The Scars to Prove It
Companions
After several moments of stumbling through the cars with her head bent low, Carina managed to stumble right into another person. Or rather, two people, she realized once she looked up to see two identical red heads peering down at her.
Heeding to what the last girl had said, she gave a mumbled ‘sorry,’ before attempting to duck around them. Once again, Carina felt her body hit another’s. She glared up at the twins as they grinned down at her.
She didn’t say anything for a moment, trying to bring herself to ask them to move before they spoke – at the same time. It was rather unnerving. Hogwarts seemed to be filled with all sort of strange folk.
“Sorry, but we can’t do that.”
Carina tried to suppress my giggles and let them continue.
“We saw you from our compartment-” the one on the right began.
“-and we couldn’t help but think that you looked like you needed a friend-” the one on the left continued.
“-or two,” finished the first with a lopsided grin. Carina couldn’t help notice how their smile would make their eyes crinkle and light up. She couldn’t help but give them a tiny smile in return and nodded vigorously. Both their faces lit up with wide smiles at the exact same moment, and ushered Carina into their once-empty compartment. She awkwardly sat across from them, but they didn’t have any of that. Still grinning, they planted themselves on each side of her, both wrapping their arms around her neck. Even though there was plenty of room for three first-year-sized persons, Carina’s face still blushed a fantastic shade of pink at the close contact.
“So what do they call you?” the one on the right asked.
“Carina,” she said softly, almost inaudible.
“Cah-ree-na?” the one on the left asked slowly, obviously not having heard her clearly.
“No, mate, it’s Cah-rye-na. AmIright?” the one on the right asked, and Carina nodded softly.
“I like Careena more,” the one on the left grumbled before perking up. “I know! I’ll call you Ree-na instead. Rina. I like that name.”
Carina gave him a wide smile. It was, in fact, the first time anyone had given her a pet name. Even her mother formally called her Carina.
Now the boy on the right was grumbling. “But I want a cute name for her too...”
Carina full out laughed at the twins’ behavior. It was a lovely tinkling sound that was seldom heard in the Rosier household. The twin on her right gave her a lopsided grin before his eyes lit up.
“Rye. That’s what I’m going to call you. Ri.”
Carina grinned back at him. “So what are your names?” she asked softly, but much louder than before. It was a comfortable tone; one used with friends in small talk.
The twin on her right, the one who called her Ri, nudged her in a friendly way. “George-”
“-and Fred!”
“We’re first years too-”
“Going to be going into Gryffindor!”
“What about you?”
Carina blushed deep red. “My whole family’s been in Slytherin-” she said dejectedly. “But I’ve never wanted that House. Hufflepuff’s where I’m probably headed.” She stared at her shoes in a glum sort of fashion. It was common knowledge that Helga Hufflepuff took everyone who didn’t fit in anywhere else into her House. And that’s all Carina would ever be – the extra, who didn’t fit in.
The twins seemed to think otherwise.
“No way!”
“You’re destined for Ravenclaw, at least!”
“Probably Gryffindor, though.”
“We only make friends with the best type.”
George and Fred shot her two smiles once they finished.
Biting her lip, she grinned up at them sheepishly. It was then that George noticed something odd, and his hand stretched out to her cheek. She froze, worrying what was wrong. Why had her friends stopped laughing? She liked their laugh.
George brushed a tear off her cheek, which had been long forgotten by its owner. “Ri? Are you okay?”
Carina’s eyes widened as she remembered how upset she had been. She shrugged. But Fred continued to prod her.
“Rina? What happened? Are you okay?”
With a sigh, she spoke about what happened as soon as she boarded the train. “It- it was nothing. I just bumped into some girl and she started yelling at me in front of all these people. It-it was stupid to cry, but I just thought that everyone was going to hate me as much as that girl. I don’t even know what I did wrong...”
George and Fred looked over Carina’s head and nodded to each other, with solemn looks on their faces.
“We won’t let that happen again, Ri-”
“-I bet it was some dumb second year-”
“-who thinks they’re better than us first years.”
“But whatever happens because of that, we’re here for you, Rina. We’re your friends now.”
Carina looked up at the boys’ serious faces and couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. No one had ever cared about her. No one had ever been protective of her.
No one had ever wanted to be her friend until George and Fred.
Heeding to what the last girl had said, she gave a mumbled ‘sorry,’ before attempting to duck around them. Once again, Carina felt her body hit another’s. She glared up at the twins as they grinned down at her.
She didn’t say anything for a moment, trying to bring herself to ask them to move before they spoke – at the same time. It was rather unnerving. Hogwarts seemed to be filled with all sort of strange folk.
“Sorry, but we can’t do that.”
Carina tried to suppress my giggles and let them continue.
“We saw you from our compartment-” the one on the right began.
“-and we couldn’t help but think that you looked like you needed a friend-” the one on the left continued.
“-or two,” finished the first with a lopsided grin. Carina couldn’t help notice how their smile would make their eyes crinkle and light up. She couldn’t help but give them a tiny smile in return and nodded vigorously. Both their faces lit up with wide smiles at the exact same moment, and ushered Carina into their once-empty compartment. She awkwardly sat across from them, but they didn’t have any of that. Still grinning, they planted themselves on each side of her, both wrapping their arms around her neck. Even though there was plenty of room for three first-year-sized persons, Carina’s face still blushed a fantastic shade of pink at the close contact.
“So what do they call you?” the one on the right asked.
“Carina,” she said softly, almost inaudible.
“Cah-ree-na?” the one on the left asked slowly, obviously not having heard her clearly.
“No, mate, it’s Cah-rye-na. AmIright?” the one on the right asked, and Carina nodded softly.
“I like Careena more,” the one on the left grumbled before perking up. “I know! I’ll call you Ree-na instead. Rina. I like that name.”
Carina gave him a wide smile. It was, in fact, the first time anyone had given her a pet name. Even her mother formally called her Carina.
Now the boy on the right was grumbling. “But I want a cute name for her too...”
Carina full out laughed at the twins’ behavior. It was a lovely tinkling sound that was seldom heard in the Rosier household. The twin on her right gave her a lopsided grin before his eyes lit up.
“Rye. That’s what I’m going to call you. Ri.”
Carina grinned back at him. “So what are your names?” she asked softly, but much louder than before. It was a comfortable tone; one used with friends in small talk.
The twin on her right, the one who called her Ri, nudged her in a friendly way. “George-”
“-and Fred!”
“We’re first years too-”
“Going to be going into Gryffindor!”
“What about you?”
Carina blushed deep red. “My whole family’s been in Slytherin-” she said dejectedly. “But I’ve never wanted that House. Hufflepuff’s where I’m probably headed.” She stared at her shoes in a glum sort of fashion. It was common knowledge that Helga Hufflepuff took everyone who didn’t fit in anywhere else into her House. And that’s all Carina would ever be – the extra, who didn’t fit in.
The twins seemed to think otherwise.
“No way!”
“You’re destined for Ravenclaw, at least!”
“Probably Gryffindor, though.”
“We only make friends with the best type.”
George and Fred shot her two smiles once they finished.
Biting her lip, she grinned up at them sheepishly. It was then that George noticed something odd, and his hand stretched out to her cheek. She froze, worrying what was wrong. Why had her friends stopped laughing? She liked their laugh.
George brushed a tear off her cheek, which had been long forgotten by its owner. “Ri? Are you okay?”
Carina’s eyes widened as she remembered how upset she had been. She shrugged. But Fred continued to prod her.
“Rina? What happened? Are you okay?”
With a sigh, she spoke about what happened as soon as she boarded the train. “It- it was nothing. I just bumped into some girl and she started yelling at me in front of all these people. It-it was stupid to cry, but I just thought that everyone was going to hate me as much as that girl. I don’t even know what I did wrong...”
George and Fred looked over Carina’s head and nodded to each other, with solemn looks on their faces.
“We won’t let that happen again, Ri-”
“-I bet it was some dumb second year-”
“-who thinks they’re better than us first years.”
“But whatever happens because of that, we’re here for you, Rina. We’re your friends now.”
Carina looked up at the boys’ serious faces and couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. No one had ever cared about her. No one had ever been protective of her.
No one had ever wanted to be her friend until George and Fred.