𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄, 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒!

"Let her come with us." Sirius demanded, before apparating away. They were the only ones still standing back.

And Remus couldn't argue anymore.

Callisto melted into the kiss immediately as he pulled her closer to him, his hands cupping her face. This time, it wasn't soft and tender, but desperate, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he held her. The kiss didn't last long, just mere seconds, before they pulled apart.

"Let's go." He whispered, kissing her forehead.

Callisto closed her eyes, holding his hand tighter, before they apparated away.

~ ~ ~

It was a bloodbath from the beginning.

Callisto had learned over the first war that usually, in attacks like these, the beginning was always slow. Everyone was relatively safe, just wanting to cause some harm and not kill, until something happened and hell broke loose. A faulty spell, a verbal threat; those were things that led to the massacres that happened.

This time, there was none of that. It was a 'kill or die' situation from the first spell.

Voldemort had sent his finest soldiers, many of which Callisto recognized. Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy seemed to lead the attack. Antonin Dolohov and Rabastan with Rodolphus Lestrange were amongst the most vicious.

And Callisto... Well, she was never really made for a battlefield like that. It was too direct, too primal. There was no sophistication, just brute force. Even from an aesthetic standpoint, she opposed it.
Moving past her lack of appreciation for the scenery, there were many problems and nobody seemed to be managing to fix them.

Everyone had just thrown themselves in fighting, without actually thinking. And somehow, even though they were here to protect the kids, nobody there seemed to be smart enough to realize they could simply apparate them away.

"Kid!" She shouted, casting a protective spell. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"W-what?"

"Did you eat anything today?" She repeated the question. "Bombarda!"

The spell directed towards them clashed with hers, sending the masked dueller against them to the other side of the room. She turned to look at the child in question; a boy that seemed to be around Harry's year. Messy hair, dark smudges of dirt on his face from the battle, big, brown eyes that seemed too nice to ever be in a battle and his Gryffindor tie and crest still perfectly in place.

"Just lunch."

"Lunch it is then." She murmured to herself, taking his hand. Seconds later, they were transported inside the Headquarters, the boy falling on his back at the sudden landing.

"Go clean yourself up and wait for us."

She didn't wait for his answer to apparate back to the Ministry. She scanned the room for Harry, not surprised to see he was dueling a masked man. Remus and Sirius were close by. She saw Ron and Hermione dueling Dolohov together, while Ginny Weasley was in a rather sticky situation, along with a girl with long blond hair and a dreamy expression.

"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted, the spell hitting the man on his back. He fell to the ground and Callisto quickly apparated next to them, taking both their hands as she transported them away.

"Stay here!"

"But, Harry-"

"Weasley, you're 14." Callisto stated pointedly. "Stop that."

"Hello." The blonde girl greeted, wiping away a trickle of blood from her forehead. "Did you know your arms keep the nargles away?"

"Excuse me?"

"That's very noble."

Callisto blinked in confusion, turning to Ginny for help.

"It's a compliment."

"Thank you." Callisto murmured, a bit unsurely. "I-I have to get going. We'll all be back soon."

And with that, she apparated back to the Ministry of Magic for the second time. Getting to Harry, or Hermione with Ron was an impossible task at this point. It seemed as if they had realized she was helping people escape, and soon enough, she had gotten herself into dueling with a masked woman and a man.

It wasn't Bellatrix, that much she knew. She was a bit slower, albeit as ruthless, but resorted to casting her spells verbally. Callisto sent her to the wall quickly enough with a stunning spell, and was now left to duel with the man.

His spells were quick; too quick. He was better than her and it was obvious. She felt as if control of the situation was slipping through her fingers like sand, and there was nobody to stop the inevitable. He knew that too, because he only gained confidence as she tried to recoil, casting spells that she hadn't even heard of.

"Lumos!" A voice said, the light erupting blinding her for a brief moment. She heard voices pausing as they all stopped, unable to see their opponents.

A scream, a thumping sound, and a small stream of blood reaching her feet.

The man was dead, the back of his head split in two. Blood was oozing out of it and she stepped to the back, confusion overcoming her at who had killed the man.

She looked up, and she could have sworn, she had seen that shade of brown in the man's eyes, hidden behind the same mask. Verifying her suspicions, he winked, before disappearing into the battle.

Gathering her thoughts back together, she rushed over to Remus. Sirius and Harry were battling Bellatrix, leaving Mulciber all to Remus.

"Hello, love." Remus greeted when he saw her, casting a protective shield and stopping the curse from hitting her. "How are you?"

"Not my scenery." She complained. "Bombarda!"

Mulciber screamed in pain, the curse hitting foot. He fell to the ground, muttering a curse through moans of pain that Callisto easily deflected.

"Why do you always have to be so messy?" Remus wondered, casting a quick stunning spell. The cries of pain ceased immediately, blood continuing to ooze out of the wound despite the man's passing.

"Force of habit."

He only rolled his eyes, smiling cheekily as they ran over to help Sirius and Harry. Callisto didn't see Malfoy approaching them, nor lifting his wand and casting a curse. The spell hit her ribs and she fell to the ground with a scream of pain.

"Callisto!" Remus rushed to her, falling on the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I think- I think I broke something." She murmured through deep breaths of pain. "Remus, it burns."

"It's alright, love. It will be alright." He promised, pushing the hair away from her face. "Can you stand for me?"

The pain was killing her, but she managed to stand up with Remus' help, clutching on her ribs. Her shirt wasn't sticky with blood, and she felt no open wounds.

Her vision was blurry as she looked over to Sirius and Harry. One of Harry's spells had managed to hit Bellatrix and she stumbled back.

"Nice one, James!"

For those brief 10 seconds, time stopped.

Callisto saw as Bellatrix raised her arm, aiming her wand at Sirius. The spell was weak, she was still shaken from the impact of the curse, and yet, it managed to hit Sirius. There were no green lights, momentary relief washing over Callisto.

It wasn't a killing curse.

She didn't understand how or why, but he stumbled back, falling through the arc behind him. And just as Harry reached to pull him back, Sirius Black was forever gone.

The last thing Callisto managed to see was his smile, an image so hauntingly peaceful compared to the blood-curdling scream reaching her ears.

~ ~ ~
I'm sobbing rn. Why must I always get attached to the dead ones?