Song:
Misery Business (Paramore)
"When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth."
My dearest diary,
I'm afraid I've fallen terribly ill. No, it's not that damn blood curse coming through yet again. If anything, Madame Pomfrey has told me that my last blood test wasn't concerning her greatly. I have fallen sick with some other kind of disease that seems to appear when a certain person is around. Once again, I'm talking about Remus bloody Lupin! Honestly, I have no idea what's going on with me, but whenever he enters the room, followed by Jace the Potty trainer, Dog-star Black and Peter Pan's long lost cousin, I bloody lose my mind. It's ridiculous, to say the least.
Hell, a guy named Wolf McWolf makes me feel stuff! Who the fuck names their child Wolf McWolf?
I keep on telling myself that this is all because of that godforsaken bet, and in the beginning it really was nothing more than that. But now, things have gotten complicated because I'm sick and it has to be because of him.
My point is, he needs to leave the country so that I can stop thinking about him!
Entirely yours,
Callisto.
"Are you done yet?" Narcissa sighed exasperatedly, tapping her foot on the ground. Callisto raised her head from her diary, closing it shut and placing it in the drawer with exaggerated movements. She stood up and walked over to Narcissa, who was observing her with wide eyes as she let go of the caramel sweater. "You're gonna catch a cold."
"It's not that cold." Callisto pointed out, as they made their way to the Quidditch pitch. Keeping her promise, she had decided to go and watch the first Quidditch match of the season between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Thankfully, Narcissa was eager to join her, seeing as she had to support the bleached version of Cruela de Vil in one of the most important matches of the year, as he liked to say. Much to Callisto's dismay, this meant that Narcissa had gone all out, waking her up an hour earlier to get ready.
"Ladies!" A familiar voice said just as they exited the castle. Callisto turned around, coming face to face with Luke Pucey and Lucious Mafoy. Callisto glanced at Narcissa who had jumped on Lucious, feeling slightly freaked out by how unnatural the genuine smile looked on his lips.
"That potion did wonders, Claire." Luke smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked. Callisto slightly tensed under his grasp, taken aback by the sudden gesture. He on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed, a lighthearted smile grazing his lips as he turned to look at her.
"That's the whole point." She muttered, choosing to dismiss the arm still wrapped securely around her.
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Claire?" Lucious observed, his cold grey eyes setting on Callisto as a satisfied smirk played on his lips when he took notice of Luke's arm.
"Even if I did, it's none of your concern." Callisto retorted, annoyance filling her the more she looked at him. How could Narcissa see good in a downright prick like him? The only possible scenario she had come up with was that he was slipping her love potions, but it soon became clear that this wasn't the case. Was it Lucious' incompetency at the subject or her watching over her food like a hawk that dismissed her worries; it somehow was a real relationship.
Unfazed by her obvious irritation, Luke rubbed circles on her upper arm as they entered the pitch. Instead of heading to the bleachers, like she expected, they took a left turn which led to the changing rooms.
"We'll be back in a minute." Luke whispered in her ear, letting go off her to follow Lucious in the changing rooms. Callisto sat on the bench opposite from the entrance, straightening her legs to kick a small rock, lying on the ground.
"He's into you." Narcissa stated, motioning at the direction the two teenagers have left off to. "I heard him talking with Serena yesterday about how he plans to ask you out."
"I gathered that much." Callisto mumbled, recalling every time Luke had approached her with a random excuse in the Common Room, Library and lunch. However, things had become clearer when she thought of how pissed off the Slytherin got when he saw her coming in the dungeons with Remus lifting her. After that, the scowls and glares targeted to the unbothered Gryffindor had increased and she found herself getting increasingly irritated by his mocking comments. On a few occasions, she had called Luke out, only to be met with a brief, completely dry apology and a proposal to go study in the library, as if Divination homework would help diffuse the tension.
"What are you going to say?"
"I don't know." Callisto shrugged, sliding down on her seat to reach the rock with the tip of her shoe. She finally managed to reach it, rolling it towards her before she kicked it once again further away. "I don't really date."
"I don't really see it happening with you two." Narcissa thoughtfully pondered, her eyes flicking to the Gryffindor changing rooms a few meters away. "Talk of the devil, and he shall appear..."
"What?" Callisto mumbled, her head snapping to Narcissa. As if some high force had managed to take a glimpse of Narcissa's thoughts, the door of the Gryffindor Changing Rooms burst open.
Sirius Black and James Potter came out first, their red Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms making them look identical to the muggle red buses touring London. James' crooked glasses had been replaced by a pair of athletic ones, while Sirius' hair was put up in a bun, strands flying out of it.
Then came Peter Pettigrew, his hands buried in his backpack as he frantically searched through a mess of notes, forgotten assignments and random pranking tools for his Gryffindor scarf. That was until he realized that the thin fabric was around his neck and he blushed bright red, shaking his head.
And then Remus Lupin came out and Callisto's jaw dropped to the bloody ground. This time, it wasn't because of how incredibly handsome he looked dressed casually or because of his teasing smile and warm eyes. It wasn't even because of his messy hair and flushed red from the cold, cheeks and nose.
"Now, that's a plot twist..."Narcissa mumbled, her eyes glued to the overly touchy figure of Serena Callum by his side.
Callisto on the other hand was still trying to process what was happening. Sure, that was Remus Lupin, the annoying Gryffindor that made her sick. And sure, that was Serena Callum, heartthrob extraordinaire with her caramel brown hair flowing in the wind as she walked. And apparently, they were walking. Together. Side by side.
And he was laughing. At her jokes.
Callisto felt smoke coming out of her ears at the mere thought of him laughing at one of Serena's lame attempts to be funny. No, Serena Callum was not funny in any way, shape or form. Pathetic? Yes. Sexual? Probably. A nice person? Depending on what planet was on retrograde.
Her head snapped to the front, foot tapping on the ground in annoyance as her jaw clenched so hard, Narcissa was afraid her teeth would be ground to dust.
"Elphaba!" James exclaimed as the group approached them, Callisto trying not to laugh at how ridiculous he looked with the glasses on. "Did you come to wish us good luck?"
"That would be a waste of wishful thinking." Callisto responded, looking anywhere but Remus.
"Good morning to you too, Listo." Remus smiled, his grin faltering when she didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence.
"She says good morning." Narcissa sourly mumbled, putting a hand on Callisto's knee to stop her from shaking.
"She could have said it herself." Serena popped up, the patronizing tone in her voice making a series of violent images sprung up in Callisto's head. "I really like your hair today, Listo. Did you try something different? I could have sworn it looked like a bird's nest this morning..."
"I'm sorry. Did I ask you to pull down my panties and blow a compliment up my butt?"
James choked out a snort, while Sirius' eyes got so wide, legend says they popped off his head and he had to find a transplant through a mysterious donor from Kentucky.
"I beg your pardon!" Serena hissed, her hand still laying on top of Remus' shoulder. Callisto's eyes fell on the subtle movement, narrowing slightly.
"Then beg."
Remus stood completely awestruck, his mouth slightly agape. He knew that Callisto's filter could sometimes be nonexistent, but usually there was a reason for her to snap like that. She had a reason to tell that first year that his birth certificate was an apology from the condom factory and she definitely had a reason to shout at the Hufflepuff boy that made a rather unwanted comment about her ass, that she hoped squirrels would eat his dick (or whatever was left of it anyway). But this time, things were different.
Of course, Remus didn't know that Serena Callum had a deep dislike for Callisto and a horrible admiration for Luke Pucey; which roughly translated in a series of banters and insults thrown all day, every day.
The door of the Slytherin Changing Rooms burst open and Luke with Lucious came out, assessing the situation in front of them. What they had not expected was to see Callisto stand up with a smile plastered on her face as she took Luke's hand and strutted away.
"Let's go, Cissy." Lucious sneered, glaring at the Gryffindors. "The stench of cheap perfume is giving me a headache."
Remus watched as the last two Slytherins disappeared, his jaw clenching in both anger and confusion. Since when did Callisto hold hands with Pucey?
"She's so bloody annoying, I swear." Serena scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I don't understand why you hang out with her."
"She's something else..." Remus muttered, shaking his head in defeat. He felt Serena's hand lacing with his own and he reluctantly wrapped his fingers around hers, trying to push aside the voice screaming at him that this didn't feel nearly as pleasant as he thought it would. He didn't know whether it was the scorching hot ball burning in the pit of his stomach as remembered Callisto walking up to Luke, or sincere feelings for Serena. Either way, he put on a forced smile and followed his friends to the bleachers.
Serena, Remus and Peter took their seats on the benches, the sound of loud cheers filling the air as red and gold overwhelmed their senses. Quidditch had this magical way of transforming even the most boring days to a whole other experience, no matter if you were a fan or not. Energy was buzzing in the air as alcohol, cigarettes and the Prewett twins' "special little recipe" was passed around under the lazy eye of the professors. And then, there were the parties ensuing every big match. Nothing could compare to the aftermath of a good game as the victorious team carried the players to the common room and music started blasting from the enchanted speakers.
That much was good, but Quidditch games had always been too much for Remus. If he thought parties were loud and made him lose all grip of his senses (usually in a positive way), the games were soul-sucking. After some point, all voices were blending together, creating a cacophony that would echo in his ears for hours after the match ended. And then there was the distinct smell of sweat and the constant pushing around that felt like a slap in the face. Sure, werewolf "super senses" were cool for some part, but they were a huge pain most of the time. Thankfully, over the years he had managed to keep his cool and attended every match, mostly to support his friends and less to enjoy himself.
"Remus!" He heard Serena call as the players started entering the pitch. "Are you listening to what I'm saying?"
"Sorry, it was too loud." He excused himself, giving her a weak smile. "What did you say?"
"That I'm free on Saturday." Serena deadpanned, crossing her arms. Remus raised an eyebrow in confusion, when realization dawned upon him and he cleared his throat.
"That's good." He began, feeling increasingly nervous among the loud Gryffindors. Serena just continued to stare at him expectantly, and he cursed mentally as none of the bridges flew his way. "Would you like to come to Hogsmead with me?"
"Of course, Remmy!" Serena beamed a smile, pressing a kiss on his cheek. Remus blinked rapidly, his eyebrows furrowing together at the sudden display of affection, almost missing Peter's comment about how this would not end well. If he had dwelled more on his friend's words, he would have been able to figure out that it just so happened that a certain pink-haired girl was observing them, annoyance and anger bursting out of her chest.
Unfortunately, Remus was never the most observant.
~ ~ ~
"Take a picture, Callie." Narcissa scolded, snickering lightly at her friend's passed off expression. "It'll last longer."
"I was merely dazing off, Narcissa." Callisto snapped, rolling her eyes. "This game is bloody boring..."
"If you say so..." The blonde sighed, fixing her gaze back to the match. Luke was standing further away from the rest of the players, examining the pitch with a hawk-like attitude to spot the snitch. Lucious was currently having the time of his life, blocking the goals sent violently by James Potter. And then there was Sirius Black, taking out all of his frustrations on the bludgers as he sent them flying right straight to the Slytherin Chasers.
"And yet another bludger almost murders Theodore Nott!" Marlene's voice filled the air. "Careful, Black! A murder is a murder no matter how much the victim deserves it."
Callisto let out a laugh, receiving a fair amount of glares from the Slytherins around her.
"Minnie says I need to apologize." Marlene sighed, crossing her legs on the bench. "I am terribly sorry for implying that someone needs to knock you off your broom, Nott. It was an honest slip of the tongue."
Suddenly, Luke's head snapped to the right and as if someone had lit his ass on fire, he charged towards the small golden ball, maneuvering through the players. Gryffindor's seeker, Ramona Cooper, noticed the commotion and started chasing after him. The two seekers resembled little dots as they hurried after the snitch, the wind pushing them forwards.
"They obviously spotted the snitch." Marlene deadpanned. "Now, this is what I like to call a dangerous- HOLY SHIT! DID PUCEY JUST CATCH THE SNITCH?! I FUCKING BETTED ON YOU, RAMONA, AND YOU DO ME DIRTY LIKE THAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO -NO, PROFESSOR! I AM BLOODY ANGRY NOW!- WHAT HAPPENED TO FRIENDSHIP?"
"We won?" Callisto questioned, absentmindedly searching through the crowd for Remus. Realizing what she was doing, she mentally slapped herself, turning back to Narcissa.
"SIT ON IT YOU FUCKING GRYFFINWHORES!" Narcissa exclaimed loudly, raising her middle finger in the air. Cheers erupted from the stands as Pucey triumphantly extended his arm, showing the snitch trapped between his fingers. Callisto was dragged in a tight embrace from her fellow house-mates, loud chanting filling the air as the Slytherin team fell on Luke.
It all felt like she was in the middle of a storm. Callisto couldn't for the life of her recognize who was the person lifting her from the ground, or whose voice stood out while they all shouted in excitement. When she opened her eyes again, she was right out of the Quiddich pitch with Narcissa by her side. Luke and Lucious ran out of the pitch with the rest of the players by their side, loud swearing and laughter filling her ears.
"WE FUCKING DEMOLISHED THEM!" Luke shouted, crashing Callisto with a hug. The distinct stench of sweat mixed with cologne invaded her nostrils and her nose visibly scrunched up as Luke lifted her from the ground.
"Good game, indeed." She muttered, pushing her hair to the side.
"LUKE, ARE YOU COMING?" Noah Higgs called, his blond hair sticking to his forehead from sweating. "CLAIRE CAN JOIN US!"
"JUST A MOMENT!" Luke shouted back, waiting for the group to distance themselves. When they had disappeared, he turned to Callisto and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you doing anything this weekend?"
Before Callisto could answer, he spoke again.
"Because I was thinking that maybe we could go to Hogsmead together. Like, a date with me...and you, obviously."
Images of Serena holding Remus' hand started playing in her mind and a blinding rage filled her. Without a second thought, she nodded.
"It's a date!"
~ ~ ~
Benjamin Wadsworth as Luke Pucey.
What are your opinions on dear Luke?