for the one i love ; fred weasley

chapter 59

who's up for a party? +13 content. use of alcohol.

NARRATOR'S POV

"So, what are you wearing?" Asks Lee, sitting on Carina's bed.

The girl rummages through her clothes as she looks for something appropriate for the Slughorn dinner. It's been about a month since the Katie incident at Hogsmeade. McGonagall and the other Professors had deemed it a curse, but no one knew exactly who did it or why it had occurred. Now, more than ever, Carina knows Harry must get close to Slughorn. And, if gaining Professor Slughorn's trust is what Dumbledore and Harry need, Carina will be trying her best to help out.

"I'm not going all out for this one," says Carina, pulling out some loose, black dress trousers and a tight green blouse. "I think his Christmas party's supposed to be more cocktail like while this is more... formal," she settles on saying, holding her towel tight against her chest. Lee hums, flipping through The Prophet. Carina takes her clothes to the bathroom, quickly throwing them on before going for her make up. "I don't wanna go!" Whines Carina, finishing up with her eyeshadow.

Lee chuckles from his spot on the bed, glancing at the opened bathroom door. "C'mon, it's just dinner, shouldn't take longer than a couple of hours," he says, laughing again when the girl groans in annoyance. "If it goes terribly wrong, I can make something up and come get you," suggests her Gryffindor friend.

Carina's head pops out from the side of the door and she rolls her eyes. "And how, pray tell, will you know I'm having a horrible time?" She asks, making eye contact for a second before turning back to the mirror, continuing her routine.

The Transfigurations TA thinks about it for a couple minutes before speaking up, "I could go looking for you with an excuse, if I see you're having an okay time then I'll let you be, but if you look like you'd rather be in Snape's class, then I'll get you out of there!" Carina laughs at his choice of words.

"I love that," she says, pursing her lips as she applies lip gloss. "I'm in," agrees Nina. "Come get me in like forty minutes, yeah?" She steps out of the bathroom, adjusting her jewellery, her small heels clicking against the stone floor. "How's this?" She asks Lee. The younger boy signals for her to twirl, and Carina does as told with a funny look on her face.

"I'm telling you, if I was straight -" Lee bites his lip in an exaggerated manner, giving her a thumbs up, causing Carina erupt into laughter, picking up a pillow and tossing it at his face.

"- Oh, sod off, you berk!" She retorts, shaking her head as Lee laughs along, smiling widely. "Has anyone ever told you, you give the weirdest compliments?" Asks Carina, ready to leave. Lee shrugs, the grin still on his lips. "Pick me up in forty, please, dear!" She reminds him, heading towards the door.

"Yes, darling!" Is the last thing Carina hears as she closes the door behind her.

The castle halls somehow feel smaller now that she's closer to being a teacher than a student. McGonagall had mentioned something along those lines to her when she first started a few months ago, and she could feel it but never like today. Carina's memories with Draco, Cass and Adrian feel like a dream. The portraits say their hellos as she walks past them, getting Carina to nod in acknowledgement. "Nina!" She turns around at the sound of Harry's voice, his steps getting faster as he approaches along with Hermione. "Hey."

"Do you know who else is invited to this dinner?" Asks Hermione, running a hand through her hair in attempts to make it look more presentable. "I thought I would have more time after leaving the library but I was wrong," she mutters under her breath.

"I think Neville's invited," says Carina. "Or at least that's what Tonks mentioned in her last letter. Sprout recommended him to Slughorn," she adds. "I believe Snape recommended my brother but I'm not so sure Slughorn listened to his recommendation," finishes the older Slytherin. To be honest, it's been hard to get a hold of Draco lately. Carina had tried to ask him about the Katie Bell incident but nothing good had come out of that. "Even if he would've, who's to say what Dray would've done."