𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑...

Song:
Dinner and Diatribes (Hozier)
"I'd suffer Hell if you'd tell me, what you'd do to me tonight."

"I ruined the date." Remus sneezed, blowing his nose into a tissue paper Callisto levitated to him. She was standing at the opposite side of the room, watching at him suspiciously as he threw the tissue in the bin, his nose bright red. "We were supposed to be having fun."

"You didn't." She said. "It's not your fault you got sick."

"Can you come here please?" He asked, pulling the covers closer to him. "Speaking so loudly makes my ears ring."

"And let you infect me with whatever plague you're carrying?!" Callisto scoffed, shaking her head. "Stay away from me and my already fucked up immune system, Lupin!"

"It's not a virus, Listo."

"It will be if you infect me." She grumpily mumbled. "Let's keep it to vir-you."

"It's because of the full moon."

Callisto narrowed her eyes, "And you're sure you didn't let any first years breathe your way."

"Positive."

"If I do as much as sneeze during this week, I will come for you."

"I was under the impression you liked doing that." Remus smirked at Callisto's shocked expression, patting the space next to him. "Well, come for me then."

"Definitely not while you're sick." Callisto grumpily said, laying down on the bed. She pulled a small bottle from her pocket and motioned for him to extend his hand before she squeezed some hand sanitizer on his palm. "Do not sneeze, cough or touch me with your tongue."

"Aw, there go my plans for today."

"Are you always this suggestive during the full moon, Lupin?"

"Only when there's a pretty girl on my bed." He smuggly replied, laying his head on her chest. Callisto just snickered, playing with his hair. The week before the full moon had been much easier according to Remus and the guys, despite his constant sneezing and coughing. There had been no extreme mood swings and he had been sleeping like a baby, although Callisto was pretty sure it just happened to be an easy full moon.

"Thank you for the potion." Remus mumbled, looking up at her. "I- I don't know what I could ever do to repay you."

"You don't have to do anything." She muttered. "I'm glad it helps."

"Are you feeling fine?" Remus asked, making Callisto tilt her head in confusion. "With your condition, I mean. How is it?"

"Like usual." She shrugged, the topic feeling like foreign territory she hadn't even dreamed of exploring before. "I took a pretty hard hit last year with Monica, but things have been going smoothly, I guess."

"Was it always like that?"

"It used to be much worse." Callisto admitted. "I spent entire months in the hospital with a few other kids. Kenny, the only other permanent patient, was a Maledictus. He was four years older, but the curse was progressing quite fast and he's been randomly transforming into a stork since I was thirteen. Until I was ten, they hadn't figured out my medication, so Elena would take me to the hospital every day to administer special potions."

"And your friends?"

"I didn't have any." She responded, shrugging. "Nobody really wanted to be friends with the girl that fainted at least once a week during playtime and made toys attack people when she was mad."

"That's fucked up."

"I was an odd kid." She stated. "Ivan would come and play with me in the afternoons though, so that was quite fun. Although, I did make the toys attack him too just for fun, especially after a full moon."

"You're an asshole."

"He was so annoying after a full moon, I swear." Callisto huffed. "So, I started slipping sedatives into his potions and the issue got solved."

"And that was when you were..."

"Eleven."

"What a lovely child." Remus snickered. "I was very shy and timid. Mom actually tried to bribe me into breaking a vase once because I hadn't rebelled at all."

"Did you do it?"

"No, because apparently, I really liked that vase." Remus hummed. "After that, I kept on taking it to my bed to keep it safe."

"Adorable." Callisto commented, shaking her head. "Who would have thought you weren't always such an ass."

"Unlike you."

"Unlike me." She confirmed, silence falling between them as she gently played with his hair. It was the most soothing next to her kiss, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the slight tugging feeling and her steady, comforting heart beat. Remus unconsciously tried to control his breathing so that it matched hers, surprised to see that it was extremely hard to match the ever-changing rhythm of her chest rising and falling.

"I have been acting like an ass with you, though." He murmured, looking up at her. "Even that time during the break when we saw you with Regulus and Narcissa."

She visibly cringed, "Stop, that was embarrassing."

"Because I kept ignoring you." He insisted. "I don't plan on doing that again."

"You better not."

"I promise." He swore, extending his pinky. "I'm not ignoring you ever again."

She linked their pinkies and he shook them lightly, a satisfied smile on his lips at the promise.

~ ~ ~

"Pacing up and down will not make the time pass any faster, Miss Claire." Slughorn stated, observing as the girl walked up and down the small distance of the infirmary. He could have sworn the floor had gotten worn out from the constant friction of her shoes dragging across the ground.

"One can only hope, Horace." She absentmindedly said. "How much more do we have?"

"Five hours."

"Shit."

"Shit indeed." The man agreed. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Callisto didn't reply, instead continuing her pacing. She didn't know what to do to release the pent-up energy inside of her besides melting the floor with every loud stride. Her mind was running miles ahead, reviewing the recipe of the potion with the scrutiny of someone desperate to find a mistake. There was no point; the potion was perfect as it was.

She hadn't stopped walking even when she heard Horace's snores from the chair he was uncomfortably sleeping on. Callisto forced herself down on a chair, hoping that sitting down would help her calm down. Yet, the burning sensation in her limbs practically begged her to get moving again to the point that she really thought she'd burst in flames unless she did something.

And just like that, five hours passed, Callisto's fast pacing getting interrupted only when she saw the sun rise.

She didn't wait for much longer to start banging on Madam Pomfrey's door, feeling slightly guilty for awakening her like that. The woman, however, seemed to already be awake because she came out, her collared white uniform perfectly ironed.

"Let's go." Callisto urged her, handing her the small medical briefcase. The woman let out a small laugh at Callisto's excitement and followed her out of the Hospital Ward.

The matron struggled to keep up with the girl's pace, watching as her blonde hair bounced with every large stride she took. She abruptly came to a stop once she saw a black dog approaching them and Poppy took a bone out of her pocket, throwing it to him.

"Don't be scared." Poppy said, mistaking Callisto's intense stare for fear. "He's friendly. He's a stray, but I guess he's taken a liking on the grounds..."

The dog simply stuck his tongue out and bit the bone, leaving in the direction of the castle. Only Callisto saw the subtle wink he gave her, his tail wiggling happily.

"Can I go first?" Callisto asked, once the passage to the Shrieking Shack had opened. "I need to know if it worked."

"It's straight ahead." The matron instructed, motioning for her to get inside.

Callisto basically sprinted the distance, her arms getting scratched by the sharp edges of the passage. None of that mattered to her because she was now in the small house. It would be a pretty home if the walls and furniture weren't covered in scratches and bite marks. Callisto could hear the creaking sound of the wooden floor everytime she took a step. She watched around the room, struggling to comprehend that Remus spent a night every month in the cold, hostile shack.

She entered a separate room, the sobs that echoed making her heart clench.

"Remus," She called, rushing over to him. "I'm sorry. I thought it worked, but I-"

She didn't understand how he could stand to be in her presence after she had disappointed him as much by creating a faulty potion, much less how he could hug her like that. His hands trembled against her as he brought her closer to him, sobs raking his body.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Remus..." Callisto repeated until every thought was replaced by that one, small phrase. She had failed him, or so she thought until he shook his head, a broken laugh escaping from his lips.

"It worked." He murmured, sniffling lightly. "Fuck, I- it worked, Callisto. It worked."

"It worked..."

"It worked." He repeated, Callisto shaking her head in disbelief. "Look at me, it worked."

"It worked." She said a bit more surely, Remus nodding. Callisto brought her hand to her mouth, unable to stop the laughter from bubbling in her throat. Looking at him now, he seemed much better than usual. There were no scratches and bruises adorning his body, his eyes were much brighter and although every part of him still hurt from the transformation, he was hopeful.

"You're a genius." Remus stated, wondering for what seemed to be the thousandth time ever since he met her whether she was human or not. "Hell, are you even real?"

She tilted her head in confusion, "I'd hope so, pretty boy."

"You can't be real." He murmured, shaking his head. "I feel like I've made you up."

The kiss she pressed on his lips seemed to confuse him even more than before. Even her hand cupping his cheek softly made him feel emotions he never thought he'd experience for another person. Yet, the action was entirely human, making him think that she was something in between divine and mortal.

She pulled away, her forehead resting against his and he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth radiating from her body.

"Madam Pomfrey will be coming here soon." She mumbled, not managing to pull away from him.

"Stay with me." He whispered, his thumb tracing her cheekbone. "I want to be with you today."

"I'll go tell her you're okay and I'll be back."

Remus nodded, pulling her closer to him to kiss her forehead before he let go of her. Her footsteps echoed in the empty house, rhythmic and much lighter than any of his friends'. If Sirius knew that he held every detail about her so close to his heart, to the point where he could even recognise her from her footsteps he'd surely make fun of him until his death.

Remus took his wand from the box he had tucked it in under his bed and looked around the room, trying to make it look as presentable as possible. The scratches on the wall didn't disappear but the room ended up looking much cleaner, even homier in a sense.

"Is that lavender?" Callisto asked, stopping abruptly in the entrance of the room to sniff the scent lingering in the air. "All that for me, Remus? Looks like someone has a case of a huge, huge crush."

"Get well soon." Remus teased. "Looks terminal to me."

"You'd be surprised at how many healers would agree with you." She mused, plopping down on the bed. "In fact, I say we put a bet."

"On what?"

"Our life span." Callisto responded. "Lycanthropy versus blood curse."

Remus raised an eyebrow, clearly amused, "That's macabre."

"And?"

"You're so going to lose, Claire." Remus stated seriously. "I bet I can outlive you."

"Don't be so sure, Moony." She retorted, exaggerating the nickname. "A creaking gate hangs longest."

"What if one of us dies in the war, and not because of our conditions?" Remus asked, the peculiarity of the topic making his head buzz with excitement. They were talking about their own deaths so casually, as if it was the weather, and for some reason, it felt cathartic. It should feel dirtier to talk about their end in such a dismissive way, but what else could mortals do to go against their own faults?

"Vengeance, of course." She replied, not a hint of hesitation in her voice. "I'll kill your killer, if you kill mine."

"You mean that?"

"Is there anything else to do?" Callisto asked, her tone sincere.

"No." Remus stated, shaking his head. "I'll kill your killer, if you kill mine."

The smile that spread on her lips as she stood up, extending her arm for him to take was enough to tell him that she truly meant what she had said. Taking her hand and following her out of the room only proved that he would do the same. And suddenly, it made sense when people said they would kill for their loved ones, because he knew he'd go insane if something ever happened to the girl that had shown him what it felt like to be entirely consumed by someone else.

"Where are we going?"

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, turning to look at him. "If you're hurt, it can wait."

"I'm just fine."

He was surprised to say that he was indeed quite fine and believe it wholeheartedly.

"I found a place the other day." Callisto explained, as they approached the entrance of the forest. "It's a cliff of some sort and there's a river underneath."

"All that here?"

"Enchanted forest, Mr. Lupin." Callisto said nonchalantly. "Doesn't have to make sense."

"Magic is based on logic."

"Magic is magic." She retorted, pointing at him with her wand. "See? You have blue hair now."

Remus turned his hair back to his natural, dark brown color, "We have theories behind every spell."

"And I chose to ignore them."

Remus rolled his eyes, "You can't ignore the theories."

"What theories?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. "There you go, I am ignoring the theories."

He didn't say anything, shooting her a pointed look, which she simply shrugged at. The soil was still damp from the morning fox, his shoes sinking slightly in the muddy ground. While most people ran away from the forest as if it was the Devil's incarnate, Remus found peace amongst the creatures hiding in the shadows and the rich flora. Callisto led him through the forest with certainty in each step, occasionally turning to look back at him the same way Orpheus had glanced behind to see if Eurydice was following him.

Soon, the trees started to get sparcer, leading to a clearing Remus hadn't seen before.

"I didn't know you explored the forest."

"I found this place accidentally." She explained, approaching the edge of the cliff. The wind was making her hair fly wildly in front of her face, her cheeks and nose flushed pink. "Do you know how to swim?"

"Yes."

"Perfect." She grinned, unbuttoning her shirt. Remus hadn't realized he was gawking until she left the white shirt on the ground, and turned to him. "Well, come on then."

"What?"

"We're jumping." She explained, unzipping her skirt. "Your clothes will get wet and then, you'll get an actual cold and you best believe I will not be nursing you back into health."

"Aren't you charming."

"Very much." She nodded, carefully tucking his shirt off. Remus shuddered slightly as the cold air hit his skin, but didn't complain, unbuttoning his pants.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"It's water." Callisto reasoned, taking his hand. They approached the edge of the cliff, adrenaline pumping in her blood as she looked down at the dark blue water hitting violently against the rocks.

"Callisto-"

"I've done it before, Rem." She cut him off, barely able to contain the excitement. "If you don't want to jump, it's fine. We can do it some other time."

"You draw the line at peer-pressure, huh?"

"I'm an ethical person after all." She grinned, running a hand through her hair in a failed attempt to tame it. "A hero, one might say."

"It will be cold."

"No, it won't." She reassured him, the glint in her eyes betraying that she knew something that he didn't.

Remus took her hand, their fingers lacing as they stood at the very edge of the cliff.

The wind was howling around them as they jumped, the feeling of complete freedom as she left herself to be carried by the wind filling her with a different sense of satisfaction. It was addictive, the adrenaline rushing in her blood making her feel lightheaded. Callisto closed her eyes, preparing herself for the impact, yet the wind still got knocked out of her lungs the moment she touched the cold water. Every cell in her body screamed at the cold temperature of the water, as she slowly swam to the surface. Just as she had promised, with every second, the water seemed to get warmer and she drew in a sharp breath, looking around her. Remus emerged from the water letting out a laugh as he panted, his eyes betraying the excitement he felt.

Callisto swam over to him, Remus' hands immediately wrapping around her. He brought her closer, his fingers tangling in her hair as he kissed her. She kissed him back with the same fervency, wrapping her legs around his waist as he supported her. Her lips were colder than usual, but he could still faintly taste the cinnamon from the gum she had chewed before. Callisto deepened the kiss, almost making him fall back under the water.

"Remus." Callisto murmured, breaking the kiss slightly. "I think I love you."

For one brief moment, it felt as if his brain had shut down. It was completely unexpected, yet he was longing to hear her say it for so long.

"I love you." He said, connecting their lips again. "God, I love you."

And for the first time in those past few weeks, the fire in his chest seemed to be satisfied.

~ ~ ~
Is this considered fluff? I don't know.