Shattered Prayers ((Theo))

[evelyn]

“Eve.” Evelyn looked up from her book at the sound of her mother calling her name and slowly rose to her feet, crossing her bedroom to open her door. She hated her name being shortened in that way but it wasn’t her place to object. Honour thy mother and father had been one of the first Commandments that her mother had drilled into her head and she followed it faithfully. Her mother might be a hypocritical Catholic but Evelyn would not be. She had to be perfect in everything and that included religion. Besides, she justified to herself silently, her mother had most certainly repented, confessed to her sins and had been forgiven through doing the penance that a priest had set her for her wrongdoings. “Your father wants you to go to Diagon Alley,” Georgia informed her when she appeared before her, looking slightly disapproving. Evelyn bit back a smile and merely nodded obediently, taking the list of required items. Her mother, being a muggle, could not follow her to Diagon Alley and therefore could not watch over her every move. It was a thought that relieved Evelyn as much as it discontented her mother. After being at Hogwarts for so long, it was always difficult to return to a summer filled with strict rules and examining gazes.

Before leaving her room to go through the floo, Evelyn fastened her rosary bracelet around her right wrist. It was an old-fashioned rosary, made of ten amber beads and a delicate crucifix made from glass and silver, and her mother had often offered to buy her a more modern one but Evelyn was admittedly too fond of the one currently circling her wrist. It was steeped in history and the Catholic faith of those whom had worn it before her; a modern rosary could never match up to the simple elegance and mystery of this one. It troubled her mother somewhat that they didn’t know the significance of the amber beads because it was very common for the beads to be made of a material with some special significance yet they didn’t know where the amber had come from. For her part, Evelyn wasn’t quite sure that it truly mattered. The rosary had belonged to generations of women who had been Catholics and who had loved their God – wasn’t that more important than the origin of the materials of the rosary? Perhaps it was some deep mystery that she wasn’t yet mature or wise enough to be enlightened about.

Evelyn bid her mother goodbye – her father was still working, hence why he had requested for Evelyn to fetch some things that he needed for some reason or other – before entering her father’s study and using the fireplace to floo to Diagon Alley. She never felt comfortable entering her father’s study without his permission which was why she stepped into the fire almost before even throwing the floo powder in. It was ridiculous to feel so uncomfortable when her father had been the one to send her to Diagon Alley and they both knew that she would have to enter his study to do so but Evelyn couldn’t help it. There were books in here that Evelyn had not yet been permitted to read and her gaze lingered on the bookshelves covetously for a few seconds before flooing to Diagon Alley.

“Quills, parchment, more ink, three books and potions supplies,” Evelyn shifted her gaze from the shopping list to the items stored in her bag, making sure that she had everything. And sugar quills for herself, Evelyn added mentally. They were somewhat of a weakness of hers and she hadn’t been able to resist buying some after passing a sweetshop. Her eyes fell on a tall male with curly black hair and Evelyn instantly recoiled, her mind jumping to the most obvious conclusion: Seth Wright! All of her mother’s warnings about staying away from the Wright family crossed her mind, as did her belief that Seth and his sister hated her for what her mother had done to their family, as Evelyn turned on her heel and broke into a sprint. The only thought on her unreasonably panicked mind was getting away from the boy who may or may not actually be Seth and that was probably why she tripped over a bag that someone had left on the floor and landed on the ground. Her arms had instinctively covered her face to protect it from serious injury but all that had accomplished was deep grazes running from wrist to elbow on both arms. Her left knee had hit the ground hard and was throbbing and bleeding but what concerned Evelyn most was the condition of her rosary bracelet, lying shattered and broken into pieces on the ground. Horrified, Evelyn crossed herself hurriedly before gathering the broken pieces of amber, silver and glass in her hands. The rosary was beyond repair but Evelyn still lifted the silver outline of the crucifix to her mouth and kissed it worshipfully before piling the wrecked rosary onto her handkerchief and storing it in her pocket. “This has to be a sin,” Evelyn mumbled, her shoulders shaking slightly in an attempt to hold back horrified laughter and tears. She had only gone to confession yesterday and now she was going to have to go again. The priest was going to think that she was a bad Catholic and Evelyn didn’t even want to imagine what her mother would say.

[Theo Darke]

Theo gave Lori a sideways glance out of the corner of his left eye, secretly watching his best friend as she pulled the length of the violin bow confidently, her eyes closed to the sound of their music. They were situated in Theo's living room where the Darke family piano was. Theo sat at it, his fingers moving effortlessly across the black and white keys, chiming out a familiar, well-practised melody they had played together for years. Theo's consciousness didn't even have to think about what notes to play - he could play the piece with his eyes closed. His fingers knew the song so well they moved automatically across the keyboard, striking out low notes, high notes, deep notes and light notes. Meanwhile, Lori was just as perfected on her violin, its strings vibrating against her fingers of her left hand. Theo's eyes glazed over her sadly, seeing her fragile, beautiful figure through ends of blonde hair. His concentration was faltering as he looked upon his best friend, so serene and peaceful and joyful as she dragged the bow flawlessly across her instrument. It was an image of perfection. It symbolised the epitome of Lori, and yet Theo couldn't help but feel his heart strain beneath his chest, its chords out of rhythem. He didn't want to feel sadness when Lori was happy; he didn't want to be yang when she was yin. But it seemed, now that Lori was her cheerful self again, Theo couldn't, for the first time in his life, bring himself to share her emotions. It was a criminal feeling, and it disgusted him.

Theo was only pulled away amidst dark thoughts when his middle right finger hit the wrong note on the piano, its discord struck loud and clear and echoing throughout the spacious, otherwise unoccupied room. Brittany and Callum had gone with their parents to Diagon Alley to prepare for their first year of Hogwarts, and Mr and Mrs Leigh were apparently shopping with their youngest daughter. Lori had offered to stay at home with Theo to practise their favourite song. Theo had agreed. Why had he agreed? It seemed like such a bad idea now. Shaken away from his lonely reverie, Theo's hands shook still at their position on the keys, the minor chord - the wrong chord - still chiming in his ears. Lori had ceased playing too, and was searching Theo worriedly, voicing her concerns out loud. "No, I'm fine," Theo assured her swiftly, not wanting Lori to catch on to his true feelings. He had to hide them, lie to her about them, even if it went against his better judgement. Theo was scared. He was not scared of Lori, his beautiful best friend, but he was scared of what pain he could inflict on her, and especially, what pain it appeared she could inflict upon him. Just from a single act of ignorance, which Theo had helped instigate. Yes. Theo was thoroughly disgusted with himself.

"I think I should--" Theo began, removing his fingers from their hovering position and leaving the piano. However, he was interrupted when a beautiful girl, similar to Lori in every physical aspect save her bright green eyes, burst into the room excitedly. Seeing Theo coming towards her, the blonde-haired teen gave a delighted giggle, calling his name and hugging him tightly before turning to her older sister. Lori greeted her, and it was as though Theo hadn't played a wrong note on a piece of music he and Lori had practised for so long it was completely impossible to miss a beat. The atmosphere was no longer so constricted, and Theo was grateful for Flo's sudden entrance. Whilst Florence explained to Lori that their parents had finished shopping and she had flooed back on her own, Theo stood motionlessly, seemingly listening intently to Flo, but in actual fact plotting his plan on escaping. Finally, Flo asked her sister if she had any free time right now, and if she did, if she could help her with some baking, because the younger Leigh wanted to make some cakes. Lori was about to protest, looking up at Theo and eyes darting to her abandoned violin, but Theo got there before her, artfully twisting his situation with manipulation he did not know he possessed. "No, Lori's not busy right now, Flo," he spoke kindly as he approached the fourteen-year-old. She was growing to be more and more like her sister, he noticed. "You two go ahead and make some delicious cupcakes. Save me a few? I just remembered I should meet up with the twins and help them, you know?" The latter statement was directed at Lori, who seemed to accept it, though hesitantly. Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Theo quickly left the room.

Flooing to Diagon Alley took less than five minutes, after Theo had grabbed some money and before he had even stopped to contemplate why he might go to Diagon Alley anyway. He didn't plan to meet up with his family, and he didn't really want to. Theo knew he needed time to clear his head, be alone and not in the company of familiar people, but what was he to do, now that he was standing in the middle of a busy street, looking lost and aimless? Theo had never felt so unneeded in his entire life. It was then, right before his eyes, he saw a girl fall - yes, in front of him, out of the blue - onto the pavement, injuring herself to some extent. Theo's eyes widened from his position a few metres away, and he immediately started towards her. No one else seemed to care. Finally he reached her, but the girl wasn't crying from the pain, nor did she seem at all bothered about her cuts and bruises. Instead, she was staring, horrified, at pieces of broken jewellery in her hands. Kneeling down to her level, Theo tried to get a glimpse of her face, but her brown hair covered her visage. "Um, excuse me, miss. Are you all right?" Thoroughly concerned for the girl, who he estimated to be around his age, Theo didn't wait for an answer from her, immediately taking his wand out and forcing the girl to stretch out her hands. He concentrated first on her injuries, not the shattered remnants of a precious artifact. "I'm not the best healer in the world, but I'm competent," Theo murmured soothingly, wondering if she had been shocked into silence. When her cuts looked less angry, Theo moved onto her knee, frowning as he tried to stem the blood. "This looks bad," he muttered to himself, and fished around for a tissue to help him clean up the staining red. Finally, the flow subsided and the gash somewhat cleaned and healing, but Theo had no bandages to really stop the bleeding. "We should get you to a hospital to see to that," Theo suggested, trying not to be forceful, but knowing this was exactly what he would have to make her do if she protested. "We should get real healers to reaffirm what I've managed to do."

Smiling comfortingly at the girl, Theo tried to elicit a proper response from her. "I'm Theo," he began kindly. "And you are?" He watched as she continued to stare blankly at her hands where the broken pieces lay. "Was that a bracelet?" he asked softly, sympathy evident in his posture. "How about I try and fix that for you?" Taking the girl's silence as agreement, Theo lay his wand on her palm and whispered words he had learnt specially to help Lori, Flo and the twins fix things they broke. It was a spell his parents had taught him, because they had always cleaned up after them when they were clumsy. Since about fourteen-years-old, Theo had become the one to learn the spell and look after his friends and siblings. Slowly, but gradually, the bracelet took form again in the girl's hands, becoming one with each other as bits and pieces scrabbled to reunite. Finally, a spanking new bracelet lay before them, and Theo grinned triumphantly. "There. Like brand new, huh? It's a useful spell."

((Theo doesn't recognise Evelyn yet, but he will. I assume she'll recognise him too.))

[evelyn]

Oh, she was going to be in so much trouble. Evelyn drew a ragged breath, stubbornly biting back the tears that she could feel rising up in her eyes. It wasn’t a sin to be weak but Evelyn had always treated it as though it were. Perfection didn’t include weaknesses or flaws. The pain was nearly excruciating but Evelyn forced herself to block it out. If she registered how much pain she was in then she would be tempted to give in to self-pity and then the tears would not allow themselves to be held back. She would not give into weakness; she would prove herself to be stronger than that. This was nothing more than a test and she would be rewarded for staying strong when simply bursting into tears was the easier option. A voice entered her ears and Evelyn lifted her eyes long enough to send the boy a scathing glance. “Does it look like I’m alright?” Evelyn inquired archly, feeling pathetic when she couldn’t quite hide the grimace of pain that shot up her arm when she used it to gesture to herself. The gash on her right arm started to bleed even more due to her movement and Evelyn stifled a gasp of pain, belatedly deciding that perhaps it would be best to restrict her movements as much as possible.

The boy had started to heal her even before she had gotten a chance to answer him and Evelyn eyed him warily. Even if she hadn’t been naturally suspicious, people had never really given her much of a reason to trust them. Behind a kind act, there was almost always a hidden motive. Even as a child, the only people who had really treated her with a lot of friendliness were those who wanted her to do their homework because they didn’t have the intelligence or the patience to complete it themselves. She was viewed as an uptight perfectionist and Evelyn was fine with that. Why should she change herself for people she didn’t even know? Inspecting the healed cuts on her arms as a distraction, Evelyn gritted her teeth and forced herself not to flinch away when the boy started dabbing at her knee to wipe away the blood. It was worse than both of her arms had been and Evelyn mentally cursed herself for being so rash and impulsive. If she hadn’t panicked upon seeing a person who merely looked like Seth Wright – she wasn’t even entirely sure if it had been him so she was going to feel extremely foolish if she somehow discovered that she had run away from a complete stranger instead of the half-brother she was intent on avoiding – then she wouldn’t be in this mess and she wouldn’t have involved a stranger in her affairs. “I don’t much like hospitals,” Evelyn grumbled unhappily, a spark of her humour showing through the pain. “Every time I go, there’s something wrong with me and it’s incredibly traumatising.”

The boy introduced himself but Evelyn barely heard him, still staring at what had once been her rosary without really seeing the shattered pieces of it. She had been mostly healed and the pain had ceased to truly bother her but that didn’t change the fact that her rosary was shattered because of her foolish actions. She had used her arms to break her fall without considering that the rosary bracelet was clasped around her wrist and it had been destroyed because of that. “It wasn’t just a bracelet,” Evelyn shook her head, her voice barely louder than a delicate whisper. “It was my rosary and I broke it. I broke it.” Idly, a part of Evelyn’s mind wondered exactly how many prayers she would have to say to save her soul due to her latest sin. Because, logically, shattering a rosary had to be counted as a sin. It was a tool of worship after all. The rosary reformed under the watchful eye of Evelyn and she inhaled sharply, amazed, when the restoration was complete. She cradled it in her left hand, her fingers running over the beads and the crucifix as if to reassure herself that it was real and not a figment of her imagination, before deftly fastening it around her right wrist once more. She still wasn’t free from having to confess but her penance would possibly be lighter even if her shame wasn’t.

“Thank you.” Her voice was quiet but sincerely grateful as she glanced up at Theo shyly. Her mother had called it the sin of vanity for her to like her rosary so much but Evelyn had continually, silently disagreed. The rosary bracelet was pretty but that wasn’t the reason she liked it. It was a connection to generations of past Catholics and a silent reminder that she wasn’t alone in her faith even when she was at Hogwarts, which had never struck Evelyn as a particularly religious place. It was probably highly ironic that Catholics had hunted witches and killed those that they suspected of practicing witchcraft and yet Evelyn was both a witch and a devoted Catholic. Evelyn remembered the question that Theo had asked her before fixing her rosary and smiled sheepishly. “I’m Evelyn.” Evelyn studied him for a moment, caught by his vague familiarity. “You’re a Ravenclaw, right?”

[Theo Darke]

“Does it look like I’m alright?” Feisty girl, Theo thought to himself, hiding a smile at her retort. "Neither do I. Not many people do," Theo tried to convince the girl gently as he tended to her. "But hospitals are for when people get hurt. And I think you'll agree with me that you're hurt right now. If you deny it, there must be something wrong with your nerves, and then we'll definitely need to take you to a hospital. I certainly hope you don't have CIPA." Theo gave the injured girl a questioning look as his wand glowed by her hands and knee. "Do you know what a CIPA patient is?" he asked, trying to make friendly conversation to distract her. "A CIPA patient is basically someone who can't feel pain. They're insensitive to it. It's spelt C-I-P-A, all capitals. It stands for 'congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis'." Theo refrained laughing at the longitude of the title. It was a good thing they had shortened it to something so easy to remember. "CIPA patients, you may think, have it quite easy. We normal people think it's great to not be able to feel any pain. But they suffer a lot, because no one knows where they're hurting if they're in pain, and it's very hard to treat them. I can't imagine how their poor parents feel, always worrying about them. Their lives are pretty restricted in case they get hurt too." Theo gave a sad smile, before chuckling at the girl's efforts to rebuke his command to go to the hospital.

"Of course there's always something wrong with you when you go to the hospital. After all, why would your parents take you there if there wasn't something wrong with you in the first place? You wouldn't waste your time going to St Mungo's for something completely unrelated to illness, would you?" Smiling in amusement at her, Theo thought the girl reminded him of Brittany. She had the same sarcasm as she did, that biting feistiness and desire to retort everything he said and prove him wrong. Only she was three times worse in comparison to Brittany. But Theo could handle it. However, she was evidently more traumatised about her rosary, which was what she called it. Who would be more concerned about materialistic things when you were injured? Theo didn't know, but he guessed the rosary was pretty important to the girl in front of him. Maybe someone had given it to her? Someone important? She kept saying she broke it, as though it were a sin.

Theo was relieved when his spell managed to successfully work, the shattered pieces knitting back together like a jigsaw puzzle. "If only I could fix your injuries in the same way, miss," Theo joked good naturedly, looking for a response. "Next time, be a bit more concerned about your own well-being before you worry about things like that, yeah? There's little that can't be fixed without magic nowadays, or have you forgotten that? Oh, I didn't factor in you could be muggleborn." Theo looked apologetic for a moment. "I'm sorry if that's the case. Being born into a pureblood wizard family, I'm really used to having magic as a constant in my life." Theo smiled wider when the girl thanked him, taking her hand and helping her stand up. She was in much better condition than before, but she still needed proper medical treatment. "No need to thank me. You might not thank me again when I take you to the hospital." Trying to be firm but apologetic too, Theo continued, "You must, I'm serious. Otherwise I'd never forgive myself. And I don't want your parents hunting me down and blaming me for not being responsible. You know, being a prefect in school really makes you act like an adult sometimes." Laughing at himself, it was then the girl introduced herself properly, and Theo studied her face carefully, past the strands of brown and the previously wretched expression on her ducked face.

"Evelyn? As in Evelyn Winter? You're in the year below me at Hogwarts, aren't you?" Theo suddenly asked, trapped between surprise and familiarity. "Yeah, I'm in Ravenclaw. You are too, right?" Theo almost laughed at the coincidence of it all. "I'm Theo Darke. I'm going into my sixth year this September. I'm Prefect along with Elaine Bentley for my year. Recognise me now?" Theo grinned at Evelyn's suspicious visage. "I know you because I'm a Prefect. We know everyone's names in our year, the year above and the year below. Don't worry, I don't stalk people. I'm glad I was of assistance to you today, Miss Winter," Theo continued with a pleased smile. "Now, will you trust me to escort you to St Mungo's? It'll be quick, I promise. That knee really needs to be looked out. You'll be out of there before you know it, and I'll be your bodyguard to ward off the traumatising... things." Joking, Theo motioned to her leg again. "Will you be able to walk on it until we can floo to a place closer to the hospital? I can carry you. It's a shame I can't apparate yet."

[evelyn]

Oh God, it hurt. The tissue dug into her knee again and black spots danced in her vision. Her breaths were too shallow to fill her lungs properly but it took too much concentration to block out the pain long enough to regulate her breathing. Unconsciously, her nails pressed into the soft flesh of her palm just hard enough to cause a quick flash of pain and Evelyn instinctively inhaled sharply, holding the breath for a few seconds before forcing herself into a normal breathing pattern. In, out, in out and all the while trying to distract herself from the constant pain emanating from her left leg. “It would be stupid to deny that I was hurt when I can clearly see my blood soaking your tissue,” she hissed, pain making her tone terse and unfriendly. It would also be stupid to try to convince Theo that she didn’t really need to go to the hospital but she had still tried, Evelyn recognized, feeling drained as she watched a drop of her blood track down her leg peacefully. Evelyn tilted her head slightly as she listened to the boy explain the brief details of CIPA, focusing on each individual word slowly to draw out the explanation and using them almost as a barrier against the pain. “Pain is necessary. It reminds us that we’re not perfect, that we make mistakes.”

“Well why not? Wouldn’t it be nice, just once, to go to the hospital and be told ‘Sorry, you must have made a mistake because you’re absolutely fine’? It’d certainly be less depressing,” Evelyn pointed out acidly. She absolutely hated hospitals, and not only because she was always ill when she had to go to one. It was something about the smell and the atmosphere there. Hospitals, to her, just reeked of people in pain with no mercy being offered to them and it always just made her shiver fearfully and cross herself before stepping through the door. Suddenly, Evelyn was even more grateful to have her rosary whole and clasped around her wrist. It was a sign that her God was close by and that she would not be forsaken. If she had to go to a hospital then she would probably need that sign to reassure her.

“My injuries are an earthly problem only,” Evelyn replied stiffly. Being around people without faith didn’t bother her – if it did then she would probably go insane during the school year – but hearing her rosary be demeaned as unimportant did annoy her. “A rosary isn’t just a bracelet.” Being so upset about a mere bracelet would be a sin of vanity, Evelyn added to herself disapprovingly. “It’s a tool of worship; a reminder that I’m not alone because God is always watching over me. It’s...” Evelyn trailed off, shaking her head wryly as she found the perfect summary for a rosary. “It’s something that only a Catholic could truly understand.” It was connected not only to God but also to the Blessed Virgin Mary and there were many prayers for a rosary alone. Overall, it was impossible to explain without delving into her faith and that was something that Evelyn was almost sure the boy wouldn’t appreciate. Very few people did. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip forcefully to prevent any sounds of pain from escaping as Evelyn pressed her hands flat against the pavement and used her right foot to lift herself to her feet, putting as little pressure on her left leg as possible. But her leg still buckled underneath her weight and caused Evelyn to grasp the boys offered hand to keep herself in an upright position. Inwardly, Evelyn wondered whether her father would really care that she was injured at all before mentally smacking herself for that thought. Of course he would; he was her father. “My parents wouldn’t blame you. It was my own fault. I was in too much of a hurry to watch where I was going.”

“Yes,” Evelyn nodded warily, her eyes shaded with suspicion once more. Sure, she had recognised him as being in Ravenclaw but he knew her name and year. That just wasn’t normal. Theo’s explanation made the wariness in her eyes fade into nothing though she still eyed him mistrustfully for a moment longer. She did distantly recognise him and him being a Prefect would explain that since Evelyn didn’t tend to just notice people and remember them for no reason. “Fine,” Evelyn acquiesced discontentedly, knowing that she did need medical attention even though she hated the idea of it. “I can walk,” Evelyn insisted immediately, her teeth again keeping a firm hold on her lip as she bent to pick up the bag containing her purchases before walking towards the Leaky Cauldron with difficulty. It was the closest place to floo from that she knew of. “You don’t have to come,” Evelyn informed Theo quietly. “I’m sure you have better things to do than lurk in a hospital and I’ll be fine by myself.”

[Theo Darke]

Theo gave the girl a pointed look. "Yes, it would be stupid, but pain makes people stupid," he answered simply, not wanting to argue with her. "Yes." Theo looked up at her again in mild surprise. He completely agreed with her, he just hadn't expected her to hold a similar view, not after hurting herself so recklessly and barely caring about her injuries through her concern over her bracelet. "Pain makes us human," Theo nodded, glancing back down at her knee. "I'm sorry, am I hurting you? Some pain," Theo gave a wistful smile, "can be avoided and is unnecessary though. I don't want to hurt you without good cause to." Gently dabbing at the girl's knee, Theo smiled a little at her next statement. "It would be nice, but it would certainly be a waste of time and a waste of worrying my brain cells to death." Theo chuckled softly. "I mean, I can understand if you've been ill for a while and they're concerned it may be something like cancer, but finally you get the all clear and everything's good - that would indeed be nice. Very nice. But if you've gone and gashed your knee," Theo looked at Evelyn pointedly again - it seemed he was doing a lot of that; not to lecture her, but to make her listen to his point without criticisng it, "it's obvious you're hurt and you have to go to the hospital to get it treated. I suspect most of your problems have been those sorts of injuries whenever you've been to the hospital?"

"The hospital isn't there to depress you," Theo continued patiently as though working with a young child. He was aware of her acidic answers, but he could sense beneath that a vulnerability, a childishness, and he didn't let her coldness get to him. "The hospital is there to save your life. Keep you safe and well and healthy. They run a good service. You should be grateful to those people who spend hours in there tending to sick patients. I don't know if I'd be able to do it, though I suppose being a healer is one of my favourite options for my future." Theo smiled, then shrugged when she claimed her problems to be 'earthly only'. "I admit, as a doctor or a healer, one is restricted to how much one can heal someone. Emotional trauma and stuff, I can't do a thing for. That's a psychological healer's job, probably. Maybe you should consider it if you're interested in that sort of thing." Theo looked at the girl curiously after her little speech on religiousness. "I take it you're Catholic?" Theo smiled without prejudice. He hadn't met many Catholics. They were a religion popular in muggle culture, not in a wuzard's. A pureblood like Theo did not believe in god or any other higher being. It was quite rare for there to be a wizard or witch that believed so orthodoxly in god.

"I don't understand Catholicism, or religion for that matter," Theo admitted honestly. "After all, I was raised a wizard without these concepts. I hope you don't mind me assuming you weren't raised as a wizard? It's just, it's rare to find Catholic-believing wizards. I know it's a popular faith throughout muggles though. I'd like to be able to learn more about it, although I doubt I'll ever bring myself to become a Catholic." He didn't know how sensitive this girl was about her religion, but he spoke without pretence or a desire to slate Catholicism. He was open and happy to debate, but not to argue or offend. "OK," he nodded when Evelyn stated she could walk. "If you're sure. If it begins to hurt too much, I can carry you." He noted that Evelyn probably had too much pride to acknowledge she needed help, but said nothing of the matter, merely keeping a keen eye on her to observe for signs of obvious pain. "No, I'll let you walk but I am definitely going to hold your bag for you. You can't put any more pressure on that knee, or you'll just make it worse and prolong your hospital visit." Gently but firmly taking the bag from her hands, he sent her a severe look, as though saying 'now, don't be stubborn'. Evelyn must certainly know when and when not to fold... He hoped, anyway.

"No, I'll come," Theo informed her cheerily, the duo beginning to walk towards the nearest place to floo to the hospital. "You're wrong. I have nothing better to do. I was just... trying to get out of the house, so I'd be glad to occupy my time. I was wondering what to do with myself before, so I'm lucky I stumbled on you." Smiling genially, Theo hosited Evelyn's bag further up his shoulder. "I don't mind hospitals anyway. They don't creep me out. Since being a healer is one of my future prospects, getting some insight isn't altogether a bad idea." He was making excuses for himself now, but they were valid excuses and ones Theo thought he planned on carrying out. "You're not getting rid of me, Evelyn. Sorry." He smiled. "And I'm sorry if I get on your nerves. Just tell me to shut up whenever you like." Theo wanted to entertain Evelyn; keep her occupied from the pain.

[evelyn]

Theo looked surprised and Evelyn lowered her eyelashes to mask the spark of amusement that had flickered in her eyes. Of course she understood that pain was necessary. There were those who questioned if there was a God because there was pain in the world and they believed that He should stop it. Evelyn, much like her mother, regarded those people with a mild feeling of disapproval. Heavenly beings had reasons that people still lingering on Earth could not yet understand and those who were impertinent enough to question the celestial decisions needed to find a bit more faith to place in God. He loved His people too much to harm them without reason, whether it was to gently punish a lack of faith or to remind everyone that not one of them was perfection personified. Her pain, Evelyn mused thoughtfully, was probably a reminder to not run from her problems in such a rash manner. Forgiveness and compassion were two of the keys into Heaven so she should probably believe that Seth and Eva were compassionate enough to forgive her for her mother’s sins. But she must still lack the proper faith, because she just couldn’t bring herself to believe that at all. She had been raised to stay away from the people next door and, somewhere along the line, that had caused her to fear their reactions to her and her mother.

Unconsciously, Evelyn’s left thumb rubbed against the crucifix dangling against her right wrist. The action caused it to press against her skin gently and some of the nervous tension seeped from her. At one time, religion had been just another task to her, just like all the courses her mother made her take so that she could outshine Seth and Eva in every way possible. She had been weary of trying to be perfect just to satisfy her mother. Then there had come a point when she had started to love God in the way of a true Catholic. Evelyn couldn’t remember the exact moment when it had happened, or even why. Maybe it had just been a part of the need to be perfect – if she was going to be a Catholic then she should be the best Catholic possible. Perhaps she had just connected with God on a subconscious level. Or maybe she had just been trained into believing in Catholicism so whole-heartedly. Any explanation was possible. There was just something wrong about hospitals, but Evelyn kept her mouth shut. Theo seemed determined to take her to the hospital whether she liked it or not and explaining her dislike of them would make no difference whatsoever when she wasn’t even sure of his motives for helping her. It could possibly become clearer as time went by, if she was aware enough.

“Yes, I’m a Catholic,” Evelyn affirmed straightforwardly. There had been those who had laughed at her for her religion but it was just as much a part of her as her hair or her arms or any other part of her body. Her past was one thing that she disliked mentioning or being mentioned in any form so Evelyn skirted the question about whether she had been raised as a muggle expertly and moved onto the next topic without a hitch. “Most wizards don’t have a religion and that stopped shocking me back in first year.” It had certainly been a culture shock, Evelyn remembered humourlessly. But she liked it more than home anyway. “I’ll be fine; I don’t need to be carried,” Evelyn maintained resolutely. She might be injured but she would never admit to being so weak that she couldn’t even walk under her own power. “The bottles of ink are probably already broken anyway,” Evelyn sighed desolately. That would mean that she had to pick up more ink, more parchment and probably different copies of the three books that her father had wanted and she would have to pay for them herself since she had only been given the correct amount of money for the purchased items.

Oh wonderful, Evelyn thought to herself sarcastically. She would have a witness to her dislike of hospitals. She wasn’t terrified of them, not exactly. She just hated them. It didn’t truly make sense, not even to her. Her reasoning was perhaps flawed, but she simply hated hospitals with a passion. Rationally, she knew that hospitals were there to help people but rationality rarely had anything to do with knee-jerk reactions. “You must be bored if the highlight of your day is accompanying someone you don’t even really know to a hospital,” Evelyn commented neutrally. If it had truly been Seth that she had run away from then she was definitely going to start avoiding him more carefully, she grumbled silently. She had let her guard down after leaving her house, stopped being alert. That had obviously been a mistake. Her mother would be furious if she knew that her daughter had been so careless just because she had felt sure that Seth and Eva were still in the house rather than roaming Diagon Alley. “You’re not annoying me,” Evelyn told Theo quietly. She wasn’t used to people talking to her, and part of her still demanded to know what his motives were, but he wasn’t annoying her. Making her suspicious and on her guard, yes, but not getting on her nerves.

[Theo Darke]

"I can't fix broken bottles of ink. Well, I can't put the ink back into the bottle anyway." Theo made an apologetic expression as he sympathised with Evelyn, then glanced at her bag to note any spillages. It seemed dry... for now. "I am quite bored," Theo admitted again with a wry smile. "I enjoy my summer, but I wish I could see my friends again. Life's more fun at Hogwarts, don't you think?" Okay, Evelyn probably didn't agree with him on that one. Theo knew he probably sounded much too optimistic for her liking. "I don't think going to the hospital's fun. People go to hospitals when they're hurt and it means I have to accompany an injured you. However, at least I'm not bored. I won't take pleasure out of it, though; just concern." Theo smiled down at Evelyn, even though she was avoiding eye contact - out of embarrassment, out of dislike, out of what, he didn't know. "Good to hear it," he concluded lightly, glad his company was accepted.

"So, are you looking forward to finishing your OWLs?" Theo turned to Evelyn after a while of walking in silence. He had to slow his pace down to keep up with her walking, which was hindered by her injuries. Every five minutes he made sure he check that she wasn't in too much pain, but she seemed to be doing a capable job of carrying herself. "Do you know what NEWTs you're going to take or what you want to do when you graduate?" Theo smiled camly. "Lots of people have a vague idea by now. I've always been open to anything, but I have friends who've known what'd they do and be at the age of five. It's amazing how some people can find their purpose or goal in life so quickly. I envy them a bit. They have some sort of target they can keep aiming for, that they carry on hoping they'll reach. With someone like me, you're always in the dark a bit... Oh, no pun intended on my name," Theo chuckled.

Eventually they arrived at the front door of St Mungo's. Theo led Evelyn inside, having been here before when Callum once broke his wrist whilst playing Quidditch in the back yard with him, their dad and Freddy, Lori's dad. He'd fallen off his broom and a crying seven-year-old Callum had been apparated to St Mungo's for a quick treatment. Theo had come along with them at the time to comfort his brother, as their parents didn't want to expose Brittany to the hospital atmosphere. Theo had only spent a few hours there, but he had realised very quickly the importance of the work of the healers around him, and he had admired them for it greatly. As he'd grown older his appreciation of healing had grown, and it was still one of his possible future careers he was considering. Unlike other children, Theo had never been afraid of the hospital. "C'mon," he murmured reassuringly to Evelyn, wanting to pat her on the arm but afraid to injure her or offend her fiery personality.

After consulting the receptionist at the general desk, Theo escorted Evelyn into one of the many elevators and pressed the button for the right floor. He carefully guided her through the crowd out of the lift, and approached the next receptionist of that floor. "Hi, my friend here fell over in the street and she's badly gashed her leg. Could you please clean and bandage it up for her?" Theo asked with a friendly, polite smile. He had always been good with people, and his job as Prefect had only helped to perfect his people skills. Nodding at Evelyn encouragingly, he motioned for the other Ravenclaw to follow the healer who came along to take care of her. "Can I come with you or do I have to wait?" Theo asked the healer, gesturing at the waiting area. Affirming that he was not next of kin and that Evelyn was not in ire danger, he Theo resigned himself to waiting for the quick treatment to end. "I'll be right here when you're done," he called to Evelyn from his seat as she disappeared down a corridor with the healer.