Chapter 2
Carina met Lyra Greyson in the foyer early the next morning, just after breakfast had been cleared away. She had pinned back a portion of her raven-black hair and the rest fell in gentle curls down her back. The taller girl wrapped Carina in a tight hug, laughing.
"Carina!"
"Hi, Lyra," Carina giggled. "Gosh, it feels like I haven't seen you all summer!"
Lyra flipped a loose curl over her shoulder, blue eyes sparkling with the brightness of her grin. "Well, we did just get home from Italy. You would have loved it there!"
Carina returned her best friend's smile. "You look stunning, Lyra. Did you bring the dress? I'd love to see it on you!"
Lyra gestured to one of the chairs in the foyer, where a garment bag had been draped. The girls eagerly took it upstairs to Carina's bedroom, and when Lyra pulled it from the garment bag and held it to her chest, Carina gasped.
The silky, dusty rose fabric spilled down from a high neckline, pooling at the bottom with a smattering of white gemstones that reminded Carina of stars. She touched the sheer, fluttering sleeves and the cinched waist, marveling at the texture.
"Lyr, it's gorgeous," she breathed. "Oh, go on, try it on!"
Lyra smiled shyly, stepping behind the screen in the corner of the room. When she emerged, Carina's smile broadened. The gown hugged Lyra's curves in all the right places, draping elegantly down from her waist to kiss the floor as the sleeves perched delicately on her shoulders. The rosy hue complemented her darker skin perfectly, enhancing her Indian heritage.
"What do you think?" Lyra asked nervously.
"I think I'll have to keep my eye on you tonight," Carina teased. "All of my suitors will be too distracted by you to notice me!"
Lyra's cheeks flushed slightly at the comment and she ducked her head.
"No," Carina reprimanded, stepping forward and lifting her friend's chin high with one finger. "You are beautiful and you will own it tonight."
"Whose debut is this supposed to be?" Lyra challenged. "I wasn't even supposed to be invited, remember?"
"Lyr, I can't have my debut if you're not there," Carina said seriously. "And if you're coming, then we have to make sure you meet my mother's standards, starting with the gown."
Lyra's eyes widened in panic. "Oh no! Did I overdo it?"
Carina shook her head quickly. "No, you're fine. It's elegant and eye-catching, but not too loud."
Lyra's eyes brightened excitedly. "Oh! I forgot to show you the best part!" She twirled, and suddenly Carina's bedroom gleamed with dozens of hues in every shade. She shielded her eyes against the sudden onslaught of light, and Lyra stopped spinning.
"Don't you love it?" she exclaimed. "It lights up when I get excited it."
"Ah, it's… very bright," Carina agreed, blinking away spots of color in her vision. As much as she adored her friend, her eccentricities tended to show at terribly inopportune moments. "Is there a way to keep it from blinding you?"
Lyra giggled. "Sorry, the lights were harder to see in the sunlight down in Italy, so they used a stronger charm. I should be able to tone it down a bit by tonight."
"That would be good," Carina said. "Now, have you danced in that dress yet?"
Immediately Lyra's smile faded. She fidgeted with the fabric.
"Well… not yet…"
Carina smiled knowingly and picked up a small bell from her side table. It emitted a light tinkling as she rang it, and a house elf appeared with a loud crack!
"Yes, miss?" the pitiful thing asked tentatively.
"Fetch my brother, will you Lina?" she ordered. "Tell him to meet us down in the ballroom."
"Please," Lyra interjected meaningfully.
"Please," Carina echoed with a small smile.
"Yes, miss!" The bat-eared elf bowed quickly and disapparated with another crack!
Carina grabbed a pair of heels and led her friend downstairs into the marble-floored room, decorated with greens and silvers in preparation for her debut. Draco was already waiting, and he appraised Lyra.
"Not bad," he commented, then turned to Carina. "What do you want?"
"Lyra hasn't danced in her dress yet, and she needs to brush up on her skills," Carina explained tersely. "I'd like you to be her partner."
Draco grimaced. "I thought I didn't have to dance until tonight."
Carina laughed. "Oh, come on, Draco. It'll just be for a few minutes until Lyra feels comfortable in her dress."
"Why do I have to do it?" he complained.
"Because you're my brother, and you wouldn't want my debut to be marred by poor dancing, would you?" she implored sweetly, squeezing her friend's arm reassuringly in response to her friend's questioning, sidelong glance.
Draco sighed heavily. "Fine. But only because it's your debut."
Carina nodded her thanks and turned on the radio hidden in a corner, handing off the heels to Lyra. She tuned the radio carefully until she came upon a station playing an easy waltzing melody. Satisfied, she returned her focus to Lyra and Draco.
They spent the morning reviewing the basics of various dances with Lyra, then instructed her in a few of the more complicated steps. To his credit, Draco kept his grumblings to a minimum, and Lyra caught on quickly. From time to time, Carina would step in to demonstrate with Draco, and they glided easily across the ballroom floor.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, Lyra had begun to make up ridiculous steps of her own, and Draco threw up his hands in frustration. Carina shut off the radio, declaring their practice over, and Draco made a swift exit.
"You're doing well," Carina commended her as they climbed the stairs back to her room.
"Thanks," Lyra replied, the borrowed heels swinging from her fingertips. "I didn't realize your brother danced."
"Our parents made us learn as soon as we could walk," Carina replied. "Draco and I used to have to practice a couple of hours a day."
"Isn't it weird dancing with your brother?"
"A bit," Carina admitted. "There used to be a couple of other kids that our instructors would teach too, so we had them as partners rather than each other." She shrugged. "Since then Draco's been my only partner when we practice. It's awkward, but it's good practice for when we have to dance with awkward partners."
Lyra's nose wrinkled. "I hope there's not much of that for me tonight."
"Awkward dances?" Carina pondered the thought. "Oh, I'm sure there will be plenty. There always are."
Lyra sighed as they reached the bedroom, hesitating at the door. "Carina, can I ask you something?"
Carina cocked her head to the side, brows drawn together. "Of course."
"Do you really think my dancing is poor?" Lyra's voice was quiet, her fingers fidgeting with the straps of the heels.
"What? I just told you that you're doing well."
"When you were talking to Draco, you said you didn't want your debut marred by poor dancing," Lyra reminded her reproachfully.
Carina's lips twisted to the side uncomfortably. "Lyr, I was only saying that to get him to help you brush up your skills. You're not a poor dancer."
Lyra sighed and lifted her shoulders. "I know this is probably a poor time to mention this, but—" she hesitated, seeming to choose her words carefully. "Look, I know I'm from a lower class than you—and we've been friends since our first year at Hogwarts—I just—" She paused and shook her head to gather her thoughts. Then she straightened her back and lifted her chin "What I mean to say is, I'm from a lower class, but that doesn't mean I'm inferior."
Carina blinked in surprise. "Lyra, I've never thought of you as—"
"Carina," Lyra interrupted, not unkindly. "You know that's not quite true. When we first became friends, you were so obsessed about status. We used to fight all the time, remember?"
Carina glanced away, trying to clamp down on the shame that rose in her chest at the thought. "I remember," she replied evenly.
Lyra waited to see if Carina would continue, but she didn't. "You don't mean to put other people down—being proud of your status is how you were raised—but a lot of other people see little reminders like that as direct jabs at them. I guess I'm asking you to be more mindful of the things you say." Her lips quirked up in a smile and she stepped forward to put a hand on Carina's shoulder. "Especially if you're looking to be a politician."
Carina met her friend's gaze and sighed. "You're… right." She shook her head, then forced a smile. "That's why I'm going to owl you every day as one of my advisors."
Lyra laughed and rolled her eyes, letting her hand drop. Carina's smile relaxed into something more genuine, and she let out a breath.
"You are so spoiled," Lyra teased, poking her ribs. Carina danced away from a second jab, and conversation drifted to plans for the future as the minutes ticked down toward her debut.
Lyra left just after lunch, leaving Carina to her thoughts and preparation with a promise that she would return in a few hours' time. Carina had a bath drawn, and as she soaked, she thought over their earlier conversation. It was true that she had been terribly fixated on status during her first year at Hogwarts, and that she and Lyra had butted heads frequently during those first months.
Then, upon becoming stuck on a particularly tricky Charms assignment, Lyra had selflessly stepped in to lend a hand. A small smile rose to Carina's lips as she recalled the way she had resisted the odd girl's help at first, then broken down as the night wore on. It had been tense, but fatigue wore down her defenses and by dawn they were talking easily, giggling about accidental magic from their respective early childhoods. The assignment lay nearly finished and forgotten in the common room when they fell asleep on the couches, very nearly missing breakfast a couple of hours later.
After that first barrier had been breached, Carina and Lyra became fast friends. Carina had learned so much about Lyra, who grew up in the lower middle class of Wizarding society, and so much about her world that she didn't realize she hadn't known. She'd barraged Lyra with questions, and her friend had teased that perhaps she should have been put in Ravenclaw instead.
Carina vaguely wondered if Lyra might deign to be her paid assistant after they graduated, then pushed the thought to the side as she stepped out of the tub to dry off. There would be plenty of time later to discuss it with her. For now, her debut fast approached and she needed to be ready.
Carina smoothed her skirt for the fourth time as her mother delicately plaited a section of hair and worked the rest into an elegant twist at the nape of her neck. Narcissa hadn't trusted the house-elves to do it, and Carina treasured the feeling of her mother's fingers working through her hair. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation.
"There," Narcissa declared quietly, resting her fingers on her daughter's shoulders. Carina opened her eyes and beamed at her mother in the mirror as she turned her head carefully from side to side. "It's beautiful, Mother. Thank you."
Narcissa answered with a proud, regal smile of her own. "You will be even more beautiful than I was at my debut."
Carina turned in her chair to look at her mother. "I doubt that," she admitted. "You've always been beautiful." She furrowed her brow as a question occurred to her. "Where did you learn to do this?"
Narcissa rested a gentle hand on her cheek. "My sisters and I used to braid one another's hair in the winter when there was little else to occupy our minds." A faraway look passed over her features, then she shook herself from whatever reverie she'd visited and straightened her posture. "It's nearly time. Your father and I will be waiting downstairs for you."
Carina nodded and rose gracefully. Mother and daughter embraced for a moment, then Narcissa swept quietly from the room in her dark, emerald gown. Carina gave herself a once over in the mirror standing resolutely before her. Tonight she wore a powder blue gown that accented the blond of her hair and her cool complexion. The satin wrapped around her waist, flowing to the floor where it faded to silver, matching her heels, the gem-sprinkled bodice, and the delicate, diamond necklace her mother had gifted her. She eyed the off-the-shoulder sleeves and sweetheart neckline for a moment, touched up her eyeliner, and studied the inked dragon for a moment.
With a little flick of her wand, she sent the dragon scuttling up her arm, over her shoulder, and down her back to rest in the center of her spine, beneath the fabric. No need for her suitors to ask questions about it; the dragon was a secret between Carina and Draco alone.
She strode from the room and down to where her parents and brother awaited her. Carina listened for a moment to the soft murmurs emanating from behind the doors to the largest dining room, then glanced at her family. Draco smirked at her, glancing down at the hem of her dress.
"They missed a spot," he told her, nodding at the silver. "I thought you paid them to dye all of the fabric blue."
Carina rolled her eyes. "Now why would I do a dull thing like that?"
Draco opened his mouth to retort, but Narcissa touched his shoulder lightly to quiet him.
"You look radiant," she told Carina proudly. Lucius nodded his approval, eyes lighting for a moment on her forearm before flicking back to her face. Carina schooled her features into cool, controlled mask. He'd suspected the tattoos before, but had never managed to pin them down as yet. Carina intended to keep it that way.
"Come," he finally said simply. "I believe we're ready." Lucius offered his arm to Narcissa, to lightly rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. Carina and Draco walked side by side as the doors opened, revealing their family to the host of witches and wizards who had risen beside their seats at the long table. Lucius paused in the doorway, then led his family to their seats. Lucius, of course, stood at the head of the table. Narcissa waited at his right, Carina to his left, and Draco beside his sister.
"It is a pleasure to welcome you, our distinguished guests, to our home on this joyous occasion," he announced, his eyes sweeping over the guests from other high-born houses—including suitors, Carina noted—the Ministry, and other lucrative businessmen. "Please, let us dine and then we will formally introduce my lovely daughter into society." As he and his family sat, the other guests followed.
The house elves had been well trained to serve the guests without being seen, and at her father's words, small dishes of crisp, green salad bloomed into existence from where they had been prepared in the kitchens. Once finished with their appetizers, the used plates were Banished away.
Soon their plates filled with roast duck, scalloped potatoes, steamed vegetables, and a small cup of fresh fruit on the side. Fine wines were offered to those of age, though Carina opted instead for a sweet, dark juice that she'd grown so fond of over the summer. She preferred not to indulge herself in alcohol, opting to keep her senses unhindered during her debut. Drunken behavior was hardly trustworthy, she thought as she sipped her drink delicately.
Conversation at the table varied from topic to topic, and before long a dessert course was served. It was a sort of meringue wrapped in a thin, sugar shell that seemed to hiss as their spoons broke through to the delicacy within.
Once dinner finished, Lucius invited his guests to make their way to the ballroom, where yet more of their less distinguished guests waited. Despite her pleas, Carina had not convinced her parents to allow Lyra to attend the meal itself, so she would see her friend once they made it inside.
This time, Draco entered the ballroom with the other guests, while Lucius, Narcissa, and Carina lingered behind. Once Narcissa had glanced over her daughter, tucked a stray pin back into place in her hair, and nodded her approval, Lucius flicked his wand and the doors opened. Carina waited just behind her parents, shielded momentarily from where the guests and the press waited eagerly. Applause rose politely throughout the room upon entrance, and Lucius waited a moment for it to subside before speaking.
"Thank you," he said, his voice filling the space as the cameras flashed, "for joining my wife, Narcissa, and myself in celebrating our daughter's coming of age."
Another light smattering of applause echoed his words, then he continued.
"She has proven herself to be determined, strong, and beautiful, and has brought much honor to our family in her performance at school. It is my honor to present to you my firstborn—"
Carina steeled herself with a breath, stilled her trembling hands, and lifted her chin proudly.
"—Carina Rosalind Malfoy." Lucius and Narcissa stepped to the side, the former sweeping is arm toward her as she moved into the room. The refined, poised smile she'd practiced so many times with her mother rose to her lips reflexively as the guests applauded—louder than before, she was pleased to realize—and the cameras flashed.
Carina's eyes scanned the crowd, landing upon a small knot of her peers just off to her right behind the press. Her own smile widened the tiniest bit at Lyra's unbridled grin and her brother's small, proud smile. Eager as she was to push through the press straight to her greatest supporters, she held back as was her role.
A few seconds later, she turned to her father, who offered her his arm and led her to the center of the ballroom. An orchestra on a low, designated platform began a waltz, and Lucius led her through her first dance as part of high society.
"You have done very well so far," he told her quietly, lips barely moving. Their eyes didn't meet, but Carina smiled nonetheless. "Many reporters will likely press in on you. Do not let them crowd you or push you to answer questions. Malfoys will answer in our own time."
"I thought I might dance with a few of my suitors first before I answered any questions," she murmured back, matching his hushed tone. Lucius dipped his head the tiniest bit in approval.
"That would be appropriate," he agreed.
When the dance ended, Carina dipped in a low, respectful curtsy to her father. She turned her back deliberately on the reporters and found herself face to face with one such suitor, a handsome young man with dark hair.
"Might I offer you a dance?" he asked, bowing lightly to her.
Carina nodded demurely and offered a gracious smile. "You may."
The young man must have been a year or more her senior, and he made idle conversation as they danced. After a moment Carina recognized him vaguely from Hogwarts and linked the face to the name Erak Duncan. He'd been a Ravenclaw, she remembered.
When Erak relinquished her hand with a gentle kiss pressed to her knuckles, she curtsied low again and stood. Almost immediately another gentleman stepped into his place, and so it went for three more dances. Two of them seemed to feel the need to prove themselves worth her time by reminding her—more than once, in one case—which of the Sacred Twenty-Eight they hailed from. Carina found it rather annoying, actually.
The third was no better, a man four years older who seemed to think her interest might be piqued by legislation in the Ministry—which, she reasoned, it might have. Only, the legislation up for debate was something to do with cauldron thickness, and the logistics of it very nearly bored her to tears. She thanked the stars above—and, silently, the orchestra—when the dance finally ended. She curtsied to the man and glanced over to where Draco was deep in conversation with his best mate, Blaise Zabini.
Pursing her lips slightly, she scanned the room for Lyra, and found her dancing with Erak Duncan, laughing lightly at something he'd said. Carina smiled to herself, grateful that Lyra wasn't left on the fringes of the celebration while she, Carina, danced the night away. Lyra caught her eye, smiled a bit wider over Erak's shoulder when Carina winked, and turned back to him.
She turned at a gentle touch at her elbow, lifting her gaze to a kind face beneath honey-brown hair. Her heart lurched and she barely halted the intake of breath—but her body settled back into its regular rhythm when she found that no, she didn't recognize this face. Her heart tugged in disappointment as she absently accepted his hand and allowed herself to be drawn into another dance.
When this fifth dance ended, she quickly made her way through the guests, pausing here and there to exchange greetings with a few of her father's friends. She skillfully avoided the reporters and paused for a refreshment. Lyra found her not long after as she sipped her drink.
"Tired already?" she teased lightly, accepting a glass from a tray carried by a passing house elf.
Carina only barely managed not to shrug at the question. "Not tired, exactly," she replied slowly. "That last dance was…" Lyra raised an eyebrow as her friend trailed off.
"You mean the guy you blushed at?" she asked. Carina's head snapped up as her gaze locked with Lyra's in mortification.
"What?" she hissed, eyes wide. Lyra grinned.
"Kidding," she snickered. "But your cheeks are a little bit pink. Did he catch your eye?"
"Not in the way you're thinking." Carina took a moment to calm her galloping heart. "He just looked so much like…"
Lyra's eyes brightened in sudden understanding and mirth. "Ah, I see. You still fancy Ced—"
"There you are, Miss Malfoy," a high, obnoxious voice trilled. Carina and Lyra cringed a little as Rita Skeeter came into view, her devious Quick Quotes Quill at the ready. "I was hoping I'd get a moment to chat with you." Carina lowered her glass and regarded Rita Skeeter carefully. She exchanged a quick glance with Lyra, who smiled broadly and stepped toward the reporter.
"Miss Skeeter! How very lovely to meet you," she gushed loudly. Rita started, not having noticed Lyra beside her quarry, but smiled lavishly.
"Oh yes, it is, isn't it? Are you a fan?" she replied.
"Am I ever!" Lyra smiled. "I do love your satire pieces, especially that one you wrote last week about the Radagast scandal."
Rita's grin dropped from her face for a moment, then she replied, "I assure you, my dear, that was all too true!"
Lyra gave a high-pitched giggle. "Oh, you are so witty, Miss Skeeter! Mr. Radagast and my aunt—his 'mistress'—laughed so hard about it that they couldn't resist sharing it with the rest of the family. My, Miss Skeeter, you bring such joy to our table when we receive the Prophet over breakfast!"
Rita's face hardened into a sour expression, and it took all of Carina's strength not to laugh outright. She afforded herself a small smile at Lyra's act, sipping demurely at this bit of personal entertainment. The exchange continued as Lyra praised Rita's gossip column as a satire column, and Rita tried and failed to convince her otherwise. Eventually Rita huffed and stalked off, leaving behind the story she'd come to get from Carina. The girls giggled in a very unladylike manner as she went, then Carina schooled her features back into the refined mask she was supposed to be wearing for the event.
Lyra lifted her eyebrows. "It's really eerie sometimes how you can do that, you know."
"Do what?"
Lyra shrugged. "Put on your 'society face' in the blink of an eye." She gestured lightly with one hand at Carina's regal posture and careful expression, broken only by her lips quirking upward in a smile.
"My society face?" she laughed. "That's certainly one I haven't heard for it before."
Lyra sighed in mock exasperation, but upon seeing Narcissa approaching them, smoothed over her own facial features. She curtsied politely.
"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy," she offered steadily.
Narcissa nodded to her, then turned to Carina. "Your father would like to speak with you," she told her daughter. Carina nodded her assent and lowered her glass.
"Enjoy the party," she said lightly to Lyra, casting a regretful smile over her shoulder. Lyra offered her a little wave of encouragement as Carina and Narcissa worked their way through to where Lucius chatted idly with the Minister.
"Ah, yes, the lady of the hour!" Fudge exclaimed, offering his hand to her. "You are absolutely radiant, Miss Malfoy."
"Minister," she greeted him demurely, accepting his hand. "I'm so delighted that you could join us this evening."
"The pleasure is mine, my dear girl!" Fudge released her hand, drew a lime green handkerchief from his robes, and dabbed at the perspiration on his face. "Lucius tells me that you're interested in politics, is that right?"
"Yes, sir," she confirmed. "I believe that the most effective way to serve our community is to be involved, and politics are ever so fascinating! My father often tells me stories of his visits to the Ministry, and how the departments work so hard to ensure that we are protected."
Fudge nodded several times. "Yes, it is a noble aspiration indeed. I'm also told that you have excellent scores in your classes at school."
Carina flashed a brilliant smile. "I intend to bring every possible skill to the table should I be accepted into the Ministry, sir. Nothing less than Oustanding work is acceptable to me, you understand."
Again, Fudge nodded. "A true Slytherin indeed," he commended. "Clever and ambitious, just like your parents."
"You are too kind, Minister," Narcissa put in as Lucius placed his hand proudly on Carina's shoulder.
The conversation turned to policies currently on the table for review, and Carina listened with rapt attention. Her concentration broke when her father flinched, his left hand tightening almost painfully on her shoulder. She would have missed his sharp intake of breath if not for that subtle reaction, and she glanced quickly up at him.
Lucius dropped his hand from her shoulder, forcing a practiced smile as he met her questioning gaze.
"Excuse me, Minister," he interrupted smoothly, making a show of looking at his pocket watch. "I believe I must attend to a matter upstairs for a moment. Do forgive me if I steal my wife away. Carina, I trust that we can leave the Minister in your capable hands."
"Of course, Father."
Her parents made their swift, graceful exit as the conversation lulled. Carina bit the inside of her lip at the way Narcissa accompanied him on the right—she always walked at his left, but her father seemed to be favoring that arm.
"Is your father quite alright?" Fudge's voice interrupted her analysis.
"Of course," she lied smoothly. "One of his foreign business associates insisted on meeting with him this evening."
Fudge's eyebrows crinkled. "On the evening of your debut? It seems rather inconsiderate."
Carina brushed it off with a wave of her hand. "His schedule is very unpredictable, and it seems that this evening was his only open slot to meet with my father. He travels quite a lot, you see."
"I see." Somebody caught Fudge's eye over her shoulder. "I do hope you'll excuse me, Miss Malfoy. I believe that's Mr. Barkley over there, and I had hoped to speak to him about the Magical Creatures for Companions policy..."
"Of course, Minister." Carina flashed him another winning smile and the shorter man wandered away.
As badly as she wanted to go in search of her parents, she decided that it would be more beneficial for her to remain and entertain their guests to distract from their absence. With a breath, she went in search of the knot of reporters that lingered at the fringes of the crowd. They accepted her with open arms and Quick Quotes Quills, barraging her with questions.
The minutes ticked by as Carina answered questions about school, her future plans, and her dress, while evading in-depth questions about any of her suitors. At length she ended the interview, graciously thanking them for attending, and set out to play the part of hostess. She stopped to speak with as many of the guests as she could manage, conversation intermingled with dancing.
Nearly forty minutes passed before her parents reappeared. Carina skillfully extracted herself from a gaggle of girls in her year at school and met them just inside the doors.
"I hope your meeting with your associate went well," she said pointedly, nodding subtly to the couple of reporters edging near. "It's terribly unfortunate that his travel schedule is so tight."
If her parents were shaken by the impromptu excuse, they didn't show it.
"Indeed," Lucius agreed. "Mr. Ashman sends his regards and regrets that he could not stay to wish you well."
"Well, we'll simply have to invite him for tea," Carina decided. She was perturbed to see her mother still standing to her father's right but forced a smile. Her parents nodded and the three dispersed back into the crowd.
Throughout the night Carina searched for an opportunity to pull Draco to the side. She itched to discuss her father's abrupt, odd behavior, but the moment to do so never presented itself. Inwardly she sighed, and it came out as a hiss when a less refined suitor trod on her toes. She would have to wait until after her debut to speak to her brother.
As the ball at Malfoy Manor stretched into the night, a scrawny, messy-haired boy on Privet Drive jolted from sleep, nightmares of high voices, gigantic snakes, and a dead caretaker still haunting him.
