Two Points For Honesty

To say that his first day as an official prefect had not gone very well would be an understatement. The Ravenclaw knew that he would receive some sort of fallout over the decision made to give him a badge. After his encounter with the others of the different houses, Silas began to wonder if this was a test of some kind. A trial by fire as it were. Of course Weasley had plenty to say about him during the meeting. At least Granger had enough decency to be ashamed for the both of them for the red-head's unacceptable behavior. Irritating Weasley as well as Malfoy had been a plus. The meeting had been more or less and run down of introductions to the older prefects, the head boy and girl, and being told the rules and what was expected of them.

The patrolling of the train compartments had been interesting but it had also been rather annoying as this year's prefects in each house were accompanied by an older one so they 'witness' what proper ways to handle situations they encountered. All in all, Silas hadn't been able to get back to his own compartment to complete his conversation with Evangeline and that greatly irritated him. She had been the first person he'd been able to talk with that as far as he knew, spoke to Silas. Oh, his relatives spoke to him, but they didn't really know the true him either did they? In fact, he had worked to be sure they hadn't. Even when he was very small he tended to be more on the observant side and wonder what his actions or non actions would tell them.

It was therefor rather understandable that he was in a bit of a mood by the time the train pulled up to Hogsmeade Station and slowed to a stop. Rather than try and fight his way through the crowd, Silas waited until there was more space before he stepped off the train, gaze roaming as he turned to look about for his wayward companion. He wanted at the very least to apologize that he'd left her alone. Hopefully she didn't think he'd abandoned her on purpose. However, when he did see her, his eyes narrowed. At first he wasn't sure what he was watching, a nasty sour feeling had began in his stomach wanting him to turn away, a flame of anger wanting to ignite that he'd misread everything. Then it registered that Evangeline wasn't voluntarily in the position she was in and that anger that was directed at both her and himself was now directed toward the person that was made her have that expression. Striding purposefully up to where she and the cretin was, he grabbed Eva's hand and didn't stop to trade barbs, just pulled the girl with him to the carriages. It wasn't until they were both sitting in the carriage that he'd realized what he'd done.

Evangeline would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a tad bit sad that Silas had decided to leave her, out of no where. At first, she thought he was trying to get away from her. Perhaps she had bored him to death with her endless talking and awkward smiles. But as the compartment door closed and Evangeline was left alone, in silence, she had the time to think it through and realise that he didn't want to leave. He had to. Which meant it was an obligation. Plus, he had said that he wanted to talk to her again once he came back. So that was a good sign, wasn't it? And then it all clicked. "Ah! Prefect meeting!" Eva exclaimed, more to herself than anyone else, since she was alone.

Time flew fast, and the train came to a stop, signaling they had arrived to Hogwarts. Eva's second home. A place that actually felt like home, at least. Closing her book, the Ravenclaw witch petted her beloved feline, who was now stretching on her lap. "Erebus, darling, please don't kill me." Eva practically begged as she softly placed the cat back into its carrier so that she could exit the train. Silas hadn't made an appearance yet, but she would probably meet him at the castle. They were in the same House, after all.

But the moment her foot touched the platform, a hand wrapped around her neck, throwing her against the wall. Erebus' carried fell from her hands, earning a loud hiss from the feline, that thankfully hadn't escaped. "Alexander... let... me... go..." Eva managed to voice as her nails clawed on the first around her neck. She was running out of air. The blonde male thankfully released her, but his arms caged her there, leaving no chance of escape. "Oh Eva... Always so sweet, always so innocent. Your parents are thinking of marrying you off to me, you know? As Nate's best friend, I am going to make sure you suffer every single second."

"I'll never get married to you!" Eva screamed, even though they both knew it was not her choice, in the end. And that angered her beyond explanation. This was one of her biggest fears. Getting married to a monster and be forced to just produce heirs. She wouldn't be respected, she wouldn't be cared for, loved, heard...
Leaning in closer, Alexander's lips brushing her ear, the disgusting male started whispering vile, twisted things in her ear, forcing her to listen to all the things he wanted to do to her. But Eva wouldn't have to put up with that for long.

Before she had the chance to realise what was going on, the witch was being pulled away from Alexander. She barely had time to grasp the carrier, and save the poor creature from the hands of that monster. But who was dragging her away, what had happened? Only when they both came to a stop right by the carriages did Evangeline have the chance to see, who her hero was. And the moment her eyes focused on Silas, who looked rather angry, the witch threw herself into him, pulling him into a hug. He had saved her, again, even though he didn't know he had. That day at Diagon Alley, the first time they had met, she was once again, running away.

"Oh Merlin, thank you!" She managed to say, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Was Silas her guardian angel, perhaps? Or perhaps it was all just... mere luck. Nevertheless, she was glad Silas was here.

Anger had been the driving impulse that had caused Silas to interfere along with that feeling he'd come to recognize as jealousy when he was younger. Something he strove to get past and had, mostly. However, this was something new to him. Never in his life that he could recall had Silas ever been jealous towards another person because of attention. It hadn't cropped up when he'd mistaken his infatuation with Luna Lovegood nor had he really felt anything when it died. This confused him because it wasn't as if he and Evangeline knew each other for very long. Nor had they even exchanged letters like he'd wanted to, what with his mother taking his attention this summer.

There was relief that she hadn't yelled, fought him, or tried to get away when he'd taken her hand to get her away from the other male he'd wanted to hex. Then before he'd known it he had her against him, his arms coming around her in response even if slow and awkward. The contact had at first caused him to stiffen but then relax minutely. He ended up blinking, as she thanked him, confusing him even more. No one had ever thanked him for anything. Nor had he ever been hugged or touched affectionately. Sure, there had been staged shows of affection; a hand on the shoulder or head, something of the like. With his Aunt Narcissa it was a kiss that barely brushed his cheek.

"You're welcome?" He hadn't meant for it to come out as a question but he still was rather unsure. Silas swallowed as he felt something warm like sunlight that one relaxed and enjoyed, unfurl a bit. The warmth spread across his face which he tried to quell. "I think, we should get in a carriage?"

It was strange. Silas had never been one to put others at ease, yet, he wanted to try. It wasn't anything as ridiculous as because he thought she was pretty or some such drivel. There wasn't a question that she was easy on the eyes. It had to do with the fact that he wanted this acquaintance of theirs to work out. To see where it would lead to. To see if what their tentative truce and start of the bridge they were building would hold. With both relief and reluctance he ended their hug. Bending down, he grabbed Erebus' carrier and placed it within on the floor. Then he held out his hand to Eva and helped her up before catching a rung and pulling himself up as well. He kept her hand in his absently as his gaze caught the blond that had been near Eva. Silas glared icily at the other watching him walk past to another carriage. It was official; Silas hated blonds.

When the carriages started moving he couldn't help but voice his curiosity. "Who was that?"

The Ravenclaw witch had to admit she was rather confused as Silas spoke up. Was his welcome a question? Had she not made her gratification towards him clear enough? Evangeline still was unsure about many things regarding Silas, but the more time she spent with the male, the more she felt like they... matched. Sort of. They were certainly different in many, many aspects, but she couldn't help the feeling of deep connection that came whenever he was around. He was intelligent-he was a Ravenclaw for a reason, after all-, well mannered, and completely different than what people said he was.

The name Lestrange came with a heavy burden, that much she understood. Or that's what she thought. But no one should be judged based on a name alone. And Silas had... so much to offer to this world. He was more than just a name. And as his arms circled around her, holding her close, Evangeline realised that there were aspects of him even he didn't know. And that made her all the more curious.

"I think, we should get in a carriage?"

Eva nodded and watched as he slowly pulled back and picked Erebus from the ground, before he offered out his hand to her. The Ravenclaw witch gladly took it and ascended, watching Silas follow right behind her. Sitting right next to each other, Eva's eyes wandered, until they landed on Alexander. Her whole body stiffened and only then did she realise that her hand was still in Silas'. He had never let go of it, and she wasn't really keen on letting go either.

"Who was that?"

"Alexander Duncan. My brother's best friend. He's... He's the man my parents are planning on marrying me off to." Eva murmured, feeling sad and ashamed at the same time. Alexander was a vile man, as dangerous as her brother, and perhaps even more so. But Silas didn't have to deal with her fears. He had saved her from them, though, more than once. And that seemed to be the recurring pattern. For now.

A scowl found itself at home on Silas' face as he received his answer. A marriage contract? That was something that Silas hadn't ever thought of. He knew that some Purebloods still held to those ideals to ensure that their line remained 'pure' and 'untainted'. He was pretty sure that Draco likely had one knowing how the Malfoys were. That made him pause as he wondered if he had one. That caused him to mentally shudder in horror. The thought hadn't crossed his mind especially after meeting his mother because of the type of person she was. She hadn't been very happy to marry his father even if she had done her duty and submitted to his marital rights in order to produce Silas. Would his mother have had one written out for him before she and his father ended up in Azkaban? Or had his aunt or uncle had one written up since then? This would be something he had to look into as it would not do to be ignorant. Silas supposed he needed to thank Evangeline for bringing this to his attention. It seemed it would be prudent for him to be more amiable towards his family relations than he had been.

While he'd been contemplating that his mind had at the same time registered the wording. She had said 'planning' not 'going to'. As in maybe there was time for her contract to be renegotiated? Even though he and Evangeline had only met months ago and had a total of two meetings, Silas was finding that he couldn't ignore her. His actions moments ago proved that. It would have been something he would have done had they not met in Diagon and had their conversation. The two of them had actually made the other acknowledge what they were and that it didn't mean it had to define them. It was rather refreshing to have an actual honest conversation with someone.

Letting his mind turn ideas over on the 'back burner' so to speak, Silas stated allowing his distaste to show, "I don't like him."

Turning his gaze and attention to the witch, he considered her and then hoping to change the mood he ducked his head down to stare her in the eye. "Does this mean I don't get my present back?" Sniffing and turning his nose up as he'd seen his cousins do but with a teasing light in his eyes he pouted, "I bet you didn't even consider my questions either."

Evangeline didn't know what she expected Silas to say, mostly because there was nothing to say really. It was not a question that needed to be answered. It was only the sad truth. Arranged marriages have been a institution of the Pureblood society for centuries, and the Ravenclaw with knew well enough that things were not going to change anytime soon. Especially for her. There were many times she had found herself crying at nights, thinking of the future she could possibly have. A family, a loving husband, away from the Deatheaters and the Dark Lord. Somewhere where they could be safe and happy. Just them. But it was nothing more than a dream, and no matter how hard she tried to persuade herself that things may change, deep down she already knew that they were not going to,

"I don't like him."

But as the words left Silas' mouth, Eva found her eyes widen a fraction. She hadn't expected any sort of reaction from Silas, especially one of distaste. It did give her a sense of hope though. Knowing there was something else out there not liking Alexander. Perhaps even not wanting him standing next to her. But why did the male express such distaste? Was it because Alexander was a Slytherin? Eva doubted that Silas had any prejudice against the Slytherin House, considering most of his family was sorted in it. But it still didn't explain why he reacted that way, and that left Evangeline quite perplexed.

Mostly because she liked it.

The feeling of a man, no, not just any man, Silas potentially being... jealous. Eva knew that they barely knew each other. Yet, she felt as if they clicked right away. She felt mostly safe with him, and their conversations were always ones of quality. Silas Lestrange was a Ravenclaw for a reason, after all, and that did show. He was intelligent and uniquely charismatic. They had similar views and connected on a deeper level, even in that short time. This was... rare. And it made her wonder how it would be if he were the man she was to marry. If Silas were the man she would call her husband, the father of her children...

As his eyes turned to her, though, Evangeline snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the wizard, completely forgetting all about marriages, husbands and kids.
"Of course you can have it back! It was a gift!" Eva said with a small laugh, looking trough her bag for her favorite book. Handing it over to Silas, Eva bit her lip, her smile not faltering even for a second, even if she were unsure of the new, teasing side of the wizard. She didn't mind, of course, on the contrary she really liked it, but the witch was not used to having friends, hence why she was so hopeful yet scared of her friendship with Silas.

"And of course I considered all of your questions! What did you take me for? A Gryffindor?" The witch responding, feigning hurt. "I am positive you despise Romeo and Juliet. Way too unrealistic in my opinion. As for which play you enjoy the most... Julius Caesar could be one. Or maybe Macbeth?" Evangeline wasn't sure, but Silas was one of the hardest people to read, therefore she was open to failure.

Silas had forgotten that for Evangeline to retrieve the book she gifted to him, she would have to release his hand. Why did he keep forgetting about something like that? Taking the book back he glanced at the worn cover and felt the corner of his lip curl up. His eyes were alight with amusement at her exclamation. It was nice to know though that she had caught that he wasn't being serious. That action alone proved to him that she had learned to read him a little bit. It was also refreshing to be able to allow another facet of himself to show. Teasing the other Ravenclaw was proving to be rather...dare he say, fun? It was a different type of teasing than the malicious kind he would show towards his cousins; the type that he was used to.

"And of course I considered all of your questions! What did you take me for? A Gryffindor?" At that Silas' lips twitched madly at his suppressed laughter. No, one would never associate Evangeline with the scarlet and gold lions. That she was comfortable enough to relax her guard to play along with him caused a sensation inside him he couldn't put his finger on and shoved aside to look at later. At the moment, he instead found himself impressed but curious as to her choices for his favorite play. For himself, he thought it had been obvious that anyone with sense would loath and accurately as she said, despise Romeo and Juliet. Girls could think it was about the drivel spewed about love, but if you took it in another context it was a warning of impulsive shortsightedness.

Allowing how impressed he was about her choices, he tilted his head considering her as he nodded in agreement. At her questioning the last he found that he couldn't hold back his smile. He supposed those would be the most obvious two. He wondered what she would say if he said it was Titus Andronicus. It wasn't, but he was tempted just to see what she would say as it was his second choice as morbid as it was. He liked that even at the end Titus still won and had his revenge even if he wasn't there to see it.

"While I do enjoy Macbeth, you were right that Julius Caesar is by far my favorite and most read of his works." He wondered what that said about him. Then again, he was sure that if people knew about his second favorite they would think him warped and appropriately the child of the Lestrange and Black bloodlines. Perhaps it was an obvious favorite for someone who was a pureblood? He wasn't sure, but all the different things one could take away from the play captivated him. There were lessons as well as sheer brilliance and warnings to not underestimate.

As they were on the topic of plays he wondered if she had branched out to others or stuck within Shakespeare. Perhaps he would question her later and see what types she enjoyed? If she liked satire was well as the dramatics. If she was willing and they continued to get along, she could maybe accompany him to see Molière's The Imaginary Invalid when the holiday break came? Or even over the summer. Something told him that he wouldn't mind spending even more time with his companion.

As they drew closer to the castle and could make out more detail of it, he sighed. "I wonder who our esteemed headmaster has decided to grace us with this year as our Defense instructor."

If it was another person from the ministry such as the toad woman from last year, Silas would revolt and he was sure he wouldn't be the only one. Most of the Ravenclaws hadn't appreciated having to have extra lessons to make up for the woman's supposed teaching. It seemed every year was destined for ineptitude save for when they had a werewolf and a Death Eater teaching the subject matter. A bit ironic that.

Evangeline had not bothered to hide the wide smile that graced her features, when Silas spoke up, admitting that she had been right with her choices. Of course, the fact that Romeo and Juliet were not on the list, was no surprise to the young witch. As romantic as some considered the play, Evangeline found it rather... disturbing. Well, most of it, at least. The part about the whole 'forbidden love' was somewhat intriguing, mostly because the family drama was something that Eva could relate to. Having to marry someone you didn't want to, because of their family name and status. But a big difference between her and Juliet was that Eva wasn't in love with another man. Well, she wasn't in love with any man.

But could she deny that she was surely attracted to the man sitting next to her?

The fact that she had figured out what one of his favorites was, gave Eva's ego a little boost. Silas was super hard to read, and the Ravenclaw witch couldn't blame him at all. Purebloods were always complicated individuals. Well, the intelligent ones, at least. Imagine being a Pureblood and Bellatrix Lestrange's son at the same time. Eva couldn't begin to fathom how his childhood was. And honestly, she was simply too smart to just ask. Considering how bad hers was, imagine how much of a torment his had been. And that, for some reason, pained her.

Evangeline caught herself not liking the idea at all. Silas getting hurt, beaten, tormented... Had Bellatrix used the Cruciatus on him many times? Had Silas ever been.. truly cared for? And why did she feel that insatiable need to be the one who cares?

"I wonder who our esteemed headmaster has decided to grace us with this year as our Defense instructor."


His voice brought her out of her thoughts that were slowly spiraling into oblivion, and back to reality. Her eyes followed his gaze, and she found him looking at the castle, that was now in clear view. Another year was about to start, and that meant another year of never ending surprises and Potter. Every time his name came up, Evangeline wanted to throw up. The boy was plan dumb, and truthfully, the Ravenclaw witch was still unsure as to how he had survived thus far.

Oh, right.

Granger.

Don't even get her started on that girl.

"Probably someone incompetent, as per usual." Evangeline answered, dragging her gaze away from the castle and towards the sky, where millions of starts were scattered, shining brightly down on them. She just hoped she would be alive by the end of this year. Because for Eva, it wasn't just studying and Quidditch games. It was actually fighting for her life. Especially after the incident at the station. Alexander was becoming more and more aggressive, and the young witch knew very well, that if he found her alone, she was not going to be able to escape. How she knew? He had whispered all the details in her ear, while he was choking the life out of them.

How he would beat her, tie her up, undress her and then-

The carriage stopped abruptly, causing Eva to yelp and fall sideways a bit, right into Silas' lap. Shame overtook her immediately, especially when she looked up, only to find two pairs of eyes on her. Nathaniel and Alexander were glaring at her, dark smirks gracing their features. That was a big sign of danger, and Evangeline immediately pushed herself away from Silas and avoided his gaze. Nate was not going to let her meeting with Silas go unnoticed, and Merlin, did she know that she would be receiving an owl soon, regarding this. Her father was not going to let her go easily.

"I am so sorry." Evangeline mumbled quickly. "We should be heading in. McGonagall will start whining again, if we are not on time. Her first years need to be sorted, and we need to pretend everything is going to be fine." And with that, Eva grabbed her things, but did not stand up right away. She hated being called, especially with Silas. But she had to, if she wanted him to remain safe from her brother.

Silas hadn't expected for his fellow Ravenclaw to practically light up -more so then he'd seen so far- all because he had acknowledged that she had chosen correctly and hadn't tried to trick her. Giving her an assessing look, he believed that if she learned to bring up even a facsimile of that smile at will, it could benefit her in the long run. Stoic, serious, or even in animated conversation she was beautiful, but when she smiled: she was stunning. "You know," he stated. "You could use your smile as an advantage. It would distract very easily."

Purebloods that were lucky if they managed a match with both looks as well as magical ability. Silas had read about such things when researching about his parents and relations marriages. It had been for certain magical traits at first as well as keeping the blood 'pure' but all that selective breeding had downsides. Physical attributes certainly hadn't held up in some families. Thankfully, he and Eva had seemed to have been able to luck out in the looks department. As did her intended it seemed which really caused that sour feeling in Silas' stomach to return at the mere thought of him. Maybe he could bribe a Slytherin to put some dye into his cousin's shower kit to change that pale hair of his to an inky black to resemble Potter's. It would be amusing, horrify Draco, and be one less irksome blond to look at.

"Probably someone incompetent, as per usual."

Silas snorted at that and couldn't refrain his sarcastic reply, "That's already a given." It was good to see that he wasn't the only one skeptical of whom the newest faculty member would be this year. "Maybe it will be another Death Eater in disguise so we can actually get some learning done? Hopefully one that doesn't have an agenda to kill the boy with too many hyphens in his name." He had kept a running tally and it seemed that every year without fail, the newest teacher ended up embroiled in something that had to do with Potter by the end of the year. First was the idiot Lockhart, then the werewolf, Moody who had been an impersonator, then the toad woman with the Ministry agenda to defame Potter.

He hadn't expected the carriage to stop as it had and gave a sound of surprise when he found his lap full of Evangeline. When she quickly moved away from him, his brown gaze narrowed as he shifted his attention from her to just outside their carriage. Seeing who was there cause him raise a brow as he gave a challenging look to them daring them to do anything with so many witnesses about. When nothing happened but them moving off acting as if they had just 'happened' to look at their carriage as they passed.


At the apology from the witch, Silas found his lips turning down into a scowl not liking that she was allowing those cretins to intimidate her. He watched her intently as she gathered her things, but made no move to leave his presence just yet. That in itself spoke volumes which caused him to continue to study her and not liking some of the implications that came to his mind. "They have the boat ride, it will take some time." Deciding that something needed to be done, he invaded her space uncaring what it would look like to a passing observer. Caging her in with arms on either side of her, face inches from hers so she was forced to look him in the eyes he declared hotly, "Never apologize. Not when you haven't done anything to have deserved utterance of those words. Tell me. Why are you sorry? What have you done to say that?"

Being complimented was something Evangeline had, of course, learned how to handle. Being a Pureblood lady meant that she had faced a lot of people, all of them giving her a few kind words, someone could say. The sad part was that it was extremely doubtful, how many of those words they actually believed. It was no secret, Purebloods most of the time said things just because they had to. Rarely because they believed them. Which was why she felt so happy, when Silas complimented her.

"You could use your smile as an advantage. It would distract very easily."

Evangeline bit her lip, her smile never faltering. Not even for a second. She had never believe that she was considered a beauty amongst the Pureblood world. She did know, though, that she was indeed much prettier than other girls of her status. Parkinson might have looked... decent, but her attitude made her look worse than a toad. But even for the boys, most Purebloods seemed to be... vile. Add their terrible personalities in the mix and you had one big, fat disappointment. Silas, though... He was very handsome, and thankfully quite intelligent as well. Imagine having to deal with Crabbe and Goyle...  Eva was unsure how Malfoy could actually converse with them.

But there were also extremely handsome males, with the worst possible personalities. Like her brother... or her --most probably-- future husband, Alexander Duncan.  The blonde's features were actually appealing. Deep emerald eyes, a straight nose, strong jaw and a very fit body. Evangeline knew that there were so many girl who wished they could spent a night with him. She was also well aware of how many girls had already spent a night, or more, with him. Same went for her brother. But none of those girls knew how... mean they were. How easily they could kill someone. Torment them, for their own amusement.

But Silas wasn't like that.

And that was proven a moment later, when the young male agreed with her on the 'new professor' matter. Eva was sure that, once more, Hogwarts was about to house another incompetent wizard, pretending to teach us how to defend ourselves against the Dark Arts. What an utter joke. No one knew how to truly prepare us for something like that. Or well, almost no one.

"Maybe it will be another Death Eater in disguise so we can actually get some learning done? Hopefully one that doesn't have an agenda to kill the boy with too many hyphens in his name."

"We both know how ironic this is. A Death Eater is going to teach us how to protect ourselves from the Dark Arts. We also both know that it definitely is going to be another year revolving around Potter and his crew. Silas... he's back. The only thing I am hoping for this year, is t be alive by the end of it." Evangeline admitted, not the slightest bit ashamed of her words. Her family was already planning on making her get the Dark Mark. She could only imagine what Bellatrix Lestrange expected of Silas.

But for now, they had other things to deal with. Well, Evangeline did. The fact that Alexander and Nathaniel has taken notice of how close Silas and Eva were growing was concerning. Evangeline knew that her brother would do anything to hurt her, especially turn the only friend she seemed to be having against her. And she couldn't allow that. But what could she really do? Fight them? She knew that she didn't stand a single chance against them, especially alone.

But all thought were erased from her brain, the moment Silas completely invaded her personal space, placing his arms on either side of her face, and effectively caging her with his body. The young witch had no time to think. His face was inches apart from hers, their lips almost touching. To someone who was looking, they could be very well kissing. Evangeline's voice caught in her throat, her eyes wide and her lips parted in a gasp. What was going on? What was he doing? This was so not what the young witch had expected from him.

"Never apologize. Not when you haven't done anything to have deserved utterance of those words. Tell me. Why are you sorry? What have you done to say that?"

Where had this Silas come from? The male who was sitting next to her discreetly, not a moment ago, was now gone, and in his place was a dominant male, expecting a specific answer. An answer Eva did not have, because truthfully, she hadn't done anything. Her eyes kept staring right back into Silas', her body suddenly feeling hot. But she wasn't scared. Not even for a moment. Whenever Alexander's face was right in front of hers, Eva was  scared. But with Silas... something was different.

"I stumbled. I fell on you. That was not... appropriate. Especially since we're in the presence of my dear brother, and.." Evangeline averted her eyes as she spoke the next words. "And most probably the man I am to marry." The disgust was obvious on her features. The young witch wanted, obviously, nothing to do with Alexander. But as a Pureblood lady she had to keep up appearances.

But why wasn't she pushing Silas away?

Why, the more time passed, did she feel... comfortable?

Silas was somewhat thankful that she didn't comment on his statement. He wasn't sure what he would have said in reply as the thought of her smiling like that at that blond twat had that sour feeling with a mixture of flicker of anger and healthy dose of irritation building. The statement seemed to be acknowledged and that was that as Eva moved their conversation along which he was glad for. They were on much safer ground discussing the upcoming professor. An amused expression crossed his face at her statement.

"We both know how ironic this is. A Death Eater is going to teach us how to protect ourselves from the Dark Arts. We also both know that it definitely is going to be another year revolving around Potter and his crew.

Yes, he did know. Hadn't he learned a bit while at home this summer? Moody or Crouch Jr (and hadn't the papers had a field day with that revelation when it came out!) had been one of the better instructors the school had had. From the rumors and whining that his cousins had done with Quirrel and his predecessor the instructors had been as useful as a slotted spoon to eat soup.

"Silas... he's back. The only thing I am hoping for this year, is t be alive by the end of it." That was something they could both agree with. He had the same fears and knew that he had to tread lightly. Doubly so now that he was a prefect. It was a double edged sword, he believed. Last year's debacle with the toad woman and her abundant abuse of her powers and those that sunk to become her minions especially those that held a prefect badge was ample proof. Silas wanted power, but not at the expense of his freedom. He was used to putting on a facade and didn't think this year would be any different save that he would be under more scrutiny and he would have to prove himself to those watching him that he was neither a threat nor a problem. Somehow, he needed to convince everyone that he was neutral and wondered if he could find a way for Evangeline to do the same.

Not used to comforting anyone, let alone wanting to, Silas was at a loss. Blinking, he just gave a grave nod to let her know he heard what she said, heard the concern and shared those same fears and goals. While his mind tried to work out what to say, other things were happening such as the carriage stopping and the unpleasant fact that the female he was starting to consider being friends with was being intimidated. This wouldn't do and the heir to the Lestrange line wouldn't allow a close acquaintance of his buckle to that. She had shown some fire back in the bookstore. Those pillocks would learn. Silas wasn't going to let them snuff out Evangeline's spirit. So he got into her space and pushed just as he had back in the bookstore and became demanding. Let the other two think what they would of his and Eva's position and if they misinterpreted it for something romantic, all the better.

"I stumbled. I fell on you. That was not... appropriate. Especially since we're in the presence of my dear brother, and.." Silas' irritation blossomed again as did his anger and he couldn't understand it. He had to work very hard not to clench his jaw when she revealed, "And most probably the man I am to marry."

Something ugly and hot was pooled in Silas' stomach. A sour taste rose up in his throat at the thought of the seventh year. Shifting his mindset in order to adjust his breathing and keep calm, Silas was relieved to see that she didn't seem to be overly thrilled with the idea of marrying the Slytherin. Dark eyes narrowing, he stared intently at Evangeline's own, his voice firm. "That was a matter of cause and effect. The carriage stopped and were unprepared for it. Would you have rather fallen to the floor? Wouldn't that have been more unsightly? It would seem as if you weren't graceful." Smirking, he moved his face a bit closer to where his breath brushed across the woman's lips. "Couldn't we say that your 'fall' was a calculated move?"

Moving back to give Evangeline her space he quirked a smug smile. "You still have two years before that bastard can touch you. Until then...Well, anyone else could become a contender couldn't they?"