CARINA BLACK YEAR TWO

Chapter One: Carina Meets The New Professor

"Jamie, hurry up!" Carina called impatiently, using the nickname that she knew her godfather hated to show how impatient she was feeling. She looked at the watch Keith had given her for her birthday and tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. What on earth was he doing up there?

"I'm coming, Carrie," he called back at her.

Carina wrinkled her nose. That nickname had come along from Ella and 'Rea, both of whom didn't understand why she found it abhorrent. James had decided that it would be a good way to annoy her, apparently, and it worked far too well in her opinion. "Come on!" she called in frustration. "I'm dying of boredom down here waiting for you! You would think that you were the girl around here with all the primping you do!"

James' footsteps were heard on the stairs as he responded, "That was just low, 'Rina."

Carina shrugged. "Oh well. Can we go now?"

James chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, Carina, we can go now."

Shopping was, in Carina's opinion, positively boring until they reached the bookstore. After all, what was the fun in picking up a bunch of dead plant and animal parts? It was disgusting, and even if it wasn't, she'd hate potions purely because the teacher was such an arse to her.

A glance at the book list was all Carina needed to know that this year was going to suck. She had bought one of Gilderoy Lockhart's books, just to see what the fuss was about, and she hadn't made it three chapters before the putting the book down in fear of Lockhart's stupidity being contagious. Now they wanted her to buy and use the WHOLE SET! Insanity…

She handed the list to James and, with a pout that melted James in a second, asked him to pick up those books while she looked around.

By the time she met up with James again, she had seven books in her hands, and a crowd was forming in and around the bookstore. Carina caught sight of something she had previously missed – a poster advertising a book signing with Gilderoy Lockhart.

Against her will, a whimper escaped her throat. "James, c'mon, we've got to go, now!"

"What's wrong, Carina?" he asked worriedly.

Carina pointed at the poster and James laughed uproariously. "This isn't funny," she hissed. "I think his stupidity might be contagious!"

This did nothing to stop James' laughing fit.

"What a ponce," Carina mumbled as Lockhart entered. The guy would be better off as a model than anything else, because he was stupid, arrogant, annoying… Carina figured she could go on, but she didn't get the chance as Lockhart caught sight of her.

Upon his announcement that he was the new DADA teacher at Hogwarts, Carina finally found the strength to pull herself out of his grasp. Incredulously, not caring that everyone could hear her, she shouted, "Has Dumbledore gone insane?! Hiring a ponce like you! Merlin, talk about scraping the bottom of the pool!"

Lockhart looked nervous, the crowd was caught between amusement and horror, and James managed to pull her away and the two of them Floo'd home. "What was that?" he asked, torn between amusement and anger.

Carina scowled darkly. "Dumbledore has gone insane. Completely insane. I refuse. I won't go. I'll skip every DADA class there is. I'm not going to be around that ponce anymore than is absolutely necessary! That… that… man is an insult to all magical beings! He takes stupid to a level I didn't know was possible! How can Dumbledore do this?!"

James was pulled firmly out of anger and into amusement and collapsed in a fit of hilarity.

Carina crossed her arms. "James, this is insane! The moron can't write a book, let alone teach a school full of students about DADA! We've already had one crap teacher, another is going to set us completely behind!"

James calmed himself down. "Carina, I'm sure it won't be that bad. 'Sides, even if it is, you'll manage. You're Sirius Black and Lily Evans' daughter. That right there is proof that you'll manage, whether you lose your temper and hex him, or prank him until he runs away with his tail between his legs."

"In that case," Carina said with an evil grin. "You can't be upset if I do either or both of those things."

He mock shuddered, "Oh Merlin, what have I gotten myself into?"

A hex hit him from behind and he jumped as he felt a tingle on his skin. Carina took one look at him and burst into laughter. "Gods, Uncle Remus, that's just mean!" she gasped out between fits of laughter.

Remus shrugged. "He was asking for it."

"What did he do?" James asked, scared.

"He turned your skin neon green, your hair neon orange, and in blue across your forehead is the word hypocrite." Carina informed him, chuckling.

"I was kidding around!" James protested to Remus. "And all parents/godparents are hypocrites, they're supposed to be."

Carina reluctantly added, "James has a point there."

Remus pouted. "I was just using it as an excuse to prank him, I don't really think he's a hypocrite. It was fun, though."

Carina giggled at the looks on her godfather and uncles faces.

"This means war," James growled at Remus, who grinned in agreement.

Carina decided that Potter Manor was about to become a very, very dangerous place to live. A prank war between the last two living and faithful Marauders, likely with help from Keith Lestrange. She was relatively sure it wouldn't be pretty.