It had only been a day since James announced his intentions for Carina to the entirety of Gryffindor Tower.

So naturally, the entire school knew.

When the boys made it down to breakfast the next morning, they were surprised to see the girls still missing. They were almost always guaranteed to beat them downstairs- especially Carina, even more so since it was a school day. James could hear the whispers flying through the room as he made his way down the hall. The sound was music to his ears as he took his seat in content.

"Why are you so smug?" Remus asked curiously.

"It's working," James grinned. "The entire school already believes it, and it's only been a day."

"That's not your doing," Peter snorted.

"What do you mean? I think that act in the common room was pretty great," James defended.

"That spread the word, sure," he shrugged. "But that's not why they believe it."

Remus, Sirius, and James all looked at Peter expectantly.

"Every single person in this hall knows Carina isn't the type to do things half-heartedly. They trust her, and because it's her, they believe it's real and could actually last." Peter told them slowly. It was quite a change of pace: him being the one to see the point while his mates were lost.

"Carina's great Pete, but she's not that infamous," Sirius laughed off.

"You're too stuck in your own head to see it," Peter rolled his eyes. "She might not get talked about, but I bet you most people in this hall have had a real conversation with her at least once."

Remus stared around the room contemplatively. "He's right," he agreed eventually, after really thinking through it. How had he not realized before? "She tutors the young ones, she's one of the prefects who actually gets to know the other houses, she partners with someone different for almost every class. She probably knows everyone in the entire school."

Sirius let loose a low whistle. "Look at our little Carina go."

"See? All the more confirmation I chose the perfect person for this." James said confidently.

"I don't like it," Peter said honestly. "Carina cares about us too much to tell you no, James. But it's not fair for you to use her like this."

"I'm not using her!" He insisted strongly.

"Pete..." Sirius warned quietly. He didn't know where this was all coming from; Pete was usually happy to go along with their shenanigans.

"What does she get out of this arrangement?" Peter pointed out.

"She-" James blanked, seeing his point. "She's helping me out because she's my friend. As any of us would do for her."

Remus studied Peter, the realization of what he was getting at really dawning on him.

"Would we?" Remus finally spoke up. "She's been there for us all these years, and we didn't even tell her the truth about our monthly adventures."

"I'm sure she understood," Sirius said. "She's very reasonable."

"But that doesn't mean it wasn't like a slap in the face every time we looked her in the eye and lied." Peter said pointedly.

"All right, all right," Sirius threw his hands up. "Carina's a saint, we get it."

"That's not the point," Peter rolled his eyes, at the end of his patience. "Just stop taking advantage of her."

"I'm not..." James said softly, the guilt clouding his positive outlook from earlier. "At least I don't mean to..."

"Mate, you're fine," Sirius assured. "Carina's not some wallflower- I would know," he shuddered remembering the many times she told him off for toeing some undrawn line. "If she didn't want to help, she wouldn't have done it."

"Maybe you could do something nice to thank her for all this once it's over," Remus recommended diplomatically. "I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

"Like what?" James asked sheepishly.

"We could surprise her this summer," Sirius said excitedly. "After graduation. Take a trip she wants."

"Oh right, where does she live anyway?" James asked. "We have to figure out how best to meet up after graduation."

Remus and Peter glanced at each other discreetly, and it was not missed by James.

"What now?" He frowned.

"Mate, Carina hasn't left Hogwarts all year," Remus said quietly.

"Not even for the holidays?" Sirius was puzzled.

"Nope," Peter shook his head. "Besides, remember she was already here at the beginning of term? She didn't take the train with us."

"Strange..." James mused. "We'll have to talk to her about it."

"James," Remus spoke up, grimacing when he turned to him expectantly. "Just... be careful with Carina. I think Peter's right, we haven't done nearly as much for her as she does for us. We don't want this to be the thing that pushes her one step too far."

James groaned, "Not you too! Look guys, I have no intention of just using Carina. We really are going to the ball together- it'll be fun and genuine."

"What about Lily?" Sirius asked.

"Lily would never say yes, we already know that." James dismissed.

"Wow." Remus cringed. "Is that what you told Carina?"

"Essentially?" James shrugged.

"Way to make a girl feel special, mate," Peter pointed out.

"She knew it was staged the entire time, she was in on it!!" James defended. "Besides, I already told her I wouldn't ditch her last minute even if Lily did something impossible like confess her love for me by then."

He couldn't help the excited but slightly cocky grin at the thought. Remus sighed while Peter rolled his eyes. Sirius shrugged.

"Good call," Sirius nodded. "She wouldn't deserve that."

When the girls finally made their entrance, James immediately noticed Carina was absent from their group.

"Where is she?" He mumbled. The guys shrugged, just as much in the dark.

"Hey Evans," James called out.

The entire school seemed to hold its breath. They waited for his next move, knowing full well he'd been in love with Lily for years yet had just asked his best girl friend to the ball.

"What now Potter?" Lily asked in her usual impatient tone that she reserved solely for James.

"Where's Carina?"

The entire hall exhaled, small hopeful smiles blooming in interest.

"She wasn't in the dorms, we figured she'd already come down," Lily shrugged. "She must still be hiding away in the castle after that stunt you pulled."

Before James could reply, she connected arms with Alice, walking further down the table.

He seemed to think about it for a second before swiftly rising from the table.

"Where are you going?" Sirius called as he walked towards the exit.

"To find her!" He called back.

Remus and Sirius raised an eyebrow curiously.

"That's new," Remus observed. The only girl James would ever bother searching the castle for was Lily. Even in the past when he needed to talk to Carina, he'd simply wait until he next saw her.

"He's already acting invested," Sirius smirked. "I know we all assumed she would never fall for him, but what if he falls for her?"

Remus quirked a smile. Carina could be great for James, and he might even just have a chance with her.

"I don't like it," Peter pursed his lips in concern.

 ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ・☽ ༓ ☾・  ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶  ̶̶̶̶

Carina had indeed been hiding away since James's show in the common room. Even early this morning, she woke up at the crack of dawn, sneaking away to a remote corner of the library. It was easier to pretend nothing had changed by trying to keep her mind occupied.

When she heard the distant chimes of the bell tower through her maze of thoughts, her head jerked up suddenly.

Merlin it was already 8am! Breakfast was almost over, where had the time gone?

She threw her books into her bag, rushing out of the library with her robes whipping around her legs in her haste. She'd barely made it down one flight of stairs, when she heard the deep chuckles of an approaching group.

"Well well well, look who we have here," a haughty voice called out.

Carina slowed down warily. A group of five tall wizards stood across the landing from her

"Lucius," she said carefully.

She continued walking, not wanted to show any sign of fear in case they weren't planning something and intended to just let her by. But as they spread out, blocking her path in all forward directions, Carina's held her breath, trying to think of the quickest plan. She finally came to a halt when they'd surrounded her.

"Did you need something, or can be I be on my way?" Carina asked neutrally, thankful she managed to keep her voice even.

"The entire school is buzzing about the news," he smirked. "You and Potter, the new golden couple! The Head Boy and Gryffindor's Angel."

Carina looked warily past Lucius' shoulder length white hair at Severus Snape, his detached glowering making her feel more alarmed. They were friends once upon a time, if you could even call it that. She was one of the few Gryffindors who would still hang out with Lily when she spent time with Snape.

"I didn't take you as one of the gossipers," she said lightly, returning her watchful gaze to him.

She caught his hand tightening on his wand.

"Perhaps I like to stay informed about my enemies," he tilted his head coldly.

"Enemies? And here I thought we were casual acquaintances."

"Perhaps," Lucius murmured smoothly. "If only your family had seen the reason in the rising Dark Lord."

Carina stiffened, her back going as straight as a rod.

"Ahh...." Lucius watched her closely, stepping closer. "Did I hit a sore spot, Lennox?"

Carina pursed her lips, watching him with a slight glare.

"Let me through," she said in a hard voice she rarely liked using- even with the Slytherins. She made to move around Lucius, but he smoothly slid into her path. His eyes narrowed on her, almost cruelly.

"I don't think so," he said harshly. "Now that you've taken up with Potter, no doubt you'll follow your parents' foolish path."

"That's none of your business," she bit out, her patience gone.

"Of course it is. The Order of Phoenix is the losing side," he told her frankly, dropping all pretenses. "If you join them, you'll certainly be my enemy."

She made to move past him again, this time shoving past his shoulders. He merely caught onto her wrist with a steel tight grip that made her wince, bring her hurtling back into him.

"Perhaps you need another lesson in what happens when you side against us," he said harshly in her face before shoving her back away from him.

She had her wand out and braced in front of her in a heartbeat. Her eyes flew from Lucius, who was directly in front of her, to the other Slytherins who still surrounded her, all with their wands raised.

"Is that really how you want to risk getting expelled right before we graduate?" Carina responded evenly, despite her heart hammering against her throat. "I'm a prefect, who do you think they'll believe."

"Well then, we'll have to make sure they never find out," Lucius shrugged, advancing on her.

The first spell came from her left, and she threw up a quick shield in surprise. The next from her right, and an even stronger one from in front of her. Before she knew it, they cornered her to the edge of the stairs, not giving her enough time to try and escape.

As she began to tire under the onslaught, a stray jinx grazed her side, causing her to stumble in pain. Another hex hit her straight on, as she dropped to her knees from the impact.

"Carina!" She heard a distant voice cry in her now ringing ears.

She saw bright flashes from the corner of her eye as two of the Slytherins surrounding her dropped to her knees. She forced herself to rise to her feet, but another jinx sent her hurtling back. Losing her balance on the edge of the stairs, she tensed, preparing for the painful impact of rolling down the staircase. But to her surprise, a strong and steady grip caught her by the waist, pulling her back securely against a firm unmoving torso.

"If it isn't the knight in shining armor here to rescue the day," Lucius mocked. "We were just talking about you."

Carina, finally regaining her balance, tried to immediately pull out of James's arms, but he held on with a steely grip, not budging an inch.

"Fifty points from Slytherin for attacking another student," James spoke with a deadly calm glower. "Each."

Snape's eyes narrowed in hatred. "You can't do-"

"Oh really? I'm Head Boy. Try me." James dared. "You can explain to McGonagall what happened yourselves when you start your next month of detention with her."

Lucius scoffed, not even taking James seriously. He turned his gaze to Carina, tutting in shame.

"You punish us now, but your little bird will pay for it in the end," he warned James.

Carina felt James tense at the threat, jerking forward with his wand raised. Carina caught his arm, pulling him down the stairs.

"Don't James- it's not worth it. Let's just go." She pleaded with him.

"You can't keep running forever, Lennox." Lucius warned her. "Wouldn't you rather join mummy and daddy rather than risking it on this fool?"

Carina stiffened at the veiled threat, which did not escape James's notice.

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" He growled.

"Oh you don't know?" Lucius asked with gleaming amusement. "Oh Angel, you haven't even told your boyfriend?"

"Shut it, Malfoy," Carina bit out. The last thing she needed was her friends pitying her over this.

"What-" James searched Carina's eyes in confusion.

"Not now," Carina begged, still tugging on his arm as she stepped down another stair.

James grip on her hand tightened, bringing her to a halt. He turned back to the group of Slytherins, the hatred on his face as clear as day.

"You ever come near her again, Malfoy, and I'll kill you myself," James spit out.

"Oooh, I'm so scared," Lucius mocked. "You'd better keep a close eye on her, Potter. You never know when accidents happen."

With a hard glint in his eye, James turned abruptly, leading Carina down the stairs with an unyielding hold on her hand.

Once they'd left the Slytherins well behind them, Carina pulled her hand out of James's, no longer able to keep pace with his angry, brisk strides. Her sides ached from the jinxes they'd shot at her, and she still didn't know the extent of the damage they'd done. He looked back at her with a blank look, studying her face closely, yet not giving her a hint towards his thoughts.

"What'd they mean about your parents?" James asked her in a hard voice.

Carina struggled to take a deep breath, clutching her sides as she looked up at him.

"It's nothing," she insisted.

"Bullshit." James yelled. "What the hell were they threatening?"

"James," she pleaded. "Just leave it alone."

"Like you left us alone about our secrets?" He raised an eyebrow unsympathetically. "Tell me Carina, you're here preaching to us about honesty when you yourself are keeping secrets from us?"

"Because this isn't about you!" She yelled, wincing slightly from the pain of it.

"Like our secrets are any of your business," he rebutted.

Carina stilled in surprise, looking at him with hurt in her eyes. James nearly relented. Nearly.

"That's not fair," she said quietly.

"Pot, meet kettle," he said unrelentingly.

"Fine," she murmured. "If that's how you feel, I certainly can't change your mind." She never had been able to before.

She walked around him, each step becoming more painful now that she'd actually stopped to take inventory of her body. James watched her pass him with an itching urge to drag her back and make her answer him. He'd admit he was spoiled, but he was usually used to getting his way. The only time he didn't was when it came to Lily. Carina had never refused him like this.

He turned, watching her steps slow towards the end of the hall. She swayed for a brief moment, and his legs were moving under him before he even realized. He got to her right as her knees buckled from under her.

"Stubborn witch," he mumbled as he hoisted her into his arms.

Carina blinked hard, trying to clear her head as her arms rested uncertainly around his neck.

"Put me down," she insisted weakly. "I'm perfectly capable of walking."

"Clearly not," he rolled his eyes. "What'd they hit you with anyway?"

"I don't know..." She whispered as she grimaced again.

He looked at her in concern, his worry overpowering his stubborn anger. Instead of putting her down, he walked into the nearest classroom, spelling the door shut behind him. He gently placed her on the nearest table top, watching her closely.

Once Carina had reoriented herself, she tried to slide off the desk, but James merely slid in front of her legs, planting both hands on the table on either side of her hips.

"I don't think so," he said smoothly. "We're not leaving until we fix whatever they did to you."

"That's not necessary-"

"Unless you want me to carry you all the way down to Pomfrey?" He raised an eyebrow knowingly. "But in that case I'd have to be completely transparent about what led to all this-"

"I can take care of it myself, James," Carina's eyes flashed impatiently. She hated being coddled.

"You of all people know how dangerous it is to practice complex spells on yourself without experience- especially when you're already injured." He told her seriously.

"James-"

"Let me take care of you," he asked again softly. "Like you did for me."

Carina bit her lip hesitantly, and James's gaze immediately flew to the motion, almost entranced.

"Fine," she mumbled reluctantly.

When James stepped back to give her some space, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse from the neck down, internally groaning as she glimpsed the dark purple bruising scattered on her torso. It looked like someone beat her with a bloody broomstick. She stopped halfway, knowing James would lose his shit if he saw her like this.

James, almost as if he knew what she was thinking, took a hold of the buttons she'd stopped on gently, a question in his eyes and a plea to trust him. She looked at him for a second before nodding briefly. James made quick work of the remaining buttons. He parted her unbuttoned blouse carefully, taking in a sharp breath through his nose as he took in the sight. His hands bunched around her shirt into tense fists.

Her lovely bronze skin was shrouded by deep purple bruises almost completely covering her stomach. He didn't even think about the smooth planes of her body, as he was painfully aware of the wounds on her soft skin.

"I'm going to kill them," he bit out, moving to leave the room.

Carina lunged out, grabbing his arm hastily. "NO. It's not worth it."

"Not worth it?" James eyed her incredulously. "Carina you look... broken," his voice cracked as he looked down at her again. "If I'd only found you sooner."

"Stop that," she said softly. "This isn't anyone's fault expect those Slytherins."

James played with the edges of her shirt as his eyes swept over each and every bruise carefully. "It won't be perfect, but I think I can heal most of these."

Carina sighed in relief; at least he wouldn't go charging after them foolishly. "Thank you."

James took his time, carefully healing each and every wound- sometimes twice over to make sure she wasn't in any more pain. The tip of his wand ghosted over Carina's skin, the warmth of the spell contrasted by the cool feel of the wood of his wand. When one of the deepest bruises finally faded to a faded green hue, James grazed his hand over the spot on her rib, checking to make sure it had healed properly. The sensation of his warm hands on her bare ribs surprised Carina, making her shiver involuntarily. James jerked his eyes to hers.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked urgently.

"No," she shook her head, a blush creeping up her neck. "It's just... sensitive..."

James nodded, returning his concentration to her bruises, entirely unaware of how Carina forced herself to take slow, even breaths.

It's just because he's so close. It's natural, she justified. The same thing would happen with literally any other person. Besides, it's James, for Merlin's sake. They were yelling at each other not five minutes ago simply because she wouldn't give in to his demands.

"So what did Malfoy mean about your parents?" James asked, not looking up as he continued working.

"James," Carina groaned.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" James assured softly, the calmness a stark contrast to his earlier anger. "It doesn't even matter if it's something outrageous like your parents joining the Death Eaters, it doesn't change how we see you- how I see you."

Carina stared down at James in shock. Is that what he thought?

"Where in the world did you get that idea," she choked out.

James glanced up at up at her, the hues of greens and gold in his hazel eyes crystal clear from this proximity.

"That's what Lucius said," he pointed out. "He said you would be better off joining your parents rather than staying by my side."

Carina gulped painfully, holding back a hysterical laugh. "That's not what he meant," she insisted vehemently. "My parents were not Death Eaters."

He merely watched her patiently, waiting for her to elaborate.

Carina sighed, feeling the unwanted tears gather in her eyes. "They did approach my parents," she admitted. "My dad came from a long line of Dutch purebloods. He could even bring his talented daughter along," her tone grew bitter. "They only had one stipulation- he had to leave his filthy mudblood wife behind."

Understanding dawned in James's gaze as he straightened to his full height in front of her, and she had to look away before she caught the pity that was sure to follow.

"Clearly he refused," she chuckled darkly. "I was supposed to be home that night, but I ended up staying out late with Alice by chance. I came home much later to their cold bodies."

"Carina," James said softly, squeezing her hand, not knowing what else to say.

"My father- he got lucky. Probably just a killing curse. He was cold, but he looked peaceful," she nodded past the tears. The dam had broken, and now she didn't know how to hold it all back. "My mother wasn't as fortunate. Her clothes were torn... there was so much blood... everywhere..." Carina shook her head against the memories, choking over her own words.

James pulled her into his embrace, tucking her head protectively into his chest as he held her through the shudders wracking her body.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered in her hair. "I'm so so sorry, angel."

"Don't call me that," she mumbled hatefully against his chest. "I'm no angel- I should've been with them that night."

"No." He pushed her back to stare into her eyes sternly. "Your parents would never have wanted that. You were meant to live. You were meant to carry on their legacy. Their beautiful daughter," he gazed at her fondly. "So much better than they could have ever imagined. You are an angel, this entire school knows it- even those bloody Slytherins."

Carina broke into silent cries, dropping her head against James's chest. He simply held her, not saying anything, not demanding anything, not telling her it'd all be okay. He just held her, giving her an anchor in the midst of her turmoil. This was the first time she'd told someone else about her parents. It'd been over half a year, and yet she'd never let the truth escape her lips after that night. Dumbledore had let her stay at Hogwarts in the meantime as she was already of age, but never had she once verbally acknowledged what happened that night.

Some time passed before Carina finally became aware of their position- her sitting with her shirt open and parted, cradled in James Potter's embrace. She pushed back, closing the ends of her shirt, fumbling with the buttons from her shaking hands.

James watched in concern for a moment before gently knocking her hands aside, taking over the task himself.

"Why did you never tell us?" He finally asked.

Carina sighed. "I'd never said it out loud until now." She admitted. "Dumbledore got his briefing from the Aurors. Saying it... it felt too real. Being back at Hogwarts, I could almost forget my reality sometimes."

"We would've been there for you," he told her. "You could've come home with one of us over the holidays, you could've depended on us."

"I didn't need your pity then, I certainly don't need it now."

James rolled his eyes, grumbling, "stubborn witch." Carina's eyes widened in surprise- but he cut her off. "We'd do anything for you, why don't you trust us?"

"I do," she insisted vehemently. "I cared about you all too much to put you in that position. I didn't need you all tip-toeing around me about Remus's secret. Besides I had it handled. I was hardly an orphan, I was already of age by the time they-" Carina broke off the sentence, sighing wearily. "I was fine on my own."

Understanding filled James's eyes- followed immediately by guilt.

"Bloody hell, we really fucked up," he groaned, gazing at her sadly.

"What?" Carina asked quietly.

"The fact that you felt like you couldn't come to us- that you could ever be an inconvenience to us, means we failed you." He closed his eyes, his head tilting down in shame. "Seven bloody years and all we've done is take from you, we couldn't even be there for you when you needed us most."

"Hey," she said softly, tilting his head up by tapping the underside of his chin. "I don't blame any of you." She assured. "I just tend to retreat into myself when I feel hurt or scared."

James squeezed her hand, afraid that she'd simply disappear in front of him.

"Promise me you'll come to me if anything happens," he asked. "Or one of the others- anyone."

"James-"

"Promise," he asked sternly, holding her eyes. "I don't want you being alone during anything like that ever again."

Carina smiled sadly, touched by his concern. "I promise."

"Okay, come on," he said, lifting her effortlessly from the desk and setting her on her feet. "We'll be late."

His hand found hers instinctively, still feeling protective over her. He led them straight to their first class- which they fortunately shared. They'd already missed the remainder of breakfast with their delay, and were lucky to make it to class on time.

They barely made it as the bell chimed on the hour. The entire classroom and Professor McGonagall turned their heads as the entered the room. The group of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws stared, not shocked, yet still pleasantly surprised. McGonagall glanced from the two of them to their still joined hands in surprised contemplation before turning back to finish writing the lesson on the board.

"Have a seat, you two," she said easily. "See to it you don't start making Ms. Lennox tardy, Mr. Potter," she warned him with a small smile.

While normally James would've taken advantage of the opening and fired back some witty response, he was still hyperaware of what had just happened and what he'd learned about one of his oldest friends.

"Yes, Professor," he said in a rare moment of acceptance.

James walked Carina over to her normal seat next to Remus towards the front of the room, his hand still firmly holding hers. Not that she tried to escape; she was too emotionally dazed to care what all the others thought.

He only let her go once they'd reached Remus. He caught the werewolf's curious gaze, nodding briefly towards Carina seriously. Remus, immediately picking up on James's signals, nodded back as Carina slid into her seat.

Something had happened- something bad. James was asking him to take care of her.

The entire class watched in gleeful adoration at the bizarre exchange, merely thinking it a case of young love between the two.

Yet when James turned to walk back to his seat beside Sirius, he caught sight of Lily. She was staring at them both in confused surprise. Her eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, probably because she didn't approve of James for her best friend. Yet for the first time, he couldn't bring himself to give a shit what she thought. Noticing his gaze, Lily quickly averted her gaze, focusing back on her notes.

He settled into his seat, not hearing a single word of the lecture.

Sirius kept throwing him concerned glances, rarely seeing James this serious. But James Potter was lost in his own head. They only had a few months left of Hogwarts, but he'd be dammed if they left with Carina thinking she was on her own in this big, lonely world.  

 ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ・☽ ༓ ☾・  ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶  ̶̶̶̶

I really love where this is going ^_^
Thoughts?
~ Mischief Managed