Carina McGonagall is named after the constellation containing the second brightest star in the sky - and it just so happens one Sirius Black is named after the brightest. They've always had an interesting relationship throughout the years - pranks...
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22nd August 1976
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
It took most of the twenty-first of August to drive all the way down to London from Scotland and the minute they had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and got all their cases up to their room, both Carina and Minerva fell asleep immediately.
While appearing quite grimy and dingy on the outside and some of the interior decorating choices were questionable, the Leaky Cauldron was actually quite a nice place to stay. The breakfast was good, Carina would find out, as she and Minerva ate there on their first morning in London. Originally, Carina had been very confused as to why they weren't staying with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Robert like normal, but Minerva had shown her as they had walked past the shop that morning. It was packed with students, waiting for their uniforms and regular wizards and witches just getting new clothes. It was barely 10 o'clock and the place was swarming with people. Carina was usually still asleep at such a time so she would've hated it.
The letter detailing what they needed for the new school year had just arrived a few days before, which was annoying as Carina would have much preferred to get all of her stuff at the beginning of the holidays when she had been staying there with her aunt and uncle.
Although Minerva was obviously not wearing her usual school attire, the tall witch still looked very imposing, in her swishing emerald green cape and her dark hair pulled tightly back. Students scurried out of her way as they recognised their teacher as she towered over them. A few offered weak smiles and small greetings to Carina but most just stayed out of the way of the McGonagall women.
The first stop was to pop into Ollivander's. Carina didn't need a new wand or anything, but she had noticed that she was always getting hers a bit scruffy and dirty, so it was probably best to grab a cleaning kit. And Minerva always enjoyed a chat with Mr Ollivander.
Garrick was quite considerably older than Minerva, being already a well known wand-maker by the time of her own journey to Hogwarts. Her mother had known his father at Hogwarts, and so the Ollivanders and the McGonagalls were always family friends to one another. Often Carina would see Mr Ollivander's nieces and nephews around school and she would wave or smile at them.
None of them were in his shop now, however, as the little dusty store was relatively quiet that morning. Only one child - who could've only been a first year student, based on their height and awkwardness - was dithering slightly by the desk, with whom Carina assumed to be her father behind her. Ollivander soon appeared from the back of his workshop, brandishing a box containing one of his many millions of combinations of wand woods and cores, to create a unique wand for this young girl. She waved it once.
The results caused Carina to laugh aloud, as about 20 tiny shimmering outlines of what appeared to be cats began to prance around the crowded shop, jumping and diving, and generally creating havoc. While the girl was embarrassed, her father assured her that that sort of thing was meant to happen and she'd soon be able to control it. Mr Ollivander was definitely satisfied that that wand had chosen the girl and so the father and daughter left the shop swiftly after that, new wand in hand.
A pang shot through Carina's chest as she watched the pair leave. It was strange to her to see any sort of father figure to others, as she had never experienced what it was like to have one. She of course had male role models like her uncles - but she rarely saw them - or Flitwick, who wasn't exactly a fatherly figure in any way. Carina secretly longed for a father, someone she could look up to go see what a good man should be like. She still didn't even know her real dad's name. But how could she miss something she'd never had right? There had never been anyone there, so she couldn't long to have it back. It was still strange though, seeing what it could've been like. Her thoughts were swirling and spiralling, when they were suddenly cut off shortly by a voice calling out from the depths of the back of the shop.
"Ah, hello there, Miss McGonagall and Ms. McGonagall, it has been a while, hasn't it?" "Most definitely, although I shall be seeing plenty of your nieces and nephews in the coming days, the oldest must be in seventh year now, I should think?" "Yes, how they grow up so fast, now don't they? Speaking of which, it doesn't feel like so long ago that you were in, Carina, getting your wand. Cedar wood, and phoenix feather, if I remember correctly? I trust it is still in good condition?"
"Yes, all good, just wanted to pick up a cleaning kit," Carina said, smiling brightly at the wand maker.
"That's easily done then, Miss McGonagall. One moment, I shall fetch one from the back."
She rocked backwards and forwards on her toes as she waited. Minerva didn't say a word as she watched her daughter, but returned the smile that Carina gave her when she looked over. Something was bothering the girl, Minerva could tell, but she wouldn't say a word.
Ollivander came back with the cleaning kit and Carina thanked him and paid him in sickles from her mokeskin purse.
They continued on, with Minerva dropping Carina off at Flourish and Blotts, as she had some business to attend to. Carina had been waiting for this to start happening. Hogwarts business - or more accurately business for Dumbledore - often entailed Minerva slipping off suspiciously, only now she had to tell her daughter that she was going then. If she wanted to, Carina could follow her, but it would be pointless as Minerva would cover her tracks and Carina would just be led on a wild goose chase.
So she resigned herself to scanning the shelves in the little bookstore for anything that she would need for school or that was particularly interesting to her.
That was until, from between the shelves, Carina spotted very very familiar bright red hair.
"Oh, Merlin's arse," she muttered under her breath as almond shaped green eyes met her blue ones.
