Dirty Mouth, Dirty Blood [h.g]

fourteen

14

Then

Carina enjoyed being a Malfoy, she always had. She just wanted to be a different brand of Malfoy. The Pureblood supremacism was just a tad too much for her.

The first time Carina tried to differentiate herself was the summer of third year. She dyed her hair a quite flattering shade of red that her parents didn't approve of in the slightest. All it took for her to dye it back to its original blonde was her brother making a snarky comment on how she looked like a Weasley.

The second time Carina tried, she painted her lips a cherry red. Her mother grimaced, but no one made a comment.

Carina thought it went well with her tattoo and piercings.

These her parents did comment on. The piercings were easily disguised with magic when Carina wanted to look sophisticated, but the tattoo was permanent. Much to her parents' mortification, Carina had gotten the tattoo from a Muggle tattoo parlor, and there was no way to rid her skin of it. Carina's sole defense was that if her father could have a tattoo, so could she. Her mother had thrown a fit, comparing her to 'that young Black boy', but Draco told her in passing that she looked wicked. It was the first time she had ever heard Draco use that kind of language, and it solidified her choices of attire tremendously.

When Carina entred her 4th year, she was going in as a Malfoy.

A scary, self-righteous Malfoy with a tattoo.

Now

Carina sat in Professor Slughorn's classroom, a single strand of hair falling in her narrowed eyes.

"Any ideas what this potion is?"

Hermione's hand shot up, and Carina lazily raised a finger in acknowledgement.

"Miss Malfoy!" Slughorn cried happily, and Carina sat up slightly straighter.

"It's Amormentia. The most powerful love potion in the world."

"Good! And would you like to tell us what you smell?"

"Gladly." Carina stood, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips when she inhaled the potion.

"I smell pine, rain, hair gel, and rose perfume."

Carina returned to her seat, catching Hermione's eye in the process. The Gryffindor's brows were furrowed in understanding.

Hermione had switched to rose perfume a week prior.

Carina had always favoured the scent of roses, and mixed with Hermione's natural chamomile-esque scent it was simply infatuating.

It was all Carina could do not to grab Hermione and run away.

She and Hermione could steal off to a little place in America or Indonesia; they could start a new life.

Harry, Ron, and Dumbledore could be left to end the war, and she and Hermione could return when it was safe.

But without Hermione, there wouldn't be a wizarding world to return to. And Hermione would never forgive herself if she knew there was something else she could have done to save her friends and classmates from such a fate.

So Carina resigned herself to the knowledge that she would be staying in the middle of a war with Hermione.

And that they would be very lucky indeed to both make it out alive.