[Python] Why does my Python list comprehension with conditional logic return unexpected...

I'm trying to create a list of squares of even numbers from an existing list, but my list comprehension is returning some odd squares as well. Here's a minimal example:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
result = [n**2 for n in numbers if n % 2 == 0 else n for n in numbers]
print(result)


I expected the result to be [4, 16, 36] (i.e., squares of 2, 4, and 6), but instead I'm seeing:

[1, 4, 3, 16, 5, 36]


What I've tried so far:

• Checked my indentation and placement of if/else clauses in the comprehension.
• Tried splitting into a regular for loop:
  result = []
  for n in numbers:
  if n % 2 == 0:
  result.append(n**2)
  print(result)
  
  This works correctly (yields [4, 16, 36]), so I know the logic itself is fine.
• Googled "Python list comprehension if else order" and reviewed documentation, but I still can't get the syntax right.

Why is my comprehension returning [1, 4, 3, 16, 5, 36] instead of just even squares? How do I write a correct list comprehension to achieve [n**2 for n in numbers if n % 2 == 0]?

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