The Witch and Her Vampire

Thirty

Hermione's P.O.V
"Are you sure we have to go in with them?" questioned Carina, looking a bit anxious. "I mean, they'll be fine on their own, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I told her with a sigh. "We have to. And since we're going through our more notable memories, the more important, dangerous ones...."

"Okay." My best friend let out a shaky breath, but turned to the Cullens, emotionless mask in place. She didn't want to show weakness now, I knew. "Alright, so, we're all going to go in. What you have to do is—"

"—stick your head in the bowl, one person after the other." I glanced at her. "Then, we'll follow."

"We're going to start with memories from first year on, but not all of them. Just the more...dangerous ones."

"There will be some that are good though, to even out the bad."

The Cullens all watched us, and Carlisle opened his mouth to speak, only for Carina to shake her head. "No questions. You first, then Esme, Edward, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rose. Me and Hermione will be right behind you. Just stick your head in."

So, they did. One by one they all approached the pensive, and Carina and I followed soon after, getting sucked into memories long past.

Carina's P.O.V
Ron pulled out his wand, but before he could speak a girl with bushy brown hair came to stand in the doorway.

"Have any of you seem a toad?" inquired the girl a little bossily. "A boy named Neville's lost one."

"No." Ron shot Harry a look that clearly read, she's mad!

"Are you doing magic?" The girl's eyes lit up and she almost immediately seated herself next to Ron. "Well, let's see it, then."

He shot me a helpless look, and I merely shrugged. So, Ron cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" He waved his wand over his rat, Scabbers, but nothing happened.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl looked at him doubtfully. "Well, it's not very good, is it?" She paused and suddenly pointed her own wand at poor Harry's face—more specifically, his glasses, which had been taped from where Dudley had punched him in the nose (we hadn't had enough time to find a magical shop for glasses). "Oculus Reparo."

The tale on his glasses whizzed away, and I leaned in very close to his face to study them. They were fixed.

"Wow," I said, whistling softly as I turned to the girl. "You're good. Uh, who are you, by the way?"

"Oh!" The girl sat up a little straighter as she remembered her manners. "I'm Hermione Granger and, you are?"

"Ron Weasley," spoke up Ron first, chewing a large wad of candy.

She looked a little disgusted. "It's a pleasure." Now, she turned to Harry and I, but before we had a chance to speak, she noticed his scar. "Holy cricket! You're Harry Potter! I've read all about you in—" She rattled off a few book titles and my brother looked dazed. He'd known he was famous for a while, but this was a little too much.

"—I'm Carina Black," I interrupted, saving him from his embarrassment.

"The daughter of mass murderer Sirius Black?" She studied me.

I scowled a little. "No. I'm the daughter of a potato—" She frowned at me. "—of course I'm the daughter of Sirius Black!"

"It's alright." Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry I said it like that—I didn't get to finish. I was going to say the whole case looked suspicious and that he seemed perfectly alright to me when I saw him in the papers, not insane at all."