𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐿𝑋𝑋𝐼𝐼𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮-𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

SLUGHORN'S DINNER PARTY was that evening, and Caroline didn't want to go. Hermione had convinced her, so the two were getting ready. It wasn't an overly formal affair, so Caroline wore a simple pair of dark pants, a mint green sweater over her body. Half of her curly hair was tied up in two small ponytails, blending with the rest of her thick curls. She looked nice, but she couldn't wait for the evening to be over.

Caroline was seated between Hermione and Harry. She hadn't spoken the entire evening, and she was grateful for that. As they ate desert, Caroline tucked her twitching hand into her lap, using her left as she had done all evening. "So, tell me, Cormac, you see anything of your uncle Tiberius these days?" Professor Slughorn asked. He had been rotating through students to prey on the whole evening, and Caroline feared that she was next.

"Yes, sir. In fact, I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister for Magic over the holidays." Cormac answered. He had spoken enough that night, for Caroline's taste.

"Ah, well, be sure to give them both my best," Slughorn said, before moving his gaze to another student. "What about your uncle, Belby? For those of you who don't know, Marcus's uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion," that comment piqued Caroline's interest, simply because of Remus. She hoped Slughorn wouldn't bring her into the conversation. "Is he working on anything new?"

Belby shrugged, eating the desert. "Don't know. Him and dad don't get on. Probably because my dad says potions are rubbish. His only potion worth anything is a stiff one at the end of the day." he said, Caroline counting down the seconds until she could leave in her head.

Slughorn turned to Hermione. "What about you, Miss Granger? What exactly does your family do in the Muggle world?"

Caroline hid a smile at Hermione's turn to speak. "My parents are dentists. They tend to people's teeth." she clarified.

"Fascinating. And is that considered a dangerous profession?" Slughorn asked. Caroline looked at Hermione, a knowing look on her face. She had known since the beginning how awkward the evening would be.

"No. Although, one boy, Robbie Fenwick, did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches." Hermione said with a small laugh that no one returned.

When Caroline thought she was in the clear, Slughorn turned to her. "Miss Taylor-Jones, your adoptive parents are Muggles, yes?" he questioned. Harry could tell how tense Caroline was, so he placed his hand on her knee softly.

Caroline thought quickly on how to answer the question. "Yes, they are. They work in offices." she explained, feeling Harry and Hermione's gazes on her, as well as everyone else who knew the true fate of her parents.

"I was sorry to hear of your father's attack, but thrilled that he returned home. Is he well?" Slughorn asked innocently.

Caroline's face fell before she gained the courage to answer. "He actually died a few weeks before term, in St. Mungo's." she spoke quietly.

"I'm so sorry for asking. How is your mother coping?" Slughorn said, regretting his questioning instantly when he saw the look on Caroline's face.

"She's doing much better." Caroline answered. Harry tapped her thigh to get Caroline's attention as he often did but she ignored him.

Cormac sat up straighter. "I heard Eloise tried to kill herself twice and is locked up by your grandmother." he said, everyone in the room, even Blaise, glaring at him.