As the beginning of October rolled around in Hogwarts, Carina was happy to hear that Quidditch was on its way.

"We're going to practice harder than ever," Oliver would remind her, explaining various plays and strategies in such great detail that she would be put to sleep.

"You've told me this nearly a hundred times already, love," Carina sighed, but on the day of their first Quidditch practice, she was excited to finally put those strategies into effect, despite the pouring rain. 

"This is our last chance - my last chance - to win the Quidditch Cup. I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it," Oliver began, and Carina knew that if he didn't win this year, he would be crushed for life.

 "Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now. Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world -injuries - then the tournament getting called off last year," Oliver continued, swallowing as if the thought could choke him, "But we also know we've got the best - ruddy - team - in - the - school," He said, punching his hand after every word, "We've got three superb Chasers." He motioned towards Carina, Angelina, and Alicia. "We've got two unbeatable beaters."

"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," the twins said, pretending to blush.

"Hey! That's my man, get your own," Carina joked. 

"And we've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match," he emphasized, choosing to ignore them,  "And me."

"We think you're very good too, Oliver," George said.

"Spanking good Keeper," Fred added.

"The point is, the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these past two years. Ever since Harry and Carina joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing..." Oliver spoke, as if he might cry any second. Carina placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Oliver, this year's our year," Fred said.

"We'll do it, Oliver!" Carina exclaimed.

"Definitely," Harry said. 

After their pep talk, the team went out to practice, filled with determination. They ran through various drills, learned new plays, and even improved their communication. By the end of practice, Oliver was beaming with admiration. The team quickly changed out of their muddy gear, leaving Carina and Oliver alone in the locker room.

"We better win this year," Oliver muttered to Carina while pulling off his gloves.

"I agree, and if everything goes as planned, we should," Carina replied, sitting on the bench beside him. She had already changed out of her robes, but was accustomed to his dreadfully slow pace.

"As long as you keep yourself out of trouble, it should go as planned," he teased as he stood up and placed his helmet in a locker.

"Listen, I don't chase trouble on purpose!"

"Coming from a Chaser, I don't believe a single word of that," he sassed while peeling off his muddy shirt. Carina unknowingly admired his toned chest, forgetting to respond.

"Like what you see?" He joked, flexing his arms for her.

"You know it," Carina replied with a cheeky grin. 

"You're too cute," Oliver laughed with a grin of his own. He bent down to kiss her on the nose, then continued changing. Carina was nearly asleep by the time he had finished, and he had to shake her awake, pushing her offthe bench by accident.

"Ouch!" 

"Sorry! You ready?" Oliver asked.

"I've been ready for an hour!" Carina exclaimed. 

"Well, come on then!"

"Coming!" Carina shouted. She walked out the door after him, only to realize that she had just changed into clean clothes as the storm raged.

"We should've left our robes on," Carina commented, then broke out into a full sprint through the rain with Oliver on her tail.

"What the... Why are we running?!" 

"I want to be dry!" 

"You do know there's a charm for that, right?"

"Of course I do, but this is way more fun!" 

"Fun, huh? You think running is fun?"

"It is when it's raining!"

"You have some weird logic..."Oliver muttered. They arrived at the castle in no time, then strolled through the halls, finally reaching Gryffindor Tower.

"Fortuna Major," Oliver said, causing the portrait to swing open.

"What took you two so long?" Fred asked from across the common room.

"None of your business!" Oliver called back, causing the twins' eyes to grow ten times in size. 

"You're evil," Carina whispered to him with a smirk.

"Hey, they always think I've done something I shouldn't have. May as well have a bit of fun with it," Oliver commented.

"I don't know if Fred and George are the ones you want to play around with," she warned. Within seconds, Fred and George were standing behind them with heir arms crossed at their chests.

"Wood, can we have a word?" they asked, wearing identical mischievous grins. 

"Uhm... yea, sure," he stuttered, glancing back at Carina with wide eyes. They walked him to a bathroom in the hallway of the portrait hole, winking at Carina as they disappeared from sight.

"Good luck, Oliver," she muttered, taking a seat near Angelina and Alicia.

"You better watch out, they're going to annihilate him in some form or another," Angelina muttered.

"What were you two doing, anyway?" Alicia asked suspiciously, flipping through the pages of a novel.

"We didn't do anything! Oliver was just messing with them," Carina replied.

"He chose the wrong people to mess with!"

"I warned him!" Carina exclaimed. A few moments later, Oliver emerged from the room with a head full of bubblegum-pink hair. The entire common room erupted in laughter, causing Oliver's cheeks to turn the color of his hair. 

"You've got to be kidding me," Carina mumbled with a facepalm. Fred and George emerged after him, looking rather pleased with themselves.

"You were right, love," Oliver commented as he brushed past her, heading straight for the boys' dormitories.

"Hey Carrie," Fred began, sitting on the armrest of her chair, "we took care of Wood for you," George continued, leaning against the other armrest, "He shouldn't be causing anymore trouble!" they exclaimed in unison.

"We didn't even do anything!"

"That's what they all say," Fred commented. She merely rolled her eyes and went to help Oliver. 

-

Halloween had finally arrived, but with a trip to Hogsmeade planned for that day, Carina and the twins decided to forgo their annual prank war. She walked down the corridor toward the Great Hall for breakfast with the twins by her sides, only to see Snape standing near the doorway as if he were waiting for someone.

"That's odd," she whispered to the twins.

"Very..." they muttered. Cautiously, they strolled closer.

"Miss Malfoy, I'd like to see you in my office today," Snape hissed, then turned on his heel and stalked to his seat at the teacher's table. 

"Does he not realize that today's the Hogsmeade trip?" George asked.

"No, he's Head of Slytherin, he had to collect forms," Carina said, taking a seat across from Fred and George.

"What does he even want?!" 

"Yeah, it's not like you need help with Potions, you're brilliant!"

"My guess would be that he wants me to have a lesson... but is it really necessary to have that lesson during the Hogsmeade trip?! I mean, we're scheduled to meet on Tuesday!"

"Tuesday?! That's our next Quidditch match!" Oliver exclaimed as he took a seat beside Carina.

"You're kidding," Carina groaned, placing her head between her hands in defeat.

"Nope, and you better be there," Oliver ordered with a stern expression.

"I have a lesson with Snape that day..." Carina trailed off. Oliver's jaw dropped.

"You're JOKING!" He shouted angrily, his eyes glinting with fury. Carina shook her head, causing Oliver to bang his head repeatedly on the table.

"WHY. CAN'T. I. GET. A. NORMAL. SEASON!" He grumbled.

"Maybe that's why he's having a lesson today," Fred suggested hopefully.

"I doubt it, if anything, he probably planned it so that I'd miss all of the matches," Carina muttered.

"Why do you even need Occlublegh, it isn't important!" Oliver complained.

"I already told you, Father's made me take it!"

"Yeah, but you ran away from him didn't you?" Oliver challenged.

"I suppose I did."

"So why do you even care what he wants you to do? Hasn't this proved to you that he can't make you do anything?"

"Give her a rest, Wood, I'm sure she can work something out with Snape," George commented, earning an intense glare from Oliver. 

"Wait, so you can't go to Hogsmeade today either?" Oliver asked.

"Apparently not, he just told me that I have to attend lessons with him today..."

"That git!" Oliver exclaimed, angrily shoving eggs into his mouth. 

"You're going to choke, love," Carina commented.

"At this rate, that sounds better than this Quidditch season," he whispered so that Fred and George wouldn't hear his negativities. 

"Don't say that! I'm sure I'll be able to get out of it!" Carina encouraged. He gazed at her unsurely, then resumed stuffing his face. After they had finished breakfast, Carina sadly pulled her jacket off and bid her friends goodbye at the Entrance Hall.

"Goodbye, Carrie! We'll bring loads of Stink Pellets for you!" the twins exclaimed. After they had left, she walked to Snape's office, apprehensive of what would happen there. With a knock, she entered to see Professor Snape busy brewing a potion. 

"You came rather early," Snape commented as he stirred the potion.

"Sir, did you realize that everyone is going to Hogsmeade today?" Carina asked testily.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did, but I also realized that you have a Quidditch match on Tuesday. Consider yourself lucky," He murmured. 

"So I can play in the match this Tuesday?" 

"Yes."

"Thank you!" Carina shrieked.

"Be quiet. This potion is quite difficult to brew," Snape instructed.

"What are you making, sir?" Carina asked eagerly as she pulled a chair out to sit across from him. Potions had always been an interesting object for the girl.

"I do believe I requested silence," he hissed. Carina watched intently as he carefully sliced wolfsbane with such precision that each cut was precisely identical in size.

"Are you making Wideye Potion?" Carina asked, ignoring his order.

"No." Snape murmured, dropping the wolfsbane into the cauldron. 

"You aren't making Wolfsbane Potion, are you?"

"I do believe that's none of your business."

"There aren't any other potions with wolfsbane in them, sir..."

"Well then, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what this is."

"Why are you making a Wolfsbane Potion, sir?"

"Why do you keep asking me questions after I told you to remain silent?!" 

"Sorry, sir," Carina muttered. After he had finished stirring, a blue smoke arose form the cauldron. Professor Snape poured a decent amount into a nearby goblet, then stood form his chair. 

"Come with me," he ordered. Carina did just that, watching as he carried the steaming potion towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He held the goblet in one hand, and knocked with the other. Why would Professor Lupin need Wolfsbane Potion? Carina thought.

"Come in," Lupin called. He opened the door, careful not to spill the potion anywhere, and Carina was surprised to see both Professor Lupin and Harry Potter huddled around a table, sipping tea.

"Ah, Severus, Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?" Lupin asked cheerfully, "And I see you've brought company?"

Snape ignored him, placing the potion on his desk as he had asked. 

"Hello Miss Malfoy," Lupin greeted, in an attempt not to remain polite. 

"Hello, Professor," Carina replied with a smile. He beamed back at her, before saying, "I was just showing Harry my grindelow."

"Fascinating," Snape muttered. 

"Would you like to see, Carina?" Lupin asked, ignoring Snape's grim response.

"I'd love to!" Carina replied pleasantly. He guided her over to a large tank in the corner of the room, where a strange, demon-like creature with horns and spindly fingers swam. 

"Water demons they are," Lupin commented.

"I agree," Carina muttered, watching the creature press its face against the glass, as if it were trying to attack her.

"You should drink that directly, Lupin," Snape reminded, motioning towards the steaming goblet. Harry looked at it with horror, as if Snape were trying to poison Lupin (and she wouldn't be surprised if he were). 

"Yes, yes I will," Lupin said.

"I made an entire cauldronful, if you need more."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," Snape replied grimly, then walked out of the room, motioning for Carina to follow.

"Bye Professor, Harry," Carina said, nodding at the pair.

"Goodbye Miss Malfoy, it was delightful to see you on such a day!" Lupin exclaimed. Carina then turned and followed Professor Snape, who was nearly down the hallway already.

Sir, is Professor Lupin a werewolf?" Carina asked as she jogged after him.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that inquiry," Snape muttered. So he is! Carina thought, until suddenly Snape's influence slammed into her mind. She did her best to sweep her memories into the vault, but he proved to be faster. Flashes of her life passed before her, the first tooth she ever lost... running away from the Manor... This is bad, she thought, forcing Snape's influence out. 

"You should've expected that by now," he muttered disappointedly.

"You're not wrong," Carina agreed, tucking away her straggling emotions, thoughts, and memories in preparation for the next attack. 

"This time, I'll warn you. Let's see how strong your barrier is at its peak. Ready? Three... two... one... Legilimens!" He shouted and by the time he had reached her mind, her wall was already prepared, and he rammed directly into it. Somehow he weakened her security, as if he were punching a hole and crawling through it. He entered the abyss, unable to find anything of real interest. She managed to wrangle his influence out, eventually regaining her control. 

"So you have been practicing," he commented. 

"Yes, sir,"

"That wall was stronger than I expected, to be quite honest. And the emotions seemed-" He began, but pushed into her mind mid sentence. She was prepared, and attempted to lift an even stronger, and more supportive wall. She lifted it quicker than she had expected, but still struggled to do so. She effectively kicked him out before he could cause any true harm. Right after she had kicked him out, he was back again, and she tried to lift this wall, managing to do so swiftly. She stopped him for a decent period of time, but eventually he broke through with brute force, and plunged into her mind, in search of something deeper. He's going after my vault, she realized, and hurled his influence away. By the time his mind was away form her own, she was out of breath.

"I must admit that I strained to go that far," Snape muttered.

"So you're telling me that you're impressed?"

"Yes, I am. That was a decent wall you had built. I doubt that your father could even touch it."

"Really?" Carina asked excitedly. She had been practicing every Tuesday since she arrived back at Hogwarts, and it was pleasant to hear that it was paying off.

"Yes... you're quite skilled in the mind actually... I wasn't expecting it with your emotions. I wonder if you could perform Legilimency."

"Could I try?!" Carina asked excitedly.

"I suppose it would be beneficial for you to learn, but first you must master Occlumency to a tee. That's enough for today. Go enjoy the feast," Snape stated.

"Thank you, Professor!" Carina exclaimed joyfully, then bounded out of the room giddily. As she arrived in the Great Hall, she was pleased to see that her friends had come back already.

"Carina! You seem rather pleased for someone who hung out with Snape...  What'd the bloke want?" George asked. 

"I'll tell you later," she replied, piling food onto her plate. She glanced around the Great Hall in admiration, which was decorated with orange streamers flowing form the ceiling and jack-o-lanterns replacing the typical candles. 

"Will you be able to play Quidditch?" Oliver whispered into her ear.

"Yup! He rescheduled my lesson because of the match!" Carina murmured back. A gigantic grin spread across Wood's face. They happily stuffed their faces with the a variety of foods, before strolling back to the common room, stopping as a large crowd gathered in front of the Fat Lady.

"Oi, get a move on!" Fred shouted to the first years closest to the door.

"Reckon they've forgotten the password again," George muttered. Carina simply rolled her eyes in annoyance at the first years, leaning into Oliver as she awaited her cozy, warm bed. 

"Let me through, please," Percy Weasley shouted, practically plowing through the crowd.

"Perfect Percy the Prefect!" the twins chimed, sticking their toes out to trip him, but having no such luck. 

"What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password - excuse me, I'm Head Boy!" 

Suddenly, silence filled the crowd, as Percy Weasley shouted "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick." Carina glanced at Oliver with wide eyes, only to see Dumbledore strutting up the steps behind them. Carina grabbed Oliver's hand, pulling him through the crowds of younger students to see what was the holdup. Much to both of their surprises, the Fat Lady was missing entirely, and the portrait itself had been slashed, leaving pieces of fabric hanging off of the door. 

"Bloody hell," Carina gasped. 

"We need to find her. Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady," Dumbledore ordered. 

"You'll be lucky!" a voice cackled from above. Carina glanced up to see Peeves the Poltergeist floating above them, a maniacal grin on his face.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful. Poor thing," Peeves explained, with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. 

"Did she say who did it?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Oh yes, Professorhead. He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."