So I wrote this over the span of three days. It wouldn't stop bothering me until I did. It was originally based on this prompt: Person A runs into a boggart, and the boggart changes into Person B and C's dead body. Person A is justifiably terrified, but there's just one problem - Person A doesn't recognize Person B and C and has never seen them before. Person A then must figure out who these people are, that A's biggest fear is these strangers being dead.
As usual it got really out of hand and turned into this thing. So please enjoy!
Cheers!
Laura Hollis rubbed her eyes tiredly, she had not gotten a lot of sleep last night. Actually none at all. The Hufflepuff had been unable to sleep at all since her Defence Against the Dark Arts class yesterday. Professor Sheridan had brought his entire fourth year class to a deserted room on the third floor. The deserted room contained a single chest. A single, jumping, rattling, terrifying chest. A boggart.
Now what made the man to decide to pit his fourth years against the creature, Laura will never understand. Although rumours had it that boggarts used to be a part of the third year curriculum, so Laura was thankful for that. But still! This was terrifying. Fortunately, the professor was kind enough to allow them the privacy of the room when they faced their worst fear.
Laura was last. She had kept moving to the back of the crowd until everyone else had left. The spell for dispelling the boggart was simple and Laura had studied the page on the spell throughly. The entire history of the boggarts and spell, the pronunciation of the spell and the hand motion, all read at least twice. Nothing prepared her for the image that would be seared into her mind forever.
Two coffins. Two stone coffins. Two dead bodies. At first Laura thought it was her parents, that her parents-both of them, were dead. But the coffins were open, and definitely not empty. The one on her left had a girl with long red hair, bronzed skin and an athletic build. She fit snugly into the coffin, feet nearly touching one end and hair brushing the other. She was beautiful, in a wild feral sort of way. The other coffin had a shorter girl, equally long hair but where the first girl's hair was bright like a flame, this one's hair was as dark as the night sky. She was petite, pale and all sharp angles. Just as beautiful, dangerously gorgeous. Both were dressed in the familiar dark robes of the wizarding world. Frustratingly, there was nothing emblazoned on the front, no logo, no crest or other defining colours.
She managed to raise her wand in time to dispel the image, two giant cookies appeared. Confused, she stared at her professor who was looking at her with a peculiar look on his face.
A boggart shows your greatest fear.
"Laura? Lauraaa," someone snapped their fingers in front of her face, snapping her out of reverie.
"Are you okay, dear? You look like you're going to fall asleep in your pumpkin juice," Perry was staring at the younger Hufflepuff from across the the table. Beside her, LaFontaine was wolfing down a pancake smothered in syrup.
"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all," Laura poked at her scrambled eggs gloomily. How could she, when she was plagued by thoughts of her boggart. Who were those two girls? And why was her greatest fear that they would be dead? She had never seen them before.
"That boggart still troubling you?" LaFontaine mumbled through a mouthful of bacon. Perry whacked them lightly on the arm for talking with her mouth full in response.
"A little," Laura lied, finally giving up on breakfast all together and taking a long sip of her pumpkin juice. Perry and LaFontaine had been Laura's best friends since her first year. They were a year above her and had taken her under their wing since she got sorted into Hufflepuff. Which was great, because Laura's dad was quite oblivious about the whole wizarding world. Her mom was the witch in the family, and she hadn't been around for a long time.
"Maybe it was a fluke," Perry suggested, carefully cutting her own pancakes into perfect squares- a stark contrast to LaFontaine's method of folding the pancake in half and shoving the entire thing in their mouth.
"Yeah! I heard the boggart is still in that room, Sheridan is taking his last class through this afternoon! Why don't you go back and make sure?" LaFontaine stole a square piece that Perry had just cut while the other ginger was reaching for the margarine.
"Wow, LaF you are a genius!" Laura grinned and scrambled out of the hall before Perry could even say anything.
"Did you hear that, Perr? A genius."
"Thanks professor," Danny nodded and hastily ducked out of the classroom, newly filled flask in hand. A group of students were coming down the hallway and Danny ducked into an alcove, pressing herself against the wall until she was sure they were gone. Silently, she slipped through the corridors towards the Room of Requirement. She wasn't going to make it there in time.
The moon was rising. The wolf was rising. The Room of Requirement was too far. Too far, the wolf wasn't going to wait.
She picked the first door that she came across and threw herself into the room behind it. The door slammed shut with a heavy bang. Fortunately the room was empty and that was all that mattered. Grimacing, Danny unscrewed the cap and took a long swig. The potion slid down her throat, easing the burning sensation in running wild in her body. The wolf was satiated. For now.
The immediate threat neutralized, Danny let herself take in her surroundings. She had never been in this room. Or this side of the school actually. There was a large object draped in a large white sheet in the center of the room. Curious, she walked over to the object and gently tugged on the sheet. It was a giant mirror. A giant dusty mirror.
Danny coughed and fanned the plume of dust from her face. "Mirror of Erised," she read out loud. "Is this- woah." The ginger took a step back as the image in the mirror changed. It was still her, in the same Gryffindor robes but the reflection looked happier. Definitely happier, content even. There were figures forming behind her. The werewolf squinted at the images. She had heard that there existed mirror, hidden away in Hogwarts, that showed you what you really wanted.
A family maybe? Little orphan Danny, werewolf pup dumped at an orphanage. People thought she didn't know what happened to her. Oh she knew. Her parents died in a werewolf attack. She was the only survivor. Left her a werewolf too. Her first transformation? The orphanage aid was lucky she was only four. No bites because her fangs weren't long enough. Just mauled him half to death. She remembered that very clearly. Damage done to him was very extensive, man took his own life a few months after. Danny felt responsible, like she had killed him with her own claws.
But that was in the past, Hogwarts was her home now. Potions kept the wolf in check. Professors were nice and understanding, classes were interesting, she got her own dorm room to herself, nobody asked questions. Much better than the orphanage. If she kept her head down and kept quiet, nobody paid attention to her- an incredible feat given her height and bright hair. It was a lonely life. There had been a group of first years who had followed her around for a while after she scared off Will, who was picking on them, but after a very stern talking to, they let her be. She couldn't help but protect the younger students, it was a part of her nature. But what choice did Danny have but to hide. Her own worst enemy was herself. Hogwarts was her home and she had a duty to protect it, even from herself.
The figures behind Danny had solidified. Two girls. One on each side. Both significantly shorter than her. The one on her left had light brown hair, this giant grin plastered on her face, rosy cheeks and a glimmer in her eye. Just an all around air of excitement to her. The one on the right was slightly taller, a smirk instead of a smile, long curly black hair and just this mischievous, knowing look. Both had a hand on her shoulders, reassuring her, encouraging her, guiding her.
Danny reached out to touch the hands, physical contact. When was the last time you held a conversation that lasted more than a thirty seconds with someone? Held hands with someone? Hugged someone? She can't remember.
Who were they? Why are they in the mirror? What are they to her?
Carmilla stared at the wisps of silver in front of her, perplexed. She had been hiding out at the top of the astronomy tower, skipping her Transfiguration class was risky, especially if McGonagall caught you. The new headmistress of the school had refused to relinquish her Transfiguration classes despite her new position. She hadn't meant to skip but, her brother, Will, was super pissed that she had turned him into a rat while he was intimidating a bunch of second years. She hated bullies. Even Will. Especially Will. Especially when bullies picked on others who weren't capable of fighting back. So here she was. There was an alcove underneath the stairs was partially blocked by a very old stone statue with no identifying markers whatsoever. She was small enough to push herself through the small gap into the surprisingly spacious nook. However, said nook that she had wedged herself had been drafty and boring.
She should've brought a book with her that wasn't her Transfiguration textbook. Why she had to attend that class was beyond her. A bunch of squabbling lack wits trying to transform their quill into a canary. Carmilla had been doing that since she could properly wrap her hands around the handle of a wand. Her first major transfiguration was transfiguring her Will's head into a that of a bluejay's. If he was going to talk her ear off, she might as well make him sound pleasant.
Last year, she had even gotten her Animagus form down. She was unregistered still. But still. Her giant black panther form came in handy sometimes. Not often, but sometimes it made sleeping and getting comfortable a lot easier.
Bored out of her mind, Carmilla began playing with her wand. Harmless spells, nothing flashy enough to catch attention. A few levitating charms to bounce a pebble around, that escalated to manipulating sparks to make all sorts of patterns- sort of like fireworks. Unfortunately, her sparks blew out the torches in the stairwell, and the darkness was quickly becoming unbearable.
The darkness reminded her too much of her childhood. Her mother used to sentence them to the 'dungeon' when they misbehaved. Unfortunately that was fairly often. The 'dungeon' in Karnstein Manor was a small closet next to the pantry. It was dank, cold, and furnished only with a ratty rug. Spending the night in it once was enough for Will to learn his lesson- all lessons, for the rest of his life. What a mama's boy. Of course, her mother would later use it to prevent her from returning to Hogwarts. Happened during her third year actually, snapped her wand and tossed her into the dungeon like trash. House elves took pity on her, only reason why Carmilla survived the ordeal. Locked away because Mrs. Karnstein had learned that her daughter was involved with a Muggleborn.
Ell was a Ravenclaw. They were in the same year, had most of the same classes. She was different. There was a childlike curiosity about her. Ell was naive, innocent, pure. Everything that Carmilla wanted and wasn't. She knew nothing about Carmilla, or as she was known back then, Mircalla, and more importantly, Ell knew nothing about the Karnsteins. She had no need to, the wizarding world was at peace, Karnstein was just another name. A defeated name.
The Karnsteins were a strictly pure blooded family. A strictly Slytherin, pure blood family. A family who thought that the wizarding world ought to stay pure, untainted by these Muggles. A family that practised Dark Arts. A family that she wanted nothing to do with.
'Mircalla' was kept in the 'dungeon' for nearly four months. One hundred and twenty-seven days to be exact. Those one hundred and twenty-seven days changed her entire world. Ell was killed. Tortured. Sent to the brink of death and brought back, only to be sent back again. A Karnstein specialty. McGonagall showed up on her doorstep on day one hundred and twenty-seven. Her Transfiguration prodigy was missing from her class and Ell's body was found, drained of life. The new Headmistress of Hogwarts could put two and two together. Everybody knew that Mrs. Karnstein was behind it. But the evidence was flimsy and the Karnstein family still had sway and power.
McGonagall had taken a very large risk, showing up to Karnstein Manor like she did. But she had lived through the reign of the Dark Lord herself, the Karnsteins were just another drop in the bucket. Mrs. Karnstein was dealt with swiftly, fled the scene actually before McGonagall could properly deal with her. 'Mircalla' was rescued, Carmilla spent the year recuperating. Got a new wand, new life, new place above the Leaky Cauldron, direct Floo Powder connection to McGonagall, life was turning around. Carmilla was a whole other person than Mircalla, a better person.
She even went to Ell's funeral.
Carmilla had learned her lesson, a very different lesson.
The darkness, no matter where she was was always the same. Exactly as she remembered torches refused to relight, they had some sort of charm on it that prevented them from being relit by just anyone, you had to be a member of the staff. Why didn't they put a charm on them that prevented them from being put out? Stupid.
Shuddering, the Slytherin lit the tip of her wand, throwing jagged creatures on the walls. She could hear it in her head. The rattle of a chain tying the closet door shut, the soft chuckle as her mother turned away, her screams, her sobs, the silent darkness seeping into every inch of the small space, drowning her, suffocating her. The little light was going out.
"Expecto Patronum!" A blast of blinding silver light burst into the air. Most people had a Patronus that resembled some kind of a creature, a deer, a dog, a snake. But Carmilla's had always been a shapeless orb of molten silver. She didn't mind it, mysterious and undefined, like her. Initially, it hadn't even been a nice little orb, just light. But this time, it was defined.
A wolf. A large wolf, loping around the space with ease. A majestic beast, shining a warm silver light on Carmilla. The creature darted around the room, clearly enjoying itself. But there was something else. Someone else. Another shape. Someone on top of the wolf. A girl. A girl riding the wolf. This made no sense. Fascinated, Carmilla reached out to touch the creature, her creature. The wolf leaned down to nuzzle her hand and then the Patronus faded, the creature slipping through her fingers like sand.
"No, no, no." she fumbled for her wand, murmuring the incantation again and watching her newly formed Patronus prance about freely again. The wolf slid to a stop in front of her, tossing its-no her head. The girl on top of the wolf smiled down at her, glowing. Literally. It was like the sun. She was dressed in flowing silver robes, atop the wolf without a care in the world.
Carmilla stared unabashedly at the girl's ass as the wolf turned around an took another lap around the room.
Laura crept into the empty classroom, there really ought to be a stronger locking charm on this door. The box had been still in the room, but the instant that Laura set foot in the room, the box leapt up again, rattling furiously. "Alright, alright!" the fourth-year flicked her wand and the box snapped open. Immediately, the boggart transformed. There were no coffins this time. Just two bodies floating in midair, hair drifting aimlessly behind him. Laura shuddered, the bodies remained unchanged except their eyes were open this time. Ice blue and chocolate brown, staring at her emptily. It was unnerving.
It was like her mother all over again. She remembered it vividly. Her mother, those bright intelligent eyes, always gazing at her so lovingly. All Laura could see now were those same hazel eyes, glassy and distant. All the life, the joy, the energy and enthusiasm that her mother overflowed with, gone.
The girls were paler than before, a scream etched on their face, forever silenced. Their last moments. Dead. Whoever they were, they were dead. And that was Laura's worst nightmare.
"Riddikulus!" The bodies turned into two giant cupcakes, frosting spilling messily over the tops.
Maybe LaFontaine could help her. Seeing how this was their idea to start with.
Danny slipped down the corridor, ducking behind various cabinets and side hallways as she made her way towards the room again. This would be her seventh time in the last three days. As often as she could, she'd be in the room, staring at the mirror. Nobody would notice where she went anyways.
It was addicting. The sense of comfort that the mirror brought. But it was also lonely. Lonelier than before. Physical contact that was there but not there. Human presence that was present but not at the same time. A mystifying feeling. It made her feel empty when she wasn't in front of the mirror. The wolf got anxious more and more frequently. Maybe too frequently. The potion was going a little too quickly. Okay, the potion was gone already. No big deal, she'd get another flask from the potions professor. She also had a small vial of emergency potion in her dorm as well. It would be fine.
The figures in the mirror remained unchanged. Still smiling at her, still there. Hands were no longer on her shoulders though. Their hands were quite clearly in her own hands, fingers intertwined. Danny could just look at them all day. Footsteps scurried down the hall, pausing in front of the door. Shit, she didn't close the door all the way in her rush to get into the room. Quickly, she threw the cloth back over the mirror, tucking herself underneath as well.
The door creaked open, and then more footsteps, not too far into the room though. There was some muttering and the footsteps retreated, the door swinging closed behind them. That was close. Too close. She'd better go.
The instant she set foot outside of the room, she just felt empty. Drained. Like all the strength had been left inside that room. The wolf. Shit. It was tired of being repressed, it hadn't been out in a very long time, not since the school started. The moon was felt around for the flask and lifted it to her lips. Empty. Extra shit.
The Gryffindor rushed to the window, night had fallen. How long had she been staring into the mirror? It didn't matter. There would be nobody around to see her endeavour into the Forbidden Forest.
Carmilla stood on the roof of the West Tower, the night wind blowing in her hair. She could hear owls faintly in the background, settling into the Owlery for the night. The stars were particularly bright tonight, the moon was a large silver coin in the sky; it was beautiful. There was a small window in the 'dungeon', heavily barred and very high up. She could see the stars through the tiny hole. They were the only thing that kept her grounded. Oh how she missed them.
Her Patronus drifted around her in lazy circles, the wolf pawing at the air quite enthusiastically. She could almost hear the wolf howl and the girl's laughter as they blazed silver trails against the dark backdrop, connecting the stars. Too bad, she couldn't quite connect why her Patronus was what it was. But it was beautiful though. She let her thoughts wander, her eyes tracing the constellations, the ones in the sky and the ones laid out before her, intricate webs of silver.
The sound of heavy paws thudding on the ground broke her out of her reverie. Curious, she leaned over the wall. At first there was nothing. Just the Forbidden Forest in the distance, beckoning towards her with twisted fingers. But there! A sudden movement down by the lake. A huge red creature. It was running on its hind legs as it sprinted down the hill, its upper body tilting forwards until it landed on all fours, an oversized russet wolf.
A werewolf.
There was a werewolf at the school. Her Patronus pranced into her line of sight, partially blocking her view and forcing the Slytherin to rush to another side of the tower for a better view. Then it hit her.
She gaped at the wolf and then her wolf. She might be crazy, but they looked pretty similar. Right down to the long loping strides. Good thing she picked werewolves to study for her Care of Magical Creatures project last year. She was the only one. Whoever the wolf was, they'd probably need their clothes, Carmilla noted the trail of black garments dotting the hillside. With a sigh, she began to make her way down the tower.
"Okay, describe her to us again."
Laura had found the inseparable ginger duo in the library where Perry was trying to finish a Potions essay and LaFontaine was just thumbing through a Herbology. Perry was displeased about the interruption at first, while LaF was more than happy for a new distraction (also really pleased that her idea had worked out). But then curiosity got the best of Perry and she joined the discussion as well.
"Okay, one is really tall like six feet tall, ginger, blue eyes, freckles, long straight hair, athletic looking?" Laura paused as LaF scribbled all of this down on a scrap piece of parchment. "The other one is shorter, like a little taller than me? Brown eyes, black wavy hair, has a jawline that could cut diamonds, she's pretty small."
"And you've never seen them before, or know what house they're in?" Perry asked skeptically, this whole thing still seemed very suspicious to her.
"Yep," Laura chirped, seemingly okay with all the weirdness.
"You know, Perr. The ginger one sounds like that one girl. Remember in our first year when Kirsch was hitting on that Ravenclaw girl? And there was that Gryffindor who stepped in and put him in the hospital wing? The one I thought was half giant?" LaF tapped the parchment thoughtfully with the other end of their quill.
Perry's eyes widened, "I do remember! I had Charms with her last year! Danny! Also she got into a scuffle with Will when he tried to steal Kirsch's DADA essay, which I thought was very heroic of her. She's very quiet so you don't really notice her. And I'm sure she's not a half giant. She just...works out! She's like a silent guardian for all the younger students." She swatted at LaF's arm scoldingly.
"So you guys do know her!" Laura grabbed their hands enthusiastically. Now she had a name to this...dead girl.
"Well... we know of her," Perry admitted sheepishly, "she's a very private person. You don't see her around much and she doesn't talk much. Looks out for all the first years though. They adore her, and are a little bit scared of her."
"She's a Gryffindor. That much we know. But that girl gives me a weird vibe," LaF shuddered at the memory of the girl tossing Kirsch across the hall like he weighed nothing.
"But that's a start!" Laura clapped her hands, pleased that this wasn't turning out to be a complete bust. Fortunately for them, the librarian was well out of earshot, otherwise Laura would've gotten quite the earful.
"Actually. This other girl might be Carmilla," Perry pursed her lips, tapping on LaF's forearm with an index finger absentmindedly.
"Carmilla?!" LaF stared at the other ginger, "like the Carmilla?"
"Yeah, don't you remember when Professor McGonagall paraded her around in our Transfiguration class? I heard she's like her protege or something," Perry nodded. McGonagall was an experienced witch, not very easily impressed. So to get such high praise from her, you were something special.
"I thought it was strange for the Head of Gryffindor to be singing the praises of a Slytherin," LaF grumbled, clearly disgruntled at the Slytherin's special treatment.
"Wait, how come I don't know about this?" Laura exclaimed. Hogwarts wasn't that big, why was she only hearing of these people now?
Perry shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Carmilla can be quite overwhelming at times."
"What Perr means, is that Carmilla scares people. She's like You-Know-Who. You don't talk to her or about her," LaF laid a hand on Perry's twitching knee, calming the nervous ginger.
"Great, a mystery and an enigma," Laura groaned, snatching up the piece of parchment. "You wouldn't know where I could find either of them?"
Crisp night air in her lungs, gentle breeze in her hair, soft earth beneath of feet-er...paws. Danny felt at home in the forest. Sure the Forbidden Forest was off limits to students. Too many creepy crawlies and hungry beasties willing to turn the pink flesh of a first year into a snack. But she wasn't just a student. In the forest, she was a hunter, not the hunted.
Here she was free, not limited by anything. Well almost anything. She'd have to return in time to get dressed and return to her dorm. Get a refill on her potion as well. Exuberant, she sped through the forest, paws treading lightly, nimbly leaping over tree trunks and protruding roots. Danny Lawrence was free here, with nobody to judge her or condemn her.
Past the Whomping Willow, the centaur's territory, the outskirts of the Acromantula webs, and well off the beaten path. All she wanted to do was run. Run as fast as she could, and as far as she could. Leave all her worries behind. With the moon as her sole companion, she tore through the forest, intent on wearing her inner wolf down.
It was near dawn when she returned, the sky slowly being painted a light pink, one brushstroke at a time. Exhausted, she returned to where she had last recalled leaving her clothes. Hopefully she'd make it back before all her fur receded. To her surprise, when she reached the hillside, her clothes were folded up in a neat pile. A black square next to an equally dark panther.
The panther made no movements as Danny approached warily. She had never seen it around before. There was no known record of such a creature existing at Hogwarts. It was far too large to be some student's pet as well. The panther shifted so that its head was buried beneath a large paw and Danny froze. Her fur was receding, she could feel it. She'd be completely naked any moment now.
However, the creature made no other movements and Danny snatched up her robes, turning around to get dressed. The creature wasn't watching her per se, but it still felt weird.
What she didn't know was that Carmilla had sensed Danny approaching a long time ago. It was hard to miss the heavy breathing and paws. Smirking, she shifted silently back to her human form, sitting in the grass with her knees pulled up to her chest. The girl had some nice legs- endless legs. She'd give her that.
"Oh my gosh!" Danny had turned back around to see if the panther was still sleeping but didn't expect a girl to be sitting there on the hillside, watching her with those amused eyes. And not just any girl. It was the girl from the mirror. Smirk and everything.
"Hey there," Carmilla didn't mean for her voice to be that husky. An aftereffect of spending the night as a panther.
Danny gulped, the look that this girl was giving her, coupled with her voice, sent shivers shooting down the werewolf's spine. The real thing was so much better than the mirror. "Hi."
"Don't look at me like that. Come sit. I won't tell anybody your furry little secret, if you won't tell about mine," Carmilla patted the grass next to her, indicating that Danny should sit next to her. Danny took a deep breath and lowered herself onto the ground uneasily. She was nervous, this was her first social interaction in a long time and it was with the girl in the mirror. "Sorry to interrupt your nightly outing like that. I'm Carmilla," the Slytherin offered out her hand first, pleading to all the powers that be that this girl didn't know about her past.
Danny looked at the hand blankly for a moment before realizing that she was supposed to shake it, "Danny." Carmilla's hand was soft and fit perfectly into hers. The feel of another person's skin was so foreign to Danny yet comforting. She held the other girl's hand a little longer than what she supposed was socially acceptable. It surprised her that Carmilla would even shake her hand after knowing what Danny truly was. Most people would see the wolf and run away.
They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the weak morning sun's rays dance over the surface of the lake as the sun rose. Finally it was Danny who broke the silence. "So you're not... you know?"
Carmilla turned to study the girl beside her with a warm eyes. Undoubtedly, this girl was gorgeous. She still looked a little hesitant and slightly terrified. But Carmilla couldn't blame her for that. Danny looked so young and vulnerable, there was something in her eyes that Carmilla recognized. A fear, a deep seated guilt but an inner strength as well. She saw herself. "No," she finally sighed, turning to look at the sunset again. She didn't trust her eyes not to leak if she kept looking into Danny's sapphire ones. "There's something about you. We're alike."
The lycan bit her lip, debating on whether or not she should tell her about the mirror. No sense in scaring the girl off already. "So, what brings you out here this early?" Smooth, Lawrence.
"Oh you know. You," Carmilla smiled, running a hand through her hair.
"What?" Danny asked, clearly flustered, her face reddening to match her hair.
Carmilla smirked, enjoying herself, "Oh come on, a chance to see a real live werewolf up front? How could I resist?"
"Laura! Laura!" The Hufflepuff turned towards the sound of her friend's voice, nearly tripping over her robes in her haste. LaF scrambled down the stairs, pushing her way through a throng of first years on the stairs. "I've got their timetables!" LaF brandished a few pieces of parchment triumphantly.
"You what?"
"I know some people," LaF grinned and shoved the parchment into Laura's hand. "Danny and Carmilla might like hiding, but they have to go to class!"
"You are a genius!" Laura shrieked, reading over the timetables, memorizing the papers like her life depended on it.
"I know."
So Danny didn't show up to her first period History of Magic , and Carmilla didn't go to Herbology- according to Perry. Frustrating. But Laura was undeterred. Hungry, but undeterred. So of course, Laura was leaving the Great Hall with an entire cookie shoved in her mouth and several more in her hands, when she saw them. Both of them. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, chatting amicably as they slipped past the traffic in front of the Great Hall. They were unnoticeable against the crowds of people jostling against each other, if Laura hadn't had those images burned into her mind, she'd never have noticed them; perfect chameleons.
Heads tucked down, no eye contact, hunched over to make their slim frames even slimmer, bodies pressed against the wall- far out of everybody's way. They had been doing this for a long time. Unnoticed, they slipped up the staircase, heading for the astronomy tower. Laura caught up to them on the fourth floor, heading up to the fifth, with a cookie still in her mouth.
They stared at her, eyes wide at the tiny human who had just cut them off, cookie crumbs flying everywhere. Then they were all staring at each other, same surprised expression on their faces. "Cookie?"
"Cupcake, that is the stupidest thing you could've done to a Mandrake," Carmilla drawled, twirling her wand with practiced ease.
"I was a first year!" Laura exclaimed defensively. She was sandwiched between Danny and Carmilla. The three of them were crammed into the space under the stairs, Danny had a little difficulty getting her shoulders through the gap, but they made it. The spacious area seemed a little more cramped now that Danny's long legs stretched across the span of the room.
"But you decided the flinging the bloody thing across the classroom was a good choice," Danny smiled, she had been nervous being in such close proximity and in such tight confines with them, the two girls in the mirror. But they seemed unfazed, chatting away without a care in the world. The wolf settled into a sleepy buzz at the bottom of her gut, satiated. She felt wanted here, Carmilla and Laura didn't care who she really was. Or Carmilla didn't at least. The Slytherin's legs were over top of Laura's lap, her feet settling into Danny's. Danny had laid an arm over top of Carmilla's green clad ankles, but caught herself rubbing gentle circles into the patterns of silver and green. The Slytherin gave her a small smile in response.
Laura was curled into Danny's side, the space was a little chilly, and the ginger was very warm, so Laura took advantage of this fact to get closer to the attractive girl's on either side of didn't help that she was already wearing Danny's robe, which smelled strongly of oranges with subtle earthy undertones. "It was screaming!" Laura grumbled, still unimpressed that they were laughing at her incident in her first ever Herbology class.
"That's what they're supposed to do, cupcake," Carmilla shifted so that her shoulder was wedged comfortably between Laura and the wall. It was nice, to talk someone without them looking at you like you had two heads. They fell into an easy silence, just relishing in each other's presence. It was like they knew each other for their entire lives. It was like Ell. Carmilla needed to think. "I need to go, McGonagall wanted to see me about skipping her classes." the Slytherin scrambled to her feet, it was lie, but nobody questioned anything that involved the Headmistress.
"I'll see you around though?" Laura stretched a hand out hopefully, making Carmilla turn to look at the younger girl.
"Of course," Carmilla grasped the outstretched hand and brought it to her lips. "See you around, Red."
"Maman, I have some news."
Carmilla returned to her dorm, Will was nowhere near the Slytherin dorms. Strange, but a welcome relief. She disappeared through a secret tapestry, charmed to only open for her. McGonagall had been kind enough to provide her with her own room, separate from the other students. Perfect for some thinking time. She needed to decide what she wanted. She figured out that Danny and Laura were the wolf and the girl from her Patronus. But now what? What was she going to do?
Ever since Ell, she hadn't let herself get attached to anyone. McGonagall was the sole exception. The Headmistress seemed to be the exception to everything anyways. But it had been a long time since Ell. Carmilla had let herself grieve, let herself be angry, but she had slowly let go. Maybe this was the universe telling her to let that last strand of Ell go.
Her mother had been vanquished. Disappeared off the face of the Earth. Aurors everywhere were looking for her, her face had been plastered on the front of the Prophet for weeks following her disappearance. Everybody knew who she was. Everybody was looking for her. Carmilla was safe. Danny and Laura would be safe. And the Slytherin was fairly certain that Danny could handle herself, wolf and all.
What could go wrong?
The ground rumbled uneasily beneath her feet, shaking. The pile of books on her bedside table fell with a thud onto the ground. Carmilla knew she shouldn't have jinxed it.
Classes were cancelled for the entire day while the staff investigated. McGonagall stood at the front of the Great Hall, announcing that she would and Professor Longbottom would be leading the investigation. The castle had been stabilized this morning with a myriad of charms by the entirety of the staff this morning. The students had nothing to worry about but to enjoy their rare day off.
Carmilla sat with Laura at the Hufflepuff table which garnered her strange looks and curious whispers. But not as strange when Laura waved Danny over and the tall ginger slid hesitantly into the seat next to Carmilla. The Gryffindor thought she had been dreaming last night, but there was little Laura Hollis, frantically gesturing for her to come over and join them. Danny didn't care where she sat at breakfast, she didn't linger in the Great Hall long anyways. If she was uncertain if her presence was wanted or not, Carmilla's smirk as she loaded the ginger's plate with bacon and sausages, pushed all uncertainty away. Carmilla knew and she didn't care.
"I'm sorry that we've never official met, but hello! I'm Lola Perry and this is LaFontaine," Perry filled their goblets with pumpkin juice, slightly surprised that Laura had gotten these two recluses to join her at the table. LaFontaine waved a hand in greeting, their mouth full.
"Danny."
"Carmilla."
"What do you think happened last night?" Laura asked, dousing her pancakes with syrup like the syrup was water and her breakfast was actually on fire. Nothing exciting had really happened in her last few years at Hogwarts, which was disappointing. (Unless you counted the boggart and meeting these two girls). Oh yeah, the boggart, she still hadn't told them about it yet.
"Dunno, probably the centaurs had a party or something," LaF shrugged, earthquakes weren't exactly just a muggle thing. The wizarding world experienced them too, to a lesser extent of course because of protective charms, but they still existed.
"I'm sure McGonagall will deal with it. She's a tough old thing," Carmilla shrugged, Hogwarts was pretty much indestructible. Danny nodded in agreement, shovelling bacon into her mouth hungrily.
Perry just gaped at Carmilla's casual reference to the Headmistress. She recovered quickly though. "Danny, would you like some more bacon?" She had never seen anybody put away food like that. LaFontaine looked polite next to the way Danny ate.
"Oh no, I'm alright. I have to see Professor Silas about something. So I'm just in a hurry," the tall ginger wiped her mouth quickly and tossed the napkin onto her empty plate. "I'll see you guys later?"
Carmilla nodded, she had no plans for the day. Laura mumbled something unintelligible through her mouthful of pancakes and Danny took off.
"Maman, I know how to get in."
Carmilla and Laura were leaning out the window, peering down at the lake, where a cluster of staff had gathered when Danny found them. The ginger looked scattered, panting from all the stairs they had just climbed. She had spent all morning looking for the Potions Professor who was nowhere to be found, only to be brushed off when she did find him. Professor Silas had joined an entire herd of teachers headed out to the lake. Danny would have to go see him later, when the whole situation had calmed down. She was completely out of her potion. The emergency vial she kept under her mattress had been used last night.
Really, she should've known better than to return to Laura and Carmilla while the wolf was unrestrained, but she couldn't help it. It was what she desired, what her heart desired. Their presence helped settle the wolf anyways.
"The giant squid in the lake is missing!" Laura exclaimed, pointing at the clear lake. Danny peered over the top of their heads. Sure enough, the dark shape that usually was the squid was missing, the entire lake was clear.
"Wonder where it went," Danny remarked as Carmilla ducked under Danny's tall frame to crawl into the alcove. Laura followed shortly after and Danny was the last one in, letting her gaze linger on the empty lake.
The entire day was spent in there, aside from a lunch break which was spent together at the Hufflepuff table again. They talked about everything and nothing. They talked about the time Carmilla hung Will up by his ankle in the middle of the courtyard, that elicited a "Will's your brother?!" and a "that guy's a total dirtbag". If Danny and Laura had any judgements about her last name, Will was a very vocal, very traditional Karnstein, they didn't say anything. Nor did they push. Just carried on with the conversation. If anything, they huddled closer.
And they talked about the time Danny pummelled the shit out of Will. That was fun. Eventually, it got late and Laura's grumbling stomach interrupted Carmilla's tale about the time she transfigured McGonagall's inkwell into a toad, resulting in the Headmistress jabbing the toad with a quill when she went to wet the quill again. That was amusing. Carmilla spent the next week in detention.
The three of them made the lengthy walk towards the Great Hall where dinner was nearly half over. They were passing through the desolate courtyard when Danny froze, eyes wide and backed away from the other two.
"Danny? What's wrong?" Laura took a step towards the wide eyed ginger, who had pressed herself against the wall.
"Laura, stay away," that came out in more of a growl, harsher than Danny had intended.
Now Laura was the one who was frightened. The Hufflepuff looked at to Carmilla for help with teary eyes, nobody had ever taken that tone with her before and she never expected it to come from Danny. What was going on?
Carmilla looked up at the sky. The moon was out. It was still full. That was very weird because it was full yesterday, and the day before too. Wait, the moon. Danny. "Do as she says Laura," Carmilla grasped Laura's hand and tugged her away from the agitated ginger. "Do you have a potion or something, Danny?" she kept her voice calm and gentle, she didn't want to frighten Danny into running. Carmilla didn't know how much control Danny retained over her feral form, but she didn't want to find out right now, not with Laura here.
"I was supposed to get a refill from Professor Silas today but he was unavailable," Danny bit out, clearly fighting to keep the wolf back. "Busy with the lake and earthquakes and all."
"Carmilla?" Laura was terrified, clutching the Slytherin's hand tightly. "What's going on?" You could hear the fear in her voice, how it wavered.
Carmilla looked to Danny, this wasn't her secret, wasn't her place to tell. Danny swallowed thickly, she hadn't been able to keep it a secret from Carmilla, but she had hoped that she could keep sweet, innocent Laura out of the loop. Laura followed Carmilla's steely gaze to Danny, "Please Danny, tell me what's going on! How I can help! Please Danny!"
Danny relented, "I'm a werewolf."
"Oh. Oh." There was a pause as Laura took the information in but a look of determination quickly replaced her look of fear. "What can we do?"
"Get inside before I change. I'm going to the forest," Danny inched her way towards the covered pathway that would lead her to the hill side where she had first met Carmilla.
"Go Laura," Carmilla gave her a gentle push towards the doors, never taking her eyes off of Danny.
"What?! What about you?" Laura had a hand on the door handle, watching both of them intently.
"Go with her, Carmilla," Danny snarled, head in her hands. "Now!" She could feel her nails lengthening into claws, her fur appearing.
"It's not safe out there, especially right now. I'll go with you," Carmilla replied firmly, taking slow sidesteps towards Laura, putting herself between Danny and the tiny human.
"You will not!" Danny roared, frantically shrugging her robes off, and her shoes. She had enough fur to cover her now, no need to worry about being naked in front of Laura and Carmilla, but she was still very worried that neither of them had left yet. She was losing herself to the wolf. No, she could control herself. Just breathe.
"I can handle myself," Carmilla smirked, and spun.
Laura watched, transfixed by both Carmilla and Danny. Danny had shed all her clothing, leaving them in a heap on the ground. Her teeth had elongated, hair blending in with the red fur, full claws appeared, paws instead of hands and feet. She was a giant russet wolf, and she landed on all fours with a muted thud. Carmilla on the other hand, changed as she spun. Dark patches of fur, sharp fangs, long tail, pointed claws and a lithe form. The giant black panther didn't even make a noise when the transformation finished, sitting on the ground with her tail around her paws.
The wolf paused and it drew in a deep breath. Danny's eyes were downcast when she looked at Laura, as if she was disappointed in herself for not being able to contain the beast within. Laura smiled in return and gave her a thumbs up. "You're beautiful," she mouthed silently. The wolf's eyes brightened, she nodded to Carmilla and the two creatures leapt away into the night.
Laura sighed, she'd ask them about it tomorrow. For now, she'd better collect Danny's things.
They met everyday after that, at every chance they could get, sometimes they did homework, sometimes they just talked. classes resumed but nobody knew the cause of the earthquake. There were rumours, but no official explanation. They met at the same spot under the stairs, their spot. Laura brought snacks, Danny, some pillows and Carmilla, a blanket.
The incident wasn't brought up for a while. Not until a few weeks later, when Laura finally couldn't contain herself anymore. "So can we talk about the...furry incident?"
Carmilla nearly spat out her butterbeer when she heard Laura refer to it as that. Danny looked amused as she rubbed Carmilla's back soothingly. She had expected Laura to cave and ask about it a lot earlier, it was surprising how long she held out for. "You can say werewolf."
"Okay, so how long have you been one?" Laura reached across Danny's lap for a chocolate frog. They switched seats every time they were in here, taking turns sitting in the middle. It was Danny's turn, and she had happily placed the bag of sweets on her lap.
"As long as I could remember. My parents were killed by one. Lucky for me, I got only got bitten, survived the whole thing. Sometimes I don't feel so lucky though," Danny stared down at the bag of Honeydukes Orange Slices in her lap, suddenly she didn't feel like devouring the whole bag of her favourite candies any more. Carmilla took her hand silently, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Hey, you don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to," Laura added her hand to the pile, smiling at Danny understandingly.
"No it's fine. It's just the past," Danny looked up at both of them and nodded slowly. She could do this, she trusted these girls. They might not have been friends for long, but what they had was something else. "I got put in an orphanage after that. They didn't really know what to do with me. When I was four, I killed a man."
The lycan felt Laura's sharp intake of breath and Carmilla's gaze bore holes into her face. "It was a full moon and I lost control. I wasn't as good at controlling myself as I am now. I injured the orphanage's aid pretty badly, the man took his own life afterwards, couldn't stand the sight of himself."
"It wasn't your fault, Danny," Carmilla whispered, her grip on Danny's hand tightening.
"Maybe," Danny replied, looking down at her free hand. She could still remember her claws tearing into flesh. Never again.
They fell into silence, the only sound was the wind howling outside and their breathing.
"Since we're in a sharing mood," Laura began, Danny and Carmilla looked up at her. "My mom died when I was seven. I know, this seems trivial compared to what you had to go through. My mom was an Auror," Laura was blubbering, wiping at her eyes and trying to recompose herself. "and was killed in an mission. Routine check up on a disturbance turned into a full out duel. Oh gosh, I'm crying. You must think I'm pathetic."
"Laura," Danny wrapped an arm around Laura's shoulder, pulling the trembling form closer. "That is not trivial. We aren't going to think any less of you because your mother's death affected you. Nobody should lose have to lose their mother, or any of their parents. " Laura buried her face in the collar of Danny's robes, crying freely now.
"I wish my mother was dead."
Danny's head snapped up immediately to stare at Carmilla in disbelief. Laura was slower, as if trying to process what she had just heard, surely Carmilla didn't really mean that.
"You don't mean tha-"
"She killed my girlfriend when I was a third year. Tortured her to death. All because she was a muggleborn. Locked me up in a closet for four months to punish me for being involved with a muggleborn." Carmilla wrapped her arms around herself, distancing herself, protecting herself. "That's right. She believed that the Karnstein name should be kept pure, that the wizarding world remain untainted by muggles." Carmilla laughed darkly, why was she saying all of this now? Perhaps it was better to scare these girls off now, before they got in too deep. "Ell was murdered because I refused to listen to my mother. Because I was selfish. I believed that our relationship was worth the trouble, the price. I don't think Ell would agree with me now."
She put her head between her knees and waited. Waited for them to leave her. Everyone else did. Avoided her like she was death herself. Maybe she was holding onto Ell a lot tighter than she thought. There it was, the telltale rustle of clothing as they moved, got up, left. Carmilla squeezed her eyes shut harder, willing herself not to cry, not today, not now. But someone was touching her, lifting her up.
Danny, Carmilla realized. The Gryffindor had picked up the dark-haired girl and placed her half on Laura's lap, half on her own. The rustle of clothing had been Laura and Danny untangling themselves from each other and shifting around so Danny could get her arms under the Slytherin. Carmilla wrapped her arms around Danny's neck, she didn't realize that she was even crying until she felt something wet on her neck. Laura had somehow wedged herself in between, one arm around Carmilla's waist, the other around Danny's. Danny was occupied with supporting Carmilla's full weight so that she didn't fall backwards and rubbing her back gingerly.
Nobody knew how long they sat there, crying, taking comfort in each other's presence, knowing that they weren't along in this dark world. They had each other, they were going to stay by your side regardless of who you were or are.
Danny never thought that she'd find someone- someones who didn't care she was a werewolf. Someone who had taken to making sure her potion stock was constantly filled, someone who mended the old tear in her robes from the time she wasn't quick enough to strip as she was transforming. Someone who would go racing through the Forbidden Forest with her, someone who made sure she made it out of the forest before dawn and into clothes. Laura and Carmilla saw past the wolf. The didn't see Danny Lawrence as a part of this feral creature but this wolf as a small part of Danny Lawrence. Not a monster.
Laura knew that her dad tried his best after his mother died. Somethings weren't the same, but he really tried. Nobody understood her after her mom died. She tried to be strong, for her dad, for herself. She didn't cry in public, not when she fell off her bike and skinned both knees, or when she dislocated her shoulder when she was playing on the jungle gym, or when the kids at school made fun of her. When she smiled, her dad smiled with her. That was all that she wanted so she made it her goal to be strong and to keep smiling. Having people who understood her loss, who didn't need her to be strong all the time, that was a welcomed change.
Carmilla couldn't believe that these idiots were still here. Where everyone else had turned their backs on her and shunned her, here they were, embracing her for everything she was. Even the little pieces of her that still had Ell embedded in them. Sniffling, Carmilla pulled away, wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of her robes. "I need to show you something." She waited patiently for them to recollect themselves, to brush hair back and to dry their tears. It gave herself time to take a deep breath, calm her nerves, settle back into her spot next to Danny and pull out her wand with a shaking hand.
Danny and Laura watched her expectantly, their cheeks still flushed and hair still slightly ruffled. "Expecto Patronum!" the silver wolf erupted out of the tip of Carmilla's wand, the girl still sitting on her perch atop the beast. She could never get old of watching her Patronus prance about the room. Apparently, neither could Danny or Laura, by the looks on their faces.
The Hufflepuff reached out to touch the silver fur of the wolf as it wheeled around in front of them, "Wait." Laura squinted up at the ethereal form. "Is that me on top of the wolf? And is that Danny as the wolf?" Carmilla nodded slowly in reply, not taking her eyes off of Laura or Danny.
"That's what I look like?" Danny gaped at the majestic creature, she did not recall ever looking like that. Carmilla nodded again, still trying to gauge their reactions. "How did you make it like that? How long did it take?"
"No, you don't understand. I didn't make it like that," Carmilla bit her lip, trying to think of a succinct explanation. That this wasn't some romantic attempt to woo them. "My Patronus, for as long as I've known, was just this shapeless blob. But a couple weeks ago, I was sitting here, in this spot, and I cast my Patronus and it was this. I don't know why. I didn't know you at all back then, but you were my Patronus."
They gawked at her. "I know it sounds crazy! But trust me, please."
"No! That's not what I meant!" Danny rested a reassuring hand on Carmilla's shoulder. "I saw you two before I knew you too! You know those rumours of something called the Mirror of Erised at Hogwarts? The mirror that shows you what you want the most? I found the mirror on the third floor. And I saw you guys in the mirror." This couldn't be a coincidence.
Laura furrowed her brow, "My boggart for DADA transformed into you two."
"We were your worst nightmare?" Carmilla asked, confused. How did that make sense?
"No. You guys were dead, in coffins. Staring at me. I didn't understand it at first. B-but I think I do now."
"Maman, the Astronomy Tower."
Laura eventually fell asleep, head lolling on Carmilla's shoulder. Neither of Danny or Carmilla had the heart to wake her. Somehow they managed to get the sleeping girl out of the hideout and towards the Hufflepuff dorms, right by the kitchens. They stood at the entrance for a moment, Laura in Danny's arms and Carmilla trying to figure out the door. Fortunately, LaFontaine and Perry showed up, they were returning from the library. Which saved them the hassle of trying to get into the Hufflepuff dorms without waking Laura.
They watched as their friends disappeared into the pile of barrels that made up the dormitory entrance. Friends. Carmilla looked up at Danny and found the taller ginger staring down at her with a fond look in her eyes. Maybe more than friends. Hopefully. "You alright there, Red?"
Danny smiled at her, reaching out and taking her hand gently. "Thank you."
"I should thank you," Carmilla replied, squeezing the ginger's hand. Danny's smile only got bigger. They turned, heading away from the Hufflepuff dorms. Down the halls they walked, hand in hand. It was a comfortable silence. They didn't need words to communicate, they understood. "How do you feel?" Carmilla glanced up at the sky through a large window, the moon was a half moon.
"Fine. Although I've never experienced a full moon three nights in a row," Danny frowned, clearly uncomfortable. There was a low rumble, much louder than the first one they had heard all those weeks ago. The castle didn't shake though, the new fortifications holding well. A huge geyser of water erupted from the lake, a pillar of frothing water. They rushed to the window. "What was that?"
"Lawrence! Karnstein! To your dorms please!" It was Professor McGonagall, lips drawn into a tight line as she and led a group of staff down the hall, clearly displeased with the rumbling.
"Professor!" Carmilla caught the Headmistress' sleeve as she passed by, tugging the older witch to the side. "What is happening? Is everything okay?"
McGonagall knew what the dark haired girl was implying. "I don't know right now. Hogwarts is a safe haven for all of her students. She withstood the Dark Lord's attack, she will endure this. Lawrence, Professor Silas has dropped off another three batches of your potion at your dorm room. Just in case. Quickly, off to bed!" With that she rushed in an angry whirlwind of robes and cloak, after the herd of teachers heading for the lake.
Wisely, Carmilla and Danny decided to obey and parted ways at the Great Hall, but not before Carmilla brought their intertwined hands up to her lips. Danny looked delighted at the gesture. More than friends. You love these girls.
"Maman, they are getting suspicious."
The next morning, the rumbling had died down. Extra fortifications had been put in place and every entrance and exit sealed. The only way in or out of the castle was through the immense set of front doors. Those doors were carefully monitored by a pair of staff at all times, just in case, no students, unless authorized was allowed to pass through. McGonagall assured everybody at breakfast that Hogwarts was still safe and the Ministry had been contacted to investigate the strange noises.
Noises, Carmilla scoffed, just because they couldn't feel the earth moving because of the castle's new enchantments didn't mean she couldn't see the Whomping Willow swing wildly. And not like how the tree usually moved too.
"So LaF and I went to the library this morning and got all the books they had on what could be behind this," Laura had shown up unusually late to breakfast, arms laden with books. A struggling LaFontaine followed behind her, an equally large stack of books in her arms. Carmilla and Danny separated from their spot (they were holding hands under the table) and helped the tiny Hufflepuff with her load.
"McGonagall said that everything would be fine!" Perry scolded them shrilly as she heaped food on both of their plates. "The staff have probably looked through all these possibilities too."
"Perr, it's okay. We're just curious. It hasn't been just one earthquake. I heard that there's been a lot, but the castle has taken the worst of it. Last night's was seriously major. We won't do anything dangerous. We just wanna know." the curly haired ginger looked slightly calmer after those words. Still, earthquakes were a very broad symptom and the majority of the things in the books could cause the disturbances.
Laura thoughtfully chewed on a danish as Danny and Carmilla settled in beside her. Mouth full, she let her hands drop down to her sides, resting on the bench. Amusingly, when Laura tried to reach for another pastry, she found her hands full. Automatically, Danny and Carmilla had reached for each other's hands, forgetting that a tiny human now sat in between them. Much to their embarassment, Laura looked like she had just won the jackpot when she lifted her hands and found that Danny and Carmilla had intertwined their fingers with hers.
Blushing, both girls tried to retract their hands, only for Laura to tighten her grip. Danny gave Laura a reassuring squeeze while Carmilla brought their hands up to her lips. Pastries? What were those?
"Maman, everything is ready."
They promised to meet Laura at their usual spot after their second class. The tremors were getting louder and louder and more frequent as well until it just became one droning roar. Professor Silas dismissed his potion's class early and Danny found Carmilla waiting in the hallway for her. "Cupcake's already waiting. She sent me to grab you and some snacks." Carmilla jerked a thumb at the trail of levitating cupcakes behind her.
Danny smirked at the army of floating baked goods and offered her hand to Carmilla. "Softie." Carmilla made a small noise of disagreement and accepted the offered hand. A deafening crash sent both girls stumbling as the entire castle rocked violently. Immediately students and staff streamed out into the hallway. "To the Great Hall please!" McGonagall appeared, her voice amplified as she herded students towards the strongest part of the castle.
"Professor! What is happening?"
"Karnstein, please do as I say." The witch disappeared without another word, taking several other teachers with her, heading for the source of the crash.
The two of them made it up to the main floor, cupcakes forgotten, where students were flooding into the Great Hall. "Carmilla! Look!" Danny pointed out a window, there was a monstrous fish looking thing, its jaws clamped firmly around the- shit, Astronomy Tower. Laura.
"We have to go save her." Carmilla set her jaw firmly, she recognized that fish. Heard stories about it when she was a child, in fact, that creature was emblazoned in the centre of the Karnstein family crest. Her mother, had returned. She had an inkling of who helped her. There was a giant hole in the side of the tower and dark creatures were pouring in from the fish's jaws.
Terrified screams echoed through the castle. "We have to move then, the Astronomy Tower is on the other side of the castle," Danny began pushing her way through the throng of students.
"You go get Laura out of there," Carmilla broke away from Danny's grip. "I know how to beat the fish." Before Danny could even say anything else, Carmilla was gone, running in the other direction.
"Maman, Laura Hollis and Danny Lawrence."
If Carmilla recalled the stories correctly, there was a sword, the only sword which could defeat the fish: the Lophiiformes. Said sword was actually present at Hogwarts, the Blade of Hastur. There was a statue on the third floor of an unnamed warrior of Hastur. He stood straight, eyes looking dead ahead, face perpetually a scowl. Most importantly, there was a gleaming golden blade in his hands. The real blade of Hastur. The majority of the statues at the school carried their legit weapons. Nobody really noticed them, but Ell did. Carmilla learned this from Ell in her third year. Everybody had thought the weapons were fake, made to look real. But Ell knew that the weapons had been donated by various families to the school. Ell's family had donated Merlin's staff to the school, which sat in the hands of a ten feet tall, bearded statue. The story was that they wanted the prestigious plaque on the statue at the school. Carmilla knew that it was for the school- potentially for future generations' protection.
Now if she hurried, she could catch the statue before he got too far. The statues had been activated by McGonagall as part of the school's defensive protocols. They marched in an orderly row, some to defend the Great Hall, others to the Astronomy Tower. Carmilla waited on the second floor as the statues from the third floor filed down the stairs. There! The statue of the grim faced swordsman, sword at ready.
Carmilla raced up to him, grabbing at his stone arm. "Hi, um could I borrow your sword?" The statue ignored her, dragging her along with his resolute march. "I really need it to defeat the Lophiiformes and save my friend." She leapt in front of his path, hoping to stop him but the statue stepped around her, undeterred.
"Hey! Come on!" She leapt on his back, trying to pry the blade out of his hands. "I need the sword!"
"Mircalla, always so unbecoming." Carmilla froze. "Maman has returned, it's not very polite to not greet your mother."
"That's not my name. And she was no mother," Carmilla leapt off the statues back, wand drawn. Her brother, Will stood at the other end of the hall, watching her with a devilish smirk on his face. "I know you were the one who helped her into the school."
"You seem to know a lot of things, but did you know, Maman is here because of you?" Will took a menacing step forwards, eyes glinting steely. Carmilla swallowed, hands trembling."Petrificus Totalus!"
Shit. Carmilla scowled as her arms and legs snapped together, frozen in place.
"You were always the favourite. Even when you screwed up. But not any more! After this, I will be Maman's favourite. I will be her right hand. You were weak, Kitty," Will strode across the hall, grinning triumphantly. "I'm going to finish you right here."
"She will be angry if you kill me. I know she wants me back alive," Carmilla growled, struggling against her bonds. Will had gotten stronger since she last duelled him.
"It'll be an accident. You forced my hand. I had no choice," Will taunted, walking around her immobile body slowly, as if trying to decide which spell to kill her with.
Carmilla stared at the line of statues marching past, begging one of them to come to her rescue. "Don't bother, Kitty. The statues are set to attack intruders only and protect all Hogwarts students," Will thumbed the Slytherin crest on the front of his robes. "Which I still am. They're not going to interfere."
"But I am." Carmilla recognized the voice, but it was a deep throated growl now. A large blur of red leapt over Carmilla, bowling over the other Slytherin. Danny hovered on top of Will, claws pressing into his chest. She bared her teeth at him menacingly and snatched the wand out of his hand, crushing it in between her teeth. "She's a part of my pack. My family. You touch her, I rip your head off." Will whimpered. He had been sheltered all his life, did what his mother told him. Never had he come in contact with any real danger, much less a full sized werewolf seconds away from tearing him to shreds.
"Leave him," Carmilla fell to her knees, panting. The spell had been broken when Danny crushed his wand. "He's not worth it, we need to go get Laura."
Danny growled, displeased. She wanted to toss him around a little bit, just to drive her point home but Carmilla was right. Instead she grabbed him by the front of his robes so he dangled from between her teeth and in a single bound leapt up to the chandelier. With a twist of her head, she tossed him onto the chandelier, forcing him to hang on for dear life or fall. Carmilla watched with a smirk as Danny landed and trotted up to her happily. Without a wand, Will was stuck up there.
"The sword!" Carmilla remembered and scrambled down the stairs, Danny hot on her heels. The hall leading up to the Great Hall was overrun with creatures. Large minotaur looking creatures, grotesque humanoid lizards, disfigured beasts, they were every. The statues had done their best to defend the Great Hall but the doors had been busted open and the students had scattered. The braver ones had stood their ground in front of the Great Hall, buying time for the first years to flee. "Danny, cover me while I get the sword!" Danny was already way ahead of her, leaping into the fray and tossing aside a minotaur like it weighed nothing.
The Slytherin followed the werewolf who was efficiently clearing her a path through the chaos. They found the statue at the other end of the hall, decapitating a lizard. "Hi, it's me again." The statue ignored Carmilla, cutting down another creature instead. "I know you're kind of busy, but I really need your sword."
"Carmilla! We need to hurry!" Danny pulled a bloody creature off of a screaming student and tossed it away. The student got up and scrambled out of the way, completely terrified.
"Right. Okay buddy. I need you sword, now. This girl that I-I love is in serious danger right now. And the only thing that could save her and stop all of this is that sword." The statue paused and looked at her, unmoving. Finally, he tossed the sword in the air and caught it by the blade, offering the handle to her. "Really? You're just giving it to me?"
"Carmilla!"
"Okay, okay! Thank you!" Carmilla snatched the sword from the statue gratefully. She turned to find Danny crouched really low on the ground. "What are you doing."
"Get on my back! This'll be faster than you running," Danny narrowed her eyes at the Slytherin.
"What? No!" Carmilla narrowed her eyes back at the wolf.
"Carmilla, Laura rode on my back," the lycan snapped impatiently.
"That was my Patronus," Carmilla retorted, still unconvinced.
"Carmilla."
"Fine!" Carmilla growled, unhappily and scrambled up Danny's side with surprisingly little difficulty.
"Try not to poke me in the side with the sword, yeah?"
Laura felt the crash rather than heard it. She was sitting in their spot, flipping through a book when the entire building shook. Terrified, Laura clung to the wall, hoping that the stairs above her didn't come crashing down on her. The building finally stopped moving, but there were heavy footsteps, lots of them, going down the staircase. Cautiously, she peeked out of the alcove. A slimy foot came down just inches from her face. Then the statue in front of Laura shifted, effectively blocking Laura's view.
A shriek split the air as the statue began defending the tiny Hufflepuff trapped under the stairs. This was not good.
"Annoying statue," there was a pause and then a sizzling noise. The statue, the only thing between Laura and whatever else was outside, melted. A pale face with crazed hair and an evil glint in their eyes peered down at her. "Laura Hollis, how nice it is to finally meet you." Laura scrambled away from the creature who got down on all fours and scrambled into the space, intent on catching Laura for its master.
"Who are you?" Laura screamed, "Let me go! Expulso!" The creature flew backwards, taking a chunk of the stairs with it.
"What an annoyance," two more creatures advanced on the now enlarged space. "Expelliarmus!" Laura's wand flew out of her hand, skittering across the floor.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Laura pressed herself into the corner, the creatures reached out for her and she kicked a gnarled hand away.
"Why, darling. I'm Mircalla's mother. Oh what silly name does she go by now, oh yes. Carmilla's mother. And I'm here to remove the disease from her life: you." The creatures finally got a grip on her and hauled her to her feet before the crazed lady.
"The only disease in her life is yo-" a cold hand closed around her throat, cutting off her words and lifting her into the air. Instinctively, Laura scrabbled at the hand, trying to pry it off and get some air back into her lungs. But she couldn't, the other witch had some kind of dark power flowing through her and her grip was iron.
"I would watch your tongue little one," Mrs. Karnstein scolded, walking over to the jagged edge of the building. Dark creatures were still pouring into the school. It was a dizzying drop down to the lake, Laura felt lightheaded just looking at it. Although that might be because she was being choked. "My daughter never learns does she. Always has to get what she wants. Always wanting to learn her lesson the hard way. It's for her own good, to stay away from filth like you."
"Put her down, mother." Laura's eyes widened at the sight of Carmilla sliding off of a giant wolf's back, the wolf batting away a creature easily.
"Ah, my dearest Carmilla. If that's what you really want, liebling," the older Karnstein smirked. Then Laura was falling.
Danny was moving, launching herself at the woman and out the gap. Of all the things that Mrs. Karnstein was expecting, a five hundred pound wolf slamming into her was not one of them. The werewolf knocked her to the side, slamming her into the wall as she leapt after Laura. "Stupefy!" a red beam of light scorched the wall where the woman had been mere seconds ago.
"Now now, Carmilla. That's not very nice." her mother tsked as she deflected another one of Carmilla's curses. The room was a blaze of lights and colours, the Blade of Hastur hidden in her robes, as she advanced on her mother. All of the creatures had cleared out of the room, frightened of the duelling Karnsteins.
"Do you know who your little girlfriend, Ell was it, said right before she took her last breath?" This caught Carmilla off guard, and her mother seized the chance to knock her wand out of her hand with a well aimed spell. She took a deep breath, tightening her grip on the sword inside her robes, the only thing she had left. Her mother stalked forwards, relishing in watching her suffer. The older woman smiled down at Carmilla, it made Carmilla sick. They were face to face now, inches apart, her mother's lips hovered over her ear, "She cried out for you."
Carmilla drove the sword upwards, swinging wildly. The first stroke took off her mother's hand, the appendage and wand flying across the room with a spray of blood. The second stroke went right through her mother's gut. The look of shock on her mother's face would be forever seared into Carmilla's mind, shocked that her daughter would stab her. The Slytherin kicked her mother to the side, the sword sliding out with a sickening squelch. "I've let go of Ell, mother. I have Laura and Danny now."
The dark haired girl raced to the window and scanned the area below. No sign of Danny or Laura, hopefully they made it. Now to deal with the Lophiiformes. "I'm sorry," Carmilla whispered. She took one last look at the sky then the empty waters below, and jumped.
Of all the ways that Laura thought she would die, falling off of the Astronomy Tower was not one of them. She had no wand, nothing to slow her fall, and she was not going to survive hundred foot drop, even if it was into water. Her eyes widened when she saw the giant wolf leap after her. What the heck was Danny doing? This was suicide, even for her.
Danny caught up to her easily, manoeuvring herself in the air so that her giant frame was curled protectively around Laura. "Danny! What are you doing?" Laura screamed against the fierce wind, hands gripping Danny's fur tightly. The werewolf looked down at her with those big, gentle eyes, "I love you, Laura. Remember that."
They hit the water with an almighty splash. Well Laura hit the water. Danny hit the rocks at the base of the tower, bouncing across the ground a few times. She absorbed the worst of the impact and at the last moment launched Laura into the water, ensuring her survival. Laura resurfaced with gasp, frantically splashing and trying to find her bearings. Danny, Danny, Danny. Over there, lying limply on the rocks. Desperately, Laura swam over and scrambled up to the prone form. "Danny, oh my gosh, Danny," she lifted the massive wolf head onto her lap. Laura stared at her hands, there was blood, her hands were covered in blood, Danny's blood.
"No, no, no. Danny! Hey, stay with me!"
There was a yell coming from above and Laura looked up to see Carmilla leaping into the jaw of the giant glowing fish, sword brandished above her head.
Laura screamed. Her boggart was becoming her reality.
Carmilla groaned. Was she dead? She felt like she had been run over by a troll. Make that many trolls. Slowly she opened her eyes, it was bright really bright. No, she knew that ceiling. The hospital wing. She spent a lot of time in the hospital wing when she was figuring out her Animagus form. Still alive.
"Hey."
She turned her head slightly towards the source of the voice. Laura. Gingerly, she got up into a sitting position with Laura's help. "Hey," she croaked. She sounded horrible.
And then Laura was crying, hugging her and peppering her face with kisses. "What did I tell you about dying?" Laura cried in between kisses. She wasn't sure if the tears were from joy or frustration, but she didn't care.
"Your worst nightmare," Carmilla's arms felt like lead, but with great difficulty, she wiped Laura's tears away. "I know." They sat like that for a moment, Carmilla cradling Laura against her chest. Laura was pretty sure she shouldn't be manhandling the dark-haired girl like that but she didn't care. All she cared about was that Carmilla was alive.
"Where's Danny?" Carmilla asked, realizing that the ginger wasn't in the room with them. The other beds were empty, "Where's Danny?!"
"She's right here, hero." LaFontaine called out, entering the room with Perry. A black and red blur rushed into the room and onto the bed.
"Carmilla!" And now Carmilla was on the receiving end of more kisses.
"Red, watch the ribs," Carmilla groaned and Danny was off of the bed like she had been burned.
"Sorry, sorry!" Danny put one hand in the air in apology. The other arm was secured in a dark blue sling.
"How long was I out?" Carmilla patted the bed, indicating that Danny should sit with them.
"About three weeks. Danny was out in eight days," LaF put a variety of sweets on the bedside table while Perry bustled around the room, fluffing Carmilla's pillow and folding the blankets.
Danny nodded proudly, "Six broken ribs, a fractured clavicle, shattered left femur, and left arm broken in four different places. All healed. Werewolf healing factor. Well except for the arm." Werewolf Danny was a bit of a hero in the school now, no need to hide anything. There were many stories circulating around about how she fought the monsters and helped save the school. People weren't so much frightened of her but rather admired her actually. It was all kind of strange.
"That's because you refractured your arm three days ago," Perry admonished gently, she was dumping out the dried up flowers from the vase and replacing them with some fresh ones that she was conjuring up.
"Yeah. But more importantly! Perry caught Will trying to sneak off after the battle and got him with a bat bogey hex so good that he was puking up bats for the next few days," Danny changed the topic quickly to avoid further embarrassment. She was already blushing.
"That was super badass, Perr. I didn't know you had that in you," LaFontaine grinned and patted the other ginger on the back.
"Yes well, Will deserved it," Perry smiled tightly.
"And what of my... mother?" Carmilla asked, a little hesitantly.
"McGonagall dealt with her. She's in Azkaban now, missing a hand too. " Laura replied, a little too cheerily and LaFontaine elbowed her in the ribs. "Oh, sorry."
Carmilla waved her off, "It's fine. She was never much of a mother anyways." She paused, thinking, "You guys gave me a real family, real friends. Thank you."
"I told you, you're part of my pack. We look out for each other," Danny grinned.
A commotion at the door made them all turn. "That would be the crowd of admirers who want to meet the great Carmilla Karnstein," LaF and Perry both got up. "We'll handle it. You lovebirds just chill out alright?"
Laura smiled, "Thanks guys."
There was a silence, they all kind of just looked at each other, grinning like idiots. They were alive and together.
"I wonder what your new boggart will be."
"Carmilla!"