NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Fifty-Seven

"Don't be. It's good that you didn't." Calypso frowned, wondering what Rhea could mean by that. Rhea sighed. "The Ministry has been feeding reporters lies about you to make the attack on Diagon Alley not seem as bad as it was."

"As bad?" Calypso repeated.

"They're covering up the casualties and the number of people who have gone missing since the attack." Rhea pulled her brows together. "Have you not been reading the paper?"

"No one wants me to." Calypso said. Rhea reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"They want to shield you from it, but they shouldn't. You deserve to know the truth."

           Calypso held the paper in her hands, staring at the picture of herself; Her head hung low and obstructed the view of her face until she glanced up at whoever captured the picture, her eyes bloodshot and she looked very displeased. That's when Calypso recognized when the picture was taken — the sweater she was wearing and the buildings behind her told her that it had been captured when was leaving the Ministry after watching her father die.

                 The headline read:

CALYPSO KRANE: TRULY AS INNOCENT AS SHE SEEMS?

       Calypso rolled her eyes, briefly scanning over the article, shocked and appalled at what she read. They accused her of working for Voldemort, for leading him and his Death Eaters into Diagon Alley. Calypso paused when she reached the end of the article, shooting to her feet instantly.

            Even one of Calypso Krane's ex-boyfriends, guitarist for White Rabbit, Aerin Talbott, was reported missing following the attack. Talbott's friends and family are asking for any information on his whereabouts at this time.

             "Why wouldn't they tell me Aerin was missing?" Calypso asked, a panicked look on her face as she spun to face her grandmother. "He . . . he came to visit me."

            Guilt gnawed away at Calypso. Aerin was another person who had gotten thrown into her orbit and ended up worse because of it. He was missing and when people went missing because of Voldemort, they never come back. Calypso wondered if her grandmother knew what happened to Aerin and whether or not he was still alive.

"Do you . . ." Calypso swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Do you think there's a chance he's still alive?"

Rhea tilted her head curiously to the side, seeming to silently ponder something while she continued to stare at her granddaughter. But, for a moment, Calypso felt something press against her mind. It was so soft that she could barely feel it, a sign that a skilled Legilimen was trying to get inside her mind. Calypso didn't put her walls up or try to block her grandmother from entering; Instead, she relaxed and pretended as though she didn't notice a thing. She pushed her concern for Aerin to the forefront of her mind, wondering whether or not he was okay.

"Maybe Aerin's fine." said Rhea after a few moments of silence. She rose from the bench and looked down at Calypso. "Write to me while you're away. I'll be away helping the Ministry with something, but I will receive your letters."

Calypso nodded and Rhea started to walk away before Calypso spun around.

"How are Alex and Maverick?" Calypso asked. Rhea came to a stop at Calypso's question. She turned around, a warm smile on her face that seemed so genuine it made Calypso's stomach churn.