The Scars to Prove It

Nothing welcomed Carina home more than studying in the crowded courtyard with the first-turned leaves tumbling. George and Fred weren’t even there: it was just Carina, Farren, and Lee talking about pretty eyed boys. No one even minded when the conversation continually drifted to Oliver and his accent. It was easy for Carina not to notice – Cedric was only a courtyard away and his smile was particularly dazzling after summer.

Except the leaves shouldn’t have already been turning. The students shouldn’t be bundling up as if it were the start of winter. Frost shouldn’t coat their windows every morning and the stone floors they slid across every evening. But if those blasted creatures wouldn’t leave, then the students would try their hardest to pretend everything was normal.

“Carina!”

She knew that the voice went with the dazzling smile even before she turned her pale eyes up to him.

“Hey, Cedric,” she said, her calm smile a contrast from him as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. All nerves had faded after a semester of continual rendezvouses; otherwise, Carina would have been the color of a radish.

“You up for tutoring a new batch of first years?” he asked, standing back to look at her as if she’d changed one bit over the summer.

“Their attention spans seem to dwindle every year, but yes, I suppose I am,” Carina said with a faint smile.

“Carina, we’re heading up the to the Tower!”

Carina turned to reply, but Cedric caught her arms and spun her around once more.

“First Hogsmeade weekend?” he asked with a perfectly symmetrical grin.

“Of course,” she replied; and dare he take that as a wily narrow of her eyes? No, not Carina.



“Mandatory Career Counciling,” Farren read, trailing her unpainted finger over the words as she read them. “And Carina is the first -- and only -- name on here. Why am I not surprised?”

“We’ve only got three more years here, and after that -”

“Yeah, yeah, we know Miss Proactive,” Lee sighed, tossing a resistant Snitch back and forth with Oliver.

“Oh yeah? Then what are you doing about it?”

“Waiting to sign up last so I can think of some rubbish to tell McGonagall and she won’t claw my face off for not having the slightest clue.”

“That’s actually a decent idea,” Farren replied, resting her head back on Oliver’s arm resting around her shoulders; this could easily be the reason Fred already turned in for the night. She let her wand slide from her sleeve into her hand, and skillfully lifted the quill from the coffee table. With a small wave of the wand, it dipped itself into a bit of spilled ink and proceeded to fly to the bottom of the sign-up sheet and scrawl Farren’s name. “Too bad I just stole it.”

“I’ll tap another piece of parchment up.”

Carina rolled her eyes, glancing over at George. “You have any idea what you’re telling Professor?”

George shrugged. “Fred and I have been thinking about a joke shop, and she can be as unhappy as she likes. We’ve dealt with worse than her half-hearted wrath.”

“Can’t be as bad as giving her the leash and collar for Christmas.”

“Very true.”

Carina dropped her voice and leaned towards George. “Do you think it’ll be like this all year? Will Fred not be able to hang around us all the time?”

George shook his head, looking over at the laughing couple. “No, Farren said she thought they would cut it off. Were they ever going steady?”

“Unofficially.” Carina looked at her split ends, completely uninterested in the gossip; however, she realized that George would want to tell Fred. “And they already have broken up.”

George’s orange eyebrows shot up. “This is them as just friends?”

“Mhmm.”

“It’s going to be a long year for Freddy.”



Mandatory Career Counseling came about quite a bit faster than expected -- especially for Carina, number one on the list. When she finally sat in front of McGonagall’s desk -- something, that in all her years at Hogwarts, she had never done before -- she was prepared but not-so confident.

“Miss Rosier,” Professor McGonagall said almost warmly, setting a small file down on her desk. As always, Carina cringed. If she had it her way, she would have no last name: they always seemed too confining anyway. “I guess we should start this off by asking if you have any notion as to where your future is headed.”

She took a deep breath. “IwouldliketobeaHealer.”

McGonagall nodded slowly, looking down at the file as if she could read it through the cover parchment.

“I am not particularly surprised. Though, I would have pegged you a Herbologist with Longbottom.” Carina nodded, staying silent. She knew what was to come.

“This is a serious goal you have, Miss Rosier. Though you do not have poor grades -- in fact, you are well above average -- it would take a lot of work these next few years. It takes five specific N.E.W.T.s to even begin training as a Healer, and I know that Professor Snape takes nothing less than an Outstanding O.W.L level into his N.E.W.T. class. Although I take Outstanding as well as Exceeds, you would need... Well, I will help you through to the best of my ability.”

McGonagall nodded curtly, and it suddenly hit Carina that the meeting was over. “Thank you, Professor,” she said a little breathlessly, and nearly ran out of the office.

Outside the door she was greeted by Lee -- the unlucky soul who forgot to sign his name at the bottom of the page.

“That bad, huh?” he asked as she smoothed her hair and her cloak.

“No,” she said in between her deep breathing. “Actually a lot better than I thought it would be.”

Lee gave her a shocked look before she hurried down to the library to study for Potions and Transfiguration. Though it was clear McGonagall did not think Carina could pass her class with an “E,” Carina was relieved that she had not asked for a back-up plan. Maybe there was still a bit of hope left.