Air was forced out of his lungs as Harry landed chest first on solid ground. He didn't want to move. Or maybe he couldn't. It was difficult to tell. He could hardly breathe, and his eyes were still pressed closed. Harry felt like passing out from exhaustion, but his body still shook from adrenaline and shock coursing through him.
Then he processed the smell of grass that his face was pressed into. The cold handle of the Triwizard Cup still clutched in his hand. His stiff arm still wrapped around the body of his friend. The dull burning still radiating from his scar.
No, he wasn't ready to face anyone just yet.
But the deafening noise around him said otherwise.
A pair of hands roughly rolled him over, and the owner exclaimed, "Harry! Harry!"
Harry opened his eyes to see the starry sky and Professor Dumbledore kneeling over him. They made it back to the start of the maze. They were alive. . . Voldemort was alive.
He grabbed Dumbledore's wrist after letting go of the cup. He didn't give a damn about the cup or the tournament. The only thing he could find himself caring about at that moment was his worst nightmare happening.
"He's back," Harry whispered frantically as his eyes had difficulty focusing on Dumbledore's face. "He's back. Voldemort."
Dumbledore didn't get the chance to reply as Cornelius Fudge popped up in front of Harry asking, "What's going on? What's happened?" Then he got sidetracked by Carina next to him. "My god—Lestrange! Dumbledore, she's cold as ice. She might be dead!"
"Madam Pomfrey!" Dumbledore called, waving over the healer. Then he put a tender hand on Harry's shoulder, leaning closer. "Harry, let go of her. Let Madam Pomfrey help her."
"I couldn't leave her there," Harry muttered. "I couldn't—I couldn't. . ."
"It's alright, Harry. . . just let go."
He didn't want to. He wanted to know if she was okay. He wanted to know what they were going to do about Voldemort returning. He wanted the crowd to stop closing in around them and stop their incessant whispering. But Dumbledore picked him up and plopped him on his feet anyway, forcing Harry to move away from Carina and let Madam Pomfrey close in and work her magic on the unconscious girl.
Harry swayed on his feet as the voices around him continued. He could hardly make sense of what anyone was saying, but he did understand Dumbledore telling him to stay right where he was, but his nausea, dreary eyes, and pounding skull didn't let him put up much of an argument when someone started leading him away from the crowd.
Fred and George tried to see over the crowds from their spots in the stands with their family, but the entire pitch had devolved into chaos. They couldn't see anything and the whispers filling their ears had passed through too many ears and had been reiterated too many times for them to fully trust.
But one thing they knew for certain: both Carina and Harry had gotten hurt, yet they also both made it back.
Fred was about to go storming through the crowd when that bit of news reached his ears, but George held him back, keeping him from doing the same thing everyone else in attendance was trying to do. Molly and Bill noticed the brief reaction, and Molly reassured her son that Harry would be alright, that Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore would make sure he was well tended to. Bill knew the real reason for the rash reaction, remembering meeting Carina at the World Cup.
His little brother was in love. And his poor love had just gotten hurt.
And the last thing Bill ever thought would happen happened. Narcissa Malfoy showed actual emotion as she and her son rushed down to the field from the stands and shoved through the crowd to get to her goddaughter. But Lucius was missing. Bill could've sworn he had seen the Malfoy patriarch at the start of the third task, so where was he at the end? Most would think he'd be gloating about his goddaughter being successful in the Triwizard Tournament, yet he wasn't to be seen at all, not even threatening to take people's heads off for not ensuring her safety.
Bill also noted that Karkaroff had disappeared, too.
Down on the grass, Madam Pomfrey was getting Carina on a stretcher while the teachers did their best to usher the people crowding around away to give Madam Pomfrey room to work. Until Narcissa and Draco broke through the crowd as Madam Pomfrey levitated the stretched into the air.
"Mrs. Malfoy," McGonagall tried to no avail.
"Let me through," Narcissa demanded, her voice clipped and eyes narrowed.
"We need to get her to the hospital wing," McGonagall said, matching Narcissa's tone. "Madam Pomfrey will do everything she can, but we need to get her off the Quidditch Pitch."
"So make it quick." Narcissa put a hand on Draco's shoulder to keep him close to her as they watched Madam Pomfrey and the teachers try to ease through the crowd.
As they left the pitch, quick as a fox, Dumbledore announced to the student body that all students were to return to their dormitories. And it didn't slip his eye that Harry was missing. As was Mad-Eye Moody.
Carina groaned in pain at the throbbing in her head and the bright light piercing her eyes when she attempted to open them. The light hurt too much to have her eyes opened more than a squint, and she could hardly move her limbs. But she didn't know where she was, so she tried to move but someone gently pushed her back down on the soft surface.
"Lie still, Miss Lestrange," a voice told her. "You'll be okay, but you need to lie still."
Carina didn't have it in her to argue or fight, so she listened to the voice, the maternal sound providing a sense of safety. With the new voice and the soft surface she was laying on, she knew she was safe. Back at Hogwarts perhaps. Maybe even St. Mungo's. Anywhere but the graveyard. She wasn't in the graveyard. They weren't in the graveyard.
They.
Harry.
Her eyes snapped open, and despite the pain, Carina pushed herself up even with Madam Pomfrey trying to ease her back down. "Harry, where's—" Carina brushed aside Madam Pomfrey's arms. "Where is he? Where's—"
"You need not worry about Mr. Potter," Pomfrey said softly. The matron picked up a potion from the bedside table and handed it to Carina. "Now, drink this."
"Is it a blood—"
"A blood replenisher, yes. And I've already cleaned your wounds and staunched the bleeding. They need to be bandaged, and you'll need to take a few healing potions."
The door of the hospital wing opened, and in walked Snap, followed closely by Narcissa and Draco. Pomfrey looked peeved at the sight of them. "I said no guests are permitted at this time," Pomfrey reminded them as the trio walked over to Carina's bedside.
"You're needed elsewhere at the moment," Snape said. "They can keep an eye on her for the time being."
Pomfrey looked utterly appalled. "I can't just leave a patient in such a state, Severus."
"This comes from Dumbledore." Snape motioned for her to follow. "Miss Lestrange will be alright for the time being. This is urgent."
Pomfrey let out an abrupt huff and looked at Carina. She pointed to the potion still sitting in Carina's hand. "Drink." Then she followed Snape out of the room, her short heels clacking on the stone floor clearly showing her displeasure at being pulled away from her duties to some unknown problem.
"The old hag," Draco muttered with a roll of his eyes once the infirmary doors shut.
"Draco," Narcissa said sharply before zeroing in on Carina. "What happened?"
Carina's eyes drifted between her godmother and her godbrother, some of the only family she had ever known. Some was the keyword there. Lucius was still missing. She wondered if Narcissa or Draco knew why like she did.
"Where's Lucius?" Carina asked rather than answering Narcissa's question, throat stinging with each breath and each word. She tried not to make the question sound harsh or cold, but a sliver of her true feelings showed through. She wasn't happy or pleased. She wasn't concerned. She was mad.
Narcissa's shoulders tensed and her back straightened, but Draco didn't notice as he was solely focused on the girl he had always looked to as a sister. "Father said he got an urgent message that he needed to tend to," Draco explained. "But he said to give you congratulations for winning. He knew you would, and you did."
Carina couldn't find the words to respond, so she lifted the potion to her lips and drank the foul-tasting blood replenisher.
Nothing about her situation made her feel like a winner. Nothing at all. Every part of her body either ached or was in pain. Her godfather was nowhere to be seen because he was likely still in a cursed graveyard with the Dark Lord. Someone had imperiused Krum. A Death Eater had infiltrated Hogwarts. Harry was nowhere to be found. Carina hadn't won anything besides a massive headache and a large slash across her chest.
So even as the blood replenisher did its job, making her feel a tad warmer than before as color returned to her deathly pale skin, Carina slumped against the fluffed pillows of her hospital bed, not up to chatting with two people who would likely be for Voldemort returning. She let them draw their own conclusions about what had happened in the maze, and based on Narcissa's reaction, Carina had a feeling she knew where Lucius had truly gone even if Draco didn't.
Thankfully for Carina's sanity, she wasn't left alone in the hospital wing for much longer with them as the doors reopened, and in came Madam Pomfrey with another stretcher and Professor Snape. Carina barely got a quick glance at who was on the stretcher before Madam Pomfrey moved a privacy screen around her new patient and the bed Snape was helping her move the patient to.
Carina could've sworn the patient looked like Professor Moody.
Snape left shortly after, his robes swirling around him as he swiftly walked out. His swift exit left Carina with more questions than she had answers.
Why was Professor Moody brought in? What was going outside of the hospital wing? Where was Harry?
Narcissa fussed over Carina's state while Madam Pomfrey busied herself with Moody. Neither Narcissa nor Draco were pleased at the matron neglecting Carina, but Carina herself didn't care. She'd gotten to know Madam Pomfrey well enough over the years to know she would focus on whichever patient required the most attention at any given moment, so if Madam Pomfrey deemed that to be the professor, Carina would trust her judgment. And Carina would rather the focus be on someone else anyway, even if she did think she was more hurt than Moody.
But Narcissa continued to fuss anyway, and Draco voiced his own annoyances as well.
Carina simply tuned them out. She didn't want to listen to Narcissa threatening to have her transferred to St. Mungo's for "more professional" aid. She didn't want to listen to Draco's snide remarks about, well, everything. She didn't want to listen to Narcissa complaining about the safety and security of Hogwarts. She didn't want to listen to Draco mentioning how of course Dumbledore wasn't there since Potter was his favorite. She just wanted them to shut up. Carina couldn't say it though. She couldn't voice her true thoughts around them. She never could. If anything, it was safer at Hogwarts where monsters and criminals lurked than to be honest with her family.
Once Moody was stable, Pomfrey returned her focus to Carina, giving her a potion to help with the pain while her wounds were being bandaged and spells were being worked over her body. Then as Madam Pomfrey gave Carina a healing potion to aid in the healing process, the hospital wing doors opened yet again.
In walked the Weasleys plus Hermione.
Carina was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling when they walked in, and it ached too much for her to want to move, but she recognized their voices. She had heard Mrs. Weasley's voice enough times on the train platform to point it out without seeing her. Since she arrived at Hogwarts with her eldest son Bill, Carina assumed he was there even without hearing his voice. She recognized Ron and Hermione's voices too.
And of course, Fred.
At least, she assumed it was Fred. He and George sounded exactly the same when worried. It was one of the few times their intonation matched, and she only heard one of them. Of the two, she would bet money on it being Fred in the hospital wing with George looking after Ginny and keeping the rest of Gryffindor House calm. He was always good at that.
Carina tried her best to shift just enough to see Fred, but they were blocked from her vision by Narcissa in front of her.
They immediately started asking Madam Pomfrey about Harry's whereabouts.
Draco immediately rolled his eyes and went to say something rude, likely loud enough to be heard over their voices, but Carina held out her hand, wincing at the quick movement. It still worked as intended and cut him off before he could even start. Instead, he huffed and slouched in the chair. Narcissa gave him a brief look of disappointment at the childish behavior even if she wasn't pleased that the quiet had been filled by boisterous voices.
Then the hospital wing doors opened again.
Carina wondered just how many people would go in and out of the damn infirmary. The sound of the large wooden doors opening and shutting was exacerbating her headache.
"Harry! Oh, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.
Carina perked up at that, shifting her head to see. Even Draco and Narcissa turned in interest.
Dumbledore also revealed himself to them by saying, "Molly, please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now are sleep and peace and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."
Mrs. Weasley turned to the others with her as though they were still making noise. "Did you hear?" she asked. "He needs quiet!"
"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, staring down at Harry's side where a large black dog stood protectively, "may I ask what—?"
"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while," Dumbledore answered. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained."
"Really, Dumbledore?" Narcissa asked, delicately folding her arms over her chest. Everyone turned to their attention to her. "Dogs in a medical wing?"
"I always knew this place was going to the dogs," Draco murmured, glaring at Harry from his seat.
While Carina was annoyed at Narcissa raising yet another issue, it did give her something she wanted. The chance to see Fred. With everyone focused on either Narcissa or Harry, he gave her a small smile that seemed to ease the tension from Carina's limbs. She'd give anything to be the only one in the room with him. He was the only one he wanted to talk to.
"I personally guarantee this dog will be of no issue to you or your goddaughter, Mrs. Malfoy," Dumbledore said amicably. "The offer extends to you and your son, as well. Should Miss Lestrange wish it, you two may stay here with her." He motioned for Harry to go to one of the hospital beds before walking over to the Malfoy's and Carina. He stopped next to Carina's bedside and gave her a warm smile. "Miss Lestrange, when you regain your strength, I'm afraid I will have to ask for your recount of the evening as well. But for the time being, rest and heal while I speak with Fudge." He then addressed both Carina and Harry, the latter of whom Madam Pomfrey had begun to attend to. "I'd like you both to stay here until I've addressed the school tomorrow."
Apparently, it wasn't good enough for Narcissa.
As Dumbledore began to walk away, intending to leave the hospital wing when Narcissa's voice stopped him in his tracks. "That's it?" she said, outrage seeping into her usually even, stoic tone. "My goddaughter almost dies due to some ridiculous tournament you brought back, and you walk away?"
"Narcissa," Carina tried, doing her best to sit up. Fred tensed at her wincing with each movement, but Bill grabbed his wrist.
Narcissa turned back to Carina. "No, I won't stand for it. If your parents were here—"
"But they aren't, are they?" Carina cut off sharply. She wanted to say more, but that was all she could let out in a brief moment where her resolve cracked, so she looked up with tired eyes and held out her hand. "Please."
Gritting her teeth, Narcissa closed her eyes for a second then conceded, walking back over to Carina's bedside and holding her hand in the way Carina's own mother should have done while sitting on the edge of the bed.
Dumbledore then said, "If it's any consolation, we have apprehended someone." It wasn't good enough for Narcissa in the slightest, but Carina's hand held hers tight in a silent plea to leave the matter alone.
Dumbledore left the hospital wing, and Carina got one last look at the others before Narcissa and Draco crowded around her and the Weasleys crowded around Harry. Harry's injuries were being tended to by Madam Pomfrey with the black down sitting dutifully by his side, but while the dog was standing watch over Harry, the dark eyes were staring across the room at Carina, Draco, and Narcissa until the curtain closed.
Quiet chatter could be heard among the Weasleys and honorary Weasleys. Mostly assurances at Harry being alright.
Usually, Carina needed nothing more than white noise or dead silence to fall asleep, but the voices were soft and full of concern and care. Far more comforting than white noise. But her body refused to relax with Narcissa and Draco beside her.
Carina looked over at Draco and quietly said, "Go to your dorm."
Draco outright frowned, not pleased with her order. "What? No, I'm not—"
"Draco," she interrupted, "it's getting late. Go see your friends and tell mine I'm alright." He looked like he wanted to argue, glancing between Carina and Narcissa, who seemed to agree.
"Go on, Draco," Narcissa said with a slow nod of her head toward the door. She stood from the edge of the bed to set a soft kiss on his forehead. "You'll see her again tomorrow." Draco reluctantly rose from the chair and looked back at Carina with worried eyes before he left. Carina waited until the hospital wing doors open and close before focusing on Narcissa who shook her head. "No, I'm staying."
"Go find Lucius," Carina told her, making sure her voice was low to avoid being heard by the other occupants of the room. "I know you know." Narcissa bowed her head, though Carina couldn't tell if it was in shame or something else. "Go find him and make sure he's alright. There's nothing else to see here. I just need to sleep."
Narcissa ran her hand through Carina's hair. "I am proud, you know." She opened her mouth to say something else but froze up instead and leaned down to place a kiss on Carina's forehead. "I'll see you two at the platform in a few days. Write me if anything happens."
"I will."
Carina watched her leave, and at last, she thought she could have peace and fall asleep. And she did until she was hit in the face with a small paper airplane. She jolted from the abrupt feeling and snatched the paper from where it landed on her chest. When she looked up, before unfolding the paper, her eyes landed on Fred leaning against the end of the privacy screen between Harry's bed and an empty one. While he remained close to his family, thus remaining unsuspicious, he was at the edge of their band while they were all focused on Harry falling to sleep after being given a dreamless sleep potion.
Fred made a small motion for her to open the paper then glanced back at the others. Tempted to roll her eyes, Carina resisted the urge and unfolded the paper airplane made from a scrap piece of parchment. It seemed like the original intention was to use it for something else. Probably for the bets he and George were taking throughout the length of the tournament.
A little surprised you were able to get them to leave. I'm glad you're okay, love. I'd be right next to you if I didn't think my mother would have a heart attack after everything that's happened today.
Carina could imagine that plain as day. After seeing her honorary son enter a dangerous maze and escape bloodied and bruised with the unconscious, injured daughter of a convicted Death Eater and be dragged away for a length of time to who knew where, seeing her actual son doing anything more than conversing with said daughter of a convicted Death Eater would likely send her into shock. And it wasn't like anyone in the room besides Carina and Fred knew with certainty they had started doing anything romantic.
Setting the note on her lap, Carina looked around then found her wand resting on the end table next to a dreamless sleep potion Madam Pomfrey had left for her earlier. It took a bit of a stretch to reach her wand without aggravating the bandage bound across her chest.
Once in her hand, Carina silently conjured a quill and inkwell then started scratching away on the backside of the parchment.
Tomorrow night - Room of Requirement
She set the conjured quill and ink on the bedside table to wait out the rest of their conjured time before they disappeared then folded the paper airplane back up and sent it back to Fred who caught it. Just in time, too, as his mother turned to see what he was doing.
With the note in Fred's hand and as a way to avoid any more interruptions for her rest, Carina grabbed the dreamless sleep potion and downed the entire potion. Her body needing rest was one thing, but if she allowed herself to fall asleep without it, she doubted her sleep would be as peaceful as she needed it to be.
Thankfully for her due to the potion, she missed the loud argument between Fudge and McGonagall who were joined by Dumbledore and Snape shortly after, so she missed the questioning, and Fudge's complete denial of Harry's recollection of the events that had transpired that night. She also missed how for the entire school year Professor Moody was actually Barty Crouch Jr., a Death Eater who was believed to be deceased, using Polyjuice.
Of course, the Minister of Magic would deny the return of Voldemort, even with Snape showing the resurgence of the Dark Mark and Barty Crouch Jr. and Harry's testimonies, going as far as to silence Barty Crouch Jr. permanently with via Dementor's kiss.
Fred was glad to hear Harry say that Carina had been unconscious for the entire return of Voldemort though since it meant she wouldn't have to lie to anyone about her godfather being there, but Harry didn't know she had heard a good portion of it. Enough to identify who was there in the graveyard.
In the morning, as Dumbledore was finishing up speaking to the school, Carina woke in her hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey immediately descended upon her, checking her wounds and giving her a pain-relieving potion to stifle the lingering aches and pains. But the bandages were removed, and Carina felt loads better than she had the previous night. No longer restricted in her movements nor being tormenting by acute pain in her head, chest, and arm, she was able to sit up without wincing, and despite Madam Pomfrey's resistance, she stretched her legs by walking the length of the hospital wing before returning to her bed.
Harry was still asleep, but he looked better from what Carina could tell.
When Dumbledore finished up speaking to the school, asking that students refrain from bothering Carina and Harry and recounting the main things that had occurred, he went to the hospital wing with Professor McGonagall, and they made a beeline for Carina's bed.
"Miss Lestrange," Dumbledore greeted with a nod and a small smile. He kept his voice low to not disturb Harry. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she said.
"Do you feel up to recounting the events of last night?"
Carina didn't want to in a million years, especially not for someone she's never particularly been fond of, but she did so anyway. She told him about Krum being bewitched in the maze and him attacking her. She told him about her and Harry being transported to a graveyard and her being stunned. That was where her story deviated from Harry's as the boy believed she had been stunned for the entire time. Even though she wasn't Dumbledore's biggest fan, however, she knew he could be told the entire story. He already knew she didn't prescribe to the same beliefs as her family as Snape and Lupin would have told him.
"I woke up when he was addressing each of his Death Eaters." She shook her head and looked down at the white blanket draped across her legs. "I couldn't move, everything hurt too much. I didn't even know who was talking at first."
"How did you know it was Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked.
Carina's eye twitched at hearing the Dark Lord's name out loud. Growing up she had only ever heard him called The Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "He said his name. Said he rewards his helpers."
"Who was all there?"
"Claiborne Avery. He started with him. Then Wormtail, but I can't recall where I've heard that from."
"Peter Pettigrew," Dumbledore said, filling in the blanks. "The one who was supposedly killed by Sirius Black. Wormtail is his nickname."
"He called him worthless and traitorous, said he returned out of fear of his old friends." Something clicked in her mind. "Peter Pettigrew was the one who betrayed the Potter's, wasn't he? Not Sirius." She always assumed Sirius hadn't done so, but it still seemed strange that any of James Potter's friends betrayed him.
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Yes. Who else was there beside Pettigrew and Avery?"
Carina had a feeling he already knew. Harry must have told him, but for some reason, Dumbledore wanted to hear her say it. "Lucius was next. He must've felt the burn of the mark when in the stands. Then it should've been my family."
"Should have been?" McGonagall repeated.
"He was going around the circle. He had each of their spots memorized. Said they would be rewarded for their loyalty. Then he asked Lucius about me." Carina remembered the conversation clearly. The terror she felt in the moment and the terror and anger that remained at the memory of it. "He asked if I was like my mother or my father."
"Lucius said you're like your father, didn't he?" Dumbledore asked.
Carina nodded before continuing. "Then he moved on to Walden Macnair and promised to give him better victims soon." McGonagall looked horrified but kept her thoughts to herself. Dumbledore remained calmed and collected. "Then Allard Crabbe, Ramsey Goyle, and Harlan Nott."
"Anyone else?"
She shook her head. "There were six empty spots. He said three were dead, one was too cowardly to return, one who he believed left him, and one was faithful and had already returned to his service. He said the faithful one was at Hogwarts and was responsible for me and Harry arriving."
"Barty Crouch Jr.," Dumbledore told her.
"But he's supposed to be dead," Carina said.
"Unfortunately, now he is," McGonagall said. "He escaped Azkaban because of his father with his mother dying in his place. He'd been under his father's control for years before he escape and. . ." She gestured across the room to where Mad-Eye Moody was resting. "He's been impersonating Alastair Moody all year."
"But regretfully, Barty Crouch Jr. is now unable to give testimony to any of his activities since the Minister brought a Dementor to administer a Kiss immediately," Dumbledore finished explaining. Carina sighed and leaned back against the fluffy pillows in disappointment. "Is there anything else you remember from last night?"
"I'm sorry, professor," Carina said, shaking her head. "I passed out again after crawling over to my wand. I'd lost too much blood." Dumbledore and McGonagall went to nod and say something, but Carina spoke up once more before they could. "I'd like it if you kept my story quiet."
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, Miss Lestrange. Will continue with Harry's story, that you were stunned for the entire time you were there. It'll make it easier for everyone."
The sound of a groan caught their attention. The three looked to see Harry turning in his bed slowly before reaching for his glasses on the table.
"Oh, Harry, perfect timing," Dumbledore said. "We were just about to discuss the winner of the tournament."
We were? Carina thought, her face scrunching up. Talking about who won the tournament that almost killed them seemed like a terrible plan. Not fun in any sense of the word.
Dumbledore pulled out a bag of gold. "With both of you reaching the cup at the same time, you're both awarded fifty points, which means, since Miss Lestrange had two more points than Harry, that Miss Lestrange is the winner of the Triwizard Tournament." He went to hand her the sack, but she waved her hand.
"No, Harry won. Not me."
Harry, McGonagall, and Dumbledore all stared.
"Are you forfeiting your win?" McGonagall asked.
Carina shrugged. "I never touched the cup, so Harry is awarded fifty points, and me zero."
"But we both grabbed it together in the maze," Harry argued pushing himself out of the bed. His feet and legs were sore, but they held his weight just fine as he walked over.
"No," Carina continued, sterner that time, "I never touched the cup. I went with you through the portkey because we were holding onto each other."
Harry paled and his jaw slacked open at her admittance. He couldn't believe it. She tricked him into grabbing it. "Because I could barely stand. You tricked me into grabbing it alone, but neither of us knew it was a portkey."
She nodded. "Like I told you, Harry. You deserve the win. You saved my life twice last night. If that doesn't make you worthy of winning the Triwizard Tournament, I don't know what does."
"You saved my life, too!" he exclaimed, pointing at her.
Carina leaned forward. "Once. Against a spider that was after me that you then attacked to save me. Just accept the win, Harry."
"No! I don't care if you didn't grab the cup, too. Neither of us could've won without the other."
"If I may," Dumbledore interjected causing everyone to turn to face him, "perhaps there can be an exception made. Just as the start of this tournament made history, the end can make history as well. Two victors, instead of one."
"Two champions have never been named in the history of the tournament," McGonagall pointed out.
Dumbledore gestured to both Carina and Harry. "And yet, here we have two contestants that refuse to be named the winner and a cup that transported both of them back. The only clear course of action is to name them both the winners. Forty-eight points awarded to Miss Lestrange, and fifty points awarded to Mister Potter. Do you two agree?"
Carina and Harry looked at each other and nodded.
But one thing remained in Carina's mind. "How would that be explained?" she asked.
"I understand your worry, Miss Lestrange. If your friends or family say anything about it, you can always blame me."
"Blame you for something I agreed to?" It didn't sit right with her. She'd been lying almost her whole life about her true thoughts and feelings, but she couldn't think of a time where she'd ever outright blamed someone else.
Dumbledore seemed to understand. "Or simply go along with whatever theory they come up with first. War is coming, Miss Lestrange. We must all do things we're uncomfortable with."
Dumbledore trusted them to split the winnings themselves, so he left the sack of one thousand galleons with them in the hospital wing before leaving with McGonagall. But the moment they left, Carina handed the entire bag to Harry.
"Here, take this," she said, holding out the bag.
He quickly shook his head and tried to nudge the bag back toward her. "Oh, no, I can't. I don't need it."
"Neither do I, but I know some people who would, and they won't take anything from me." She held out the bag expectantly.
That made him mildly curious as he took the bag. "Who?"
"Fred and George."
Harry weighed the bag in his hand. He had completely forgotten there was an award of a thousand galleons, and he never dreamed that he'd win it. Five hundred seemed more than enough for him to take, and Carina gave him the rest, trusting him to pass her portion along at the very least. Fred and George never seemed like the type to accept charity, so Harry didn't doubt for a moment that they wouldn't accept anything from her. But why would they accept any from him?
Then he remembered them acting strange all year. Carina would be one of the few they would confide in about that.
"You know what they were up to all year, don't you?" he asked.
"I do."
He raised an eyebrow. "They were blackmailing someone. . . or trying to."
She nodded. "You know that, but did you ever learn who?"
"No."
Carina shrugged and stood from the bed. "Ask. School year's over. I'm sure the tossers will talk about it now if you press them enough."
That night, Carina snuck out of her dorm, avoiding the watchful eyes of Sylvia, Adrian, and Draco who had been hovering around her the entire day since she had left the hospital wing that morning. The day was mostly spent being interrogated, getting sympathy, and talking with teachers. She did appreciate the concern displayed by her friends, especially the rambled, mildly frantic conversation she had with Fleur in French, but she was dying for the presence of one person and one person only.
Fred.
He would be the only one to not ask her anything, she knew. He would hold her for as long as she needed.
So she hurried through the secret passages up to the seventh floor with a bag on her shoulder. There was no part of Carina that expected to return to her dormitory that night, so she packed a change of clothes. The Slytherin dorms were too hostile. Beautiful, sure, and well decorated, but they weren't homey or comforting in the slightest. She didn't want to spend the night there just yet. She wanted one night with Fred before she likely wouldn't see him for an entire summer.
The moment she walked into the Room of Requirement, she buried her face in Fred's chest. That's where she felt at home.