Song:
As it Was (Harry Styles)
"You know it's not the same as it was."
SEPTEMBER 1978
"How's seventh year treating you?" Callisto asked, as Narcissa went in to change into her final dress. She hadn't seen Regulus in quite some time, but it didn't take a genius to figure out he wasn't exactly living his teenage dream.
Sunken, tired eyes, chapped lips, disheveled hair and unkempt clothes that didn't smell of vanilla anymore, but gave off the same clean scent everyone's freshly washed uniforms by the house elves did.
"Classes are boring." He admitted. "The new DADA professor teaches as if someone's holding a wand against his head."
Callisto just raised an eyebrow.
"Granted, he's a muggle born, teaching a bunch of aspiring Death Eaters." Regulus slightly chuckled at that, stretching his legs on the coffee table filled with bridal magazines. "Not the best choice."
"And you?"
"Malfoy's out of my ass." Regulus whispered, smirking. "So is Snape and Avery. I just have the Carrows now to deal with, but they're scared of Nott."
Callisto scoffed, "Nott's not scary."
"Yes, you've seen bigger, badder Death Eaters now." He stated, receiving a smack in the head with one of the bridal magazines Callisto was holding. "Still as painful as I remember."
"Good." She deadpanned. "Nothing compares to your cousin, Little Black."
"Which one?"
"The crazy one."
"You'll have to be more specific."
"Murderous?Evil? Twisted?"
"Once again, not clear enough." Regulus humored. "Bellatrix, I assume. She's quite... special."
"Batshit crazy."
"Don't mention that to Narcissa." Regulus warned. "No talk of her or Andromeda unless you want to be up against the monster in white."
"Rough shit?"
"You have no idea." Regulus sighed. "You're lucky they erased Bella's memory in the Ministry and she has no idea who you are now."
Callisto nodded, turning to the front as Narcissa came out in her wedding dress. She had picked it a month ago with Callisto's help while the bridesmaids were off trying to find flowers that didn't even exist in the first place. None of them had felt any remorse for sending them off in their impossible quest, needing the peace and quiet to work.
It did pay off, because the dress was absolutely stunning. Narcissa wanted nothing short of a "princess wedding", no matter the cost. Lucius' parents were planning to pay everything, and she was willing to bleed them dry to get what she wanted.
It was perfect.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Narcissa smiled at the mirror, holding the skirt between her perfectly manicured fingers. "The color is just so... I don't even know how to describe it..."
"I know." Regulus chimed in. "White; it's white."
Callisto shot him a warning glare, "It looks perfect, Cissa."
"It really does." Narcissa murmured, still focused on her reflection in the body length mirror. "Can you even believe Greengrass didn't like it?"
Regulus scoffed, "Greengrass wouldn't recognize a good dress even if someone threw it on her face."
"Besides, her opinion is irrelevant." Callisto stated. "It's your wedding, not hers. When she gets married, she can wear whatever she wants."
"She just keeps creating issues out of nowhere." Narcissa complained, sighing. "This dress is too long, Cissa. This hairpiece is too plain, Cissa. Cissa this, Cissa that..." She huffed out in annoyance. "Bloody headache..."
"You can still kick her out of the bridesmaids." Callisto said. "Put Regulus instead."
"I don't fancy Nott fainting in my wedding."
"With legs like mine in full display, it's only natural." Regulus bragged, gesturing to his legs. "Have I told you this story of how Rita Skeeter said she's jealous of my calves?"
"One too many times..."
"How's it going with Nott by the way?"
"We have more important things to worry about." Regulus vaguely said, shrugging.
It wasn't like he could ever admit that the one kiss had turned into many secret ones, always exchanged in moments of immense anger and hatred for what the other represented. He couldn't tell her that he occupied his every thought from the second he woke up, to the moment he fell asleep. And if that all wasn't bad enough, he couldn't even begin to express that he found himself longing for his company just a bit more with every day that passed.
They were nothing, absolutely nothing, yet everything.
"I can imagine." Callisto said, the airy tone in her voice almost making Regulus laugh. Narcissa wasn't able to suppress a chuckle, clear like a bell ringing. It was so ironic, that she was sitting there, discussing so happily with two people that were considered monsters.
"Are you bringing a date?" Narcissa asked, avoiding her gaze in the mirror. "I mean, Lupin. Do you want him to come with you?"
"I don't want you to stress over any of that."
"In other words," Regulus sighed. "She wants to bring him, but she doesn't want to make you uncomfortable."
Callisto said nothing, yet it was pretty obvious that Regulus had been spot on.
"It's my wedding." Narcissa stated definitively. "I invite whoever I want and if someone has an issue, they can go to hell with it. Both Sirius and Remus are invited."
"Meaning that, she wants you to be happy." Regulus said with the same tone. "So, you should bring him as your date."
Callisto smiled slightly, nodding. "And your family?"
"They're not the ones getting married."
"Roughly translates to," Regulus boringly enunciated. "I'm greatly uncomfortable with all my relatives, and even Lupin's presence is more comforting than the people I have to invite. Also, my brother is family, no matter how much they hate it. I guess you'd like a family reunion, wouldn't you, Cissy?"
"I'll let them know." Callisto said, turning to Regulus. "Are you bringing Nott?"
"You are both obsessed with him."
"There's three of us here."
"Oh shut up."
~ ~ ~
"Average." Moody sighed as he put his wand in his pocket, shaking his head.
"We didn't faint." James defended, slowly coming back to his senses as the confounding spell wore off.
"Hence the average, Potter."
"Are we getting better?" Sirius asked hopefully, his forehead covered in sweat and his hair escaping from the bun he had put it into in the beginning of the session.
Moody just gave a vague grunt in response.
"Get up, Pettigrew." He instructed, looking at the boy staring at the ceiling with his eyes closed.
Remus kicked his sides lightly, only for Peter to aggressively stab him with his elbow and move a bit further away.
"Lupin is better than the three of you." Moody stated. "Black and Potter, you two work better together. Pettigrew, your concentration is off."
"Why didn't Lily train with us?"
"She's better than all of you." Moody bluntly stated. "You're all afraid of hurting people. This is a war, Potter, you can't expelliarmus your way into victory against Voldemort!"
Peter flinched at the sound of his name.
"And she's not afraid?"
"She may be, but she does it either way." The auror responded. "Both her and Claire."
"Claire doesn't step foot in here!" Sirius protested. "How is she better?"
"She's for heavy missions, Black. Do I need to remind you we use her potions?" Moody scolded. "Either way, she's going to join practice sessions next week."
"She agreed." Remus stated. "As long as Marlene doesn't need her help, of course."
"Oh, great!" Peter huffed. "The fake blonde will cover for the fake brunette."
"I'll talk to them." Moody said, picking his worn out jacket from the floor. "I'll see you all in the meeting. As always,"
"Constant vigilance, we know."
Moody only nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the four exhausted wizards behind.
"I can't get up." Peter whispered, staring at the ceiling.
"Yes, let's stay here for a bit." James said, closing the door.
He had been rather distracted during the training session, always slipping up at the last second. Moody had gotten so fed up with him for a moment, that he made him run around the room while he threw random curses at him, until he finally collapsed from exhaustion.
"Anything wrong?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm proposing to Lily." James blurted out, everyone's jaw dropping at the sudden reveal. "I am going to ask Lily to marry me."
Sirius blinked, "As in, marriage?"
"Yes."
"What about me?" Sirius asked, his voice breaking under the weight of the betrayal. "I was about to propose to you!"
"You were?"
"No, but I could be."
"What he means is that, we're all very happy for you, mate." Remus corrected, a genuine smile on his lips.
"It was about time, I guess." Sirius admitted, rolling his eyes dramatically. "When are you gonna do it?"
"I was thinking of proposing on Halloween." James said, twisting his wand nervously around with his fingers. He used to do the same with the enchanted snitch he had nicked from Madam Hooch's office, but unfortunately, the little memoir of Hogwarts had been lost during a meeting.
"An autumn wedding." Sirius hummed. "Smart move, Potter."
"Have you picked a ring?" Peter asked, sitting up.
"No." James answered. "I want something special for her, you know? Something unique..."
"Go to a magical jewelry shop." Remus offered. "They're more expensive, but every piece is one of a kind."
"The one in Diagon Alley?"
"Yeah." Remus answered. "We can come help if you want."
"Sure." James smiled. "So, now that you know about the proposal, I feel like it's time I ask you something."
Peter and Remus exchanged a look.
"I want you all to be my groomsmen." He announced. "And Padfoot, it would be an honor if you could be my best man."
"James Potter, it would be an honor, a responsibility and my life's duty!" Sirius blurted out. "I thereby swear to protect both you and your incredibly short wife as you march into the next step of adulthood. Marriage, such a beautiful thing. It is the binding of two souls, the merging of-"
"Did you practice that in front of the mirror?" Remus interrupted, making Sirius immediately gasp in disbelief. Yet, his cheeks blushed a faint shade of red, something that was completely out of character for him.
"No, that's weird..."
~ ~ ~
Life was going on.
Callisto didn't really know how, but there was no point in trying to deny it.
She had started to lose count of all the healing potions she would make, spending half her day over steaming hot cauldrons. Her hands were littered in small burns and cuts, which she swiftly healed before anyone had the chance to see. Accidents like these happened from time to time, it was only natural. Yet, she wasn't used to her hands shaking as often.
She downed her medication as if it was her only lifeline and tried to ignore it.
Very mature reaction.
She was alone in the house, something she usually didn't like at all. It was a lovely apartment, quite small, but they were only two people after all. She had bought it off the previous owner, much to Remus' dismay. He wanted to pitch in some money as well, but he was trying to stop being as dependent on his parents for money at the same time. If he pitched in, all his savings would be gone in a heartbeat. So, she just lied and said Elena got it as her graduation present.
Elena had laughed her ass off at that.
This time, she didn't want to be alone more than ever before. Nicholas had managed to stay up on the phone up until four in the morning, yet silence fell after his words started slurring and his responses became more and more sparse. She didn't blame him, it was an ungodly hour.
She couldn't sleep. It was a full moon, and Remus would soon come back home, covered in the few scratches and bruises from the transformation. The potion did help a lot, but she could tell it didn't take away the mental anguish he went through every full moon. The few injuries he had were usually due to the actual process of the transformation, and not because he inflicted himself pain. It was a great relief for both of them, but especially him.
He would come back in about two hours. Until then, all she could do was attempt to steady her hands as she tried to make herself something to eat, and wallow in the silence of the apartment. She didn't feel the need to put something on the record, if anything, it felt odd without Remus around to dance with her.
She had almost fallen asleep when the door opened with a soft click. Immediately she shot up, almost sending her empty cup of coffee to the ground.
He didn't look too rough. Just very tired and there were some bloodied stains on his shirt, but nothing too serious.
Remus suppressed a wince of pain as she hugged him tightly, his body aching from the transformation.
"Are you okay?" She asked, the familiarity in her touch almost making him cry. It felt as if he had left for entire months, being plunged into his worst nightmare, and now he was finally awake.
"Aren't you two the cutest?" Sirius asked, strutting inside the house as if he owned the place, and heading straight to the kitchen. He looked at the empty, dirty plate on the sink with a look of disapproval and opened the cabinet, taking out a glass and filling it with water.
"Make yourself at home." Callisto snarked, as he opened the fridge, taking out the leftovers from lunch. Sirius sat down on the couch as he warmed the food up with a spell, and took a bite from the chicken.
"Does it have cumin?"
"Yes."
"I don't like cumin." Sirius complained, taking another bite. "It tastes like a sweaty armpit."
"How do you know what that tastes like?"
"He licked Prongs' once." Remus said, his voice scratching against his throat. "And for the record, you have the palate of a five year old."
"I'm still going to eat it..."
"Yes, we can see that." Callisto murmured, shaking her head. She turned to Remus who had laid down on the couch, his head resting on the pillow.
"Any scratches? Bruises?"
"Just a few." Remus answered. "Nothing to worry about."
"I should heal them." Callisto said, motioning for Remus to remove his shirt. He reluctantly did so, knowing he'd be forced to look at his wounds now. He had tried to avoid glancing at them before, but he felt relieved to see that the damage wasn't all that extended.
"Now, don't get all sexy for me, Moony, in front of your girlfriend..." Sirius joked, as Callisto started to heal the few bruises.
"You're always welcome to join." She mused, her fingers lacing with Remus'. He always did that while she was healing him, letting his head fall back so he wouldn't see the smeared blood.
"Give me a time and a place, and I'll be there."
"Do I have a say in this?" Remus asked, glancing at Sirius who was demolishing the chicken. "Leave me some food, you arse."
"As if." Sirius scoffed. "Finally some good fucking food..."
"I take it that Lily's cooking isn't the best."
"She can only cook buttered pasta." Sirius complained. "This chicken has... a lot of flavor dimensions. It's tender, and aromatic, there's some rosemary, some cumin, which is surprisingly not sweaty, some spice, some-"
Callisto frowned, "Don't get a boner over my food, Sirius."
"I'm jealous now." Remus huffed. "He ate it all."
"Like the big boy I am." Sirius grinned, patting his stomach. "Are you going to leave the Order of Merlin next to the sink for much longer?"
Remus snickered, "She doesn't know where to put it."
"Actually, I might have an idea." She mused, smirking at Sirius. "Well, bend over, darling."
He let out a loud laugh, fist-bumping her, while Remus shook his head in disapproval.
"You both act like kids."
"Okay, grownup." Callisto snickered as Remus picked up the small carton box full of colored band aids, and picked a pink one. Callisto took it and put it over the small scratch handing him a new shirt.
"Narcissa is getting married in a week." Callisto stated, her gaze fixed on rearranging the small first aid kit. She could sense Sirius' discomfort even without sparing him a look. "She said she wants you there."
"Narcissa, as in Narcissa Malfoy?"
"Not yet." Callisto sighed. "I think you should go."
"Walburga and Orion will be there." Sirius harshly said. "I don't want to be near any of them."
"I'm sure I could arrange the seats so that they're away from you."
"I'm not going, Callisto!" Sirius stated sternly, his voice much louder. "I wish her all the best, but I'm not stepping foot in there."
"Fine." Callisto simply said, turning to Remus. "Are you coming as my date?"
"Me?"
Callisto raised an eyebrow, "No, the other guy I'm dating."
"I don't think it's the best idea, Listo." Remus pondered, not sounding all too eager to even consider her invitation. "I don't agree with you going in the first place."
"I'm her maid of honor."
"She's marrying a Death eater." Remus insisted. She had always been defensive about Narcissa and Regulus, it was one of the things they could never agree on. She'd get that look in her eyes whenever someone criticized their friendship, something Callisto was flaunting with zero shame, and she had that exact expression right now.
"And?"
"Well, she can't be all that good if she's willingly dating Lucius Malfoy." He scoffed. "I'm trying to protect you, that's all. It's something she didn't think too much to do, because she made you her fucking maid of honor among all these creeps."
"Actually, thinking about it now, I don't know why I ever thought it would be a good idea to take you with me." Callisto coldly said, standing up. "I'm going, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Listo-"
"Goodnight, Sirius."
She didn't spare him another look, the only sound being heard being the bedroom door banging shut, as Remus cursed under his breath.
~ ~ ~
Seems like Mr. lupin doesnt like our fave trio...
On a lighter note
HELLO WTF 3K VOTES AND OVER 50K READS?
Thank you all so fucking much for giving my story a shot and for reading, voting and commenting. It seriously (no pun intended) is one of the most satisfying feelings ever.
Be prepared for more, much more eventful chapters ;)