Dirty Mouth, Dirty Blood [h.g]

forty five

AN: I made the above gif and I'm probably more proud of it than I should be lol.

45

Then

Carina sat in front of Professor Umbridge, fingers laced across her lap.

"Why did you need to see me, Professor?" Carina asked, ice seeping into her tone.

"I want you to join my Inquisitorial Squad. We keep Hogwarts safe, and I think you'd make a good addition." Umbridge said, her voice making Carina feel sick.

"You know, I think I'll pass, but thanks." Carina said with a sickly-sweet smile.

Umbridge grit her teeth, squaring her shoulders. She wasn't going to go down without a fight, but Carina was stubborn as hell. "I assure you, Miss Malfoy, you want a teacher on your side."

"And I assure you, Professor, I'll be fine on my own." Carina said, staring her down.

"Humph. We'll see," Umbridge said, though she sounded unsure.

"Underestimate me. That'll be fun." Carina muttered as she turned to leave.

"What was that?" Umbridge asked, all trace of cordiality gone.

"I said, 'I wonder if I'm late, History's fun.' Will that be all?" Carina asked, shooting her a tight-lipped smile.

"Yes. Enjoy History of Magic." Umbridge said, and Carina left with her head held high.

As fun as raining on Potter's parade would be, she had better things to do with her time.

Like planning an escape.

Now

Carina woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom. She was disoriented for a moment, and her head still pounded. But then she turned, and there was Hermione.

"Carina?" Hermione mumbled, voice rough from sleep and screaming.

"Hermione," Carina breathed, pulling the smaller girl into her arms immediately. She pressed kisses everywhere she could reach, murmuring 'never again's against her skin.

"Carina," Hermione laughed, "I'm okay."

Carina shook her head nuzzling into Hermione's frizzy hair. "I love you, 'Mione. I love you so much. I promise, so long as I am alive, that will never happen again."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered, "but don't promise me things like that. I don't like to think about you dying."

Carina kissed Hermione like there was no tomorrow, the way she always did. She kissed Hermione until the older girl forgot all about making Carina take back her promise.

Carina was loyal to a fault, and just a bit suicidal, and the combination led to a very dangerous lover.

Hermione finally fell asleep again in Carina's arms, the torture having completely worn her out.

Carina pressed a kiss to her hairline, snuggling in closer. She wanted to stay there forever.

Harry opened the door a little while later, tiptoeing in. "Carina," he whispered, "she still asleep?"

"The Cruciatus curse will do that to a person," Carina said, bitterness coloring her tone, "I know from experience."

"I was going to ask if you two wanted to come interrogate Griphook with me."

"Griphook?" Carina asked, not recognizing the name.

"A goblin we met at the Manor." Harry explained.

"Ah. Well, I think we'll pass, seeing as Hermione is still passed out and I'm not sure if my magic has completely come back yet."

"What was that, by the way?" Harry asked, sitting on the edge on the bed.

"I'm not sure. We've always known I was powerful, but that looked like pure magic. I really don't know how I did that. The thing is, though, it sounds a lot like what your wand did when you faced the Dark Lord during the Triwizard Tournament. And everyone always says that magic comes from within, the wands just channel the magic... So I think that maybe all wizards have magic flowing through their veins. Some happen to have more powerful magic, but there's magic all the same. And in a situation where you just let the magic take over, you become the magic. Does that make any sense?"

"A tremendous amount," Harry said, giving her a faint smile. Carina wasn't sure if he truly agreed or if he was just humoring her, but she'd take it all the same.

"I'll see you when we get back," Harry said with a smile, kissing Hermione on the forehead before doing the same to Carina.

She felt color rise in her cheeks, alerting her to the state of her face. "Oh, shit. How's my makeup?" Carina asked, terror overtaking her face.

Harry just laughed. "Horrible. It's smeared all over your face. But you still look better than Ron in the morning, so I'd consider it a win."

"You know, Potter?" Carina asked, lacing her fingers with his. "You're kinda growing on me. Like a fungus."

"And you're as shallow as a bathtub." Harry quipped, wiping a clump of mascara off her cheek.

"Touché. But really, Potter. I'm fond of you." Carina said, allowing a hint of vulnerability to show through.

"I'm fond of you as well," Harry said, standing up. He shot her one last smile as he left, and Carina pulled the covers back over her face, breathing in Hermione's scent.

It was only later that she would realize she still didn't know where she was.