Back In Black (Fred Weasley)

Chapter 3

The next morning, Saturday, Carina awoke early, used to the noise of the orphanage in the mornings she couldn't sleep any later. She calmly got ready putting on some of her donated clothes she quietly left the dormitory and headed down to the common room. The early morning light was streaming through the windows making the room glow almost, Carina had never felt so at home before.

She sat for a few moments in a large armchair by one of the windows, she knew she had a few hours before breakfast would start and she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She had already read all the course books and although she could go over them again, she felt in unnecessary. Sitting in the Gryffindor common room she started to think about what would be waiting for her on this new adventure.

This brought her thoughts to her father, she didn't really know anything about him, the note he left her all those years ago was brief it explained that she was a witch, that he had to go do something and that he loved her. This didn't tell her anything about who he was. Had he once sat where she sat now. With these thoughts swirling through her mind she ran back up to the dorm careful not to wake her new friends, she grabbed her bag and exited as quickly as she entered.

She then climbed out of the portrait hole, up through the silent castle. She was turned around a few times but met a friendly ghost with a ruff named Sir Nicholas who had been kind enough to point her in the right direction. Finally arriving at the Owlery, which was situated at the top of the West Tower.

The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye examined Carina. She made her way over to the school owls sliding a little on the dropping strewn floor.

Carina leant against one of the windowsills and wrote a letter on a spare bit of parchment.

Dad

I'm not really sure what to say, I started Hogwarts yesterday, I just thought you might like to know. I'm a Gryffindor. I made friends with these really funny twins; I just know they're going to be trouble.

I miss you, I hope you're doing okay, I don't even know if you're allowed letters and I highly doubt you'd be allowed to write back but I just wanted you to know that I don't hate you for what you did, I just wish you hadn't, so you could've stayed with me.

Carina Marceline Black

It was brief and didn't really cover everything she wished she could say but it would have to do. It took her a while to convince one of the owls to wake up and then to look at her, as it kept shuffling around on its perch, showing her its tail. The owl was not pleased at having been woken up. In the end it was some of the leftover sweets she had in her bag from the train that convinced the owl to stick out its leg and allow her to tie the letter to it.

"erm, this is for my dad. He's in Azkaban. I don't know if you're allowed but could you try." She asked not sure how owl post worked. She watched as the owl spread its wings and took off into the sunrise. She stayed just observing the Hogwarts grounds for a while, silently promising her father that she would write at least once a term, before finally turning to leave ready to join her new friends and begin her new life.

Carina, Fred and George had spent all weekend together occasionally joined by some of the other first years, all exploring the castle and getting to know each other.

Finally, Monday came, and it was time for them to begin classes. The three sat in the great hall, with Lee Jordan, having breakfast. George and Lee were talking pranks, while Carina was expressively talking about the classes they were going to have, Fred was too distracted watching her hands waving and the way her eyes were lit up to actually take in anything she was saying.