Dirty Mouth, Dirty Blood [h.g]

forty six

46

Then

Carina stood awkwardly, sliding from foot to foot. She prided herself in her ability to get out of awkward situations, but this one was something new entirely.

A boy had asked her out.

Not only a boy, but a Pureblood, with a good familial reputation.

He was conventionally attractive, but Carina really didn't want to get in his pants. No, skirts were more her thing.

The issue was, how to say no to his proposition without revealing she was a lesbian, and without angering her parents about throwing away a perfectly good match.

Suddenly, it came to her. She could use her age as an advantage.

"Well, Lance," Carina said slowly, "as much as I'd love to, I find I am still young and too swayed by emotions. Ask me out again when I am eighteen, and I think I will have a more satisfactory answer."

Carina smiled—she didn't say to whom the answer would be satisfactory. Once she was 18, she was leaving the Malfoy Manor and never looking back.

Lance's smile matched hers, and Carina got the feeling that he didn't actually want to ask her out; his parents were pressuring him to do so. It seemed she had made the correct decision after all.

Carina nodded in lieu of a farewell, turning and reentering the party. A little birdy had told her there was a gorgeous Nigerian woman in the crowd, and Carina wasn't about to pass that opportunity up.

Now

Harry reentered the room, Ron following shortly behind.

Hermione sat up, placing pillows behind her and Carina. Harry and Ron sat on the edge of the bed, Ron looking extremely awkward.

"Alright," Hermione said after a moment, "fill us in. What did you do while you were gone?"

"And where are we?" Carina butted in. She was surprised she hadn't met the host yet; when she had woken up from her nap, there had been food set out for her and Hermione, and she really wanted to thank them.

"Bill and Fleur's house," Ron answered, and Carina nodded.

"And what of Dobby?" Carina asked. Harry paled, and Carina clarified, assuming he thought she hated the House Elf. "By that I mean, why hasn't he come to see me yet? He can't just insert himself back into my life and not expect me to want a follow up." She shot Harry a grin, hoping to ease the tension, but found she only made it worse.

"Dobby... Dobby died," Harry said finally.

"Oh." Even to Carina, the word sounded empty.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione said, "I know how much he meant to you."

Harry shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

Ron spoke up then, trying to take the attention off Harry. "Griphook agreed to help us break into Bellatrix's vault. The thing is, he wants the Sword of Gryffindor after we do so."

"Easy," Carina immediately said, "legally, the sword is mine, and I didn't agree to the deal. It would be a shame, really, if you wanted to give him the sword but the big, bad Malfoy didn't give him it."

"You're a horrible person," Harry scoffed, "but it seems like that's the only way. I'm in."

"Alright," Ron said, after a moment of looking between the two, "let's come up with a plan."

///

Carina was shuffling around in the kitchen when Lupin arrived. "Remi!" She cried, throwing her arms around the man. It had been too long since she had last seen him, and he seemed to have missed her too.

"Why are you here?" Carina asked gleefully, adjusting his sweater vest from where she had wrinkled it.

"I have a son, Ri-Ri! Teddy. And-and I want you to be his Godmother." Remus said, laughing and crying all at once.

"Godmother," Carina said, brows furrowing, "you want me to be his Godmother. But, Remus, I'm a horrible person."

"That's why Harry's his Godfather, should he accept," Remus said sheepishly, "Tonks and I figured that you two would make a good pair. And with you as Godmother, well, he won't be running off and making a stupid decision, now will he?"

Carina winced, her smile almost leaving. "Remus, about that, I'm sorry, it was harsh, and-"

"And what I needed." Remus finished. "I harbor no animosity. You do accept, don't you?"

"I don't know how I couldn't." Carina said, breathless.

"Perfect. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go find Harry."

Carina watched his retreating back, smiling. If a man as sweet as Remus John Lupin trusted her with his child, she must be doing something right.