Hope everyone is doing well where they're located during the coronavirus thing. I myself am fine, mostly just bored and frustrated.

Dressed in black velvet short overalls, an olive green button-up blouse, and black ankle booties, Carina was ready to visit Sylvia at her home for the first time. Carina shouldered her large black purse and walked down the stairs to the main living area of the manor. She was ready to leave Malfoy Manor for a few days and was eternally grateful that Narcissa had placed an undetectable extension charm on her bag so Carina didn't have to carry around the ton of books that she was sneaking over. Narcissa only thought the purse had clothing in it. Narcissa said a quick goodbye and told her to have fun before Carina stepped into the fireplace and used floo powder to travel to the Melville house in Devin.

Carina dusted herself off after stepping out of the fireplace and glanced around the well-decorated living room. No one else was in sight. "Sylvia?" Carina called out, taking a few steps forward.

Someone came bounding down the steps in a hurry. Sylvia rushed into the living room with a huge smile on her face. "Car, it's so good to see you," Sylvia greeted, throwing her arms around her friend. Sylvia's long, curly dark hair got into Carina's face.

The Lestrange blew the hair out of her face as it tickled her nose. She then pulled out of the hug. "Blimey, it's only been two weeks and you get me for a full one. Relax." Carina still donned a playful grin.

Sylvia practically bounced in place. "There is so much I want to show you. Come on." Sylvia grabbed Carina's hand and began showing her around the house.

The Melville house wasn't nearly as large as the Malfoy Manor, but it was decently sized for a family of four. Two bathrooms and three bedrooms. Living room and office. Dining room and kitchen. Carina particularly liked how the kitchen was obviously the most expensive room in the house with granite countertops and the newest appliances possible. Sylvia said her mother greatly enjoyed cooking, perhaps a little too much. But overall, the house had a warm feel to it. Much more livable than the manor.

"Where is everyone?" Carina asked after realizing she hadn't seen Sylvia's parents or little sister. The two sat on Sylvia's bed, folding their legs beneath them.

"They went into the nearby village. Mum wanted to make something special for your first night here, whatever that means. She obviously took Cynthia with her. Six years old and wants to go everywhere with Mum, you know? I didn't want to go just in case you arrived while we were gone. Seems I was right. And Dad is the voice of reason, so he went to make sure Mum didn't go overboard with dinner. Dad is a Muggle, so meeting my friends is a huge deal for him, but he doesn't want to ruin that by overwhelming you." Sylvia's voice lowered when revealing her dad was a Muggle, but Carina didn't care much. "Mum, on the other hand, knows the weight your last name carries and wants to impress you."

Carina smiled, amused. She didn't care if Sylvia's father was a Muggle or not. She had already known of Sylvia's half-blood status, and even then, she didn't care about it. The only ones who would care were the Malfoys, and Narcissa hadn't even been told of Sylvia's blood status before Carina visited. Sylvia had simply been described as her roommate, which was true. "Thank Merlin for him."

Sylvia beamed and hopped a little in her seat. She was incredibly excited to have a friend over. Her mum and dad had teasingly pestered her to great lengths about not having any of her Hogwarts friends over for fear of being embarrassed by them. "I have a few things planned, somethings I want to show you that I think you'll enjoy, but I don't want to overwhelm you or anything, so is there anything, in particular, you want to do as well?"

Shaking her head, Carina replied, "Not that I know of. I don't even know what there is to do, for one."

"Oh, right! Ottery St. Catchpole is the village nearby. It's a good walk or we could have Dad drive us there. We can go shopping. There is also a park. There are Muggles in the village, so we'll have to be careful with what we talk about when out and about, but other wizard families live around here, too."

Carina recognized the village name but couldn't quite place her finger on it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head. "Which ones?" she asked.

Sylvia counted on her fingers. "The Diggory's are just west of here. The Weasley's live south of the village. The Fawcett's live a few hours walking distance east from them. The Lovegood's live somewhere around them, too."

The Weasley's. How could she have forgotten about where Fred and George lived? "Oh, really? Didn't know Diggory lived by you."

Sylvia shrugged. "I don't see him too often. He's usually at the park reading or something if he's out of his house. I'm usually only in the village when shopping with Mum, so I don't go to the park much. I see the Weasley's more often, but it's kind of hard not to when there's like a million of them and they all want to get out of a busy house." She waved her hand, dismissing them. "If we see them, we can just walk in the other direction."

Carina definitely didn't want to walk in the opposite direction if she saw Fred and George, but nevertheless, she agreed. "Sounds good. Oh, bloody hell, before I forget. . ." Carina pulled her bag up next to her and began pulling out books.

"Merlin's beard, how many do you have in there?" Sylvia asked as she watched Carina set them out between them. "How can they all fit in there? Did you even bring clothes?"

Carina finished up with the last book, counting eight in total. "Narcissa put an undetectable extension charm on it. I thought you might like these books since you like history. And you said your Mum hasn't told you much about the wizard world history, but I know how boring Binns can be." Sylvia began leafing through them. "I'll need them back at some point since they're from the Malfoy library, but I figured you can just send them one at a time whenever you finish one. And if you really like one, I can buy you a copy for your birthday or Christmas." Carina had to force herself to stop babbling.

Sylvia looked up from the book in her hands with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"It's no problem." Carina half-heartedly shrugged.

"Just take the gratitude." Sylvia chuckled as she watched Carina try not to grow bashful. Both girls then perked up at the sound of the front door opening. "That must be them." Sylvia hopped off her bed and Carina followed closely behind, leaving her bag behind. The two girls ran down the stairs, hearing the sound of Sylvia's parents talking while bringing groceries into the kitchen. The two girls walked into the kitchen together. "Mum, Dad, this is Carina."

Both adults turned to look at their daughter and her friend, not having heard them walk in. Mr. Melville got over his shock first since his wife had avoided telling him most of what she knew about Carina and her family. "It's good to meet you, Carina," he greeted with an Irish accent. Sylvia hadn't gotten her hair nor eyes from her father. He instead had floppy blond hair and green eyes. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you for having me, sir," Carina replied politely while shaking his hand, a habit long engraved in her when meeting new people.

"Call me Eamon. 'Sir' is too formal," he insisted with a grin. He turned and gestured to his wife. "This is my wife Gracelynn." Sylvia took after her mother far more than her father with the naturally curly dark hair, dark eyes, and strong jaw, but she did get his freckles. Her skin tone was also a healthy mix between the two incredibly different shades. While a Muggle and wizard couple was difficult in many respects, an interracial couple was rare but not unheard of in the wizarding world, at least in Britain. Carina couldn't imagine the discrimination they would face in America. Sometimes she wondered just how backward they were across the Atlantic. Some of their wizarding laws were strange as well.

"It's an honor to meet you both. Sylvia's told me loads about you." Carina held out her hand with a smile, knowing she would have to make the first step for being amicable with someone who had already known her family name.

Gracelynn waited a moment before taking it, hesitant and unsure, but Carina didn't mind. Sylvia's mum's response was far better than many others she had received. Many displayed outward fear or anger while others were closer to idolatry. "Has she really?" Gracelynn asked quietly. "Well, uh, welcome, Carina. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Carina nodded and dropped her hand back to her side. "Thank you."

"Sylvia, I think Cynthia ran up to her room. Can you make sure she's cleaning up in there?" Gracelynn asked her daughter. "Your dad and I are going to start dinner, and we told her she doesn't get dessert unless she cleans up her mess."

"Yes, Mum," Sylvia. She then waved her hand to get Carina to follow her. The girls climbed the staircase once again. It all seemed so foreign to Carina who had grown up in a mostly empty mansion without having to do chores or worry about cleaning. The domesticity of it all made her heart ache.

If she had actually grown up with her parents, would she have turned out differently? Or maybe she would've turned out worse.

Sylvia knocked on her sister's door as she peaked through and slowly opened it. "Cynthia, you better be cleaning." While stern, Carina heard the playfulness ebbing into Sylvia's voice. Carina stayed by the door as Sylvia entered her sister's room. She didn't want to intrude.

Sighing, Carina watched Sylvia interact with her little sister. She had always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. Actual siblings, too, not just Draco who had always known they weren't related. While she had grown up with Draco, they were treated differently. He was doted upon and taught differently than Carina had been. While Draco often looked up to her as his older sister, it wasn't quite the same as the interaction between Sylvia and Cynthia. Carina wondered about what exactly she had missed out on, on top of not having parents. But she couldn't miss what she never had.

Later that night, with everyone in the Melville house tucking into bed, Carina needed to use the loo. Sylvia reminded her it was just down the hall on the right, so Carina set off for it. But as she walked down the hall, she heard the hushed tones of Mr. and Mrs. Melville talking in their bedroom with the door slightly ajar as they were getting ready to go to sleep.

After many years of inching through Malfoy Manor to eavesdrop on conversations without being spotted or heard, Carina dared closer to listen in as she walked past but stopped in her tracks at Eamon's question for his wife.

"What is so bad about that girl's family?" Carina's heart picked up its pace as she waited to hear more. "Ever since Syl first wanted to invite Carina over, you freeze every time you hear her name. You could barely look the poor girl in the eye at supper. She's just a child."

"You don't know who her family is," Gracelynn told him gently.

"Then tell me. You refuse to, but how can I understand when you won't let me know? And regardless of her family, do you really think our little girl would befriend someone so terrible? A child should never be held accountable for the actions of their parents."

Carina heard them sit on the bed and Gracelynn sighed. "Do you remember when I gave birth to Cynthia?" Sylvia's mother asked.

"Of course."

"And you remember the nice old witch with her grandson that was telling you stories in the waiting room to keep you calm?" Eamon must have nodded because Gracelynn continued talking. "She told you her name was Augusta Longbottom, but did she tell you why she was even at St. Mungo's in the first place? She was visiting her son and daughter-in-law. They were tortured to insanity by four people. I remember the trial. They were completely unapologetic and even proud of what they had done. All convicted Death Eaters. Carina's father, aunt, and uncle were three of them. Now she is raised by the Malfoy family. They're pureblood supremacists. She's from the worst wizarding families possible, all of whom would kill you in a heartbeat. That girl was raised the exact same way, I guarantee."

Carina forced herself to continue down the hall and slip quietly into the bathroom. Locking the door, Carina turned to face the mirror and gripped the sides of the sink, breathing quickly. She took in gulps of air, slowing her breathing. She couldn't let herself react. She had to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter how much she wanted to break down. Maybe it was a bad idea to leave the safety net of the Malfoy Manor without Narcissa.

The following morning after eating breakfast, Sylvia took Carina by the arm and they began making their way to the village together. Sylvia had been tempted to ask her dad for a ride to the village, but she sensed something was off with her friend and wanted to get her completely alone to figure out what was wrong.

They walked in silence until the house was a good distance away then Sylvia said, "Alright, we're completely alone. What's wrong?"

Carina shook her head and kept her eyes downcast. "I-it's nothing," she tried to assure, but Sylvia didn't believe her. Carina didn't stutter and she tended to have a lot more confidence when walking. It was how she was raised: walk and speak with confidence or don't do it at all.

Setting a delicate hand on Carina's shoulder, Sylvia softened her voice and spoke again. "Car, it's okay. You can tell me anything. Did something happen? Did you get a mysterious owl in the middle of the night or something? Whatever it is, I can help."

Carina was inclined to believe her. She had only ever tried to be friendly. But how could Carina come out and say Sylvia's mother thought she was a monster? Carina tried so hard to keep up one facade while trying to stay true to herself and her morals in the process no matter how much the two clashed. But how could she continue to do so when no one would give her a chance?

Almost half of Hogwarts already hated Slytherins even if they hadn't done anything. Most of the teachers seemed to favor Gryffindors over everyone else. People shrunk in fear or tried flattery when they discovered Carina's last name, even the mother of one of her few real friends. She couldn't be openly friends with most people of real substance, like the Weasley's. She had only openly befriended one person of a different house, but they had bonded over the weight of expectations placed upon them by their guardians and even he was a pureblood, too. She had to become the strong and wise matriarch of her family once she became of age and succeed well beyond anyone in Hogwarts in regards to her classes and abilities. She had to pretend to buy into the blood purity nonsense her godfather always spewed but also avoid the infamy of her father.

Sometimes Carina Lestrange simply wanted to pull her hair out and scream at the top of her lungs. She felt like she stood on a tightrope over a ravine or center stage as everyone watched in anticipation. She needed to let it out.

"I heard your parents talking last night," Carina finally revealed in a quiet tone barely above a whisper. "Your mum was telling your dad things about my family." Tears pricked in her eyes which she immediately shut to keep them from spilling.

She didn't need to hear anything more. Moving her hand from Carina's shoulder to her waist, Sylvia brought her into a side-hug and set her head on Carina's shoulder as they continued to walk along the road. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault my family has done terrible things. I just don't want to end up like them."

Sylvia squeezed her friend reassuringly. "You won't. I know you won't. You'll show the world you're better."

One great thing about Sylvia was her ability to distract others. She could talk someone's ear off if they let her which is exactly what Carina let her do. Listening to Sylvia talk about anything and everything allowed Carina to take her mind off of the things that worried her.

Together, they walked around the quaint little village of Ottery St. Catchpole as Sylvia pointed things out or talked about her favorite things to do. Sylvia showed her Muggle money, Muggle sweets, and Muggle technologies like pens which were loads better than a quill. Carina also enjoyed the book store Sylvia showed her.

Wizard fiction wasn't as common as Muggle fiction seemed to be. Wizard fiction mostly included legends in the wizarding world with some adventures against monsters, but those books weren't all too popular. Muggles, on the other hand, seemed to love imagining worlds filled with magic and monsters and quests, anything that wasn't reality. Carina strangely liked it.

After wandering around, Carina and Sylvia made their way to the park to relax before heading back home. Once they got there, they recognized a boy laying on a blanket in the grass.

"Diggory!" Carina called out. Her sharp voice drew his attention away from his book, but it also drew the attention of other people in the park, all of whom were wondering why two girls wanted the attention of the strange boarding school boy.

Cedric sat up on the blanket and looked at Carina and Sylvia strangely as they walked over. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He then backtracked, realizing the question sounded rude. "Not that it isn't lovely to see you, Lestrange. I just wasn't expecting to see you."

"I know, Diggory," Carina said, plopping down on the blanket without even asking him. Sylvia looked at her strangely, but Carina gestured for her to sit down. "He doesn't bite. He's actually quite friendly and kind." The Lestrange missed Diggory's blush as she was focused on her still standing friend. Sylvia hesitantly sat down. She'd never truly interacted with Cedric before, and he always seemed to be leaving when she had seen him with Carina.

"So, what brings you to our lovely park?" Cedric gestured around them.

Carina jutted her head towards Sylvia. "She wanted to show me around. It's nice to be away from the manor for once. Especially since Mr. Malfoy's been acting strange since summer started." She shrugged noncommittedly.

Cedric grimaced. "Oof, I can imagine."

After spending a short time at the park, the girls began walking back to Sylvia's home. A playful grin graced Sylvia's expression as they walked down the road alone. "You two seem friendly. He's cute."

Carina side-eyed her. "Yeah, I guess."

Sylvia groaned. "You guess? C'mon, Car, don't be coy."

"Alright, he is," Carina said, shaking her head. "What about it?" She didn't quite understand why Sylvia was bringing it up.

Sylvia wanted to strangle her friend for her lack of observation. "You should ask him to the first Hogsmeade trip once we're back." Why else would Sylvia be bringing it up?

Carina raised an eyebrow and smirked at her friend. "Why not you since you seem much more taken with him than I?"

"Oh, please," Sylvia replied, rolling her eyes. "He was blushing when you complimented him. If you asked him, he'd probably say yes."

"Wow, great. Just what I want."

Sylvia nudged Carina with her elbow. "Don't be a smartass. I'm just trying to get you a boyfriend."

"Honestly don't really want one. I can't imagine giving someone my attention like that."

For the rest of Carina's visit at the Melville home, Sylvia spent the time showing her Muggle things like music and movies and movie musicals. As they sat on the couch eating popcorn, Carina frowned, confused at what they were watching. Sylvia had said it was called Grease. Why something about a teenage romance would be called Grease, Carina wouldn't ever fully understand.

"Why are they singing?" Carina asked.

Sylvia chuckled. "It moves the plot along and reveals the inner thoughts of the characters, like exposition but more interesting." She watched as Carina nodded slowly.

Muggles are so weird.