( chapter xiii. IT WAS ONE HELL OF A YEAR INDEED )
— 🌙 —
Calypso awoke from her haze with a groan. She looked around, gathering her surroundings to be the hospital wing in new clothing, seeing her dad beside her bed. She rubbed her eyes, thinking about how long she was out, seeing Ron Weasley there as well across the room.
It was light outside, the beginning of day creeping in. "Dad," she nudged Remus gently, knowing that he must be sore. She knew she was, and there were new marks on her skin. "Dad!"
Groaning himself, Remus awoke slightly to see Calypso. "You're awake," he said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"No, it's fine. How long have I been out?" Calypso asked, "And how did I get here?"
"I won't lie," Remus sighed, "It's been a day or two since everything. And Madame Pomphrey brought you here, did the same with me. Now, Calypso, why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you with everything."
Calypso bit her lip, feeling extremely guilty as she looked at him, wanting to turn away but afraid because of the expression on his face. "Mum didn't want you to know, dad."
"She doesn't want me to know a lot of things..." Remus muttered.
"It's not like that and you know it. Mum just, she knew how much you beat yourself about this and-and it's worse now that you know, isn't it?" Calypso asked and he looked down, "Exactly. And I know it's why you and mum divorced."
Remus looked back up, "She told you that?"
Calypso shook her head, "No, but I'm not stupid. I figured it out when I was younger because of what mum told me when I first turned. She just, she doesn't want to make anything worse for you and when I finally got old enough to decide that for myself, I didn't want that either. I like you smiling at me and not seeing a curse I got from you. It's not your fault, it's not like you decided to pass this gene onto me, I just got it. And I went eight years without anything happening and by then you were already gone."
She clenched her eyes shut, knowing that was the wrong was to phrase it. "Calypso..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that you weren't with mum anymore and I live with her. I share the same last name with her and everyone knows she's my mother," Calypso started to ramble.
"I just didn't want you to ever be associated with me. I haven't been able to keep a job because I'm a werewolf and if anyone knows about you, you won't either. And if you share the same surname with me, people are bound to suspect so it's just best to not be a Lupin," Remus explained.
Calypso scoffed, "Yeah, cause everyone assuming that I'm going to a Death Eater and kill someone is so much better. And everyone thinks that I've been helping Uncle Pads this whole time, which is, well you know, but not in the way they think!"
"But you're more likely to get a job anyways," Remus calmly said, "Everyone will refuse you if they know."
"Yeah, I know, but it still sucks so much," Calypso sighed, admitting defeat. She slumped back on her bed, looking at her dad, "Sorry."
He shook it off, "Don't worry about it, I understand. I really understand."
"How's Uncle Pads?" she asked, steering the conversation away from that topic.
"He – he was caught," her heart dropped, "But then he escaped."
"What?" Calypso asked, not even trying to keep the shock out of her voice, "What do you mean? How?"
Remus shrugged, "I don't know. They were keeping him captive in one of the towers until the Ministry could arrive but then he somewhere just escaped. But, I have a feeling that Harry and Hermione know more than what they're saying."
She nodded, "I'll threaten the truth out of them later, don't worry."
"Nope, we are not going to do that, alright, star?" Remus sternly asked and she huffed.
"Fine. I guess it'll just be another mystery."
― 🌙 ―
"CALYPSO! WHAT THE fuck happened to you?" Birdie questioned quite loudly when she walked into the hospital wing.
"Miss Bishop!" Madame Pomphrey reprimanded, causing Birdie's cheeks to flush red as she muttered an apology at the elderly woman. Still, she continued to walk until she got to where Calypso laid, inspecting the girl.
Calypso couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, trying hard not laugh too hard as to not hurt her ribs. "Stop staring at me, it's creeping me out," she shoved the girl lightly.
Birdie rolled her eyes, sitting down before giving her a worried look. "Are you okay? Like, are you really okay because you look terrible, no offense," she said honestly, "And Professor Lupin didn't tell me anything except that you were injured."
"Wait, my dad's already walking around?" Calypso asked before realizing how it sounded.
"Yeah," Birdie nodded, "And I feel like I should tell you that everyone kinda knows that he's a werewolf. Is that how you got hurt?" her heart dropped, "Did he attack you?"
"You think that my dad attacked me? Absolutely not!" Calypso snapped furiously.
"I'm not saying it like that, but you should know more than anyone that werewolves don't have control over themselves when they're turned," Birdie said and she did know. She knew because she was forced to relinquish that control once a month when the moon became full. Calypso did know because of how frequently it happened to her and she hated it. "So I'm not blaming him if he did hurt you."
Calypso shook her head, "He didn't."
Birdie let out a breath, "Oh, thank Merlin because I really didn't wanna hate him. Your dad's the best and I am so sad to see him go."
"He's leaving?" Calypso asked again, even more shocked than before, "God, how long was I out? A million things have happened while I've just been in here."
"Yeah. When it got out, and by that I mean when Snape went blabbing to everyone –"
"That motherfucker!"
"– parents starting writing letters to Dumbledore saying that he has to fire him if he wants them to keep their kids at Hogwarts," Birdie explained more, "It's the worst. I mean, we're losing an amazing teacher because of this shit. Because of fucking Snape! We actually had someone who could competently teach a fucking subject without becoming a stuttering mess or bluffing. It was amazing and now he's resigned because of these motherfuckers who can't accept that werewolves are different from themselves during the full moon."
Calypso sank. "Fuck. How dare they?"
"I know," but she didn't.
"Did your parents write a letter?" Calypso asked curiously, turning to Birdie.
Thankfully, her friend shook her head. "No, not to him. But they asked me about it, asking if I was comfortable so I told them the truth."
"That is?"
"Haven't I made it obvious? Your dad is actually my favorite teacher! I loved his class this year and he's super chill. God, remember when I was worrying about it at the beginning of the year?" Birdie recalled with a smile.
Glad that Birdie thought that highly of her dad and remembering that train ride, Calypso nodded. "Definitely. It was kinda funny but also super annoying. I'm just glad that you love him now."
"Oh, yeah. I totally have to go with you to his house sometime during summer," Birdie said.
"Maybe," Calypso shrugged, wincing at the new pain in her shoulder, "I usually only stay two full weekends with him and other every weekend. It's not much time but I'm hoping to just spend all of August with him. I just don't know if my mum with agree."
"Let's hope so beucase this cannot be the last time I see Professor Lupin," Birdie said and Calypso just giggled.
― 🌙 ―
KNOCKING ON THE door, Calypso walked into her dad's classroom, looking around at the walls becoming barer as he cleaned up the room. "Hi, dad," she greeted, "I heard you're resigning."
Remus nodded, forcing a smile as he went around to see her, "It's for the best, Calypso. If I didn't resign, they would've fired me to ensure more students kept coming. It's alright though, I really don't mind."
Calypso pouted, "But it's just not fair though."
"I know," he nodded again, "But it's reality, star. And I just have to deal with it."
She knew there was nothing else to say to him. Nothing she did would hold up because he would just reiterate how it was just the way life was. So, she settled with, "I'm sorry."
Remus smiled again and gave her a hug, "It's okay."
― 🌙 ―
WHEN CALYPSO ARRIVED home with Remelda, she was fully expecting more photographers waiting outside since Sirius Black had almost been captured, save for a miracle. But, to her surprise, there was no one. Once inside, Calypso went upstairs to find a ginger cat sitting on her bed, causing her eyes to widen.
"How the –" Calypso shut her door, "How the hell did you get here, Uncle Regulus?"
The cat transformed back into human form before giving her a hug, ignoring her previous question. "I am so sorry," her uncle started, "I had no idea that any of it was going to happen and that it was the full moon or that you're a, well."
"I know, a werewolf," Calypso nodded, "You can say it, I don't mind. I've accepted it a long time ago."
"You mean, you're okay with being a, well, werewolf?" Regulus asked, confused.
"Merlin, no. I hate it more than anything, I just accept that there's nothing I can do to cure myself from this and there's no point trying to pretend to be something I'm not," Calypso shrugged, "But, really, what are you doing here?"
"I had to see you," he answered simply before giving a small shrug, "Plus, it's summer and I haven't seen my sister in such a long time."
Calypso broke out into a large smile, knowing what he meant. "You mean you're staying for dinner?"
"Why not?" Regulus smiled back. "Now, let's go surprise Remelda."
Calypso jumped up, grabbing her uncle's hand before racing out of her room and down the stairs. "Mum! Mum!" Calypso cheered.
"What?" Remelda ran into the kitchen where the two were, not even noticing her brother yet, "Did something happen?"
"Look!" Calypso pointed and Remelda's eyes landed on her younger brother giving her a sheepish smile. She straightened herself out, giving a stoic expression as she walked over to Regulus before slapping him on the face. "Oh my God!"
"What the fuck? I have been worried about you the whole year and now you just show up here like no time has passed? I thought you were dead, Regulus, I thought you could've actually died but no, you were just God knows where doing whatever the hell you wanted and not even thinking about me – your own sister!" Remelda went off and Calypso's eyes widened. She had never seen her mother so angry before.
"Remelda, I'm sorry."
"No, you're not! Because if you were sorry you would've been here months ago!"
"I had to help Sirius find Peter! He was at Hogwarts and so was I! Believe me, I wanted to come back, but I had to help him and I knew you'd never let me leave if I came back here."
"And for good fucking reason" Remelda then realized something, turning to Calypso, "Wait, he said Hogwarts – he said he was there...and you didn't tell me?"
"He made me promise not to!" Calypso went to throw him under the bus, anything to not be on her mum's bad side. "It's all his fault!"
"Calypso!" Regulus exclaimed, betrayed but she just mouthed 'sorry' to him.
Remelda continued to yell at the two of them before stopping, giving a small, "I'm glad that you're alive...and that you're here," before giving him a hug. Calypso watched the seen, reflecting back on her year and she was right; it was one hell of year indeed.
END OF ACT ONE.