By the time the train reached the castle, news of the dementors had spread quickly. As Carissa clambered into a carriage with her friends, she could overhear the conversations of some 5th year slytherins. "…yeah, said Potter fainted on the sight, wouldn't be surprised if he screamed like a girl." One of the boys replied, causing the whole group to laugh.

"I heard one of them did go after Harry. Hope he's alright." Katie said as the carriage continued to move towards the castle. Carissa nodded, her mind drifting off on to her own thoughts. She felt sorry for Harry. She knew the affect a dementor could have on a person and would have never wished it on her worst enemies. She didn't understand why the dementors would target him of all people. If what people were saying were true, they had been on the train searching for Sirius Black. A 3rd year student shouldn't have pulled that kind of attention by a dementor.

"Carissa." The voice of Angelina pulled her from her thoughts and she noticed the carriage had come to a stop outside the large gates, her friends already piled out of the motionless buggy.

"Oh sorry sort of wondered away you know." She replied sheepishly before climbing down. Her eyes wandered over to the front of the carriage, nodding slightly in greeting to the threstal pulling the carriage. Carissa had noticed the skeletal beasts her 2nd year of Hogwarts when she along with the other students had ridden up to the castle in the carriages. She had gasped in fright at the creature, drawing quizzical looks as students passed. It had taken a while for her to realize that she was the only one seeing them, everyone else thinking the carriages were magically pulled by themselves.

flashback

"Thestreals are quite peculiar creatures." She jumped slightly at the new voice, turning to see the voice belonged to Dumbledore. Before she could stutter out an excuse, the aged wizard raised his hand, a small smile gracing his face. "You are not in any trouble dear girl." The last few weeks, Carissa would sneak down to the forest that lay next to the castle, watching the creatures with interest. She had tried to find out more about them in the library but with no idea what they were, she had a difficult time.

"Why can't everyone else see them? You can so that means I'm not the only one." She questioned as he walked closer to stand beside her, gazing at the creatures as they continued chewing at the dead grass, unware of the twos gazes on them.

"Thestreals are beings that many cannot and will never see. They are only visible to those who have seen death first hand." The headmaster explained, giving a knowing look down at the 2nd year. Carissa glanced down, her mind reeling back to when she was 4. It was a month before her mother's arrest. She had been dragged down from her bedroom into the large sitting room. What had greeted her was a man, barely conscious and panting from pain. Her mother had explained he was a filthy mudblood and she would do what had to be done. Carissa had been forced to watch in horror as her mother shouted the killing curse, before a stream of green light shot from her wand, killing the man instantly.

A hand on her shoulder brought her from her nightmarish memories, Dumbledore giving her a sympathetic smile. "I believe it is time we head back up to the castle Miss Lestrange. I do believe dinner is just getting started and there was a particularly delicious looking cake I would not mind trying tonight." Carissa gave him a small smile back and the 2 preceded to head back up to the castle, both of them slipping back into old memories they did not want to relive.

Back in the present, Carissa headed into the great hall with the other students, moving into the great hall and taking a seat at the Gryffindor table in between the twins. A moment later, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione make their way over, taking seat in front of them.

"You alright Harry, we heard about the dementor incident." Carissa said quietly as she looked at her younger friend. Harry nodded his head, giving her a small smile. She could see his face still looked pale, the effects of the dementor still taking its toll on him.

"Potter, Potter?" Hearing his name Harry turned, seeing Draco and his friends smirking and laughing in his direction. "Is it true you fainted? I mean you actually fainted." Draco taunted, one of his friends mocking Harry as the others laughed. Carissa glared at her cousin, who saw the look and quickly turned in his seat, his cheeks heating up instantly. She was the only one, other than his mother who could instill that kind of reaction and she never wasted the opportunity.

"Don't listen to him Harry. Dementors are nasty creatures. He would have fainted on the sight of them." Carissa said, nudging Harrys hand with her own as Dumbledore rose to the platform, starting his traditional start of the year speech.

A couple weeks had passed since the dementor incident and Carissa's anxiousness did not deter. Every time she walked the grounds, she couldn't help but glance around her surrounding's, afraid she would catch sight of the ragged robes and the scaly hands of the dementors. Luckily, they had stayed away from the grounds as Dumbledore had said, reaming to the boundaries of the school.

Her friends had noticed her change in behavior, but none had broached the subject until finally one night in the Gryffindor common room. George and Carissa sat in front of the fire, both working on their potions essay when the red head grabbed the quill from his best friend, setting it beside her parchment. "George, this essays due tomorrow and if…"

"Why are you so afraid of them? The Dementors. I mean don't me wrong their terrifying and all but with you, it's different. We all can see it." George treaded lightly on the subject. He knew how guarded Carissa could be, even with him and Fred. They had known each other for years and he still remained clueless to certain aspects of her life, more so on her family and past than anything else.

Carissa chewed on her bottom lip, the fire light flicking across her dark hair lightly. She sat up from her lying position, glancing over to her best friend. He could see a small hint of dread and despair and he instantly hated himself for bringing up the subject. But before he could mutter out a quick apology and a change of subject she spoke. "They remind me of my mother."

She moved, her arms wrapping around her knees, as if she were physically trying to shield herself from the memories. "I was 8 I believe and my aunt brought me to Azkaban to visit her. Honestly how they got that to happen I'm still warry of. All around there were dementors. It was the first time I ever really experienced them and it terrified me. It felt like all hope was lost, that any happiness I ever had was completely stripped from me and all that was left was emptiness and despair. And then there was my mother," she laughed bitterly, angry tears hiding behind her eyes, "as crazy as she always was. And she was laughing, a noise I'll never get out of my head. She told me how much I was looking like her, how she hoped I would be just like her, like my father and she kept laughing and…" she stopped, quickly wiping at her eyes. "Needless to say that was the last time I visited. Aunt Cissy said it was because Azkaban was no place for a child but deep down, she knew how uncomfortable I was, how it made me feel. Seeing them again it just brought all that back up I guess."

George reached over, taking her hand in his and giving it a comforting squeeze. "You listen to me. You are not like that crazy old bat you hear me? Your better than she is, better than who your father is, whoever the hell he is. You're a good person. I mean why would I be friends with you if you weren't? Freddie and I are great judge of characters." George smiled as he heard Carissa laugh, happy he could bring that smile to her face.

"I love you, you and Fred you do know that right." Carissa said quietly, moving to lay her head on his shoulder.

"Love you too Rissa." George wrapped his arm around her shoulders, both of them starring into the fire, lost in their own thoughts.