#16 year old Tom Riddle is not prepared for pissed off Werewolf

[rboooks]

Do you think you will ever write more dimension hoppers?

Due to popular demand and because I have no self-control  here is part 6 based off the wonder fic C’est La Vie by the ever-talented @cywscross which everyone should read since it’s in my personal opnion the best Harry Potter fic out there.

Neville watched as Black and Evans walked around the courtyard with narrow eyes, keeping himself out of sight ( and hopefully out of smell/hearing range as well) behind a second-floor pillar near a window.  Evans was saying something that might have been humorous if Blacks quirking smile and shaking shoulders were any indications.

It was still mind-blogging to see Black laugh. Neville could count how many times he saw the Black Heir openly laugh throughout their five-year feud and still have some fingers left over. 

Sure, the werewolf didn’t show much emotion around crowds but over the time in which the Golden Trio has been stalking them, he’s gotten glimpses of broad smiles and chuckles that he hadn’t been aware of the other male could even do. (Wasn’t that just a nauseating thought? Neville had to remind himself that Black was Potter’s partner in crime otherwise he fell like a monster for allowing that to happen)

And it was all due to the student with the highest possibility of being the Heir of Slytherin.

 Neville didn’t mean to suspect the new transfer, really he didn’t,  but ever since Halloween students people have been getting petrified left and right with no leads on who it could possibly be. Ron had been the first one to point out just how convenient it was that Evans arrived this year with a werewolf and a trio of Slytherins of all things at his side. 

More so how utterly calm he was when the first attacked happened. No one could be that unaffected by such an event unless they knew about it beforehand in his friend’s words.

Hermione was still on the fence about that theory seeing as Evans didn’t sound like a Pureblood name, which means it was highly unlike he was attacking other muggle-born students but she did admit he could be a Halfblood who had terrible morals regarding muggle-borns and out of everyone he seemed to be the only student smart enough to pull it off.

Neville could agree. One had to be completely unaware of everything around them to not notice just how advance the second year was. He excelled at nearly all his classes with frustrating ease, dazzling all the teachers with his brilliant mind and his ability to finish homework packets in one night instead of the week it took others. 

He also has uncanny charisma.

The first time they spoke face to face, Neville had watch his green eyes travel up to his forehead taking in the lightning scar. He expected the other boy to turn in a fumbling fanboy but instead Evans had stuck out his hand, introduced himself and acted as if though The-Boy-Who-Lived title meant absolutely nothing.

To him, Neville Longbottom was just Neville Longbottom, nothing more, nothing less.

It was a refreshing change.  

Evans then took this wonderful change a step further, having noticed Creevy chasing Neville around with his horrid muggle camera during one of their shared classes. The muggle-born apparently got a kind but firm talking to about invading Neville’s privacy from the Hufflepuff and the kid actually listen enough to even apologize to the Griffindor’s face. 

 If Evans didn’t keep such troubling company, maybe they could have even been friends. But Ron was right. Just because Evans didn’t seem to be on Potter’s side - that wonderful nose breaking fight at the beginning of the year came to mind whenever he needed a smile- didn’t mean he could be trusted.  The redhead claim that he knew something was off about the transfer the moment he shopped at his family store.  

He watches you Ron had said during Evans’ sorting  He keeps track of everything you do, the bloody creep.

If one of his best friends didn’t trust the Hufflepuff then Neville would be wary of him too. He hadn’t been all that suspicious of him being the Heir until Colin Creevy turned up petrified. When he was found the first year had been clutching a bowl of grapes and an envelope addressed to Evans.

No one but the green eye teen knows what was inside that envelope. 

Then after an argument in the dueling club where Justin Finch-Fletchley had repeated some less then favorable words regarding werewolves in Evans’ earshot the boy was discovered petrified in the hallway alongside Nearly Headless Nick who had invited Evans to his Death Party. 

if all the victims were connected to Evans then it only made sense that he was the Heir running around hurting people. Neville just had to prove it. 

“Come on,” Ron says looking down the hallway from his right making sure no one was around. Lowering his voice he contuined “Hermione has the polyjuice ready. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it now.”

The two boys quickly made their way to the girls’ bathroom, ducking in quickly with the pieces of hair they managed to steal off of Zabini and Nott (Neither could get close enough to Malfoy). Hermione had stolen some from a first-year Ravenclaw that Evans like to talk to even though the girl was a loon.

“We have one hour”  Hermione warns them once she completed the potions. “Evans usually spends his free period reading Ancient Runes books on the third-floor window sill waiting for Black’s class to be over. Its the only time he’s alone.”

“Right. All we have to do is get him to confuse to being the Heir but Evans is smart. Don’t be too pushy or he’ll figure out something is wrong” Neville says looking at his best friends, “He’s dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt.” 

The three chugged their potions in separate stales, emerging after minutes of gagging and changing. They eyed each other for a moment in wonder at the fact that it works before quickly making their way up to the third floor. Zabini is taller then Neville, everything from his point of view looks different and it was downright bizarre to be able to see over people’s heads. 

He hopes he can be this tall someday because while strange, it’s cool to be tall.

Finally, he spots Evans. The Hufflepuff is right where Hermione said he be, casually reading an Advance Runes Academic Journal that was recently published with a content little smile. Next to him, on the window sill are papers and an open muggle notebook. 

He didn’t seem like a sociopath but they never do, do they? 

Neville opens his mouth to greet the other second year as much as  Zabini fashion as he could. But he doesn’t get the chance to make a sound since the book is snap close in an instant. 

Evans looks up sharply at them when they approach.  It’s such an intense stare the three stumble a little and his green eyes feel like fire.  For a moment, Neville feels like he’s a fumbling foot soldier standing before a war-general and he’s lacking in anything intelligent to say.

Ron-as-Nott makes a nervous noise that sounds shockingly like the real deal when he asks. “Is something wrong Evans?” 

It seems to be the right thing to do since Evans relaxes smiling at them in …amusement?  “No nothing at all. Sorry, Theo you just surprised me, is all. Why aren’t you in class?”

“I wanted to chase the Crumple-Horned Snorkack,” Hermione-as-Luna says airly having thought up her excuse long before Ron and Neville. Both boys were just going to claim to need the bathroom or something. “I saw them run this way. Have you seen them, Hadrian?”

Delight blooms on the transfer’s face.  “No, I didn’t see where they went, Luna. But we can try looking for them together if you want? It’s not a good idea to run off by yourself what with the attacks and all.”

Oh boy. He’s brought up the attacks so quickly! This might be easier then he thought. 

 “We don’t have to worry about that now do we?”  Neville-as-Zabini tried to say as snobby as he could. He’s never heard the other boy speak in anything other then a stuck up tone though to be fair Blaise Zabini didn’t really talk. He was quite like Black. 

Evans’ face twitches. It’s difficult to say what the ripple of emotion going through his expression is but Neville is almost positive it’s straight-up amusement. He then dips his chin with a soft hum. “You might not think so Blaise, but whoever is attacking people seems to be going after anyone alone. It’s better safe than sorry.”

What?

“If you say so,”  Ron says rolling his eyes like Nott does when a teacher lectures the snakes on something. “I just don’t want to go back to class anytime soon. I hate this block.”

“I thought Charms was your favorite class Thoe?” Evans says with a raised brow. 

“I-it is! I just…today lesson is boring that’s all. I already know it and I can’t understand why we waste time going over it again and again” Ron tries to cover his mistake.  “Probably because of those Gryffindorks.”

Neville wants to slap his forehead but that’s not something he thinks Zabini would do. Next to him, Hermione shifts around, playing with a lock of Lovegood’s hair and tilting her head upwards as if though she was seeing the creature the strange blond claim she saw.  

Evans smiles. “That makes sense. Also, I thought we agree you wouldn’t be using that word anymore.”

Ron blinks in confusion so Evans tacks on  “Gryffindorks. We agree you stop using it.”

Right this conversation was really going off the rails, time to get everyone back on track because they didn’t have time to go over the fact Evans apparently tried to get the Slytherins to stop using certain words. That was a thought for another time. 

Maybe one where Neville wasn’t feeling bad that Evans was evil because he seemed like an okay kind of bloke.

“Do you really think we be in danger?” Neville asks scoffing at the end of his words. “Especially you Evans?”

“I might not be muggle-born, Blaise, but being Half-blood still puts me in danger,” Evans answers mildly. He is cleaning up his stuff which allows the Golden Trio to trade confuse looks behind his back.  “My mom being muggle-born might be close enough to attempt to petrified me.” 

“Your mom is a muggle-born?” Hermione blurts confuse then quickly realizes she needs to act loonier so she adds “Did that mean she was surrounded by nugglerals?” 

Evans looks over his shoulder at them as he swings on his shoulder bag “Yes. Before she died”

“Oh.”

There is a pause before Ron seems to want to move on. “Do you think they deserve it? Those M-mudbloods?”

He only stumbles over the word a little but Evans still turns around with a glare that could freeze over hell. “I just told you my mom was a muggle-born and you dare to use that word?”

Oh, Merlin, they’re going to die. Evans is pissed and it’s terrifying. Neville barely holds back a whimper as the other boy marches towards them with death in his eyes but he walks by them with a huff. Ron, who had frozen up in terror, relax with a sigh of relief.

The Hufflepuff leaves without a single word, his anger quite and cold. For some reason, Neville feels sick to his stomach as if though he just upset Gran.

“I think that didn’t go as well as we hope” Hermione sighs. 

“No.” He agrees, hand over  his stomach  “No it didn’t”

Three days later Orion Black releases a noise that sounds very close to a wounded and outrage animal when Hadrian Evans’ body is found curved over Luna Lovegood’s terrified expression in an obvious attempt to shield her from whatever petrified them. 

It’s a good thing he did, because, according to Hermione she would have died the moment a second later for looking into a Basilisk’s eyes unprotected. Thank goodness she was able to piece it together and the Trio was able to find the real culprit soon after that.

Who knows what would have happened to Ginny if they were a few days too late?

The werewolf is the one that sniffs out Ginny for them, as the Golden Trio is forced to create a shaky alliance with the teen who is determined to avenge his pack. Hadrian is apparently the only person outside his parents that Black counts as pack and it doesn’t take Neville long to realize it’s due to his crush on his best friend. It breaks his heart a little to see Black’s devastated eyes when they visit the victims in the medical wing. 

He fights against Tom Riddle just as wild and as vicious as his condition makes him.

Neville can only hope they all come out of this alive. He can’t die without apologizing to  Evans for deceiving him. Especially after finding out Evans had been doing his best to defend the Boy-Who-Live against the other houses who thought he was the Heir. 

Orion kicks Tom Riddle between the legs as hard as he can sneering and Neville can’t find it in himself to even wince. That werewolf strength makes the crack sound and the scream from mini-Voldemort all that much more satisfying.