Meeting Edward Byrne again after all those years had been ... well, Evelina was not sure. There were conflicting emotions -- anger, hatred, a need for revenge, but also sense of bitterness, betrayal, and hurt she thought she'd long since overcome. It seemed that despite her best efforts, he still affected her. Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she realised she'd been foolish to presume otherwise; he'd taken so much from her. How could she have ever thought she'd be okay?
But all that was pushed aside and a mask of professionalism took hold, perfected over the years. She'd been so young, so foolish, so naive to think people could be trusted. A Hufflepuff no more, Evelina could only think of one thing: revenge. She would do to him what he'd done to her; she'd destroy his entire life and leave him with nothing to hold onto but darkness. She would make him pay.
And so, for days after their first meeting, Evelina kept a detailed record of him. She noted his favourite food, his hangout locations, the shops he frequented... all of it was carefully noted down. The entire time, Evelina made sure to stay out of sight, using various tricks and tools she'd learnt over the years. Once or twice, she used the potion she so hated so she could access the places a wheelchair couldn't, and dealt with the pain after with as much dignity as one could. The price was a small one to pay for the satisfaction of seeing Edward destroyed. A week went by, slowly but surely, and she collected the information, stowing it away both mentally and in a enchanted notebook so only she could see the content.
And then, after she was certain she could read him in a heartbeat, Evelina donned a dark green dress and left her small rented place, heading to Diagonal Alley. It was to be her first test; if she got this right, she knew she had him down. If she didn't, she'd need to study him more before beginning the long game. But as she stepped into Slug and Jigger's and caught sight of the man she was after, she hid a smirk. Instead, she let a light smile grace her lips and rolled herself over to him.
"Edward! What a lovely surprise; I didn't think I'd see you here," she said, delivery flawless. Nobody would know she was lying. "What brings you here?" She paused, then let out a light laugh. "What a stupid question; there I go, speaking before thinking again. You're here for potion ingredients, aren't you? I mean, being a potioneer and all..." She paused here, looking to him for an answer. Part of her still wanted to hurt him right there and then, but the more calculative part knew what she had planned was more painful than any spell could manage. And so, smile on face, she waited.
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