Song:
Sober (Lorde)
Callisto walked down the King's Cross Station with Nicholas by her side holding one of the two trunks. Her head was ringing from all the high pitched voices surrounding her, the smell of sweat and cheap perfume mixed with the exhaust fumes from the train making her stomach jolt.
"Are you sure you can walk properly?" Nicholas questioned, taking the second trunk in his hands. She had appeared in front of his door yesterday morning with tear markings on her cheeks as she held a handkerchief tied round her hand. She didn't look like his best friend. No, she was nothing more but a shadow. Callisto hadn't said much. She just left her trunks in his room, asked to stay the night and left the room after thanking him. She appeared again the next morning, four hours before she was supposed to leave for the train station, completely drunk. Nicholas didn't pressure her; after all, it was obvious what had happened.
"Yes." She mumbled, pulling her injured hand closer to herself. Nicholas had offered to close the wound with magic since he didn't have the trace on him, but she had refused to do so. Instead, he cleaned the bite with rubbing alcohol as she bit down on her lip to stop herself from screaming in pain.
"If you can't, then I will walk you to a compartment and then I will leave." He insisted as she stumbled lightly. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I'm your friend."
"I said I'm fine!" She spat as they stopped in front of Hogwarts express. Callisto's eyes searched in the crowd a wave of dizziness overcoming her as she leaned against the wall and sank down on the floor, burying her head in her palms.
"You only drank, right?" Nicholas asked, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Look at me! Did you take anything else?"
"No..." She answered truthfully. Nicholas opened the water bottle and she downed half of it, looking up at him. She just wanted to leave away from that place. She wanted to go back to Bulgaria with him and Aunt Elena, but Durmstrang wouldn't accept her back after what she had done. No other schools had written back to her except for Hogwarts, but she didn't want to go there. This wasn't her home...
"You're going to go to a compartment and drink as much water as you can, okay? Try to sleep it off. Can you do that?" Callisto nodded and followed Nicholas to where her trunks would stay for the ride.
~ ~ ~
The four Marauders boarded the train heading for their usual compartment. Remus smiled at the sight of familiar faces, occasionally waving when he saw one of the prefects or any of their friends from Gryffindor. It felt good to be on the way back home. Hogwarts was the first place where he was accepted for who he truly was other than his family. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he realized that this would be the last time he would get on the train on September 1st. If only he could go back in time to tell his past self that everything was going to be okay. He was going to meet his three brothers and they were going to love him without caring if he had claws and sharp teeth or woolen sweaters and muggle books. He felt someone pushing him to the side and he opened his mouth to protest when the person rushed past him, long, blonde hair flowing messily as the girl headed for the bathroom.
"Was that your blonde friend?" James questioned, sliding the compartment door open. Remus' fingers trailed over their etched initials on right next to the handle.
"I don't know." He answered, his mind trailing off to the scene he had witnessed yesterday morning. Remus was sitting in his room, preparing his trunk for Hogwarts when he heard a door close shut. Being alone in the house, his first thought was that someone had broken in, when he remembered that he lived in what could only be described as a village. It was more likely to get mauled by an angry goose than to be robbed. He ignored the sound, until he heard a loud cry, full of agony. His head snapped to the left and that was when noticed the open window that led to Callisto's room. He inched closer to the ledge when he saw her, lying on the floor. Her back was turned to him but her sobs were loud enough for him to listen. He observed as she angrily packed her things and got out of the room, carrying her trunks behind. A minute passed and he could clearly make out her figure walking down the street. He hadn't heard what had happened other than what he had seen with his own eyes, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that Callisto's frail relationship with her parents had been completely destroyed.
Remus leaned back on his seat and pulled "The Lord of the Rings" from his backpack. After his discussion with Callisto about muggle books he had felt the need to read the book again and surely enough, the blonde wasn't wrong. He had read the book for the first time during his second year and he hadn't really appreciated the depth of the plot. Five years older and probably wiser, he could tell that he had misjudged Frodo's adventure.
"He's reading again." Sirius whispered dramatically, pretending to act shocked when Remus raised his head from the book. "Go back to your elves, Moonpie. I'm sorry for the disruption."
"No, he's not." Peter commented, using his sweater as a pillow.
"Are you doubting my husband's intentions Mr. Wormtail?" James accused, covering Sirius' ears with his palms. "He's sensitive, Peter, we've talked about this!"
"Sorry, I forgot." Peter whispered back, giving a thumbs up to Sirius. Remus rolled his eyes and looked out of the small compartment window. The train began to move and he let out a sigh, going back to where he had left his book off. He knew that the others were chatting, but after staying in the same room with them for six years he had managed to block out their voices at will; a skill that was particularly useful.
"How long can someone go without food, Moony?" James questioned, an overly tired expression in his face.
"Around 10 days if properly hydrated, Prongs..." Remus answered, shaking his head. "Judging from the amount of saliva you're wasting, I'd say you're on thin ice."
"Oh nerd burn!" Peter commented, his lips forming an o shape. James narrowed his eyes and fell dramatically back, his head landing on Remus' lap and he let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I see stars, Moony..." He whispered, a blank expression in his hazel eyes. Remus shook his head, recalling how the same scene had been playing out every single year when they boarded the train. The young werewolf couldn't really comprehend if James' appetite increased every time he entered the train or if he was just bored since he couldn't be as energetic as usual in the confined space and wanted to do something to pass the time. Either way, Remus always ended up chasing after the Trolley Lady to take supplies for his "famished" friend.
"That is actually quite correct, Prongs." Sirius tilted his head up, a satisfied smile on his lips. "I'm sure you remember that Sirius is an asterisk."
"Really?" Peter inquired incredulously. "Who could have guessed that after hearing you bragging about it for the 673rd time since we met?"
James groaned, shooting up. "Hello? Starving friend in the bloody compartment? Where is your sense of chivalry?"
"Then go get something to eat, James." Remus tiredly replied, straightening the page James had crumpled when he put his head on the book.
"Of course I'll allow you to bring me food, Moonykins!" James exclaimed loudly. Remus groaned but got up, placing his book in the bag as angrily as he could. He could swear that James' listening ability was completely selective because there was no other way to justify the constant jumping to conclusions and irrelevant comments.
"We'll take eight chocolate frogs, four sugar quills and three packs of Bertie Botts beans, but please buy the one with the blue package." James bombarded him, handing him the money. Remus blinked rapidly, trying to recall what his friend wanted and exited the compartment.
Remus walked down the narrow corridor, careful not to trip as the train took sharp turns. All the compartment doors were closed shut, but he couldn't stop himself from occasionally glancing inside, his eyes searching for a certain blonde. Luck decided to be a lady for him because when he looked inside a smaller compartment next to the bathroom, he made out her familiar small frame curled in a ball as her blonde hair fell messily on her shoulders.
Remus slid the door open and got inside, his eyebrows knitting together when Callisto completely ignored the intrusion.
"Callisto." He called out, hesitantly sitting next to her.
"Lupin." She retorted, her voice sounding detached. The girl straightened her legs and turned to look at him, trying to ignore the pounding headache.
"Are you okay?" Of course she wasn't okay! Why did he even ask that? Her eyes were glazed over and she had small black smudges underneath them. She looked considerably paler than usual, to the point where he considered calling one of the professors sitting in the first compartment.
"Just peachy." She drawled, her voice sounding hoarse. A wave of nausea overcame her and she put a hand in front of her mouth, stumbling out of the compartment. Remus stood behind, his legs stuck firmly on the ground. It didn't a genius to figure out that she had gotten drunk the previous night and hanging out with three adolescent boys with a rebellious streak meant that he could recognize the signs of intoxication in his sleep. About ten minutes later, Callisto came back and she sat on the bench, letting her head rest on the wall.
"Why are you still here, Lupin?" She inquired. Callisto was vulnerable at this moment and she'd rather put her hand in fire than have a person she barely knew witness her at her lowest moments. That's what friends were for and her friends were miles away.
"I just saw you and popped in to say hi." He mentally cringed at his excuse. He knew it was lame and he knew that she had thought the very same thing. Not to mention that it made him look like an A-class stalker, snooping around the compartments.
"Great. You can go now." She stated, closing her eyes. The fluorescent lighting was a bit too intense for her own liking, not that anyone cared about how she felt for the lighting levels in the train.
"You don't look so good, Callisto." He began, his fingers fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater. "I just thought maybe-"
"Spare me the pity, Lupin." She cut him off, waving her hand dismissively. "You're just going to say that you understand, even though you don't, and then you'll offer your help while secretly judging me. So please, do us both a favor and leave."
I wouldn't do that... He thought, but there was no point in trying to convince her for the opposite.
"Just try to sleep." He mumbled before walking out of the compartment and heading back to his own, a million thoughts swarming in his mind. Why did he even leave the Marauders behind in the first place?
~ ~ ~
Callisto didn't even notice when the train ride ended. She had fallen asleep halfway to the Castle and much to her luck, the blonde girl sitting opposite from her hadn't bothered to wake her up until they were the last ones in the train. She didn't say anything, Callisto noted with glee. That was a change...
"Just follow the tall dude." She murmured, pointing at indeed, a very tall dude with curly, long brown hair and an equally impressive beard. Callisto nodded with a small smile of appreciation and headed to his direction, her lips falling in a straight line. Yes, the man was unreasonably tall but he was also surrounded by a swarm of the tiniest first years Callisto had ever seen. Hell, she could swear that ever year the new models were ten times shorter and a million times more annoying. Her aunt would say that it had to do with all the weird preservatives added in the food and even though it was a rather far-fetched theory, the image in front of her was enough to fill her with doubt.
Callisto jumped slightly as a hand landed on her shoulder and she turned around, a string of curse words ready to spill from her mouth.
"Miss Claire, I presume." A tall woman with stern, pale blue eyes was looking at her expectantly. Her dark brown hair was pulled in a tight bun like the ones the female staff in Durmstrang had. God, did she have a strong distate for the way this hairstyle made her feel. She nodded and the woman guided her behind the first years, a small smile lighting up her features. Callisto couldn't help but feel stupid when she thought how cat-like her features were. Everything in this woman's face was sharp enough to kill someone.
"You will be sorted after the first years." The woman explained as they entered the Castle. The blonde's gaze averted to the portrait filled, dimly lit walls, a sense of awe filling her. Durmstrang was intimidating as well, just in a more menacing way. Yes, this had to be it...that and the violent depictions of batallions hanging on almost every wall. "When you hear your name just come out and sit on the stool. You have nothing to worry about."
Callisto sat at the far back of the queue, trying to keep as much distance as possible from the first years. The last thing she would want was to answer questions as to why she was much taller than them and why she changed schools. She could hex them; that much was true, but they'd probably end up coughing on her and then she'd be in the Hospital Wing with the flu for a good week. In case it wasn't clear, her immune system wasn't her best bet.
At first she tried to pay attention to the process, but it ended up being rather monotone. Random child would be called out like this was a public auction, said child would sit in a particularly uncomfortable stool while an old, wrecked hat would be placed on its head and then, boom! He had a house! Cheers would erupt, her eardrums would burst and the process would repeat again. The queue finally finished and she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for her own name to be called out.
"Next we have a transfer student from Durmstrang Institute." Oh, cat lady had the decency to make her feel special! How adorable was that? "I trust you will all make her feel welcome. CALLISTO CLAIRE."
She walked up to the stool, focusing on every step so that she wouldn't trip on thin air. She was feeling considerable better, but her senses were still a bit buzzy. Callisto sat on the stool, observing the four tables when the hat was placed on her head. This certainly couldn't be hygienic!
"You don't need to worry about that." A voice in her head chimed in. "Now, let us see what we have here..."
She didn't really know where "here" was referring to, but she decided to trust the process and waited for the hat to finally blurt out her house. Perhaps her being tipsy wasn't that helpful though.
"No, it isn't. If anything, it's confusing." Callisto rolled her eyes, trying to ignore how truly uncomfortable that stool was. "I see now! That's more likely!"
The voice whispered one more time before shouting out, making her cringe.
"SLYTHERIN!"