So uh how's everyone doing after we've disowned Rowling?

Roughly three weeks after the end of the fifth year, O.W.L. results were sent out, and Carina was ecstatic. She had passed all her O.W.L.s. Lucius and Narcissa were overbearing and constantly talking about her results which made Carina quite annoyed. Draco's grumbling about not being at the top of his class because of Hermione Granger only made it worse. And because of this, she was spending a few days with Sylvia to get out of the manor.

The moment Sylvia dragged Carina into her bedroom, the half-blood girl said, "Don't get comfortable. We're going to a party."

"What?" Carina asked, rearing her head back in surprise.

"Before Hogwarts, I went to an independent school in Exeter," Sylvia explained, going through her closet. "I still keep in touch with friends I made there. One of them is throwing a big party while his parents are out of the country to celebrate their anniversary. He told me about it when we were chatting yesterday. You and I are going."

Carina sat down on Sylvia's bed, watching her friend comb through her clothes. "But why?"

Sylvia stopped what she was doing and turned around. "We finished a school year filled with constant studying and worrying about our future, and we just received our results for them which means we can officially celebrate. And you need to have fun and let loose for once, especially since you broke up with an amazing guy and still haven't told me the real reason for doing so." When Carina made no move to explain herself or agree to the party, Sylvia continued. "Come on, you won't know anyone there since everyone will be Muggles. I know you need a drink and now you can see what Muggles have for alcohol."

Sighing, Carina replied, "Fine, fine. But you better not leave me alone. I don't want to be without you."

"Of course. But remember, no magic or talk of Hogwarts."

"Yes, I know. I have to be boring."

Sylvia rolled her eyes and snorted. She then gestured for Carina to join her by the closet. "Come on. Let's get ready in something nice." Carina stood from the bed and went to Sylvia's side. Sylvia pointed to Carina's clothing. "I like your shorts, but you need a different top." Sylvia pulled a sparkly tank top from a hangar and handed it to Carina. "Put this on."

Carina held it up in front of her, looking over the sparkling black sequins and shrugged. She didn't mind how it looked. It was a little flashier than what she was used to, but it was cute. She took a few steps away, stripped off her top, and pulled the tank over her chest. Looking in the mirror, Carina noted it looked good with her high-waisted olive shorts.

She then yelped as she was hit with a pair of shoes.

"Put those on," Sylvia demanded.

Carina glared at her friend but picked up the shoes anyway. Sparkly black heels. What is up with her and sparkles? Carina asked herself. Taking off her own heeled boots, she put on the shoes Sylvia wanted her to wear. They had discovered in fourth year that they had the same shoe size when Carina let her try on a pair of her heels for Sylvia's first date.

After Sylvia got dressed in a pastel pink lace romper and sparkly heeled boots, she quite literally dragged Carina out of the house and to their garage where a car was parked.

Carina groaned while looking at the vehicle. "Please don't tell me we're taking that thing." Every time Carina had visited, she and Sylvia had walked to the nearby village if they left the house. She had vehemently avoided taking the car.

"Oh, we are." Sylvia grinned broadly at Carina. "Now get your pretty little arse in the car."

"Do you even know how to drive it?"

"Of course, I do. I got my license. Well, my provisional since I'm not seventeen yet, but Dad had done the same thing when he was my age."

"What, driving illegally?"

Sylvia pointed at the car. "Get in the car."

"Ugh, fine." Carina climbed into the passenger side of the vehicle. She had to admit that they had probably done more dangerous things at Hogwarts with how many hexes, jinxes, and charms they learned on a regular basis. And the Forbidden Forest being right there with deadly creatures. And spending all last year around Dementors. And a basilisk petrifying Muggle-borns during their fourth year. And a three-headed dog being in the school during their third year.

Why was Hogwarts considered safe? Seriously, it seemed like the exact opposite of safe.

During the hour drive, Carina picked at the strap of her green leather purse, nerves at being in the moving vehicle eating at her. Sylvia's choice in Muggle music did help relax her a little, but not much.

Despite Sylvia having told Carina she wouldn't ditch her, about forty minutes into being at the party, she ditched Carina in favor of some bloke. To be fair, Carina had been talking to someone with ease, so she wasn't completely alone or uncomfortable.

Carina leaned against a wall off to the side in the living room, chatting flirtatiously with a handsome boy in a leather jacket whom she didn't remember the name of. He was cute and tall and looked like he could be Blaise Zabini's older brother or close cousin, but Carina wasn't exactly digging his closely shaved head. She preferred something longer that she could play with and tug on, but that wasn't exactly the only thing she didn't like. It wasn't the right color. That didn't mean she wouldn't continue flirting with tall, dark, and handsome though. She could use a distraction.

As she batted her eyes and took a sip of her drink, her eyes drifted to three people who had just walked into the room, immediately choking on her drink at the sight of them.

The boy in front of her grew concerned, his thick eyebrows knitting together and reaching out with his hands but not quite touching her. "Are you okay?" he asked, loud enough to be heard over the music.

She finished up her coughing fit quickly. "Yes, thank you, please excuse me," she replied, trying not to stumble over her words. Then she left him standing there, moving through the bodies in the room quickly and with purpose as she made her way to the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan with fury in her eyes and confusion on her face. No other wizards should've been at that party.

All three froze at the sight of her on her warpath. They hadn't even gotten drinks yet. The moment she reached them, the three boys broke out into awkward uncomfortable smiles.

"Hey, Rina," Fred greeted with a small wave. "How are you?"

Ignoring the formalities, Carina went straight to the point. "What the bloody hell are you three idiots doing here?" she asked harshly.

The three Gryffindors flinched at her words. "Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist," Fred replied. "Lee invited us."

Resting a hand on her hip, Carina turned her gaze and quirked her eyebrow to Lee who was glaring at Fred. "Oi, I thought we were friends, mate! I don't deserve her anger," Lee argued.

George gazed at the girl thoughtfully and said, "We were invited by Lee's Muggle primary school friends. Why are you here?"

"Sylvia," Carina answered simply.

Lee immediately perked up and beamed. "She's here?" he asked. "Where?"

Carina shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Last I saw, she was snogging some bloke in the kitchen. Wasn't even all that attractive, but I can't say my tastes completely align with hers." Over the months, Sylvia had grown to rather like the Gryffindor but refused to admit it. Carina's eyes flitted up and down Lee, but he didn't get the hint, dashing off to find his crush instead. She then rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking back at Fred and George and their almost shoulder-length hair. "Your hair is longer."

Fred scoffed with a grin. "Excellent observation, love. What do you got in your cup?" He looked pointedly at the cup in her hand and the frothy brown liquid inside it.

"Some Muggle beer." She held it out to him so he could see it. "It's not very good, but it gets the job done if you drink enough of it."

Fred snatched the cup from her outstretched hand and tilted the cup a little to look at the inside with a frown. After taking a tentative sip, he scowled. "Well, it's not firewhiskey or a butterbeer. Bloody hell, that's disgusting. George, try this." He handed the cup to his brother, and Carina threw her hands into the air. She didn't mean for it to be passed around. She was only showing them.

George didn't like it either. "Do you get drunk off this at all?" he asked as he handed the cup back to her.

"I'm feeling a little something, but I've also had like four cups," Carina replied, taking another sip. "Gimme a couple shots any day over this rubbish." The three laughed together. Fred and Carina made eye contact and held it. Unbeknownst to Carina, Fred nudged his brother with his foot, never looking away from the girl in front of him.

George cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to go find Lee and make sure he didn't mortally embarrass himself or Sylvia."

"Good luck!" Carina exclaimed as he ran off, disappearing into the crowd and leaving Carina alone with Fred who smiled down at her.

"Are you having a good summer?" Fred asked, trying not to sound too awkward. Either Carina didn't notice or didn't care, both of which were fine with Fred.

"It's been good. I've read some interesting books. I've got a lot more freedom. We're about to go into our sixth year. I'll be seventeen soon and can move out of Malfoy Manor. I've got a lot to look forward to." She held out the cup to him.

"And yet?" Fred coaxed, taking the cup from her and taking a drink. He had known her since their first year at Hogwarts. He could tell when something bothered her or if she held something back.

She folded her arms over her chest and sighed. "And yet I find myself bored and disappointed. Like I could be doing something better with my time, you know? Even if it's just going to school. Anything is better than sitting in the manor with nothing meaningful to do."

Fred chuckled light-heartedly. "Only you would be excited about going back to school." He nudged her with a goofy grin on his face, trying to get her to smile. It only slightly worked. Carina took her drink back, a smile threatening to appear but not quite showing itself. "At least this summer isn't a total bust. We're here. You never see us over summer. That's got to count for something, love."

His use of 'love' did succeed in bringing out the smile in full force. "It does."

"Good, I'd hate to think you no longer enjoy my lovely company." Fred flipped his hair which made Carina giggle and almost choke on her drink. "But speaking of my company, am I going to be seeing you at the World Cup?"

Carina gasped and smiled. "You're going?" she exclaimed.

Fred nonchalantly shrugged, trying not to look too happy at the idea of her being excited that he and his family planned on going to the Quidditch World Cup in a few weeks. "Yeah, Dad scored tickets through work."

"Then I'll see you there." She paused for a moment only to quickly add more. "I'll have to sneak away from the Malfoys, but anything for my favorite lions."

"I-We-We'd like that," Fred stuttered out. He had to stop himself from being a fool.

Carina swirled the cup in her hand, not reacting to his stuttering. But she did notice it. She felt a tug at her heart knowing he would like to see her. "What do you want for your annual back-to-school gift?"

Fred shifted his footing, thinking over his options. He could ask for more fireworks or some simple dungbombs, but something he and George really wanted were things that could help their future business. Carina had been right: they would've made good Slytherins. The resourceful and ambitious. "We would like, if it's not too much to ask, some potion ingredients. George and I started making our own products. Well, actually, we started five months ago, but we're making some good progress now." He had asked it hesitantly. Weasleys didn't like asking for help, especially in regard to things that included money.

But Carina beamed, proud of her boys. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand with her free one. "That's wonderful, Fred." Glancing around, she realized the center of a Muggle living room surrounded by Muggle teenagers wasn't the best place to discuss potion ingredients. "Come on."

Tugging on his hand, Carina brought Fred to the back yard where there were fewer people. Fred, while ecstatic to be alone with her, couldn't help but feel as though people were staring at them as they went by. He wondered if the Muggles were thinking about why someone as beautiful as Carina was holding the hand of a lanky speckled git like him. They sat off to the side in the grass, leaning with their backs on a brick fence. She handed her drink back to Fred who finished off what little was left of the terrible beverage and set the empty cup next to him while she dug into her enchanted purse and pulled out parchment and a pen.

Fred pointed to the strange writing utensil and quietly asked, "What is that?"

"A pen. A lot more efficient than a bloody quill. Muggles have some seriously great technology." But the pen could never leave the confines of Carina's purse if Lucius, Narcissa, or Draco were around. "I've learned so much from Sylvia. I kind of wish I was allowed to take Muggle Studies." Fred was about to ask why she couldn't but realized it would've been a stupid question. The short answer: Lucius. Carina laid the parchment on her thigh and wrote Needed Ingredients at the top and underlined it. "What do you need?"

"Well, we don't really know what we need, per se."

Raising an eyebrow, Carina looked up at him unimpressed. "You're joking." Fred's face pinched as he shook his head. "You want me to get ingredients for you but don't even know which ones?"

"We've mostly only got ideas right now. Haven't perfected anything," he explained. "That is if you don't count fireworks or trick wands."

She didn't. "What are you working on right now?"

Fred immediately perked up at the question. "We're calling it 'Ton-Tongue Toffee.' It's a toffee that makes your tongue grow. It's coming along well. We just need to test it."

Carina nodded, thinking it over. "So you'd probably use similar ingredients from Swelling Solution." She scribbled down nettle, bat spleens, and puffer-fish eyes onto the parchment. "Knowing you two, you'll probably need some ingredients for healing as well." She then wrote dittany, murtlap tentacle, billywig sting slime, boom berry, vervain infusion, dragon liver, lionfish spine, and rue, making sure to include a myriad of ingredients for healing potions in case one or the other didn't work due to their experimentation. Creating new things was a risky process.

While writing, Carina missed the redness tainting Fred's cheeks as he watched her. Sometimes he forgot just how well she knew them. But he could never forget how she bit her lower lip when writing.

Not looking up from the parchment, she wondered, "Any other ideas in the works?"

"Well, we've got our tricks wands and a few fireworks finished. Oh, we were thinking of something for fainting."

The corner of her mouth twitched of the slightest. "Always wanting to skive off class, are we?" He didn't reply, but she knew she was right. Valerian was a definite need. "I'll add a few others for experimenting purposes." Newt spleen, bicorn horn, fire seeds, and billywig sting. "Just be sure to be careful with amounts."

Fred read over the list, leaning over. "What about bulbadox juice?"

"Boils are always fun," Carina pointed out and jotted it down. "That should be a good start. At least I know you two won't die while testing them." She particularly eyed the ingredients with healing properties. Folding up the parchment, she put it back in her purse with the pen. "I can't wait to see your ideas in action."

"Other than Lee, you'll be the first we show," Fred assured, his expression earnest as he looked at her. "And you can count on a free supply of anything we make in case you want to get back at anyone yourself." Especially since she expressed interest in being an investor.

She smiled. "Now, why would I want that when I can just get you and George to do it for me?"

"What are we, your personal attack dogs?" he asked with a hint of teasing seeping into his voice.

"You practically have been since our first year. But don't complain. You set yourself up for it."

His teasing smirk settled into a content grin. "I wasn't complaining." Something about his grin made her heartbeat quicken. And it didn't escape either of their notice that they were flirting.

"Oi, what are you two doing over there?"

Fred and Carina looked up to see George, Lee, and Sylvia walking over. The three sat in front of Fred and Carina with various expressions of teasing and amusement.

"Don't see why that's any of your business, Lee," Carina retorted, her right eyebrow arching. She was mildly annoyed that her and Fred were interrupted.

Lee put a hand on his heart and made an exaggerated hurt face. "Ouch, Car. I thought we were friends. But I guess you only have room in your ice-cold heart for one trouble-maker." Carina kicked him in the shin. "Ow!" Lee reached down to rub his leg.

"Just because I can't hex you here, doesn't mean I won't fight back," Carina pointed out, leaning back against the bricks behind her.

Lee scowled at her. "I pity your future husband." He reached over to the bowl in Sylvia's lap to grab some popcorn, but she smacked his hand before he could grab any. "Ow! Really? What is this, Hurt Lee Day?"

"Don't touch my food," Sylvia told him. He held his hands up in surrender, begrudgingly obliging. "What classes are you three taking next year?"

Fred and George donned matching smug grins. "That's a sly way of asking which O.W.L.s we got, Melville," Fred pointed out.

She shrugged. "I'm curious."

"Charms, Defense, and. . ." they said together.

"Transfiguration," Fred finished at the same time George said, "Herbology."

"You got three each?" Carina asked. They both nodded. "Can't imagine your mother was too pleased."

Fred let loose a low whistle. "Definitely not."

"Went on a rant about how many Bill, Charlie, and Percy got," George told them a slight bitterness in his voice.

Fred shrugged haphazardly. "We've got better plans for our final years than boring classes."

"I'm surprised you didn't get an O.W.L. in Potions," Sylvia said, bringing a piece of popcorn to her mouth. "You're both brilliant in that class."

"Who said we didn't have the skill?" George wondered.

"Yeah, Melville, why would we want to be in a class with Snape for two more years. We can learn the potions on our own." Fred gestured to Carina. "Or our personal textbook who I'm sure did pass." He then looked at her. "How many did you get, love? I'm sure you want to brag."

"Eleven," Carina revealed proudly.

"Not all twelve? Wow, I'm disappointed," Fred teased, nudging her arm which made her smile.

"How do people even get more than nine O.W.L.s?" Lee asked. "We take nine classes from years three to five."

"You can take more than nine," Carina pointed out. "And you don't have to stick with the same electives for all three years. I had dropped Divination after third year in favor of Arithmancy. And you don't necessarily have to take only the exams you took classes for. I didn't take Care of Magical Creatures, but I studied, took the exam, and got an E."

Lee sighed and shook his head as he looked at the Lestrange. "You're such a nerd."

"Wait, so what classes are you taking then?" Fred wondered. "Can't imagine you still want to take nine classes."

"Alchemy, Arithmancy, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Charms, and Defense. Also, the Apparition class when it becomes available."

Fred leaned against her. "You sound way too busy, Rina. You sure you want to spend all the time you could be spending with us in class instead?" He batted his wide eyes with a slight pout.

"You're ridiculous, Freddie. I'll be with you in all three of your classes which will give you plenty of time to bother me." She didn't move though, allowing him to stay leaning against her. She liked feeling his weight against her. It was comforting.

Three days later, after Carina had returned to Malfoy Manor from Sylvia's house, she was visited by a very excitable, miniature scops owl. After setting a letter and small bag almost the same size as its body down in front of her, it flitted around her room as quickly as it could but didn't leave. Corvin eyed it carefully from his spot on the bed beside Carina, but thankfully, he didn't attack. He had been around owls long enough to know not to attack. Other birds were fair game.

Carina's eyebrows pinched together as she picked up the envelope. Fred's characteristic bad handwriting was on the front with her name. She briefly wondered when they had gotten a new owl since the small, young owl in her bedroom definitely wasn't Errol, the Weasley's old, feeble great grey owl. Setting aside the envelope, she thumbed open the letter.

Dearest Cauldron Cake,

I know you probably weren't expecting a letter anytime soon from us, so I hope this isn't unwelcomed, but Gummy Worm and I have hit a bit of a snag with our mother. She found most of the order forms we had made and burned them all. Got an earful when we got back from visiting you and Licorice Snap. Thankfully, I still had one in my pocket that I had forgotten about. I was wondering if you could hold onto it until we get back to school so Mum doesn't find it? We'd hate to start all over again. It's in the bag along with a few chocolate frogs & toffees as thanks for helping us.

Love,

Fizzy Wizzy

P.S. The owl is Pigwidgeon. He's Rice Pudding's new owl, but we have no idea how he got him as he's strangely secretive about him.

P.P.S. Don't eat the toffees. They're what we talked about. The chocolate is fine though.

Carina smiled sadly at the letter. She felt bad for the twins having to hide the things they've worked so hard on but felt honored at them trusting her with them. She could feel in her bones how successful those two were going to be. People just needed to have a little faith.