The Third School Year Begins

The start of every school year followed the same routine: a feast, another new song from the Sorting Hat, and the Sorting Ceremony for the first-years.

Evita sat at the Hufflepuff table, looking down as she played with her hands, tirelessly changing them into all sorts of strange shapes.

Until-

"Nymphadora Tonks."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Charlie Weasley."

"Gryffindor!"

Evita looked up. A girl with a heart-shaped face and dark, sparkling eyes was walking toward her.

"Hello," she said warmly to Tonks, who sat down beside her. "I'm Evita Lorand."

Tonks was lively and outgoing, and she readily accepted Evita as a friend. Leaning over the table, she whispered, "I've heard your name before."

"Huh?" Evita was very surprised. She leaned over the table too, bringing her head close to Tonks's. "Why?"

"My mum mentioned you at home." Tonks blinked. "Ever since I got my letter, she's been very interested in what goes on at Hogwarts, and you won the Quidditch Cup for Hufflepuff last year."

Evita's ears reddened a little. She twirled her braid around her hand, somewhat embarrassed, and changed the subject. "If you need help, you can come to me anytime."

"All right," Tonks readily agreed, then brought up another subject. "Are the first-year classes very difficult?"

"No." Evita thought for a moment, then shook her head confidently. "The teachers are all very nice, and the classes are simple."

Tonks naively believed her.

By then, Dumbledore's speech was drawing to a close, and the Prefects began leading the students back to their dormitories.

Back in the dormitory she had been away from for so long, Evita sorted and put away the books she had bought, then looked at her timetable and began to fret.

Seven required subjects, five electives...

Astronomy was scheduled for the middle of the night, and the remaining six required subjects met either three or four times a week. The electives also conflicted with one another.

Even several days later, she was still wondering whether to study a little more Arithmancy or Ancient Runes.

"Evita, Evita," a classmate beside her said, giving her a nudge. "Professor Sprout wants you to go to her office."

Evita came back to her senses, hastily swept her stationery into her bag, slung it over her back, and headed downstairs.

It was a very cozy room that smelled of earth and was filled with all kinds of plants. Professor Sprout was sitting behind her desk, looking over at her warmly.

"Professor?" Evita's physical fitness had already improved to the point where even a fast run left her neither flushed nor out of breath. She sat down across from her and asked, "Did you need something?"

"Evita," Professor Sprout said, "are you having trouble with your third-year electives?"

"Yes." Evita nodded honestly. "Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies all conflict a little."

"Yes, so many students have to give up the subjects they're less interested in, and even those who choose all of them have to miss some classes." Professor Sprout smiled and slid a box over to her.

"But Professor Dumbledore made a suggestion, so I wrote many letters to the Ministry of Magic and applied for a Time-Turner for you."

Evita stared at her in shock.

"You're a child who truly loves learning," Professor Sprout said gently. "Each turn of the Time-Turner takes you back one hour, so you can attend all your classes."

"But you have to promise me, Evita, that you'll only use it for your studies, all right?" She wore an unusually serious expression.

"I understand." Evita nodded earnestly and thanked her happily. "Thank you very much, Professor."

"All right." Professor Sprout handed her a box of coconut ice cream. She seemed very fond of it and was always sharing it with her students.

Professor Sprout added kindly, "Go on to Potions Class."

Evita rushed off in a panic and nearly jumped down the stairs when they moved halfway there. Unfortunately, even with all that effort, she was still late.

Fortunately, Potions Class was shared with Gryffindor that year. With the little lions drawing the fire, Evita slipped through unnoticed and made it to her place.

She was standing right at the boundary, with Bill Weasley beside her.

"Good afternoon," Bill whispered. "Professor Snape looks like he's in a very bad mood."

Evita stole a couple of glances at Snape, then turned back to Bill and stared blankly at him. "How can you tell he's in a bad mood?"

"The corners of his mouth are turned down more than usual today, but I thought you'd know why." Bill looked even more surprised than she was. "We all think Professor Snape likes you very much."

Evita was thoroughly shocked. "Who started that rumor?"

"It's obvious." Bill shrugged. "During the first Potions Class this year, Professor Snape turned a blind eye to you secretly helping a classmate, but he took five points from me."

"Couldn't it be that I was careful and discreet, so Professor Snape didn't notice?"

Bill looked at Evita's long, shining silver hair. It was as though he had said nothing and everything at once.

"Lorand," a stern voice rang out from the front. "What is the recipe for Shrinking Solution?"

"Daisy roots, shrivelfig, caterpillars, rat spleen, and leech juice, Professor."

Snape's expression did not soften in the slightest. He looked at Bill next. "Weasley, what color is a correctly brewed Shrinking Solution?"

"Bright, brilliant green."

Snape gave a short snort and swept back to the front, his long black robes trailing behind him, then began his lesson on Shrinking Solution.

The brief explanation was soon over. Bill set his cauldron beside Evita's, and together with another Hufflepuff student, the three prepared their ingredients at the same table.

Evita cut the daisy roots into neat little pieces, somewhat absentmindedly, and remarked in jest, "I'm sure Professor Snape would be more than willing to wave his beloved cauldron around and take thirty thousand points from Gryffindor."

"Then we'd probably have to say goodbye to the House Cup," Bill said regretfully. "I really wonder how much trouble Fred and George will cause Gryffindor when they come to school."

"Look on the bright side, my friend," Evita comforted him. "You'll have graduated by then."

Bill felt relieved at once. He tapped his cauldron with his wand, and the liquid inside immediately turned clear.

Evita's potion was also a brilliant green. She admired it with satisfaction for a moment, then looked up and saw that the potion in a Hufflepuff student's cauldron not far away was yellow.

Bill had also noticed that someone in his own house had made a mistake with their potion. Unfortunately, they were too far away for either of them to help.

"Five points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!"

Evita said, "Some people are still standing here, but their hearts have already died."

Bill said, "...Pull yourself together."