3rd Person's POV

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff !"

"They were bound to clear you," Hermione replies looking positively faint with anxiety when Harry enters the kitchen, "There was no case against you, none at all..."

Karina glances up from her journal and locks eyes with Harry. The two hadn't spoken for days now. Karina still was upset with him but could sort of understand wanted to know what the heck was going on. If she was kept out of the limelight and just heard slight whispers of secrets all around her, it would drive her mad. However a lot of the secrets of her life hurt. It caused her pain and fear and regret. She had slowly grown over the summer and honestly she didn't want anything or anyone to bring her back down.

Looking away from Harry, Karina looks back at her journal writing to Draco. Harry shakes his head slightly looking back at everyone else.

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," he smiles.

Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went "He got off, he got off, he got off—"

"That's enough, settle down!" shouted Mr. Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry—"

"What?" said Sirius sharply.

"He got off, he got off, he got off—"

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together."

The two men expectedly look over at Karina who smirks looking still looking down.

"No I don't know anything."

Mr Weasley chuckles nervously, "Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner—"

"He got off, he got off, he got off —"

"That's enough —Fred —George —Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley, as Mr. Weasley left the kitchen, "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast..."

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and Harry's feeling of giddy relief, which had been somewhat dented by his encounter with Lucius Malfoy, swelled again. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.

" 'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. He felt that it would sound highly ungrateful, not to mention childish, to say, "I wish he'd talked to me, though. Or even looked at me."

And as he thought this, the scar on his forehead burned so badly that he clapped his hand to it.

"What's up?" Hermione stops her conversation with Karina and glances over at Harry alarmed.

"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing... It happens all the time now..."

None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George, and Ginny were still singing.

Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know."

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF—"

"SHUT UP!" roared Mrs. Weasley.

Karina chuckles shaking her head. Everyone was a complete and utter mess.

...

Though members of the Order of the Phoenix came and went regularly, sometimes staying for meals, sometimes only for a few minutes' whispered conversation, Mrs. Weasley made sure that the children were kept well out of earshot (whether Extendable or normal) and nobody, not even Sir- ius, seemed to feel that Harry needed to know anything more than he had heard on the night of his arrival. Sometimes Karina would be invited downstairs but lately she hadn't even left her room.

On the very last day of the holidays Harry was sweeping up Hedwig's owl droppings from the top of the wardrobe when Ron entered their bedroom carrying a couple of envelopes.

"Booklists have arrived," he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair.

"About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this..."

Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly. He then opened his letter: It contained two pieces of parchment, one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September, the other telling him which books he would need for the coming year.

"Only two new ones," he said, reading the list. "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."

Crack.

Fred and George apparated alongside Karina. They stand right beside Harry but he was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair.

"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally.

"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George.

"And about time too," said Fred.

Karina walks over to Ron's bed and sits on the edge of it. Ron taps her shoulder handing her an envelope. She stares at it confused.  She had already gotten her annual letter welcoming her back to Hogwarts and she had received her book list so what was this.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside the twins.

"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."

"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" said George.

"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

Karina drowns the boys voices out as her finger slides along the opening of the envelope. She sighs before pulling out the paper and reading with a raised eyebrow.

Shocked her mouth drops open. Shaking her head chuckling in disbelief she turns to Ron who was still looking down at the letter in his hands.

"What's up with you, Ron?" asked Fred.

Ron did not answer. Harry looked around. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

"What's the matter?" said Fred impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment.

Fred's mouth fell open too.

"Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter.

"Prefect?" George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside down.

Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.

"No way," said George in a hushed voice.

"There's been a mistake," said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect..."

Karina scoffs, "Don't be rude boys."

Fred moves over to stand beside Karina. He gapes and snatches the letter out her hands making her burst out a snort.

"You too?"

George waves his hands around frantically, "Wait what? Her?!"

The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.

"We thought you were a cert!" said Fred in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly.

"Winning the Triwizard and everything!" said Fred.

"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him," said George to Fred.

"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."

Karina clears her throat, "Two you mean."

Fred shakes his head staring at her in awe, "Now that's just... actually not that surprising. You have great grades."

"She jinxed and hexed people... including us!" George shouts.

Karina smirks, "Eh that's all in the past."

Fred rolls his eyes at the girl before stroding over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.

"Prefect . . . ickle Ronnie the prefect . . ."

"Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine.

Harry took it.

A large P was super- imposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.

Harry glances over at Karina's and sees the large S for Slytherin along with their Slytherin snake.

The door bangs open as Hermione comes tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.

"Did you — did you get — ?"

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"

"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand, "It's Ron, not me."

"It — what?"

"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.

"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But... are you sure? I mean—"

She turned red as Ron looked around at her with a defiant expression on his face.

Karina snorts crossing her arms over her chest trying not to burst out laughing at the scene.

"Well don't look too surprised Hermione."

Ron nods agreeing with Karina, "It's my name on the letter."

"I..." said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered, "I... well... wow! Well done, Ron! That's really-"

"Unexpected," said George, nodding.

"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no, it's not... Ron's done loads of... he's really..."

The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.

"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing... what color would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.

Karina chuckles playfully slapping George's arm.

"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation about pajamas.

"His... but... Ron, you're not...?"

Ron held up his badge. Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.

Covering her mouth as the twins glare at her, Karina tries to hold in her laughter. She stands up and moves away from Ron and Molly not wanting to get slapped in the face by flailing arms.

"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what won- derful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh Ronnie —"

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

"Mum... don't... Mum, get a grip..." he muttered, trying to push her away.

She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.

"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.

Karina rolls her eyes pinching Fred's arm making him squeal in pain, "Be nice Freddie."

Fred lightly shoves her making her shove him back playfully.

"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers —"

"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"

Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.

"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "J-just a new one for a change..."

Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled, "Of course you can... Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later... Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks. A prefect... Oh, I'm all of a dither!"

She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room. Fred and George exchanged looks.

"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.

"We could curtsy, if you like," said George.

"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.

"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"

"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.

"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing.

"I might just for the heck of it."

Both twins drop their grins as Karina slits her eyes toward them with an evil stare.

Ron rolls his eyes muttering, "Drop it, Karina."

"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these three on our case..."

"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.

And with another loud crack, the twins Disapparated for once not bringing Karina along.

"Those two!" said Hermione furiously, staring up at the ceiling, through which they could now hear Fred and George roaring with laughter in the room upstairs, "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!"

"I don't think they are," said Ron doubtfully, also looking up at the ceiling. "They've always said only prats become prefects... Still," he added on a happier note, "they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose... She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great... Yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows..."

He dashed from the room, leaving Harry, Karina, and Hermione alone. For some reason, Harry found that he did not want to look at them. He turned to his bed, picked up the pile of clean robes Mrs. Weasley had laid upon it, and crossed the room to his trunk.

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively as she glances at Karina in question.

"Well done... both of you," said Harry, so heartily it did not sound like his voice at all, and still not looking at her. "Brilliant. Prefect. Great."

"Thanks," said Hermione. "Erm- Harry... could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased. I mean, prefect is something they can understand —"

"Yeah, no problem," said Harry, still in the horrible hearty voice that did not belong to him. "Take her!"

He leaned over his trunk, laid the robes on the bottom of it, and pretended to be rummaging for something while Hermione crossed to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down. Hermione looks at Karina who nods towards the door.

Sighing Hermione frowns and nods back. A few moments passed; Harry heard the door close but remained bent double, listening; the only sounds he could hear were the blank picture on the wall sniggering again and the wastepaper basket in the corner coughing up the owl droppings.

He straightened up and looked behind him. Hermione and Hedwig had gone but Karina was still standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You okay?"

"What? Yeah I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"Completely." Harry returned slowly to his bed and sank onto it, gazing unseeingly at the foot of the wardrobe.

Karina could see thousands of thoughts racing through his mind. She watched his face turn to a perplexed look.

"You should be happy for him out of everyone Harry."

"I am believe me I am."

"You're trying to be. I know a thing or two about wanting something so bad and seeing someone else get it. Or believing you deserved something and not receiving it..."

Harry continues to stare ahead making Karina sigh.

"Just don't let it get to your head Harry."

The door slams closed as Karina walks out. Harry groans frustrated. He had forgotten completely about prefects being chosen in the fifth year. He had been too anxious about the possibility of being expelled to spare a thought for the fact that badges must be winging their way toward certain people.

But if he had remembered... if he had thought about it... what would he have expected?

Not this, said a small and truthful voice inside his head.

Harry screwed up his face and buried it in his hands. He could not lie to himself; if he had known the prefect badge was on its way, he would have expected it to come to him, not Ron.

Did this make him as arrogant as Draco Malfoy?

Did he think himself superior to everyone else?

Did he really believe he was better than Ron?

No, said the small voice defiantly.

Was that true? Harry wondered, anxiously probing his own feelings. I'm better at Quidditch, said the voice.

But I'm not better at anything else.

That was definitely true, Harry thought; he was no better than Ron in lessons. But what about outside lessons? What about those adventures he, Ron, and Hermione had had together since they had started at Hogwarts, often risking much worse than expulsion? Well, Ron and Hermione were with me most of the time, said the voice in Harry's head.

Not all the time, though, Harry argued with himself. They didn't fight Quirrell with me. They didn't take on Riddle and the basilisk. They didn't get rid of all those dementors the night Sirius escaped. They weren't in that graveyard with me, the night Voldemort returned...

And the same feeling of ill usage that had overwhelmed him on the night he had arrived rose again.

I've definitely done more, Harry thought indignantly. I've done more than either of them!

But maybe, said the small voice fairly, maybe Dumbledore doesn't choose prefects because they've got themselves into a load of dangerous situations... Maybe he chooses them for other reasons... Ron must have something you don't.

Harry opened his eyes and stared through his fingers at the wardrobe's clawed feet, remembering what Fred had said.

"No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect..."

Harry gave a small snort of laughter. A second later he felt sickened with himself.

Ron had not asked Dumbledore to give him the prefect badge. This was not Ron's fault. Was he, Harry, Ron's best friend in the world, going to sulk because he didn't have a badge, laugh with the twins behind Ron's back, ruin this for Ron when, for the first time, he had beaten Harry at something?

Karina leans against a door staring down at her hands. The prefect badge was held delicately as she stared at it in awe.

She had no idea why Dumbledore would pick her to be prefect. Especially with how many times she had been in detention in the past four years. Sure she had amazing grades and perfect attendance minus the days of being stuck on bed rest. But she had also been in so many troubling situations. She wondered what was going through his mind. But then again she didn't even think the old man knew.

...

Down in the basement Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read congratulations ron, hermione, and karina — new prefects. She looked in a better mood than Harry had seen her all holiday.

"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, Karina, Fred, George, and Ginny as they entered the room.

"Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron, I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled," she added, beaming.

Fred rolled his eyes.

Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already there and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Harry had got himself a butterbeer.

"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," said Mrs. Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his traveling cloak. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages- could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."

"No problem, Molly..."

Moody's electric-blue eye swiveled upward and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen. Karina stares at Moody before looking away quickly. After what happened last year she wasn't sure she could be around him too long. Even though everyone had found out the Moody at the school was a fraud and that the real Alastor Moody was locked away, she still couldn't bring herself to stop imagining the things the fraud Moody made her do and see. Made her friends do... made Draco say. It crushed her.

Shaking her head letting out a breath she feels a hand on her knee patting her leg softly. Smiling gratefully she looks over at Fred who gives her a concerned stare. She smiles him off and pats his hand.

"Drawing room..." Moody growled, as the pupil in his eye contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it... Yeah, it's a boggart. Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself later," beamed Mrs. Weasley. "You have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually..." She gestured at the scarlet banner. "Fourth prefect in the family!" she said fondly, ruffling Ron's hair.

"Prefect, eh?" growled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and his magical eye swiveling around to gaze into the side of his head.

Harry had the very uncomfortable feeling it was looking at him and moved away toward Sirius and Lupin.

"Well, congratulations," said Moody, still glaring at Ron with his normal eye, "authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you..."

Ron looked rather startled at this view of the matter but was saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of his father and eldest brother. Mrs. Weasley was in such a good mood she did not even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them too; he was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's traveling cloak.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects! And of course to Karina as well!"

Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them and then applauded.

"Here here." Karina mumbles leaning on her hand which was held up by her elbow on the table.

George pokes her side making her chuckle and swat his hand away.

"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato-red and waist length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.

"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.

Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of butterbeer and choking on it.

Karina scoffs, "I understand that."

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back.

Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual barklike laugh.

"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to ex- ercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

Harry's mood suddenly lifted. His father had not been a prefect either. All at once the party seemed much more enjoyable; he loaded up his plate, feeling unusually fond of everyone in the room.

Ron was rhapsodizing about his new broom to anybody who would listen, "... naught to seventy in ten seconds, not bad, is it? When you think the Comet Two Ninety's only naught to sixty and that's with a decent tailwind according to Which Broomstick?"

Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights, "I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they're superior to other creatures..."

Mrs. Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair, "... getting really out of hand, and you're so good-looking, it would look much better shorter, wouldn't it, Harry?"

"Oh— I dunno—" said Harry, slightly alarmed at being asked his opinion; he slid away from them in the direction of Fred and George, who were huddled in a corner with Mundungus with Karina nearby shaking her head.

Mundungus stopped talking when he saw Harry, but Fred winked and beckoned Harry closer.

"It's okay," he told Mundungus, "we can trust Harry, he's our financial backer."

"Look what Dung's gotten us," said George, holding out his hand to Harry. It was full of what looked like shriveled black pods. A faint rattling noise was coming from them, even though they were completely stationary.

"Venomous Tentacula seeds," said George. "We need them for the Skiving Snackboxes but they're a Class C Non-Tradeable Substance so we've been having a bit of trouble getting hold of them."

"Ten Galleons the lot, then, Dung?" said Fred.

"Wiv all the trouble I went to to get 'em?" said Mundungus, his saggy, bloodshot eyes stretching even wider. "I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty."

"Dung likes his little joke," Fred said to Harry.

"Yeah, his best one so far has been six Sickles for a bag of knarl quills," said George.

"Be careful," Harry warned them quietly.

"What?" said Fred. "Mum's busy cooing over Prefect Ron, we're okay."

"But Moody could have his eye on you," Harry pointed out.

Karina shutters, "Creepy..."

Mundungus looked nervously over his shoulder, "Good point, that," he grunted. "All right, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick."

"Cheers, Harry!" said Fred delightedly, when Mundungus had emptied his pockets into the twins' outstretched hands and scuttled off toward the food. "We'd better get these upstairs..."

Karina rolls her eyes, "And I shall follow them to make sure they stay out of trouble... well more trouble."

Harry watches them all go in worry before heading back over to the table.

...

Karina puts down her journal that she had been trying to catch up on. Fred and George both talking amongst themselves about their pranks and future shop.

Shaking her head Karina feels herself getting thirsty. Telling the two she would be back, she quickly makes her way down the stairs. After running to the kitchen and getting water she heads back upstairs. Tiptoeing up the stairs in the hall past the stuffed elf heads she approaches the first landing freezing as she hears noises. Someone was sobbing in the drawing room.

"Hello?" She slaps her head cursing herself, "Why did I do that? Have I learned nothing."

There was no answer but the sobbing continued. Climbing the remaining stairs two at a time, Karina walks across the landing, and opens the drawing-room door.

Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.

All the air seemed to vanish from Karina's lungs; she felt as though she were falling through the floor; her brain turned icy cold. Ron dead, no, it couldn't be. But wait a moment, it couldn't be, Ron was downstairs.

Karina hears a floorboard squeak from behind her. She glances over her shoulder to see Harry stepping in.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry croaked.

"R-r-riddikulus!'' Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.

Crack.

Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs. Weasley sobbed harder than ever.

Karina frowns covering her mouth, "Oh gosh..."

"R-riddikulus!" she sobbed again.

Crack.

Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face. Harry takes a few steps forward still staring in complete shock.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley moaned. "No... riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS !"

Crack.

Dead twins.

Crack.

Dead Percy.

Crack.

Dead Harry.

"Mrs. Weasley, just get out of here!" shouted Harry, staring down at his own dead body on the floor. "Let someone else —"

"Move..."

Karina lightly pushes Harry out the way then cautiously stands in front of Molly.

She hadn't had an encounter with a boggart since Lupin's class so she was scared to see what hers would be, seeing as half of her old fear came true already.

Crack.

Karina stares blankly at herself. She looks down at her boggart's arm and sees the death eater mark vividly. She looks at herself smirk then hold up her other hand with was wrapping it's hand around Draco's neck.

"What's going on?"

Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius, with Moody stumping along behind them. Lupin looked from Mrs. Weasley on the ground sobbing to the Karina staring at herself with a dead Draco on the floor and seemed to understand in an instant.

Pulling out his own wand he raises it to speak but is stopped Karina raising her own wand speaking very firmly and clearly, "Riddikulus!"

Karina and Draco's body vanished in a puff of smoke. Harry watches Karina turn around with a blank stare. Last time her boggart was the death of Cedric and Malfoy. This time she saw herself killing Malfoy as well as becoming a follower to Voldemort. He knew this had to shake her to the core but she stood strong and didn't show even the slightest crack of emotion.

Sirius steps over to Karina cautiously, "You alright?"

Karina nods shrugging, "Fine... I'm fine."

𝐇𝐞𝐲 𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫!! 𝐒𝗼 𝐬𝗼𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝗼𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭! 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝗼𝐭 𝗼𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝗼 𝐝𝗼 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝗼𝐫𝐤, 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝗼𝗼𝐥, 𝗺𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝗼𝐫𝐭 𝗼𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠!! 𝐇𝗼𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝗼𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝗺𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢 𝐡𝗼𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝗼𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝗼𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫!!