Chapter Ten: Carina Catches The Rat

"James?"

"Yeah, 'Rina?"

Carina barely managed not to roll her eyes at her godfather. Whatever it was that he was reading must have been really interesting, because he didn't even look up when he responded to her. "Can I go visit Uncle Keith?"

"'Course you can, Rosie," James answered absent-mindedly.

"James, my name is Carina," Carina reminded him irritably. "And I hope you remember that you said I could go when you pull your head out of that book." Getting no response, she did roll her eyes and Floo'd to Keith's.

"Uncle Keith, my godfather is an ass," Carina informed Keith upon finding him in his study. Apparently the world had gone insane and not only was James reading, but Keith was as well. She wasn't entirely sure that this was real. Maybe it was a dream, it was certainly odd enough.

Nope, Keith put the book down and looked amused. "What did James do?"

"He's reading!" Carina shouted in annoyance. "Do you know how much be pesters me about my loving to read?! And then he gets upset when I get into a book and ignore him, but now he's doing the same thing! This is James Potter who thinks books are pure evil meant to corrupt innocent young minds!" she ranted, imitating James from 'books are pure evil meant to corrupt innocent young minds.'

Keith chuckled. "Very apt imitation."

"Can I stay here until James gets his sanity back?" she pleaded. "I feel like I've entered the twilight zone every time I see him reading! It's just… weird!"

"I would say that you could, but I have to go pick up Elladora and Dorea from the Weasley's, and then let them wreck havoc around here for a few hours before taking them back to Andromeda."

"I'll go with you, then, just don't make me go back there and watch the world stop spinning!" she begged.

"It's not that bad," Keith said, grinning.

"Yes it is," Carina said fervently. "I mean, he's my godfather and I love him, but seeing him read is like… a bad omen or something."

"Have you been reading divination books?" Keith asked disgustedly.

"I have read a grand total of two divination books, one of which was utter crap that put me off of the subject for life, the other of which basically said that divination isn't something you can learn, it's something you either have or you don't." Carina retorted. "And I meant a bad omen as in the muggle sort, like seeing that is so weird that something bad has to be coming!"

"All right, you can come with me," Keith said. "I'm leaving in about five minutes, so you'll have to keep yourself entertained for that long, you think you can manage?"

Carina rolled her eyes at this, and pulled a miniature book out of her pocket, it enlarging as soon as it was completely out. Remus had cast the charm for her because James had been too busy gaping at her in horror when she'd asked to do it himself. It was kind of funny that someone who was capable of being so mature lost all signs of maturity at the idea of reading a book.

Having read a few sentences, she heard Keith ask her in a disbelieving voice, "You're reading about Ancient Runes? At not-even-twelve? Merlin, I thought they were dead boring at thirteen through seventeen and did my best to avoid them after the NEWTs!"

"Knowledge is power," Carina said in a snooty voice, and then giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself, that's what Hermione and I did to Weasley when he made fun of us for reading the third or fourth time, told him knowledge is power and he's a squib."

Keith snorted. "You girls are far too good with insults for your own good."

Carina snickered and went back to reading. Just as she reached the end of the chapter, Keith spoke up again. "Ready to go, Rosie?"

"Yes, I'm ready, and if it weren't for underage magic laws, I would hex you for calling me that," she growled at him.

"Aw, but Carina, you let James call you 'Rina, and Remus call you Flower, so why don't I get my own nickname for you as well?" he pouted.

Carina scowled and answered, "The lot of you keep calling me 'pup', but I guess you can call me Rosie. Beware, though, anyone else who does will be hexed. Very violently. Repetitively. Without mercy. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am, Mistress Black!" Keith saluted.

Carina scowled again and Keith told her, "The Floo address is 'the burrow' and I know you've Floo'd before, so I don't need to explain, right?"

"Right," Carina said, taking a handful of Floo powder and throwing it in the fire. "The Burrow!"

Carina stumbled out of the Floo and grimaced. "Merlin, I hate Floo…" she mumbled, waiting for Keith to come through. He did so a moment later, not even stumbling once and rather graceful. "I hate you, Uncle Keith," she scowled.

"Love you too, Rosie," he grinned. "Molly!" he called, "Where are you?"

Molly Weasley entered the room. "Hello, Keith, dear. The girls are out in the garden, I think they are trying to pester Ron into leaving them alone, which is fighting a losing battle, but it's their choice."

Carina snorted. "No kidding."

"Pardon me, dear?" Molly asked. "Carina Black?" she asked in shock.

"I hate that reaction," Carina mumbled. "That would be me," she agreed. "And I said that trying to convince W – Ron of anything he doesn't want to do is fighting a losing battle."

"You seem to know my son well," Molly said thoughtfully.

Carina was unable to stop herself from scowling. "Your son and I don't exactly get along," she explained, understating the situation to the extreme. "The first time he met he was teasing my best friend and I about being bookworms, and we never really got past that. I'm sure he's not that bad of a guy," she lied through her teeth, "But we just don't get along."

"That boy," Molly tsk'ed, shaking her head. She turned to the nearest window and yelled out, "Ron! Ginny! Elladora and Dorea! Keith is here for you, girls!"

Twin shouts of 'uncle Keith' were heard as a stampede of ten-eleven-twelve year olds stormed into the house. The two Lestrange girls attacked Keith in a hug and started pestering him with questions.

"It's good to see you, too, Ella, 'Rea," Carina interrupted them in a dry tone.

"Carina!" they shouted in return, now hugging her instead of Keith. Keith and Molly backed off to give the group of kids a bit of space to talk and such.

"Hello, Weasley," Carina distastefully greeted Ron. "You have a sister? Is she more sane than your brothers?"

"We're all sane, Black," Ronald retorted, holding something that was squeaking frantically in his left hand.

"What is that?" Carina asked him, eyeing his left hand in concern.

"Scabbers, my rat," Ron told her. "Scabbers, for Merlin's sake, calm down! I know she's annoying but she isn't going to hurt you!"

"Can I see him?" Carina asked, her heart beating fast as she wondered if it was possible that what she was thinking was true.

"Sure," Ron agreed, passing the rat over to her.

Carina's heart skipped a beat. In her hands was the reason she didn't have parents, the reason James had spent a decade in Azkaban, the reason she'd spent a decade with the Dursley's. Her grip tightened on the rat until it was frantically trying to get away. "Keith!" Carina shouted, trying to keep a hold on Scabbers-Pettigrew.

"What's wrong, Carina?" Keith asked, walking over with a concerned expression.

"Tell me if this rat is who I think it is," she asked in a shaky tone.

Keith looked at the rat and his eyes widened in shock. "Sweet Merlin," he breathed. "Sweet Merlin, right here for all these years, right in front of our faces…"

Carina handed the rat to her uncle. "Keep him away from me, I've got enough blood on my hands as it is." She said dangerously.

Keith nodded. "I have to go to the ministry, Carina, can you, Ella, and 'Rea Floo to your house and I'll meet you in awhile?"

Carina looked at the Lestrange twins, who shrugged, and nodded to Keith. "We can do that. It's probably best that James doesn't know where he is until he's in ministry custody."

Keith snorted in agreement and waited at the Burrow until all three girls had Floo'd away before going to the ministry.

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRB

A few days later, Pettigrew was in Azkaban in the same cell James had spent ten years. Hopefully, Pettigrew would be there much longer.

Carina collapsed into bed with a sigh. It had been one hell of a year…