𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐁𝐎𝐆𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

"Thanks for ratting me out, mate." James scolded, his lips forming a smirk as he glanced momentarily at Peter. "Hello, Elphie!"

"No, thank you, Jace." Callisto responded, turning back to the front. She was vaguely aware of Remus' presence behind her, his gaze burning holes in the back of her head. She bit down on her lip, the warm feeling that used to spread all over her stomach only intensifying after their agreement in the empty classroom. There was no use denying it, Remus Lupin was absolutely mesmerizing. His warm hands were the exact opposite of her cold ones, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind everywhere he had touched her even if a whole day had passed. And then were his dark brown eyes that seemed to hide such a deep, painful secret that instead of scaring her away, only drew her in. His slightly crooked smile that lightened his whole face up and she could swear that it took away all the worries weighing down his shoulders. If she closed her eyes, she could clearly remember where every little scar on his face was, but she was simply unable to try and imagine what he'd look like without them. Whatever the hell was going on with the boy, Remus Lupin was utterly be-

"Listo." The gentle shaking on her shoulders tore her out of her little world, bringing her harshly back to reality. "Do you mind if we study Potions tomorrow instead of Friday?"

She quickly spun around, a quizzical look in her eyes. "Why?"

"I have to take my aunt's goldfish for a walk." He sarcastically remarked, a small smile involuntarily tugging his lips up when her pink lips pursed together in annoyance. "Oh come on, Listo!"

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me." She muttered, satisfaction filling her when she caught notice of the blush coating his cheeks. She spun around, observing as the long line of students started to get smaller and smaller. Seconds after a person moved to the front, a clicking sound would be heard and something new would appear in front of them, before it turned to a ridiculous image. Dead people would turn into butterflies with small, knitted boots, deatheaters would be dressed in clown costumes and then laughter would ensue, before the next person came to the front of the line. That's what had happened with Narcissa, who saw a dark brown door with a silver handle, the sound of screams reaching her ears. That's what happened with Peter Pettigrew who saw a snake slythering around his dead body, blood covering his face. That's what happened to Lily Evans and James Potter who saw their closest friends lying dead on the floor. James was surprised to see his body lying next to Marlene's, while Lily didn't dare to look at her frozen, pale figure. And then, there was Sirius Black who had to face his mother, only to turn her into a scrawny looking cat with a clown nose.

Callisto hadn't realized her turn had come until she felt Remus gently pushing her closer to the chest. The last of laughter was now dying down, making Callisto's heart beat faster. The faint clicking sound was heard, goosebumps trailing her skin when a familiar figure materialized right before her eyes.

Time seemed to freeze. No, this was so wrong yet so right at the same time. Callisto watched in confusion as the girl stepped out of the chest, her dark brown hair falling in annoyingly perfect curls and framing her carefully painted cheeks. Just like the last time Callisto had seen her, there was absolutely no flaw in her sculpted features other than the unsettling glimmer in her caramel eyes.

Remus glanced at Callisto and then back at the woman, his hand laying still on the girl's shoulder. The silence was thick in the room, everyone's eyes fixated on the woman with the long red dress. She seemed to be covered in layers and layers of rich fabric, her hands buried deep in the pockets of the dress. The movement was unnaturally laid back compared to her structured physique.

"Professor," Callisto called. "I think there's something wrong with the Boggart."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the girl collapsed to the ground and let out a blood-curling scream. Callisto stood frozen as Antonia's screams became louder and louder, her body convulsing violently. Callisto reached for her wand but the action was soon forgotten as Antonia's body was replaced by another one. Not a single second passed before she realized who the person was. After all, she didn't know many people with dark blond curls and oddly patterned socks that stood out against his carefully picked suit.

If she was shocked by Antonia's screams, Nick's cries did the trick. It was a sound she wished she would never hear again and an image she had tried for months to get out of her memory. An overwhelming nausea took over her body like the guilt took over her mind. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't her fault. How could it be her fault? Oh, but it was! There was no one else to blame!

"Professor!" Remus shouted, unable to mask the worry in his voice. Callisto seemed to be frozen, her wand lying on the floor far away from her reach. Why was Collins just standing there and doing nothing? He didn't know who the people were but even he felt distressed from the cries of agony.

"It's her Boggart." Collins responded, her hands trembling slightly.

"Your..." Remus' head snapped to the front as the boy had managed to raise his head, blood coming out of his mouth. "Fault."

He couldn't process when exactly the idea came to him, but the urge to do something about what was happening in front of him was too strong. He jumped in front of Callisto, his grip on his wand tightening as a faint sound ensued and the image changed to that of a night sky. Remus' heart clenched as he saw the full moon among the dark clouds, instinctively waiting for the pain to come. It wasn't real, he reminded himself and aimed at the moon, taking one final glimpse before he uttered the spell. The silver disk started deflating and turned into a white ballon. The class roared with laughter as if they hadn't just witnessed the most gruesome scene his mind could come up with.

Remus moved to the side, allowing the next person to stand in front of the Boggart. His eyes immediately looked for Callisto around the class, but she was nowhere to be seen. He bit his tongue, annoyance coming over him. He hadn't payed attention to her for five minutes and she had just disappeared.

He was frantically picking up his stuff when a crumbled piece of paper hit him and fell right next to his feet. Unconsciously, he picked the paper up and unfolded it, revealing a neat handwriting.

"The password is Aurora."