Chapter 12: The Thief of the Sorcerer's Stone
Carina stood, amazed at the sight. A giant chessboard filled most of the chamber floor, surrounded by the remains of broken chessmen. They were behind the black chessmen, and the white were the opposite side. Carina gave an involuntary shiver—the chess pieces had no faces. She could feel the goose bumps along her arms—this was not normal chess.
'We've got to play across the room.' whispered Mary, like the chessmen could hear them.
A small wooden door shone behind the white chessmen in the torchlight like a beacon.
'How?' said Hermione nervously.
'I think,' said Ron, swallowing, 'We're going to have to be chessmen.'
Ron boldly strode up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the horse. The stone immediately sprang to life and the knight turned its head to look down at Ron.
'Do we—er—have to join you to get across?' he stammered.
The black knight nodded its helmeted head.
'Well, Padfoot and I are the best chess players here—no offense, guys, but you suck—Prongs, you take place of that bishop. Moony, you be the castle. Leo, you can be the king and Padfoot you can pick between the other castle or the queen.' said Ron, eying the pieces carefully.
'Queen, since I am the queen.' she smirked.
'What about you, Specks?' said Harry.
'I'm going to be a knight.' said Ron.
The chessmen Ron had selected must've overheard him—they all walked off the board, moving to stand behind the board to the right. Carina went to stand in the space the chessman—was it woman?—left.
'White always goes first, look, there we go.' said Carina, looking at the board as a white pawn moved forward two squares.
Ron took the main charge of directing the pieces—although he failed to notice when his friends were in danger, but Carina had no problem yelling at him several times.
The first piece to be taken was their other knight—the white queen smashed him with her hand and dragged him off the board with the other.
'That's brutal.' said Carina, shaking.
'Had to let that happen.' said Ron, looking spooked.
'Take that bishop, Moony, it's free now.' Carina pointed.
The white chessmen had no mercy as they smashed through each of the black pieces like nothing. Carina only needed to tap them with her finger and the white pieces would walk off the board immediately, moving to stand near the black pieces that had left when they assumed their roles. There were soon more black and white chess pieces scattered across the floor along the chessboard. Until…Carina noticed something odd—the white queen looked directly at Ron.
'No…' she whispered, but it was futile. Ron had to be taken to checkmate the King.
'It's the only way.' said Ron, who'd heard her.
'What?' said Harry.
'Ron's got to be taken.' Carina choked out.
'NO!' shouted Mary, Hermione and Harry all at once.
'That's chess!' Ron exclaimed. 'You've got to make some sacrifices! I move up a square—that leaves the queen to take me—and Prongs can move to checkmate the King!'
'But—' said Harry, still trying to talk him out of it.
'Do you want to stop Snape or not?'
'Ron—' said Hermione.
'Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!' Ron shouted.
'There's no other choice.' said Mary, bowing her head.
'Ready?' called Ron, pale but determined. 'Here I go—now, don't hang around once you've won.'
Ron took a shaky step forward. The white queen wasted no time before she slapped him across the head, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
'Ron!' screeched Hermione.
The queen dragged him across the board to the side—a red welt forming along his forehead.
Harry moved three spaces to the left, and the king threw his crown to his feet. They had won.
Mary and Carina immediately ran up to Ron. He wasn't bleeding, but he'd have a nasty bruise later.
'Come on!' said Harry, who was at the end of the chessboard.
''Rina we can't just leave him.' said Mary, looking tearfully at Ron.
'But—the Stone…'
'I'll stay—make sure Ron's alright, then go back with the broomsticks and send a letter to Dumbledore with Maya.' said Mary, shaking her head.
Carina nodded. She didn't dare talk, lest she choke up. Her friends were close to being in a lot of danger—not that they hadn't been before, but now Carina realized it was not a just any adventure—they could die.
'Good luck.' said Mary, hugging Carina. Carina returned the embrace—she didn't know if they would be coming back.
She reluctantly left and joined Harry and Hermione, who'd been waiting impatiently at the door.
'Leo's not coming, she's gonna take Specks to the Hospital Wing.' said Carina.
Hermione nodded and Harry put a hesitant hand on the door.
'All right?' he whispered.
'Go on' said Hermione.
Harry pushed it open. Immediately, Carina gagged. A troll, even bigger than the one they'd seen in the castle, lay flat across the floor, a bloody cut on its head. She couldn't take the smell—Carina pulled her robes up to her nose.
'Hurry up!' she said, choking up with tears at the smell.
They quickly rushed over to the next door, which Carina opened in a flash. She didn't even look to see what was inside, but she was rather surprised when it was just a table with different shaped bottles on it in a line. Hermione was the last to enter, and the door shut just after. Bright purple flames sprung up in the doorway behind them—and completely black flames licked up from the doorway going to the final obstacle.
'There's no way out.' said Carina.
'This is Snape's,' said Harry. 'What do we have to do?'
'There's a paper.' said Hermione.
It read:
"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,
One among us seven will let two move ahead,
Another will transport one back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide,
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side.
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend.
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides.
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right,
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."
A riddle! Finally, no more physical things, she sighed in relief.
Hermione had smiled, probably thinking the same thing. Harry looked at them like they were insane.
'Brilliant' said Hermione. 'This isn't magic—it's logic—a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever.'
'But we won't!' smiled Carina, nudging Hermione.
'Of course not!' said Hermione. 'Everything we need is here, on the paper. Seven bottles: three are poison, two are wine, one will get us through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple.'
'But how do we know which to drink?' said Harry.
'Wait a bit, Prongs.' said Carina, moving to examine the bottles.
The bottles next to the ends are nettle wine, cause they're the same…so the left ones next to them are poison and the last one is on the right, so no poison—that's five gone, so two left. Maybe Moony knows the rest…
'Moony, do you know the three in the middle—I only got the ones along the ends. The last one to the right can't be a poison cause it'll be next to the nettle wine on the left so that one has to be the one to go back.' said Carina, cocking her head to the left.
'I got it!' exclaimed Hermione. She moved to get the third bottle from the left. It was the smallest, and only held enough for two—so who would go?
'This one will get two of us through the black flames.' said Hermione, turning to look back at Harry.
'But who will go?' he said, looking between them.
'You and Padfoot.' Hermione stated.
What?!
'What?' said Carina, wide-eyed.
'You and Prongs have to go—you're smart and tough—you can help Harry more than I can…' she said, trailing off.
'Moony, you're ten times better than me at smart stuff!' Carina exclaimed.
'Me! Books and cleverness! There are more important things than being book smart—friendship and bravery, selflessness—oh—be careful!' said Hermione, wrapping her arms around Carina and Harry.
They were squished together by Hermione's tight embrace.
'Moony, you're strangling us!' choked out a pink Harry.
'Sorry!' and she let them go.
'Take the one to go back,' said Harry.
'Meet up with Mary and go to the owlery with her to send the letter to Dumbledore, we need him.' said Carina.
'But—what if You-Know-Who's there with Snape?' said Hermione.
'Well, Prongs was lucky once, eh?' said Carina, crooked smile on her lips.
'You drink first' said Harry, nodding to the bottle in Hermione's hands. 'You are sure which is which, aren't you?'
'Of course she is; she's Moony!' said Carina, smacking Harry on the shoulder.
'Positive.' and Hermione took a long drink from the bottle. A shudder was visible on her face—must taste bad, then.
'It isn't poison?' said Harry anxiously.
'No—but its like ice.'
'Quick, go, before it wears off.' Harry nudged her.
'Good luck—take care.'
'GO!'
Hermione turned and walked right through the purple fire.
Harry looked right into her silver eyes.
'Ready?'
Carina gave a small nod, blonde curls bouncing.
'Here we go,' he said, and picked up the small bottle. He shuddered, like Hermione, and passed it to her.
'She wasn't kidding.' Harry choked out.
Heart pounding, Carina took the bottle. She brought it to her lips tentatively. It was like an icy fire burning as it went down her throat. It also had a very unpleasant flavor—similar to the liquid dread she'd drank named Skele-Gro.
'Ugh!' she grimaced.
'Together?' asked Harry.
'Let's do it.' Carina grabbed his hand, and leapt into the black flames.
The fire was there—and it wasn't. She could see it dancing around them, but she couldn't feel it—and then they were on the other side, in the final chamber.
Carina straightened up as she noticed someone—but it wasn't Snape.
What the actual fuck.
It wasn't Voldemort—that's for sure. It was Professor Quirrell. He hadn't noticed them enter—Carina turned to Harry. He nodded. She jumped behind a pillar as Quirrell turned ominously.
'You!' said Harry, pointing at Quirrell. Carina felt the odd feeling of something pouring down her back as she turned the color of candlelight and stone bricks.
'Me.' he said in a calm voice. 'I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter. Shame your pretty red-haired friend isn't here—she'd be fun to break.'
Carina felt herself shudder at the thought.
'But I thought—Snape—'
'Severus?' Quirrell laughed, but it wasn't like his usual trembling laughter. It was cold and sharp, like a knife. 'Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?'
Carina could see Harry shaking his head.
'But Snape tried to kill me! And Carina knew it was you from the start! We didn't believe her though...' Harry trailed off.
'No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend, Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you. And Miss Black is smarter than I thought, seems she's very perceptive—yes, she would be great fun to break.' he sneered evilly.
Carina felt herself frown in disgust and disbelief.
Quirrell, really?! At least Snape wouldn't say things like that.
'Snape was trying to kill me?'
'Of course, why else do you think he wanted to referee you next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular...and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight.'
Carina let out a small gasp. Quirrell turned sharply, but Carina had already moved further behind the pillar. She heard a snap. Gathering courage, she peeked out from her hiding place.
Harry was tied up with tight ropes, Quirrell right in front of him.
'You're too nosy to live, Potter. You and your meddling friends. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew, you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone.'
'You let the troll in?'
'Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls—you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off—and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror.'
Mirror? Wait…no…it can't be…
Carina moved to look at what she hadn't noticed before—the ornate golden shine of the Mirror of Erised. While Quirrell was inspecting it, Carina moved to Harry.
He shook his head furiously. She nodded towards Quirrell and moved down the middle slope of the circular chamber. Fortunately, more pillars stood along the rim of the inner circle, and Carina hid once more behind another.
'This mirror is the key to finding the Stone,' Quirrell muttered, tapping the gilded frame. 'Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…'
Carina's eyes widened. What if Mary didn't send the letter in time?! She pulled out her rowan wand for safety. Carina probably couldn't do anything to him, but it didn't hurt to try. She slumped down on one of the pillars. Carina was sure any second now, Quirrell would hear the pounding of her heart—she certainly did.
'I saw you and Snape in the forest—' Harry blurted out.
'Yes…' said Quirrell, not bothering to turn around. Quirrell walked around the mirror. 'He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me—as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…'
Voldemort?! But…it's just him though? Right...?
Quirrell finished inspecting behind the mirror and looked into it. A look of longing and desperation filled his face.
'I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?'
Carina saw a bit of movement by Harry. He was struggling against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give.
'But Snape always seemed to hate me and Carina so much.'
'Oh, he does' Quirrell replied casually. 'Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your fathers, did you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead.'
'But, I heard you, a few days ago, sobbing—I thought Snape was threatening you…'
Fear cut across Quirrell's face for the first time.
'Sometimes,' he said. 'I find it hard to follow my master's instructions—he is a great wizard and I am weak—'
He was in the classroom with us? What?!
'You mean he was there in the classroom with you?' Harry gasped, asking what she was thinking.
'He is with me wherever I go' said Quirrell quietly. 'I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those to weak to seek it…Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me' he shivered. 'He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…'
Quirrell cursed under his breath, as he turned to look at the mirror once more.
'I don't understand…is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?'
Carina heard an odd sound, like a faint echo.
What do I want most of all? Right now? I want all my friends to be safe…and not in danger…
Carina snapped out of her thoughts when Harry fell over. Quirrell hadn't noticed, but was still talking to himself.
'What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!' he pleaded.
Carina heard the noise again, and it seemed to be coming from Quirrell, an ethereal whisper.
'Use the boy…Use the boy…'
Harry!
Quirrell turned to Harry quickly.
'Yes—Potter—come here.'
Quirrell clapped his hands, and the ropes around Harry fell off. He got to his feet slowly.
'Come here.' said Quirrell once more. 'Look in the mirror and tell me what you see.'
Carina watched, wide-eyed, as Harry walked into the mirror. A faint movement in his pockets got her attention at once, but Quirrell hadn't noticed.
'Well? What do you see?' snapped Quirrell.
In a trembling voice, Harry replied: 'I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore, I-I've won the house cup for Gryffindor.'
This was the wrong answer. Quirrell cursed and shoved Harry out of the way. He moved towards Carina slowly. The voice sounded again. Higher and cold as ever, it said: 'He lies…he lies…'
'Potter, come back here!' shouted Quirrell. 'Tell me the truth! What did you just see?'
'Let me speak to him…face-to-face…' said the voice.
'Master, you are not strong enough!'
'I have strength enough…for this…' it hissed.
Harry stood, rooted to the spot, as Quirrell raised his hands. He began to unravel the turban that left his head never. He looked oddly naked without it. Quirrell began to turn around, showing him the back of his head.
Except…
It wasn't the back of his head. Carina let out a sharp gasp as she gazed upon it. A face, chalk white with red eyes and slits for nostrils, stared back at Harry.
'Harry Potter…' it whispered.
'See what I have become…' it hissed. 'Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks…you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?'
Harry stumbled backwards and Carina raised her wand.
'Don't be a fool' snarled the face. 'Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…they died begging me for mercy…'
'LIAR!' shouted Harry suddenly.
Carina's eyebrows rose higher than ever as Quirrell began walking backwards at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.
'How touching…' it said. 'I always value bravery…yes, boy, your parents were brave…I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain.'
'NEVER!' roared Harry, and he moved towards Carina, who stood next to him quickly.
'SEIZE HIM!' screamed the voice.
'Levicorpus!'
Quirrell had grasped on to Harry's wrist, but had been wrenched off as he flew up, held precariously by his ankle.
Harry let out a gasp of pain and stumbled backwards.
Quirrell cursed and fell back onto the stone floor, but he was on his feet in seconds. He aimed his wand right at Harry.
'Crucio!'
Carina shoved Harry away as the red jet of light went towards him.
Pain. Pain was the only way she could describe the effects of the terrible curse. She shut her eyes. White-hot needles were piercing every inch of her skin, from her head that felt like it was splitting open to the tips of her toes—organs twisting into knots as knives stabbed her. She had her mouth open, and sound wasn't coming out—or maybe it was, but she didn't know or care. Carina couldn't remember where she was when the pain ended. She gasped for air as the spell ended; it was like she was drowning under all the pain with every breath. Never, had she ever felt pain like that—not even when the troll hit her. Carina was on the floor—When did that happen? —And Harry was staring, wide-eyed at her and Quirrell, who'd been watching with sick pleasure.
'SEIZE HIM!' screamed Voldemort once more, and Quirrell didn't hesitate, he lunged on top of Harry, holding him by the neck. Carina couldn't do anything. Her hair was back to golden blonde. The spot where the curse had hit her ached like a broken shard stuck inside of her lungs. She watched, trying to sit up, as smoke came off of Quirrell's hands as he let go of Harry.
'Master, I cannot hold him—my hands—my hands!'
Quirrell held up his hands in painful awe—they were red and shiny with burns.
'Then kill him, fool, and be done!' screeched Voldemort.
He raised his hands to perform another curse, but Harry lunged at him, hands all over his face as Quirrell screamed in agony.
'ARHGHHHH!'
Carina tried to push herself towards the curve of the wall. Her muscles protested with every movement as she screamed in pain. Carina was sure she was going to black out—the pain was too much. She stopped and turned her attention back to Harry, who had been grabbing Quirrell with all his might, and he was being scorched by it.
'KILL HIM! KILL HIM!' roared Voldemort, over the shrieking of Quirrell.
'Harry!' Carina screamed, as he began to fall unconscious. 'Harry!'
Black spots swam in her vision. Voldemort wasn't screaming anymore. In her dazed state, she failed to notice Professor Dumbledore enter the chamber, prying Quirrell off of Harry. He landed with a loud thud, as a black shadow flew out of his body, disappearing in the shadows. Quirrell was barely moving—he gave a violent shudder, and his disfigured corpse moved no more. A flickering gray translucent figure bent by him, and disappeared like it never happened.
Carina couldn't take it anymore—her body screamed in agony as she took one last look, a bright purple cloth flew towards her, like a bird, and she closed her eyes for sweet, blessed relief.
~CFB~
She was dead. A blurry white light filled her eyesight and began spreading as she opened her eyes even more. Nope, never mind, not dead. Carina blinked several times to get used to her surroundings. She was in the Hospital Wing. A mountain was next to her, and another wasn't far away in the bed next to hers. She blinked again. The mountain was a bunch of candy and wrapped presents. Interesting.
Carina sat up tentatively—her chest still ached after, but not as much as it had in the chamber. Professor Dumbledore was sitting by Harry, who was awake in the next bed.
'Ah, Miss Black, you're awake.' said Dumbledore, smiling his crooked smile. The twinkle in his eyes was bright behind his golden half-moon glasses.
'Padfoot!' exclaimed Harry.
'W-wh-what happened in there?' she asked, voice shaking.
'You and Mr. Potter saved the Sorcerer's Stone from Voldemort's hands.' he said simply, turning to look at her.
'But Quirrell—I saw him—he died? Right in front of me…' she trailed off, closing her eyes as she remembered his final moments. She felt a lump in her throat of disgust.
'Ah, yes my dear. It is quite a shame you had to see that. But you see, how merciless Voldemort is with his followers, even the most faithful. He did not stay to see what was next, but rather abandoned his host, like a parasite.'
'But-but he just died?! A figure was there, a ghost, like…a reaper!' Carina exclaimed.
'You have seen Death, Miss Black.' said Dumbledore, a small understanding smile on his face.
'Death? You can see Death?!'
'It is one of the more mysterious ways of magic,' explained Dumbledore, 'I believe the matter is studied by the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Mysteries. Muggles cannot see it as clearly as wizards, but they can still see the spirit fading.'
Carina slumped into her pillows. She had seen a man die—evil, sure, but still a once living being before they had gone into the chamber. But, maybe he wasn't as much a man as he was before Voldemort—he did drink that unicorn blood…
'But, what was that spell he used? I-it was horrible…I couldn't remember why I was there afterwards…'
'You were screaming. Screaming so loud, I didn't know what to do.' said Harry, looking down in shame.
'That was the Cruciatus Curse' said Dumbledore solemnly, sparkle in his eye gone. 'It is one of the Unforgivable Curses, which can earn you a life sentence in Azkaban. With that spell, you don't need anything else to cause pain.'
Carina glanced towards Harry, who wasn't looking her in the eye.
Harry must feel guilty…he's probably beating himself up.
'It's all right, Prongs. You probably couldn't do anything; if I hadn't pushed you, how else would you have stopped Quirrell?' said Carina, smiling.
Harry opened his mouth, but closed it right after. Of course he couldn't have done it. Dumbledore regained the twinkle in his sky blue eyes.
'Hey, what happened to the Stone?' said Carina, frowning as she remembered.
'It has been destroyed' said Dumbledore simply.
Wow, imagine dying after six hundred years…
'What's all this?' Carina pointed to the mountain next to her.
'Gifts, from your friends and admirers.' smiled Dumbledore.
'Admirers?!'
'Oh yes, what happened in the dungeons is a complete secret, so of course, everyone knows.' Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.
'Well, at least you get free stuff.' said Carina, reaching out to grab a bag of Every-Flavor Beans.
'The twins tried to send us toilet seats' said Harry laughing.
'Course they would—it would be very interesting to have seen what Poppy did.' said Carina, smirking.
'Madam Pomfrey.' Dumbledore corrected. 'And she was not amused; she felt it wasn't very hygienic' he smiled. 'I believe your friends, Miss Granger and Fawley and the Weasleys have been very concerned for you. They will be much relieved when they see you have both healed nicely.'
Carina pulled out a golden-brown bean.
'Ah! Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans! I was very unfortunate in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and I lost my liking for them ever since, but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee.' said Dumbledore reaching out for it.
She handed him the bean. Carina smirked in compete amusement as Dumbledore choked on the bean.
'Alas! Earwax!'
Harry burst out laughing.
'I believe it is time for me to go.' Dumbledore stood abruptly and walked out of the Hospital Wing, robes billowing as he whirled out of sight.
A faint pleading got her attention. Several redheads and two brunettes were pleading with Madam Pomfrey.
'Just five minutes.' whined Hermione.
'Absolutely not.'
'But you let Professor Dumbledore in…' said Harry from across the room.
'Yes, but that was the Headmaster, quite different. You both need the rest.'
'But we are resting, see, we're in bed and everything.' said Carina, smiling brightly.
'Oh, very well, five minutes, only.'
Ron, Fred, George, Mary, and Hermione were all running up to their beds.
'Padfoot! Prongs!'
'Specks! Moony!' said Harry.
'Twins!' said Fred and George.
Carina smiled at them. Harry began telling the story of what happened in the chamber when the twins came up to her bed. Fred rubbed the back of his neck, and George had his hands anxiously rubbing each other.
'Er—We just wanted to say—' began Fred.
'We're both really—' said George.
'Sorry!' they chorused.
They looked like sad puppies, eyes begging her to accept their apology.
'Hm.' said Carina, faux-contemptuous. She raised her nose high into the air. 'The great and merciful Lady Padfoot accepts your pitiful apology, but do that again and she will not be as forgiving.' she said in a tone befitting a queen.
They both got onto their knees and bowed their heads, like they were praying.
'Thank you o' merciful Lady Padfoot, long live the Queen, long live the Queen.' cried Fred, pretending to wipe a tear.
'We promise we'll never do that again, Mistress Padfoot.' said George, beginning to stand up.
Carina smirked. Their antics got the attention of all the people in the room, even Madam Pomfrey's, who didn't question a thing and returned to measuring potions.
'That's right, the Lady Padfoot rules us all with a iron fist, if you don't, you suffer her wrath.' said Mary, joining in.
'Padfoot, vanquisher of order, rules, and puns.' said Harry, smiling.
'Vanquisher of Puns?!' Carina gasped in disbelief.
'Lady Padfoot makes the best puns; how dare you question her skill at wordplay!' exclaimed Ron, catching on.
'Should the mighty Lady Padfoot pun-ish the ignorant Lord Prongs?' questioned Carina. 'Alas, a vote must occur in order to defeat thy Prongs.'
Carina glanced around, a small smirk barely visible. Mary, Ron, Fred, and George had their hands in thumbs down, but Hermione gave a thumbs up.
Prepare to get roasted, my deer Prongs. Carina smiled evilly.
A faint rumble of laughter began the war of words.
'Thou has most unjustly doubted the mighty Padfoot at her most significant skill—puns—doe she does not feel thy hart is worthy for the most a-grazing puns.'
'Lady Padfoot must be having a ruff time coming up with these puns.' said Harry, after a brief paws.
'You were an en-deer-ing foe, but it is obviously a stag-gering lost for you, Lord Prongs. Even if your puns are making Madam Pomfrey doe-eyed.' smirked Carina.
Madam Pomfrey did indeed look like a deer in the headlights, but recovered quickly.
'That's enough—you've had nearly fifteen minutes! Out!'
And so ended their fawn-d battle of pun-ches.
~CFB~
Madam Pomfrey had given them a dreamless sleep potion—so they could be well rested for the next day. But that didn't stop them from badgering her about the feast later on—the last one of the year before returning to the orphanage. Surprisingly enough, an unexpected visitor stopped them from their constant nagging.
Hagrid was in the too-small doorway, heaving and holding, what looked like a tablecloth. He took one look at the both of them, and burst into wet, loud, tears.
'It's—all—my—ruddy—fault!' he sobbed, the checkered tablecloth being wiped all over his face. 'I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh both could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!' Hagrid collapsed into more sobs in his "handkerchief".
'Hagrid!' exclaimed Carina.
'Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him.' reassured Harry, tentatively patting him on the back.
'Yeh could've died! Carina got 'it by one o' the wors' curses of wiz-wizardkind!' he sobbed even harder. 'An' don' say the name!'
Carina and Harry shared a look.
'VOLDEMORT!' they both bellowed.
Hagrid looked so shocked—he didn't speak or cry anymore—he just straightened up.
'We've met him, and we've been calling him Voldemort for a while now…Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog; me and Padfoot've got loads…' said Harry.
'Oh!' exclaimed Hagrid, 'That reminds me—I've got yeh both a present.' He reached into his long moleskin coat.
'It's not any of those rock cakes, is it?' asked Carina anxiously.
Harry laughed, and Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.
'Nah, Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter get 'em. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead—anyway, got yeh this…'
He pulled out a nice leather-bound book and a few rectangles and squares. Hagrid handed her the glossy rectangles and she peered curiously at them. The first one was of a man—her father to be exact—with her mom, both laughing with each other as they shoved each other back and forth. She moved to the next picture—this time, it was seven people—her parents, by the looks of it, and the chocolate haired woman and the other men she'd seen in the mirror, but a lot younger—they looked to be around their early teens, probably around thirteen years old. Another man was there—a rat-faced looking one that she hadn't seen in the mirror. Odd.
They were making faces and smiling at the camera good-naturedly. Carina moved to another picture, her eyes a luminous green. It was a picture of just the boys, Padfoot, Moony, Prongs, and Wormtail—all smiling as an odd formation of clouds moved around dreamily. Wait a second—those weren't clouds—it was…a portrait of her father! In the clouds, with different colors all over as they made up his aristocratic facial structure.
They were brilliant! They were…gone…
Carina felt her eyes well up with tears, and Hagrid smiled at her, giving her the end of his large tablecloth.
'Thanks, Hagrid.' Carina said, with a watery smile. She wiped the tears before they could fall down her cheeks.
Harry had no words; he looked just as speechless as Carina felt when she'd seen the pictures.
'I sent a few owls out ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos…knew neither of yeh didn' have any…d'yeh like 'em?'
Carina nodded furiously. She couldn't wait to put them in her trunk and get down to the End-of-Term Feast.
~CFB~
Madam Pomfrey finally let them both out of the Wing—Carina, a bit sore from sitting so long, but perfectly healthy nevertheless. They both raced to the Great Hall; Madam Pomfrey had held them up a bit for a final check up before letting them out of the white prison. Carina stopped just before entering the hall. Anxiety filled every pore of her body as she imagined walking in to the Great Hall. Everyone was in there, buzzing with excitement at the talk of what happened with the Sorcerer's Stone.
Harry turned to her—maybe he was nervous too.
Suck it up!
Carina pushed the doors of the Great Hall open dramatically. If she was to be the one that held everyone's attention, she would do it magnificently. Harry trailed close behind her as a hush went over the entire hall.
'What are y'all looking at?' she called, raising an eyebrow.
A faint buzzing ensued, which turned into a loud voices talking over one another.
Carina smirked. Of course that would make them start talking. She moved to sit by the end of the Gryffindor table—where they usually sat. She sank down next to Mary, who had her squirming black pug in hand.
'Bombur!' she exclaimed. He was happy to see her as well—his curly tail was wagging around with furious energy, even his butt was shaking with excitement.
The hall was swamped with the emerald green colors of Slytherin, mixed with silver streaks that were along the edges of every banner. The largest one of all, a serpent coiled around a silver ribbon, was behind the High Table.
Carina sighed. If only they'd planned a prank for the End-of-Term banquet.
Dumbledore arrived not a moment sooner, and the hall became quiet once more.
'Another year gone!' he called cheerfully. 'And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into a delicious feast. What a year it has been!' I'll say. 'Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… Now, as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and sixty-two points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six, and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.'
The Slytherin Table burst out in raucous cheers. Carina got a clear view of Malfoy stamping his feet on the ground. Ew.
'Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin,' said Dumbledore. 'However, recent events must be taken into account.'
The room went deathly quiet. A pin could drop and everyone would hear it. The bright smiles of the Slytherin table began to fade.
'Ahem,' said Dumbledore smiling. 'I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…'
'First, to Miss Mary Fawley, for quick thinking when stuck in the Devil's Snare…' Mary's caramel colored skin turned a faint shade of pink. 'I award Gryffindor house fifty points.' A loud roar burst from the Gryffindor table—they were no longer way behind the other houses. The twins were some of the loudest in the table, shouting 'Woo! Leo is a genius!'
'Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house, fifty points.' The table was rumbling in all the applause and cheer from the Gryffindor table. They were now ahead of Hufflepuff by four.
'Third, to Miss Hermione Granger, for use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.' Hermione buried her face into her arms—she was also shaking slightly. They were slightly closer to Ravenclaw, as the table was groaning and creaking as the floor stampeded with loud cheers.
'Fourthly, to Mr. Harry Potter…' the room went quiet immediately. 'For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points' Carina almost dropped Bombur—they were now tied with Slytherin with four hundred and seventy-two points. But Carina wondered what he'd give her; she hadn't been called yet…
'It takes a special kind of courage, to put another before themselves for a Cruciatus curse…even if they are your best friend—' the entire hall looked at Carina with a faint wince. '—Therefore, for outstanding loyalty and bravery, I award Miss Carina Black sixty points.'
Carina almost fainted—the cheers from the Gryffindor table were so loud, someone might've thought a bomb went off, so loud was the applause and shouts from the table. Piles of people were slapping her back, she would be sore for weeks, but that didn't stop her from roaring with pride and joy. The only thing that would make this better was a prank for the whole hall. She looked at the Slytherin table, a wide smile spread across her face. Malfoy had the most horrified face, she'd have thought someone had slapped him; he was so red with rage.
'Which means,' Dumbledore boomed over all the noise, even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the end of the Slytherin house victories. 'We need a little change of decoration.'
With a clap of his hands, the green banners swirled into scarlet and gold hangings, and a towering Gryffindor lion replaced the large Slytherin serpent. Carina's hair was a curly mass of red and her green eyes looked up to the Head table, where Snape was shaking McGonagall's hand with a forced smile that resembled a grimace. Still, she felt a sense of something missing.
A boom went off along the walls of the Great Hall. Carina whirled around. The smiles and cheers started dying down as another explosion occurred by the ends of the room. More loud booms echoed throughout the entire hall. A shriek from the Ravenclaw table got her attention. A boy was pointing up. Carina slowly began to look up. All the candles blew out, turning the hall pitch black. The only source of light was the night sky. It was—a silver dog and a stag? They were zooming all over the sky and then several golden words formed. It read: "You might think this is the real joke, but wait till you see the walls…" The lights all flared up at once.
She looked at the walls quickly. They were covered—no—drenched, in obnoxiously bright-red, glossy paint. Large golden silhouettes of a stag, two dogs, lion, wolf, and two hyenas were running across the walls, until they all merged into more words.
"Enjoy your meals…—Prongs, Padfoot, Leo, Moony, and Specks—With a little help from Forge"
Carina glanced towards the Head Table with a small smirk. Professor Dumbledore had a curious face as he glanced towards the Gryffindor Table. McGonagall was pale and thin-lipped and also looking at the Gryffindor Table. Snape was glaring very hard at the corner of the table they sat at. Flitwick was also a bit curious as he stood glancing back and forth around the halls—no doubt looking for the source of the paint.
'Well, that was an entertaining display, now, let us eat!' boomed Dumbledore, clapping his hands. The normal-looking dinner instantly appeared on the tables, and hesitant students began digging in. Carina turned to the slightly guilty faces around her.
'Care to explain what just happened?' asked Harry.
'Well, you see,' said Hermione. 'We wanted to surprise you both after you got better—so we got the twins to help us with it.'
'So what's in the food?' whispered Carina.
'A special something.' winked Fred, who was next to her.
'Except not in ours.' said Mary, pointing to their end of the table.
'Yeah, we really don't want to have it in ours.' said Ron, who was devouring a helpless piece of chicken mercilessly.
'It?' asked Harry.
'It.' confirmed George, who was sitting next to Hermione.
'Just tell me!' exclaimed Carina.
'Have you read the end of the potions list in the Prank-Book? The one that said "Do not use, except for end/beginning of the year surprises"?' said Hermione, who was eating her pasta like there was no tomorrow.
Carina's hair turned blonde. That potion.
'You used it!' hissed Carina.
'Yes we did.' smirked Mary, who was obviously enjoying her reaction.
'What is it?' asked a still-oblivious Harry.
'Let's just say it's a roaring surprise.' said Fred, grinning knowingly.
A loud pop sounded from the Slytherin end of the hall. More followed soon after, and Carina turned curiously to see the results of the potion. Small baby lion cubs were waddling all over the floor of the Great Hall. The Slytherin cubs were neon green; the Ravenclaw lions were fluorescent blue, and the Hufflepuffs, a blinding shade of yellow. The only table unaffected by the potion, however, was the Gryffindor table.
Carina roared with laughter as she caught sight of a pale blond cub in the Slytherin table. Malfoy made a good cat, she mused. The entire table would've probably exploded in more raucous laughter—had not McGonagall stood up, nose flared, and lips invisible. Dumbledore, always amused by their pranks, made no move to stop her. Snape, however, was a different story. He too, had been turned into a lion, but a fully-grown one. He meowed with annoyance of all the noise.
'I demand to know who did this!' called Professor McGonagall, over the laughter of the Gryffindors.
The table went silent. Carina, always the innocent, made to stand. Her friends around her also stood, on the benches that were still shaking with mirth.
'Hey Minnie! How's that for a going-away present!' she yelled back. A cocky smile began to form on her lips—and on the others as well.
McGonagall looked like she'd been slapped, but she quickly regained control.
'To the Headmaster's office with all of you!' she roared.
Dumbledore stood with a small smile.
'Off we go!' smiled Dumbledore in a pleasant tone.
Mary nudged her.
'Should we tell her to drench them in pumpkin juice?' asked Mary.
'I guess?' Carina shrugged.
'Fred, would you tell McGonagall?' asked Mary.
His answer was a loud shout.
'Minnie! Drench them in pumpkin juice!'
McGonagall did not reply; she was too busy trying to prevent the small cubs from leaving the fire-truck red hall. Dumbledore led them to the familiar stone gargoyle.
'Miss Fawley, would you care to do the honors?' said Dumbledore, waving his hands.
'Chocolate Frogs.' Mary said proudly.
The entrance opened with a dull scraping. Dumbledore led the way to the office, and Hermione was last with a very nervous expression. When they finally reached the top, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were very dumbfounded when Dumbledore pulled out a deck of cards.
'What should we play today?' he asked, sitting in his comfortable chair. Fawkes eyed them all with a beady eye—he always examined newcomers. Carina moved to sit in her chair—a small scarlet beanbag on the side of Professor Dumbledore's desk.
'Let's play…poker!' said Fred, sitting in his designated beanbag.
'What?!' exclaimed Harry, who was looking at everything in awe.
'You do know how to play poker, right?' asked Carina, turning to Harry.
'Yes—but what?!' he said again.
'We are going to play cards, Mr. Potter' said Dumbledore simply, handing out the cards.
And they did play cards—until the end of the day, when Dumbledore sent them off to their dormitories.
~CFB~
'Did we really just play cards with Professor Dumbledore?' asked Ron, who was still in a small daze.
'Yeah, you lost every game, how don't you remember that?' Mary said with a smirk.
'I do, but we just played cards with Dumbledore.' said Ron again.
Carina shook her head. He was hopeless!
'Oh, I almost forgot!' exclaimed Fred, who was in the process of talking to George.
'Would you like to come to the Burrow sometime in the summer?' asked George, turning to them.
'Sure?' replied Mary.
'Do you guys have a fireplace?' asked Carina.
'Course we do.' said Ron.
'Alright then, sure!' smiled Carina.
'What about you, Moony?' asked George.
'Well, I'm not completely sure, but I'll ask my parents when I get home and owl you.' said Hermione thoughtfully.
'Prongs?' asked Ron.
'Er—well, I'm not completely sure the Dursleys will let me…but I'll ask them.' said Harry a bit awkwardly.
They walked in a happy silence to the Gryffindor common room. Carina was perfectly content—until a loud rumbling got her attention.
'I'm super hungry!' she moaned.
'Go eat something?' said Mary, who was holding her chubby dog again.
'Alright, I'm going to the kitchens—want anything?' asked Carina, straightening up immediately.
'Get me some treacle tart!' exclaimed Harry.
'Ooh! Me too!' said Ron, who was always hungry.
'I'm fine, thanks.' said Hermione.
'Take Bombur up to the dorm, please.' said Carina, making puppy eyes at Mary.
'Fine.' said Mary with a playful eye roll.
'Thanks!' and Carina ran down the empty hall.
Dumbledore had let them out an hour before curfew, so she couldn't stick around to chat with anyone, but that didn't try and stop the rush of students trying to get her attention. In the end, she decided to "blend in", and quite literally too. Carina was reaching out to tickle the pear when a vaguely familiar voice sounded from behind.
She whirled around quickly. It was a rather tall Slytherin boy. He had a face Carina knew she should remember, but she couldn't.
'What brings you down to the kitchens?' he smirked.
'Well, I don't know what else you can get at a kitchen, except for food…but I guess I'm here to talk to the house elves.' Carina smirked back.
'Seems like famous Black can't stop getting attention.' he sighed.
'Seems like random Slytherin boy is getting really annoying.' Carina snapped.
'Random Slytherin boy?!' he put his hands to his chest dramatically. 'I am wounded.'
'Who are you, again?' asked Carina a bit hostilely.
'Well, technically I'm Castiel, but you know me as Daniel.' he said matter-of-factly.
'Castiel? Why did you tell me it was Daniel?' Carina frowned.
'It's my middle name—I give it out to people I don't really know.' said Dan—Castiel.
'Castiel is a mouthful, I think I'll call you Cas.' she turned to the portrait again.
'No, no, no, it's Castiel.' Cas frowned, shaking his head.
'Too late.' she sang, and she tickled the pear.
The handle formed and Carina didn't hesitate to pull it open quickly. When Carina turned to close the door, Cas had a confused look on his face. His blue eyes were wide like a sad puppy's, and his head was cocked slightly to the side.
'I guess you can call me Cas.' he sighed, bowing his head.
'Great! You can call me Padfoot.' Carina said loudly, and the door shut quickly.
He is really weird. But at least I have a Slytherin—acquaintance? Yeah, that sounds right.
~CFB~
Carina had almost forgotten about the exams—when they'd received the scores, she was very surprised to see that she was second in the year—only after Hermione, but that was to be expected. The morning after the End-of-Term feast, or as the Gryffindor students had taken to calling it, "Lion's Victory feast", was very hectic. She couldn't find the things she had the day before! Her left shoe was missing, several socks, and even her pillow was gone.
'LEO!' Carina bellowed.
'WHAT?!' replied Mary, just as loud.
'HAVE YOU SEEN MY SHOE?!'
'NO!'
'WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING; YOU'RE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER?!' roared Hermione, who was cramming her books into her already full trunk.
'I don't know?' said Carina sheepishly.
'Eh.' said Mary, shrugging her shoulders.
'Maybe Bombur took them?' said Lavender Brown, the blonde that also shared their dorm.
'Nah, he's too well-trained.' Carina waved her hand.
'Did you look under your bed?' asked Hermione, an eyebrow raised.
'Wow Moony, I didn't know things could get under your bed.' said Carina sarcastically.
'Hey!' said a muffled Mary, who was digging under her own bed. 'I think I found your shoe—and those socks you were whining about in like December.'
'Great!' Carina smiled.
A fluff-covered Mary emerged from her four-poster. A very fluffy, once black shoe, was in her hands.
'I guess I'll just wear it like that.' Carina sighed, reaching for her left shoe.
'You are super lazy.' commented Mary, who was dusting herself off.
'Thanks; I try.' Carina smirked.
Interestingly enough, no one commented on her shoe; rather they were asking how they did the Lion prank. Especially the Ravenclaws, they were a huge pain as she was trying to turn Snape red and gold with Harry as a final farewell to their favorite teacher. It had taken several threats to remove every follicle of hair from their body from Carina to get them to leave her alone.
They had left the castle in what seemed like seconds. Floating across the lake in the wooden boats, Hogwarts looked bigger than ever—it was hard to believe that it had already been an entire year. The Hogwarts express was scarlet as usual as they loaded loudly into the compartments. Ms. Campbell had also been notified that they were going back already, so she'd be there when they got to the train station.
When they got the papers notifying them they couldn't use magic outside of school—Carina got curious. If she wasn't born in Britain, wouldn't that remove any trace they had of her using magic? Maybe they had a Ministry of Magic in the States.
The twins had told her that everyone had a Trace in Britain. It happened as soon as a magical child turned eleven. But as far as they knew, it only affected kids that didn't live with a fully-grown wizard or witch. Would Ms. Campbell count as a witch? Probably not, but they didn't live in Britain so that would make a difference. Maybe they'd give a warning, but it didn't hurt to try a bit of magic outside of school while they were in America.
Ms. Campbell was waiting for them by Ron's family when they'd gotten to the Platform. Bombur was going insane with all the people around him, so Carina stuffed him in her leather bag. He barely fit, but at least it stopped him from squirming around. A loud squeal got her attention.
'There he is, Mum, there he is, look!'
It was a small redheaded girl that could only be Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley. She was next to who had to be Mrs. Weasley.
'Harry Potter!' she squeaked. 'Look, mum! I can see—'
'Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point.' scolded Mrs. Weasley.
Carina smiled. Maybe it was time to make introductions. She walked confidently up to Mrs. Weasley with Ron, Mary, and Harry, who was unbothered by Ginny's loud voice.
'Hello.' smiled Carina charmingly.
Mrs. Weasley turned quickly, and the blood drained from her face.
'Gin?!' she gasped.
Carina frowned. 'No, I'm Carina.' she corrected. 'Ginny's talking to Harry.'
'Oh, never mind; for a second there, I thought you were someone else.' smiled Mrs. Weasley quickly.
'Oh, alright then.'
'So I hear you get into quite a bit of trouble in the castle.' said Mrs. Weasley, trying to steer the awkwardness away.
Finally, her pride and joy—pranking.
Carina smiled devilishly.
'Ah, have the twins mentioned that?'
'Oh no, I thought we already had two.' sighed Mrs. Weasley, shaking her head.
'Actually, I think there's four more to add, if you want to include Spe—Ron.' smirked Carina.
'Not if I can help it.' said Mrs. Weasley sternly.
'I wanted to thank you for the sweater and fudge—I wasn't sure if Sp—Ron said thanks from me.' smiled Carina innocently.
'Oh, it was nothing, dear.' said Mrs. Weasley with a smile.
A brutish voice sounded from behind them.
'Ready, are you?'
Carina turned along with Harry, to a large—no the largest—man she'd ever seen. He had a big mustache and was purple in the face. He looked like he wasn't getting enough oxygen, he was so mad. Carina shook her head. She shouldn't be so rude to Harry's family, even if she was the spawn of hell, according to Professor Snape.
'You must be Harry's family!' said Mrs. Weasley, always friendly.
'In a manner of speaking,' said the fat man coolly. 'Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day.' he walked away towards a blond, horsey-looking woman, and a now largest boy she'd ever seen.
Never mind—be as rude as you like! Wow! That must be the boy Hagrid turned into a pig! There's not much of a difference though…
'Wow, he's a charmer.' said Carina sarcastically.
'I forgot, that was Uncle Vernon.' chuckled Harry. 'The woman next to him is Aunt Petunia, and then there's Dudley.'
Carina's hair turned black quickly. Her eyebrows dipped down quickly into a frown.
'So this is the loser that picks on you.' she snarled.
'No, no, no, Padfoot!' said Harry, holding her back.
'Don't! Let me go, Prongs, I'll make sure he'll never threaten you again!' Carina growled.
'Come on dear, let's not resort to violence.' said Mrs. Weasley, who turned pale again.
Deep breaths, deep breaths!
Carina turned her hair it's usual wine color. The only thing that wasn't hers, however, was her bright emerald eyes.
'Let's go introduce ourselves.' said Mary, who'd seen Harry struggling to hold her and came to help.
'Er—not sure they'll appreciate that.' warned Harry.
'They'll love us! I know I do!' sang Carina, who was walking towards them menacingly.
Carina boldly strode up to Mr. Dursley.
'Hello.' she said coldly.
'Er—hi.' he said anxiously.
'I'm Carina. Carina Black. I'm a friend of Harry's, and he's said many pleasant things about you all.' she smiled evilly.
Petunia looked the most perturbed by her—she was eyeing her with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
'Oh, really?' said Vernon, voice going higher and face turning a deep shade of violet.
'Yeah, but he especially told me about…' she trailed off to make it more suspenseful.
'About who?' asked Mary innocently, who was next to her.
'Dudley!' she screamed, and they all jumped.
'M-me?' said the very large boy who was trembling with fear as Carina walked towards him slowly.
'Yeah, something about how you are extremely nice to him, and love him so much, that sometimes his glasses break.'
'Oh—er—yeah.' stammered Dudley.
'Well, see, if I see them broken by the time we see him again…it won't be pleasant.' Carina threatened with an evil leer as she stopped in front of him.
'O-okay.' said Dudley fearfully.
'Now, you see here—' began Vernon furiously.
'No! You see here, Dursley!' Carina's hair turned pitch black. 'I will not see any sign of Prongs—Harry, getting hurt, or things will get ugly!' she roared.
Carina made herself grow several inches so she was eye to eye with the short, fat man. Eyes literally blazing, she looked right into Vernon's squinty black eyes.
'Do—not—bother—Harry.' she said quietly.
Carina made herself normal. They all looked very dumbstruck as Vernon nodded, furiously purple.
'On that cheery note, hope you have a great holiday, Prongs!' smiled Carina, whirling around to see a very thunder-struck Harry looking at her with awe.
Harry went to hug her.
'Oh, I will,' smiled Harry, as he pulled back. 'They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…'
Carina smiled. They grow up so fast. Ms. Campbell had already found Mary, and she was walking straight towards them. Bombur nearly jumped out of her bag as Harry left, but she managed to squash him back into the warm bag.
'Now, let's go back home.' said Ms. Campbell sternly. 'I've been waiting here for almost two hours!'
Ah yes, it was time to go to their second home. Hogwarts was now their first and only true home.
~CFB~
A/N: THE END!
Finally! Now I can start the second book, which I will not spoil the title of, until you see it for yourself. *insert Lenny face here* And, Castiel! I really wanted a Cas to be in this story—I love Supernatural, but this won't be a crossover, sadly. Although there might be some moments that sound familiar (puppy eyes get me every time)…I will be posting the second story after this chapter, so extra long chapter and new story chapter! I decided to combine the two last chapters because I didn't feel like just putting one 5k chapter and then another.
Why was Mrs. Weasley calling Carina "Gin"? Why was she so surprised when she saw her use her ability? Why is Ginny already fangirling over Harry?! Find out next time, in…. THE SECOND BOOK!
So, thanks for sticking around if you read this far, or thanks for reading if you just found this story! :) Also, thank you, reviewers/favoritees/followers.
So long, and good night,
Pugatron.
