With the beginning of August came the onset of bad tidings. With the current state of the Wizarding World, it was only a matter of time before bad turned to worse.

At first, it didn't seem too bad. There was a nice break.

Kreacher was settling in nicely. He had taken several trips in the two weeks since Carina had given him permission to move Black heirlooms to the Lestrange Estate. He was especially happy when he was given an entire room to house them, even more so when given the assurance that the other house-elves wouldn't go in there.

Thank you, Mistress, he had repeated over and over again. Carina could still picture his wide eyes.

And then, Carina had invited Fleur Delacour over. That was nice. It felt good to catch up with her, especially as Fleur went on and on excitedly about her life since graduating and starting work at Gringotts. She started there with part-time work as a way to improve upon her English skills and get used to wizarding life in Britain, but it came with an unexpected perk.

Spoiler, she met someone interested in her, which attractive people tend to do. Then Carina heard his name.

Bill Weasley.

Carina smiled knowingly watching Fleur gushed in the lounge with Corvin stretching out on her lap. "He is quite handsome, isn't he?" she said. "With the dragon fang in particular."

Fleur perked up at that. "You know 'im?"

"We're acquainted," Carina explained. "I know his younger siblings better. He's the oldest of seven. You've met his brother Ron, Harry's friend."

"Oh, bien sûr!" Fleur exclaimed. "I remember him." She reached forward, careful not to jostle the cat in her lap as she picked up her cup and took a sip of her tea. "You said seven?"

Carina took a drink of her own tea. "Yeah, their house has no shortage of activity. You might have met another brother of Bill's. Percy? He attended the Yule Ball in the place of Mr. Crouch."

Fleur thought for a moment, face squishing up. "I think I remember him. Ze one bothering Harry?"

"Yep! I haven't met Percy, but according to Fred and George, he's dreadfully boring. He's the only one I haven't met."

"Fred and George?"

"The twins," Carina quickly answered. "They're in my year. A pair of red-headed troublemakers. Then there's Charlie. He's the second oldest after Bill and is working with dragons in Romania. The youngest is Ginny, the only daughter."

Fleur shook her head. "Too many enfants for my taste." She finished off her cup then set it down on the table.

"I have no idea how Molly managed it, but I think you'll like her if it continues going well and Bill introduces you."

After that brief light interaction, things got worse. And it was only the next day that Carina had received the news.

All of 12 Grimmauld Place was buzzing with the news of Harry using magic in the presence of a Muggle and being expelled from Hogwarts. Molly was up in arms, ranting and raving for long periods about how they could do that without a hearing with the Ministry and that if Harry had performed magic while underage, then he did it with good reason. The others agreed, though less fervently. And then they learned what had happened.

Carina had never seen Dumbledore so angry. After years of seeing him calm and collected, it was strange to see such a strong emotion from him. Harry being attacked by Dementors when an Order member, ahem Mundungus, had left their post certainly pushed a bright red button, and finally, Dumbledore's fiery Gryffindor temper reared its head.

Nothing was done for a few days as plans were made, but eventually, the time came for a small group of the Order members to extract Harry from his home on Privet Drive and bring him to the Order's headquarters. Upon arrival, an Order meeting was undergoing with Dumbledore explaining how they were going to proceed plus other items on the agenda.

The Ministry would be holding a hearing, they had a witness, Dumbledore would attend, Harry would be staying at headquarters for the rest of the summer, and everyone else would resume their postings without the shift changes on watching over Harry.

Easy enough. Snape's report on Voldemort's most recent movements was the most interesting part of the meeting, but Carina wished Fred and George hadn't ditched it completely. She secretly enjoyed their attempts at distraction even in serious moments.

When Moody, Lupin, and Tonks returned after picking up Harry from Privet Drive, they relayed that everything went well, even if Harry was on the terse side of the encounter and demanding to know more. Carina couldn't blame him, being kept in the dark for weeks with no word from his friends. She certainly didn't agree with Dumbledore's orders on that matter. Sometimes, she wondered why Harry even bothered liking Dumbledore.

Finally, the meeting was declared over, and Molly released the Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door and then went up to the bedroom that was assigned to Ron and Harry. She stood in the doorway and announced to the inhabitants that, "The meeting's over! You can come down and have dinner now."

With the meeting wrapped up and Molly no longer in the kitchen, both Fred and George used apparition to pop into the kitchen and sit on either side of Carina who hadn't left the table. Since Harry was on his way down or being hounded by the others dying to see him, she didn't think he needed a bigger crowd. Also still at the table were Arthur and Bill who were talking in hushed tones at the end of the table over a set of building plans, and a few others were still milling around, like Mundungus, though Mundungus had actually fallen asleep in his chair otherwise he would have disappeared by then since he was part of the reason Harry was in trouble with the Ministry in the first place.

"How was the meeting, love?" Fred asked, propping his elbow on the table and facing Carina.

"You know, you could've joined," she pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that?" George asked from her other side. "With the meetings occupying Mum, we can take the time to experiment without being interrupted."

"And you'll tell us all about the meeting afterward," Fred added.

Carina leaned back in her chair. "I should stop."

Fred poked her in the side. "But you won't. You love us too much."

"You think too much of yourselves."

"And that's why we work," George said with a grin.

Harry and Sirius then walked in together, followed by Molly and Remus, drawing Carina and the twins' attention. Before Carina could stand to greet Harry, who was looking around the unfamiliar surroundings, Molly cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of Arthur and Bill.

Arthur jumped to his feet and rushed to greet him. "Harry!" he exclaimed. "Good to see you!"

Bill was left to roll up the lengths of parchment that Arthur had left him with, but he still greeted, "Journey alright, Harry? Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," Tonks interceded as she skipped over to the table, but as she bumped into it, Carina whipped out her wand to catch the lit candelabra before it could land on the building plans. Tonks turned a bright pink, shrinking in on herself. "Sorry!"

"No harm done," Carina assured, but her understanding tone was overshadowed by Molly snapping at her husband and eldest son.

"This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," Molly said sharply as she shoved the parchment into Bill's arms.

Carina and the twins had the decency to wait for Molly to enter the kitchen area before quietly chuckling at Bill's exasperation. Bill shot the three a glare as he made the scrolls vanish.

The exchange made Harry realize that Carina was present. He'd grown so used to seeing Carina in the presence of Fred and George that it didn't seem out of place to see her there until Mrs. Weasley freaked out about hiding whatever plans they had been looking over.

"Car? You're in the Order, too?" Harry asked, shocked. "Isn't that a bit. . . dangerous?"

"What isn't these days?" Carina asked in return with a small smile. "It's good to see you, Harry. Take a seat. Join us." She gestured to the chair across from her and the twins, and he slipped into it. "Molly's made a lovely stew."

"Careful, now," Fred warned. "Flattery will make her adopt you."

"I could do with a mother," Carina joked. "Might as well steal yours. Surely Harry feels the same." She sent him a playful wink which Harry quietly laughed at.

"Now, let's see, what else?" Sirius glanced around as he sat down next to Harry, and his eyes landed on Mundungus still snoring away a few chairs away. "You've met Mundungus, haven't you, Harry?"

Before Harry could reply, Mundungus shifted in his sleep and mumbled, "Someone say my name?" His voice was slurred as he cracked open his eyes. "I agree with Sirius." He raised his hand in the air like he was voting, and Ginny giggled from next to Bill as everyone else looked on with exasperation.

"The meeting's over, Dung," Sirius said. "Harry's arrived."

Mundungus' eyes opened wider, coming into focus. "Blimey, so he has," he said quietly. "You alright, Harry?" As if he hadn't gotten that same question fifty times already.

Harry uttered out a 'yeah' as Mundungus dug around his pockets before pulling out an old, black pipe.

"What did I say about smoking in my house?" Carina asked sharply, glaring in his direction.

Mundungus jolted in place and snapped his head in her direction. "Blimey, I thought you'd left."

"And if I wasn't here, I know the twins or Molly would love to take it upon themselves to say the same," Carina pointed out. "Put it away, Fletcher. If I catch you with it out again, I will hit you with a stunner."

Mundungus stowed his pipe begrudgingly in time for Molly to re-enter and ask for help setting out everything for dinner. Of course, Molly refused to allow Harry to help, and while trying to get Tonks to stay put too, she didn't notice Carina remain at the table with Harry, Sirius, and Mundungus. Carina didn't want to be anywhere near Fred and George in the kitchen.

"Your house?" Harry repeated once the others had set off.

"Only because my mother hated me," Sirius said mockingly sad. That didn't lessen Harry's confusion.

"Sirius was disowned," Carina began, leaning to the side as Tonks reached passed to set out cutlery around the table. "And Bellatrix is in Azkaban for life, so the inheritance goes to the next Black in line—Narcissa. She didn't want it, but if she turned it down, it would go to another Black descendant, which would be Tonks or Arthur, both of whom are children of disowned Blacks." Harry donned an understanding look while Carina explained and then gestured to herself. "I'm a descendant of Belvina Black, so Narcissa chose to pass it on to me."

"Pureblood politics," Sirius snarked, rolling his eyes. "Something you might've had to deal with, Harry."

"I always knew it was complicated," Harry said, grimacing, "but that just seems excessive."

"You don't know the half of it," Carina remarked, leaning back in her chair. "Aside from St. Mungo's, keeping up with the estates eats up most of my time."

Sirius groaned indignantly as Crookshanks hopped onto his lap for attention while they talked. "I'd rather that than listening to Snape's reports and having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time, asking how the cleaning's going."

"What cleaning?" Harry asked.

"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," Sirius answered, motioning to the abysmal setting. The peeling walls, the drooping candles, the creaky floorboards. "No one's lived here for ten years. Not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, though he hasn't cleaned in ages. And Lestrange here swept him up to get him out of our hair. How'd your elves react to the sullen creature?"

Carina ignored the obvious pun on Kreacher's name. "They don't pay him much mind, leave him to his mutterings over the family heirlooms."

"Better you have them than I."

"Sirius," Mundungus interrupted, coming out of his stupor of examining a silver goblet. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Yes," Sirius sneered. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"If I find that in your pocket, Fletcher, I will cut off your hand," Carina threatened with a pointed glare, and Mundungus quickly set it back on the table with a loud thud. She may not have cared much for expensive possessions, but thievery wasn't something she'd tolerate.

Or perhaps it was just Mundungus Fletcher that got on her nerves. If, say, Remus wanted to pawn some silver, she doubted she'd stop him.

Dinner went semi-smoothly after Fred and George spilled the stew on Sirius when bringing it out. Carina made sure to ask Molly to capture not harm the Doxy's during their cleaning the next day so she could extract their venom for potions when Molly brought them up to Sirius. What Carina didn't say was that Fred and George had wanted them in order to experiment with Doxy venom. And despite her dislike of Mundungus, Carina did enjoy seeing the amusement on Fred's face as he laughed at Mundungus's stories. Or she enjoyed it simply because she could openly lace her fingers through Fred's without fear.

But then, as dinner was winding down after eating dessert, things grew tense.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," Molly said while yawning, about to get up to collect dirty plates.

"Not just yet, Molly," Sirius said as he turned to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

Carina couldn't stop the twitch of her eyebrow at the sound of the Dark Lord's name being spoken. Very few did it. Namely, Harry, Dumbledore, and Sirius, and occasionally, Remus. But it didn't lessen the effect the name had. Everyone in the room stiffened at Sirius' observation.

"I did," Harry said with an indignant huff. "I asked Ron and Hermione, but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so—"

"And they're quite right," Molly cut off. "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order to ask questions?" Sirius asked. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happening."

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry," Molly argued, her words and movements sharp. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

Sirius's face showed complete innocence, even though it was bullshit. "Which bit?"

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know." Molly placed emphasis on the last three words.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly," Sirius countered. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back, he has more right than most to—"

"He's got more of a right than anyone to know what's been happening," Carina agreed, interrupting the tennis match before Molly could channel her fiery nature into yelling. Her voice cut sharply between the two, drawing their attention and anger away from each other. "He's directly affected as he's the Dark Lord's main target. The more he's told, the more he's able to make an informed decision regarding his actions and the actions of the Order."

Knowing Molly, Carina sent her a sharp look before she could interrupt. Perhaps she should be trying to get on her boyfriend's mother's good side, but there was a time and place for flattery, and this wasn't it.

"That doesn't mean telling him every action that the Order takes," Carina continued. "There's a reason not every member knows every move. But knowing our purpose, knowing what we're trying to achieve, knowing who he can trust—knowing that we're trying is important." She felt Fred's silent support as he squeezed her hand.

"It is better that Harry gets the facts," Remus also agreed. "Not all the facts but the general picture from us, rather than a garbled version from others." His expression gave nothing, but considering Carina knew that he was Moony from the Marauder's Map made her think that he knew about Fred and George's Extendable Ears that had survived Molly's purging.

"Well," Molly breathed, glancing around to see that everyone present agreed with Sirius, Carina, and Remus. "Well, I can see that I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart—"

"He's not your son," Sirius said quietly.

"He's as good as," Molly replied, voice unwavering in her assertion, and Carina noticed the light in Harry's eyes glimmer.

A lifetime without parents for him, and there sat Molly, forgetting he was sitting there gobsmacked while she argued with Sirius and claimed him as her own.

That certainly felt like a kick to the balls as her own heart ached.

Summer was slowly drawing to an end as Carina sat at her dining table alone, eating the breakfast Dizzy had prepared for her. Eating was a generous term, however, as Carina slowly picked at the bubbled yoke of the egg on her plate until the smallest hole opened in the fried egg white.

The Lestrange Manor was stunning. It had a sort of ethereal, ancient beauty to it from the generations it had housed the British branch of the Lestrange family. Despite the plethora of amazing artwork and the excellent craftsmanship of the construction, it felt the same as the Malfoy Manor: cold, empty, and lifeless. It didn't matter that Carina had multiple house elves flitting about. It didn't matter that it was all hers to do whatever she wanted with it. It didn't matter.

Carina was alone in the large mansion. Alone with a war on the horizon. Alone with her thoughts.

Is this what adulthood was like? Perhaps not for everyone but adulthood for her? To be alone? To be unable to trust or confide in the ones who raised her? To be separated from the one she loved? To long for warmth and receive nothing but cold?

"Can Dizzy get you anything else, miss?" Dizzy asked carefully.

It was then that Carina realized she had a sour expression, and Dizzy was likely wondering if something was wrong with the food she had prepared. Sometimes Carina wondered if her house elves were waiting for her to take out her frustrations on them with how they still danced around her, careful to not make her angry, aside from Kreacher who seemed to have been the only house-elf bequeathed to her that hadn't been regularly beaten by his family.

Carina forced her expression to soften as she looked at her house elf. "No, Dizzy, it's perfectly alright," she said. "I'm simply in deep thought and not feeling all that peckish at the moment."

"Perhaps a cold drink would be more suitable, miss?" Dizzy offered, noticing that Carina had also barely touched the breakfast tea.

Carina nodded and said, "Some juice would be wonderful, thank you."

"Of course, miss." Dizzy bowed her head and then apparated into the kitchen. Upon returning moments later, she presented Carina with a glass of orange juice on a silver platter.

Silver platter. Everything was brought to her on a silver platter. She hadn't earned any of it. She didn't feel like she deserved any of it. But her house elves treated her like a goddess, and her peers feared her like the devil. Her whole life had been like that. It wasn't anything new.

But as the summer droned on and Carina spent more time with Fred, his family, and the Order, she learned more and more about what life could be like. Filled with laughter and joy and warmth and care and emotion. Filled with the satisfaction of speaking her mind and doing things for herself. Filled with hugs not having to be hidden in private or not having house elves afraid you'll hex them for cleaning the wrong room.

Carina plucked the glass from the tray and asked, "Are you hungry, Dizzy?" She gestured to her largely untouched plate of food with a fruit bowl and breadbasket behind it. "It'd be a shame for the food to go to waste after you put so much work into it."

Dizzy quickly shook her head. "No, no, miss, it was no trouble at all. We house-elves eat only when the masters are satisfied."

"And if I said I'd be satisfied if you ate with me?" Carina asked. Dizzy then hesitated, her big, bright eyes darting between the table and Carina. "You're welcome to join, Dizzy, if you would like to. But I will not make you, and I will not force you away."

Dizzy wrung her hands nervously. "Is the Mistress certain?" she asked, her voice barely above a squeak.

Carina nodded. "Yes."

"Then Dizzy would be honored to sit at your table, miss," Dizzy said, bowing her head again. Slowly and carefully, as if waiting for Carina to change her mind or flip her attitude around, Dizzy climbed up onto the chair to Carina's left.

Carina simply smiled and grabbed a piece of bread to munch on while Dizzy ate from the bowl of fruit.

It was nice having something as simple as a little company.

Soon after, as Carina and Dizzy made small talk, one of the other house-elves entered the dining room. Matisse entered with increased hesitation as she eyed Dizzy sitting at the table eating, but she dared not say anything in the presence of Carina who wasn't reacting negatively to the action. Instead, Matisse held up a letter on another silver tray.

"An owl just delivered this for you, miss," Matisse said, presenting it.

"Thank you, Matisse." Carina grabbed the letter and spotted the Hogwarts wax seal on the back of the envelope. She motioned to the chair to her right. "You're welcome to join us if you'd like, Matisse."

Focusing on the letter, Carina pretended she didn't notice Matisse's eyes go wide at the invitation nor the way Matisse looked at Carina then Dizzy with apprehension. Carina broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter from Hogwarts as Matisse hesitantly climbed onto the chair and stared at the food and at Dizzy.

Dear Miss Lestrange,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been chosen for the position of Head Girl for your seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your school record shows an exemplary display of ambition, creativity, loyalty, and courage that Hogwarts encourages in each student.

We are certain that you will continue to be a model for your peers and will take your new responsibilities seriously. Please find enclosed your new Head Girl badge, which should be worn on your school robes at all times. I trust you'll find it suitably shiny.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

Carina opened the envelope again, tilting it toward her open hand, and out slid a shiny, green and silver badge pin emblazoned with HEAD GIRL on the stylized metal ribbon.

Now for the question continuously prodding at the back of Carina's mind: did she truly earn the title or was it advantageous to Dumbledore for her to hold the title?

A mere few hours later, Carina idled around the drawing room, trying to read the book in her lap but unable to stop her eyes from wandering to the pin sitting atop the letter from Dumbledore. Her stomach remained unsettled as she looked at it. Even Corvin didn't seem overly fond of it as he kept batting it with his paw, once even swiping it off the coffee table and onto the floor.

Carina tore her eyes away from the pin as Dizzy walked in.

"Miss, you have a visitor," Dizzy said. "Mister Draco Malfoy."

Carina wished she didn't have a sinking feeling in her stomach at the mere mention of her godbrother. But she still politely smiled with a nod and said, "Show him in. Thank you, Dizzy."

Dizzy bowed and apparated back to the front door. As she led Draco into the estate, it gave Carina enough time to slip a bookmark between the pages and set the book aside before standing and mentally preparing herself for the mask she wore around her family.

Draco hurried into the drawing room with a wide smile, unlike how Carina was expecting him to be, so her mask slipped. In a good way. The hint of a genuine smile pulled at her lips.

"Car, look!" Draco exclaimed, rushing over with a letter in his hand.

Carina took it from him and scanned it quickly, skimming the letter from Snape that announced Draco's appointment to Slytherin Prefect. She looked up to see Draco proudly holding up his Prefect badge with a goofy, carefree grin.

If they were at Malfoy Manor, she guaranteed his smile wouldn't be nearly as broad lest he be chided by Lucius for acting childish.

Draco had come to her to share in his excitement because he knew she wouldn't berate him for it.

"That's wonderful, Draco," Carina said, and she pulled him into a hug which he readily returned. She held him as closely and as tightly as she dared without freaking him out, simply allowing herself to relish in a warm hug with her little brother.

She was proud of him. He worked hard on his studies—harder than most of his peers. And he'd gotten better about at least not being caught by staff when making trouble. And he was under indescribable pressure from his parents to live up to their expectations. He had the makings of a great wizard adept at spellcasting and potions with a brilliant mind and creative solutions. If he hadn't been born a Malfoy, he would have flourished in Ravenclaw. But he had been born a Malfoy, and that was the problem.

She was proud, truly, but she couldn't help but dwell on the harmful downsides of giving her godbrother a place of power within the school system. He'd abuse it, she knew, just to make his friends laugh. To make him seem more important than others and thus worthy of the Malfoy line. To try and make his father proud.

Oh, Draco, were you doomed from the start?