Carina's P.O.V.
I sat next to Harry on the Hogwarts Express alongside our new friend, Ron Weasley, watching the countryside go by. Already Harry and I had done as we'd said; we got new clothes, we each had an owl—his was a snowy owl called Hedwig and mine was solid black, named Nyx—our wands and school things, and we had just bought a mound of candy for ourselves and Ron.
"So," said Ron around a mouthful of food, reminding me of Jake. "Where've you been, anyway? The Daily Prophet said they caught Black and that you were holed up somewhere horrible a for ages!"
"He's innocent," I said sharply. "My dad is no criminal. He'd never do whatever they thought he did—and, we haven't been holed up somewhere, we've—"
"—we've been at a distant relative of ours," finished Harry for me, handing me a chocolate frog. I held the squirming piece of candy tightly and viciously bit it's head off, squinting at Ron. "In America. We've actually had really good lives." He hurriedly went on before the boy could get ideas. "We're not spoiled, you see, but we had lives as good as any other normal kid. But these last couple months with my mother's muggle sister and her family....it's been horrid."
The redheaded boy held up his hands. "Blimey, mate, I didn't know—I didn't mean to make it sound like I was blaming your dad or anything, really!"
He sounded earnest, and I couldn't help but forgive him since he reminded me so much of my cousin.
"It's alright," I replied, before ducking my head and peering up at him through my hair. "Ah, sorry I snapped at you."
Ron helped himself to a pumpkin pastry. "It's alright. I would've done the same for my dad, anyway." He paused. "Wanna see a spell my brother taught me?" Harry nodded eagerly as he leaned forward in his seat little while I sat back, having a feeling that this wouldn't go so well. Ron pulled out his wand, but before he could speak a girl with bushy brown hair came to stand in the doorway.
"Have any of you seem a toad?" inquired the girl a little bossily. "A boy named Neville's lost one."
"No." Ron shot Harry a look that clearly read, She's mad!
"Are you doing magic?" The girl's eyes lit up and she almost immediately seated herself next to Ron. "Well, let's see it, then."
He shot me a helpless look, and I merely shrugged. So, Ron cleared his throat.
"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" He waved his wand over his rat, Scabbers, but nothing happened.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl looked at him doubtfully. "Well, it's not very good, is it?" She paused and suddenly pointed her own wand at poor Harry's face—more specifically, his glasses, which had been taped from where Dudley had punched him in the nose (we hadn't had enough time to find a magical shop for glasses). "Oculus Reparo."
The tale on his glasses whizzed away, and I leaned in very close to his face to study them. They were fixed.
"Wow," I said, whistling softly as I turned to the girl. "You're good. Uh, who are you, by the way?"
"Oh!" The girl sat up a little straighter as she remembered her manners. "I'm Hermione Granger and, you are?"
"Ron Weasley," spoke up Ron first, chewing a large wad of candy.
She looked a little disgusted. "It's a pleasure." Now, she turned to Harry and I, but before we had a chance to speak, she noticed his scar. "Holy cricket! You're Harry Potter! I've read all about you in—" She rattled off a few book titles and my brother looked dazed. He'd known he was famous for a while, but this was a little too much.
"—I'm Carina Black," I interrupted, saving him from his embarrassment.
"The daughter of mass murderer Sirius Black?" She studied me.
I scowled a little. "No. I'm the daughter of a potato—" She frowned at me. "—of course I'm the daughter of Sirius Black!"
"It's alright." Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry I said it like that—I didn't get to finish. I was going to say the whole case looked suspicious and that he seemed perfectly alright to me when I saw him in the papers, not insane at all."
I liked this girl. "Good. Thanks, by the way. And, I'm sorry I got a little defensive." I grinned sheepishly. "It just happens. I did it to Ron, too, if it makes you feel any better."
"Yeah!" piped up Ron. "Looked like she was gonna rip my head off, she did!"
I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Hermione, hopeful. "D'you want to stay here with us?"
"Well, I promised Neville I'd help find his toad..." began Hermione, before trailing off. "Would it be alright if I brought him too?"
Ron was frantically shaking his head at me over her shoulder, but I ignored him. "Yeah, it'd be great! We've got loads of candy to share, anyway, and maybe his toad will turn up sometime."
Hermione smiled widely at me, and left.
__________________________
Less than a few minutes later she returned, a shy boy I guessed was Neville behind her. She plopped herself down next to Ron, who groaned, while Neville sat the other side of her.
Before any of us could speak, the compartment door slid open and three boys stood there—two were huge, and the smallest one had slicked back blonde hair.
"I heard Harry Potter and Carina Black were in this compartment," announced the boy snottily, before catching sight of Harry and I. "This is Crabbe, and Goyle." He gestured to his friends. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Ron sniggered, and I couldn't resist a snicker myself because of the way he introduced himself. He whirled on Ron. "Think my names funny, do you? Red hair, freckles, and a hand me down robe? You must be a Weasley." He studied our other two companions before turning back to us. "A Mudblood, a blood traitor, and a squib? You'll soon find that some families are better than others, Potter, Black. I can help you there."
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," said Harry cooly. Malfoy's cheeks tinted pink and he put his hand down.
"Now," I added coldly. "Leave." He had insulted my new friends and I didn't like it one bit.
"I don't think we'd like to, cousin," sneered Malfoy. "You've got more than enough sweets for everyone, don't they, boys?" His two cohorts grunted in agreement and one even reached out his hand, but I shoved it away.
"Get out," I repeated. "Now."
Malfoy laughed. "Or what?"
"I warned you."
I suddenly surged forward and shoved him back into Crabbe and Goyle, who quickly caught him and knocked me off me feet. This caused Harry to slam into them both and send them stumbling backward as I got to my feet, furious, and lunged for the closest boy, Crabbe, only for Harry to grab me round the waist and pull me back as the other boy let out a yelp and shook his finger—Scabbers was attached to the end, and flung back into the compartment as they bolted away.
I stopped struggling and sank into my seat.
"You shouldn't be fighting," scolded Hermione. "You could get expelled!"
"He called you a Mudblood!" I replied hotly. That was what had gotten to me most—it was the worst insult ever.
"What does that mean?" She looked a little frustrated. "I've heard it a couple times on here before..." Neville quietly told her, and she looked a bit crushed. "Oh."
"Yeah." I scowled in the direction the boys had gone. "But they're stupid."
"Yeah, don't worry about them," agreed Ron, seeming to forget his dislike of her for a moment. "They're just a bunch of prats, anyway."
"At least I stopped Carina before she could've got hold of them," added Harry. "Last time she did that she latched onto our cousin Jake and nearly bit his ear off."
"His ear?" gasped Hermione. "You really nearly—"
"—uh huh," I said a but too cheerily, because that was the day I met Rose. "But he did call me stupid."
Soon, everyone began their own discussions—even Neville joined in—while I gazed out the window, thinking. I hadn't forgotten about what had happened, not completely, but I've actually had a good time since I got on the train....maybe it is possible to enjoy it here? I sighed, because as different as this was I still felt an ache for my lost friend....my Rose. But I would see her again—Alice said so, and she was almost never wrong.
With that in mind, I grinned and threw myself into a conversation about Quidditch.