Dirty Mouth, Dirty Blood [h.g]

forty one

41

Then

Carina adjusted her dress, trying to get fabric, any fabric, to cover her breasts.

They were practically falling out of her dress, and while she had to admit she pulled it off, it wasn't the look she was going for.

"Father, I'm quite sad to say that this dress won't be able to serve its purpose at the dinner tonight." Carina said plainly, coming out from behind the curtains to show her parents.

"I think it serves its purpose quite nicely," Lucius said, "what do you think, Narcissa?"

"I like it," the woman agreed, sizing up her daughter.

Carina smiled dryly, her patience being tested. "I am still young, mother. While my body may be matured beyond its years, I think I am at the age where I should be focusing on my inner beauty."

Narcissa smiled, though she looked pained. Carina wondered whether she approved of the dress or if she was simply pleasing Lucius. "Beauty on the inside never got a girl free drinks."

"I'm thirteen," Carina deadpanned, "I should not be drinking in the first place."

"That's enough," Lucius snapped, and Carina saw the beginnings of anger. "That dress will please my friends, and therefore it pleases me. Now do as you're told!"

With that, Lucius stormed off, leaving the women alone.

"You know," Narcissa said softly, rising from her seat, "he never said anything about not wearing a shall."

Carina smiled slightly. At least someone was in her corner.

Now

Carina practically ran back to the group, slightly out of breath when she arrived. She was regretting wearing heels, but appearances had to be maintained.

"Liar," she growled, "Luna isn't here. What did you just do?"

Xenophilius' eyes widened, and his lip trembled. "The Ministry- the Ministry took her after all the pro-Potter articles. I-I'm so sorry, but they said they'd give her back if, well..."

"What?" Carina snapped.

"If I found you." He raised his wand slowly, but Carina was already on the move.

"Go, go, go!" She cried, pulling the three towards the stairwell.

Xenophilius tried to subdue them, but the spell went awry, hitting a horn dangling on the wall. It exploded behind them, separating the two halves of the house effectively.

The quartet hovered by the rubble of the stairs, able to see the Death Eaters entre through a gap in the wreckage.

"We need to get out of here," Carina pressed, but Hermione didn't listen.

"We can't let them kill Xenophilius, you can hear them too, they're upset because they think it's a false alarm. We need to come up with a plan."

"Okay, just hurry, yeah, love?" Carina urged, mind whirring.

"I got it!" Hermione cried, going immediately into a frenzy. "Harry, do you think you can cast an accurate memory charm?"

"Probably," Harry said warily.

"Great!" Hermione said, focusing all her attention onto him. "Go out there and cast an 'Obliviate' on Xenophilius—loudly, if you would. Then the Death Eaters know you were here, and Xenophilius can't remember what we were here for. Go!" She prodded when Harry didn't move. He was finally spurred into action, and disappeared around the corner.

"Get ready," Hermione warned, and sure enough, not two minutes later Harry was running back around the corner like his life depended on it. The sad truth of the matter was, it did.

They all linked hands, and Hermione Apparated the team to an empty field.

Carina collapsed down onto the grass, listening to the other three argue about the Three Brothers. Hermione was insisting the story was unimportant whilst Harry was sure it was the break they needed.

Carina didn't give a fuck either way; she was really only on the quest for Hermione's sake. While defeating Voldemort was necessary, she knew that worst come to worst she could reclaim her lineage. Carina would be fine. So she stepped back, allowing the others to take the lead. Harry and Ron still didn't completely trust her, and if they were going to take a risk that could get them killed, she'd rather not be responsible for it.

Harry was reasoning through the story, claiming his Invisibility Cloak was the original, and that Voldemort, having grown up a Muggle, didn't know about the Hallows. Hermione and Ron, however, were arguing that Dumbledore wouldn't have withheld something so important. Carina wouldn't have put it past him, but who was she to judge.

Finally, the trio called it quits, and the four went back to camp. The matter was, for all purposes, closed, but Carina knew Harry wouldn't stay silenced for long.

The hero types never would.