Little Mischiefs [Inglorious Bastards/Black Anthology | HP Fanfic]

+ What if: Harry Lived with Emmanuelle and Sirius? [Part 6]

Heartbreak was part of the teenage experience, even Emmanuelle has experienced heartbreak brought by a school-crush, and once from Sirius. Though she knew her children too would go through it, she never thought that the one that her own daughter would face would cut so deep that she too felt the pain.

After the attack in Hogwarts and Dumbledore's death, Emmanuelle went to her children to see how they were. While Harry was mourning the loss of Dumbledore and the fact that Snape was the traitor, her daughter was grieving the betrayal she felt. Carina refuses to face anyone of her family brought by shame and embarrassment. She had defended Theodore with all her heart – had gone toe-to-toe with her parents that he was not a Death Eater, had argued fiercely and yelled at her brother that Theodore would never betray her. That he was not a Death Eater. In the end, it was Theodore Nott – and Draco Malfoy – who fixed the cabinet and let in the Death Eaters into the castle.

It was Theodore Nott who partook in the cursed jewelry.

It was Theodore Nott's idea for poison.

And it was Theodore who bore the Dark Mark.

Coming to the Black Lake where Roman told Emmanuelle Carina was hiding, she saw her daughter in the water, finding comfort from the giant squid, Larry as the friends named him, hiding from everyone else. Unable to show her face, especially to her family.

Knowing that only broke Emmanuelle's heart more.

"Carina." Emmanuelle spoke softly. She did not bother to take off her shoes or pull up her trousers as she came to the water. She stopped just as Larry's tentacles made a barrier between her and Carina. "Darling."

"What do you want?" Carina harshly asked. Though, beyond the coldness and anger, there was the quivering of her voice, the pain.

Emmanuelle pushed forward, climbing over the tentacle that blocked her way and then held her daughter's arm –

Carina turned to face her mother, ripping Emmanuelle's hold from her. Then she saw, the tears that ran down her daughter's face, the look that broke her heart to a million pieces. But before she could speak, Carina lashed out, "You were right – you and Dad, and Harry! Everyone in the Order..." she wiped away the tears harshly that it made a trail of red on her skin, and a light scar from the button of the cuff. "I chose to trust him – I trusted him, I loved him – and I was a fool to not see this coming."

"You're not a fool."

"Tell that to the others who look at me that way!" Carina bellowed. "To Moody – to Kingsley – to Mr. Weasley – to Dad – to Harry – "

"They don't think you're a fool Carina." Well, she doubts Moody wouldn't think of Carina that way.

"AND YOU!" Carina cried. "You told me to be careful. You and Dad told me to not trust him, Harry told that he was a Death Eater and yet I... I still..." Sobs left her lips, and Carina crumbled into the water, soaking her clothes when earlier it was just her school skirt.

Tears falling, Emmanuelle went to her daughter and brought Carina to a tight embrace. She brushed her daughter's curls that were cur short when she accidentally splinched herself during Apparition lessons. Carina cried in her mother's arms, pressing her face to Emmanuelle's chest as she was afraid to let anyone – even the skies – to see her shame.

"I hate him," Carina cried. "I trusted him – I trusted him – He was my friend – he was my best friend and he..." Her sobs overpowered her ability to speak, and soon Carina felt like the helpless child she was when Lestrange tried to kill her and her mother, like when the Dementors came and took the happiness from her, like when she watched her grandfather fall into the veil, when Louise died... like a child plagued by night terrors. And every time she felt like that, her mother was there to hold her just as she was doing now.