It mightâve driven some other couples apart, but competition was the basis of their relationship. Theyâd broken the ice rock climbing, bonded over a game of truth or dare, and were now about to face off in a carnival game. With most people Evan preferred to win but was a gracious loser if the outcome was unfortunate. However, with Harper, it didnât really matter. Either he won, which was a positive, or he got to watch her win, which was also a positive.
It was going to be their bed soon enough, but with his parents especially, moving in together would have to wait until after the wedding. âThe hippogriff it is. Youâre welcome to try to beat me, but I think we both know who has the better arm in this relationship,â he teased, playfully leaning into her as they made their way to the booth.
There were several lanes for set up across the stall inviting the competitive play Harper and Evan thrived in. Evan handed the vendor the entry fee and once the steam whistle blew, they were off. After the first ball was launched, it wasnât as speedy as their start wouldâve suggested. The participants were given a certain number of tries rather than an unlimited number in a limited time frame, so after his first, all out throw, he took his time and focused on precision and accuracy rather than speed.
Harper was just as quick to start as he was, but after a few throws he noticed her fade from his peripheral. There were so many possibilities as to why she mightâve walked away from their competition, so Evan didnât even try to guess. Instead, he just focused on the task in front of him and winning his future wife the cute stuffed hippogriff.
She threw two balls, one hard enough to knock down a pair of bottles, the next only knocking down one â Evan was going to beat her here. It was hardly a fair fight, and if her objective had been winning that might have caused her to hyper focus, to give him a run for his money. Actually, if her objective had been to beat him she wouldnât have suggested this game at all. She would have steered them in the direction of that unsteady looking ladder or something that required a bit more precision than this. Her only goal here had been distraction, and perhaps a new plushie.
After her third toss she glanced over her shoulder, her face hardening as she saw Liza walking in their direction, looking somewhere between focused and determined.
She didnât even think about it. She dropped the ball she had been about to toss at her remaining bottles and walked off quickly, without saying anything to Evan. With any luck she could steer his sister in a different direction and be back at his side before he fully noticed what was happening. She crossed the crowded walkway in just a few steps, grabbed Lizaâs arm, and pulled her out of sight, between two tents. Â
Harperâs job was primarily persuasion and flattery with a healthy dose of paperwork, but that didnât mean she wasnât perfectly capable of defending herself if the situation called for it; but she highly doubted Liza did anything particularly threatening â she looked more like a scared puppy than anything else. It wasnât anyoneâs physical well-being she was particular worried about â all parties involved were perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Somehow, in the past few months, she found herself caring about the emotional well-being of the Rosiers though. And the irony of how invested she was becoming in a family she hadnât even wanted to be a part of just six months ago wasnât lost on her, even if it was something sheâd like to move past.
Once they were safely out of sight she dropped Lizaâs arm, taking a deliberate step back, but making sure she was between her and the exit to this little hideout. Arguably, caging in someone frightened wasnât typically a wise decision, but maybe a light duel would be a nice way to break up the monotony. They were supposed to be in a war, but life had been remarkably peaceful lately. Almost like it was normal. She didnât particularly want to fight Liza, but it might not be a bad idea to remind the other side who they were dealing with. Either way, she wouldnât strike first. She just wanted to talk.
âWhat are you doing, Liza?â Her voice wasnât unfriendly, but clearly exasperated.  âI get it. Trust me, I get it. Iâm all for being your own person â I actively ran from all of this for years. But you made your choice â why do you keep throwing it in the faces of the people that care about you? You shouldnât be here, and if you have to be you certainly should be keeping your distance.â She paused.  âUnless thatâs your goal? To hurt people. If so, itâs more than a little sick. And trust me when I tell you youâve done a fine job of that without being here tonight.â
Liza was biting her lip, wondering what would happen. She had no plans on approaching her brother. Whilst in another world she would have, she actually had no intention of speaking to him right now. There chat at Hogsmeade a few weeks ago had just showed what their relationship was going to be. And she had no intentions of having that repeated at all. It had hurt her heart already, and she wasnât about to let herself get upset again. Not when sheâd been having a great time tonight.
But, as she watched the pair walk off to play a game, Liza knew she needed an ally. She needed someone who could support her right now. She looked around, trying to find someone. She could have easily gone into find Fabian, but she didnât want to explain to him why she looked upset. Luckily, as she looked around, just beyond where her brother and Harper were, was someone Fabian had introduced her to earlier on in the day. That would do. Someone who could distract her, and hopefully keep her safe if needed.
So she began walking to them. Liza wasnât actually paying attention to what Evan and Harper were doing now. She didnât really care, and just wanted to get to this other person. Of course, it didnât occur ot Liza that it probably looked like she was going to go up to her brother. She frowned, as suddenly Harper was in front of her, and pulling her away. âHarper.... what the.... get off of meâ She murmured, trying to pull her arm away. What the hell was Harper doing!
Liza frowned, noting that Harper had placed herself in the way of the exit back to the main area. Maybe it was Harper she needed to be wary off all the time? Her wand was out, but her arm was relaxed down at her side. She didnât want to hurt Harper, but she wouldnât hesitate to defend herself if she needed too. Liza wasnât about to sit back and let people hurt her. âWhy shouldnât I be here? I donât recall it being the Evan and Harper show? Itâs for a charity. I can be here if I want to be here, just like everyone else in the wizarding communityâ And she wanted to be here. She had every right to be here.
Liza laughed, rolling her eyes. âI wasnât even coming over to you guys. Like Iâd put myself through that again.â She murmured, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the other woman. Maybe she had been scared before, and maybe she knew Harper really wasnât one to fight with. But nor was Liza, and yes, sheâd left the Death Eaters. But she still wasnât someone that went down easily.
âI was actually heading over to a friend before you rudely grabbed onto me.â Which was highly uncalled for. She wasnât even going to talk to Evan. She didnât want too. It was clear he didnât want to talk to her, and she wasnât going to be making the first move anymore. She was tired of trying to make other people happy by compromising her own happiness. She missed him more than anything else, and losing him had hurt the most. But she didnât regret what she had done.
âThe last thing I want to do is hurt people, especially him. Which is the whole reason why I wasnât coming over to Evan. I love him still, of course I do. Heâs my big brother. He might not feel the same about me anymore, but I wouldnât do anything to cause him pain..... or more pain anyway.â Since you know. She kind of had caused him a lot of pain in her decisions. âOur relationship isnât the same anymore, I get that. Itâs why Iâm staying away, and letting him be happy.â And it killed her to not be part of his happiness anymore. But that was life.
âIf youâd waited long enough.... you would have seen that without having to man handle me.â
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