𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝟏𝟐 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

"Callisto, please lower your wand." Professor Dumbledore instructed calmly.

"I don't take orders from you."

"Love, lower the wand." Remus pleaded. She averted her gaze from Sirius momentarily. Remus looked exhausted and his white shirt was covered with blood, bandages peaking through the collar. His arm was tied securely.

She lowered her wand. Remus visibly relaxed.

"I will leave you three alone." Dumbledore settled, exiting the room. Callisto remained glued in front of the door, refusing to walk closer to either of them.

"I know you're confused-"

"That's an understatement."

"Okay, I know you're fucking furious right now." Remus corrected. "But it all makes sense, alright? Sirius wasn't the traitor."

"Impossible."

"It was Peter. Peter betrayed them."

"I said it's impossible. You betrayed them! You killed Peter and all those muggles, Sirius!" She argued, her voice louder. Her wand was raised again, anger burning in her chest. The boxes she had categorised the war in were getting mixed up right in front of her eyes. It felt sacrilegious- it was sacrilegious.

"I would rather die than betray-"

"You should have died!"

"Callisto!" Remus yelled for the first time in what had been years. He hadn't raised his voice at her in years, not even to call her from across the house. Her hand trembled as she lowered her wand, and with it, so fell her defences. Behind those walls she was confused, and she hadn't felt confused in years. She didn't need to feel confused, she had her boxes.

Now, they were about as real as the biggest hoax.

"Listo, please, come closer."

"No."

"I'll explain everything." Remus swore. Callisto shook her head negatively, refusing to look at Sirius. At that time, all she wanted to do was drop on the floor and bawl her eyes out, because she was confused. Remus could be confused, but she couldn't. It wasn't allowed, because if she had been confused back then too, it would have wrecked them.

"Sirius wasn't the secret keeper for James and Lily." Remus softly said, each word carefully crafted. "It was Peter. Peter was the secret keeper, and they didn't tell anyone. He was the spy, Callisto, not Sirius."

"Peter is dead."

"He isn't. He cut off his finger, and killed those muggles to make it seem like Sirius had attacked them. Peter, he-he transformed into his animagus and lived with the Weasleys."

He was explaining everything to her, and yet, in her head everything got more complicated. All she knew, even the most basic information was getting mixed. They were getting out of one box, moving to another without her approval. Soon, there were no boxes at all, just everything free to roam in her head.

Peter was the spy.

Sirius is innocent.

The Potters died because of Peter, not Sirius.

Sirius is innocent!
She hadn't realised that Remus was calling her name, hesitant to approach her as she hyperventilated. Sweat was running cold in her spine and everything was out of place. Her chest hurt, maybe she was dying. Was that supposed to be what death felt? Like a hand pressing down on her chest as if it wanted to crack it in two pieces?

Sirius is innocent!

And then everything went black.

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