Chapter 31° Who is Callum?
oOoOoOo
It was silent until another cough appeared from behind. ,,Uhm- who is Callum?" Sirius asked. His voice was soft, almost like silk, as he finally spoke his mind, open to whatever the answer could possibly be. Repeating Amelias words in his head, this one name stuck in his mind and wouldn't leave. Of course he did listen to what she said after that, but he couldn't help but wonder. Wonder who or what this Callum is.
The others might not remember in this moment, but Sirius did. Is came to his mind as soon as he heard her words. He did remember this name coming out of her mouth once before. How the letters left her mouth, sounding so incredibly sad, sorrow and regretful. It was rough.
Flashback:
Amelia's body began to shake and her posture collapsed. Her heavy bag fell off her shoulder and landed with a jerk on the floor, which was dampened by the lawn on which Lia was already. ,,I'm sorry."
The tremors in her joints increased and took in her entire person. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and made their way down Lia's face, shoulders, and back. ,,He fought 'till the very last second."
Her heart was racing at a speed that would have blown anyone else, but Lia stayed on her feet even when her legs threatened to give way. ,,He didn't make it."
...
The marauders were just walking down the corridor, viewing the results of their prank as Peters and Remus' presentiment came true. They looked straight at a girl, Amelia, lying on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest, her whole body shaking. In front of her there was Mo, who kneeled, shaking the girls shoulder full of desperate, trying to bring her back to reality, in vain.
,,Fuck." Remus called out, before running towards the girl, his friends following behind quickly.
Amelia started breathing heavily, almost as she was drowning and not able to breath. Mo felt his eyes watering, as he felt so helpless. Usually his presence helped her, snap out of her trance, but this time it didn't work, something was different. It was worse. ,,Please, Lia-"
,,He didn't make it."
,,What happened?" Remus exclaimed, as he rushed beside Molero and eyed the girl in front of him. He knew the symptoms. Trembling, sweating, shortness of breath, unresponsive. He knew these signs from his own experience. After being bitten by Fenrir Greyback, Remus had many panic attacks when he was younger. However, none of them were like the one he was now seeing.
,,Callum."
,,I- I don't know. She's having a panic attack, but it's worse this time-"
,,Wait-" Sirius said suddenly, combining the girls state and her friends words. He knew pain, both physically and emotionally, but the pain she seemed to be in right now was nearly scaring him. ,,Worse this time? So this has happened before?"
,,It's my fault."
It was the day of their great prank. The one where the whole school was pooled in lights of the colors white and blue. As well as the sound of sirens that filled every corner of the castle. It could have been phenomenal if they would not have been the reason that Lia was having a very hard panic attack and passed out because of it, having to bring her into the hospital wing urgently. It was a nightmare.
Sirius knew panic attacks. He did have some before. Many actually. The time that he spent in Grimauldplace all those years, before he moved in with the Potters, caused deep cuts and huge scars on his soul. Being tortured and assaulted by his own parents and family, for things he couldn't control. For example the house he got sorted into at Hogwarts. Being the "family-dissapointment" would never leave his heart, no matter how many years would pass.
He knew how panic and mental pain looked. And how it felt. Sirius saw this pain in her eyes that day. The sorrow and grief that took all over her mind, face and body. How her eyes flickered, her pupils twitched. Her body was filled with such a strong tremor that her cramping hand tried to hold on to a wall that she could never keep afloat and save from what she felt deep inside.
The question pulled Amelia out of the strong wave of emotion that took over her as she laid in Remus arms and sent her right into the next one.
She unwrapped herself from Remus and sat back up straight. And as he did the same, it was only now that she realized how bare his torso was. The slightly pale and bruised skin was completely free, except for some bandaids that covered cuts and saved them from infections. It was the first time that she saw this part of him. And it brought heat up her cheeks, making them flush as crimson as Gryffindor-red. This kind of confrontation brought pictures back into her head, deepening the blush on her face even further.
Flashback:
An awkward silence fell over the two, before Lia thought about a way to escape it and stood up. ,,Come on, we're gonna go swimming." she said.
Remus eyes widened, as he looked up at her. ,,No, I don't- I don't think that's a good idea."
,,Come on, we can't leave the others alone now, can we?" Amelia smiled at him, holding out her hand encouragingly. She didn't know what came over her, but she just did it anyway.
I can't, Remus thought. I don't want her to see. But she's asking so nicely and genuine. And her smile- Thinking about a way to do this, Remus took her hand and stood up. ,,I'll leave my shirt on though."
,,Okay." Amelia started stripping off her clothes, leaving her in a black triangle bikini. It was simple, but looked really flattering on her and showed the curves of her slim body.
Remus turned around, to give her some kind of privacy and to unbutton his jeans and unbuckling his belt. He wore a grey pair of swimming shorts underneath, that sat low on his waist. He still wore his white shirt, as he turned around to look at Amelia.
That's why he refused to take off his shirt, Lia thought as realization dawned on her. It all makes more sense now.
Remus quickly registered what her eyes were focused on, causing his cheeks to flush as well.
And it was not just him that noticed. the boys behind them did as well, the situation bringing smirks up their faces. Peter was the first one to make a move and took the brown sweater, that was laying on top of the bed beside them, and threw it into his arms carefully. ,,Here."
Muttering a thank you, Remus quickly pulled the piece of clothing over his head and reconnected his eyes to Amelias, whose were already fixed on his, as she turned herself to sit back and be able to look at the whole lot.
,,Well, I guess it's just fair. I now know you're biggest secret, so I've gotta tell you mine." she said, already thinking about how to explain her and her brothers story.
Even if she thought she would, Lia was not scared at all to tell them. After her last hospital wing visit, a lot has changed inside her. After she met and talked to Callum when she was unconscious, she felt like a new person. It was like the shadow that laid on her and her past finally disappeared and allowed her to be happy again. She could finally conclude with her past, now that she knew that Callum was safe and had never left her. And she was not afraid so talk about her past now. Amelia was proud of how far she had come and her brother, that was the best she could ever ask for.
However, Remus did not think this was fair or right at all. Lia didn't mean to find out about his condition and was not responsible for any of this. She shouldn't tell them because she felt forced to. ,,Amelia, You really don't have to."
She just made a dismissive movement and smiled at him and the other boys softly. ,,I should finally talk about it." she said, but also pleaded. ,,Just, please don't tell anybody. I'm okay with telling you, but I don't want the rest of the school to know. Most don't know who I am and I would like it to stay that way."
,,Of course." Peter said smiling trustfully and took a step forward.
James did the same. ,,We won't tell anyone. Promise."
,,It's okay if you don't want to tell us." Sirius reassured her. To be honest, he was surprised that she wanted to tell them about this Callum. All of them expected her to say something like It doesn't matter- again. And yet he didn't want to make her feel pressured if it was something personal. He wouldn't want that for him as well.
Remus silently took her hand again and squeezed it, just as she did before, to signal his own promise.
,,Callum is my brother." And he always will be. ,,Well, he was. He was older by two years and a gryffindor here at hogwarts, just as you four. He died in an accident when I was twelve. He was hit by a car and the injuries were too serve so he had already lost too much blood.
Callum was my best friend as well as my brother. We did everything together. We were absolutely inseparable and talked about everything. He brought so much happiness into my life until he didn't anymore."
The silence that followed was indescribable. On the one side it was filled with compassion, sadness and sorry looks but on the other side Lia felt so free in this moment. The memories to this time still hurt, but now she could look back and feel thankful about how Callum improved her life and how he always was there for her.
Sirius was standing there in complete shock. Her brother is dead. He died at such a young age and she was only twelve. It was about the same age as when he lost Regulus to forms of prejudice. When she stood up for Regulus and told Sirius how it was his fault that he lost him, it reminded her of her own life. Just that she could never be able to see her brother again, while Sirius just refused to. It almost numbed his senses and blurred his vision.
However, he pulled himself together and forgot about his own life for a moment, as he took another step forward and connected his eyes to hers. ,,I am really sorry for your loss, Amelia."
,,Thank you." she said and gave him a tight yet honest smile. Looking at Peter, James and Remus she saw the silent but true compassion and sympathy in their looks. They didn't have to say anything to make her understand and feel it. And it meant so much to her.
Minutes passed in which they all just looked at each other and exchanged looks that were filled with so many emotions that no words could ever express.
Remus couldn't form any words. It was like Amelia's did tie his tongue. She must have been so broken when she found out, he thought. It must have been so hard. And the more he thought about it, this confession seemed to explain a lot about her. She was so closed off when they first met and didn't want any kind of attention. She didn't let anyone in, however she was interested in the well-being of other, like she asked him on their first study-session, after another full moon. She acted really defensive and rejecting to keep people away. It made sense. And yet Remus could truly feel his heart swell at the thought of her sharing this deep secret with him. And with all of them. He did finally understand her and maybe now he could finally solve all the other mysteries and change mystery-girl into his girl.
James was incredibly sorry for her. He felt so bad for what happened to her and her brother and how life had treated her. Even if he had always been an only child, as soon as he met Sirius they created a bond like brothers. The same applied to Remus and Peter, however, with Sirius it was different. The two are quite similar, he thought. James did not want to imagine what would happen to him if he lost Sirius.
Still, Callum. The name sounded so familiar to James but he couldn't put a finger on it.
Callum.
Callum.
Cal-
,,Wait- your brother was Callum Grey?" he asked shocked and looked at her with wide eyes. Of course, he thought. Callum Grey. One of the youngest and most talented quidditch-captains that Hogwarts ever had. James had always been obsessed with quidditch and when he was sorted into gryffindor, he watched every practice the house team had. And most importantly, the captain. Callum was almost like a legend to him. James had always been such a fan of him and his abilities. And of course he had heard about the tragic and sudden death of the player. It just never occurred to him that he had other siblings at this school.
Amelia looked up at him, surprised by his sudden yet determined question. ,,Yes, that's his full name."
,,You mean-" Sirius started, as it also dawned on him. ,,You mean Callum Grey as in former quidditch captain of gryffindor. One of the best players that Hogwarts ever had?!"
Laughing at their excitement, Lia smiled in memories. ,,Yes, that one. He really was the most talented player this school has ever seen. He was absolutely amazing, we loved this sport so much."
We.
,,I am a huge fan. He was bloody brilliant!" James exclaimed.
Peter also remembered something about quidditch if not the same. ,,That's how you knew so much about quidditch. When we talked to you after the game. You said that both James' and Sirius' techniques were great. You also did play quidditch, didn't you?"
,,I did. Before Callum died we always played together at home, but when we were at school I was too young to try out for the team. And I haven't played since his death."
Home.
Her house in London, not home. More and more parts of the puzzle came together in Remus mind. He thought of so many little things that she had said and indicated in their past conversations, that had so much worth. She shut herself off from the world ever since she lost her brother. So far that the place of her childhood is not to be called home anymore.
Home is at Hogwarts.
Home is with her friends.
After some seconds, Amelia stood up smirking mysteriously at the marauders and pointed towards them. ,,But now, I want to see your animagus-forms."