked for you for hours, days" Salazar said with impatience."I...was lost" she said simply "I'm not used to these valleys. I was surrounded by the warriors and I lost coscience. When I woke up it was night. And I didn't know where to go"."I am pretty sure I looked for you before sunset. I saw no trace of you" Salazar insisted."Salazar, please" Rowena scoffed "We should be glad that she's safe and she's back. At least you can stop worrying now".Evelyn smiled gratefully to the Founder of her House.

When they moved back into the castle, Evelyn witnessed a bitter discussion between the Founders. And that was something that Evelyn knew well."We must not allow muggles into this castle anymore!" Salazar hissed with fury."We can't abandon the muggles with magic! It's too dangerous!" Godric fought back."It's more dangerous if we allow them in. How can you be so blind? The muggles will destroy the wizardkind!"."So what's your solution? To kill them all?".Knowing how the consequences of that discussion made Evelyn feel very sad.Rowena noticed it and led her to a quieter place.The library was very small compared to the one Evelyn knew well, where the books where mostly old. In that library instead the few books looked recently written and mostly were runes."When did you get your wand?" Rowena asked after some random conversation."When I was eleven".The witch looked surprised "So early? You must be very smart if you learned so much in few years".Evelyn looked at her troubled, then replied "I had good teachers"."I wish I can meet them someday" Rowena said with a faint smile "Maybe they have some suggestion to run this school better".Evelyn pondered if her questions were appropriate, then decided to give a try. She needed to understand "How was that girl when she was a student here?".Rowena sat on a poor chair with sorrow and started to narrate "Lyanne was a shy girl. She didn't bond with anyone, but we believed it was only because she was a muggle born and we had only adults muggle born wizards. She was only thirteen. When she got her wand, she was barely able to handle it. So we concluded she had some mental disturb. But she had magic, a strong, powerful magic. It's just that it was like she wasn't able to handle it. Magic was controlling her. It became clear that we couldn't keep her here. She was becoming dangerous. When we told her, she turned furious. There was nothing left of the shy girl. She screamed at us bad things, and suddenly begged to keep her, to help her. And then again she was shouting at us with anger. Salazar concluded she was insane so we expelled her. And now he believes we should have killed her instead. Because soon she came back. She had revealed to the muggles our secret and our location. She led them here and evoked that darkness that you witnessed".Evelyn blinked confused. She had some suspects but she needed more details "But she can't control her magic, right? So she led the muggles but also wounded them"."Exactly. As far as we knew, she didn't like living with muggles. Also her family had rejected her for her powers. Still she went back to them and turned them against us"."She disliked that? Maybe she was abused? Don't the muggles burn at stake people with magic?".Rowena nodded weakly "Yes, they can be that cruel".Evelyn gaped, shocked by her own intuition, then revealed "I think I understand now what's wrong with her. And it's not her fault".

Rowena summoned the other Founders so Evelyn could share her theory with them too."It's not the girl. It's the Obscurus that is controlling her like a puppet. The Obscurus is a parasite. It affects the children with magic who are too weak to control that magic because they are abused or scared of their abilities, specially if magic is persecuted".The Founders listened to her without scoffing at her theory. It helped her being more confident."I heard about Oscurus" Godric admitted "But never dealt with it before. I never imagined it can be so damaging and incontrollable"."The Obscurus is an unstable, uncontrollable dark force that busts out and attacks, and then vanishes. So it fits with the weirdness of the attacks. And it suggests that probably it wasn't the girl who was leading the muggles, but the muggles decided to take advantage of her and her parasite to hunt us down" that was the only explanation that fitted all the evidences they had, Evelyn concluded."It could explain everything" Rowena supported her "Although I believed that the Obscurials die before their teenage years"."The Obscurial can survive longer if the power within them is stronger"."So should we kill that girl when she is sleeping so she would be less harmless, as I always suggested to do?" Salazar said with a mischievous smirk."No, tomorrow our friends will be here. We will tell them about this and together we will find a way to catch the Obscurus and end this story" Godric said firmly."Can't we try to explain this to the muggles and gain their help?" Helga suggested.Salazar scoffed at her "Don't kidding me. The muggles want us dead. And I will never stop insisting that we should ban the muggles borns from our school".

Evelyn was proud of herself for giving her tribute to help the Founders. But she agreed with Hufflepuff. They needed to warn the muggles somehow. She noticed that Salazar approached her, silent as a snake, only his shadow betrayed him."You're really a smart witch. We are grateful for your help" he said softly, his stare equivocal.She smiled flattered "I would do anything to help this school. It's such a wonderful place and I'm sure it has all the potentials to become a greater place"."I appreciate that" he stepped closer, his narrowed eyes were burning with something she couldn't name "Will you lay with me tonight?".His question shocked her "What? I'm too young"."I've been with girls younger than you" he said amused "Wait... Are you still...?".She gaped embarrassed, then slightly shook her head "I'm afraid I must decline your offer anyway".He showed a forced smile lowering his head "I won't force you. I'm just offended"."No offence intended" she stared at him confused and feeling betrayed. Was it a silly joke of her mind? Tom's ancestor would replace Tom? No way."I hope you will join our celebrations to welcome our friends tomorrow" he said with a malicious look "They don't know how bad things are here. We should have fun as long as we can. Then we will deal with the dark stuff".Evelyn wasn't in the mood for fun. She watched Slytherin walking away after he had bid her goodnight.

Evelyn wasn't sleepy yet. She wanted to do more. She needed a contact with the muggles to warn them about her discovery, so she decided to sneak out of the castle and look for some muggle campsite.She hid her wand with a spell for making the muggles believe she was harmless.But as soon as she spotted some campfires down in the valley, some dogs started barking menacingly at her, making her scream for help.She was about to take out her wand to protect herself, when a couple of men ran to her aiming at her with their weapons."You're one of them!" A tall red head man shouted, saying other things in his own language. The whole camp woke up to fight the intruder.The two men grabbed the girl by her arms, dragging her towards the fires."I'm here to talk!" Evelyn explained showing her raised hands "Don't you have any sense of honor, man? Attacking a harmless girl who is surrendering in front of you?"."Keep your mouth shut, snake!".That insult left her speechless. It reminded her of Tom. He was the Snake-boy, just like Slytherin himself. She wondered what Tom would do if he knew she was in danger. If he would try to save her or he would just watch, carelessly.The men started to touch her, looking for weapons, ignoring her protects. They found nothing."So what trap is this?" The taller man said badly after she was forced to sit on a piece of wood, surrounded by a muggles "Tell us before we cut your lovely throat"."I'm here to help you. We don't want to fight anymore because we have a common enemy"."Really? And who is that common enemy?" The muggle mocked her."Lyanne".That name immediately troubled them, she noticed. They were confused and scared, no matter how hard they tried to look powerful."She is one of us, and you freak..."."She's under a curse" Evelyn said loud, interrupting the man "She needs help to heal".The taller man approached her, his skirt was at her eyes level.Evelyn couldn't help but feeling troubled more for their way of clothing than for their menaces."She needs help. You can't control her. So none of us will win if we let her in that condition" Evelyn stated coldly, raising her head to look the man into his eyes."It's you who cursed her! You sons of the devil destroyed her!" He barked."If it's our job it would be impossible that she attacks us" she stood up, ignoring the menacing glance that intimated her not to move "Instead she is a danger for us and she is for you. I suggest a deal, so this war can be soon over. Honestly, all I ever wanted is to live peacefully. Can't this silly war end? We all want the same thing. To survive. And we can't survive if the curse of that girl is not annihilated".There were murmurs around her. She needed to look determined or her sacrifice was useless."What deal do you suggest?" The leader asked "We are winning and you know it so you came here to humiliate yourself"."We are all losing instead if we don't stop being so proud and blind. If we magicians die, how long do you think your people will survive? You can't kill her, you have no means to stop her. You will die too and her curse will be the only winner".An older man spoke from the group "Her words are wise. We should give her a chance. To me Lyanne looks like an enemy more than this freak people".Other muggles agreed, making the leader look doubtful.He pondered her words, consulted other muggles in his language, then finally replied "A deal might be possible. We give you Lyanne, you heal her, then no more battles nor tricks to harm us"."I agree" she said, feeling how heavy those words were.The leader offered her a hand. She hesitated a bit before shaking it. He had a strong grip that could crush her fingers like sticks.Other barks echoed in the night and the muggles hurried to raise their weapons.Evelyn saw some unnatural lights and understood that some wizard was ruining her deal.She ran along with the muggles, placing herself in front of them when she spotted Salazar."No! Stop! I came here".He shot her a furious glance "You! You little..."."I managed to make a deal!" She announced "To save us all!".His anger seemed about to explode "What deal?"."They will help us stopping Lyanne. But then we should end this war with no more battles".The muggles looked less menacing as Salazar hesitated and then lowered his wand "Is this the deal? It shouldn't be made at this late hour. We will take into account, but now you come back with me".Evelyn didn't dare to complain. She glanced at the muggles and their leader, unsure how to say bye to them in a polite way.She bid a quick goodnight with a small bow, then followed Slytherin back into the castle.'I can't believe you are so reckless" Salazar hissed avoiding to look at her "I am more keen to believe that you are a spy"."Just because it's easier? I want the best for Hogwarts and for all of us. I was not afraid to try to negotiate with the muggles because we need them by our side if we want to stop the Obscurus. The Obscurus is using them as puppets against us"."I envy how you can easily put yourself at risk by approaching those bloody muggles. If you were a student of mine, I would have expelled you by now"."I will leave soon on my own, don't worry. I just believed I had to help".His eyes lingered on her, but he said nothing. They were back into the castle. The wizard went to his room, leaving the girl alone to find the small room that became her bedroom.

In the morning she roamed in the castle until she spotted Slytherin in a room with its door opened."Are you still mad at me?" She asked bravely stepping in.He was busy at his messy desk."It's hard to be mad at you, lady Evelyn. But I'm doing my best" he smirked, his eyes staring insolently at her "What brought you here? Seriously? Stop saying that you were only lost".Evelyn focused on how to manipulate the reality. Tom was the expert, not her."Someone I knew disappeared. He is dead I presume. But no corpse is left, no tomb to visit. If you wish to find someone who just disappeared leaving no traces behind, where would you look for him?"."Couldn't that someone be still alive and hiding somewhere?"."No. He is dead for sure. It's just there is nothing left".He leaned closer, his movements were snakelike "Why do I have the feeling there's something more you are not telling me?"."It's something that still haunts me. My parents disappeared too, nothing was left of them. But they were attacked by a lethifold, the living shroud, when they traveled to tropical countries"."I'm so sorry. I believed that beast was only a legend"."Some legends would better stay legends. Anyway, I'm sure in this case he didn't disappear because of some dark beast. Where would you look for any hint?"."I'd say in the places he spent most of his time. Do you know what those places are?".She smiled to herself. She was right in there "Yes, and I searched a lot, but I couldn't find. As if he stepped into some room filled with magic that trapped him there or in a parallel dimension"."I love places like that. If he was trapped and died there, maybe he wasn't smart as you are"."He was one of the smartest wizards I ever heard of"."Then he must have left some hints. Also if you fall into another dimension, something of you lingers in your world, in the people close to you. Also a thought, also memories can be extremely powerful. If you really want to find that wizard, alive or dead, you will find them. I believe that"."Thank you" she said heartfelt "Do you have any experience of that sort?"."Maybe I have. Even recent".She wondered if he was referring to her.Her eyes lowered to his desk. There were potion's phials and bows. But her attention was caught by something that made ring an alarm into her arm."A chicken's egg and a toad?" She whispered very softly.He scanned her, while hiding the beast into a drawer and locking it. He understood that she knew "You can be so smart it leaves me breathless. Can you also keep your mouth shut when needed?".Evelyn wondered if she was about to see him also creating the mythical Chamber of Secrets.She swallowed "You should know that I can".Salazar observed her, then abruptly changed subject "You need a better dress for the party. I can suggest some. So you can take off those old clothes".She felt it was a provocation "I prefer an easy transfiguration".He smirked "As you wish".

The visitors were welcomed with better food and spectacular shows, more than the castle could offer.Evelyn tried to hear those wizards' names, but none of them sounded familiar.Helga had turned Evelyn's dress into an elegant blue dress. But it was nothing compared to the magnificence of the Founders.Salazar approached her into his green and silver outfit, distracting Evelyn from listening to the medieval music that some of the students wwre trying to play.He offered her his hand, clearly inviting her to join the ball."I can't dance" Evelyn said a bit scared, seeing couples starting to dance around her."Why not?"."I don't know this dance".Salazar mocked her with a short laugh "Everyone knows this dance"."Well, I'm not everyone" Evelyn said stubbornly."I can't argue with that" he grabbed her hand and pulled her "It's fine. I can lead you".Evelyn tried to rebel, but he took her hands and made her dance. She tried to focus on the steps and after some long minutes she learned how the dances worked.And the music ended before she could truly enjoy what she just learned.She clapped her hands with all the others dancers while the musicians were arguing about what to play next.Evelyn knew that Salazar was next to her, but didn't hear him clapping him hands. He was focusing on her. She felt his fingers moving her hair and touched her skin.She stood still, not daring to turn. That gentle touch made her heart aching. It reminded her of Tom's touch and she missed it so much. But she couldn't replace Tom with his ancestor.She said a quick excuse and walked away.She needed some air, so she left the castle with its inappropriate parties. Her mind focused on that reality and its trouble with the Obscurus.There were going to win, she was sure of that.She enjoyed being free to walk out of the castle without the fear of attacks from muggles. So she went back to the stony walls from where she fell into that reality for the first time.She wanted to go back, but she didn't know how. The first tine she did it, she was so scared and confused that it just happened. She didn't have a clear memory of how it worked.

Her trip was unsuccessful. So she walked back to the castle driven by hunger, hoping that the balls were over.She observed some drawings pinned on the walls that she had mostly ignored. Projects for the castle. When her eyes noticed something unrelated.A sneakoscope. This time she knew what it meant. She looked around herself. There were many questions she wanted to be answered, but she also missed her time. And somehow she felt the need to run away. So she leaned towards the drawing and when she opened her eyes she was back at her old Hogwarts.

Again days into the past meant only some hours lost in present. Evelyn changed back into her normal aspect and left the Tower without problems.Evelyn wished to find some traces of her adventures in the history books. She wanted a record to show how relevant her help was to change history. She wanted that illusion to be real, to have really happened in the Middle Ages.In the following days she came back into the Founders Tower, just because she felt good there. She had no intentions to go back in that time.She had nothing to prove that her adventures were real, except for some blades of grass and some flowers she found into her dress's pockets. She kept them like the most precious treasure, knowing that her memories weren't enough to save her from her doubts."Is this where you are spending most of your time?" A voice suddenly made her abruptly wake up from her daydreams "This place is dirty just as I remember it".Tom somehow followed her and sneaked into the Tower without being noticed by her.She stood up facing him with coldness "You're not welcome here".He glanced at her innocently "Why not? What secret are you keeping here? Or who did you invite here for fun?".Her anger grew at his insolence "The times when we were used to share everything is over, Tom. Did you forget it?"."Fine, I'll find it by myself then" he stopped in front of the portrait of Slytherin inhaling deeply.Evelyn got an idea, something wicked, but she wanted to give it a try.She approached the painting with Ravenclaw "Were there already these signs on this painting the first times we have been here?".He moved next to her "Where?"."There" she pointed to the strange alphabet that she noticed moving."Hmm, no, we didn't notice it" he frowned "What is that?"."Look closer".He glanced at her with diffidence and she just gave an innocent look, then he leaned closer to the painting.She noticed the signs sparkling and took advantage of it to push the boy into the painting. He lost balance but reacted grabbing her arm and pulling her into the darkness that engulfed them.