"She tastes like every dark
thought I've ever had."

Callista held a stack of books and parchment in her arms, her book bag hanging off her shoulder. She had abandoned her school robes and her tie hung loosely around her neck. She looked around the courtyard and spotted Lily sitting on a bench by a tree. She smiled and waved at her and she joined her on the bench. She put the books on the bench in between them.

"I know why I couldn't find many Ancient Rune books then," she remarked.

"If we're going to do this, we may as well do it the best."

"I agree," Kai Sun remarked as he walked up to them. His hair was combed back in a neat style and his wore a beige sweater, his school shirt sticking out the top.

Sidney Hearst stood beside him, wildly contrasting him with her hair held up by her wand in a hurried mess and paint on her hands. They greeted them with smiles.

Both of them sat on the ground and put their own books and notes around them. "Ready to start?" Sidney asked, flipping through her Ancient Runes textbook. Even that was covered in drops of paint.

"Do you use your textbooks as a palette?" Callista asked, baffled. She could not even think about damaging one of her books.

"I really don't know how this happens." She laughed, her expression matching hers.

She chuckled, pulling a book from her stack. "We should get started."

The group was productive for the next thirty minutes until Sidney made the mistake of asking Lily how she put up with James Potter.

"You should be asking Callista!" She turned to her. "Does he ever stop talking?"

"Merlin no, he's never quiet."

Sidney laughed. "What about pranks?"

Lily pat her on the arm. "Yes, how do you get out of those? He has started pranking me since I became his girlfriend."

"He pranks you too?" An expression of shock covering Kai's face.

She nodded. "There is no escape."

Callista leaned forward, enjoying being able to talk like this with them. "No, no, there is an escape. It's called being James Potter's best friend. Sirius and I are the only two he never pranks, but it comes at a heavy cost."

"Cleaning up his mess?" Lily guessed.

"Helping him?" Sidney asked.

"Nope. You're always implicated. I mean, Sirius and James are kind of a package deal, but me? They seem to think dragging me out of the venue is better than just pranking me."

The group dissolved into laughter. "You have to tell us, has a prank ever failed?" Sidney asked.

She was brought back to the summer before their fourth year. It had to be one of the greatest days of her life. "Summer of '74. Hottest day of the year."

"Oh, I'm excited," Kai laughed.

"All of the shops closed early. James and Sirius, being the kids that they are, wanted ice cream. They decided to prank all the neighbourhood kids by betting them that they couldn't get into the ice cream shop down the road."

"Isn't that a crime?" Lily asked, slightly concerned.

She laughed. "The best part is that the owner was in on it. Let them break in, and take the ice cream that the boys had added chili powder too."

"Those poor kids," Sidney snickered.

"It gets better. Remus, Peter, and I snuck in before it happened and put the powder in their batch. So all the kids got normal ice cream, but theirs was so hot. It was amazing watching them run around back home to look for milk or something to help."

"That's brilliant." Sidney was bent forward, her arms around her abdomen. "Incredible."

"They still don't know it was us. They just think they messed up."

They all shook with laughter. Lily was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

Callista looked at the group as they jumped straight to another topic on their favourite pranks that have been pulled over the years. For a moment it felt as if her life was normal. Like it was not on the brink of destruction. She was sure of the happiness she felt.

~~~

Few people walked through the hallways that afternoon. Most of them were enjoying the brief sunshine or lounging around in the common rooms.

Despite the many distractions, the group had managed to finish off around a quarter of the small book. There was much more to do but she was less worried about getting it done than she was before.

The door to the Slytherin common room swung open as she approached and a group of third years walked out. She walked past them into the common room and looked around. Her friends were sat in their usual spot around the fire. A group of fourth years watched on in discontent. They always got the nice chairs.

She walked towards her friends and dropped her bag down next to the armchair Fallon had claimed as her own. "Hey," she said, announcing her arrival.

Aidan perked up as he saw her. "Callista! Tell Magorian he's wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"Nothing," Rabastan said, getting up. "Leave her out of this," he smirked. Aidan sunk back into his seat and turned back to his argument with Magorian.

Rabastan walked past her and grabbed her wrist dragging her with him. "I just got here." She laughed.

She looked back at her friends. Genevieve winked and Fallon made an outrageous hand gesture that had Gen slapping her hands down and hissing, "There are children here!"

"Come on," he whined, dragging her out of the common room door. He let go of her wrist and slowed his pace so that they could walk down the corridor.

"So, why did you drag me out here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Oh. "We haven't really done much of that."

He was right. They had barely brushed over their kiss or the mark that was inked into his skin. She had no idea where they stood with each other. They acted like a couple. Sometimes they held hands or he would kiss her on the cheek when he saw her. That was all physical. They never actually spoke like a couple.

"Which topic do you want to go into first?"

He laughed, though it was half-hearted. "Our relationship."

"That's a big one. You sure about that?"

He tried to hold back a laugh. "Stop being funny. This is serious. Our mother's have probably already planned the entire wedding."

"She probably has dresses picked out for me already." Life was moving faster than she could keep up with. She was walking down a steep hill and the closer she got to the bottom, the faster she would go. She was loosing her balance. How long would it take for her to fall?

"I like you, Callista." He rushed out. Neither were looking at the other. They kept walking. "I like you. I want this to be more than just a facade."

She smiled. She did not know when she had started liking him. It did not happen all at once. it was gradual. Maybe it was when he smiled at her whenever they teamed up against the other boys. Maybe it was when he started getting more comfortable around her. She still had so much to learn about him but it had gotten to the point when she wanted to.  "I like you too."

Out of the corner of her eye she caught the smile that formed. He was looking at the floor. He nudged his hand closer to hers. She slipped her hand into his.

"What about. You know." His tone had grown somber.

She did know. She thought about it often. "I don't like it. But I can understand it." That was the worst part. She understood his choice. His craving for knowledge of the dark arts, his fear for the war. The instinct to side with the man he believed would win. She would have done the same. She still would. She would take the dark mark without a second thought if it meant Stellan did not have to. She would do everything the Dark Lord asked of her if it meant her family was safe.

She may not be a good person, but she would never betray her family.

"Do you think you'll be able to like me when I actually start doing work for him?" He did not have to say it. She knew what he meant. Could she still like him when he was tasked with a mission to hurt another. To kill another.

"Yes." She would do the same. It would destroy her everyday, but she would do it. If it came down to her family and the people she loved, she would do anything.

He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm sorry I'm not the man you thought you'd marry."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm glad its you."

He stopped. They were standing in the middle of the corridor. It was empty. They were facing each other. He reached a hand up to her face. He ran the back of his finger over her cheek and then moved to cup her neck. "I never expected this. You."

"I had my whole life planned out before me when I was born. I did everything I was told. You make it easier."

He leant his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.. "I'm so scared for the future, but I'm glad you're going to be in it." He pushed his lips against hers, her eyes squeezing shut as she returned the kiss. She melted in his touch, at ease with the moment. Maybe this was what it meant to be happy. Content.

Her life was on a spiral towards uncertainty, something she had never experienced before. It would be okay, because they had each other. He was not perfect but neither was she. She was glad that there could be some truth behind the masks they wore.

________________________________________

Hello Loves!

Someone requested an update on some of my characters so here is a small description on them.

Freya Greengrass is in her fifth year and is the twin to Stellan Greengrass. She is introverted and enjoys the outdoors.

Stellan Greengrass is the more extroverted of the two and is motivated in his academics. Both siblings are close to Callista and often rely on her.

Anya Chang is a studious Ravenclaw in her seventh year. She once dated Callista but now the two are good friends. She is a proud and loud feminist and is dating Sidney Hearst.

Sidney Hearst is an art-loving Ravenclaw in her seventh year. She is bubbly and care-free but she has yet to develop a strong relationship with Callista.

Emmeline Vance is a fashion-loving Ravenclaw who is apart of Lily Evans friend group. She is fierce and passionate.

Amelia Harper is a seventh year Hufflepuff who enjoys Herbology. She has yet to develop a closer relationship with Callista.

Reece Bloomfield is a seventh year Hufflepuff who feeds off mischief and breaking the rules. Due to classes, she is quite close with Callista, though she has yet to drag her into any pranks.

Kai Sun is a seventh year Hufflepuff who preaches kindness and values education. He develops a closer relationship with Callista because of Ancient Runes.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask :)

- walkingmasterpiece xx