No Misunderstandings

In her little cot, Harry slept soundly, unaware of what had happened to him. So the adults, along with half an adult, moved elsewhere without a word.

Evita sat at a long wooden table, clenching her fists tightly.

It had been almost eleven years since she had crossed over into this world. She had been absorbed in her studies all that time, and apart from the easygoing Scamander couple and the Flamels, she had no one to talk to. She had plenty of nonhuman companions, but most were straightforward by nature, and interacting with them was very different from interacting with humans.

As a result, Evita really had no idea what to say. She would rather look after the Acromantula that had yet to reach full size, an animal Adele had put in the suitcase three months ago. She had named it Heloise.

Seeing this, Lily and James broke the silence and introduced themselves very formally. Sirius sat beside them, his face dark, though his tone was pleasant. Dumbledore sat opposite them.

After the introductions, Lily was the first to speak, her tone utterly firm. "That person... You-Know-Who, no, when Voldemort came here, it was Miss Lorand who helped us dodge the Killing Curse."

James loudly agreed.

Evita let her mind go blank and chose to give up trying.

Lily and James were both young, two vibrant lives. Even if the means of bringing them back from the dead were far too shocking, she still couldn't stand by and let them die.

Dumbledore showed no sign of doubting Lily and James's cover story. He merely tried to lighten the mood. "It seems Miss Lorand must be quite accomplished at Apparition."

Evita saw his gentle blue eyes watching her and finally relaxed completely.

Lily changed the subject. "Dumble-"

She was interrupted.

Sirius kept his head lowered, making his expression hard to see. All they could hear was his slightly hoarse voice as he spoke up. "The Fidelius Charm was placed on this house."

So... how had Voldemort and Evita appeared in a house that, in theory, could never be found?

There was only one answer: the Secret Keeper had willingly divulged the secret.

And while Sirius was publicly the Secret Keeper of this house, in secret it was Peter Pettigrew, who had yet to appear. Thinking of the empty hiding place, Sirius had a bad feeling.

Evita did her best to make herself inconspicuous. Watching the others' expressions grow grim, she felt a little uneasy.

Dumbledore beckoned with a smile, saying he would treat her to some Sherbet Lemons and Fizzing Whizbees, and naturally led the somewhat bewildered girl outside.

Sob, he's so thoughtful, Evita thought, touched. She got to eat Sherbet Lemons and Fizzing Whizbees, as well as butter almond toffee, pink squares of Coconut Ice, and Chocolate Frogs.

As she opened her mouth wide to bite into a Chocolate Frog, Dumbledore observed her.

She was about ten years old. Perhaps he would see her among the new students at Hogwarts next year.

The girl's face was full of childish innocence. She had medium-length silver curls, porcelain-white skin, and a pair of exceptionally beautiful purple eyes with a hint of blue. They were clear and pure, gentle and holy, with a lively, spirited quality.

But... Dumbledore glanced toward the room where Harry was. After a brief pause, he looked back at Evita and asked, "What happened here before we arrived?"

Evita quickly finished her Coconut Ice and answered, "I suddenly appeared here, and then I saw a guy casting the Killing Curse, so I pulled them out of the way."

"But-" she said in an astonished, sincere tone, exaggerating enormously, "he immediately cast the Killing Curse at that child, only for it to rebound and kill him. I believe that even if I hadn't been here, the three of them would have been fine."

Dumbledore gave no answer, merely nodding kindly.

So Evita went back to eating the lemon chocolate beside her.

About ten minutes later, the people who had remained in the room came out as well, though their faces were somewhat ashen.

Being betrayed by a close friend was a terrible feeling, and Sirius wanted to go after Peter and settle accounts with him immediately. He had clearly sensed that something was wrong before he came...

What was more, he had been the one to suggest that Lily and James make Peter their Secret Keeper. If Evita had not appeared by chance, his own presumption would have foolishly cost James, Lily, and Harry their lives.

Sirius was filled with remorse.

"We have to find him," James said. "I have to know why he did it."

Evita rested her chin in her hands and muttered, "If I were him, I'd have run to the ends of the earth by now."

Lily sat down beside her. "Let's put that aside for now. Evita... or may I call you Weiwei?"

"Huh?" Evita nodded. "What is it?"

"Weiwei," Lily said, "although Voldemort is dead, there are still many Death Eaters out there. They may very well retaliate against you when they learn you were here today."

Evita answered matter-of-factly, "I know, but I'm safe."

She spoke vaguely. "I have some friends... or rather, guardians."

There were surely very few wizards in the world who could easily subdue a Basilisk a full fifty feet long. Besides, over the years, she had acquired more than one kind of dangerous animal.

"But, Weiwei..." Lily was interrupted once again, because Evita suddenly fell unconscious without warning. A piercing alarm sounded in her ears, extremely noisy, like countless sounds mixed together.

Adele said, "Too much has changed... If it weren't for your wish, this mission would never have been triggered. Lily and James's deaths, Sirius's imprisonment, Lupin's destitution... you've changed all of it."

Evita couldn't make out the words, and her consciousness gradually faded.

"What will happen to me?" she asked.

"Nothing," Adele said. "Nothing will happen. You just need a good sleep... You won't feel unwell, and there won't be any lasting effects."

She made another joke, saying very seriously, "The others might misunderstand and think you're beautiful, powerful, and tragic, though. For example, that you sacrificed yourself to save them..."

The breath Evita had been holding escaped her at once, and she slipped completely into unconsciousness, though she still remembered to add, "But I don't like that. It's not good to make other people worry."

She heard Lily's utterly panicked voice. "Weiwei, Weiwei!"

"Get her to St. Mungo's, quickly!" That was Dumbledore's voice.

"Use my motorbike. I brought it with me!"

Finally, she heard Adele's voice.

"Mm, I know," the still emotionless voice said. "Sleep, good girl."