tw: mentions of abuse, graphic depictions of violence, may increase anxiety. reader's discretion is advised.
NARRATOR'S POV
Later on that day, Fred wakes up at around three in the afternoon. The first thing he does is take a shower so that he can change out of those incredibly uncomfortable clothes. Minutes later, he's dressed and ready. They still have about one free week, which he is grateful for. As he re-enters his dorm, his eyebrows furrow. "What are you doing here?" He asks, looking between Cassius and Adrian.
The boys are standing in the middle of the room, both of them staring back at Fred, serious looks on their faces. "You know," says Cassius, his jaw tight at the thought. Fred throws his wet towel on top of the bed, glancing at them again. "About what happened with Montague," adds the hazel eyed boy.
Fred narrows his eyes, tilting his head, "I may have an idea..." he mutters quietly, running a hand through his hair.
"Cut the shit," snaps Adrian, crossing his arms across his chest. Adrian may be the quiet one in the Emerald Trio, but he's also the one people fear the most. "You know about what he did. Draco told us." He tells Fred, glaring at the red haired boy. "We're hoping you're going to keep this to yourself... George and Lee, we understand, but -" Fred looks at him in shock, shaking his head, cutting him off.
"- Why would I tell anyone else?" Fred asks rhetorically, squinting at the longer haired boy. Cassius puts his hand on Adrian's chest to stop him from saying anything back to Fred. "I haven't even told them everything I know -" he starts before Adrian takes a step in his direction, pushing Cassius' hand away from him.
"- What you know is not even the half of it," snarls Adrian, shaking his head. Cass pulls on the back of his shirt, bringing him back to his spot. "You don't know what she's been through!" Shouts Adrian, knowing he'd casted a Silencing Charm minutes before Fred walked back in.
Fred looks down, shame bubbling up in his stomach. "I wanna know," he says, raising his gaze back up. "Tell me everything that happened that night. I need to know..."
And so, Cassius takes a deep breath, telling him everything Carina told them.
The night of the party, the black haired girl finished getting ready at the same time Cassius and Adrian did, but she stayed behind when the full moon caught her eye. "I'll see you there," she said to her friends, who instantly knew the meaning of her wanting to be alone. The pair left without her, walking straight towards the Gryffindor Common Room.
Meanwhile, Carina's mind filled with her parent's whereabouts. She was almost certain Moony and Padfoot were running around somewhere deep inside a forest by then. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned into the window, shaking her head. "Hello, Malfoy," came Montague's voice, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Carina turned around to look at him, raising an eyebrow at the interaction, looking him up and down. "Montague... How many times do I have to tell you: it's Black," she corrected him, taking a step away from the blue eyed boy as he walked in her direction. There was something in his eyes that appeared to be darker than usual, something she couldn't quite pinpoint. It scared her though.
"Of course," smirked Graham, nodding his head. "Force of habit. I've actually been spending a lot of time with your former family lately," he said, tilting his head to the side.
The black haired girl rolled her eyes, shaking her head, "I don't really feel like having a conversation with you at the moment," said Nina in a sarcastic manner, turning on her heel. "Just sod off, go away. Leave me alone."
When Carina was about to walk away, Montague's voice stopped her, "Lucius sends his regards," he said. Carina stopped dead in her tracks, her insides churning at the idea. "He misses you dearly," they both knew what he was implying, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
"Fuck off," snapped Carina, turning slightly to glare at the older boy. "I swear to Merlin I will hex you," she muttered, her hand already reaching for her wand.
"I see you haven't lost that sharp Malfoy tongue of yours... It seems it takes more than a change of last name to rid off of its energy." At Montague's statement, Carina turned around hand opened and raised, aiming it at his cheek. Shockingly, Graham stopped her by grabbing her wrist, twisting it lightly. "Uh-uh," he tutted, pressing her up against the wall forcefully, earning a pained scream from the girl.
The boy let go of her wrist, but placed his knee between her legs, one hand holding on to her hips to keep her from moving. Even so, she struggled against his grip. "You know..." started Graham, his hand softly travelling down her cheek. "I initiated my training last summer," Carina felt her blood run cold at his words and her movements stopped, her muscles frozen in place. He's more dangerous than she'd ever imagined. "I will be the youngest follower the Dark Lord has ever had..." he murmured, pulling her chin closer to his. "Unless I listen to my father's orders... The Death Eaters have specifically requested me to prepare Draco for -"
"- No! -" Carina shook her head, eyes widening in realisation.
"- Shh, shh," whispered Graham, a dark chuckle leaving his lips. "They all agreed that I should be the one to get Little baby Malfoy ready for his Dark Mark... When the time comes," he murmured, placing his finger on her bottom lip.
Carina snarled, almost biting it off of him. "You wouldn't. I'll kill you before that happens," she promised, shaking her head. "I swear on Salazar's grave, Montague, I will -"
"- I just love it when you get all feisty," he muttered, licking his lips with a smirk on his face. "There's no need to be so drastic, darling... I have decided to spare him..." Carina frowned at his words. Montague would never - "In exchange for something that will give me... satisfaction." The girl resisted the urge to spit on his face, her lips curling downwards. "You've always thought so lowly of me... haven't you, darling?" Carina didn't respond, simply glaring at him through her eyelashes, his touch burning into her skin. "I think I deserve to feel what it would be like if you didn't. Don't you agree?" Tears threatened to spill from Carina's eyes as it clicked in her mind. "Kiss me like you mean it."
Fred can't even think straight by the time Cassius finishes narrating what had occurred on that eventful night. Without saying anything, he takes his wand, which lays on top of his bed and walks in between Adrian and Cassius, going straight for the door. "Where are you going?" Asks Adrian, pulling on his arm.
The red haired boy brushes him off, "To pay Montague a visit."
Adrian and Cassius look at each other before turning back to Fred. "We're coming with you..." they chorus. Fred nods, accepting the idea. "We should get Draco -" starts Adrian but Fred shakes his head.
"She would never forgive you two for that. I will never put your friendship at risk," he says truthfully. Realisation dawns on the two boys, who nod their heads in understanding. "Follow my lead."
***
They find Montague a couple of days later, in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid's the one that finds him during one of his tours. He brings the boy in, nearly dead from the cold, his right leg is broken at the knee and has a few ribs fractured. He's beaten horribly, wounds now scattered around his body, one in particular, from his eye to his chin, done with Dark Magic. It will never heal.
Carina, Draco, Cassius and Adrian are in the library when the news break a day later. "Did you hear?" A Slytherin Third Year asks another. "They said he was hypothermic by the time they brought him back." Carina frowns at the words, turning around to look at the pair of Slytherins and their Ravenclaw friend, who are sitting a table away. "I hope he's okay... what do you think happened?"
"I don't know," replies the other one, biting her nails nervously. "Do you think there's some sort of monster in the woods?" Asks the girl quietly, looking between her friends.
The Ravenclaw student shrugs, flipping the page of her Charms book, "It's the Forbidden Forest... It's forbidden for a reason," she says. "Whatever happened to Montague he probably brought it upon himself... we all know how high and mighty he feels." Carina's mouth drops open when she hears that name, turning to look at her friends and brother sharply.
Adrian and Cass listen intently, though they don't remove their gazes from the parchment. "Stop staring, Nina," murmurs Cass, clearing his throat. "You don't want them to know it was us, now, do you?" He asks, raising an eyebrow, finally looking back up at her friend, who's eyes are as wide as a house elf's.
"You three..." breathes out Carina, blinking profusely. "H-How did you - but Draco hasn't left my side - you -" she can't even put a whole sentence together, her breath hitching in her throat. Draco looks up at her, his eyes cold and hard. "Dragon... you didn't... Why did you take him with you -"
"- We didn't." "- They didn't." The three boys speak at the same time.
A breath of relief exits Carina unwillingly, her fist loosening around the quill. "Fred didn't want him there," says Adrian, making her world stop for the second time in three minutes. Fred, of course. "Said something about never betraying you again," mumbles the longer haired boy, not wanting anyone around them to hear. Carina's heart flutters against her chest, much to her dismay. "It was his idea, after all."
"His idea?" She repeats, her eyes lost between her boys, who nod.
"Don't worry," whispers Cassius, writing something down on his parchment. "We didn't use magic -" Adrian coughs slightly, shaking his head. "- Fine, we didn't use a lot of magic. Just once," he explains. "We thought he deserved to have... a souvenir... if you will," shrugs the oldest boy.
Carina shakes her head, already knowing what he's implying. She knows Cass isn't great at the Dark Arts... but Adrian... "Don't worry," repeats Adrian, offering a reassuring grin. "They won't be able to trace it back to us. Fred blinded him with a curse after luring him out of the castle with one of his magical products," Carina curses under her breath, inhaling deeply. "It was temporary, of course. He should be fine in a few days anyway. Nothing that can't be undone by Poppy."
With that, the girl rises from her seat, "Where are you going?" Asks Draco, calling after her. "Nina!" Madam Pince shushes him softly, putting her finger against her lips. Carina can't stop herself from leaving the library in a haste, her heartbeat pounding against her ears. She rushes all the way from the library up to the Gryffindor Tower.
By the time she gets there, she's out of breath, but adrenaline pumps through her body. Carina knocks on the portrait, ignoring the Fat Lady's screams. "Miss Black! Miss Black, stop!" Cries the Lady as Carina calls for anyone inside the Common Room. "Black, stop!" She calls again. Carina ceases her movement, pulling at her hair in annoyance.
"Fuck, what was it, what was it?" She whispers quietly, moving back and forth. "Dragon something... Dragon... Draconis..." Carina thinks out loud. The Fat Lady eyes her with concern, pursing her lips. "Caput Draconis!" She exclaims, sighing in relief when the portrait opens for her. Without a care in the world, she walks inside the Gryffindor Common Room. Thankfully, most of them are not there because it's a Hogsmeade weekend. She knows for a fact Fred didn't go to this one though.
The girl barges into George, Fred and Lee's dorm, startling the younger twin, who was lying comfortably in his bed. "Oh no," is the first thing that leaves George's lips. Carina looks at him, and the expression on her face is enough to have him stand as quickly as possible. "Nina... Please, listen..." he tries, hands raised in submission.
"Is he okay?" Asks Carina, interrupting him.
"Montague?" Questions George, shrugging. "He'll be fine -"
"- Not Montague," Carina rolls her eyes, chest heaving. "Fred! Is he okay? Where is he?" She asks, swallowing with difficulty.
George bites his lip. "He's okay," he says, nodding his head once. "He's with Lee, they're both trying to get more information on Montague's injuries," George tells her honestly. "He'll be back soon..."
The girl starts pacing back and forth in the boy's dorm, her hand against her mouth, her mind everywhere. "Go get him," she tells George, her eyes boring into his. George bites his bottom lip, clearly fearing for his brother's wellbeing. "George. Go. Now." At her tone, the boy nods and leaves the room. She takes her wand out and waits, still walking around the room as she tries to piece it all together in her head.
Moments later, her thoughts are cut off by the sound of the door snapping open. Fred appears in front of her, looking dishevelled, his tie loosened around his neck, chest rising and falling. It's more than obvious that he ran over there. Carina can't help but inspect him for a few seconds, looking at him for injuries, like she used to do with Draco. Fred walks in, shutting the door behind him and Carina points her wand at it, locking it and placing a swift Muffliato.
"What did you do?" Carina whispers, looking at Fred, horrified. Fred blinks, taking in her appearance, biting on his bottom lip. "Weasley, what did you do?" She asks again, sounding desperate. Fred decides not to insult Carina by feigning ignorance. So, he simply shrugs, keeping his expression neutral. "When did you - Why - How -" Carina stutters, putting her wand back inside her robe pocket. "How did you find out?"
The girl takes one step closer to him, so Fred mirrors the move with a step of his own.
"I heard him after the Yule Ball... he was threatening Draco, and I was there. I didn't mean to intrude, I just - I couldn't stop myself from listening," Fred pauses abruptly when he sees the way Carina's eyes widen even further before they cloud over, turning dark and angry. "Carina, I learned about what he'd done without him realising - and then Cass and Adrian told me what happened and I - we all felt like we had to do something about it."
Carina simply stands there, her hands trembling at her sides. "You blinded him so that he wouldn't see you," she murmurs, thinking back on what they'd said about the attack. "You temporarily blinded him... They say he has a scar running down his cheek, they said it won't heal -"
"Seemed like the perfect way to finish it," Fred replies coldly. "Adrian thought so too, he's the author of the scar... Not that I don't approve."
"Weasley, you all could get arrested if they find out -" Carina starts but Fred cuts her off.
"They won't," Fred interrupts softly. "They won't, Carina. Unless you plan on telling them," he adds, suddenly uncertain. Carina's eye twitches, but she doesn't speak immediately.
"How much of an idiot are you?" She hisses finally, taking another step forward. "Such an utterly ridiculous thing to do, Weasley." Fred shrugs again, taking another step of his own towards Carina. They're still stood several feet apart and the distance makes Fred's insides ache. "Why?" Carina asks quietly, the dusk light shining on her like a fiery spotlight, making her look almost flawless. "Why'd you do it, Weasley?"
Fred just looks at her, drinking her in, memorising her face, searching desperately for that little freckle that he knows he won't be able to see unless he's standing a mere few inches away from her.
"You know why," Fred finally answers. Carina silently shakes her head, looking away for a moment before her eyes circle back to Fred. "I love you," Fred admits softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. Carina shakes her head again, bottom lip trembling slightly. "You know he deserved it... Cassius and Adrian were more than willing to help. We stopped Draco from joining us because we knew you wouldn't forgive us for that," he murmurs, not taking the credit. "Montague blackmailed you, forced you to - he actually dared to touch you," Fred grits out the last bit, anger building up inside him again. "And I wish I hadn't let him live."
Carina's breath shudders out of her in a long exhale and Fred can see her outline quivering in the flame orange light. There's a long stretch of silence during which they simply stand and look at each other. Fred desperately screams apologies in his head, wanting nothing more than for Carina to hear them somehow.
"I should hate you," Carina whispers suddenly, taking a few steps towards Fred.
Fred can't bring himself to move, ignoring the sharp, painful twinge in his chest at Carina's words.
"I should hate you for the rest of my life, Weasley." Carina continues walking forward until, oh Merlin yes, she's standing close enough for Fred to be able to smell her sweet smelling hair, see that beautiful freckle on her face. "I should despise you for eternity," she whispers.
"Well... don't," Fred requests lamely. Carina's lip curls.
Carina, suddenly filled with blind fury, pushes at Fred's body. "I will," Carina spits, trying to convince herself. The boy allows himself to walk backwards as she continues to push him away, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I will hate you, Weasley," she grunts, followed by a rough shove to his chest. "You arrogant bastard!" She has him up against the wall in no time, her hands aching with every slap to his chest. Carina cries, her hands on his shoulders as Fred takes her anger with an open heart.
"You didn't even give me a chance to talk!" Her nails dig into Fred's collarbones when she grips the collar of his robes. "Why shouldn't I hate you?" She roughly shakes Fred. "Look at me!" She screams and Fred finally looks helplessly back into Carina's eyes, tears streaming down his own cheeks. Carina glares at him, chin trembling, face contorted with fury.
"I'm sorry," is all Fred can force out, his voice an anguished whisper.
"Of course you are," Carina hisses, sneering at him. "But I don't care. I don't care, Weasley, because I'm going to learn to hate you again." Her voice breaks and she violently shakes Fred once more. "I'm going to learn to hate you even if it takes me forever... I hate you!" She grits out, lying through her teeth, her eyes brimming over once again. "You fucking bastard, I hate you," she repeats, her hands releasing Fred's robes and she collapses against him, almost falling to the floor.
"Carina..." Fred whimpers into her neck, his arms tightening around her shaking form, his tears falling, moistening Carina's skin. "Oh, Merlin, Carina. Please, please, I'm so sorry -"
Carina's arms are around his neck, squeezing, her grip tight enough to hurt, and she's pressing damp kisses along Fred's neck, her feet hanging slightly off the floor.
"Hate you," she mumbles, her mouth moving across Fred's jaw. "Hate you. Hate you."
Fred kisses her left cheek, pressing his mouth against her skin with a soft groan. He kisses her face over and over again until Carina tips her head back. And finally, Fred kisses her, and he has to rest his back against the wall, because the feel of Carina's lips against his is enough to make his knees buckle.
"Can't live -" Fred presses his nose into the crook of Carina's neck and inhales deeply, his eyes fluttering shut at the incredible scent of her. "- without you, Carina. Can't -" he growls as Carina kisses him again. "I can't. I won't."
"Yes, you will, because I hate you." The black haired girl hisses as Fred bites and sucks the soft skin on her neck. "Can't stand you. I hate - hate being without you - oh, Merlin, yes," she moans at the feeling, pressing herself inhumanly closer to Fred. "Yes, Fred."
warning: mature content, +18, skip until *
Fred picks her up swiftly, letting the girl wrap her legs around his waist. He takes a few steps towards the bed, setting her down, removing his robes and shirt as quickly as he can, letting them drop of the floor. He sits down on the bed and pulls Carina on top of him, removing her clothes, fumbling with emotion. Carina leans forward and buries her face in Fred's neck.
"Carina," Fred pulls back and speaks against her mouth, moaning at the feel of Carina's fingers running through his hair. They kiss, urgent and needy, both of them burning for the other in ways they never knew would be fathomable. Carina pulls away, gasping for air, her shirt forgotten on the floor.
"Fred," she murmurs into his neck, unbuttoning his trousers, removing herself from his lap. The boy's heart flutters at the sound of his name on her lips. "Off," demands Carina, tugging at fistfuls of his clothes.
With a soft smile, Fred complies, removing the rest of his clothing, shoving them to the ground, doing the same to Carina's. As he does, he kisses down her body, memorising every inch of her, enjoying her warmth and the closeness between them. Her skin is just as soft as he remembers. A groan leaves his lips when Carina tugs at his hair, mouth pressed against her inner thighs. He makes his way back up, resting his weight on his elbows as their lips join in another kiss.
This one is tender, unlike before. Despite the fact that Carina didn't say I love you back to him, he can feel it through this kiss. Whatever doubts he had moments ago are all gone with the way she arches her back into him, arms wrapping around his neck, lips moulding against his. Fred has never felt this way about anyone else in his life, and he's certain he won't ever again. He doesn't care about how naive it sounds, how childish it may seem - he knows this is the woman for him and he won't ever let that go.
After a couple of minutes, he reaches for his wand, casting the Protective Charms before tossing it aside. Carina gazes into his eyes as he pushes into her, her eyelashes fluttering at the sensation. Fred stops himself from moving too fast by caressing her cheeks, his fingers dancing over her freckles before he pushes her hair out of the way, tucking it behind her ear. "Beautiful," murmurs the brown eyed boy, kissing her forehead.
Carina blushes under his gaze, wrapping her legs around his hips to pull him further into her, eliciting a moan from the both of them. It's a perfect mixture of sweet sounds, breathy and light along with hard, rough and long thrusts. Carina can barely keep it together when Fred's fingers sink into her hips, leaving small, lovely bruises along her sides. "I love you," comes Fred's voice. He sits back on his heels, bringing her up to his chest and holding her there before resuming his movements.
He sounds so sure of himself, it sends shivers down her spine. "Fred," whines the green eyed girl against his neck, biting down on the skin. "I - I -" he keeps going, not letting up as her stomach tightens and she reaches her release. Fred follows suit, moaning her name softly, his breath hitting her ear, tickling her slightly.
*
They are beat by the time Fred pulls out and lays her down on the bed, taking his wand and casting a Cleaning Charm for Carina's comfort. He wraps an arm around her from behind, resting his hand on her lower abdomen, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Missed this," he mumbles, nose nudging over the small dot on her cheekbone.
"You're so weird about that freckle, Weasley," replies Carina, closing her eyes, leaning her head back into his chest, her hair now below his chin.
"It's gorgeous," Fred insists, his thumb softly stroking her tummy. "I missed you," he adds in a murmur, biting down on his bottom lip, worried about her reaction.
Carina turns to face him, his hand now on her lower back. She gazes up at him, her fingers travel to his jawline on their own accord, tracing it tenderly. "You know I missed you too," she whispers, her cheeks heating up.
"I'm so sorry, Carina," says Fred, his eyes glazing over all of a sudden. "I am so sorry for everything I said... You trusted me and I -"
"- Stop," mutters the black haired girl. "I know how it looked for you. I should've gone straight to you after it happened but I was so ashamed..." admits Carina, pulling her hand back. "Fred, you know how I feel about you..."
"... But?"
"... But I'm not okay," she tells him honestly, her throat drying up with nerves. "I've started seeing a Mind Healer." Fred blinks at her words, his chest swelling up with pride at the fact that she's starting to take care of herself. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you about what happened with Montague that night because... I didn't trust you like I hoped - I was starting to, but after - after what was said... I don't trust you completely," she says gently, not wanting to be hurtful.
"Oh, okay," breathes out Fred, gulping inaudibly.
"I want to," reassures Carina, looking up at him, placing her hand on his cheek to turn his head towards her. "I want us to be okay. It's - it's just a slow process. I know it sounds stupid but there's just so much about me that I want you to know - I'm just afraid you'll -"
"- Use it against you." Finishes Fred, nodding his head. She doesn't know he knows about Lucius, that much is clear to him. "I won't. I'll prove it to you. I promise, I can be worthy of you."
Without saying anything, Carina leans upwards, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.
If anything it's me who is not worthy of you.
AN: helloooooo! i know some of u wanted more drama but i think you're forgetting this is harry potter and y'all r gonna get more drama either way <3 i hope you're okay with this tho. i am quite happy w how it turned out.
pls VOTE VOTE VOTE <3 it would make me so happy.
IMPORTANT: i've just learned my shifts at the hospital will be longer now so i won't be able to manage 2 updates a week. for now, i'll update every wednesday and 1 sat or 2 a month. I am just as upset as u are. believe me.
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