15th Birthday
Carina woke up the next morning with a heavy heart, she felt worthless because she had told herself that she would stop, that she would get clean, however deep down she knew that she would never stop, that little habit would continue for the rest of her life.
Quickly, she put a charm on her wrists to cover up the little scars that decorated it like a bloody bracelet. She looked down at them, checking that the scars were fully covered by the charm and that the presence of said charm was not evident.
Satisfied, she began to get dressed for the day, since it was a Saturday, there was no official regulation on what she could and could not wear, however Carina knew that her appearance was under constant scrutiny and that anything less than perfection was simply not acceptable.
Hastily, she put on her corset and tightened it, she knew that it was unnecessary and quite sexist that women had to wear something so uncomfortable in the name of fashion, however Carina still wore a corset every single day, she liked the familiarity of it, how it made her feel safe, secure and perfect. Moreover, something that very few people knew, was that Carina had a deep appreciation for fashion; it started with her aunt Narcissa who used to take her shopping to find gorgeous clothes, but her love for fashion increased when she became friends with Fleur, she and Fleur frequented the boutiques in Paris together and would often spend hours meticulously picking out clothes with one another.
She then proceeded to put on a black dress that stopped just at her ankles, she had bought it with Fleur on their most recent trip to Paris together, when she went to stay with them at the end of the summer, it seemed like an eternity ago considering everything that had happened since then, especially with her godforsaken father.
Then, she went to the vanity that sat at the side of her bedroom, and started applying her makeup. It was the same every single day, black winged eyeliner, full coverage foundation and a red lip, Carina loved this particular look, she loved how dramatic it was, she loved how it made her seem like a vampire, a ghost, she wore this specific makeup look so much that it became a part of her, the 'Pureblood Princess' would be unrecognisable without it. Thankfully, her uncle Regulus did not bat an eye when she started wearing makeup on a daily basis, however Carina had a slight suspicion that this was most definitely due to the words of her aunt Narcissa. Regardless, Carina was very grateful that her uncle was supportive of her choices around her clothes and general appearance, it made her happy that he gave her the freedom to dress and style herself in whatever manner she wanted.
After her makeup was complete, Carina started on her hair. She decided on a half up half down, twisting the upper third of her hair into a tight bun, whilst leaving the rest of it cascading down her back, the dark curls (a Black family trait) framing her face perfectly.
Finally, she completed the look with her mother's earrings, her snake pendant and her family rings, then she tied up the laces on her boots.
Upon entering the great hall for breakfast, Carina was suddenly met with Fleur who had decided to pull Carina into a crashing hug, almost suffocating her. If this was anyone else, besides Gabrielle, then they would have been hexed into oblivion, however Carina was used to this behaviour from her best friend and had grown to find this rather endearing.
"Joyeux anniversaire! Merlin, tu as 15 ans, tu as tous grandi. Bientôt tu n'auras plus besoin de moi et je serai oublié." (Happy Birthday! Merlin, you are 15, you are all grown up. Soon you will not need me and I will be forgotten about.) Fleur said this will smiling greatly, her love for the girl in front of her evident in her face.
For the first time since she had arrived in Hogwarts, Carina laughed. She let down the act that she put on for everybody else and simply laughed, in that moment she was not the 'Pureblood Princess' or the unwanted bastard daughter of Sirius Black, she was simply a girl having fun on her birthday with her best friend.
The pair of them went to sit at the Slytherin table to begin eating, but before they could, an owl came down to the table and dropped a series of large packages and letters in front of the girls. Carina started by reading the letter addressed to her, she smiled internally upon seeing her uncle's handwriting.
Dear Carina,
Happy 15th Birthday. I am sorry that we cannot celebrate together, however know that I am sending you my best wishes on this day. I hope you enjoy my gift and that the rest of your day is filled with happiness.
Love, Regulus Arcturus Black.
Carina smiled while reading the letter that her uncle had written her, to others it may not seem like much, but Carina knew that her uncle was not good at writing things of this nature and him sending this to her was a great token of his love for her. Carefully, she opened the parcel that was attached to the letter. Inside it was a collection of sheet music and books. The sheet music was technical and classical, and Carina knew that she would thoroughly enjoy playing it on the piano. The books were old classic muggle literature Austen, Bronte and Shelley, Carina had a great taste for muggle literature particularly the classics, and in her free time she constantly read her favourites time and time again. Her current favourite was The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, she found it deeply intriguing, the idea that we are not one but two, the idea of the duality of mankind. Carina herself found something deeply relatable about this idea, she to sometimes felt split, one part of her was the 'Pureblood Princess', perfect, violent and ruthless, but the other part of her was simply Carina, a teenage girl who wanted to live life to the fullest, spend time with her friends, and enjoy life.
Shaking off these thoughts, Carina opened the next letter, recognising the neat, cursive handwriting as her aunt Narcissa's.
Dear Carina,
Happy Birthday, we both wish that you have a wonderful day. We hope you like your present as we were hoping that you would wear it to the Yule Ball that will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.
All our love, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.
Carina knew that although it was signed from both of them, Narcissa had most definitely been the one to write it out and purchase the gift. It wasn't that her and Lucius were not close, but her and Narcissa always shared a special bond, the latter had always yearned for a daughter and so she treated Carina as more of a daughter than a niece, and the former had not had a mother's love for many years and so she saw Narcissa as a mother figure, the pair of them frequently did things that a girl typically does with their mother, Narcissa helped fill the whole that her mother had left when she passed away. Apart from her uncle, Narcissa was without a doubt Carina's favourite living relative.
Carina then opened the parcel that had arrived and upon seeing it, it confirmed her suspicions. It was a dress, and a gorgeous one at that, with dark blue silk fabric, Carina knew that she would look stunning in it, it was perfect. Moreover, Carina was especially grateful as she knew that Narcissa had deliberately got her a dress in that colour as it blue was Beauxbaton's signature colour - it was a nice touch to the thoughtful gift.
Fleur, who had been silent the whole time, observing Carina receive her presents, suddenly spoke up, "Très bien, j'ai déjà attendu beaucoup trop longtemps." ("Alright, I've waited far too long already.") Then, she pulled out a gift from her robes and handing it to Carina, "Joyeux anniversaire, j'espère que ça te plaira." ("Happy birthday, I hope you like it.")
Carina smiled and then opened the present, to her delight she saw that Fleur had given her an ABBA vinyl. Something that was unknown about the girls was that the two of them shared the same love for muggle music, particularly 70s music. This obsession had begun when Carina was wondering around her Grimmauld Place and found an extensive collection of Bowie and Queen records, she neglected to mention this to her uncle as she had an inclination that they were in fact her father's, left behind from when he ran away, and she did not want to remind him of this. Nonetheless, the pair of them frequently listened to these records together on an old record player that Carina had also found the same day while looking around Grimmauld Place. It was a hobby that both of them shared, and therefore Carina was extremely grateful that Fleur had bought her this gift.
"Merci beaucoup, j'adore." ("Thank you so much, I love it.")
The two of them continued eating breakfast, occasionally having small conversations here and there until they were interrupted by a voice.
"Happy Birthday, dear cousin."
Carina looked up to see Draco standing at the edge of the table, a gift neatly wrapped in his hands that were outstretched, waiting for her to take the gift.
Carina unwrapped the gift and uttered a thank you. It was a photo album, and flicking through it, she could see that it was photos of her and Draco from throughout her life. The pair of them were extremely close, they had always seen one another as siblings rather than cousins. Their entire life they had been put together at social events, and had spent many a day hanging out together. They had a special friendship, one that was full of teasing, but deep down they both knew that they would die for one another.
"Carina, have you got a date for the Yule Ball yet?"
Carina shook her head in response.
"Good, then we can go together. We have danced together many a time, so I'm sure that we will be more than perfect."
"I'm sure that we will make quite the impression on those in attendance."
"I do not doubt it."