Chapter 9
James was more nervous for a quidditch game than he had been in years.
It was his last chance to win the Quidditch cup, and he needed to win this match to even have the smallest opportunity.
He was a jittery mess, he could tell that it was pissing Sirius off. But he simply couldn’t help himself. Standing in the Great Hall with his plate full, James couldn’t get himself to sit and begin eating, the nerves tearing through his stomach. And with Peter and Remus missing from the early meal, James felt even more sick. He longed for Remus’ quiet advise and Peter’s deadpanned jokes,
“For the love of Godric. Prongs. You need to sit. Calm down.” Sirius instructed, running a stiff hand through his dark curls. “It’s just another bloody match, we’ve played hundreds.”
“But this ones different.” James defended, placing his palms against the edge of the table.
Sirius silenced him with a glare, to which James raised his hands in surrender, finally taking a seat across from him.
Things had been tumultuous between the boys, but their friendship had gone through worse things.
“How’s my sister?” Sirius asked backhandedly, changing the subject.
James couldn’t help the grimace that covered his face as he stared down at his full plate.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
Sirius looked at James, a question resting in his eyes.
James squirmed a bit.
“Out with it.” Sirius prompted.
“I think she’s engaged.”
Sirius snorted. “Prongs, don’t joke about things like that.”
James was sure it wasn’t possible to grimace as much as he was right now. “To make matters worse, I heard the bloke has a kid.”
“What?!” Sirius’ voice asked in a squeak. “How do you know this? Did she tell you?”
“I overheard Regulus tell it to Rosier.” James admits.
Sirius was quiet for a moment, “I knew my parents had plans for her, but I- I had no idea that they would marry her off before she even got out of Hogwarts.
Sirius looked at James questioningly, “Do you think this is my fault?”
James tried to convey as much genuinity into his eyes as he could while assuring his friend, “This is not your fault Sirius. There is nothing you could have done.”
“I-I just wish she would have come with me.” Sirius placed his head in his hands, “She wanted to leave, I saw it in her eyes the day I left. But I left her there. I left her in that god-awful place to rot.”
“Sirius. She made her decision.” James assured his friend. “If she wanted to leave, she would have.”
“It’s not that simple.” Sirius looked defeated.
“Either way. There is nothing you can do about it now.” James looked down at his food and realised that there was no way he was eating this morning.
“I have to get her out. James, promise me you’ll help me get her out.” Sirius looked so determined while he pleaded with James. “You have to help me. Before it’s too late for her.”
“I’ll help. However I can.” James assured, “We will get her out.”
Sirius looked down at the meal in front of him before looking back at James, “I can’t eat. I’ll see you on the pitch.”
Sirius stood up and walked out of the hall quickly after James responded with a short nod.
James felt sick to his stomach, but he pushed his food around his plate as thoughts of Carina drifted through his head.
He was so confused, one moment he’s seconds away from kissing her, and the next? She’s running down the hall like a mad woman. An engaged mad woman.
He really had wanted to kiss her in the moment.
He rather thought he’d want to kiss her at any moment. But that wasn’t something that he was allowed to think about his best mate’s sister.
Almost as if his thoughts had summoned her, Carina Black sat down across the table from him. The Gryffindor table.
James blanched, which caused Carina to smirk, she looked quite like Sirius then, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
“Potter, you’ve been there for twenty minutes, dawdling, pushing the food about your plate like chess pieces on a board.”
James laughed, “Concerned about my eating habits?” He prompted, resting his chin on his closed fist as he looked across the table to her.
“If you want any chance of winning the match today you need to eat something.” She clarified, her dark eyebrows raising towards her forehead.
“Ah, so you’re rooting for me?” It was James’ turn to smirk.
Carina scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Of course I am.” She poked his elbow, “Can’t have you upset at the prefect party tonight.”
James laughed, “Of course not.”
“I worked too hard on the decorations for it to go to waste.”
“You worked on the decorations?” James raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I did, you git.” Carina smacked the side of his head, “Evan’s and I were up most of the night working on it.”
“You and Lily?” James scoffed. “Working together?”
“I’ll have you know, Evans and I get along just fine. She and Dorcas are coming to mine later to get ready for the party.”
James raised his eyebrows, “And your intentions?”
He could see a flicker of hurt pass over her features before she covered them with frustration.
“Honestly Potter, I’ve invited them over for a bit of pregame, not to torture the brains out of them.”
James grimaced a bit, “That’s not what I meant.”
James went to clarify, but Carina cut him off with a wave of her hand, “Don’t worry about it, I get it.”
He held the sorry expression on his face, he honestly hadn’t meant to insult her.
She grinned at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, he winced a bit at that.
“Truly though, eat.”
James looked down at his plate, still untouched.
His stomach clenched and he looked up to Carina helplessly.
“I have an idea, it’s something Reggie and I used to do before his games when he couldn’t eat.”
James looked at her unimpressed.
“Give me a chance,” She pushed, smiling at him. “For every bite of my food I take, you take one at the same time, same amount of food. Got it?”
James, not one to back down from a challenge, grinned at her. “Whatever you need Professor Black.”
Carina rolled her eyes but picked up a piece of toast, motioning him to do the same.
He did, and slowly the two of them began eating, and the tension in James’ stomach released a tad.
Once the pair finished their plates Carina smiled at him, “Better?”
“Much.” James said, and he knew it to be true. “How do you eat that much food? I’m stuffed.” He said, rubbing his hand over his stomach.
Carina grinned slyly, poking her stomach she said, “I practise quidditch often, even though I can’t play, there’s nothing quite like a broom. So, fueling up is always a good idea.” She shrugged, her nose pinching a tad.
James looked at her, amazed. He loved it when her nose pinched like that, he had to fight the urge to reach out and touch it.
“Good luck at the match today,” She smiled at him, genuinely, “I’ll be rooting for you, Potter.”
James grinned over at Carina and a mysterious emotion crossed over her face before she stood to leave.
“I should get going, I’m sure there are already hundreds of rumours spreading across the school about how I walked over to your table to curse you so you would lose.”
“Oh most definitely, I’ll walk with you?”
Carina furrowed her brows, “The tower is in the opposite direction of the dungeons.”
James laughed, “Really? I had no idea.”
When Carina reached across the table to smack James’ arm, he dodged by leaning back as far as he could.
Which was apparently too far, because James tumbled to the floor.
Carina burst into laughter, and the rest of the hall was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
She rushed to the other side of the table, and reached out a hand to help him up.
James groaned, “Now the rumour is going to be that you levitated me to the ceiling before dropping me soundly on the ground.”
Carina laughed again, and James thought it must be his favourite sound.
When she finally pulled him up, he realised just how close they were standing together.
And the whole great hall was watching them.
James cleared his throat a bit and took a step back from her, but did not let go of the hand that she had used to pull him up off the floor.
He quickly pulled her out of the hall, heading towards the dungeons.
She trailed behind him, still laughing lightly. “You really just love feeding into the rumour mill, don't you?”
James grinned, “What else would I spend my time doing?”
Carina rolled her eyes, but a smile was still plastered on her face.
He noticed her eyes trailing down to where their hands were interlocked. An expression that he couldn’t read dancing over her features.
He couldn’t get himself to drop her hand, keeping them together as they trailed down the hall.
When they finally stopped at the entrance to the dungeons, a small group of Slytherin’s passed them, looking at Carina questioningly, who in turn just ignored them, looking at James. “Win the game for me, James?” She asked.
“And here I thought you wanted Slytherin to win the cup.”
“Oh. I do.” Carina smirked up at him, absentmindedly running her thumb up and down James’ own, causing him to swallow. “I just think the best route to that is through Slytherin themselves beating Gryffindor. Can’t have you getting too cocky.”
James snorted. “No, we can’t have that.” He checked his watch, he needed to head to the pitch.
“You need to go.” Carina stated after seeing him check the time.
James flashed her his signature Potter grin and lifted her hand, twisting it so he could place a small kiss across the back of it. “My lady, I truly, must be going.”
Carina snorted and pulled her hand from his grasp, “You’re a dork Potter.”
James feigned offence, “How could you ever say such a thing to me?”
“Go, your team is waiting for their capitan.” Carina moved to push him down the hallway.
James grinned at her one more time before taking off in a run towards the pitch.
The Scottish winds were freezing, and atop the stands that the crowds were sitting on, it was even colder. There were very few Slytherin’s littering their designated house seating, but Carina along with the entirety of the Slytherin quidditch team were in attendance.
It was freezing, she and Regulus shared a thermos full of tea as the match droned on.
Gryffindor had the lead. And a large one at that.
James was playing like his life depended on it, along with the rest of his team. Whatever he had told them to get them to play their best had clearly worked well.
But the snitch was nowhere in sight, so the game droned on, and James kept scoring point after point, it honestly didn’t matter who got the snitch at this point, Gryffindor was going to win the match. As Carina and Regulus sat in the stands they took notes, they watched the ways that each player floated about the pitch, and documented any weakness they could find.
When Gryffindor’s seeker finally caught the snitch, the team had won by a whopping 425 points.
Carina cheered as loudly as she could. And her brother grimaced next to her.
“Oh stop being such a sorry sport.” Carina bumped her hip against her twin’s.
Regulus laughed as they began packing up their things.
This caused Carina to pause. Her brother was just a kid. She glanced over at him and saw him attempting to shove a notebook into her bag, reaching over, she helped him.
These should be her brother’s biggest issues.
How to get his quidditch team to win the cup.
Exams stressing him out.
Not, serving some dark lord or worrying about how to get a bunch of murderers into his school.
She had to get him out.
But mostly, she needed to stop Voldemort. He had taken so many lives already. She would do anything to assure that her brother’s was not a life he could take.
After meeting the man for the first time, she could not get the screams of her brother out of her head, screams that had come from her own hand.
But she could not do this alone. He was too powerful. There was only one person who rivalled him in power.
Carina did not especially like him, but the headmaster could help her.
Carina paced the floor in front of the Headmaster’s office, remembering how not so long ago she was in a similar position. Back when her biggest goal was to be head girl, not ending the most powerful man she had ever met.
“Chocolate Frog.” Carina tried the password that had worked a few months ago, and it worked, leading her up to his office.
Carina knocked on the door that led to his office, hoping the man was alone.
“Come in?”
He was not alone.
“Fabian?” Carina asked, surprised to see the older boy sitting in the room with Dumbledore.
“Black?” Fabian grinned, “No way! You’re so old.”
Carina laughed, remembering the short friendship the pair had shared when she was just a first year and he was in his final year at Hogwarts.
“It’s been five years, of course I’m older.” Carina snorted.
The headmaster looked at her questioningly, “How may I help you Miss Black?”
Carina shrunk a bit, remembering her reasoning behind being there in the first place. “I think this is a discussion best had alone, Headmaster.”
“No worries, I assure you, Mister Prewett was just on his way to the hospital wing to help Pomphrey with a task.”
Fabian started heading towards the door, “Stop by and see me? I’ve got to hear about all the trouble you’ve gotten into these years without me. I leave Tuesday.”
“I’ll be there.” Carina smiled at Fabian before going to sit down across from Dumbledore.
The older man peered at her through his half moon spectacles. “How may I be of service to you Miss Black?”
Carina didn’t know where to start, she had come here straight from the quidditch field, claiming to her brother that she felt faint and was headed to the Hospital wing.
“I- Headmaster.” Carina paused, looking at her hands. “There was a rumour floating around the school a while back.” Carian prompted.
“They said that you were creating an order, one that would fight against the Dark Lord.”
“Many a rumour has floated through these halls Miss Black, why is this one important to you?” He asked softly, light blue eyes locking with her own.
“I need to know if it’s true.” Carina had the smallest burst of courage, “Because I can help.”
“While I appreciate your bravery Miss Black, I’m not sure how a student such as yourself could be of help to my cause.”
Carina peeled the long sleeve up her left arm, and placed it on the table, “I have direct access to the man himself.”
Dumbledore stared at the dark mark on her arm for a while, before finally looking up to Carina’s face.
He leaned back in his seat a bit, studying her.
“I do have one request though.” Carina spoke again, “I will do anything and everything that you ask me too. No questions asked.”
She paused, taking a breath, “But when this war is over. Regulus comes out unscathed.”
Dumbledore looked at her questioningly.
“No matter what happens in this war, no harm will come to him. He will not be taken to Azkaban and He will not be killed by any of your members on the battlefield.”
Dumbledore was quiet for a moment longer. “That is your only request?”
Carina gave a short nod.
“I cannot promise that Mister Black will not be taken to Azkaban for any crimes he has committed, but I can promise that no harm will come to him from the hands of my Order.”
“Professor, I do not mean to offend you, but that is not enough. I promise you, the information that I can offer you could change the course of the war.” Carina took a steadying breath. “And if you cannot offer the same protection as the Dark Lord, I will have no choice but to continue my service to him, a service you may find creates many problems for you.”
Carina was only bluffing slightly.
Dumbledore looked at her quizzically, scanning her features for a twitch of bluffage.
He would find none. She was trained by years of abuse not to show emotion.
“I will speak to some people, see what I can do for you.” Dumbledore spoke finally.
Carina breathed a sigh of release. “Thank you, Headmaster.”
“Come back on Monday, after your tutoring session with Mister Potter, and I will have a response to you by then.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled with some unknown thought.
He knew about her tutoring? How bored could the staff be if they spent their time speaking about which students were in need of tutoring.
Carina nodded in agreement.
“You are dismissed, thank you for coming to me Miss Black, I have a feeling you will prove most useful.”
Carina stood to leave, but stopped at the door, “Professor?”
Dumbledore looked up from his seat at the centre of the desk. “Yes, Miss Black?”
“Do you know if there is a way for me to hide it? The mark I mean.”
Dumbledore paused, adjusting his spectacles on his nose, “Muggle beauty products should work well enough. You can always add a charm for longevity of coverage as well.”
Carina nodded, a smile covering her face, “Thank you.”
Getting ready for the party with Dorcas, Lily, and Marlene was more fun than Carina had expected. The ladder joining as Dorcas’ date to the party.
The four of them drank their way through a bottle of firewhiskey as they searched through eachothers wardrobes to find something to wear to the party.
The three girls who didn't live in the dorm brought a trunk full of clothes each, so they could have as many options as possible for the party.
Marlene grimaced as Carina walked out in a deep green dress that had short sleeves and ended at her knees. “I know it’s your house colour, but it drowns you out.”
Carina winced. “I know.” She hummed in annoyance, “Reggie used to tell me I looked like a ghost.”
“Here, “ Marlene pulled a maroon dress out of the pile, it was longer, flowing past her ankles, with a deep back. “Try this.”
Carina shot a good natured glare at the girl. “As if I would ever wear Gryffindor colours.”
Dorcas snorted, but nodded while looking at Marlene. “I think she’s right, I think that colour would suit you well.”
Lily nodded in agreement while shuffling through Carina’s wardrobe.
Carina tried on the dress, and she couldn’t help but admit that the other girls were right. When she walked out of her bathroom where she had changed Lily’s jaw dropped.
“Carina.” Lily said, jaw still hanging in open air. “You just have to wear that dress.”
The other girls nodded in agreement and Carina struggled not to blush under their gazes.
Carina had always struggled finding true friends, and found herself enjoying her time with these girls.
Dorcas stepped out of the bathroom next, wearing a bright purple dress that had belonged to Carina, and looking miserable. It looked frumpy on the girl, and Carina had to stop herself from laughing.
Dorcas glared at her when a giggle escaped her throat.
Marlene looked at the girl and erupted into a fit of laughter, and soon the four of them were spread across her dorm’s floor laughing as they finished off the first bottle of Firewhiskey.
“So I will not be wearing this.” Dorcas finally said.
Carina laughed again, but sat up quickly when she remembered a dress that was sitting in the back of her closet.
She whipped her head around to look at Dorcas quickly, “I have the perfect dress for you.”
She jumped and moved her way to the closet, scouring the drawers for an old box.
“My mother sent it ages ago.” She said once she pulled the box out of the dresser, setting it on her bed. “It looks hideous on me, I’m just a tad too short for it.”
Dorcas squinted her eyes at Carina, flipping some long braids across her shoulder. “I’m not sure if I trust your mother’s sense of fashion, Black.”
Carina snorted. “I got her to buy it from a muggle boutique for my fifteenth birthday, I thought it looked like something Stevie Nicks would wear.”
Lily’s jaw dropped slightly, “You got your mother to purchase something from a muggle shop?”
Carina’s eye twitched a bit, “It only took a year of begging, and I had to help Kreature with household chores for a month.” She shrugged. “My mum could be worse.”
Marlene narrowed her eyes at that.
“But seriously Dorcas, try it on, please.”
“Fine, but if it doesn’t work, I’m not going.”
“Deal.” Carina said grinning, “It’s gonna be perfect.”
When Dorcas stepped out of the bathroom the other girls squealed with delight and MArlene jumped up, throwing the girl into an embrace, planting a small kiss on her cheek. “You look stunning darling.”
“Oh Dorcas!” Carina exclaimed, “You have to wear it. Oh and take it with you. It looks so much better on you than it does me.”
Dorcas nodded, smiling.
Soon the girls were almost ready to go, Lily was just lightly touching up Carina’s makeup before they left.
“You look gorgeous.” Lily said, finally finishing up.
“Oh it’s all you, truly.”
“I just added the finishing touches, your beauty was already there.” Lily affirms.
Carina smiled up at Lily, grateful for the girl.
“You’re too kind Lily darling.”
Lily snorted, but her expression turned pained for a moment, “You deserve all the kindness in the world Carina.”
Carina swallowed, “As do you Lily.”
Carina knew that she did not deserve Lily’s kindness at all, not with the ugly mark that was hidden underneath mounds of makeup on her forearm.
But she accepted it, guiltily.
Quickly, as the other girls were headed towards the door, Carina ran to her wardrobe, pulled out a flask and poured some Firewhiskey into it before rushing out.
She shook it, displaying its contents, before stuffing it in a pocket and continuing their walk to the abandoned classroom that the party was being hosted in.
James was drunk.
Really drunk.
He tended to be this drunk after winning quidditch matches like he had today, but he truly should have been more responsible today. He knew that. With the Prefect party, he should have known not to keep most of the Firewhiskey bottle to himself, but he had. And he couldn’t very well undo that now, so he might as well keep drinking.
As he and the other Marauders stumbled their way over to the abandoned classroom, James couldn’t feel anything other than glee. He was truly having a splendid day, and he was quite excited to rub his victory into the Ravenclaw prefect’s faces, some of which were on the quidditch team.
When he finally walked in the door, it was still mostly empty, but he got caught up in the decorations and walked up to a wall to begin inspecting a balloon arch that had been meticulously tied together.
He didn’t notice that someone was next to him until she spoke. “Did you really need to bring my brother here?”
Not sparing her a glance he said, “He’s my date.” Smirking, he reached into his pocket to pull out his flask, which was immediately taken from his hands. “Hey!”
He finally looked at Carina.
She was unreal.
He reached up his hand and pinched his arm.
She raised an eyebrow as she downed some of his booze, before handing it back to him.
He couldn’t get himself to move.
She was ethereal.
Her dress was long and flowing. And maroon. Like all his favourite things.
“Oi. Stop ogling my sister.” Sirius smacked him upside the head. James hadn’t even noticed him walk over.
Carina simply rolled her eyes, placing a loose curl from her ponytail behind her ear.
James turned and grinned at Sirius, “Hey, is that Moony talking to the Ravenclaw prefect?”
Sirius quickly scanned the room with his eyes, searching for Remus. He then left the pair quickly, crossing the room in a rush.
“How’d you know that would work?” Carina looked at James furrowing her brows.
He reached up and stoked the space between her eyebrows, where wrinkles were created from her confusion, before she smacked his hand off her head.
“Merlin! What the fuck was that?” Carina scowled at him, but he thought she looked adorable, as opposed to menacing.
James just shrugged and smirked.
“You are very very pretty Carina Black.” He stated finally.
Carina snorted. “And you are very very drunk James Potter.”
James grinned at her widely. “I won the quidditch match for you.”
“That you did Potter.” She interlocked her arm with his own and began dragging her towards a table that had loads of food piled on it. He shivered a bit at the contact of her arm on his.
When they arrived at the table, she released his arm and began piling food onto a small plate. He frowned at the loss of contact.
“What are you doing?” He asked, tilting his head. He had to reach up and fix his glasses after they started tipping towards the tip of his nose.
“You need to eat something. Lily and I spent too much time decorating for you to throw up everywhere.” Carina grinned at him before turning back to the table and piling more food onto the plate.
“You’re very good at taking care of people, Miss Black.”
Carina laughed and James revelled in the sound.
“Come on, sit down over here.” She said pointing to a chair.
James sat down quickly, and she handed the plate to him. But in his drunken state he couldn’t both hold the plate of food and eat it too, so she picked it back up, and allowed James to grab pieces from the pile.
Carina sighed, scanning the room. “I feel like a mother.”
James laughed again. But a question began swirling in his mind.
“Are you really engaged?”
Carina flinched at the question, causing James to know exactly what the answer was.
“Where did you hear about that?” She asked in a hushed whisper.
“I overheard your brother telling Rosier the other day.” James smiled sheepishly.
Carina scoffed. “The gossips. Can’t keep a piece of information to themselves ever.”
“So it’s true?”
Carina pulled her own flask out of a hidden pocket and chugged some before responding.
“In a sense, yes. I am engaged.” Carina winced. “It’s all in a pureblood contract way. Of course.”
James looked up at her, a question in his eyes.
“We get married in August.” Carina shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I can do whatever and whoever I want until then.”
“You won’t even be Seventeen by then. How is that allowed?”
“With parental permission, it is allowed.” Carina looked sad, “And my parents more than approve.”
“There has to be a way for you to get out of this.” James looked at her, he was sure his words were slurring with the alcohol, but he was sure of what he was saying.
Carina simply shrugged again. “I’ve known of my duty since I was a kid.”
James giggled.
She raised an eyebrow, he had to stop himself from reaching out and touching it again.
“You said duty.”
Carina snorted, and it bloomed into full on laughter.
James started laughing with her too.
Lily walked over and asked, “What are you guys laughing about?”
To which they laughed even harder.
Carina walked over to the redhead and threw her arms around the girl, enveloping her into a hug.
Lily stiffened for a moment before leaning into the touch.
James realised after a moment that this was the first time he had seen Carina display affection in this way, and he was happy for the girl. He was also curious as to what it felt like to hug her. To feel her arms wrap around his midsection, her head placed against his chest as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo and placed a kiss-
He cut that thought off quickly, not wanting to see where it ended.
When Carina separated from the girl, he noticed tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
She sat down at his feet, handing James a few pieces of food before doing so.
He involuntarily began playing with her hari, pulling it from the ponytail that rested on her head.
She looked back at him dubiously, but he just placed her hair tie on his wrist.
Lily looked at the pair, a suspicious smile resting on her face.
Suddenly her grin widened and she looked up at James knowingly while Carina downed more whiskey.
“What?” Carina asked when she lowered her flask.
“Nothing, Cari darling. I’ll leave you two to it.” She said with a shiteating grin across her face before walking quickly away, headed towards Remus.
Carina raised her head back to look at James, and he gulped when he saw the large stretch of her neck, and where it led down to her collarbone, and past that… “What was that about?”
James swallowed again. “No idea.” He looked away quickly, but began twisting small pieces of her hair between his fingers.
After a while Carina stopped feeling James’ fingers running through her head, and looked up to see he was asleep.
She snorted, but didn’t move from her spot between his legs, and curled her own up to her chest.
“Are you too together?” The voice shook Carina from her stupor. He was a fifth year Hufflepuff.
Carina simply shook her head, and felt her own eyes closing with help from the alcohol.
“You look like you’re together.” The Hufflepuff stated.
Carina peeled her eyes open, and fought from glaring at the child.
“Go on Woodsen, move along.” Remus came to her defence, towering over the poor kid with a cup of punch resting in his hand.
The kid simply nodded before walking away.
Carina could feel the older boy’s piercing gaze sliding over her and James, but couldn’t bring herself to care.
“I have to drag Sirius and Peter back to our dorm.” Remus narrowed his eyes at her, “Can you get him back to the tower for me?”
Even though that sounded positively dreadful, Carina found her drunken head nodding.
Remus nodded once and turned to leave, but paused for a moment, an afterthought coming to his head. “Don’t make me regret this, Black. The password is Oddsbodikins.” He did not say it condescendingly, in fact it sounded much like he was pleading with her.
Carina just nodded again and the boy walked away.
As she watched Remus pull a drunk Sirius and Pettigrew out of the room, Carina could have sworn she heard her brother say her name.
A seventh year Ravenclaw walked up in front of her, and came to a stop a few feet away.
“Are you lot together?” Carina scoffed. “Is it possible for anyone to ask me anything other than that tonight?”
The boy snorted, “I’m Davies, Ellis Davies.”
“Carina Black.” She sent him a small smile.
James let out a snore behind her.
She huffed a laugh.
“That’s James.” She clarified.
“Oh, I know who he is. Know of both of you really.”
Carina couldn’t help her lip curling up in annoyance.
“If you’re not with him. Are you single?”
A giggle escaped her throat. “To an extent.”
Ellis smiled down at her, “That’s cryptic.”
Carina snorted, “I’m not not single.”
Ellis smirked, “So you’re free next Hogsmeade?”
“Possibly, I’ll have to check my schedule.” She grinned up at him.
She was a fleeting emotion dance over Ellis' face before he said, “Perfect. It’s a date.”
Carina snorted again, “Sure, Davies.”
She heard James clear his throat behind her, and when she turned around to look at him, his lips were pushed together in a sharp line.
“Ah. Potter, finally amongst the living again.” She grinned up at him, to which an involuntary smile crossed his face.
Davies narrowed his eyes at her, but she was too busy looking at James to notice.
Ellis clears his throat, and she finally looks back to him.
“I’ll see you later, Black.”
Unbeknownst to Carina, behind her, James was glaring unabashedly at Davies.
She just smiles at the boy and tells him to have a great night.
James yawned, throwing a fist over his mouth.
“I have been tasked by a certain Remus Lupin to get you safely back to the Gryffindor tower.” Carina says, standing and pulling James up with her.
The ladder stumbles a bit as she pulls him to his feet. “I’m fine.” James throws a hand in the air, displaying nonchalance. “Honestly, I can walk just fine on my own.” He stumbles again.
“Sure you can, Potter.” She scoffs.
James’ jaw drops in offence.
“No need to be snarky, Black.”
Carina just rolls her eyes, “Stay right here, I’m going to say goodbye to Lily.”
She finds Lily snogging the seventh year Hufflepuff’s Prefect.
Carina clears her throat. “Lily darling, I’m going to take James back to the tower, I’ll see you later?”
She makes googly eyes at the redhead, whose face is nearly the same colour as her hair.
“We can- erm. Debrief the party tomorrow at lunch?” Lily says, fighting a smirk as she looks at Carina.
Carina nods assuredly before rushing away.
As Carina begins dragging James towards the entrance, his hand locked in her own, she hurriedly whispers in his ear, “I’ve just caught Evans snogging the face off of Brooks.”
James is too caught up in her breathy voice to even process the words she’s saying.
He laughs a little, hoping it’s the correct response for the situation.
After the pair climb the million and one stairs, stopping occasionally to make fun of portraits, they finally arrive at the Gryffindor tower.
“Oddsbodikins.”
The portrait scoffs, “But you’re a Slytherin.”
“A Slytherin with the password.” Carina glares at the woman, “Now open up please.”
The portrait scoff’s again, but the door unlatches and swings open.
Carina drags James over to the stairs that lead to the boy’s dormitory, but Potter is too busy swigging more booze from his flask to notice that they've arrived.
“Oi, how’d we get ‘ere?” James asks, accent growing deeper by the second.
“We walked.” Carina giggles.
James looks down at her, but she’s too busy calculating the best way for him to get up the stairs to notice.
“Off you go, Potter.”
James narrowed his eyes at her.
“Whad’ya mean?”
“You have to go to bed.” It comes out more like a question than Carina intends.
James looks at the stairs and scoffs, “I can’t get up those on my own.”
Carina sighs, “Alright. I’ll help you. But you must be quiet. Your friends are asleep.”
James grinned at her, “I know how to be quiet.”
His words echo through the empty common room, and Carina sighs again.
As she half drags, half carries James up the stairs, he starts talking about some concept he learned in charms and how interesting he finds it.
“James. Please. For the love of Merlin. Shut. Up.”
James smiles at her sheepishly, “Sorry, Black.”
“S’alright, Potter.” Carina nods her head to the door in front of them, “This is you?”
“Mhmm.” James hums in response.
“Goodnight, Potter.” Carina places his hand on the doorknob and turns to leave. But quickly James grabs her and pulls her back.
“Not gonna tuck me in?” He asks.
Carina scoffs and rolls her eyes.
“I don’t even know if I could make it to my bed, it’s so far.” James pouts.
“Well you can sleep on the floor for all I care.”
When James makes it clear he won’t let her go until he’s in bed, she reluctantly follows him in. And as he strips himself of his shirt, she can’t help but blush.
“Turn around.” James looks at her sheepishly.
She raises an eyebrow.
“I need to change to my Jammies.” James looks at her, scandalised.
She quietly huffs a laugh before turning around.
Carina feels James poke her in the back and she turns around quickly, to find James standing shirtless in a pair of plaid pyjama pants.
“Climb in bed now.”
He grins at her before climbing into his bed. As he sets his glasses on his bedside table, Carina sits on the edge of his bed, he back pressed against his headboard, she brushes some of the hair off of his forehead before she moves to stand.
Quickly though, he grabs her waist and makes her sit back down.
“Stay until I’m asleep?” He slurs.
“Anything for you Potter.” Carina repeats her words from the last time she was here.
He holds her hand as he slowly closes his eyes. Every few seconds peeking them open to check that she’s still there. She holds back a chuckle and closes the curtains around them.
Thinking about the proximity of her older brother, Carina takes a swig of her firewhiskey. And another. And another. And soon the whole flask is empty.
Carina sways slightly, and slowly but surely, she’s falling asleep where she sits, James face pressed against her thigh.