May 29, 1977
7:29 am
Great Hall
Anneliese was sitting at the very end of the Gryffindor table next to Remus, the two of them silent as they simultaneously ate and crammed for their Potions N.E.W.T. later that morning.
Lupin and Callaway had made it successfully through the week only because of Leo, whose letters they were both heavily relying on to stay sane and grounded.
The dust of the night of the party had finally settled a few days later once everyone got a hold of their emotions, and nearly the entire school was confused of what had happened to the previously inseparable sixth year Gryffindors.
Dorcas and Marlene were really only talking to each other and Frank occasionally when he wasn't with Alice, who refused to even look at Meadowes and Mckinnon.
Lily, Peter, and Sirius had formed their own small trio of feeling deeply guilty themselves but knowing that none of them were better or above the others and they might as well just get through this last week together.
As for James, well, he was starting to get a feel of how it must be like to be Snape.
Potter selfishly wished that Lily would just yell at him already and stop looking at him like that, but her looking at him at all was at least more than he could say for Sirius.
Black hadn't even spared James a glance in his direction, and essentially, Potter didn't even exist to all of them besides the occasional biting, passive aggressive comment or threatening, defensive glares when he so much as looked at Anneliese.
This whole thing was too reminiscent to the Marauders of when Sirius had told Snape how to get under the tunnel of the Whomping Willow that led to the Shack during a full moon in their fifth year.
It had taken a solid two months of desperate favors and lonely nights for Black to earn back Remus, James, and Peter's friendship after what he had done, and even longer to win back their trust.
Even though everyone else was glad that the summer was nearing so they could all finally have a break from each other after the chaotic and confusing and catastrophic year, James wished that all this had happened in January.
That way, they would all shun him for as long as they needed and then slowly forgive while at school and with constant, tiny changes in their expressions that Potter could track. But over the summer, James had no way of contacting them in a way that they couldn't easily ignore, no way of making amends.
Remus looked down the table to see Potter staring at his cereal desolately, like even the task of scooping up the milk and little chocolate puffs was too much for him to handle right then.
Dorcas and Marlene were a few seats down from him, and then Alice and Frank another few. It was all quite the contrast to the previously tightly knit bunch they used to sit in, soaking their food in hot sauce and making threats about ice cubes as razor blades.
Sirius, Lily, and Peter were about halfway down the table, Black and Pettigrew on one side with Evans across from them. They were talking in low tones about something no one else could hear, and weren't sure if they wanted to know either.
Unwillingly to him and unknown to James so that Potter would keep thinking that Sirius wasn't doing so much as looking at him, Black's grey eyes would very rarely flick to James.
But then every time he regretted it.
All he could see when he looked at Potter was his expression when he had Anneliese pinned against the short wall of the astronomy tower, her face terrified and his cold and vengeful towards her and Sirius more angry than he could have ever imagined he could be at James.
"I'm totally blanking on what the hell ground pearl is used for," Anneliese said to Remus, flipping open her notebook with a frown. "And the exam is in two damn hours, for fuck's sake, I'm such a mess-"
"It's just one fact," Lupin reassured her calmly. "And don't worry about the mess thing, none of us are in a right state right now to take this exam after.. well, after this week."
As if he could hear Remus, Sirius let out an enormous yawn so loud they noticed from halfway down the table and rubbed his bleary grey eyes in exhaustion before returning to whatever conversation he was already having.
Anneliese couldn't help but smile softly at his theatrics, but then reminded herself that right now, she was angry at him and was completely disgusted by the sight of him. He needed to come to her first, and even then, Callaway wasn't sure if she would accept his approach.
Black at least needed to do that much for her.
But then again, she missed him already.
Anneliese missed his stupid smirk and his completely out of line comments whispered in her ear and his oddly deep statements about both of their emotions that came out right when she thought that he was the stupidest boy she had ever met.
Don't be so fucking weak, Anneliese thought, disgusted with herself. He doesn't deserve to talk to you right now, hell, even Remus doesn't, but he's just the most sane of all these British whores.
"You should talk to him," Remus said softly, seeing Callaway's expression and instantly reading it. "Sirius, I mean. You can still be mad at him, but you of all people should know that being silently mad won't do anything."
Okay, maybe not so sane.
"Yea, and you of all people should know damn well that keepin things you know silent doesn't do anything either," Anneliese snapped, and Remus cringed. "So don't be such a hypocrite and talk to me about not saying something when I should when you kept your mouth shut for weeks too long."
Lupin didn't defend himself, knowing that she was right. Just because Anneliese was talking to him didn't mean that she wasn't mad at Remus, it just meant that she was less mad at him than everyone else.
Anneliese had chosen Lupin to talk to out of everyone else in her year plainly because he was the simplest to be friends with, and easiest to tolerate when she knew that she couldn't stand to be alone.
"And no, I am not talking to him," Callaway said. "I am angry, and he is talking to me first. He is going to be the one to get some nerve that all the sudden seems to have vanished conveniently now that it's not calling me a bicth he has to do and it's actually something hard."
Remus just took a small sip of his black tea before looking down at his notes made up of various shades of neatly color coded ink and precisely drawn diagrams before answering her question after a few seconds of weighted silence.
"Ground pearl is used for amortentia," Remus said quietly. "It's the element that makes it smell after the rose petals give it its color."
Anneliese didn't know why this simple fact felt so heavy or why it hurt so much to hear instead of Remus saying something about the way she had just talked about Sirius, but she felt it strongly nonetheless.
Thankfully, the colorful swarm of owls of all shapes, species, and sizes coming in to deliver the daily mail came just in time to spare her thoughts from becoming too depressing at eight in the morning.
Instead of just one owl coming to Callaway like normal, though, two letters were dropped off in front of her. One of them said A in Leo's handwriting, as always, but the other was in penmanship that she didn't recognize.
Miss Callaway, it read in scrawny, jagged handwriting so small that Anneliese had to squint to read it, like the person was used to having no room at all to write a whole lot.
She knew it wasn't a howler, so Anneliese didn't have too much hesitation to open it up and start to read, curious about who was sending her a letter that would call her something a professor would when they were angry with her.
Miss Callaway,
I would first like to offer you my congratulations. There were hundreds of students who applied for this apprenticeship, hundreds of essays I had to read, but yours by far was the most unique and attention grabbing.
The fork with a bite of food on it froze halfway to Anneliese's mouth.
Instead of blabbering off a list of facts about wandmaking that I already knew and disguising this list and lack of theory with large words and fancy phrasing, you asked more questions and tested more theories than anyone else.
Any person can memorize everything that there is to know about a subject, but not everyone can find the holes in century deep logic and then have the sheer nerve to point them out.
I admire both your determination and your boldness, which is why I was not surprised when I wrote to your professors inquiring about you once I narrowed the options down to very few students and found out that you were in Gryffindor.
I must admit, quite a few professors said that you were more trouble than you were worth and that I should select a more rational Ravenclaw for this apprenticeship, but that just made me more determined to pick you.
One professor in particular, Minerva McGonagall, said that you had an abnormal talent for creating spells from nothing.
This was the final piece that made me choose you, Miss Callaway, because I believe that such creativity needs to be fostered and not pushed down as I have no doubt your other professors have tried to do to you once they found out about your creations.
McGonagall also said that you are exceedingly hard working, determined and not afraid to say what you think, even if it does get you in trouble.
I do not believe that she is the kind to have favorites, but I also think that you have impressed her even if she is frustrated by you sometimes as I gathered she is from the tone of her letter.
All of this is to officially say that when you step off the Hogwarts Express, you will make your way to my shop in Diagon Alley with all of your things and we will begin your apprenticeship immediately.
But I must warn you, Miss Callaway.
There were many applicants who tried to bribe and manipulate me for this place, and such a grand opportunity is quite rare. Since you are an American transfer student, I do imagine that the press will make this as large of an ordeal as possible.
Just remember why you are going to be here, and everything will be fine.
I look forward greatly to meeting you tomorrow,
Garrick Ollivander
Anneliese stared down at the letter in shock, skeleton tattooed hand slightly shaking. There had been little doubt in her mind that she was going to get the apprenticeship, but actually receiving the letter was more than surreal.
Her eyes read over the part about McGonagall more times than they should have.
But before she could entirely process that she now actually had a place to stay over the summer and something to fill all that time with, there was a loud shout from the opposite end of the Gryffindor table where James was sitting.
Potter's face was drained of all color as he stared at the scarlet envelope in front of him.
Anneliese had received a howler only once before in her life, and that was from Leo when he had needed to rant to her about Sayre earlier in her time at Hogwarts, not when someone was actually mad at her.
And from the terrified expression on James's face, he hadn't ever received one either.
"JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER!" the letter screeched, so loud that several students near him jumped back and almost the entire hall, including the professors, turned to watch. "I CANNOT EXPRESS EVEN IN THIS LETTER HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM IN YOU."
"Who is that?" Anneliese whispered to Remus without turning her gaze away from Potter, whose green eyes were wide in shock. "Talking?"
"Euphemia Potter," Lupin whispered back. "A force to be reckoned with, and apparently a force who somehow found out about what happened. All knowing, that woman."
"I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER AND I RAISED YOU BETTER AND WITH MORE RESPECT FOR WOMEN THAN THIS!" Euphemia's voice continued. "HARASSING THAT POOR LILY GIRL TO GO OUT WITH YOU CONSTANTLY IS ALREADY BORDERLINE BEHAVIOR."
Lily's cheeks flushed furiously red as Anneliese silently hoped that her name wasn't going to be brought up or hinted at in any way because of the knowledge this woman somehow possessed.
"BUT THIS, THIS, JAMES, IS A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF ARROGANCE AND PRIVILEGE THAT WE THOUGHT YOU HAD GROWN OUT OF BY NOW AS A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD YOUNG MAN WITH EVEN A SHRED OF DECENCY!"
There were quite a few sniggers of cold laughter from the Slytherin table. They didn't know what Potter had done, but they didn't care as long as his mother kept yelling at him in front of his whole school.
"I HOPE THAT YOU FEEL ASHAMED OF YOURSELF AND I HOPE THAT THIS LETTER IS AS HUMILIATING FOR YOU AS POSSIBLE AND I HOPE THAT YOU FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT UP TO THAT POOR GIRL, BECAUSE SHE DESERVES ALL OF YOUR EFFORT AND TIME UNTIL SHE IS OKAY."
Thankfully, all of those who knew what happened knew better than to look at Anneliese and therefore hint to the Great Hall that she was the person that needed an apology here.
Well, all of them besides Peter, but he was sharply elbowed under the table by Sirius and immediately snapped his head away.
"AND YOU BETTER HOPE TOO THAT YOU FIND A WAY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOUR LIFE IS SUDDENLY GOING TO GO VERY FAR DOWNHILL."
James swallowed heavily as the howler inched closer to his face, the volume of his mother only blaring louder and louder in his ears and throughout the crowded Great Hall as Mrs. Potter went on.
"TAKE THIS LETTER AS A FORM OF WARNING, JAMES, BECAUSE THIS MERE LITTLE HOWLER WILL SEEM TAME AND LIKE NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT YOU WILL BE FACING THE SECOND YOU STEP FOOT BACK INTO OUR HOME TOMORROW EVENING."
Potter looked like he was about to throw up, and braced himself for more. Luckily, Euphemia was done with yelling at him for now. The letter turned it's direction to Sirius, who instantly paled as well.
Now Mrs. Potter was speaking in a comically less angry tone, as calm as if she had just been discussing the weather.
"And Sirius, love, good luck on your N.E.W.T.'s," she said in a warm, caring voice that made Regulus turn away with jealousy. "I'm sure that you'll do brilliantly."
And then, as one last move to spite him, the howler tore itself up into hundreds of tiny, vibrant pieces of scarlet parchment all in up in James's spiky hair, as impossible and painstaking to get out as glitter.
There were a few moments of silence as everyone just stared at James before the chatter resumed, either speculating about what the quidditch captain had done to make his mother so angry or about whatever they were discussing previously.
Anneliese felt a small bit of sour satisfaction as she looked at the humiliation on Potter's face.
She hadn't been the one to write to Euphemia, but she was deeply grateful for whoever had, even if she wasn't about to admit it.
But also, Callaway couldn't help but silently wish that Sirius himself was getting a howler too. He deserved it alongside James, and Anneliese had half the mind to write to Mrs. Potter herself about the way Black had treated her.
Meanwhile at the Ravenclaw table, nearly half the house seemed to have received a letter that was making them very, very angry. They stood up and furiously compared papers, all only to see that they all held the same, disappointing news.
Anneliese knew that it was only a matter of time before they started asking other houses if they knew who had gotten the apprenticeship, and started to pack up her things so she wouldn't be there when that happened.
Well, she also didn't want Potter to come up to her either. He would be worse than the Ravenclaws, and Anneliese honestly didn't care if his mother wrecked his life like she had threatened.
"Where're you going?" Remus asked, looking up and just now startling out of his shock of the howler. "Please tell me not to talk to James-"
"Absolutely not," Anneliese snapped with a firm shake of her head. "No, I would rather just study outside. The fresh air helps.. and it's way too loud in here."
"I'll come as well," Remus said, standing up. "I get what you mean, way too chaotic and noisy in here to focus on anything."
Sirius watched as Lupin and Callaway walked down the center aisle with each of their bags slung over their shoulders, talking in low tones with their heads slightly tilted in as they passed James, who just kept his face cradled in his palms.
Black knew that Anneliese could be talking shit about him for all he knew, and he also knew that he deserved it.
Sirius was glad he had written to Mia about James, he really was.
But he deserved a million howlers too.
"Is something wrong?" Lily asked Sirius as he stood up, grabbing his bag as well. "Please tell me you're not going to go talk to James-"
"Absolutely not," Black said with a firm shake of his head. "No, I just want to get out of here. It's too loud and I need some fresh air."
Before Lily or Peter could protest anymore, he was out of the gaping archway.
As Anneliese and Remus made their way down the corridors to a courtyard that would then take them on a path in the woods where they could find a good spot to study, they passed McGonagall on her way to get breakfast as well.
Callaway thought nothing of it at first until the letter from Ollivander stuffed into her bag rose back into her mind after it's brief descent when James had received the short yet remarkably destructive howler.
"Professor!" she called, pulling the letter out. "What is this?"
McGonagall turned to see Anneliese holding up the parchment with a curious, wide expression on her freckled face, and it only took her a few seconds longer to realize that her student must have gotten the apprenticeship.
They both knew that Anneliese wasn't asking about the apprenticeship itself, she was asking about the word McGonagall had put in for her.
"Don't get sentimental, Miss Callaway," she said in a flat and stern tone, as impartial as ever to Anneliese. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true, and there is nothing more to it."
Anneliese just blinked a few times before slowly nodding and tucking the letter back in her bag. Remus was curious, but he didn't ask. Callaway would share if she wanted to.
Five minutes later, they had found a spot to sit down along a fern covered path, the cool shade of the trees blocking out the sun that was just getting warmer as the spring drew on.
This heat was nothing compared to the sweltering, stagnant humidity Anneliese had endured in Tennessee and North Carolina, but Remus was already sweating slightly as he opened up Leo's letter to read.
Callaway did the same with hers, and a small smile made its way onto her face identical to Lupin's as they read the words from Anderson.
Leo was the only person who could make her truly smile right now besides the occasional, invasive grin that came from just looking at Sirius.
Then, suddenly, a large black dog trotted into view.
Anneliese instantly looked up as the dog innocently nuzzled up against her side and sniffed her bag, seemingly full of happy energy that immediately boosted her mood even more than Leo's letter.
The feeling of his familiar black fur against her fingers deeply comforted Callaway in a way that she couldn't explain. The only time she had ever seen a living thing with hair this vividly dark, thick, and smooth was on Sirius, and in some odd way, this dog reminded her of him.
"Oh. My. Fucking. God," Remus whispered under his breath in total shock. "You've got to be shitting me right now-"
There was no question at all if this dog was Sirius. Lupin had been seeing him as Padfoot for over a year now every month on the full moon or more often, depending on how much mischief Black wanted to get into.
"What was that?" Anneliese asked with as large of a smile possible for her right now as the dog plopped down with his head on her thigh. "Did you say something?"
Lupin tried to wipe all of the shock off his face as he cleared his throat a little too forcefully.
Callaway had just absolutely slandered Sirius at breakfast and said that there was no way she would be talking to him anytime soon unless he came up to her first, and now he was snuggled up against her whether she knew it or not.
"Oh, uhm, I was just asking how you know this dog," he said with as much casualness as he could muster. "This doesn't seem like the first time that you've seen him."
"Oh, lord, the first time was weeks ago," Anneliese said, it taking her a second to remember. "Oh, uhm, actually, I think it was.. it was.."
Her smile faded.
"Oh," Remus said with a slow nod, understanding it must have been the night when James kissed her. "So you've known this dog for weeks?"
"Yep," Anneliese said, leaning down to look the dog in the eyes and scratch his head. "This guy seems to have a talent for always finding me when I'm sad, don't ask me how because I don't know either."
Padfoot just stared up at Lupin innocently as if he was the most blissfully ignorant mutt in the entire world, not an illegal animagus using his dog form to spend time with the girl he loved when he didn't know how to comfort her as a human.
Remus was in between laughing and suggesting that Anneliese take him to the pound.
I guess it's good that in some way she's getting some healing done from him, Lupin thought, trying to convince himself. Even if she has no idea it's him at all-
"Excuse me, I think I need to go back to the castle," Remus said, suddenly standing up and making his decision at the same time. "Do you want to come with me?"
As Remus said come with me, his eyes were narrowed and directly focused on Padfoot's. He wasn't asking Anneliese a question, he was telling Sirius what to do.
Unfortunately, even in dog form, Black was incredibly stubborn and didn't budge.
"We just got out here," Anneliese said with slight confusion and suspicion as she looked between the dog and Lupin. "What's going on, Remus?"
Lupin gave Padfoot a very meaningful, loaded look that said he knew exactly what he was doing before drawing his gaze back up to Callaway with a tight smile.
"Well, that dog-" Remus started, but that dog jumped up and let out a deep growl from the back of his throat to cut Lupin off so fast that Anneliese jumped back slightly from being so startled.
Lupin gave Padfoot a look that said that's what I thought as he walked away, expecting the dog to follow behind him unless Callaway wanted to know exactly what was going on here.
Anneliese watched as they walked away, frowned, and then kept reading her letter from Leo. A few weeks ago, she would have followed Remus so that he wouldn't be alone and so she wouldn't be selfish, wearing a convincing smile on her face the whole time.
But now, she stayed put and did what was best for her.
The second that Lupin was certain that he was out of earshot from Anneliese's sharp hearing, he looked at Padfoot, sighed, and then made a small movement with his hand.
"Look," Sirius said the second he was human once more, immediately starting to form his explanation. "I-"
"You have to tell her," Remus cut Black off severely. "Or do you just want A to be even more mad when she finally finds out on her own?"
This was one of the first times the two boys had spoken to each other in days upon days, and neither really wanted to be doing it at all. It was just for Anneliese's sake, not either of theirs or an apology between them.
Neither knew what they would apologize for, really, but one still felt in store.
"Mate, let me have this one thing for one more day," Sirius pleaded, knowing Lupin had the power here. "It's not affecting you-"
"Yea, but why do you even deserve this one thing?" Remus asked with narrowed eyes. "You've been absolute shit to her, Pads, you don't get to-"
"You're not her sacred protector, Remus," Black retorted, desperation turning to anger. "You don't get to control what I do and what I don't do. So if you want to be that shitty of a friend and tell her, then be my guest. I hope that it helps you sleep better at night."
"Yes, use my decency against me," Lupin said, crossing his arms. "All I'm saying is that it's cheap, Sirius, just get the nerve to talk to her without a disguise-"
"JUST SHUT UP!" Sirius snapped all of the sudden. "You have no fucking clue how hard this is, so stop act like you know what you're talking about when the only relationship you've ever had is across the ocean and barely stable even then!"
"Oh my GOD!" Remus shouted back, fists clenched. "Then why don't you so graciously enlighten me about how hard it is, even though I'm never going to need it because Leo and I will never be as much of a shitty relationship as you and Anneliese!"
"Oh, where to start," Sirius said, raking a hand through his hair dramatically as he paced. "Well, first of all, I can't ask James for advice, because I'm no longer on speaking terms with him."
"Why the fuck would you ever ask James for advice-"
"Second of all, I catch Anneliese looking at me like she wants me to talk to her and she wants to kill me at the same time," Sirius continued, ignoring Remus. "But you weren't there, Moony, you don't know how mad and disappointed she was in me. I don't know how I'm supposed to come back from that."
Black took in a deep breath as he made his final point.
"And lastly, this is the worst possible timing for me to need to talk to her in the history of all timing," he said, emotion cracking into his voice. "Yes, I need a break from all of you for the summer, but not Anneliese. I need her, but I don't even know where the hell she's staying, or if she has a place to stay!"
"Okay, well, uhm, she definitely has a place to stay," Remus said, but his tone was uncertain. "Dumbledore would make sure of that.. and you can write to her."
"She'll ignore my letters," Sirius said with a shake of his head. "Or.. no she won't, but everything would be better if we actually talked-"
"Well, Sirius, maybe you deserve her ignoring you!" Lupin exclaimed. "You're the one who hurt her so badly, this is your fault! Yes we all contributed to it and we're guilty too, but you started it. Take some responsibility and walk up to her-"
"You are no help at all, Remus," Sirius said, starting to walk back to the castle. "I'm not asking you to be my fairy godmother here, I just need some form of advice of how the hell I'm supposed to-"
Lupin shook his head and turned in the opposite direction, but not before he got the last word.
"This is your mess, Black. You clean it up on your own."
May 30, 1977
8:16 am
The Agilbert Fontaine Dining Hall (better known as the Mess among the students of Ilvermorny)
Leo was just about ready to throw his fork directly into Mitchell's eye if he kissed Violet one more time in front of him while he was just trying to consume his eggs with a ridiculous amount of hot sauce on them in peace.
"All of the public displays of affection are going to slowly murder my eyes," Anderson groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Please, we leave to go back home in like an hour, just not now-"
"Leo, lighten up," Violet teased with glittering brown eyes, but she pulled away from Micthell at last. "And it's going to one hell of a long ride back if you can't keep up with a few kisses-"
He missed Remus's lips against his.
"It is literally not my fault that he puts the horny in Horned Serpent," Leo snapped back jokingly, sticking his tongue out at Mitchell, who flipped him off in return. "You know, at Hogwarts, they actually had house tables-"
"Okay, but that's just lame," Mitchell pointed out. "Why would you divide them up so much? A house is just a general personality type, not the only people you should be allowed to hang out with."
"Poor A," Violet said for what felt like the millionth time. "Can you believe that it's been three hundred and sixty seven days since she was expelled? That's like.. over a year."
"Bro, that math took you way too long to do," Leo said with a grin. "But yea.. I'm never going to forgive my mom for that- mail's here."
Anderson's attention span tended to be very short just like Callway's, and he couldn't stay on one topic for too long unless conversing with anyone besides Anneliese, who somehow focused him more than anyone else ever could.
This morning's copy of the Prophet landed in front of Leo. It was a British newspaper, but he and Violet had both subscribed the second they accepted that Anneliese was going to Hogwarts so that they could keep up with what was going on in her world.
"Holy shit," Leo muttered as soon as he unfolded his copy. "A's in here."
And sure enough as Violet looked as well, she saw that Anderson was right.
World Famous Wandmaker Ollivander Takes in Young American Apprentice
When world renowned wandmaker Garrick Ollivander announced that he was going to be offering an apprenticeship in his shop for the summer, no one expected that a transfer student from Ilvermorny would be the one to snatch up the spot.
Anneliese Callaway arrived in the U.K. after being expelled-
"Oh, this is such bullshit," Violet muttered, shutting the paper as soon as she had opened it. "I swear, these British people have a flair for drama and digging up all the dirt on these poor, innocent people- not that A is innocent- LEO!"
But Anderson was already long gone from the Mess. His feet led him up to Sayre's office faster than he could have possibly thought, not even bothering to knock and then slamming the door behind him.
"You have to let me see her!" Leo demanded, slamming down the Prophet on his mother's mahogany desk with a loud bang. "Instead of going home, I'll just go to London. No big difference!"
"Leo!" Sayre exclaimed, standing up from her grand, velvet carved chair to look her son in the eye. "How many times have we discussed not just barging into my office like you own the place?"
"But don't I kind of own the place?" Leo asked with a raised eyebrow, not able to resist himself when she presented him with such an opportunity like this. "Being the headmistress' son after all-"
"Not the time, and the answer is no!" his mother exclaimed with severity on her sharp features, shaking her head. "I have already told you no a dozen times, and my answer remains the same no matter how many times you ask me!"
Leo started to subconsciously trace the skeleton tattoo on the back of his hand just like Anneliese did when either of them were on edge.
"Why do you hate her so much?" Anderson exclaimed dubiously. "You have always had something against Anneliese, why? Why can't you just accept that I love her like she's my sister and she makes me happy-"
"She is not your sister, and you do not love her like she is!" Sayre countered his claim as if she was determined to make sure that it was a lie, violence creeping into her tone like Leo had struck a nerve. "Enough of this nonsense!"
"Dad would have let me," Anderson snarled coldly, anger fully activated after his mother tried to tell him about his own emotions towards Anneliese. "I'm sure of it."
"You never even knew your father!" she shouted back. "You cannot just throw his name around like that and expect to get a reaction from me!"
"Well it seemed to have worked, mother, seeing that your face is neon red!" Leo shouted just as loudly, voice echoing through the wide office. "And the only reason I know nothing about him is because you never fucking tell me!"
"Language, Leo!" Sayre scolded before getting back to the main point. "And I don't tell you these things for a reason! Now, go back to breakfast, and maybe we could discuss a small arrangement when we get back home-"
"No."
Anderson's hands were shaking from rage. His mother had kept him from his best friend for far too long, and he simply wasn't going to do it anymore.
"I am leaving," he said slowly. "And I am not asking you. I am telling you. I'm seventeen years old, and you have no legal custody over me anymore. Goodbye."
Sayre was frozen in shock as her son paused before shutting the door all the way.
"And I may not have known dad, but he sure as hell couldn't have been as awful of a parent as you are. But that's not really saying much, is it?"
Leo didn't wait to hear her response, he didn't want to hear her response. All he wanted was to see Anneliese.
His hands went on autopilot as he threw all of his most important things like clothes and money into a bag without even trying to organize them, allowing his mind a bit of time to think about how the hell he was going to find her.
Hogwarts was five hours ahead of Ilvermorny, so the train would have left hours ago, Anderson knew that much. He could always wait for her outside of Ollivanders, but Leo wasn't that patient.
After his bag was packed and slung over his shoulder, Leo raced to the library, adrenaline rushing through his veins. His hazel eyes scanned all over the H section, searching desperately until he found the thick, scarlet volume he was looking for.
Anderson flipped open Hogwarts: A History to the section on Platform 9 ¾.
so.. the train station is going to be a trainwreck
6k words
what do u wanna see?
VOTE! - it rly helps