Carina's skirt flowed lightly around her thighs as she walked briskly towards the Hogwarts Express with Draco by her side, having just said their goodbyes to Narcissa and Lucius. Draco was about to start his first year at Hogwarts and he could barely contain his excitement as he followed his god-sister onto the train.
"Go find Blaise," Carina ordered as she got to an empty compartment.
"Wait, why can't I sit with you?" Draco asked, mildly offended.
Carina raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you really want to be hanging around your big sister on your first day?" A teasing tone seeped into her voice.
She watched as the realization donned on him. "Good point. Can I at least sit next to you at the feast?" Carina allowed herself to smile and nod. "Fantastic." Her eyes followed the young, blond first year down the hall as he went off to find someone he knew. The Lestrange slipped into the empty compartment and set Corvin free.
A few minutes passed as she sat there reading with Corvin laying on the floor below her. The compartment door opened, and Carina looked up to see a scrawny boy with messy dark hair and glasses looking extremely lost and confused. Undoubtedly a first year. Quirking an unenthused eyebrow, she asked, "Who are you and why are you in here?" Corvin meowed from his spot and stretched out.
The boy stayed standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry, I was just looking for an empty compartment." He glanced down at the cat who had decided to check him out.
"Well, as you can see, it's not empty." She waved her hand lazily around the compartment. "And in about five minutes, it will be filled with more third years. Do yourself a favor and sit with other first years. It's the easiest time to make friends. Don't squander it." Carina eyed her cat who seemed to take a strange liking to the boy and had begun rubbing against his legs.
"Uh, thank you."
"What's your name?" Carina called out before the boy could leave. She could see the bright green of his eyes from where she sat. And with Corvin mysteriously loving the first year despite only having been in the boy's presence for a moment, Carina felt curious.
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
He said it so quickly that it took her a moment to realize what he had said. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. Carina didn't outwardly react. "Hm. I'm Carina. Good luck at Hogwarts, Harry." He awkwardly thanked her again and left, leaving Corvin to drop onto his side on the floor and stretch, meowing indignantly. Carina chuckled at her cat. "Drama king."
Carina had a difficult time focusing on her book after the encounter with the first year. Harry Potter was starting at Hogwarts. She wondered what house he would be in. Gryffindor like his parents, probably. Or perhaps Slytherin like the wizard he had defeated as a baby. Although, 'defeated' would be an illogical term to use no matter how often it was thrown around. Harry had been a baby when the Dark Lord had been destroyed. Harry likely hadn't actually done anything. She briefly felt bad for the kid. His reputation would precede him just like hers. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually done anything.
Harry found his way to a compartment where he would end up officially meeting a red-haired first year called Ron Weasley. Throughout the train ride, they shared laughs and food, getting to know each other and forming a lasting friendship.
After a good portion of the trip, Harry looked to Ron, his thoughts had wandered to the girl he had met earlier. She had been both rude and considerate all at once, providing good advice but with a harsh undertone. "Hey, Ron, do all the older students hate first years?" he asked.
"I guess it depends on the student," Ron replied, stuffing his face with a pumpkin pasty. "Why do you ask?"
Harry shrugged. "When I first boarded the train, I met a girl. I think she said third year."
"That's the same year Fred and George are in. Did you get her name? Maybe they're friends."
"She said her name was Carina. Didn't give a last name." Ron dropped the pumpkin pasty, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. Harry's face scrunched up. "What, do you know her?"
"Are you sure she said 'Carina?'" Ron asked. Harry nodded, confused at why his new friend was acting so weird. "Blimey, Harry, you met Carina Lestrange!" Ron had said it like the name meant anything to Harry and Ron quickly realized Harry had no clue. "She's the daughter of a convicted Death Eater and lives with the Malfoy's." Harry hadn't forgotten about his encounter with the pompous blond earlier on the train ride.
"What's a Death Eater?"
"They're the followers of You-Know-Who. I heard my mum and dad talking about them a few times. Carina's the daughter of one of the worst ones. Fred and George said she dueled a group of third years as a first year before Charlie stepped in. Seems to already be following in her father's footsteps, if you ask me. What did she say about you being, well, you?"
Harry picked at his shirt absent-mindedly. "She didn't really say anything. Just told me 'good luck.' Seemed to have more of a problem with a random first year showing up. What did her father do that was so bad?"
"I don't know exactly. All I know is, he was locked away."
The two boys were left wondering silently to themselves. Harry hadn't thought the girl seemed even remotely evil, just mildly annoyed while Ron worried about what Carina had meant by telling Harry 'good luck.' Growing up with the twins around every corner had left him paranoid. But she had truly meant it. Carina Lestrange wished no ill-will upon Harry Potter. Her father would say otherwise.
Students aboard the train were lit with excitement about the arrival of Harry Potter. The news had spread like wildfire thanks to the combined efforts of Draco and the Weasley Twins, not like they had meant to. They simply weren't particularly quiet.
After the train stopped at the station in Hogsmeade, the first years were separated from the rest of the student body and led to the boats by Hagrid. The older students went to the thestral-pulled carriages. Carina secretly hoped every time she rode in the carriages that she would never be able to see the thestrals. Seeing death was one thing, but to be reminded of it over and over again was another.
The thestrals themselves were typically docile and clever creatures and were non-threats to most humans, but of course, humans were scared of something the creatures couldn't control. Their spooky appearance were all humans seemed to care about.
Carina sat next to Adrian and across from Sylvia and Cassius at the Slytherin table. Sylvia had just heard the news about Harry's arrival as they entered the Great Hall. "Do you think it's true?" she asked excitedly. "Is Harry Potter actually here at Hogwarts?"
Adrian leaned against the table, not exactly interested in the prospect of the Boy Who Lived finally attending Hogwarts. "Does it matter?" he posed. "The only thing he did was sit in his crib and get a curse thrown his way. It wasn't like he actually did anything to defeat the Dark Lord. If he is here, then he'll probably be an annoying little git who thinks he's better than everyone else. He'll probably be in Gryffindor, too."
"Sounds like someone is a little bitter," Sylvia sing-songed.
"What else is new?" Carina asked, smirking. Adrian glared at her but didn't retort as the doors of the Great Hall swung open.
Professor McGonagall forged forward with the first years at her heels. Each first year looked around in wonder, especially at the enchanted ceiling. She spotted Draco right away, and so did her friends. "Wonder which one is Draco," Adrian said sarcastically, picking out her god-brother's platinum blond hair that he had grown familiar with when visiting the Malfoy Manor. It was the signature hair of a Malfoy.
Carina also spotted the young Mr. Potter sidled up next to a red-headed boy in hand-me-down robes. Undoubtedly another Weasley. If she remembered correctly from the twins, his name was Ron and after him would be the only Weasley girl, Ginny. Ron Weasley didn't seem to have the confidence of any of his older brothers, but Carina understood why. According to Fred and George, the oldest, Bill, had become a Curse-Breaker and Charlie planned on studying dragons once he had graduated at the end of the previous school year. Percy became a Gryffindor prefect and was at the top of his classes, and Fred and George were the most popular pranksters in the whole school despite only being in their third year. Ron had a lot to live up to.
The only thing Draco had to live up to was his family name and Carina's proficiency in all her subjects. And Carina had to avoid living up to her parents' reputations. She just had to avoid torturing anyone to insanity or working for an evil wizard. It shouldn't be too hard.
Unsurprisingly, Harry was sorted into Gryffindor and Draco into Slytherin.
Draco slid cheerfully into the empty spot next to Carina. She patted him silently on the shoulder as they waited for the sorting to be over. Draco was in awe of the buffet once it appeared on the table before him. He was finally at Hogwarts and he couldn't believe it.
Thursday afternoon, Carina jumped at the classroom door opening quickly and the twins rushing in with large goofy grins on their faces. She had been practicing Glacius on the desks and almost used it on the boys when they startled her.
She dropped her wand arm and said, "You two have no semblance of calm, do you?"
"No," George answered.
"Why do you ask?" Fred wondered.
"Oh, you know, just my overwhelming sense of confusion towards the two of you," Carina told them in earnest. The Weasley twins continued to share matching excited expressions and giddy behavior. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"
"Guess who the new Gryffindor seeker is." Fred seemed even more excited than his brother.
Based on their enthusiasm, the emphasis on a Gryffindor seeker, and Draco's frustration towards Harry Potter showing him up during Flying Class on Wednesday afternoon, Carina naturally assumed they were going to say Harry. She didn't say it out loud, though, instead choosing to lean on the closest desk and raise an eyebrow at them. She'd let them have their moment. They were like crup puppies when given a treat. She found it quite adorable.
"Harry Potter!" George answered for Fred.
"How was he allowed on the team?" Carina asked. "It's quite rare for a first year to be put on a quidditch team. And there haven't been any tryouts yet."
"Apparently, McGonagall saw him catch something in Flying Class," George explained with wild hand motions. "She brought him to Wood right away."
Carina hummed quietly and nodded, mildly impressed. She could see how Harry had gotten under Draco's skin already. "If he's that good on the school brooms, I wonder how he'd do with a better one. Too bad first years aren't allowed their own. With all the money his father undoubtedly left behind, he could definitely afford a Nimbus 2000. Bloody hell, he could probably buy one for everyone on the team."
Fred turned to his brother. "Blimey, George, could you imagine flying on a Nimbus 2000?"
"It would be amazing." George and Fred sighed dramatically, donning wistful expressions, and slumped into seats at the nearest desks.
Carina smiled at the two of them daydreaming. Sometimes she wished she could just hand them a hundred galleons each and tell them to go crazy, but they would never take the money. They appreciated the occasional gift, but they only asked for joke products, nothing else they truly wanted or needed. They asked for things they could use to make other people happy, aside from the person who was getting pranked, of course. It was something she liked about the Weasley Twins.
Some people would try to take advantage of how much money she had at her disposal. Being the last Lestrange for both the British and the French lines of the family, she was heir to both fortunes. Both estates and both vaults were hers once she turned seventeen. Her father, uncle, and aunt had all forgone their rights to the fortunes due to their imprisonment in Azkaban. It was far too much money for one person or one family. But she couldn't do anything substantial with it until she had full access to all her assets.
Harry, on the other hand, had full access to his due to his parents being dead and having no wizarding guardians. Carina's guardians, on the other hand, were the Malfoy's, so she wouldn't have full control until she was of age. She couldn't wait.
She just had to figure out what to do with it all.
Sylvia, Adrian, Cassius, Miles, Terence, and Carina sat quietly at one of the tables in the library Friday afternoon. Their classes had finished and they were doing their homework before they went and did anything else.
The boys wanted to go to the Quidditch Pitch to practice. Miles and Adrian were already on the Slytherin team as Keeper and Chaser, respectively, but Cassius and Terence were planning on trying out and wanted as much practice as possible. Carina and Sylvia only agreed to watch if they completed their homework first. The girls did not want to hear them bitching about not having enough time to finish their homework the night before it was due when they clearly had plenty of time.
Miles was doling out the rules for the playful match as the group walked down to the Quidditch Pitch. "No Keepers or Seekers, all four of us are Chasers, no bludgers or snitches. Keep the fouls to a minimum. We go until one team reaches one-hundred and fifty points. All hoops are allowed. Carina is the reff."
"So kind of you to remember I hate being on a broom," Sylvia said. During the previous year, every time the boys wanted to play Quidditch, they tried to rope Sylvia into actually playing. Carina didn't mind playing, she just didn't care too much about it. She had different ambitions to focus on. Sylvia, on the other hand, couldn't stand being on a broom at all which was why she didn't like the sport. She finally had enough and snapped at them, brutally insulting each of their fragile egos.
Cassius, Terence, and Carina had school brooms while Adrian and Miles had their own. But once the group got to the pitch, they spotted a group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws with brooms, too. Two of the boys were in the same year as the group of Slytherins and on their own house's teams. The two girls were a year older. The last boy a year younger.
"Oh, come on," Adrian muttered, glaring at the group of badgers and eagles who were also planning on using the space. But by the looks of it, they were only planning on flying as they didn't have their own set of Quidditch balls. Adrian was the one to storm ahead to confront the others. "I hope you don't think you'll be using the pitch."
Cedric Diggory, the bravest of the little band, stepped forward. "Look, you didn't reserve the pitch, and neither did we. We have every right to be here, same as you, so why don't you take one half and we take the other."
Adrian nodded with a stoic expression. "Sounds fair." He glanced behind him at his friends then turned back to the Hufflepuff Seeker. "I don't like it. You see, we're here to play Quidditch, not just fly around pretending we're decent." Before he could continue, Carina smacked him upside with her broomstick handle. "Ow! Car, what the hell?" He rubbed his head after dropping the chest of Quidditch balls to the ground.
"Stop being an arse to someone who hasn't done anything to you," Carina scolded with her eyes narrowed. "Save the animosity for Gryffindor." Her eyes drifted to the most popular Hufflepuff in the school: Hufflepuff's Golden Boy, Cedric Diggory. She could see why her roommates Mildred and Gertrude would gush about him occasionally. "We have five, you have five. I'm sure a scrimmage will be more beneficial than suicide runs and diving practice."
A grateful smile pulled at his lips. "Sounds like a plan, Lestrange. Two Keepers, two Seekers, six Chasers, no Beaters, no bludgers. Ready?"
Roger Davies, one of the Chasers for the Ravenclaw team, put a hand on Cedric's shoulder and shook his head. "We need to split up the teams. A whole group of Slytherins doesn't sit right with me."
Adrian's jaw clenched as he continued glaring. "You have no objection from me," he sort of agreed.
"Good, I'm one Seeker. Who's the other?" Cedric asked.
"I am," Terence chimed in.
"None of us are Keepers," the thin, nervous-looking other Ravenclaw said. "I mean, I can be one if needed, but if you have two, that'd be great."
"We have two," Miles assured. "I'll stick with Terence. Diggory, you can take Carina." At least someone knew her preference for observing.
"I'm taking Adrian with me," Carina told them. "Gotta split up you two and your Quidditch strategies." She playfully winked at the red-headed Keeper who rolled his eyes.
"We'll keep Marcus and Elora as Chasers then," Cedric said. "Beatrice and Roger are yours. Keep it clean."
"Wouldn't dream of anything else." Cassius's tone clued Carina into his lie. What Cassius lacked in actual intelligence, he made up for in overt cruelty. It was usually toned down with Adrian, Sylvia, and Carina because they tended to only talk amongst their group and not talk to people of other houses, at least publicly, but when alone, Carina could easily spot how he was raised. The only thing that kept him from showcasing it was how he didn't hang out with Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain who was two years older, or any other overtly cruel Slytherins. The majority of Slytherins were normal. The ones who gave Slytherins a bad name were people like Flint and his cronies.
The students walked onto the pitch together, breaking off into their teams. Carina and Miles took their spots in front of the goals. Nothing compared to the feeling of flying. Whether that was a good feeling or not depended on the person. As Carina sat on the broom in front of the center goal, she pulled back her hair into a ponytail and waited for the game to begin.
Sylvia was the one to release the quaffle and snitch from the chest and then went and sat in the stands to draw while her friends played the game.
They played and played until Cedric caught the snitch almost an hour later winning the scrimmage for his team. It had been neck and neck between him and Terence vying for the golden snitch but they had been winning with overall points anyway. Adrian was an excellent Chaser, better than Roger and Cassius, and Carina a decent Keeper.
As Carina waited patiently for Sylvia to descend from the stands and the boys to strap in the Quidditch balls, Cedric walked up next to her. "You're not a bad Keeper," Cedric remarked, hoisting his broom onto his shoulder. She raised an eyebrow as she looked over to him. "You didn't join your house team, why?"
"I've got better things to do than play Quidditch. Miles enjoys it far more than I," Carina explained. "I'll stick with my studies. You're a fair Seeker. Think you can catch the snitch before Slytherin in an actual game?"
Cedric chuckled. "I plan on it. Good game, Lestrange."
She watched him walk off with his friends. Oh, she could definitely see all the hype about him.
I know it might be a little early to be wondering this, but I'm considering having Carina put her name in the Goblet of Fire and being the champion instead of Cedric and I have some ideas for it, but at the same time, I love that a Hufflepuff was the Hogwarts champion, you know? See my predicament? Any opinions on the matter will be appreciated.