Carina McGonagall is named after the constellation containing the second brightest star in the sky - and it just so happens one Sirius Black is named after the brightest. They've always had an interesting relationship throughout the years - pranks...
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25th December 1975
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Christmas morning itself was wonderful: Carina was the only one left in the Ravenclaw fifth years' dormitories and everything was peaceful. The natural, almost harsh white, sunlight peeking through the curtains had woken her up; but in her cat form, it seemed simply natural to nap in sunbeams, and as such, she slept for three more hours before actually getting out of bed.
A small pile of presents were at the end of her bed: all her family's gifts to her, excluding her mother's. As most of her female friends had gone home for the holidays, their gifts were also there.
Despite having no one else around, Carina still neatly shelled her presents of their gift wrapping and placed it to one side. It would always drive her mad if she didn't.
Her Aunt Lucy had made her a new pair of dress robes, in a pretty shimmery dark blue colour. This was probably supposed to be a hint that she was going to be invited to some fancy Ministry event, but Carina decided she didn't care. Lucy was an amazing seamstress - when her mother had died, Lucy had taken over the robes shop she had owned, Madam Malkins', with her brother.
The rest of her family had gotten her the usual gifts: new books - fiction and nonfiction - and quills from Aunt Caoimhe and Uncle Robert; chocolate and fudge from Uncle Malcolm and Aunt Lucy, as well as the dress (due to Uncle Malcolm being a creator for new flavours at Honeydukes); enchanted notebooks and pencils from Grandma Izzy.
Dorcas gave Carina enchanted photos of them all for her scrapbook, and Marlene gave her some joke items from Zonko's. From Lily, a pile of new potion ingredients. Lily had recently created a very complex potion that soothes the mind and calms anxiety, so the drinker would become less stressed for a certain period of time and she had given Carina a little stockpile, as well as the ingredients to rebrew it, if necessary.
Lily probably kept the group sane: without her, Marlene would be permanently in detention and distracted; Dorcas would have stayed intensely shy and probably never have started talking again; and Carina... Carina would be off her head with anxiety, paranoia and the all consuming fear of failure and being a burden to people. Lily balanced everyone else out but it was their job to make sure that Lily didn't punch everyone.
A knock sounded on the dorm room door, drawing Carina out of her thoughts. In tumbled the Marauders as Carina opened the door, another student having obviously unknowingly let them in. What a mistake by them, Carina found herself thinking, smiling at the thought of the trouble that would undoubtedly be caused now.
Laughing, Carina helped the boys up from the pile they had formed on the floor and together the group walked downstairs and out of the Ravenclaw common room. Sirius slipped his hand into hers as they walked downstairs.
The Great Hall - as empty of students as it was - was alive with colours, lights and sounds. The few students who were left were all clustered together in groups, in spite of their usual Houses and tables. Dragging her, the Marauders pulled Carina over to the top end of the Gryffindor table where Minerva greeted them.
"Merry Christmas, Minnie!" Sirius said, his face spreading into a cheeky grin. Behind his back, he continued to hold Carina's hand. Carina's mother batted him away with one hand. "Once you've graduated you can call me that, you cheeky thing." She turned to Carina. "Merry Christmas, love." Minerva handed Carina a small package. From her own robe pocket, Carina produced a delicately wrapped parcel.
Laughing to themselves, they exchanged the presents, before hugging each other tightly. They spent breakfast together; eating like they used to back home in their cottage every morning and talking and laughing.
As they finished up and Carina was about to get up and leave, Minerva grabbed her hand and said: "I know that I am a professor, but this I say as your mother - I know what happened with Sirius Black yesterday and I've seen how he acts around you. It's like he's a different person. But all the same, be careful, love. I don't want you to get hurt." For a moment, Minerva looked so sad, as if remembering her own heartbreak. But then she smiled at her daughter and simply said: "Especially not hurt by silly boys like him. Go enjoy your Christmas, love. You deserve to have fun."
Electing not to question how Minerva knew anything about the Sirius thing, Carina simply nodded and bent over slightly so her mother could kiss her head. Then she turned, throwing one last smile at her mum and ran off towards her friends.
