"Bye Mom." Kari whispered, "Be safe."
"I will. Have fun sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too Mom." Kari wiggled out of her mother's embrace and watched her walk away, hoping that she would be safe.
"KARINA!"
"LILY!"
Lily ran up to her friend and grabbed her into a hug.
"How have you…WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE!" Lily yelled, looking at her friend in amazement.
"Shhhh…I'll tell you on the train." Kari whispered, holding her hand up to cover her face, people were starting to look at them.
They headed to the train to find a compartment for themselves, when they ran into Snape, Avery and Bellatrix Black.
"Well look who it is. Two Mudbloods." Snape held out his wand, then he caught a glimpse of Karina's face, "What have you been doing Karr? With your face like that you give the foulest Mudbloods a good name."
"Out of our way Snape!" Lily commanded, then pushed past him, pulling Karina with her.
Karina could hear the Slytherins sniggering.
They found an empty compartment at the end of the train, and went to sit in it.
"Tell me now. What happened?" Lily demanded.
"My dad got drunk last night, he was angry that I was leaving again, so he came home in a right state. Bloody bastard. He started throwing things at mum and me, then started to yell at Sam. Well Sam started to go out the door, when he grabbed her and started to hit her, well I bloody well couldn't let him do that could I, so I jumped on him, and he ground me to the floor. He just wouldn't stop hitting me, so finally, Mum pulled him off." Karina finished her story and just stared at a spot on the floor.
"I'm sorry I didn't come over." Lily said quietly.
"Stop being sorry. You would have gotten hurt anyways." Kari said sharply.
They just sat there for a few minutes, every one in a while, looking up to look at each other.
The witch with the food came by and they bought food.
Around two, the four people they wanted to see least popped into their compartment.
"Hey Karr, Evans, how have you been?" Potter asked smiling a cheesy smile.
"Leave now and I might spare your ear drums." Karina said calmly.
"Well that wouldn't be fun." Black came in and sat down.
"Get out please." Lily said, her teeth clenched in anger…again.
"Nah, we're bored and interesting things always happen around you." Potter said, sitting across from Black.
"Ugh! Fine, just don't bother us." Karina threw up her hands in defeat.
Remus and Pettigrew came in after that statement, a little cautiously still.
"Hello Karina, Lily, how were your summers." Remus said politely.
"Just freakin' peachy." Karina mumbled, looking out the window so they wouldn't notice her bruised face.
"Fine thank you Remus."
"What's wrong Karr? Your perfect family not so perfect anymore?" Black asked bitterly.
"What do you mean?" Karina asked sharply, turning to face them.
"Well you seemed so happy to see you mother dearest at the station last year, and now you're all, grrr about your summer." Black wasn't even looking at her.
"Karina, what happened to you?" Remus asked concerned when he saw her face.
"Black, what do you think you know? Huh?"
Black looked up and saw her bruised face and felt bad.
"Oh, umm, Karr, I didn't know…" he started when she interrupted him.
"Yeah, cause if you did, you wouldn't have opened your overly big mouth! Get out, all of you! Just leave!" Karina screamed.
Whether it was guilt or something else, none of the guys argued, but left quietly.
"Kari, don't mind them, they're aren't worth it and you know it." Lily said softly.
"I know, but they just piss me off."
"I know, we'll get them back. Just wait."
"I know, we will…" Karina left off grinning about the revenge they will wreck upon them. Last year, they turned their hair pink for a week after one of their 'Snape' incidents. It was funny for everyone except the guys.
They changed, and were soon coming to Hogwarts.
"What am I going to do about my face? I don't need people staring at me."
"Well, you could always go straight up to the hospital wing."
"I think I will, I think something's broken anyways."
The train stopped, and Karina and Lily got off looking around wondering where to go. They saw the mainstream of students heading off to what looked like some carriages, and heard the familiar, "Firs' years over here!"
"Lily, what are those?" Karina asked, pointing to some reptilian looking horses in front of the carriages.
"What?" Lily asked, looking around perplexed.
"I think they're thresals!" Kari exclaimed.
"Well no wonder I can't see them, I read you can only see them if you've seen someone die. Who have you seen die?" Lily asked.
"My baby sister, in the hospital." Kari said quietly.
"Oh, I remember now…" Lily left off uncomfortably.
They climbed into the carriages, and were about to pull off, when the four boys joined them they had been hoping to avoid.
"Hello ladies!" Sirius Black exclaimed cheerfully, sitting opposite of Kari.
"Oh great. Didn't you get our point on the train that we don't want to see you?" Karina said dully.
"Don't sound so disappointed love!" James Potter said, climbing in after Sirius.
"I'm not your 'love'" Karina said, her voice getting louder.
"I know, I was talking to Evans."
Lily took in a deep breath and said "Potter, don't mess with me right now unless you want another repeat of last year."
"Then it was you?" Potter exclaimed.
"Naw, ya think? Of course it was! How thick can you get?" Lily said, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Don't mind them." Remus answered, coming in after James.
"We'll try not to." Lily said frowning at James and Sirius.
Peter just came in quietly, looking at Karina and Lily nervously.
The carriages pulled up, and Karina quickly got out, followed by Lily.
"I'll see you later Lily." Karina waved, as she went up the stairs to the hospital wing.
"Bye Kari!" Lily called after her.
"Where is she going Evans?" Potter asked Lily, falling in step beside her.
"No where that concerns you Potter," she said coldly.
"Ouch Evans, that hurt!" Potter said, putting his hands over his heart.
"Leave me alone." Lily stated, walking off to the end of the Gryffindor table to sit by herself.
Potter went to sit next to Sirius.
"Why isn't Karr sitting with Evans?" Sirius asked.
"I dunno. All I saw was Karr walking up the stairs." James shrugged.
"Maybe it's because of her face that she's going to the hospital wing…." Remus suggested.
"We could ask her tomorrow." Peter added in timidly.
"Are you crazy! And get our heads bitten off? I'd rather not." Sirius burst out, just as everyone got quiet for the Sorting. Everyone started laughing. Sirius stood up and took a bow, which induced more laughter from the hall. The first years looked around nervously.
"If you are finished Mr. Black, the Sorting is about to begin." Professor McGonagall said curtly.
"Yes Minnie!" Sirius said in a singsong voice.
McGonagall's nostrils flared. "Detention tomorrow night Mr. Black. My room."
Sirius mouth gaped open. The Sorting started among much laughter as everyone was amused by Sirius getting detention even before classes started.
The Sorting ended, the feast started, and ended and Lily was exhausted. She trudged up to the common room, having heard the password from a prefect and dragged herself up to the dormitory. She found Karina sitting on her bed listening to the radio, which was amazingly playing Muggle music.
"How did you get it to do that?" Lily asked.
"The Wizarding Wireless Network has a all muggle rock station. I was lucky to find it." she shrugged.
"How are you feeling?"
"Eh, how would you feel? I had a broken rib." Kari touched her side and winced, "Madame Pomfrey can't make bruises go away, and I insisted on coming to the dormitory. How was the feast?"
Lily recounted all of Black's actions and Kari frowned.
"What a prat."
"…and then I was like, 'He is so adorable!' and I couldn't possibly say no."
"So you're going out with him?"
"No, I broke up with him a week ago. He was a jerk."
The other two Gryffindor second years were coming up.
Lily and Kari looked at Gina and Denise. There was a slight tension in the air. They hadn't gotten along since the time last year when Lily and Karina insulted Black and Potter. Gina and Denise thought James and Sirius didn't deserve to be yelled at.
"Turn that down." Gina said in a hard voice.
"No." Karina stated simply.
Gina and Denise just 'erged' and got into their beds, pulling the curtains closed rather roughly.
"I can tell this is going to be a rough year." Lily whispered to Kari. Kari nodded and slipped into her bed.