NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Sixty-Six

To her surprise, Professor Zabini was seated in the corner of the room with two pints of butterbeer in front of her. The stub of the candle in front of her hardly illuminated her features and the wide, deep purple hat she wore obstructed half of it yet Calypso recognized her old professor instantly.

"Professor," Calypso greeted as she approached the woman. Professor Zabini lifted her brown eyes from the table and smiled up at the eighteen year old.

"Miss Krane, have a seat," Professor Zabini waved a white gloved hand at the empty chair across from her. Calypso did not need to be told twice as she promptly sat down across from the woman. "I admit I was surprised to receive your letter. I hoped to get as far away from Hogwarts as possible, but when you wrote I knew I needed to come back."

"Why did you quit, if you don't mind me asking?" Calypso asked.

Professor Zabini smiled secretively.

"I always knew my time at Hogwarts was limited. I never planned to stay for long, only for a short time." Professor Zabini shrugged carelessly and took a long sip of her Butterbeer. Calypso glanced at the signet ring on the woman's finger, representative of the Zabini family and their long bloodline. The rubied scorpion served as a warning to Calypso. "In your letter, you said you wanted to know about your grandmother, Rhea."

"Yes. I know it is not an easy thing I am asking, for you to tell me about someone you have known for years. Someone who you call a friend. But, there are things about my grandmother that I don't understand. Truthfully, I don't think I understand her at all."

"I do not think you would be the first person to feel that way," Professor Zabini laughed. Calypso tried to imagine a younger version of her teacher, a close friend of her grandmother's, but the vision was hard for her to see. "Rhea was always an elusive and mysterious person, even when we were children. I thought I knew who she was for a long time, but you never see what she does not want you to. She is the smartest woman I have ever known."

Calypso grated her teeth together, having to take a deep breath. She did not want to hear Professor Zabini sing her grandmother's praises.

"Professor Zabini, I'm not sure if you read Mrs. Mckinnon's article in the Prophet —"

"Every word," Professor Zabini said. She twisted the ring on her finger absentmindedly. "It was a compelling read, seeing as there was no concrete evidence to support Rhea's involvement with the Death Eaters. No pictures, no testimony from established individuals. It was simply an article written by a reporter because of the words of a seventeen year old. Albeit, you are her granddaughter, Rhea Krane is beloved by many. You are no one to them."

These were things Calypso already knew and she did not appreciate Zabini's reminder.

"We wanted to inform the public of the problem immediately. If at least one person believed Rhea was working with Voldemort then that was enough."

Professor Zabini hummed. She tilted her head to the side as she examined Calypso, a curious expression on her face.

"But is it enough? You want me to come forward with information on Rhea and Tom; you want me to be the one to validate your story," Professor Zabini sighed, continuing to play with her ring. "But, I cannot do that. Rhea would not be the only person I betrayed in telling the truth. We never did value much, but loyalty was the one thing we held onto."

"If you have already decided you could not help me, why did you come?" Calypso asked. Her first instinct was to allow her hand to drift over where she kept her wand in the pocket of her robes. However, Professor Zabini offered her a reassuring smile and Calypso believed there was hope after all.