The Call of the Siren
Chapter 6
Carrie
The trip to Hogsmeade was something that Carrie had been looking forward to all week. She certainly wanted to see more of the little Wizarding village, but more than that, she was eager to spend time away from school with Harry. She and Hermione had also made some plans to go shopping for their ball gowns together, and Carrie definitely wanted to pick out something that Harry would like.
She still couldn't believe Harry had asked her to be his girlfriend. She had fallen for Harry, hook, line, and sinker, and she'd hoped against hope that he would notice her in a more-than-friends way. Her heart had done double flip-flops when he'd kissed her and held her; her knees had gone so weak that she thought she'd end up on the floor at his feet. Carrie Stafford was indeed one very happy Gryffindor Siren.
The morning of the Hogsmeade trip had found Carrie in a flurry to look her best. She'd donned her pretty sky blue robes and did her hair in luxurious curls that reached her waist in a shimmering mass of golden blond color. As she glided down the stairs and was about to go to the Great Hall for breakfast, she noticed that Harry was at the bottom of the staircase waiting for her. He wished her good morning as he gently kissed her and took her hand, escorting her to the Gryffindor table.
The students chattered happily as they ate their breakfast, the promise of a wonderful day ahead of them. Carrie was caught up in the excitement as she made her final plans with her friends. She and Hermione would do their shopping first, and then they'd meet Harry and Ron at the Three Broomsticks for lunch and butterbeer.
The walk to Hogsmeade was a pleasant one. Holding Harry's hand, she felt warm and cared for as they chatted amiably. Harry had a great sense of humor, and she laughed as he recalled past events at Hogwarts.
When they arrived, Carrie turned her face up for his kiss as they parted company. Carrie and Hermione hurried off to The Well Dressed Witch in search of the things they'd need for the ball.
The girls were giggling as they stepped through the door of the shop. "Well, I think we can start out with the dresses first," said Carrie. "That'll be the hardest part. Then we can pick out everything else to match our gowns."
"Sounds like a plan," Hermione replied. Normally, the bookish girl didn't get excited about dressing up in finery, but she found herself being swept away by Carrie's enthusiasm. And beside, Hermione did have a date, so she wanted to look her best.
The girls sifted through the gowns on display, trying to find ones that might be of interest to them. Hermione, who'd never really taken great pains with her appearance, found herself a bit frustrated as she rejected gown after gown. Carrie, however, found some that she wanted to try on. Putting her stack aside, she went over to try to help Hermione.
"I just can't find anything I like," Hermione sighed in exasperation.
Carrie was thoughtful for a moment as she eyed the gowns. She was about to summon a sales lady, but then she turned and saw a gown that they'd missed. It was an off-the-shoulder soft cream color. It looked like it might fit Hermione, and she urged her friend to try it on. "C'mon, Hermione. Let's go try this stuff on. I'm dying to see how that gown looks on you."
The two girls scurried off to the dressing rooms, Carrie nearly buried under the stack of gowns she'd chosen to try on. "Are you really going to try all those on?" Hermione asked as her brown eyes grew wide.
Carrie laughed. "Yep, I am. I like to exercise my many options. And if there's anything here you want to try on, go ahead."
"You might have to have them altered, Carrie. They don't make many gowns for petite people like you," said Hermione.
"I know," Carrie sighed. "It never fails. I always have to have stuff altered. You're lucky you're a bit taller and can find things to fit you easily."
Hermione took her turn trying on the dress that Carrie suggested, and it was lovely. It was a soft cream color with a full skirt with layers of soft Wizarding fabric flowing to the floor. The bodice was tight fitting with intricate cream colored beadwork. It was an off-the-shoulder style that ended in long, elegant sleeves. It clung to Hermione's figure flatteringly.
"It looks gorgeous on you, Hermione!" Carrie exclaimed.
"Do you think so?" Hermione was a self-confident witch, especially when it came to books and schoolwork, but she faltered a bit when it came to dressing up.
"I do," Carrie nodded. "How about we keep it as a strong possibility for you, and then you can try on some other things, if something catches your eye?"
Hermione consented to Carrie's suggestion and helped her friend as she tried on some dresses. A big pile of rejects was hanging up once Carrie tried them on. There were many that were the wrong color or style, and there were even more that didn't flatter her petite figure at all. She was down to the last three, and she was starting to get worried.
"I hope I can find something after all this," Carrie said, her brow creasing in worry. She held up a slinky black number with sequins and a big slit up the right side. "Merlin's beard, Hermione! I cannot believe I chose to try this one on. What was I thinking?"
"You were probably thinking about how Harry's eyes would pop out of his skull if he saw you in that," Hermione said with a perfectly straight face and an air of seriousness in her voice.
As she thought about it, Carrie doubled over and howled with laughter. "Would I do a thing like that?" she asked innocently. However, the look wasn't very convincing, as Carrie was still laughing and her eyes were sparkling devilishly.
"Yes, you would," Hermione said with absolute certainty. Then, she too was doubled over in laughter. "Just for the hell of it, try it on, Carrie," said Hermione as she wiped her streaming eyes with her handkerchief.
"Are you serious? Girlfriend, you are naughty." But Carrie loved the idea although she knew she could never wear such a thing. Stepping into it, Hermione zipped her up, and Carrie nearly started laughing again when she saw her reflection in the mirror. It was indeed too long for her, as most gowns were since they were originally designed for taller witches. Carrie grinned as she bunched up the skirt and preened in front of the mirror. She struck a sexy pose and fixed her expression in a come-hither look. "Harry, darling. How do I look?" Carrie purred huskily as she batted her eyes flirtatiously.
The girls looked at each other and then burst into hysterical peels of laughter as they collapsed on the benches, holding their stomachs. It took them quite a while to get themselves back under control; every time they thought they'd be able to stop, they'd glance at each other and start roaring again. The laughter finally died down, and both girls wiped tears of mirth from their cheeks.
"Stafford, you are truly insane," said Hermione, grinning.
Carrie returned the grin and stepped out of the slinky dress. There were two dressed left for Carrie to try on. Hermione zipped up the back as Carrie looked in the mirror. The one she was wearing now was a strapless red gown with sequins sparkling on the tight bodice and full, flowing skirts. Aside from being too long, it molded to Carrie's tiny figure, accenting her slender waist and curvaceous chest. It looked lovely next to her skin and flattered her hair nicely.
The second gown was also a strapless style with a deep blue skirt and black bodice. There was old fashioned black beadwork and sequins on the bodice, and the long skirts flowed to the floor in a blue waterfall of silken softness. This gown, also, flattered the shade of Carrie's hair beautifully, and it brought out the blue in her eyes.
"I can't decide," moaned Carrie. They're both gorgeous."
"The blue one looks stunning on you, Carrie. It brings out your eyes beautifully," Hermione observed.
Carrie scratched her head as she pondered her decision. Finally, she snapped her fingers and grinned as it came to her. "I'll solve that dilemma. I'll just get both of them, and hen I can have one for the Yule Ball. That'll kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."
"Brilliant! You would've had to go shopping again otherwise," replied Hermione.
Hermione had settled on the cream colored gown, and Carrie smiled her approval of Hermione's choice. "It really does look great on you," she told her. Next, the friends bought matching jewelry hair accessories, shoes, hosiery, and undergarments to go with their gowns. Since she'd bought enough things for two balls, Carrie felt bogged down with all her packages, and that was only the accessories; they still had to have the gowns properly altered and fitted.
One seamstress took Hermione in hand while another appeared and assisted Carrie. The witch who was helping Carrie was a plump, middle aged witch with a pleasant smile, laugh lines around her lips, and twinkling brown eyes. Carrie gave her a sheepish look and asked if she had time to alter two gowns for her today.
"Of course, dear," said the seamstress in a Scottish burr. "My, aren't you a tiny thing. My name's Jenny."
"I'm Carrietta Stafford," Carrie introduced herself as she extended her hand to the seamstress. "You can call me Carrie."
"It's nice to meet ye, dear," said Jenny with a friendly smile. "Now, let's see what we got here." She instructed Carrie to go to the nearest fitting room to put on one of her gowns so Jenny could do her work.
Carrie hurried off to obey and came out wearing the red gown. Jenny smiled warmly as she took in Carrie's appearance. "Oh, that is indeed lovely, my dear. You have excellent taste."
"Thank you," she said, blushing a bit. "I'm sorry this will be so much work for you. These gowns just aren't designed for the shrimp in mind," Carrie laughed.
"Oh, 'tis no trouble at all, lassie. Yes, ye are certainly a tiny thing but lovely as a flower, ye are," replied Jenny as she retrieved her pins.
Again, Carrie thanked the kindly witch and stepped onto a stepstool at her request. She liked Jenny, and she thought her accent was beautiful. As Jenny pinned, Carrie began to sing a soft love song that reminded her of Harry. A dreamy expression crossed her face as she sang with deep emotion, executing each note and phrase flawlessly.
"Ye have a lovely voice, my dear," complimented Jenny with enthusiasm and emotion. Carrie saw that she wiped a tear from her cheek as she ducked her head to look for another pin.
"Thank you, Jenny," said Carrie as she beamed at the woman. "Sometimes I don't realize I'm singing until someone says something," she laughed at herself. "It's gotten me in trouble a time or two."
"I don't see how anyone would dislike it, love," said Jenny with conviction. "I could listen to ye from sunup till sundown."
Carrie beamed and thanked her politely. When Jenny was done pinning Carrie's dress, she surveyed her work in great detail. "Yes, it does look lovely, my dear. Now, I'll just wave my wand and this one will be ready." Jenny muttered an incantation as she wiggled her wand, altering the dress permanently. At another wave of Jenny's wand, the pins dislodged themselves and flew back into their holder.
Carrie went through the same process with her second gown as Jenny beamed her approval. "That shade of blue looks lovely with your eyes and hair, love. Your young man won't be able to keep his eyes off ye."
After Carrie's dresses had been altered, she thanked Jenny profusely for her help. "You're a wonder, Jenny," said Carrie as she smiled at her.
"Oh, no I'm not, lass. I'm just a normal witch who loves her job. Now, ye have a wonderful time at that ball of yours and dance the night away with your young man. Who are ye going with?" asked Jenny curiously.
"Harry Potter," replied Carrie, her eyes taking on a sparkle as a loving look crossed her features.
"Oh! Merlin's beard, love! You're going with The Boy Who Lived? I knew young Mr. Potter's parents," explained Jenny, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Such a nice couple and such a tragedy what happened to them."
Carrie nodded. "I know. They sounded like wonderful people. I just couldn't imagine losing my parents like that."
Jenny sighed sadly. "Yes, yes. And it's the wee one who suffers the most for it. Now, ye have a wonderful time, love, and come back anytime and pay me a visit. Ye can sing to me anytime, my dear."
"Thank you, Jenny. I'll visit you again soon, I promise." Carrie waved goodbye to her and went in search of Hermione. Exiting the shop, they made their way to The Three Broomsticks to meet up with Harry and Ron. It had been a hectic morning, but both girls were pleased with their selections. They'd accomplished what they'd set out to do.
Carrie was laden with packages as they entered the pub. Finding a table by the warm fireplace, she set her purchases down with a grunt of satisfaction. She grinned as she saw Harry's and Ron's amused expressions.
"I'm a woman! It's my prerogative to go crazy while shopping," she laughed.
The friends settled down to their lunches and butterbeers, laughing and chatting happily. They talked about everything from Quidditch to classes, and the ball came up more than once.
Carrie was enjoying herself immensely—until the bottom of her world dropped. She looked up as the door opened, letting in a blast of cold air that put an eerie chill into the room. Along with that blast, a man entered the bar, and Carrie's heart stopped. She let out a scream that would chill even Voldemort's blood, her butterbeer crashing loudly and spilling across the table.
There was only one person in the world who could paralyze Carrie with such an intense fear—Rudy Butts or "The Destroyer" as he dubbed himself. "It's him," she gasped as she began breathing in short, ragged breaths. Carrie trembled uncontrollably as nausea coursing through her.
"Bloody hell!" Ron gasped.
Hermione jabbed him in the ribs and shot him a look that told him to shut up at once. Hermione beckoned him to follow her, and they discreetly got up from the table and stood a distance away.
The pub was immediately immersed in silence as the scream of the frightened girl penetrated through the chatter and noise. Heads turned to gawk in her direction, but she was oblivious to it. In an instant, Harry and Albus Dumbledore were both at her side, attempting to soothe her.
Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat in front of her; he began talking in a soft, comforting voice. "Carrie," he said soothingly but commandingly. "Look at me. It's Professor Dumbledore, child. Everything is going to be alright. Look at me."
"Professor, what's wrong with her?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"She's had a terrible fright, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I suspect it has something to do with Remus Lupin's entrance."
"Why would she be frightened of Remus?" asked Harry. "He'd never hurt anyone."
"I know, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "I am quite certain this is a case of mistaken identity. Perhaps Remus' appearance is similar to someone who's caused her terrible suffering."
Carrie knew those voices. It was Harry and Dumbledore talking, but she just couldn't get her brain to work. She was so frightened she literally couldn't think straight. Stars danced in front of her eyes, and she was sweating. Carrie felt as if she were going to faint.
"Carrie, can you hear me?" Harry was desperate to reach her. Taking her cold, clammy hand in his, he began to rub it between his own hands while talking softly. "Carrie?"
Dumbledore took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "It's going to be alright, child." He spoke soothingly while trying to get through to her.
Gradually, Carrie registered what they were saying, and her eyes began to focus on their faces. "H-Harry? Professor?" she whispered.
Heaving a relieved sigh, Harry smiled encouragingly at her. "I'm here, Carrie. Professor Dumbledore and I are here with you. Are you alright?"
"I-I feel a bit lightheaded," she said.
"Here. Take deep breaths and drink this," Dumbledore clicked his fingers together and a glass of cold water appeared on the table in front of her. Obeying, she felt better after a few moments. The color returned to her cheeks as the shaking subsided.
"What happened?" asked Harry. "You just screamed and looked like you were going to pass out."
Carrie glanced over at the man who had caused such an uprising with his entrance and shuddered slightly. "It was him. He looks like—I thought he was someone who—" she shook her head unable to continue.
"There's no reason to be afraid of him, Carrie. He's a friend—a very good friend. His name is Remus Lupin, and he used to teach at Hogwarts three years ago," Harry assured her as he continued to hold her hand.
"Getting a better look at him, I know I mistook him for—um—someone very evil. The resemblance is uncanny," said Carrie as she took a deep breath. "Geez, I'm so embarrassed."
"It's alright, Carrie. It could have happened to anyone," said Harry as he smiled reassuringly at her.
"But I was so dramatic about it. I made quite a scene," groaned Carrie.
"Something terrible must have happened to you," said Harry softly. "There are some things you can't get over very quickly, sometimes not ever."
Carrie nodded as she felt tears spring to her eyes. "I'm sorry I caused such a ruckus. I'm normally not like that."
"Do not fret, Carrie. There was no harm done. All will be well," said Dumbledore as he patted her shoulder kindly. "Will you be alright now?"
"Yes. I think so," she said miserably. "I'm just embarrassed, and poor Mr. Lupin must think I'm a mental case. I wish to apologize to him."
"Very well, then. I will leave you in Harry's capable hands," said Dumbledore as he got up from his chair. Feeling a rush of protectiveness wash over him, Dumbledore had to mentally slap himself. For some time now, he wanted to reveal to her that he was her great uncle, but this was not the time or place. It hurt his heart to see Carrie so petrified with fear that she couldn't move or speak. All in due time, old man, he chided himself.
"I think meeting him would be a good idea, and I'm sure that will convince you that he's not the one to be scared of," said Harry. "When we get back to the castle, we should have a talk, OK?"
"Are you upset with me, Harry?" squeaked Carrie.
Harry pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. "Of course I'm not upset with you, Carrie. I am upset to see you so scared like that. I think it's time you told me about what happened to you. There's a reason behind that fright, and I want to be there for you. Let me help you through it. Please, Carrie."
She nodded and relaxed against him for a moment. She sighed in relief as she felt her heartbeat slow down to a more normal rhythm. "I'm afraid—I'm afraid that what I have to tell you might scare you off. What happened to me wasn't pretty."
"I already came to that conclusion judging from your reaction when you saw Remus. You won't scare me away, Carrie. I promise. I've been through some horrible ordeals myself."
"I'm scared, Harry. I'm really scared," she said woefully.
"I know," he said softly as he stroked her hair gently. "I'll be with you. I'm not going anywhere."
"You mean it?" Carrie asked from within the circle of his arms.
"I stand by my friends and those I care for, Carrie. You're someone I care for very deeply, and I want to help you. I promise you, I'll stand by you." He held her for a moment longer before releasing her. She looked a lot better although she still seemed a bit shaky. "Now, I'll go get Remus and you can see for yourself that he's a friend."
A moment later, Harry came back to the table with Remus in tow. Harry asked him to join them, and Remus, looking a bit uncertain, finally agreed.
"Remus, this is Carrietta Stafford, my girlfriend. Carrie, this is Remus Lupin."
Carrie smiled a bit shyly, feeling the color rush to her face again. She was silently berating herself for causing such a scene and being such an embarrassment, but then, her good manners kicked in and she extended her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Lupin," she said quietly. "I want to apologize for my inappropriate reaction when you came in."
Trying to lighten the mood, Remus grinned. "Well, it's not every day I get a lady to scream when I enter an establishment," he laughed softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Carrie. And I'm sorry if I frightened you." He looked questioningly at Harry, who gave him a slight nod as if to reassure him that things were going to be alright.
"It was just a case of mistaken identity is all," said Carrie. After getting a closer look at him and hearing his voice, she was convinced that Remus wasn't the horrible Death Eater who abducted her. Carrie knew she'd recognize The Destroyer's voice anywhere, and Remus' voice certainly wasn't the frightening, terrible one she heard in her nightmares.
Ron and Hermione, sensing that things were settling down, came back to the table and sat down. "Are you OK, Carrie?" Hermione asked in concern.
"Yeah," Carrie nodded. "I do keep life interesting, don't I?" She chuckled softly.
"You had us really worried. I'm glad you're feeling better now. Are you feeling up to having another butterbeer?" Hermione wanted to know.
Carrie grinned at that. "Definitely," she said. "Mr. Lupin, would you like to sit with us for a while?"
Remus accepted Carrie's offer, figuring that it would make her feel better about what had happened if he did. Rosemerta brought another round of butterbeers, and Carrie made sure to apologize for her outburst. Rosemerta shrugged it off as she set the butterbeers in front of them and then left to serve other customers.
As it turned out, Carrie liked Remus Lupin almost immediately. He was a very nice man who appeared to be quite intelligent and a bit mischievous. She was quick to notice that his robes were rather frayed and shabby looking and that the man looked a bit under the weather. She wondered if he'd been ill recently, but she didn't want to pry. It was apparent that he and Harry knew one another quite well. Carrie made a mental note to ask Harry about him later on.
Carrie was dreading telling Harry about her time in captivity. Despite Harry's vow of standing by her, it was still in the back of Carrie's mind that Harry wouldn't want to see her anymore. When she revealed the details about her abduction, she would have to reveal to him that she was a Siren. How he would take that revelation, she didn't know. She would find out later on that night once they returned to the castle, and she was not looking forward to it. More than likely, it would be a long night and not an easy one to endure.