Chapter Text
Karina Black frowned at the speck in the sky, knowing her owl, Hermes, was on his way back with news from the Wizarding world. She jumped off the fence that enclosed her family’s property, the grass around her bright and green. Summertime in Canada, her home for as long as she could remember, was warm and the slight breeze tussled her waves of brown hair around.
“Hey buddy,” she murmured as Hermes landed on the fence post, hooting happily. She unhooked the bundle of letters. Scanning them quickly, she let out a huff of disappointment when she saw none from Harry. Leaning against the post, she lifted her face to the sky and sighed. You would think, that after everything they'd gone through together, he could at least send a quick ‘ hey, how are you doing, me? I'm great’ .
Then she thought of his family, and the thought crossed her mind that perhaps they had taken away his owl. But then why wouldn't he have sent something back with Hermes?
Deciding to look into it later, she began walking back to the house and hummed happily as she spotted the Hogwarts crest on one of the letters. Ripping it open, she scanned the book list before asking the empty field, “who the fuck is Gilderoy Lockhart?”
“Talking to yourself, Mouse?”
Kari looked up at the sound of the man who raised her, the one she called father, as she got out of the car, pulling out the photography gear he used to make a living. “Got my supply list,” she said easily as she went over to help.
Keith Moore grabbed the letter from her as he started for the house. “Guess it's time for a trip. Have you heard from your friends? Maybe we can meet up with them, grab your things all at once.”
“That'd be nice,” she agreed as she thumbed through the letters. “One from Ron and one from Hermione. Still nothing from Harry.”
“Worried?”
Kari shrugged. “A bit. Nothing he can't handle though, after last year. Maybe we can go rescue him while we're there. I bet the Dursley’s will be more willing to let him come with you, being Muggle and all.”
“They sound like lovely people,” Keith muttered under his breath. “I'll book some flights. Why don't you go get your things together? Who would've thought you would've gotten messier with all those books and robes…”
She let out a bark of laughter, running up the stairs. Her mother, her adoptive mother (she couldn't understand when she started making the distinction in her mind) was sitting in the play area where her son was toddling along. He let out a screech and raced towards her. Deidre Moore beamed at her children. “Hello darling. What have you been up to?”
“Walking.” She flopped on the ground and let her brother climb into her lap. “I got my letter from Hogwarts.”
“Oh.”
Kari glanced up at the sound of sadness in that single word. “Mom?”
“You just got back. I can't believe it's almost time for you to leave again.” Deidre said softly, staring out the window. “I was ready for my children to start thinking about leaving me when they turned eighteen. But you… well. I guess you just grew up faster.”
In a flash, Kari saw Harry unconscious at her feet. Realized how fast that had indeed made her grow in such a small amount of time. “I'm still your baby,” she whispered.
Deidre turned her smile towards her, love written on her face. “And you always will be. Your father already planning on the trip back?”
“He is! And he said that I’d better start packing.” Giving the young child a final tickle, Kari stood as she opened Hermione’s letter. “Oh. Hermione is going school supply shopping next week. Can you tell Dad?”
“Of course. Go pack.”
Kari nodded. She walked into her room, where memories of her childhood and her first year at Hogwarts were scattered all over it. Flopping on her bed, she opened up a letter from Ron and swore loudly.
Sooo don't be mad. We went and got Harry. They had him barred up because there was magic detected at his house. He's here at the Burrow now. He's safe.
“Daaaaad!” Kari hollered as she wrote a quick note back to Ron, telling him of her plan to meet with Hermione for school supply shopping. Hermes appeared at her window, and she attached it to his leg. “Those people had Harry captive. Bars and all”.
“The most upstanding citizens, really.” Was his dry remark from below.
*
The first time she saw Harry Potter for the first time in nearly two months, he was covered in dirt and grime and his glasses were broken. She had been standing at the stairs by Gringotts Bank, listening to Hermione rattle off all she'd been studying while they'd been off. Her father had hit it off with Hermione’s parents - all three Muggles here for the love they held for their children.
And then, as if she were a moth drawn to a flame, she had glanced around the crowd lazily until she spotted a pair of green eyes she knew so well. Hermione noticed her grin and rushed down to meet him. Kari followed at a slower pace, her knees shaking.
“You alright?” He asked her after getting free of Hermione’s hug.
“Me?” She scoffed as she nudged his shoulder. “I wasn't the one held prisoner the last couple weeks. Hello, Hagrid.”
The giant gamekeeper beamed at her.
The Weasley’s found them and suddenly the group got so much louder. Mr. Weasley spotted Hermione’s parents and her father and she would've thought Christmas came early for him.
“Dad?” Kari said as she raised her voice. “I'm going down to my vault. Do you want to come with?”
“I'm good,” he said with a wide smile as he listened to Mr. Weasley happily.
Kari, never having to worry about gold or even money in the Muggle world due to her parents - both adoptive and real- jumped off the cart that had brought them down easily and sauntered over. Then she remembered the Weasley’s vault, and her stomach twisted. She knew even if she were to offer to buy Ron’s supplies this year, they would turn her down. And yet… They waited for her, just outside the vault and would see the door open and all the gold inside once the goblin opened the door the whole way for her.
And so, with these thoughts, Kari squared her shoulders and raised her jaw… and thought of her father, the one in a cell at Azkaban. She thought of a more collected version of him, of one that carried the Black name and the weight of it on his shoulders. “Please go into the vault and get me a little more than what I'll need for this year,” she told the goblin in what she hoped was a calm but firm voice. “Next year, I'll do this without the audience and make this less embarrassing. But I require your help to make this matter less… awkward.”
The goblin stared up at her before finally inclining his head. He opened the vault, enough for him to get and no more so no one could see in. She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart felt as if it were breaking at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face. Would it have been better to have been her normal self and ignore trying to be more sensitive? She just didn't know… it seemed like either way she couldn't win.
This awful, embarrassing experience was soon over and she had never been so glad to be going above ground like she was right now. She knew it was not her fault she had more gold than the Weasley's, that her mother and father had worked had to acquire what they did, and in her father's case, generations upon generations. She just wished she could help.
Kari followed the others quietly, selecting new potions equipment and parchment and quickly began to feel like her old self. By the time they got to Flourish and Botts, she had a spring in her step and laughed easily.
At the sight of the crowd, and the banner above the store, she groaned, “ugh, we have to meet him?”
Hermione, on the other hand was blushing and said, “we can actually meet him!”
Rolling her eyes, she followed the others, grabbing her copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 along with other books to help tide her mind during quiet nights at Hogwarts.
She came to rest by her father’s side, laughing softly as Keith messed her hair up. And then the laughter left her as Gilderoy Lockhart, in all his in-your-face glory stepped out, blinding white teeth and stunning blue eyes. “ That prat?” Kari managed to croak after a stunned second.
Moments later, they were pushed out of the way by a photographer -she noticed her father watching the man curiously- and Kari yelped as she lost her balance and fell mostly into Harry, who was trying desperately to keep her upright.
And then the man with the stupid smile and even stupider hair all but shouted, “it can't be Harry Potter!”
Harry was yanked from her side, and had it not been for her father finally looking away from the camera and catching her, her face would've most definitely met the floor.
Kari watched from the crowd at Harry’s uncomfortable face, at the blonde man who obviously thought he was a gift to witches everywhere, to Hermione’s look of admiration of her face and scoffed. “Unbelievable,” Kari muttered as Harry jumped off, and handed Ginny the collection of Gilderoy Lockhart books that had just been given to him by the man himself. Kari grabbed the closest bundle of his books before beckoning the others towards Harry.
As if the afternoon was not already unpleasant enough, Kari groaned as she spotted Draco Malfoy sneering at Harry and Ginny. He mouthed off at Ron, and while Ron and Harry held him back, she raised her eyebrows at him. “I wasn't sure you'd be getting the same books as us this year, Malfoy. From what I heard, your grades were less than desirable. I suppose having all that precious Pure blood in you does nothing to make you less stupid.”
“Ah, and you must be young Karina Black.”
The older, silkier voice of a man had Kari looking up. He looked like Draco but older, more worthy of the name he had. She lifted her chin and nodded. Something in her told her to mind her tongue - Draco might think he knew who her family was, but if there was anyone who would know for sure it was his father. His wife, after all, was her father’s cousin. Mr. Malfoy smirked down at her, savoring the moment and what he would say next.
She was saved having to maneuver her way through that sticky situation by Mr. Weasley who was calling for them.
Had it not been Mr. Weasley’s fist that connected with Draco’s father’s face, Kari was sure it would've been hers. The way he had insinuated that the Muggles in their group -her father - was a form of disgrace had made her blood boil and her vision turned red. While Mr. Weasley grappled with Mr. Malfoy, and Draco laughed while he cheered his father on, she turned her glare on him and punched him clean across the jaw. Draco fell back on his ass, looking up at her dazed.
“My father-!” He began to squeak as he held his jaw.
“Is getting his ass kicked,” Kari snarled as she advanced, rolling up her sleeves. “Crazy blood-loving fools .”
“Kari, no!”
She was lifted from the floor and spun away, hissing and cussing the whole way. “Put me DOWN!”
“Karina Black, I did not raise you to brawl in stores like a common thug!” Keith thundered as he squeezed past Hagrid and dragged her out.
Kari broke free from him, panting loudly. “Do you understand what they were suggesting in there? That by being mere common born Muggles, you're nothing !”
“And?” Keith snapped back, staring at a version of his daughter he had not seen. “Hermione is a Muggle as well, and she's a brilliant witch. Blood means nothing, Kari. Those… those people clearly have their priorities wrong. As long as you are the best version of yourself, and don't sink to their level, or worse , your fath-”
“Stop!” Kari gasped as she took a step back. They stared at either other, both still reeling from the direction this fight had taken.
“Oi!” Ron hollered from the opening of the store as the rest of the Weasley’s began to pour out, Mr. Weasley looking worse for wear while Mrs. Weasley followed him as she berated him. “We're heading back to the Burrow. Are you staying the rest of the holidays with us?”
Kari glanced at her father, before sighing. “I uh… yeah. I'll meet you there. Floo powder myself or something. Hopefully do better than Harry.”
The Weasley’s said a quick goodbye to Hermione’s parents and Keith, who still seemed a bit stunned. “It was very nice to meet you,” Mrs. Granger said as they walked back to the inn. “It's always so nice meeting Hermione’s friends.”
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” Kari mumbled through the daze she couldn't seem to shake. “Um. I'm gonna go pack.”
“Pack?” Hermione asked as she followed Kari upstairs.
Scowling over her shoulder, she snapped, “I'm staying at the Weasley’s till the end of the holiday.”
Looking crestfallen, Hermione stopped at the foot of the bed. “I thought… I thought we'd spent it here. Together.”
“I can't,” Kari said quickly, unable to explain. “Sorry.”
She began to shove her books into the trunk, letting Hermes fly free, knowing he would go find her at the Weasley’s. She found she couldn't say anything to Hermione, couldn't look her in the eye without thinking that perhaps she had sunk down as low as the Malfoy's.
“I'll see you at school,” she mumbled as she pushed past her, dragging her trunk behind. Keith was waiting for her by the fireplace, looking confused.
“I didn't mean-” he began before Kari ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Blinking back tears, she whispered, “you're right. With everything stacked against me, I can't be like… well.”
“I didn't mean… Ah hell, Mouse. Thank you. For standing up for me. But don't feel like you have to. Their words are just that: words. They don't hurt me. Not when I know I have the brightest witch around, doing what she does best.”
Kari chuckled. “I'm assuming that doesn't include throwing punches.”
“If you tell your mother I said this, I'll deny it until my last breath but… impressive hook, kiddo.”
She laughed, wiping away tears. “I kinda told the Weasley's…”
Keith smiled a bit sadly. “I heard. I understand.”
Sighing deeply, she pulled out a bit of Floo Powder from her pouch and dragged her things into the space with her. “I'll see you… Well.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, waving.
His face, and what looked like regret on it, was the last thing she saw before she said “The Burrow!” and was swallowed up by green flames.