Just before they reached Hogwarts, Carina returned to her compartment where she saw Roman, Hermione, Ron, Luna and Neville. They, of course, questioned her why it took her so long to return, but all she said that was she needed air after the whole lunch party, they didn't question further since Neville filled them in on what happened.
After changing in to their robes, the train stopped just in time, and one by one they got off.
"Where's Harry?" Carina asked.
"Dunno." Ron answered, "We thought he went after you."
"He didn't." Carina said.
"But Neville said..." Hermione said.
"I thought he did." Neville told them, "That's what he told me though."
When they reached the gates where the carriages were, Carina noticed a few people around, people she didn't know.
"Aurors." Ron said, "Dad said that it was for extra security."
"And is that why Filch's there? For extra security?" Roman smirked. "What's he searching?"
"Products that Fred and George are selling." Hermione smirked. "I guess that means your great deal of marauding won't be happening."
Carina and Roman smirked.
"We're not idiots, Hermione." Roman said.
"We know that Filch'll search us." Carina smirked.
"That's why we hid it very well." Roman opened his Slytherin coat and revealed their joke-products hanging inside his pockets.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.
"Get ready, Hermione, for a year of a great deal of marauding." Roman smirked.
"Because we're not holding back." Carina said.
•†•
Once in the Great Hall, Carina looked around for Harry, he still has not shown up, and it was worrying her. The Sorting was finished and everyone was already diggin in the feast.
"Don't you think we should look for him?" Carina asked.
"Don' you worry... he'll be 'long soon 'nuff-"
Hermione whacked Ron at the shoulder repeatedly.
"Will. You. Stop. Eating! Your best friend is missing!" Hermione said.
"He's here!" Carina said.
From the entrance of the Hall, Harry came, wearing his Gryffindor robes, and they noticed his face splattered with blood.
"He's covered in blood again." Ginny said, "Why is it he's always covered in blood?"
"Looks like his own this time." Ron said.
"Not really comforting, Ron." Carina spoke.
Harry said down beside Carina. Carina immediately took Harry's face and inspected it. Harry had to swat her hands away from him just to get some air.
"DO you mind?" Harry said.
"You're covered in blood!" Carina said.
"What'd I miss?" Harry asked.
"Sorting Hat urged us all to be brave and strong in these troubled times – easy for it to say – it's a hat, isn't it? First years seemed to enjoy it. thought." Ron said.
Harry nodded. Ginny, who was at Harry's other side, damped a napkin in her hand and dabs it on his face. Carina saw the action then noticed the sudden awkwardness between the two. She had to look away to hide her snickering, but then she received a kick under the table by Hermione.
"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore spoke, "First off, please join me in welcoming the newest member of our staff, Horace Slughorn." A mild applause came. "Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post of Potions Master. Meanwhile the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts will be assumed by Professor Snape." (Carina and Ron exchanged looks of shock) "Now, as you know, each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival tonight. You have a right to know why...." Silence came to the room. "Once there was a young man who, like you, sat in this very Hall. Walked this castle's corridors. Slept beneath its roof. He seemed. To all the world, a student like any other. His name? Tom Riddle." A dead silence came to the Hall. "Today, of course, the world knows him by another name. Which is why I stand looking out upon you all tonight, I am reminded of a sobering fact. Each day, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle. But in the end, their greatest weapon remains... you." (Carina's gaze turned to Roman then to Theodore, who seemed to be in deep thought) "Just something to keep in mind. Now, off to bed. Pip pip!"
•†•
"The Dark Arts." Snape began. "are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and clever than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."
Carina, who stood with Roman at her side, and Theodore at the other, admitted that she was impressed with Snape's introduction to the class and found it very informative and even expected to actually learn in his class.
"Your defenses, must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures." He indicated to the few horrific photos that hung on the walls. "Givaea fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse... the Dementor's Kiss..." Carina froze and remembered Sirius's body on the ground, his sould being sucked by the dementor. "or provoke the aggression of the Inferious."
"Has an Inferious been seen then?" Parvati asked.
"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past, which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now... you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"
Carina remembered the battle she witness between her father and Bellatrix, he used nonverbal spells.
Carina shot up in the class along with Hermione. Snape, having to choose between he and Hermione, chose Hemrione.
"Your adversary had no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform,, which gives you a split-second advantage." Hermione answered.
"An answer copied from the Standard Book of Spells Grade Six. But correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some... lack."
"You will divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."
Roman, who was about to ask Theodore to be his partner suddenly found his friend missing and found him with Draco, paired up. It brought him and Carina confusion, but then shook their heads, and the both of them paired up.
A great amount of cheating ensued in the class, some whispered the incantation instead of saying it aloud. Carina, who found it quite simple had managed to repel every jinx that Roman sent her, and managed to jinx him in less than ten minutes. Roman on the other hand, had taken a bit of time to almost perfect the nonverbal spells and was now looking a bit beaten up from all the jinxes that Carina had sent him.
After having enough of jinxing, Carina and Roman took a break and tried to look around. At the corner of the room they saw Theodore and Draco do at it. Both were good at the nonverbal spells, it was as if they practiced it before, but of course, Theodore was better and had sent Draco down on the ground.
"Impressive." Roman spoke.
Theodore jumped a bit, the snappily turned to Carina and Roman with wide eyes.
"I didn't' know you were a natural in nonverbal spells." Roman told Theodore.
"Beginner's luck, I guess." Theodore shrugged.
"Beginners luck?" Carina said, she raised a brow at him.
"Black! Alston! Enough slacking around and get back to your places!" Snape called them.
Carina and Roman sighed and did what they were told. Theodore sighed relief when the two left, he then went to help Draco to his feet and pulled his arm towards him in a harsh tug.
"Stop trying to show off." Theodore hissed at him.
"You started it." Draco took his arms from Theodore.
"You did." Theodore said, "I was just trying to not get my arse kicked by you... now stop it."
•†•
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Carina and Roman separated from each other and went to their classes. She went to the dungeons where Potions was, whilst Roman went to Care for Magical Creatures.
Upon arriving at the classroom, Carina saw the small population of those taking Potions. She saw Hermione – of course – Theodore, Draco, and to her surprise Crabbe and Goyle.
"Good morning." Slughorn greeted. "This morning, I've prepared a few – "
Harry and Ron then came to the room. They all turned in unison. Carina stifled a laugh when she saw Harry drag Ron by his robes; Hermione frowns; and Lavender – who Carina noticed – smiled.
"Harry m'boy! I was beginning to worry! And I see we've brought someone with us!" Slughorn said.
"Ron Weasley, sir. But I'm dead awful at Potions, a menace actually so I probably should just be going –"
"Nonsense, we'll sort you out. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. Right then, books out –" Slughorn said.
"Um, sorry, sir, but I haven't got my book yet – nor's Ron. You see..." Harry said.
"Not to worry. You can get what you need form the cupboard." Slughorn said. He then turned back to the class. "Now, as I was saying, I've prepared a few concoctions this morning. Any ideas what these might be?" Hermione shot her hand out first. "Yes, Miss...?"
"Granger, sir. That one there is Veritaserum. And that would be Polyjuice Potion, and that is Amortentia! The most powerful love potion in the world... it's rumored to smell differently to each person, according to what attracts them..."
Carina, who found herself drawn from the potion in the small Amortentia smelt the smell of freshly opened books, the smell of sweets and a bit of spices in there as well –
" – It is probably the most dangerous potion in this room."
Slughorn closed the cauldron of Amortentia. Carina, who just snapped out of her dreamy state, blushed out of embarrassment and hid herself in the crowd.
"Sir, you haven't told us what's in that one." Katie Bell spoke.
"Ah yes..." Slughorn said. He took the small vial of golden liquid. "What you see before you, ladies and gentlemen, is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis. But it is more commonly referred to as –"
"Liquid Luck." Carina spoke.
"Yes, Miss Black. Depsratley tricky to make. Disastrous should you get it wrong. But brewed correctly, as this has been, it ahs remarkable poweres. One sip and you will find that all your endeavors succeed... at least until the effects wear off." Slughorn explained. "So. This is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of liquid luck... to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death, the recepie for which can be found on page ten of your textbook."
It was the longest hour that Carina ever experienced in Potions. Sure she preferred Slughorn than Snape at it – since Slughorn never mocked her work every time he passed her table, but she's never hated Potions this much.
The instructions in the book were nowhere near in getting her the result she needed. From the very start she knew that she was already doing it wrong.
"Cut the Sopophorous bean it said, but nothing can even bloody cut the bean..." Carina muttered.
Beside her, Ron – who was also having a hard time – heard her muttering and turned to her with a confused look.
"Have you gone mental?" Ron asked her.
"I might be right now if it weren't for these bloody instructions!" Carina hissed.
Ron moved slightly away from Carina and returned to his blob of green slime. She cursed the whole time as she still followed the instructions, and just like the others, the result of her potion was pitiful... well, except for Harry's. Carina saw how Harry was the only person in the classroom that was not stressing about the potion, he just went on and on without even double-checking his textbook and cauldron if he was doing the right thing.
"How are you doing that?" Carina asked him when she was at her last straw.
"Just following the instructions." Harry shrugged with a smile.
"I have been following the instructions! But mine's not doing that!"
After the hour given to them, Slughorn went to all of their tables to see their potions. When he passed hers, he tested the potion and like the others, hers did not even show any sign that it was the Draught of the Living Death.
Slughorn took a breath when he saw no effect of the potion that Carina presented; he turned to her for a brief moment then went to Harry. Everyone crowded behind Harry and watched as Slughorn tested his potion.
"Merlin's Beard!" Slughorn said. "But it's perfect! So perfect I daresay one sip would kill us all! Your mother was a dab at potions, but this... my, my, what can't you do, m'boy? Perhaps you will save us all in the end..."
Theodore, who stood beside Carina, his tie untied, a couple of buttons of his uniform undone, and his black hair messy sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Bloody Potter." Theodore muttered.
"I can't believe it." Carina whispered.
"Here you are then, as promised. One bottle of Felix Felicis. Use it well."
Slughorn handed Harry the small vial with glittering liquid, and Harry accepted it with the brightest smile on his face. The other students then started to clap their hands for Harry, but their faces didn't show 'congratulations, Harry!'.
"For once, I actually miss Snape." Theodore muttered.
"I can't say that I agree, but... I miss his brooding." Carina said.
•†•
Carina sat down beside Harry. She startled him when she came dropped beside him with a heavy thump at the Gryffindor table.
"Blimey, Carina!" Harry said.
"Tell me, Harry, since when did you become a dab in Potions?" Carina asked.
"Got lucky, I suppose?" Harry said.
But once he was sure that they were out of earshot of Draco and other nosy Slytherins, Harry began to tell them about his little help from someone who wrote on the book. Every word that came from Harry's mouth just made Hermione's face stonier and Carina's more in gape.
"Is'pose you think I cheated." Harry told Hermione.
"Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?" Hermione said.
Just in time, Roman came back from Care for Magical Creatures and sat down beside Carina; he looked bit beaten up and his clothes all dirty and untidy.
"What happened to you?" Ron asked him.
"Care for Magical Creatures – Hagrid showed us something new..." Roman answered, he then noticed the stone-face that Hermione had and Carina's gapping look at Harry. "What'd I miss?"
"Harry's been taking orders from something scribbled on a book!" Carina said.
Roman's eyes widened and his face snapped at Harry.
"Have you forgotten second year, mate?" Roman said. "Because I haven't, I almost died then!"
"Roman's got a point." Hermione said.
"It's just a book!" Harry said.
But Hermione and Roman took none of it and took it from Harry's hands, he tried getting it back, but he was held back by Carina. Hermione pointed her wand at the book.
"Specialis Revelio!"
The book did nothing, it just laid there.
"Finished?" Harry snatched the book from the table. "Or do you want to see if it would do a couple of backflips?"
"I guess it really is just a textbook." Hermione said.
"Good. Then I'll have it back then." Harry said.
Harry then left the table with his things, leaving Carina, Roman, Ron and Hemrione. Roman and Carina shared a look of suspicion on the book.
"I am going to find out who that book belongs to." Roman said.
"Paranoid much?" Carina asked.
"Why don't you have a bloody basilisk hunting you?" Roman told her.
Carina shrugged and sighed. "But you're right about that book."