Carina woke to a familiar pain at midnight on July 31st of her 5th year.
A pain she remembered in the other life when her mer self morphed or rather matured into its next stage. It was a splitting sort of pain that radiated down her legs starting below her abdomen and running down to the tips of her toes.
Even as her short nails dug into her palms she resolved not to scream, she was just a metaphorical caterpillar before but now she'd be able to fly away on her own two wings.
When it was all over she noticed her pj top was far too tight on her and looking down, she exclaimed. "I've got boobs!"
A gasp came free at the familiar voice she heard. Stumbling from her bed with still jello legs that sent pinpricks of pain up and down her spine she ran to the nearest full length mirror only to nearly squeal in joy.
There before her was her old self, one Miss Rikki Chadwick.
A cloaked shadow appeared behind her, "I thought to add one last inheritance, it would allow you the full ability to shift completely into whatever face and body suits you best."
"I'm not usually a hugger but…" Rikki 'Carina' turned and hugged the cloaked shadow that was more solid than he seemed, "Thank you!"
The throne room was not changed from the last time Carina (back in her five year old form). Peter stood resolutely by her side this time instead of holding her, this time not whimpering or cowering as much. Over the years he had grown used to her displays of intelligence and power.
Voldemort sat alone this time with none of his inner circle around him, already aware that she would arrive directly in place according to her letter.
Carina could see his paranoid mind still fighting within him trying to find out how she could have enough power to apparate through his manor's wards.
She smiled and began to draw the runes upon the stone ground according to how Death had described them to her.
Once finished, "The first must be placed beside the rune representing earth on your left while you stand center. The second must be placed to your right beside the rune based on air."
Carina stood back and waited for Voldemort to line up his horcruxes and step into the center. Before he could change his mind she whipped out the Elder wand and cast the wards locking him into place, a wicked grin slipped past her cool facade and his crimson gaze narrowed. Nagini who still sat on his throne hissed in warning.
~Do not harm my snakeling.~
~He will be in pain but only for a short while. It is the price he pays.~
Nagini nodded her giant head sagely and rested it back against her coils, while Voldemort's eyes had narrowed down to slits but his shouting voice wouldn't slip past the wards that were set around the rune space.
Carina turning back briefly toward Peter, "This might get a bit gruesome, the wards might be able to keep out the sound but it won't be a pretty sight."
Peter who over the years had lost many of his stress wrinkles tensed once more but nodded resolutely. "I will stay by your side."
Carina nodded before turning back and narrowing her gaze. She lifted her wand and cast, mumbling the latin almost siren like song underneath her breath.
Redirecting the tones toward the runes letting them absorb the magic she provided until they shone the color of their element. When the time for the earth rune came the diary horcrux vibrated fiercely and out came an almost corporeal visage of the younger Tom Riddle.
His gaze at once upon the small child enacting great magic upon his container but as he turned he found it wasn't just himself it was the original self. If he could call him that, he was almost a shade. A monster. How could this thing have enough charisma to rally a people for change. A giggle came from the girl casting the wards, as if she could read his thoughts from his expressions.
"I made a deal with the original. This ritual is for him to reabsorb his first two horcruxes in order to regain his strength and sanity back once more." She tilted her head to the side, "In the end wouldn't that be your end goal anyways Tom? It would be too inconvenient for him for two of you to be running around, this way you are safe and you have control."
Her eyes shined wickedly.
He faded as his decision was made but instead of going back into the diary he faded into Voldemort instead who hunched over in pain. His eyes became unseeing as he experienced what his first victim felt before the time of their death to make his first horcrux. He was fortunate that it was a relatively quick and painless death unlike others he'd done, unlike the next one.
~What's the price?~
A bored snake's voice asked.
~He experiences any torture or pain he put someone through at the time of their death to create the horcrux.~
Carina's eyes watched as the air rune lit up in the wards just as Voldemort had lifted himself back on his knees. She noticed no look of regret in his eyes, only a look of apprehension. As the Gaunt ring rattled out from it came a slightly older Tom Riddle, this one even more smug and imperious.
So Carina jumped straight to the point, "You failed. You were driven to insanity for how many times you split your soul." She ignores Voldemort's glare, "You have followers, however they follow out of fear rather than actual respect…" she gestured to Voldemort, "...this is what you've become. I have a deal with your current self to help you reabsorb your first two horcruxes in order to gain back your sanity and your strength."
This Tom looks down at her from on high with disbelief, but its not until Nagini speaks up that he changes.
~I grow bored when will this end, Carina.~
~Soon, Nagini.~ She smiles when the snake uses her name, instead of calling her 'pet' knowing that in her own way she's helping for the sake of her own 'snakeling'.
It's decided and the ring horcrux is absorbed. This time Voldemort has to experience his youth as he demolished every stitch of family he had left, even if they didn't deserve to have that name.
"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought. I thought it might show us the deaths, but it didn't."
The wards dropped as the binding finished, Carina quickly summoned the ring into her hand as Voldemort still groaned in pain on the ground after the binding and his transformation afterward.
"As this is no longer the Gaunt ring, as the Gaunts no longer exist. It goes back to the original owner. Death."
Carina could almost feel the swishing of her bestie's cloak behind her.
"Yes, Carina." Anytime she was in her tiny form they'd decided on the current timeline's name.
"Place the Cloak and the Ring in the Shadows." The Shadows was a realm similar to the In-Between but that was directly accessible only by Death or its Master. It could be as simple as pulling the item from 'thin air' but both Death and Carina agreed to mostly do it out of pockets, like in the case of the wand.
This time Peter did squeak, like his animagus, not that Carina could blame him. He hadn't understood her when she was speaking to Voldemort the first time around about her being who she was.
Carina turned her head slightly towards him, so that she could still keep the heaving Voldemort in her peripherals.
"It's ok, Peter. It's not your time yet. In fact, if I have my way you'll live a long, long life." She smiled.
Turning back to the ruler of the Dark side, which made Carina purse her lips to stop an improper giggle burst forth at the thought of him being a Sith lord, "Nice you have a full head of hair now." When his head turned up Carina was glad that she was already on her guard, because she might have said something truly stupid.
He was gorgeous, like his young incarnations were great looking teens but dang! This was a man! She blinked, and took a step back. "Well then you are all regenerated and stuff; our deal is now complete. Peter is safe from your side."
Carina turned toward Peter and gave him double thumbs up, "See! Promised you I'd get you off everyone's chess boards!"
"One moment, I never said anything about letting him go."
Carina scrunched up her nose and took a deep breath, "You promised that no harm would come to him. If he stays under your thumb…" She clenched her teeth, and Peter came forward and grabbed onto her arm.
"Carina, you've done enough. I'm safe."
She whipped toward Peter and stuck her finger in his face even if she had to go on her tippy toes to do it, "No! You will never be safe. As long as you follow orders to the Dark or Light you will be in danger, you will always…" Carina took a huge breath, "...always be a pawn." She pointed behind her at Voldemort, "He might not be easily able to throw you away, but don't think for a second that Dumbledore won't get rid of you the second you run out of usefulness."
His eyes were wide but Carina turned back around and marched back over to Voldemort that now stood. Was he always that tall? Or was it just that when he was all pale and monstrous looking he kinda faded into the background and now he somehow seemed more buff and healthier? How the heck did he get all that just from her rune ritual, she'd have to ask Death later.
"This is what you are going to do."
"Carina…" Peter whispered urgently from behind.
"You shush." Carina turned back to the man that stood in the center of the room who had just transfigured his robes into a more fitting suit which was not helping her more mature brain at all. "You are going to tell your peoples that Peter is on some hush hush secret mission. You can even tell them that...I don't know...I have 'potential'..." Carina chortled at the idea, "...and so you've had Peter keeping a close eye on me, and also that's why you didn't kill me when you had the chance. You can tell them I've gained the goblins as allies. Fact, I have. It's cool, I know. I'm awesome." Carina tossed her hair to the side, "That that's where the Missing Potter child's been this whole time being a ward of the goblins since...I don't know she doesn't trust Dumbledore...not far from the truth anyway." She shrugs. "Peter can't come to meetings because he is on a mission in relation to the girl. Good enough for you Mr Dark Lord of the Dark Side of...you know I don't know where I was going with that."
The most dark lucious sinful chuckle came from the man that it should have been illegal, especially around minors no matter their brain ages.
"How about this…" He bent down until he was at eye level with her, his forget-me-not eyes swirling with mirth and more emotion than he'd had in more than forty years.
His cold fingertip booped her in the nose uncharacteristically and she stepped backwards a step to get some space between them all the while covering her nose in surprise.
If she'd known his finger was coming toward her face she would have bit him, but it was too late now.
"I will go along with this plan of yours, if you inform me at the time you do a full inheritance test when you're eleven."
Her ocean blue eyes narrowed, "Why?"
He shrugged his shoulders elegantly almost with a feline grace if he wasn't so obviously a snake.
"Call me curious."