Here's thirteen with some more Carina/Hermione moments, hope you like it!

"Carina," said Luna the next day, as the two walked side by side through the snow and back to the castle. "Where are you going for Christmas?"

"I guess I'll stay at my house," replied Carina with a shrug, as they shoved their way past other students and through the castle doors for lunch. "With Kreacher." Her tone faltered, and she could see how dull and depressive that sounded. "I don't know."

"I would offer you stay with us, but Daddy said he was going to take me on a trip." The blonde glanced at her as they sat at the very end of the Gryffindor table. "Hermione mentioned she was staying with the Weasleys, so why don't you?"

"Yeah, no." The raven haired girl rolled her eyes. "They only took me the first time because Dumbledore made them. They're not likely to do it again, and I don't want to."

"I think they would." Luna nodded decisively. "Though I can see why you wouldn't want to, with Ron there."

"And I'd have to be crammed in a room with Hermione and Ginny," the other girl reminded.

"I don't think you'd mind Hermione—after all, you already share a dorm with her."

"True." Carina sighed, and reluctantly agreed. "And I suppose Ginny isn't too bad."

Luna smiled encouragingly. "See? You'd be fine if you went. I think spending more time with Hermione would do you some good."

The older girl ducked her head, speaking softly, "I told her last night."

The blonde sobered. "Last night?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Luna furrowed her brows, though more in honest curiosity than anything else. "I thought you weren't ready yet."

"She deserved to know what she was getting herself into, wanting to reconcile with me." Carina let out a breath and clasped her hands together between her knees. "So I told her. I'm messed up, Lune."

"You're not." Luna put a hand over hers, silvery eyes regarding her with care. "You're a very good friend—and don't say you aren't—and although you may have your issues, you're not that bad." She offered another gentle smile. "I think she could do you some good."

"You've done me some good."

"Some, yes." The fifteen year old nodded."But we both know I can't fill that one void in your soul."

Carina squeezed her hand briefly and rolled her eyes again. "I wouldn't say void…"

"I would." The playful gleam in Luna's eyes made Carina elbow her lightly in the side.

"Whatever."

"Hello," greeted Hermione suddenly, dropping into the seat beside Carina. "Luna, Carina."

Luna cheerily greeted her back in response while Carina merely hummed in acknowledgement.

"You know," Luna began conversationally. "Carina says she's going to stay at her house over Christmas."

"You are?" Hermione turned to look at said girl in concern, a frown in place. "But you'll be all alone with your grandmother and Kreacher…"

"I can deal," the raven haired girl told them both firmly, resisting the urge to scowl. "Grandmother loves me."

"She told you you were a disgrace to the family for cavorting with mudbloods and blood traitors."

"I know."

"Not to mention when the two of you had that screaming match and we had to drag you away because she insulted your mother."

"I know." Carina's mother just so happened to be Marlene McKinnon, who had died shortly after her birth. She had been very sensitive about the topic when she had learned about it her first year, and had heard more about the woman from her father and Remus.

"And when she made you cry because—"

"—I know, Hermione." Carina sounded rather irritated by the end, and also slightly embarrassed. Her tone caused the brunette to wince, and she heaved a sigh and lightened her tone. "I know. But I've not really got anywhere else to go."

"I know this might not sound very appealing," Hermione hesitantly watched her face for a reaction. "But you could always come to the Burrow with me."

The younger girl let out a loud groan and dropped her head onto the table.

"I already suggested that," explained Luna dreamily. "She said no."

"It's your choice," the bookworm leaned down and tilted her head so she could see Carina's face. "But I'd really like it if you could make it."

She's really close right now….

Carina swallowed and slowly lifted her head, thinking. If she went, she would be stuck in a room with Hermione and Ginny, and in a house with Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well; that was a downside. If she didn't go, she would be stuck alone in that dark, dreary old house with Kreacher wandering about and muttering to himself and with her grandmother Walburga's portrait screeching at her everytime she tripped on her way to her room; that definitely didn't sound very great.

If she did go to the Burrow, though, Luna was right. She would get to spend more time with Hermione, and at least there would be food there and she wouldn't have to worry about it being poisoned out of spite.

So, she chose the lesser of two evils.

"Fine," she groaned again, plonking her forehead back onto the table, voice muffled. "Fine, I'll go with you. But I don't have to like it."

Hermione smiled at her, but Carina could see Luna's grin from the corner of her eye and scowled slightly.

She's enjoying this!

This would certainly be an...interesting...experience.

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

This was how Carina found herself sitting on her makeshift bed in the corner of Ginny's room at the Burrow, watching as Hermione and Ginny spoke to each other.

She tilted her head at them, before shaking her head and pulling out a muggle sketchpad and pencil, leaning back against the wall as she put the tip to the paper, mindlessly moving it around the page. She stopped for a moment in thought, twirling it between her fingers, before getting an idea—admittedly not a very good or pretty one—and began to draw more, concentrating her hardest and trying to project her memory onto the page.

It was over an hour or two before she finished, and by this point the other two girls were merely staring at her as she bit her lip, brows furrowing while she shaded in the finishing piece.

"What are you drawing?" questioned Ginny, moving to crouch beside the older girl.

Carina glanced up, a brow raising as she did so, but handed Ginny the paper; when she gazed down at it, she let out a gasp, causing Hermione to hurry over and drop to her knees as well. When she saw it, she couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Carina," began Hermione, attempting to keep her voice even as her heart sank. "Is this what I think it is?"

"What?" Ginny glanced over at her friend, before back down at the paper. "Oh."

"Yes," Carina simply replied, shifting to sit cross legged. She had drawn a rather realistic sketch of herself in Azkaban, curled up in a ball in the corner with her arms around her legs, chin resting on her forearms and her eyes only barely visible. Around the edges of the dark drawing, there were even darker wisps of the bottoms of several dementors, and even half the "face" of one as well.

She herself was not drawn in detail, bar her eyes, but everything else definitely was, and she could see that Hermione's eyes had filled with tears; Ginny dropped the paper onto the makeshift bed beside Carina, obviously disturbed.

"It's not done," the raven haired girl murmured, wanting them to see. She cast gray eyes to the paper, and they hardened as she stared down at it intensely; after a few moments, the picture seemed to spring to life, and now the Carina on the paper could be seen huddling closer in the corner, shoulders shaking as she dementors approached and the bit of her face that had been showing disappeared between her knees. The ratty blanket on her shoulders blew back as the dementors—now full bodied—closed in, and she shook furiously, drawing in tighter on herself as they drew out of her. When her head lifted when the dementors finally dispersed, her strangely expressive eyes were gleaming and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh no," whispered Hermione, voice catching. "Why did you make this?"

I'm showing you what you did. I'm showing you what happened, because words won't do it justice.

"You want me to forgive you," the younger girl's eyes trained on Hermione's, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ginny decide that this was something the two needed to speak about alone and swiftly exited the room, closing the door behind her. "But I think you need to know."

The bookworm's eyes were watery. "I imagined it when you were telling me, but this…"

Carina sighed. "Get off the floor." Hermione carefully did as she was told and sat by the other girl, back pressed to the wall. Ruefully, gray eyes met her own. "I'm not doing this to torture you or something."

"I know." Hermione offered her a weak smile, but the tears still fell and it faded just as quickly as it came. "It's just...I can never stop apologizing to you for what happened, Carina."

There was another sigh, and for a moment the raven haired girl felt a bit guilty at showing the drawing, knowing it had upset Hermione. "I know." She noticed that the tears were still falling, and her heart clenched, but she would not apologize. What she had done was right, and if anything the other girl probably deserved it, but…

I don't like seeing her hurt.

Steeling herself, Carina closed her eyes tightly and held out her hand, palm up; there was a pause, and then she felt another hand sliding into her own and entwined their fingers, cursing her racing heart.

When she opened her eyes again, she found Hermione watching her and decided that for now, it was probably best to change the subject and not think about their hands. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why do you like Ron?" Carina peered over at her, completely serious as her brows furrowed. "He's an arse."

"He has his moments," Hermione defended, though it was half hearted. "And he was there for me after my parents died…" Her voice faltered. "That's why I've been staying here. I've really got nowhere else to go, no other relatives that I know of...he helped ease my pain."

"I...see." The other witch slowly nodded, understanding but still not liking it. So, she pressed on. "He mocks you, and constantly belittles you...do you really think that would work?"

The brunette was silent for a few moments. "I don't know." She squeezed Carina's hand, and the other girl felt goosebumps rise on her skin. "I really don't." She shifted, and now their thighs and arms were brushing. "What do you think? Ginny tells me that though she'd like to have me as a sister, I still should be with someone better than Ron."

"You should." Carina looked away and sucked in a breath, tilting her head to that she could stare at the ceiling, and spoke carefully. "You deserve better than Ron Weasley-far better. You need someone…"

Someone like me.

"...someone who will give you everything, and who will make you happy. Not a childish boy who doesn't know how to take care of himself and is only concerned with girls and Quidditch. That's what I think."

Carina didn't like Ron Weasley one bit, or at least, not anymore. Their friendship had completely shattered, and she could not stand the person he had grown into. He definitely did not need to be with Hermione; if that relationship ever happened and lasted, she would be made into a housewife to take care of her many children and not be able to follow her dreams. He would dictate her life, and Carina did not want that for her. She wanted her to be able to make a difference in the Wizarding World if they made it through the war, to be able to go anywhere and do what she pleased, and be able to find happiness.

She could feel the hand in hers loosen and then slip away, and she frowned slightly at the lack of contact, but did not comment on it and instead felt the hand sliding around her lower back; she visibly jolted at the contact, before she felt arms wrap around her waist and Hermione pull her in for a hug.

"I hope this is alright," murmured Hermione, and Carina suppressed a shiver when her breath it her collarbone. "If you don't want me to…"

"It's...it's fine," the other girl mumbled, gingerly returning the embrace and encircling her arms around Hermione, inhaling the smell of strawberries; her head felt rather dizzy now, and in her haze she could vaguely feel the bookworm tighten her hold. Slowly, cautiously, she lowered her chin to Hermione's shoulder.

"Good." She felt Hermione smile slightly. "Thank you, Carina."

I can't believe this is happening again! I should be pulling away right now and running for the hills, but...I actually like it.

Carina swallowed. "No problem."

This was the second hug, and already she was enjoying it far more than she should. Was it bad that she had missed this part of their friendship before Azkaban, the physical intimacy? She had barely been touched by anyone except Luna since then, and then Hermione came barrelling back into her life, all bushy hair and bright eyes and…

Luna's right...I think I've got it bad….