Okay, this chapter might be a tad weird, but it just never made sense to me that Sirius, despite being disowned, would be the one to inherit the Black fortune, vaults, properties, etc., especially since Narcissa, who is also a Black, is alive and still in good standing with both her family and the law (i.e. not in Azkaban like Bellatrix or not a fugitive like Sirius). Yeah, it might not have gone to Narcissa because she's a woman and Sirius is the last surviving MALE heir, but the wizarding world never struck me as seriously sexist. If anything, Sirius would have inherited his uncle Alphard's estate, not his parent's estate. Estate as in all property, land, money, etc., not just a house. Though I guess it could be argued it went to Sirius because he was still a Black in name, that doesn't strike me as Walburga's style honestly.
Regardless, it's going to Harry eventually, I just wanted a plausible reason for Carina to go to Grimmauld Place.
Also, I just realized, Fleur seriously got the short end of the stick in the tournament in both the movies and the books, and now I feel bad for not realizing earlier. She had the best method for getting past her dragon, she was the only one with actual family in the lake, not to mention she's part veela who don't seem suited for water since they can launch fireballs, and she was attacked the moment she entered the maze. Like damn. Of course, Cedric died, but other than that, poor Fleur.
The few remaining days left of the term went by slower than Carina would have liked since exams were still finishing up and everyone wanted to know what happened, especially Carina's side of the story since the Minister was denouncing Dumbledore and Harry's claims that Voldemort returned, but she reiterated the story Dumbledore had told her. She was unconscious shortly after being transported somewhere by the cup and didn't know a thing. She hated lying about it, and Sylvia, Cedric, and Adrian all seemed to know something was wrong, but she kept it from them as well even with all of them believing Harry's story. She also felt especially bad that some people believed Harry was the one to stun her.
The whole train ride back after her sixth year ended was spent cuddling with her cat and watching her friends be idiots. Particularly Cassius and Adrian wrestling for something and Sylvia drawing them in a precarious position.
The moment Carina returned to the Malfoy Manor she began packing. She had no plans to stay in the manor any longer than she had to. She had big plans for the summer and moving into the Lestrange Estate as soon as possible was on the top of her list. She was seventeen and a legal adult, so as much as she cared for the family who raised her, she had her own place where she could completely relax. And she would begin her internship at St. Mungo's which would take up loads of her time.
Between St. Mungo's and moving into the Lestrange Estate with the estate's house-elf Dizzy, Carina had her hands full. Especially since she decided to get a tattoo on her upper thigh to celebrate the transition. She'd never done anything deemed 'strange' or 'out of order,' so the tattoo felt freeing as though it was an act of rebellion, even if it was just a snake. It was the first thing she'd truly done for herself and not for someone else. It was a tiny act of rebellion, and she immediately told Sylvia about it in a letter who was the one who designed it in the first place.
And Dizzy said she liked it, seeming genuine and not saying she liked it just because she thought she had to.
The soreness of the fresh tattoo took her mind off a few things, such as Lucius watching her whenever they were in the same room together. He never said anything about that night, and Carina couldn't figure out why. He had praised her to Voldemort, one would think he'd immediately start talking about inducting her into the fold or at least bring up what had happened. But then again, they might have been under the same impression as everyone else: that she didn't know what had happened. But Carina clearly remembered telling Narcissa to find him that night, so at least she knew, right?
Unless Narcissa hadn't told him.
Whatever the case, it left Carina to focus on her own things. The war hadn't officially started yet, and she had a life to worry about for the time being.
About three weeks into the summer, Narcissa knocked on Carina's open door as the young witch packed her things. Carina looked up as her godmother entered, and she asked, "Yes?"
"Someone from the Ministry is here to speak with you about your inheritance," Narcissa explained. Carina didn't miss the sad look in her eyes. Narcissa wouldn't say it just yet, but she knew she was going to miss her goddaughter. She practically raised her. Carina was the daughter Narcissa never had.
Nodding, Carina set a book down on her bed and followed Narcissa to the drawing-room, their heels clicking against the hard flooring.
Once they entered, a well-dressed man with perfectly combed hair and a gaunt look turned to face them with a polite smile. Carina knew then that the Ministry had chosen the most posh-looking representative they could send to the Malfoy Manor. He held out his bony hand, which she shook, and said, "Greetings, Miss Lestrange. My name is Clarence Richardson. I'm with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Mr. Richardson," Carina replied.
Lucius moved closer, tearing his attention away from their family tree decorating the walls. "Please, have a seat so we can get started," the patriarch of the Malfoy family said, gesturing to one of the chairs.
"Of course, sir," Richardson said. He sat down on the seat Lucius indicated while Carina and Narcissa sat on the couch and Lucius sat in the other chair. It was the perfect seating arrangement so Lucius could watch both the Ministry official and his goddaughter. Richardson leaned forward, set his briefcase on the coffee table, and opened it. He pulled out a sheet of parchment. "Upon your seventeenth birthday, you came into your rights and titles befitting the Lestrange, Burke, and Black families."
Carina's eyebrows pinched together the slightest bit. Only the smallest show of emotion. "I beg your pardon, the Black family as well?" she asked.
"Yes, miss." Richardson nodded towards Narcissa and began explaining. "Mrs. Malfoy was named as the next heir of the House of Black with the passing of Orion and Walburga Black and their son Regulus. However, she has renounced her claim to the Black fortune and decided it should be passed along to you. You may if you so choose, relinquish your claim and all properties and fortunes of the House of Black will pass to the next in the line of succession."
Lucius's stern gaze told her otherwise. She couldn't renounce it even though she kind of wanted to. Part of her didn't though. The small part of her telling her to hold onto the claim, regardless of Lucius's thoughts on the matter, knew that whoever ended up with the fortune had the potential to use it for nefarious purposes. The less money the Death Eaters and Voldemort had at their disposal, the better.
"No, no," Carina forced herself to say with a polite smile. "I was simply shocked, is all, as I hadn't known."
Richardson nodded and smiled. "Of course, miss. Here I have a list of everything you are inheriting as well as the rights and responsibilities that come with your holdings. And I do have some papers for you to sign to make the passing of the inheritance over to you permanent. Your name will need to be added to the titles of all lands and vaults, and you'll be passed along the keys."
"May I?" Carina held out her hand. He gladly handed the parchment over. Her light eyes quickly scanned the paper while he gathered the necessary paperwork from his briefcase. Richardson hadn't been joking. She held a list of everything she now proudly owned. Although, "proudly" may have been a loose term. Part of her was proud as it was her family inheritance, but the other part felt like a child who didn't deserve any of it. Granted, she didn't.
Lestrange Manor. Lestrange Estate. Burke Moor. Black Townhouse. The Black Vault. The Lestrange Vault in Britain. The Lestrange Mausoleum in France. The Burke Vault. Partial ownership of Borgin and Burkes. Stock hold shares in the national French and British Quidditch teams. A stock hold share in a French wine company.
Carina had to make herself stop reading. Every place listed also had addresses and the residing house-elf names. Dizzy for the Lestrange Estate, Matisse for the Lestrange Manor, Kreacher for the Black Townhouse, and Richter for the Burke Moor.
She looked up from the parchment before reading the addresses or more of the list and noticed Richardson waiting with a quill and ink. Carina set the parchment aside so he could hand her everything she needed to sign.
She so wasn't ready to be an adult.
A few days later, Carina informed Narcissa that she was going to spend the day traveling to each of her new properties since it was her day off. She needed to take stock, and she wanted to get out of the Malfoy Manor with Lucius practically breathing down her neck about the rights and responsibilities she had when being a prominent aristocrat in the wizarding world. The only thing he hadn't mentioned yet was marriage, but that was a small relief compared to the rest.
Almost all her things had already been moved to the Lestrange Estate with the wonderful help of Dizzy, but Carina didn't want to finish quite yet without knowing more about what she had been left.
Impeccably dressed in black and green with a matching purse and heels, Carina started with the Lestrange Manor in France. She had cleared it with the Ministry to use a portkey to travel to the antiquated mansion then another to travel up to Scotland. It was rather easy to get portkeys approved with her last name.
Walking inside the manor and looking around, she already had a headache and couldn't help but pick idly at the hem of her top.
A small female house-elf popped in right in front of the Lestrange with a comical grin, startling Carina. "You must be Miss Lestrange, yes?" the elf asked. Her wide eyes and big ears made Carina mildly miss the Hogwarts house-elves.
"Um, yes," Carina said slowly, letting herself relax and her eyes glancing around the spacious, sunny, living area. "You're Matisse?"
"Yes, miss. Matisse has kept the Lestrange Manor spotless for you, miss. Is there anything Matisse can help you with?" she rattled off quickly, eager to please and likely not having a true master for years.
"Oh, yes, please. I would like a tour. I've never been here, you see."
"Of course, miss. Right this way."
The manor was large and secluded with its own personal bay and included the surrounding land of twenty acres in the countryside. It had standard French Baroque architecture from the 1600s and priceless artifacts, all of which were pristine due to magic.
After the tour, Matisse looked up at her master. "Is everything alright, miss? Has Matisse done something to upset you?"
"No, no!" Carina replied quickly. She had seen plenty of times how some house-elves punished themselves. She didn't need to see it with hers. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's no fault of yours. You're doing a lovely job." Carina tried to perk up instead of showing her discomfort clearly on her expression. The thought of being alone in such a large place didn't sit right with her. "Are house-elves able to apparate long distances?"
"It depends, miss. How far would you like Matisse to apparate?"
"Would you be able to apparate from here to my estate in Britain?"
And with that, Matisse had a new home at the Lestrange Estate and a new friend in Dizzy. Both house-elves were in charge of continuing to maintain the manor; however, they were allowed to live in the estate, so they weren't alone. The elf had expressed her gratitude profusely before Carina insisted that she must continue on to her other residences lest she miss the set-up portkey.
Richter at the Burke Moor in Scotland was also told the same thing.
Each house-elf had been so used to being alone, they were overcome with joy at having company. They didn't say it, but Carina also knew they liked having a decent master as well. If the former matriarchs and patriarchs of the Lestrange and Burke families treated their house-elves similar to how Lucius had treated Dobby, then Carina felt sorry for them and felt the need to make up for her family's treatment of the poor creatures. But Carina also knew she couldn't in her right mind set them free due to most house-elves liking and needing to serve others. Perhaps they had been brainwashed to think that, but she had seen Winky, Barty Crouch Sr.'s old house-elf after she had been fired/freed and joined the Hogwarts house-elves. She had been a right mess.
Dobby was a special case, not the norm. At least, for the time being.
Carina had one more place to go. The Black Townhouse. Walking down the street of Grimmauld Place after she had apparated to Kings Cross Station from Scotland, which was twenty minutes away, Carina stood befuddled for a few moments in the mid-afternoon sun. After 11, the townhouses skipped to 13. She glanced down at the parchment to actually read the address and make sure she was going in the right direction.
12 Grimmauld Place.
The young Lestrange then looked up. The number twelve materialized in front of her. The Fidelius Charm, she thought to herself. She made a 'hmph' noise, not finding herself surprised. You had to read the address or be told the address to be able to see it. The parchment of everything containing her inheritance was likely made before the charm was put up or made by the Secret Keeper. Or perhaps legal documents weren't quite the same. Either way, it made Carina curious.
Looking both ways, Carina crossed the street and avoided oncoming cars. Her heels clicked against the stone steps as she ascended them to the front door. Visibly battered, the door also had a silver knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent with no visible keyholes or handles which meant it required magic to open it. Taking a deep breath, Carina put the list in her purse and pulled out her wand. She tapped the door with her wand, hoping it didn't require an elaborate pattern or specific spell.
The door creaked open, and Carina stepped into the townhouse, closing the door behind her.
The hallway before her was dark and foreboding. At one point, it might have been a grand entryway with ornate portraits, gilded gas lamps, and a large overhead chandelier, but now it was covered in cobwebs, the wallpaper was peeling, and the carpet had worn thin. She barely glanced at velvet curtains covering up what looked like another portrait closer to the staircase.
Carina kept her wand out as she heard voices from further inside. No one should've been there. Crossing her bag over her chest and pushing her hair behind her shoulders, Carina steadied herself for a potential altercation and began walking forward. The only reason she could plausibly think of for someone talking was the house-elf talking to himself, but due to the state of the house, she felt far more paranoid.
Her eyes darted across her surroundings. The place, from what she could see, was verging on filthy, like someone had tried to clean and only succeeded at the bare minimum, resulting in the house becoming rundown and uncared for, not just dirty. And where was the house-elf to greet her? She knew something was most definitely wrong. She also didn't like how the situation reminded her of being in the maze all over again. The house-elf heads mounted at the end of the entrance hall didn't help her unease.
Carina had barely stepped into the dining room to her left when she heard a spell cast.
She brought her wand up to block the spell and non-verbally shot back Incarcerous. Ropes shot out and bound her attacker. Carina didn't recognize the small female with bright pink hair, but she didn't get to think more on it before she was hit with a non-verbal spell and knocked unconscious. Her body hit the hard floor with a thump.
Molly Weasley ushered her children upstairs to the bedrooms despite them all wanting to know what was going on, while the other adults who had come up from the kitchen went directly to the dining room. Arthur Weasley undid the ropes around Nymphadora Tonks while Alastor Moody and Sirius Black closed in on the unconscious girl with their wands still raised. Sirius kicked at the girl's foot and was satisfied when he got no response, sliding his wand into his back pocket.
The escaped convict looked at the veteran Auror and with a cheeky tone said, "I thought no one could find this place."
"Grab a chair," Moody replied harshly, putting his wand away. Sirius rolled his eyes at the man's constant lack of humor but listened anyway. At least the man wasn't yelling "constant vigilance" again. Sirius pulled up a chair and Moody picked the girl up and set her in it.
Tonks stretched her limbs with a haphazard moan. "For fuck's sake, those ropes were tight," she told no one in particular. She jutted her wand towards the girl. "Who in Merlin's name is she?"
"Carina Lestrange," Arthur answered. "She's in the same year as the twins."
"But why is she here?" Moody asked. He picked up the dropped wand, peeled off Carina's purse, and used the same spell the girl had used on Tonks to keep Carina in place.
"I haven't a clue, Alastor," Arthur replied, folding his hands behind his back as Molly stood next to him. He wished he had the answers, though. He knew very little about the girl in general and quietly thought her presence would end badly for them all.
Moody opened her purse. Digging through it, he pulled out a folded piece of parchment. Moody roughly handed the purse and wand to Sirius who gladly continued rifling through the bag while the Auror unfolded the parchment and read it. "Hmm, well, Sirius, looks like you don't even own the place."
"What?" Sirius questioned, pulling his hand out of the extendable purse. "You're joking."
"I'm not." Moody handed him the parchment.
Sirius let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head as he read it. "On her seventeenth birthday, she came into the inheritance of three noble families? No one needs that amount of money or properties." He put the parchment in the girl's purse, no longer interested in going through her belongings. He was a tad bummed to find out that his parents had named a completely different person to inherit the Black Family fortune. They truly hated him that much. Then again, his mother had burned off Uncle Alphard from the family tree simply because he had left his own fortune to Sirius, so Sirius didn't put it past his parents to pass over him completely. His cousins were still alive after all.
"Look," Tonks started, grabbing their attention, "she's still a child. We can probably just scare her into leaving. Or obliviate her. Or confund her. The Order needs a safe headquarters, and this is the safest we've come by. She's just one girl."
"This one girl is the daughter of a convicted Death Eater," Moody reminded Tonks.
Arthur held up his hand in a placating nature. "Before we go spelling her, we should figure out if she knows anything about the Order first and if anyone knows she was coming here, just to be on the safe side."
Everyone in the room knew Mr. Weasley was right. Moody nodded, taking out his wand. "Alright. Constant vigilance! Everyone ready?" He didn't wait for a reply. Raising his wand, he said, "Rennervate."
Carina's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she groaned as she picked up her head. Another headache was forming. Jumping as she noticed the people in front of her, she realized she couldn't move and glanced down to see ropes binding her to the chair.
"Fuck," she muttered. Carina fully looked at the people in the room with her as she sat up straight. Mad-Eye Moody, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius Black, and a woman not much older than herself. What did I get myself into? She lifted a perfectly styled eyebrow. "I don't appreciate being tied up in my own townhouse, thank you."
"Why are you here?" Sirius asked.
"I didn't realize I needed to make an appointment to enter my own house," Carina retorted. "If anything, you are trespassing, Mr. Black. You were disowned and disinherited, remember? And, not to mention, a fugitive." On false charges, but still a fugitive.
"And you're not a Black," he said, ignoring the snark that he secretly appreciated. Most of the people who kept him company had very little sense of humor.
"I don't want to argue technicalities right now. I only came to take stock of everything I now own which would include multiple house-elves, one of whom should be in this building and probably wouldn't appreciate his new master being tied up." None of the adults moved to do anything. "I could care less about this place. Didn't even know I was going to inherit it. You can keep squatting in it for all I care." Still, the adults didn't move. They barely reacted beyond confusion, probably towards her complete disinterest and calm disposition. Carina looked particularly at the Weasley's. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, if you're here, then your sons are, too, correct? Fred and George can vouch for my intentions. And if you still don't believe me, get some Veritaserum. I've got no plans for the rest of the day."
"You're a friend of my sons?" Molly asked carefully and taking a few tentative steps forward.
Carina shrugged. It had to come out at some time, even if she would have preferred Fred or George to tell their mother themselves. "Have been since first year. I'd shake your hand, but I'm a little. . . tied up at the moment." Moody grumbled in his spot. Sirius and Tonks tried to refrain from grinning at the audacity of her taking the time to jest. Arthur nodded to his wife who then left his side to gather their twin sons. Carina glanced around at the decor. It looked as ancient as the family line. "Has this place ever gotten new furniture?"
"Aside from individual bedrooms and the kitchen, no, not really," Sirius answered. He had to admit he kind of liked the Lestrange girl. She reminded him of himself with the attitude and wisecracks. She also looked like him with dark hair, light eyes, and sharp features. Tonks was in a similar mindset at the moment. Anyone who got on Moody's nerves was someone with who she could get along. She liked the gall of the Lestrange as well. They simply had to determine her loyalties.
Carina offered up the smile reserved specifically for the Weasley Twins as they hurried into the room. "Hello, boys," she greeted at the sight of their carrot heads and blue Weasley sweaters. She also noticed they had chopped off their long locks. While she had enjoyed playing with the shoulder-length hair they had just a month prior, the shorter cut was cute.
"Rina!" Fred exclaimed, rushing past the adults to attack the girl with a hug. George stayed back a few paces to give his brother a moment. "Blimey, when we said we wanted to see you this summer, we didn't mean stalk us."
"I'd hug you back, but I physically cannot," Carina pointed out.
"Oh, right." Fred stepped away, whipped out his wand, and undid the ropes tying her to the chair. Jumping up, she happily wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his own around her waist.
It seemed a little more than friendly to Sirius, and he recalled the glances he had seen both Carina and Fred make toward each other that night in the hospital wing. He leaned discreetly toward the other twin and quietly asked, "How long have they been. . ." His question trailed off.
"It's not official," George answered at the same volume. "They finally snogged in December after dancing around each other since like fourth year."
"Ahh." Sirius nodded, still eyeing the hugging teens. He hadn't ever thought a Lestrange would have feelings for a Weasley. But he had to admit they seemed suited together, and Carina seemed much more relaxed in Fred's presence. Less uptight and actually smiling.
Carina and Fred pulled away from each other, both still beaming from ear to ear, and faced the group. "She's good," Fred told the adults. "She hates her family."
She swatted his arm, though not enough to hurt. "I don't hate them; I just don't agree with their ridiculous blood purity beliefs. Except for Bellatrix. But who doesn't hate Bellatrix? Bloody psychopath." She glanced around at the adults. "You can continue doing whatever the hell is going on here. As I said, I don't really care. You could sell all the furniture and paint the walls bright yellow, and I still wouldn't care."
"And that's her least favorite color," George chimed in.
Moody wanted to strangle all three teenagers. One thing he hated about spending so much time in the townhouse was him being surrounded by them, or in Tonks and Sirius' case, people who acted like them. "That doesn't negate the fact that her father is a convicted Death Eater! One that I helped put away, mind you."
"What, is this some super-secret headquarters for fighting against Death Eaters?" While her question was mostly joking, Carina didn't miss every adult in the room tensing at her words. She tilted her head and looked around. "Oh, my stars, I'm right. Wicked! I want to join."
"You what?" Tonks blurted. "You can't be serious."
"No, he's Sirius," Fred joked and pointed at the only Black in the room.
Carina quickly nudged Fred. "I'm not kidding. You-Know-Who is back, and there's no way in hell I'm following him and his fanatics, regardless of who that puts me against. I couldn't risk being disinherited, but now I'm the matriarch of three pureblood lines. I can help you."
Moody, Arthur, Sirius, and Tonks glanced at each other. They needed to converse.
Molly held out her hand and motioned for Carina and the twins to follow. "Come, come, let's get you something to eat," Molly told them.
Carina and George, after giving each other a side hug, began to follow Molly out of the dining room and to the stairs leading down to the kitchen, but Fred held out his hand to Sirius before following, and Sirius handed over the purse and wand. A witch without her wand was like a dog without a tail. There's a missing limb and it didn't feel quite right. Fred then hurried after his brother and Carina, careful to not make too much noise in the hall.
The kitchen, which seemed to take over almost the entire basement floor, was the cleanest part of the townhouse so far. Probably the most used room as well. It wasn't incredibly clean and was still very gloomy with a few cobwebs just out of reach, but Carina bet it was the Weasley matriarch who had tried her best to make it at least presentable.
Molly immediately began fixing something up.
Carina sat with the twins at the long wooden table large enough to fit a couple dozen people, right next to Fred. She couldn't help but bring a hand up to Fred's hair, touching a few of the strands as she pointed out, "You cut your hair."
"Aye, love, like it?" Fred asked with a cheeky grin.
She smiled. "I know better than to answer that. How long have you two been here?"
"Since the start of summer," George answered across from them. "It's been interesting."
"I bet."
"When you said you're the matriarch of three families, does that mean—" Fred started, but Carina cut him off.
"Yes, Fred, I'm the head of the House of Black now, too." She opened her purse and pulled out the parchment with the rights and responsibilities she held and handed it to him. "Not just the Lestrange and Burke families. Obviously, I'm not a Black in name, but Narcissa didn't want the properties and possession of the House of Black, so she passed it along to me. I think it might be some test or something along those lines, though she might also be hoping to revitalize it at some point and needs someone else to do it. She's never been quite clear with her motivations. Anyway, I've been traveling all day to see the properties. Managed to convince all the poor house-elves to move to Wiltshire so they weren't wasting away alone scattered around the continent."
George leaned on the table. "Around the continent," he repeated.
"Alright, definitely an exaggeration, but I have a manor in France, an estate in Wiltshire, a townhouse in London, and an estate in Scotland," Carina rattled off, not bothering to hide her aggravation. "I thought having two was overkill, but now I have four. I didn't even know the Burke's had their own estate, though I reckon my mother had to grow up somewhere. But I can't sell them unless I want the wrath of my relatives and ancestors to come bearing down upon me. I'd also have to deal with all the relics and heirlooms which doesn't sound fun. At least if things go wrong in the impending war, I don't have to be anywhere near the Malfoys. Although, I probably should consider getting the Fidelius Charm put upon each of them, just in case."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Fred told her. He pointed at the parchment. "You can sell your stocks if you don't want them. Not sure why you'd give up the ones on the Quidditch teams, but the other ones can gladly go."
George snatched the parchment from his brother and looked over the list. "If you tell Charlie you own the rights to Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, he'll flip his lid, I guarantee."
Carina pried the parchment away and folded it up. "I'm convinced my ancestors felt the need to be as diverse as possible to keep them drowning in galleons. How pretentious." She slipped the parchment back into her bag. "If I sell some of it, I'll just get more money. I'd rather give it away to people that might actually want or need it. Maybe I can sign some over to a charity. You said Charlie works on a dragon reservation? I'm sure they always need money. Can't imagine dragon enclosures come cheap. Or feeding them for that matter."
"And if Lucius says something about it, you can always say it was for good press or similar," George said. "Make it into a publicity thing."
"They'll probably eat that up," Fred agreed, and Carina nodded with a small hum, too.
Throughout their conversation, Molly couldn't help but smile to herself. At first, she was skeptical, and for a moment she thought she would faint. How could she not be shocked? The Lestrange girl had claimed to be close with her wildest sons. They hadn't once mentioned her in a way that indicated they were friends. Any mention was a passing comment or information used to scare Ron and fascinate Ginny. The only indication of them knowing each other was the twins staring at the girl on the platform of the Hogwarts Express which Molly had only noticed twice and brushed off as she always had her hands full when on the platform.
Listening to the trio talk made Molly change her mind about the girl. Carina obviously cared about the two boys, regardless of their social status and wealth, and the boys reciprocated the feeling. They didn't take advantage of Carina's wealth. They didn't care. They only cared about her as a person.
And Molly hadn't missed the dopey look on Fred's face when she had gone up and told them Carina was in the townhouse. While George looked surprised and excited, Fred had the look of someone in love. And if Carina watching Fred's every movement with a smile was anything to go by, she wasn't far behind.
Of course, one final thought had crossed her mind as well; it would definitely be Fred and George to go against a taboo and befriend a Lestrange as they were always the ones taking risks. And it made her wonder who all knew since Fred hadn't immediately said anything the night of the third task when they were all in the hospital wing.
Molly set a plate full of triangle-cut sandwiches in the middle of the trio. "Here you go, dear."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
The older witch waved her hand. "Please, call me Molly." Molly then went to fetch Ron and Ginny for the mid-afternoon snack.
After his mum left the room, Fred turned to Carina. "I think she likes you."
"Of course, she does. Everyone loves me."
The trio laughed as they each picked up a sandwich and began chowing down, soon being joined by Ron and Ginny. Molly joined the discussion of the Order with the other adults upstairs in the library.
Ron and Ginny sat next to George across from Fred and Carina. "So, you're the 'Order business', huh?" Ron asked, stuffing his face with a sandwich.
"Ron!" Ginny scolded.
"She'll find out soon enough," Fred said, shrugging his shoulders. "They probably know George and I'll tell her anyway."
"Tell me what?" Carina asked, eyeing the boy next to her.
"The Order of the Phoenix," George explained as his twin grabbed another sandwich. "It's a secret group founded by Dumbledore during the last war. Dumbledore brought it back after Harry saw You-Know-Who return."
"Really? I always knew there was opposition, but I didn't know there was a group for it. Lucius and Narcissa didn't talk much about the war." With good reason. "Unless Lucius was heavily implying You-Know-Who should've won."
"Are you going to join?" Ginny asked. "I wish I could, but Mum says I'm not old enough."
Fred cut in, "She says that about me and George, too, but we're of age. She just doesn't want us fighting. Wants us to focus on school." Like the twins would ever focus on school even if a war wasn't about to break out. "If she could, she'd keep Charlie and Bill out of it, too."
Carina's eyebrows furrowed, noticing a distinct lack of one final Weasley. "What about Percy?" Each of the Weasley kids frowned, looking particularly uncomfortable with that question.
"He works at the Ministry," Fred told her, his voice lower than before. "You've probably noticed how the Ministry is denying everything about You-Know-Who returning, and Percy stayed loyal to the Ministry instead of his family."
"Mum just about bursts into tears every time she hears his name," George added.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Carina set her head on Fred's shoulder and wrapped her arm around his back. None of the siblings replied, but Fred relaxed against Carina.
All the teens looked up as the adults entered the room. Moody stayed gruffly near the doorway while the others moved around the table.
Sirius folded his hands in front of him as he sat down at the end of the table. "So, you want to join?" he asked.
Carina nodded. "Yes. I'm of age. I have money, so I could provide supplies, like potions. I'm also excellent at brewing potions if I do say so myself. If I get the Fidelius Charm put up at my other properties, they can be used as safe houses as they're already unplottable. Since I'm of age, I may soon be asked to declare loyalty to You-Know-Who, which means I can pass along information about their plans to the Order. I can also separate Slytherins who agree with his views from the ones who disagree and want to fight against it because I can assure you, I'm not the only one." She could name Sylvia, Terence, and Adrian right off the top of her head.
Sirius turned around to look at Moody. "She makes excellent points."
"It's not up to me," Moody said harshly. "We have to wait for Albus. He should be here soon, along with the other Order members for the meeting."
"Excellent!" Tonks exclaimed with a grin. She held out her hand to the young Lestrange as she sat down next to her. "Wotcher, the name's Tonks."
Carina shook the woman's hand. "Carina, but you knew that." The name then fully sunk it. Nymphadora Tonks, who was in Charlie's year. "You're Andromeda Tonks's daughter, right? Reckon that makes us cousins-by-law or something."
Tonks laughed. "'Or something' sounds about right. How'd you three become friends, anyway?"
That was a question on the minds of all the adults. "They sat next to me on the train. Been mates ever since. Not for lack of me trying to get rid of them, though. No matter how many times I told them I'd be disowned if anyone ever saw me with them, they stuck around like a fungus."
"It's true," Fred said with an innocent smile.
"Hard to get rid of a fungus if you like it being around," George added.
"I almost pissed myself the first time she spoke to me," Ron cut in. "I didn't believe they were actually friends. I thought Fred and George were just saying things to get me hexed."
"No, what would've gotten you hexed was you and Harry running me over in the corridor and not apologizing for it," Carina told him with a laugh, causing Ron's ears to turn red as he remembered that night in his second year when he and Harry had used Polyjuice to try and learn if Draco was the Heir of Slytherin.
The group continued sharing stories about their times at Hogwarts, diluted stories in the case of the Weasley kids in front of their parents, until other members of the Order arrived one by one, including Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. The two didn't seem surprised to see her. In fact, they looked fairly pleased.
One man was momentarily stunned when he arrived, but Carina didn't recognize him. He wasn't the only one that had given her an odd look, but he was the only one that looked outright shocked. The man was tall, bald, broad-shouldered, and dark-skinned. He also wore a single gold hoop earring. He eyed Carina carefully but still allowed Sirius to introduce them.
"Carina, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt," Sirius introduced. "He's an Auror with Tonks and Moody. Kingsley, meet Carina Lestrange." Something about the twinkle in Sirius's eye unsettled Carina.
But Carina recognized the names. Shacklebolt was one of the names on the Sacred Twenty-Eight list of pureblood families. Kingsley was the name Lupin had given her as her mother's main friend while attending Hogwarts.
"It's nice to meet you," Carina said, holding out her hand. She didn't plan on mentioning the potential connection just yet. Not with so many people around.
Kingsley shook her hand and replied, "Likewise."
"Carina!" a voice called. Kingsley and Carina turned to see Professor Lupin walking over with a broad grin. "It's about time you joined up. How is your Patronus?"
"Still corporeal and flying, professor," she answered.
Lupin waved his hand. "Please, I'm no longer your professor. Remus will do just fine."
"That will take some getting used to."
Lupin chuckled and his eyes drifted to the man beside her. "Ah, I see you've finally met Kingsley."
"Finally?" Carina repeated.
"I was, uh, good friends with your mother Lyra," Kingsley said. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't.
Her inkling was correct. "Really? Can't say I know much about her other than a name."
"Yes, well, perhaps I can tell you stories," Kingsley offered.
Before Carina could respond, Snape arrived, not surprised in the slightest at seeing Carina. Ron and Ginny were kicked out of the room. Molly tried for a few moments to kick Fred and George out too, but Arthur persuaded her against it. The room was otherwise filled almost exclusively with Order members, and Carina wondered if there were more that hadn't made the meeting, such as other professors at Hogwarts or other Aurors.
Dumbledore motioned for everyone to take seats at the large table and started the meeting.