Callisto

12

When they came out of the bathroom, the tables had been pushed back and couples had begun to dance. Jaron came over to her, but she was unsure.

"I don't know, Jaron," she said awkwardly. "You were being awful earlier. And your friends...."

"They're like that," he said. "I'm sorry, Callisto. They act like idiots all the time. Dance with me?"

Callisto looked to Sarafina, who waved a hand. "Oh, don't mind me," she said.

Callisto felt guilty, but went with Jaron, who was a good dancer and unexpectedly patient with her, laughing when she missed steps, showing her how to do it properly. After a few songs, she caught sight of Tadhg and Louisa, who were waltzing close together even though it was a fast song, like they could hear their own music. Louisa's eyes were closed, but she opened them and mouthed to Callisto over his shoulder, Adele?

"I'm hot," Callisto said, when the song ended. "Do you want to sit for a bit?"

Jaron didn't mind, and she sat near Adele while he went to get some punch.

"Where's Grace?"

Adele had her arms folded. "She went off with somebody from Durmstrang. I didn't feel like dancing."

"Oh Adele. Sarafina's there. Just talk to her."

"She won't listen," she said stiffly. "She never does."

Callisto was ready to give up, and when she went back to the dance floor, she mouthed to Louisa, Not well.

"I want to tell you something, Callisto," Jaron said, as they waltzed to a slow song. "I....I really like you. Honestly. It's never been like this before."

She smiled. "I really like you too."

But as they passed the dancing Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime, the band suddenly went quiet. They stopped dancing, as did the others, looking up at the stage as the band put down their instruments. Somebody was getting up on stage, and though she couldn't properly see them, she heard his magnified voice through the crowd. Montague.

"It's a lovely night," he said, his voice ringing out in the hall. "One full of surprises. But I want to give you all one more. To bring attention to a – a true rose among us."

He sounded slurred, and people were laughing.

"Pissed out of his mind," Jaron said, looking amused. "I wonder what the idiot's doing?"

All eyes were on him, and then a spotlight shone right above her, and he called out a name.

"Orson Malfoy!" He called. "We know you're there! Did you think you'd fool us, hiding like that, you faggot? Hiding – hiding in plain sight! Pretending to be a girl! That's right, guys. Callisto Black? It's just a gayboy in a wig!"

Nobody was laughing now, nobody except for Montague on the stage. There was a shocked silence in the Great Hall. The silence must have only lasted a second, but it seemed like an eternity, every face turned to her. And then the whispering started. It was a low murmur at first, but then she heard laughter, a loud, cruel whoop, and Jaron turned to her, his face full of pure disgust. "Callisto?" He half whispered. "You – you're –"

She needed to get out of here, to get out and never come back. And even as Professor Dumbledore called out furiously to regain order, she ran, ran right out of the hall and out the door, The cold air of outside hit her face like a slap, and it was only then that she felt the hot tears that were trickling down her face. She stopped, her chest heaving, choking on sobs. The wind was cold on her bare shoulders, and her blonde hair was coming loose, but she hardly noticed it. How stupid had she been, to think that people would support her, how stupid had she been to think she would ever be a real girl? She was still Orson underneath it all, ugly, fat Orson, who kidded himself with pretend games and fairy stories. She struggled through the grass, half blinded by tears, stumbling through, her soft shoes slipping, dress catching on twigs. She didn't know where she was going, only knew she wanted to get away, and then she heard her name.

"Callisto? Callisto! Where are you?"

It sounded like McGonagall, like Sarafina and Louisa and Adele, and she couldn't face any of them. Callisto ran to the lake where she stopped, breathing hard, choked by tears. She couldn't run anymore. She wanted to die. It seemed like that was all there was left, the only option.

"Callisto!"

Adele caught up to her, heaving for breath. "Callisto – oh Cal –"

Callisto's sobs rang out around the lake. "Come to laugh at me too?" She choked. "All of you, to laugh at me, call me a faggot?"

"What?" Louisa was here, her cheeks flushed, and Sarafina behind her. The latter had taken off her high shoes to run, and held them in her hand. "Of course not, Callisto! We don't care!"

"You don't....you don't care?"

"Of course we don't care!" Sarafina managed, catching her breath. "What, you think we ran after you to laugh at you?"

"Well – yes, like everyone –"

"Not everyone was laughing," Louisa said softly. "Not us. Not Tadhg, not the teachers, not Fleur, not Roger or Draco. Dumbledore was furious. I think Montague might actually get expelled."

Sarafina sniffed, her shoes dangling from her hand. "Good riddance," she said. "And that Jaron too."

"And you were brilliant, Sarafina!" Adele said, unexpectedly. "Clocking him one like that!"

Callisto stared at her friend in shock. "You....you hit....Jaron?"

"Well," she said modestly. "Sort of."

"It was brilliant, Callisto, she punched him right in the jaw, because he was saying all this stuff," Adele continued. "Right! Back to the castle, and we're going to fix your makeup, Cal."

"I can't go back," she said in panic. "I can't, I can't."

"Yes you can," Sarafina said, and they all linked arms. "We're going to show those bastards that they can't keep Callisto Black down."