Song:
Lover (Taylor Swift)
"All's well that ends well round up with you."
"Are you sure the gates will be open?" Callisto asked as they approached the castle. She had barely gotten any sleep when James woke up and started shaking her and Marlene to get up. Remus and Dorcas were already awake, packing everyone's things in the bags they brought and chatting about God knows what. Remus hadn't even bothered to greet her normally, unlike Dorcas who even offered her some water for her hangover.
"Yes." Peter answered immediately, leading them out of the forest. "Filch opens them before he goes for breakfast."
"I thought he ate students that didn't manage to graduate." Dorcas commented, a few chuckles erupting among the group.
"That's a common misconception." Marlene clarified, walking faster in order to catch up to her and in the process, leaving Callisto behind.
"Listo." Remus called, not receiving any responses. "Listo!"
Callisto didn't say anything. Pretending not to have heard him was much better than having to face him after seeing him cuddling all night with Dorcas. Hell, she felt so embarrassed for her outburst and how she had told Marlene and Sirius everything without a second thought. She couldn't even understand why she would do that, or why Remus was calling her name right now.
"Callisto!" He called again, this time grabbing her shoulder to force her to stop walking.
"Yes?" Her voice sounded small; as if she wasn't the one replying to him. He still looked a bit rough from sleeping outside the entire night, but there was something very alluring about his messy hair and sleepy voice.
"What's wrong?" He asked, sincerity in his eyes. "I mean, yesterday we were fine and then you just left and now you're literally ignoring me."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Remus." She answered, glancing at the others who were way ahead of them. "We need to catch up with the rest."
"No, we don't." Remus stated, averting his gaze to where she was looking before he turned to her. "Just tell me what's wrong. And don't say it's all okay, because I know it's not true."
"I'm just feeling a bit under the weather." Technically, it wasn't a lie. After all, she was chronically ill, so if they were being literal she was under the weather all the time. And right now, things were even worse with the hangover she was experiencing. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to ruin everyone's night."
"Are you sure it's just that?" Remus insisted, his expression softening slightly. Callisto nodded, observing him carefully. The bags under his eyes were darker than usual and he was so pale she could clearly make out the outline of every scar. Sweat was forming on his forehead and his eyes were gleaming with fever.
"You're pale." Callisto commented, placing her palm on his forehead. "And you're hot."
Remus chuckled, "Thank you."
"Yes, you are very handsome, but what I am referring to is fever." Remus' cheeks flushed red and Callisto smirked. "And now you're blushing."
"It's the fever." He said, not managing to hide a small smile. "I'm fine, Listo. Nothing to worry about."
"Who said I'm worried?"
"Of course you aren't." He simply remarked as they started walking to the entrance of the castle. It was obvious that he had misinterpreted the entire situation or that if something was truly wrong, it was fixed now. He glanced at Callisto, taking in her appearance. Her usually carefully brushed hair was now falling messily on her backs, a few knots visible at the ends of her hair. The signs of the hangover were evident on her face, making her look paler and sicker than usual and her clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them all night.
"I know many muggles and wizards who wouldn't take very kindly on you staring at them." Callisto remarked, meeting his gaze. "So, and I quote, 'what are you looking at'?"
"A fugly troll."
"Oh my God, are we roleplaying right now?" Callisto teased, gasping. "Can you be Tom Cruise?"
Remus sighed, "No, I can't."
"Bummer." Callisto mumbled, shaking her head. "At least tell me if I'm the best looking troll ever."
"You, Listo, are the best looking troll ever." Remus said, his heart flattering slightly when Callisto grinned widely. The couple walked in silence for the rest of the way, Callisto's head spinning from what he had said. Surely, being called a troll wasn't ideal, but if you substituted the word 'troll' for 'girl', you had exactly what Remus meant, or at least what Callisto wanted him to mean.
They entered the Great Hall, which was mostly empty except for a few people sitting on their respective tables.
"Narcissa isn't awake yet." Callisto sighed, looking over at the Slytherin table. The only people sitting there were Pucey with Snape and a younger girl she had never talked to before.
"Come sit with us." Remus proposed, touching her shoulders and directing her to the Gryffindor table. Callisto took a seat next to Peter, pouring a cup of coffee and grabbing one of the pancakes next to Sirius. She buried her hand in her pocket and pulled out a vial, before she poured some in her coffee and to the others' cups.
"Pepper up potion." She clarified, putting the empty bottle back in her pocket.
"I love you, woman." Lily groaned, downing her tea at a terrifying speed. James chuckled slightly, earning a look full of mock annoyance from the redhead.
"It tastes minty." Dorcas commented, smiling lightly.
"It's the peppermint." Callisto deadpanned, taking a sip from her coffee. Immediately, the headache disappeared, leaving her behind with a wonderful sense of clarity. She glanced at Remus who was staring at the food James had placed in front of him with disgust. His coffee was long gone, as was the potion.
Callisto hesitated for a moment, but she passed him her coffee, feeling her stomach protest at the gesture.
"You look like death and I don't, so it's obvious who needs it most." She stated, trying to ignore the intense nausea. Remus just stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Are you sure?"
"I can always make more for me, but you're sick and can't even boil water."
"I can boil water." Remus retorted, sipping some of the coffee. "And thank you. You're actually not a troll."
"Of course she's not, dumbass!" Marlene snorted, her eyes finally fully open now that she had fully sobered up. "Are we going to Hogsmead tomorrow or next Sunday?"
"It's tomorrow." Peter answered, taking a bite from his bagel. "Are we still on for Zonko's?"
"I can't."James answered, looking up from his plate. The silence was so intense you could have heard a pin dropping. James had never skipped a Zonko's trip in the four years of going to Hogsmead. In fact, he was such a frequent client that Zonko himself had gifted him and the boys samples from his unreleased pranking tools so they could test them before they were available.
"Are you terminally ill?" Sirius asked, shaking him from his shoulders. "What could possibly be more important than Zonko's, Potter!"
"The war, climate change..." Callisto mumbled, earning a deadly look from Sirius.
"I have a date."
Lily immediately started coughing violently, letting her second glass of orange juice on the table while Dorcas slapped her back.
"A what?" She choked out, all color from her face draining.
"A date, Lils." He repeated, the awkwardness settling in. "Daphne Brooks asked me out yesterday morning and I said yes."
"Ouch..." Callisto whispered, receiving a subtle kick from Remus.
"Oh..." Lily said a bit disappointedly. "That's great, James."
"Lily." Callisto called, an idea popping up in her mind. "I'm bleeding through my pants."
"Me too." Marlene nodded, understanding exactly what Callisto was insinuating. "Oh God, I can feel it!"
"I have pads in my bag." Lily replied, staring at the two standing girls without really catching on to their signal to get up and leave with them.
"No, you don't." Sirius snorted. "I'm right here."
Dorcas stood up as well, shooting Marlene and Callisto a knowing look. If Lily, who usually jumped up to accompany pretty much everyone in the bathroom, didn't do it this time, it meant it was time for the big guns.
"Lily, my period is two weeks late!" Callisto was supposed to not like Dorcas. If anything, she was supposed to dislike the girl. However, she was too impressed by the timing and the excuse to let her feelings for Dorcas and Remus stop her from making Lily get up once and for good.
"Is the floor spinning for anyone else or is it just me?" And just like that, Callisto fell back, praying that Dorcas would catch her before she fell on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Thankfully for her, Dorcas didn't disappoint and Callisto found much needed support as the girl caught her mid-fall.
"Oh no! She fell on the pregnant lady! The child is gone now!" Marlene exclaimed, pointing at Dorcas. "I think this is contagious, guys! I felt asleep next to Callie and now I-"
She didn't finish her sentence, instead opting for a dramatic fall like Callisto's. Unfortunately, both Peter and Sirius didn't have time to react and Marlene fell flat on the floor, letting out a small squeal.
"Miss Evans," McGonagall's voice interrupted the show. "I suggest you follow Miss Meadows, Miss McKinnon and Miss Claire before you wipe out half the school."
Lily nodded, "Yes, I think so too."
Callisto and Marlene immediately stood up as if nothing had happened, motioning for Lily to follow them out of the Great Hall.
"Minnie," James called, observing as the girls basically dragged Lily away. "Girls are confusing."
"Mr. Potter, the only confusing thing here is how Miss McKinnon didn't crack her skull open falling on the floor like that."
~ ~ ~
"I can't believe him!" Lily fumed, pacing up and down the dorm. "How can he be so naive?! She only wants him for his body and his popularity and his face! Stupid fucking Daphne fucking Brooks!"
"I don't have a crush on Jace." Callisto mocked, mimicking Lily's voice.
"That was a lie." The redhead hissed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "He waited for six fucking years and I was a collosal prick to him and now that he has moved on and he's ready to date someone else, I want him. Name a more selfish person! I bet you can't!"
"You can't help your feelings, Lils." Dorcas said, her glance averting to Marlene who was sitting on her bed, deep in thought. "Honestly, I think you should go up to him right now and tell him how you feel. Worst case scenario he is over you."
"You make it sound like that's nothing." Lily groaned, taking the pillow from Callisto's hands and throwing it at the door. "And what happens if he doesn't like me? I just can't be his friend."
"You move on eventually." The brunette replied with a sad smile. "Nothing more you can do. At least you'll know you've been honest with yourself and him."
"Callie, what do you think?" Lily asked, turning to the blonde who was pensively listening to Dorcas.
"I think that I'm selfish and immature, while Dorcas is the exact opposite." She muttered, sighing. "Because I could never do that even if it's the correct thing. Honestly, if I were you I'd probably end up following them around Hogsmeade like a proper stalker and then I'd channel all my anger in making him regret liking me in the first place."
"Or, I can follow him around and if she tries anything I can curse her and then run away and pretend I never did it."
"Yes, because that is guaranteed to get him running back to you." Marlene remarked sarcastically. "A good rule of the thumb is: Do what Dorcas says and don't listen to what Callisto and I say."
"Hey!" Callisto protested. "Why me?"
"There's a reason we've never been in a relationship, Callie."
"I've been in a relationship!" Callisto exclaimed. "In general, do listen to me, Lily. This time though just stick with Dorcas' pearls of wisdom."
"I thought you said you haven't had a relationship before." Lily said, her eyebrows knitting together. In reality, Callisto had just lied to her that time. She didn't know Lily or the guys that well then and them digging in her personal life wasn't desirable, so she had just lied. Of course now, things were different and she didn't mind letting them in on some information.
"I lied." Callisto shrugged. "It was last year and we broke up after four or five months on really bad terms."
"Did he cheat on you?" Dorcas asked.
"No, she didn't." Callisto answered, not noticing Lily's and Dorcas' eyes widening at the pronoun. "She did drive me insane though and not in a good way. In a good way too, but that was at the start."
"She?" Lily blurted out, a huge grin on her face.
"Monica, yes." Callisto confirmed. "Italian, tall, beautiful..."
"You like girls?" Lily asked, interrupting Callisto's daydreaming. The blonde sat up straight, her cheeks flaming red.
"Me? No! Who said that?" Lily just stared at her, making her groan. "Ugh, fine. Yes, I do like girls too. Stick fucking feathers on me and parade me around town."
"Callie!" Lily shouted and before the blonde could react she was crushed in a huge hug by Lily.
"Finally!" Marlene exclaimed, falling on top of Lily and motioning for Dorcas to come join in on the hug. Dorcas hesitated for a bit, but she took Marlene's hand, trying to ignore the goosebumps erupting at the contact.
"Do the guys know?" Lily asked, rolling off to the side of the bed.
"Not really." Callisto responded, trying to suppress the smile forming on her lips. Besides Nick, she hadn't told anyone else of incredible personal significance. Even Antonia had figured it out on her own after a particularly awkward incident. Confiding in the girls, even Dorcas for fuck's sake, was incredibly satisfying and liberating despite all the fear she had felt when it slipped out.
"So, what will you do with James?" Marlene asked, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"I guess future Lily will have to make that decision for me."
Dorcas chuckled, "Smart."
"Always."
~ ~ ~
The next morning felt like a blur to Callisto. What had started out as an emergency meeting had ended up becoming a full blown sleepover. Callisto had woken up with her neck cramped and a pit of hunger in her stomach. Although the girls had a bunch of snacks in their trunks, they weren't quite enough to satisfy her hunger, but going to dinner was too much of a hustle. So, Callisto settled for the abundance of chocolate frogs.
"We can have breakfast at Hogsmeade." Dorcas proposed. "Madam Rosmerta is a very good cook."
"I'd eat anything right now." Callisto sighed, catching the shirt Marlene had thrown her midair and sliding it over her torso with a swift movement. The door opened and Lily came out of the bathroom.
"Is this too much?" Lily asked, waving her hands in front of her outfit. Lily always dressed more formally than everyone else Callisto knew, with her infinite number of matching skirts and tops, dresses for every occasion, and pants that seemed like they were tailored to her. The dainty, lacey white shirt contrasted nicely with her red hair and the sage green, looser pants complemented nicely her eyes and golden jewellery. It was obvious that this time Lily Evans wasn't going to Hogsmead just for a butterbeer.
"No, you look great." Callisto complemented, handing her a pair of shoes. "So, what did future Lily decide to do?"
"Future Lily decided to be a homewrecker." Well, if we were being exact, Lily was never a homewrecker. You can't destroy something that doesn't exist, so Lily Evans wasn't doing anything that bad. Yes, it was possible that Daphne Brooks would detest her forever, but that was a price she was willing to pay for a bit of James' love.
The redhead took a deep breath and marched towards the door, feeling sweat already forming at the mere idea of what she was about to do. She opened the door, got down the stairs with the girls following her closely behind and inspected the Common Room.
And then she saw James Potter. He was alone, waiting for Daphne to come down. Hell, it was the perfect opportunity. She was going to go up to him, kiss him and either be kissed back or be humiliated.
And then she didn't do either of that.
"Hey Lils!" James greeted, chuckling slightly at how she was standing in front of the staircase, her eyes glued on him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm wonderful." Lily awkwardly laughed, not registering the collective groans of disappointment behind her. "Ehm, good luck with your date today."
"Thank you." James murmured, sadness flashing in his eyes for a brief second. "Are you girls going out together?"
"No, I've been kidnapped." Callisto stated, pointing at Marlene. "She's actually a Deatheater."
Marlene nodded, "Kill and maim!"
James shrugged, "You deserve it."
"Fuck you, Jace." Callisto sighed, shaking her head. "That's why everybody either doesn't like you or lies about it."
James' eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What?"
"She's been surviving off chocolate frogs. Excuse the delusion." Lily explained, letting out an awkward laugh. She waved at him one last time, praying that her cheeks weren't as red as her hair and she stormed off the Common Room, rushing down the empty hallway.
"Why didn't you do it?" Dorcas asked, practically sprinting to catch up with Lily. Of course, no matter how many times Lily could try and explain that she just froze when she saw him, she knew that they wouldn't understand. In fact, she was pretty sure that if the sorting hat had seen her at that moment, it would have reconsidered placing her in Gryffindor because there was no way that a coward like her belonged to the house of the brave.
"I need air." Lily answered, not turning to look at the girl. "And I just couldn't."
The girls entered the Great Hall, and much to Callisto's dismay, passed by the tables full of food without even sparing a second glance. That was until they passed from the edge of the table where the three Marauders were sitting, and a hand extended, stopping Callisto right on her tracks.
"Not the time, Rem." Callisto warned, watching as Lily with Marlene and Dorcas were about to leave the room.
"Why are you all running?" He asked, the look Callisto shot at him making him regret his question. "Actually, forget that. Give this to Dorcas, please."
Callisto looked at the book he gave to her, feeling the frustration rising in her chest. As far as she knew, Remus never gave his books to anyone, so why was Dorcas any different?
"I'm not an owl." Callisto snapped, letting the book down on the bench. "If you want to give it to her that bad, go and find her yourself."
"Should I also give her your cupcake?" Remus asked, taking a muffin from the plate in front of him and extending his arm for Callisto to take it. The muffin did look delicious, but Callisto's pride had been too wounded to accept it. Instead, she just took the book from the bench.
"I don't want your stupid cupcake." She murmured and stormed off, completely oblivious to Remus leaving the cupcake down on his plate a bit too angrily.
"You're an asshole." Sirius sighed, getting up from the bench. Much to Remus' surprise, Sirius indeed did look serious. Before the werewolf was able to say anything, Sirius had walked off to the direction Callisto had left.
"Please don't tell me we're going to follow them." Peter pleaded as Remus got up and shot him a knowing look. Peter let out a huff of frustration and grabbed the cupcake from Remus' plate, before the two boys exited the Great Hall.
Surprisingly enough, finding them was easy. They were all standing close to the line heading out for Hogsmead while Lily was frantically looking through her bag. Remus approached the group, and almost walked back away when he saw Callisto giving the book to Dorcas.
"Remus said he wanted you to have this book really, really bad." It was obvious she was angry at him, but he couldn't really understand why she had gotten so offended when he asked her to simply deliver a book for him.
"If it annoyed you that much, you could have just not done it." He stated, receiving a middle finger from Callisto. "Real mature."
"Stop bickering!" Marlene interrupted before Callisto had a chance to reply. "We have bigger issues."
And that was when Callisto saw that James Potter and Daphne Brooks were showing their permission slips to McGonagall and were happily making their way to Hogsmead and a bright future together.
"Lily." Callisto called, making the girl look up from her bag and to the direction of the couple. "Find your damn slip."
"Fuck you." Lily hissed, stress building up in her chest. She had basically turned her entire bag upside down, yet the permission form was nowhere to be found. Without that, there was no Hogsmead and well, no stopping James Potter from liplocking with Daphne Brooks.
"Did you check your pockets?"
"My pockets? Of course I checked my-" Her hand slipped in the pocket of her pants, immediately feeling the folded permission slip. "Pocket..."
"Move, woman!" Callisto urged pushing her towards the direction of the door. McGonagall observed as Lily tried to fight back as the three girls basically carried her over to where she was standing, trying to conceal a smile.
Marlene sighed, pointing at Lily, "Minnie!"
"Just go, girls." Minerva said, looking at her watch. "The carriages should be returning in around ten minutes?"
"Returning?" Lily asked, finally breaking away from Callisto's and Dorcas' grasp. "What do you mean?"
"They're all going to Hogsmead, Miss Evans." McGonagall answered. "They should be back to pick you up and the rest of the students in about ten minutes."
"So, we have to wait?"
"Unless you're planning to walk the distance."
Lily didn't reply. Instead, she handed her bag to Marlene and sprinted out of the castle, leaving the others behind her with similar dumbfounded expressions.
The professor sighed, "Or, run the distance."
"Damn you, Evans." Marlene cursed, grabbing Callisto's and Dorcas' hands before she started running to the direction Lily had left.
"Please, tell me we're waiting for the carriages." Peter pleaded again, standing in front of Remus and Sirius. "I am going to kill you if we don't, do you understand?"
"No, you won't." Remus muttered, making his way out of the Castle with Sirius and Peter following close behind. When Remus looked back again, he was followed by a dog and a rat hanging from the dog's tail for dear life.
Normally, werewolf perks such as enhanced speed and strength didn't appeal much to Remus, but this time he was grateful for them. Otherwise, he was pretty certain he wouldn't have managed to reach Hogsmead at the same time the girls did. When he finally spotted them, they were sitting behind a bush, close to where the carriages were letting people off in the village.
"Let's go." Sirius muttered, slapping lightly on Remus' back. The three boys sat on the ground next to the girls, observing in silence as Lily ran to the carriage James was getting off of with Daphne.
"What is she doing?"
"Shut up, Black." Marlene hissed, slapping the back of his head.
"POTTER!" Lily shouted, panting for a breath as she finally reached James.
"Lily?" He asked, confusion evident in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"No," Lily answered, wheezing. She put her hand on her chest, trying to control her breathing. "Oof, Jesus, give me a second."
"Let's go, Jamie." Daphne urged him, glancing at Lily with annoyance. "We didn't come here for Evans."
"Jamie my ass." Lily exclaimed, finally catching her breath. "I just wanted to say that I lied. I don't wish you luck on your date! In fact, I hope it's the worst date you ever have. I hope she vomits on your shoes and your butterbeer tastes like shit, and everything is shit!"
"Lily-"
"And I hope all that happens, because I'm in love with you!"
And just like that, James Potter kissed Lily Evans.
All those years, he had been dreaming of the moment he would be finally able to do that, and now it was finally happening. He had lost all hope that she could ever be something more than a friend to him, and now she had run all this way to tell him she was in love with him. It felt right; like they were meant to do that. It was unlike every kiss he had ever had, but then again Lily Evans was unlike every other girl he had ever met.
James broke the kiss slightly, a wide grin on his lips as he looked down at Lily's emerald eyes.
"I'm in love with you too, Lils." He mumbled, unable to control his smile. "I've always been..."
Surely, nobody expected that Callisto's voice would sound so loudly in the silence of winter.
"Can we please go get breakfast now?"
~ ~ ~
I believe in Jily supremacy.
Also, in case you forgot what Monica looks like, you can find her in the cast chapter. She's portrayed by Megan Fox. She's been in a silly goofy mood ever since she started dating mgk tbh.