I didn't mean to make Hermione seem annoying last chapter; personally, I thought she was just very frustrated because it was true, without the book of Harry's and if Carina hadn't had the help from Sirius and Remus, she WOULD have gotten the liquid luck and the credit she was supposed to have. That's how I saw it, anyway. :P

Also, I can see them all reconciling in some way (it IS a romance centering over Carina and Hermione along with the other issues that come up), or if not at least working together as the war begins. Thanks for the reviews, and here is chapter eight!

Luna watched as Carina paced around by the Black Lake, trying and failing to calm herself down.

"She apologized and I ran!" ranted Carina, throwing her hands up in the air. When she lowered them and noticed that they were still trembling slightly, she cursed, running them through her hair. "I don't know what happened, one minute I was fine and the next I was shaking and I couldn't breathe and my heart was racing…" She stopped for breath. "All I could think about was Azkaban and my dad...and, well, her. Just everything." She huffed in frustration at her inability to explain herself clearly.

"I understand," Luna told her calmly, walking over and lightly tugging at her arm to get her attention. "It's alright. You need to stop and breathe, Carina." She waited a few moments until Carina had seemed to have gotten a handle on herself before speaking again. "You think too much."

Carina laughed breathlessly, though there was no humor in it. "You think I don't know that?"

The blonde offered her a knowing smile. "You think too much, and feel too strongly about everything around you; you don't want to, but you do. That's how you can still defend Hermione even though she's wronged you, or help Harry even though he has as well; it's also how you can come running to me because you threw caution to the wind and decided to trust me." The dreamy, glassy look in her silvery eyes was still there, but her tone was solemn enough that it would have had others thinking twice about her.

"I don't know what to feel anymore," Carina sighed and sunk back against a tree, Luna following; it was the same place she and Hermione had been two years ago, and she hastened to shake the thought. "What do I do?"

Luna stared off at the horizon.

"I can't tell you what to do," she answered serenely. "But I do feel as though you should attempt to face your fears and confront your feelings."

The raven haired girl leaned her head back with a groan, turning her eyes to the leaves and branches above them. "Did I ever tell you I'm a coward?"

"You're not."

Carina briefly peered over at her. "Yeah? How do you know that?"

"Because you aren't." The blonde sounded very sure of this. "Even when I didn't know you, I still noticed you, and now that I do know you I realize that my initial opinion was right; you're very brave, and I think that you're a very nice person."

The other witch snorted at that. "Nice? Were you not there when I admitted to breaking Smith's arm?"

"You only did it because you were protecting us."

"Protecting you."

"Protecting us," corrected Luna again. "I'd appreciate if you didn't lie to me." She lightly pulled at Carina's hair.

Carina tilted her head to the side and offered Luna a wry smile. "Yes, Luna."

Luna laughed. "Are you better now?"

Carina glanced down at her now steady hands, studying them for a moment. "Yes."

The freak out had probably made her seem like more of a lunatic than she was already, she could see now; Hermione had been guilty and attempting to apologize, and Carina had just made a hasty escape from the room before she lost it. It probably hadn't seemed very good on the bookworm's end, and it might have been rude to just leave like that, but when did she start caring?

You never stopped, that small part of her reminded.

Shut up.

"You know," continued Carina as though it were nothing, though they both knew it was. "She touched me—grabbed my hand…." She trailed off. "She was asking if I was alright."

"Perhaps we should get back," suggested Luna, gesturing toward the castle with that serene smile of hers. "I think someone is looking for you."

Carina merely nodded and stood, but as they began walking she frowned.

Wait a second...the last time I heard those words….

"Hey Carina!" called Ron with a laugh. "I think someone's looking for you!"

Carina turned to look at him with furrowed brows. "Who?"

The other thirteen year old grinned. "Oh, you'll see."

She threw up her hands. "Ron, you can't just tell me someone is looking for me and then be all cryptic like that!"

"It'll be fine," reassured Harry, also grinning. "Maybe not when the person finds you, but after…"

"You too?" Carina punched him in the arm, but before she could say anything else she heard someone shout her name, and the next thing she knew, she was laying on the floor with Hermione Granger on top of her. "Mione? What the—" She instinctively wrapped her arms around the girl currently hugging the life out of her. "Why?"

"We haven't seen you all summer!" exclaimed Hermione, pulling away and sitting on the floor beside her. "I missed you."

The other girl laughed. "I missed you too, but did you have to tackle me?"

"Yes. I was taking a leaf out of your book."

The boys joined them on the floor, finding the situation all too amusing.

They were almost at the castle when something slammed into her, and Carina stumbled back and would have fallen, if not for the fact that there were two hands gripping her upper arms.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" cried Hermione, seeming worried. "Are you alright? You weren't looking too good when you ran out…"

"I..uh—fine," spluttered Carina, attempting to collect herself even though those hands were still on her arms and her brain seemed to have short circuited. "I'm fine." She shook her head and took a step back, flinching away from the other girl's touch. "What are you doing?"

Brown eyes roved over her form for a few moments before Hermione seemed to relax. "I came to make sure you were alright, but I couldn't find you anywhere, not until Luna sent me a patronus."

Carina's eyes widened briefly before narrowing at Luna, who was standing nearby and waved innocently. "Oh really?" She turned her attention to the brunette and forced herself to keep calm, as her emotions were currently running wild. "Well, I'm fine, like I said. You've got no reason to worry over me anyway."

"Carina."

A dark brow quirked upward. "Yes?"

"I have my reasons and I understand you may not want to accept them, but I really do feel very sorry for everything that's happened." Hermione watched her carefully. "I meant everything I said in there. If you ever want to talk to me for any reason—"

"I wouldn't." Or, not unless she had to.

"—you can," Hermione continued, skillfully ignoring her remark. "Anytime."

Carina inwardly sighed. Her old friend had always been the stubborn type, so it was no wonder she continued speaking to her; Harry had enough sense to avoid her in most situations and she supposed both were far better than Ron, who acted as though everything were still the same.

Outwardly, she tilted her head to the side in a mocking display of curiosity. "Why would I, if I have Luna?"

The bookworm was very patient with her snarkiness, she'd give her that. "I honestly have no idea. But if you need anything, either of you, ask me."

Gray eyes flickered to Luna standing nearby. "We won't. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She walked by Hermione, and when their shoulders brushed she suppressed a shiver.

For some odd reason back there, she had wanted to say thank you.

When she got to Luna's side, she scowled at her and demanded, "What was that about?"

It was starting to rain, and the blonde glanced at her with a twinkle in those silvery eyes.

"Nothing," replied Luna innocently, offering her a smile that was a little too wide; she paused. "Are you really going to leave her in the rain?"

No.

"Yes." Carina snorted. "Why wouldn't I?" A pale brow was raised, and as the rain started to pick up she scowled again and turned around, calling out, "Granger, get over here!"

When Hermione was beside them, Carina tapped her cloak with her wand, muttering, "Impervious."

She wordlessly tossed cloak at the two other girls and stormed off in the direction of the castle, not seeming to be bothered by the downpour; Hermione huddled under the cloak with Luna as the other girl instructed, and they followed Carina to the castle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xxx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once she was in the dorm room she unfortunately shared with Lavender, Parvati and Hermione, Carina shook her head and then wrung out her hair to rid it of the water; the others weren't there yet, so she changed as well and lay back on her bed, thinking.

"Harry!" yelled Carina as they sprinted in the rain back from Hagrid's hut. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"It was Ron who said it wouldn't rain yet!" the boy cried back, sprinting faster in an attempt to get away from her. "So blame him instead!"

The other twelve year old was having none of it and tackled Harry to the ground, sending them both slipping down the hill and landing on their stomachs; Carina sat on his back as he squirmed.

"Hold still, you!"

"Get off!"

She leaned down to whisper in his ear, and they were both suddenly grinning as they grabbed Ron and Hermione and yanked them down as well; they both yelped, and soon the four were drenched in rainwater and laughing uproariously.

She remembered all these times, but they all seemed so far off now...it was strange how things worked. Once upon a time, those three had been the light in her life and shown her that the world and its residents weren't all dark and scary and wouldn't always hurt her.

Well, until they themselves had hurt her. That had shattered something inside and changed her in ways that would have made her younger self cringe.

Carina had wanted to thank Hermione when they were outside, but had instead made a snarky comment.

She had said she was going to leave the brunette out in the rain and she very well almost had, but she couldn't. If she had steeled herself more, perhaps, but when Luna had asked her if she was or not it seemed that she just couldn't do it; hence why she had stormed off. She had been irritated with herself and with Luna for putting her in that position, but she also knew that she couldn't stay mad at the blonde for anything.

After all, she was only trying to help and she was a very good friend.

Carina heard footsteps and turned over onto her side, closing her eyes as she heard the door open; it seemed that her roommates had returned.

"Good, she's asleep," Lavender whispered. "She frightens me these days."

Inwardly, Carina snorted at that. Good for you, maybe next time I see you I'll transform and see how you like it.

"She attacked Zacharias Smith," added Parvati quietly. "Broke his arm. Honestly, she wasn't even sorry about it!"

Of course I wasn't, he deserved what he got, the arsehole.

"I know, it's so terrible! Maybe the prophet was right—"

Alright, you bloody idiot, I think I'll 'wake up' now—

Just as Carina was about to turn around and snarl at them both, she heard a familiar voice, though it was not who she expected.

"—that's enough, you two," interrupted Ginny Weasley, sounding irritated. "Smith is a tosser who insulted Hermione and Luna, he deserved what he got."

"All I'm saying is that maybe she is unstable—" Parvati tried to placate the redhead.

"—or severely ticked off at all of us as a whole," Ginny cut across her again. "I cursed Smith as soon as he was out of the hospital wing for what he said; unless you want bat bogeys, I'd suggest you stop calling her names and bugger off." There was silence, and it could only be assumed she pulled out her wand, because there were shrieks. "Now!"

Lavender and Parvati could be heard making a quick escape, and Carina felt her bed dip slightly.

"Alright, where is she?"

Knowing that she had been caught, Carina sat up.

"Where's who?" she inquired, raising a brow.

Ginny leaned closer, tone serious. "Hermione. She went looking for you ages ago."

The raven haired girl's lips quirked upward slightly in a sarcastic smile. "The kitten found her claws, has she?" At the huff she received in reply, she rolled her eyes slightly. "I left her with Luna, so either she's with her or on her way here now."

"Thank you." The redhead stood and made to leave. "For the record, if you hadn't have answered me I would have cursed you."

"I understand."

Ginny paused a second time in the doorway, casually tossing over her shoulder, "I think Lavender and Parvati are on their way to the hospital wing; any idea why?"

Carina's brows raised at the younger girl's fire, and then smirked. "Not the slightest."

And with those words, she was gone.