I Need Her

Chapter 1

26 Years Before

1971

//1st Year//

The first years of nineteen-seventy-one walked up the steps down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. The students looked around nervously at the ceiling, which was a complete replica of the night sky outside. At the end of the hall lay the teacher’s table with Headmaster Dumbledore at the centre. Four banners of the four houses hung above the teacher’s table. Professor McGonagall, teacher of Transfiguration, stood best a small stall which had an old hat perch on top of it.

Among the intimated first years, was one by the name of Evangeline Robyn Jenner. She was a half-blood, her mother was a pure-blood whilst her father was a muggle. Evangeline had only one sibling who was already at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sebastian Jenner was going into his third year and in Ravenclaw House. Sebastian and Evangeline had to raise themselves, because when Evangeline was only five and Sebastian was seven, their mother was killed in a car accident on the way to her work. A trunk had crushed her, and she died on impact. That left Andrew Jenner, their father, to look after the young children. However, the man fell into deep depression after the death of his wife, forcing Sebastian and Evangeline to raise themselves.

Evangeline stopped in the middle of the crowd of first years with her bottom lip between her teeth and rubbing her arm. Her dark brown eye locked with her brother who was sat at the Ravenclaw table with his friends looking at her. He raised his thumbs with a large grin on his face and she get him an awkward smile.

“When I call your name you will come up to the stool and I will place the sorting hat on your head.” Professor McGonagall said. Evangeline watched her pick up the old hat and hold an open scroll of parchment in her other hand. Evangeline could feel herself shaking slightly as the Professor began reading out the first name, “Abbot, Callum.” A small chubby boy made his way up to the stall and sat down and faced the crowd his cheeks flushed with red. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on Callum’s head and a mouth sort of thing appeared between the folds of the hat.

“Hufflepuff!” yelled the hat, and the house bellowed and the table to Evangeline’s left burst into applause and shouts of cheers. Once Callum Abbot took his seat on the Hufflepuff table, Professor McGonagall continued to call out students names.

“A’heart, Annabelle.”

“Slytherin!”

“A’Cruz, Deva.”

“Gryffindor!”

“Bittons, Eric!”

“Hufflepuff!”

“Brom, Firona.”

“Ravenclaw!”

“Potter, James.” Evangeline watched as the boy strutted up to the stool and sat down with a small smirk on his face as Professor McGonagall lowered the hat onto his hair. The hat had barely touched his head before it yelled,

“Gryffindor!” The table on Evangeline’s right exploded in applause and whoops. She watched as he grinned widely and took a seat at the end of the table and began talking to people immediately.

“McKinnon, Marlene!”

“Gryffindor!”

“Williams, Poppy!”

“Ravenclaw!” Once the blonde girl had sat down Ravenclaw table, Professor McGonagall called out,

“Black, Sirius!”

Evangeline recognised the last name. The Blacks where one of the purest wizard family’s in the wizarding world. They were known for being very hostile toward muggle-born or ‘mud-blood’s’ as they are sometimes referred too. Their entire family had been sorted into Slytherin house – known for producing dark wizards. She watched as a boy with thick curly black hair make his way up to the stall. He sat down with an almost bored expression and the hat was placed in his head.

“Another Black.” The hat drawled “Family history of Slytherin. But wait…no…yes…I think I know just the house for you…” Sirius squeezed his eyes shut tightly “…Gryffindor!” the boy’s eyes snapped open in shock and his jaw dropped. Some of the children around him muttered quietly, everyone knew that the Black family had always been sorted into Slytherin. Evangeline watched as Sirius walk toward Gryffindor, who was cheering loudly as the boy took a seat beside James Potter. The two immediately began to talk and they spoke to other Gryffindors. Evangeline looked back at Professor McGonagall.

“Robinson, Ella!”

“Ravenclaw!”

“Clearwater, Evan!”

“Slytherin!”

“Lorren, Raphael!”

“Gryffindor!”

“Lupin, Remus!” A rather skinny boy walk up to the stool and sat down with his hands in his lap. Evangeline could see that the boy was nervous from the way his eyes were darting around the hall quickly.

“Urm…yes…I do believe…Gryffindor!” the hat announced and Remus’s eyes widened in shock then a small smile made its way to his lips and he walked over the Gryffindor table who immediately greeted him with handshakes and smiles.

Around five minute’s later once a boy by the name of Peter Pettigrew was placed in Gryffindor and took a seat beside Remus Lupin, silence fell in the hall again as Professor McGonagall looked down at the parchment and read loud,

“Jenner, Evangeline.” Evangeline’s eyes widened before she took a deep breath and walked carefully up to the stool. She could feel all eyes on her as walked up the steps. Evangeline turned and sat down on the stool and allowed her eyes to run around the hall and they locked with her elder brothers. Sebastian sent her an encouraging smile just as she felt the hat touch her head.

“Ah…” the hat said and Evangeline felt herself grip the stall tightly “…yes…very smart, I see…no…I know exactly what house to put you into." Evangeline tugged her lower lip between her teeth as she waited for the hat to announce her house… “Gryffindor!” the hat bellowed loudly. She was stunned for a moment but then felt the hat being removed from her head. She stood and looked over at the Gryffindor table which was standing and clapping and cheering loudly. Evangeline smiled slightly and jogged down to the table and took a seat beside Remus Lupin.

“Sirius Black.” Greeted the boy across from her holding his hand out to her

“Evangeline Jenner.” Evangeline smiled and she shook his hand.

“My names James Potter.”

“Mine’s Evangeline Jenner.”

Once Evangeline had been introduced to a few more people, including Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, she sat and looked up at Professor McGonagall. Evangeline ignored the other students being sorted and looked over at her brother who was muttering between his friends. She hoped that Sebastian would be alright with her, even though she was in Gryffindor and he in Ravenclaw. The young girl then returned her gaze to Professor McGonagall she where saw a blond haired boy walk over to the Slytherin table and sit down, it seemed that everyone already knew who he was. Professor McGonagall looked down at her parchment and read aloud,

“Evans, Lily.” A girl with long bright red hair sat down on the stool and looked up as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. The sorting hat seemed to think for a moment before shouting,

“Gryffindor!” Evangeline broke out into applause as the girl bounded over to her table and sat beside James.

“Hi, I’m James.” He greeted and held his hand out to her.

“Hi, I’m Lily.” She smiled and shook his hand

“I’m Evangeline.” She said with a large smile on her face “It’s nice to meet you.” Lily took her seat beside James and opposite Evangeline. Their attention all looked at the stool to see a boy with greasy black hair sitting on the stool. From the corner of her eye, Evangeline could see Lily biting her lip and crossing her fingers.

“Slytherin!” the hall bellowed as the boy glanced at Lily before he went over to the Slytherin table. Evangeline turned to Lily to see her with a sad expression.

“Did you know him?” Evangeline asked her and Lily looked at her and nodded.

“Yes, he was my friend.” Lily answered her with a slightly depressed tone.

“I don’t see why you can’t be friends.” Evangeline shrugged.

“He’s a slytherin.” James said glancing at Severus as he took a seat beside Lucius Malfoy. Lily turned to James and frowned,

“So?” she asked him and James raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t know?” he questioned with his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her “Slytherins and Gryffindor’s are never friends.” Evangeline scoffed slightly and James narrowed his eyes at her “Something to say?”

“I don’t see why Gryffindor and Slytherin hate each other so much.” Evangeline asked quietly and James rolled his eyes

“Because Slytherin’s are slimy liars and Gryffindor’s are brave and noble.” James answered her in an obvious tone. Evangeline nodded at his words then looked at Lily who looked down with a sad expression. She smiled at her warmingly,

“I’ll be your friend.” Evangeline told her and Lily looked up with a bright smile on her freckle covered face.

“Thanks.” Lily grinned and then they turned their attention to the teacher’s table as Professor McGonagall as she tapped her glass with her wand and she saw Professor Dumbledore standing up from his large chair and opened his arms wide.

“Let the feast…begin!” he clapped loudly.

Food appeared out of thin area down the centre of the house tables. Large cooked chickens, mountains of vegetables, large pies, pounds of potatoes’ and more delicious mouth-watering food. Evangeline had never seen so much food in her life. Sebastian had told her about the feasts that Hogwarts before but Evangeline had never imagined anything like this.

Evangeline piled food onto her plate and dug into it immediately as she buried her fork into some cooked chicken and almost let out a moan at the taste of the delicious food. The conversations around the table included ones of what the lessons were going to be like and what they were going to learn about and others were who was going to be on the Quidditch team next year. Sebastian was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a chaser.

The small group of first years spoke about what the upcoming lessons the Professors were going to teach them. Evangeline had found out that James was rather full of himself, but as shocking as it was, he was actually a decent person. He was a pureblood but had no care about others blood-status. Sirius Black was, as she had thought, the eldest son on the Black family. However, he didn’t like to speak about his family all he told he others was how his parents were not going to be happy with the idea of him being in Gryffindor. Remus was quiet shy, it was clear to see. Whenever a question was asked to him he always flushed and answered quietly – stuttering sometimes. Peter was… she couldn’t think of a word. Anything anyone said he would completely agree until someone else disagreed and he would side with them. He was defiantly a weird one.

Evangeline and Lily had really hit it off well. Both of them loved to read, Remus too actually. The two girls spoke mostly to each other about everything and nothing, but once dinner was finished, both seemed to know everything about the other – it was like they were best friends already.

All the students looked up at the teachers table where Professor Dumbledore was standing with a smile on his wizened face. Evangeline watched as the head master looked around at the students.

“Now we are all fed and watered, I have a few start of the year notices.” Dumbledore said “The Forbidden forest is prohibited to all years. Mr. Filch has requested me to remind you all that magic is forbidden in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trails,“ some students whooped loudly and Dumbledore grinned at them “will be held in the second week so anyone wishing to play for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.” Evangeline glanced at James who grinned widely and straightened his back – he’d explained that he played Quidditch when he was at home so was extremely excited to join the team. Dumbledore’s eyes swept around the students “I might remind you that only second years and above can play Quidditch.” James groaned loudly and Evangeline bit her lip slightly to stop a laugh escaping her lips. Dumbledore grinned “Now, off to bed all of you. Good luck with the new year at Hogwarts!”