A couple of weeks before her second year, Carina began packing. She was more excited to go into her second year than she had been for her first year. She had grown a few inches, she was ready to learn more things, and she really wanted to see her friends again.
Friends. It sounded weird to think.
All summer Carina had written to Adrian and Sylvia, but she only occasionally saw Adrian because of his family's status compared to Sylvia. Adrian and Cassius were readily invited over to the Malfoy Manor on a fairly regular basis, along with other children of prominent wizarding families.
Draco had always been close with Blaise Zabini, who seemed pretty much indifferent to just about everything. Although, Carina couldn't quite determine if Blaise liked Draco or not in return. Considering who his mother was, Carina figured Blaise sticking by Draco's side was less about liking the spoiled blond child and more about status. She couldn't exactly blame him though due to how they were all raised to act more or less the same, and if he did anything different, he'd probably be berated by his mother.
As Carina packed her trunk, a ten-year-old Draco Malfoy sat on her bed with his legs folded beneath him, staring solemnly at the clothes his godsister was neatly stacking. "I wish I could go to Hogwarts this year," Draco said, leaning his cheek on his hand.
Carina paused what she was doing and looked up at the young boy with a sad smile. "I know, Draco. Next year," she replied gently. "You'll absolutely love it, I'm sure. And it'll be worth the wait." She neglected to tell him that he would most likely hate people from the other houses due to their treatment of Slytherins. He could find that out for himself. Not that he'd likely associate with many anyway. Lucius was always incredibly vocal about her and Draco needing to be placed in Slytherin and that anyone of importance to them would be in Slytherin as well.
"But I wanna go this year 'cause you're there," Draco whined. Ever since she got her Hogwarts letter, Draco had practically clutched onto her like a leech. He loved watching her practice magic and potions. He couldn't wait until he could do it all, too. He also couldn't wait to get out of the manor. Draco needed to get away from his overly strict father and overbearing mother just as much as Carina did and they weren't even her parents.
She looked at him with a small smirk, amused. "I'll be there next year, too. I promise. I'm not going to mysteriously transfer to Beauxbaton." Carina paused and tilted her head, pretending to contemplate the idea to tease the young boy. "Although, I do like going to France and have heard good things about the school."
"Car!" Draco exclaimed with bug eyes and red cheeks, furious at the thought. Laughing loudly, Carina pulled Draco into a hug. He was one of the few she showed open affection with. Draco was practically her little brother. He got on her nerves quite often, but she loved him anyway. After a few moments, Draco wiggled beneath her arms. "Car, you're squishing me."
"It's my way of telling you that I love you." Carina playfully squeezed him tighter until Draco was trying his hardest to pull himself from her clutches.
"Gro-oss! Let go, I can't breathe!" As Draco continued to try and push her away, Carina flung her arms wide open, letting himself fall out and back onto her bed. He gazed angrily up at her, his platinum blond hair out of place. "Bloody hell, I can't believe I live with you."
"Oh, Drakey, you know you love me." She gave him a dazzling smile which he rolled his eyes at. "Now get before I tell Narcissa you said 'bloody hell.'"
Draco gasped loudly. "You wouldn't."
She gasped mockingly, mimicking his expression. "I would."
Draco scrambled over himself to climb off her bed and dash out of her room. Carina shook her head and laughed as she watched him leave. As much as the boy claimed to love his father more, he was a serious momma's boy.
Finishing up most of her packing, Carina spotted her quill and ink sitting on her desk and thought over the possibilities. It couldn't hurt, she decided. The dark-haired girl glided over to her dark purple desk and sat down. Picking up the quill and dipping it in ink, Carina penned a short letter to two of the people she couldn't wait to see again.
Dear Flipendo and Geminio,
The summer has been strange not seeing your ugly mugs every day. And as an apology for not writing sooner, despite you having a quill, ink, and parchment as well, I have decided with my gracious heart to buy you your joke product of choice when I visit Diagon Alley in a few days. So, what will it be, boys?
Sincerely,
Colovaria
She blew on the ink to dry it faster before folding the letter and using her wax seal to seal it shut. On the front, she wrote Fred and George Weasley in her usual flawless handwriting that Narcissa would be proud of. With the letter ready, Carina hurried to the manor's small owlery.
The Malfoy's female white and tan barn owl Apollonia hooted softly when Carina entered the tower and flew down from her perch above to land on the window closest to Carina. The owl needed a good fly. Carina handed the letter to Apollonia and said, "This is for Fred and George Weasley in Ottery St. Catchpole. Please wait for them to reply before returning." She gently ran her fingers along the sides of the pretty owl, petting her but not too quickly. If you moved to quickly or too much, Apollonia tended to have a fit. That was probably why Fred had called the owl rude. The twins were always buzzing around like busy bees.
Carina watched the messenger bird fly away with the letter in her beak and sighed. All she had to do was entertain herself as she waited for a reply. Then Narcissa and her could go to Diagon Alley and pick up the remaining school supplies she needed.
The following afternoon, Apollonia flew gracefully through Carina's open window, set down a letter on the nightstand, and left the room to return to the owlery. Carina put the bookmark in her book and closed it, setting it aside in favor of the reply letter. She pried the letter from the envelope and read it, noting the characteristic sloppy handwriting that belonged to Fred.
Dearest Carrot Wand,
We have decided to forgive your thoughtless forgetfulness of our lovely friendship in the hopes that we receive a package of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks in order to start the school year off with a bang, so to speak. We look forward to using them for your enjoyment specifically.
Yours truly,
Frog Spawn Soap and GRRRRR
P.S. Why does your ruddy owl hate us?
Carina let out an unladylike snort at the last line before hiding the letter at the bottom of the drawer in her nightstand. She couldn't risk Narcissa or Draco finding it the next time one of them went into her room.
Fireworks. Of course, they wanted fireworks.
The days passed slowly until it was finally time for Carina to return to Hogwarts for her second year. In a green high-waisted skirt, white blouse, long white socks, and short green heels, she was dressed befitting of the Malfoy and Lestrange families, and Narcissa was prepared to milk it for all it was worth as they walked down the platform towards the train with her head held high and a gentle but firm hand on Carina's upper back.
Carina's eyes met the rambunctious Weasley twins not too far away who were getting their annual lecture from their mother about not causing trouble until Molly Weasley turned her attention to Charlie who was entering his last year.
Both Fred and George donned matching silly expressions to bring a small smirk to Carina's face, but it quickly slid away as Narcissa came to a stop and turned to the young girl. Carina looked up at her godmother with a stoic expression that matched hers. Narcissa ran her hand through Carina's hair to straighten out a few out of place strands.
"I have no doubt I'll hear of excellent things from Severus about your performance in classes this year," Narcissa said. "But I do hope you take time to spend with your friends, dear. I know you've never particularly been one for social interaction, but. . . " She trailed off.
"Yes, ma'am," Carina replied, understanding her meaning. She couldn't just be at the top of all her classes. She had to be present. She had to be seen. She had to have a following. It was expected of her as the heir to the Lestrange name and fortune and as the ward of the Malfoy family. She had to make them all proud.
Narcissa sighed quietly and allowed for a mild display of emotion just for her goddaughter. Narcissa knew exactly what was racing through Carina's mind, so she didn't repeat it, only added on. "I know you've heard Lucius say it a thousand times, and you'll probably hear it from him a thousand more. But know that I am already proud. Your mother and father would be proud as well. You look and act so much like them." Narcissa rested her hand on Carina's cheek for a brief moment before pulling away. "Have a good term. I'll see you at break, and I expect to hear from you far more than I did last year."
The corner of Carina's lips twitched up. "Of course."
Narcissa smiled down at her then pulled the girl's luggage from her purse, set them on the ground, and returned them to their full sizes, just as Lucius had down the previous year.
As Carina hauled her luggage onto the train and found a compartment, a certain red-haired witch thought over the interaction she had seen on the platform between the blonde Malfoy and the dark-haired Lestrange. The only reason her attention had been drawn in that direction was because of her twin boys. Not many could capture the attention of her wild sons for longer than a single moment, and she wondered why, of all people, the Lestrange did when she looked every bit as prim and proper as the people who raised her.
Carina let out Corvin once she was in a compartment and happily waited for the arrival of Sylvia, Adrian, and Cassius. When they did arrive, Cassius and Sylvia sat across from Carina and Adrian with Corvin stretched out next to his owner. The group was ready for another year.
The only thing different between a first year's classes and a second year's classes was the lack of flying lessons. That also meant second years could try out for their House Quidditch teams. Neither Sylvia nor Carina cared much about the sport. They preferred to be indoors away from the deafening cheers, but they agreed to attend the Slytherin team tryouts in order to support Adrian and his attempt at becoming Chaser. Tryouts were uneventful and Adrian made the team.
Carina also heard Fred and George Weasley had become Beaters for the Gryffindor team. The idea of them aiming bludgers at Adrian on the Quidditch pitch almost made her want to go to the matches to watch. While Adrian was her friend, he could do with a bludger to the head on occasion. She also noted that the twins being on the team meant almost half of the Gryffindor players were Weasleys since Charlie was their captain and seeker.
The young Lestrange girl sat in the library doing her Transfiguration homework when the familiar twin mops of red slid into the seats across from her. She didn't hide her frown as she tore her eyes away from the parchment up to the two boys.
"You look so unapproachable," Fred said offhandedly.
"And yet here you are." Carina pointed at them with her quill. "I thought we went over this. Also, how did you even know where to find me?"
"You're predictable," George answered quickly, but something in his voice made her not believe him.
Carina rolled her eyes, decided not to point out his lie, and scribbled down another use of the Softening Charm. "You blatantly ignored the other part."
"What do you want us to say, Rina?" Fred asked dramatically, flourishing his arms. "We just can't stay away. Did you perchance slip us a love potion without us knowing? Because that would be very diabolical of you."
Her eyes flickered up to his as she quirked an amused eyebrow. "You mean very Slytherin of me?" The three quietly laughed together. "If you're going to insist on spending time with me, it can't be in the incredibly public library. I know even your puny brains can figure out why."
The twins shared a questioning glance. "Is this your way of saying we need to have a secret meeting place?" George clarified quietly, leaning forward slightly, liking the shady implications of a top-secret spot.
"Oh, Rina, if you wanted to get us alone, you could've simply said so," Fred added cheekily, drumming his fingers on his head as he rested it on his hand with a grin.
She had the grace to not reply to Fred. Turning to George as she packed up her things, she said, "Figure it out."
Shortly after returning from Christmas break, Carina found herself hiding in the empty classroom Fred and George had picked out months prior for the purpose of them hanging out and avoiding being seen by other students. The classroom was never used by faculty and, to the best of their knowledge, other students. It made for the perfect secret meeting place if Fred and George wanted her help planning pranks or Carina making them do homework. But even when not meeting up with the twins, Carina quite liked going there if she wanted to avoid everyone. It didn't happen too often, but sometimes even the library had too many people.
The young girl sat there in the classroom practicing various spells, both of the second-year curriculum and the third year. If she wanted to be at the top of her class at all times, she had to practice as often as she could. Sometimes Adrian and Cassius were too distracting, and while Sylvia was incredibly helpful, she wasn't exactly good at staying focused and got sidetracked too easily.
That led to Carina going off on her own and practicing by herself.
An hour had passed with Carina all alone going through various spells when the classroom door opened and the twins walked inside. Carina wasn't surprised to see them. They always seemed to find her. Lowering her wand, Carina looked up at them. "Can I help you?" she asked, a cheeky tone threatening to spill through.
Fred and George plopped themselves down in front of her. "We were hoping you could slip something into one of your prefects' bags," Fred said.
"Nothing dangerous," George assured, hands slightly raised. "Just a dungbomb. We don't know his name, but he'll be the one bragging about locking a fourth-year Gryffindor girl in a closet and putting up a silencing charm so no one could find her."
Carina grimaced. "Sometimes I hate my own house just as much as I hate yours." Both boys let out cries of indignation. "Oh, shut it. You can say the exact same thing about mine. Gryffindors and Slytherins are far more alike than most people see. And I don't know if I'll ever understand how you two are in Gryffindor when you're some of the most ambitious, cunning, resourceful people I've ever met."
For a moment, they didn't move, both donning looks of confusion as they thought it over. "That's. . ." Fred started.
". . . fair," George finished.
"And for whatever reason," Carina continued, pointing at them, "you two always find me, even when I'm not being predictable."
George sighed and looked at his brother. "We should tell her." Fred's eyes widened for a split second, completely bugging out of his head, before returning to normal and sighing as well. He knew his brother was right. Meanwhile, Carina's eyebrows pinched together as she watched their interaction. Fred reached behind him, pulling something out of his back pocket and unfolding it in front of him. It was a blank piece of parchment.
Glancing back and forth between the two, Carina said, "Was that supposed to be some big reveal? Pretty lackluster, if you ask me."
"It's a secret map," George explained. "Freddie."
Fred handed the parchment to Carina, who took it hesitantly. Fred then pulled out his wand, rested it against the folds of the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Ink danced across the page as Carina looked on. "Messieurs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present the Marauder's Map," Carina read aloud.
Fred turned to George. "I don't think we've been saying Messieurs right."
"Definitely not," George added.
Carina, ignoring the twins, opened the parchment, her eyes flitting around and taking in every detail, including the moving names. "Is this a map of Hogwarts that shoes everyone in it?"
"Yep!" they exclaimed together.
"Wicked."