FOUR
' call it fate, call it karma '

☾⋆₊✧

SEPTEMBER
1993

ON the first official day of term, Calista had gotten up just at daybreak.

She felt well rested as she tossed and turned for a few minutes in her new bed, as warm and comfortable as she had ever been. Her dreams had been a mix of nonsense; strange creatures and faces, flashes of the castle, her father's voice drifting in and out here and there. Her excitement had bubbled through even her sleep, filling her mind with glimpses of what lay ahead. Still, when she opened her eyes and took in the rich velvet curtains and soft morning light beginning to stream through the window, reality felt far more magical.

Calista dressed quickly, adjusting her robes and attempting to tie the red and gold tie all by herself. She'd helped Dad with his ties many times before when he was off to work, but when it was just her on her own, she didn't seem as capable. After another five minutes and many sighs of frustration, she gave up and let it hang undone around her neck. One of the girls let out a snort, so Callie decided to leave before she woke any of them up. With a swish from her wand her bed had been made, and she shoved it back into her boot because her pockets weren't big enough.

As she descended the stairs, it was hard to walk around her robes which felt so big on her that they were dragging at her feet. She had to cling to the banner and step very carefully, before she gathered the bottom fabric to carry around. Hopefully she'd grow into them throughout the year and onward. With the food services at the castle though, she was confident she would.

The common room was calm, light beginning to pour in through the windows as another bloke in a portrait beginning to wake up. No one else was around, but Hermione's orange cat was strutting around the furniture and clearly marking his territory.

She bent down, making a clicking noise with her tongue to grab his attention. The cat turned, flicking his bushy tail with a hint of disdain before slowly sauntering over. He gave her an appraising look, eyes narrowing as if deciding whether or not to indulge her. With a soft, low purr, he finally rubbed against her hand, and she smiled, scratching behind his ears.

"Well, aren't you a handsome one," she murmured, delighted when Crookshanks settled into the attention. "You're so soft. I always wanted a furry companion." She frowned, then added, "One that didn't want to kill me when he was furry."

As Callie stood up, Crookshanks gave a lazy stretch before padding off toward the fireplace. She glanced up at the clock, seeing that it was only five after six. She wasn't sure what time breakfast started, but maybe she could get acquainted with the castle, or try to find where her father was staying. She realized she had no idea, and if Dad had known prior to their arrival, then he hadn't told her. But he would have told her, she was sure.

She set out into the halls of the castle, with no idea where she was going, but she'd figure it out. The early morning quiet added a feeling of mystery, with only the flickering torchlight illuminating the tall stone corridors. She traced her fingers along the cool stone wall, listening to the faint echoes of her footsteps as she walked.

Callie tried to remember everything Dad had said about the layout of Hogwarts, but found it easy to get lost in the many twists and turns. The corridors all seemed similar, yet each had a unique feel— one was lined with grand portraits of witches and wizards who occasionally glanced her way, while another was filled with rows of suits of armour, each standing at attention, gleaming despite the dim light.

Turning a corner, she came upon a staircase that moved just as she reached it, shifting slightly with a rumbling groan. Hesitantly, she stepped onto the first step, holding her breath as it settled in place. Slowly, she climbed, and at the top, she found herself facing a long hallway filled with sunlight spilling in through arched windows. The early morning light cast patterns across the floor, making her feel as though she were walking through a dream.

At one end of the hall, she noticed a tapestry depicting a group of wizards dancing around a cauldron, their robes swirling. She stopped to watch as they moved, the figures flickering and changing as if caught in an endless celebration. A small smile crept onto her face as she observed them, her own anticipation growing.

Eventually as she continued roaming the upper floors, the air grew cooler and thinner. She hadn't meant to go quite this far, but the narrow staircases had kept calling her upward, winding higher and higher. She reached the top of a spiralling staircase and stepped out into an open stone platform. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the Astronomy Tower.

The sight took her breath away. The view was endless, stretching far beyond the castle grounds to the rolling hills and dense forests. In the faint morning light, the lake shimmered in the distance, and she could just make out the shadowy peaks of mountains framing the horizon. Hogwarts looked both vast and small from this height, every tower and turret now below her, like a maze of magic and mystery just waiting to be explored.

Callie walked to the edge of the platform, gripping the cold stone of the parapet as she took in the view. She felt an odd sense of freedom here, as though she'd discovered a place that was hers alone, untouched by her past and her worries. The wind whispered around her, tugging at her robes and bringing the scent of pine and damp earth from the forest below. She'd never been up this high before. It felt surreal, it felt freeing.

She could only imagine how the view was under the night sky once the moon and all the stars were out. How once a month when the full moon materialized, it wouldn't hurt her dad as much anymore. As long as he had access to the wolfsbane, he said his mind would remain present while in his wolf form. It wasn't a cure, but it was enough to put both the Lupin's minds at ease.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed out on the balcony, but when she began to hear distant voices, Callie knew it was time to go and see what she could stomach for breakfast. She took a deep breath, letting the cool outdoor air fill her lungs, and began to follow a path she guessed led close to the Great Hall. As she rounded a corner to its grand doors, Hermione, Harry and Ron appeared and seemed to spot her right away. Ron whispered something to Harry as Hermione excitedly made her way over.

"There you are! I was worried when I didn't see you when I woke up," she told her as they fell into step with each other. Ron gave a crooked smile, and Harry a little wave.

"Lots to do today," Callie replied, smiling.

As they entered the Great Hall, the first thing the four teenagers saw were a group of Slytherin students laughing as the blond boy— who no one in the other houses seemed too fond of— told some kind of story. As the group passed by, the Malfoy kid did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.

"Ignore him," Hermione told Harry, the presumed target. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it ..."

As they passed the table, Callie squinted at the back of the blond boy's head. Great, she thought, another git like Nellie, someone she thought she'd gotten away from when they left York. Harry just kept walking, paying no mind to the Slytherins, and the group joined the Weasley twins at Gryffindor's table.

"New third-year timetables," the twin called George, or maybe it was Fred, said and passed them over. "You sleep tight, Little Lupin?"

"As good as it gets," she replied cheerfully. The twins then turned to Harry, so Calista began to look over her timetable for the year. There were some classes she had to take- potions, transfiguration, charms, and of course the class her father was teaching, but it wasn't scheduled for today. Her first class starting at nine sharp was an elective; Divination. It had seemed interesting enough from the list she'd been sent and perhaps she'd learn a thing or two about what fate awaited her.

Hermione, who had also been examining hers, leaned over to skim through Callie's.

"Divination, Care of Magical Creatures... of course our mandatory courses... We'll be seeing a lot of each other." Callie couldn't tell if the girl was pleased or not, until she shot her a big grin.

"Hermione," Ron began to question, frowning as he snatched her schedule, "they've messed up your timetable. Look– they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

Hermione snatched it back from him. "I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," the ginger laughed and pointed at her day today, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And–" Ron leant closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "look– underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," Hermione nearly scoffed. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well, then–"

"Pass the marmalade."

"But–"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Before he could protest, the tables lit up with breakfast and everyone, stomach's rumbling, shut up and began to eat. It was rare Callie had anything other than tea in the morning,

As she nibbled on a piece of toast, Callie found her eyes drifting back to Harry. She couldn't help but study him now that she was sitting close enough to observe. His dark hair stuck up in every direction, but not in a way that seemed careless— more like it simply had a mind of its own. His green eyes were sharp, focused, even as he joked with Ron and Hermione. And, just briefly, when he turned his head, she caught sight of the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. The mark of someone who had faced death and survived.

Soon the Hall was beginning to empty as students set off to their first lesson. Ron quickly checked his timetable, then pointed out the fact that they should get going— the classroom was at the top of the North Tower, which meant it was far. Callie had already tired herself out this morning. This would not be fun.

The journey to the tower was in fact a long one. The other three were unfamiliar with that area of the school, and Callie felt so sluggish that whatever navigation skills she did have were out of the question. Eventually, an overly enthusiastic knight from a portrait had decided to help them, running through the other paintings until they got to a tight spiral staircase where the students were waiting above. There were no doors but one; some kind of trap door with a brass plaque reading 'Sybill Trelawney'. The silver ladder soon fell out, and inhaling as much air as she could get, Callie then climbed with the rest of the students up to the classroom.

She emerged into the strangest-looking room she had ever seen. Is this what all the classrooms at Hogwarts were supposed to look like? Dim, crimson lighting, unique choices of furniture, multiple contrasting colours. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire which was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. It only made the sharp pain in Callie's head worsen.

The professor wasn't even in the room. "Where is she?" Ron whispered from beside Harry.

A soft, sort of misty voice then came from the shadows. "Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

The woman who stepped out was very peculiar, Callie thought. She was thin, with large glasses that magnified her eyes several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings.

"Sit, my children, sit," she said, and they all climbed awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto pouffes. Callie didn't hesitate to find the closest table, nearly diving into the chair, and began to adjust her breathing tube before coughs started wracking her body. Hermione, Harry and Ron all joined her at the round table.

"Welcome to Divination," Professor Trelawney addressed them, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

Calista caught Hermione raising an eyebrow. Nobody else said anything in response to this extraordinary pronouncement.

Trelawney continued. "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..."

At these words, both Harry and Ron glanced, grinning, at Hermione, who looked startled at the news that books wouldn't be much help in this subject.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she suddenly turned toward Neville, who almost toppled off his pouffe, "is your grandmother well?"

"I think so," Neville answered tremulously.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," Professor Trelawney said, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Neville gulped. This time, Callie raised one of her eyebrows. Professor Trelawney continued placidly, "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at one of Callie's roommates, Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man."

Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her, and edged her chair away from him.

"In the summer term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball– if we have finished with fire-omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us for ever."

A very tense silence followed this pronouncement. Calista felt as if everybody in the classroom was looking at her, and directly to her breathing tube. She covered her nose with her hand, beginning to shrink into her chair.

Professor Trelawney seemed unaware, maybe it was because of the big glasses altering her vision. Her big eyes then landed on Calista, and she immediately wanted to pass away. "I wonder, dear..." she said slowly, as if building tension, "...if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"

Relief shot through her, and she carefully stood up, taking an enormous teapot from the nearest shelf and setting it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.

"Thank you, my dear." Professor Trelawney's glassy eyes lingered on her, seeming to follow every movement even as she sat back down. Callie felt an awkward heat rise in her cheeks under the professor's scrutiny. Trelawney hadn't looked away yet. "Yes, I see it clearly," her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. "An ominous weight upon your spirit, as though... you've had a burden since birth. Be cautious, dear girl." She leaned back, sighing heavily. "The stars reveal what they reveal. It will happen, I assure you."

Callie glanced down, suddenly feeling very exposed. She avoided the curious looks from those around her table, busying herself by fiddling with her robes and hoping the professor would lose interest. But as she glanced up once more, Trelawney kept her head slightly tilted in her direction, watching with a strange, unsettling smile.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink; drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside-down on its saucer; wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing."

"Are you alright?" Hermione whispered to Calista, who was near frozen at her seat. She felt the girl's hand gently clutch at her arm, and though in most cases she would've jerked away since it weren't her dad or Chiara, she didn't.

Callie sniffed, then plastered on an attempted smile. "Always. Do you want to pair up?"

Hermione, Callie was beginning to find, was very clever, and didn't seem convinced that she was. Nevertheless, she smiled back. "Of course. I'll go grab the cups."

Hermione came back about a minute later with two cups full of tea, as did Harry and Ron with theirs. They all tried to drink the scalding cups quickly, before swilling the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then draining the cups and swapping them with their partner.

"Right," Hermione began as they both opened their books at pages five and six. "What can you see in mine?"

Callie tilted Hermione's cup, squinting at the dark patterns swirling in the remaining tea leaves. She scanned the textbook quickly, trying to find a match for the shapes she was seeing. "Um... it almost looks like... a clover? Or maybe it's a... raven?"

Hermione leaned in with a small smile, trying to hide her amusement. "A raven, really? That's ambitious." She glanced back at her own cup, then at the guide, her brow furrowing in concentration. "If it's a clover, that could mean luck. But the raven..." she hesitated, checking the book. "Here it is— 'strength of character, resilience in adversity.' Well, that's something."

Callie tried not to laugh. "So you'll have some luck, but only if you're resilient?"

"Seems likely, doesn't it?" Hermione laughed a little, peeking over into Callie's cup. She squinted and tilted her head. "Oh, look at yours! That blob looks like... a wolf?"

Callie's smile faltered just slightly. "Well, that's... fitting."

Hermione seemed to catch the shift in Callie's expression, her eyes softening. "Actually, look here— 'a wolf can signify loyalty and guardianship,'" she read aloud. "Not so bad, after all."

"Not bad at all," Callie murmured, a hint of relief in her voice as she looked back at Hermione, thankful for her presence.

On the other hand, Harry and Ron didn't seem to be getting it. Harry mentioned something about how Ron was going to suffer, but be happy about it, and the whole table began to giggle. Trelawney whirled around as Harry gave a loud snort.

"Let me see that, my dear," she said reprovingly to Ron, sweeping over and snatching Harry's cup from him. Everyone went quiet to watch.

Professor Trelawney was staring into the teacup, rotating it counter-clockwise.

"The falcon... my dear, you have a deadly enemy."

"But everyone knows that," Hermione whispered loudly. Professor Trelawney stared at her with slight disdain. She shrugged, speaking directly to the professor now. "Well, they do. Everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who."

Professor Trelawney chose not to reply. She simply lowered her huge eyes to Harry's cup again and continued to turn it around.

"The club... an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup..."

"I thought that was a bowler hat," Ron said sheepishly, tints of red forming on his cheeks.

"The skull... danger in your path, my dear..."

Everyone was staring, transfixed, at Professor Trelawney, who gave the cup a final turn, gasped, and then screamed.

There was another tinkle of breaking china; Neville had smashed his cup. Professor Trelawney sank into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart and her eyes closed.

"My dear boy– my poor dear boy– no– it is kinder not to say– no– don't ask me..."

"What is it, Professor?" Dean Thomas said at once. Everyone had got to their feet, and slowly, they crowded around Callie's table, pressing close to Professor Trelawney's chair to get a good look at Harry's cup.

"My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have... the Grim."

"The Grin? What's the Grin?" Seamus Finnigan quipped.

"Not the Grin, you idiot, the Grim," another student named Bem corrected, and began reading a passage in their textbook. "Taking form of a giant spectral dog, it's among the darkest omens in our world. It's an omen... of death."

Calista felt her stomach lurch. She glanced at Hermione, but the girl simply had an annoyed look on her face. Someone wasn't liking the class so far. Callie couldn't say she was, either.

Hermione stood up to peer at the cup over the frail woman's shoulder. "I don't think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly.

Professor Trelawney surveyed Hermione with mounting dislike. "You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future."

Seamus Finnigan was tilting his head from side to side. "It looks like a Grim if you do this," he commented, with his eyes almost shut. He then leaned more to the left, "but it looks more like a donkey from here."

"When you've all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not!" Harry cried, causing everyone in the room to go completely silent. No one seemed to want to look at him, only Calista. She caught his eye and offered a small, reassuring smile, hoping to break the tension. She knew this feeling all too well.

"Well, it doesn't look like anything grim in my cup, if that helps," she said quietly. Her attempt at humour earned a slight grin from Harry, and he visibly relaxed a bit.

Professor Trelawney, however, didn't seem pleased by the comment made. She clasped her hands dramatically, leaning forward with wide eyes. "Oh, but the omens cannot be dismissed so easily, dear boy. The signs are clear to those who are... attuned."

Harry rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Calista's smile grew as she glanced at Hermione, who looked equally unimpressed.

"Don't worry, Harry," she added, her tone light. "You'll probably live to see at least the end of the term."

He shot her another grateful look as Trelawney spoke again, in her mistiest voice. "I think we will leave the lesson here for today. Yes... please pack away your things..."

Hermione sighed in relief. The rest of the class took their teacups back to Trelawney, then packing their bags for the long trek to wherever their next class was. Callie pulled out her timetable and located the slot; next was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Hopefully it would be better than whatever this mess was, and McGonagall wouldn't leave her class feeling as if the Dementors had just swept the room.

Yet everyone kept shooting furtive glances at him as though he was about to drop dead at any moment. The new Gryffindor tried her best to pay attention to what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals), but her mind kept crawling back to that class. She hadn't even realized the professor had demonstrated it by turning into a tabby cat. Did Harry really have a death omen, or was it a load of rubbish like McGonagall had implied? And the way the divination professor looked at her, not creepily but just enough to make the girl uneasy... what was it she had said to her earlier? Calista couldn't quite remember. Nothing uplifting, though. If she was a Seer, whatever that was, did she know something about her death? Was it coming soon, faster than any of them had thought?

Through lunch and on her way to Care of Magical Creatures, that's all the thirteen year-old could think about.

☾⋆₊✧

Suffice to say, Calista's first day had been a let down.

Care of Magical Creatures had started off interesting enough, and Hagrid was as sweet as could be. He had brought a Hippogriff to the class– a cross between an eagle and a horse. Everything had gone right until after Harry had gotten to take the creature for a ride, when the Malfoy git had made his own attempt, but had not followed proper instructions and triggered the Hippogriff. Next thing, Draco was lying on the ground, a slash in his robes and clutching onto his arm for dear life.

Calista nor her new friends were quite sure if he was actually in that much pain. It had ended the lesson abruptly, and now in even worse spirits than before the lesson, Callie decided to go back to her dorm to take a nap before her first checkup with Madame Pomfrey. The nurse was going to assess her today, then decide how often the girl was to come by, and what she was to be treated for.

Just before four that afternoon, Callie stepped into the hospital wing. There wasn't anyone else there, just one person down at the end who was hidden behind the white curtains. The soft echo of her footsteps filled the otherwise room as Callie walked cautiously toward Madame Pomfrey's office door. She'd been a little nervous about this checkup, wondering if Hogwarts' healers would be able to tell just how sickly she was at a glance. But Madame Pomfrey greeted her with a warm smile and gestured for her to take a seat on one of the beds near her office.

"Welcome, dear," Madame Pomfrey said kindly, closing her office door behind her. "I understand this is a routine for you, yes?"

Callie nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"I assure you, you're in good hands," Madame Pomfrey replied, patting Callie's shoulder gently before she took a small lantern and brought it close to examine her eyes and throat.

Callie tried to relax as the checkup began. The healer ran a few diagnostic spells, her wand emitting a gentle, cool light that tickled as it hovered over Callie's chest and back. She clicked her tongue thoughtfully, scribbling a few notes.

"Anything unusual with your breathing or pain anywhere new?" she asked.

"Not really. It's been pretty steady for a while," Callie answered, though her voice was quiet. "Makes me think I'm due for a flare-up shortly..."

The nurse paused. 'Why do you say that, dear?"

Calista shrugged. "Dunno, I... guess that's just what I'm used to."

Madame Pomfrey gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure everything you need is kept stocked here in the wing, so you don't have to worry. If you feel unwell at any time, you come straight to me, understood?" Callie nodded, grateful for the healer's warm gaze and steady presence. "I want to see you in another week from now, should all go as planned. Watch your physical activity, and make sure you're getting enough rest."

She gave Madame Pomfrey a small, grateful smile. "Thank you. Really."

As she left the small office, the curtain that was drawn at the one occupied bed then swished open, startling her. Grinning from the bed, arm in a sling, was the Draco boy. Of course. She should've known this is where he would be after the 'attack'.

"Well, well," he drawled, adjusting his sling dramatically, "I didn't expect company. The transfer student, the new professor's niece... Lupin?" He leaned forward. "If that's your real name."

Caught off guard, Callie blinked, then recovered quickly, raising an eyebrow. "It's not. It's Calista."

He stared back at her, almost as if in thought, like her name held some sort of significance to him personally.

She glanced at his arm. "You don't look all that... wounded."

Draco gave an exaggerated wince, clutching his arm. "I'd like to see you walk away unscathed from a Hippogriff attack," he said indignantly. "It could've taken my whole arm off." He shot her a look, half curious, half condescending. "What happened to you, then?"

She shrugged, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a real answer. "Routine checkup."

Draco raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering with something that looked a bit like interest. "A routine checkup? Do they think you're that frail?" he tilted his head, an odd sort of curiosity in his expression.

Callie bristled, but forced a calm smile. "Nosy, aren't you?" she replied evenly, meeting his gaze head-on. "And, actually, that's none of your business."

Just as she turned to go, Draco's gaze drifted to the thin tube wrapped around her face. His eyes narrowed, curiosity piqued. "What's that on your face?"

Callie stiffened slightly, instinctively reaching a hand up to touch the cannula. She knew she stood out, but she'd hoped it might go unnoticed, at least for a little while. "It's a breathing aid," she replied, keeping her tone even. "Muggle invention."

Draco tilted his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Of course it is. Leave it to Muggles to come up with something so... odd."

"Odd or not, it works," Callie shot back, her voice a touch sharper than she intended.

Draco's smirk faded as he raised his brows, momentarily taken aback by her assertiveness. "Well," he muttered, recovering his smug expression, "good luck blending in with that, Lupin. Hogwarts doesn't exactly cater to... special cases."

Callie held his gaze, refusing to let his words unsettle her. "Thanks for the concern, Malfoy," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'll manage just fine."

With that, she turned and strode out of the hospital wing, leaving him staring after her, slightly irked.

Calista had one last thing to do that day; and it was to see her father.

Instead of eating dinner with everyone else, she simply took a few bread rolls and some meat before setting off to go find him. She would try the Defence classroom first, wherever that may be, because she was almost certain her dad was still in there debriefing with himself after his first day teaching. She eventually found the room just off the Serpentine Corridor on the third level of the castle. The classroom was empty itself, but just up a small staircase was an office. The door was open ajar, and sure enough she could hear faint scribbles coming from the inside followed by a few grunts.

She gave a small knock. Papers ruffled, a chair squeaked, and then she heard her father say, "It's open."

It felt so good to hear his voice again. She pushed the door open, and as she saw her father's face, all her doubts from the day seemed to fade.

Remus' face instantly softened at the sight of his daughter. "Rough first day?" he commented and motioned for her to close the door behind her.

She let out a huge sigh. "You could say that."

He gestured for her to take a seat across from him. She slumped into the chair, immediately giving a pout.

"What is it?"

"I had divination first thing with my new friends," she began. "The professor was weird."

Remus raised an eyebrow at her choice of words, though his expression remained mild. "Now you know I don't like you using that word."

She pursed her lips. "Sorry. She was creepy."

"That's not much better."

"Well I can't put it much more lightly. She said..." Callie paused, frowning as she remembered the moment, "she said she could tell I've been burdened since birth! And then she looked at a load of soggy brown stuff in a teacup, then said my friend– er,  classmate Harry was going to die this year! How is that not to be described as creepy?!"

Remus suppressed a smile, leaning back in his chair. "To put your mind at ease... all of the professors know about your condition, Callie. And second, Sybill Trelawney has been known for making... dramatic predictions about one of her student's at the start of term. I faintly remember her doing something similar when we were students."

Callie folded her arms across her chest. "Maybe she should stop. None of the other Gryffindors in third year had a good day today."

Her dad chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You've certainly made some friends, though. That's something more positive to reflect on."

"Yeah, I guess so," she muttered, looking down at her lap.

"You mentioned Harry," he said, tilting his head slightly, studying her with his usual calm curiosity.

Callie's cheeks flushed, and she looked anywhere but at her father. "Oh, I wouldn't say we're friends just yet. And I don't know if his friend Ron likes me much, either. But I think the girl, Hermione, does. A little."

"Something to look forward to, then," Remus encouraged, his tone light but warm.

"I guess. Along with your class." Her tone shifted slightly, more playful now. "Speaking of, how did today go?"

He couldn't help but grin a little. "My first years seemed like they were half-conscious. The fourth years were very enthusiastic. And the fifth years? Well, I think all of them just want the year to be over with already."

Callie could slowly feel as all the tension from earlier began to fade away. Then, she remembered part of the reason why she had come up. "Did you eat?" she asked her father, beginning to reach for the contents in her pocket.

"Did you?" he returned.

She unveiled the food she had brought from the Hall with a grin. 

The father and daughter spent an unhurried stretch of time sharing stories, their laughter and conversation filling the cozy office. They paused now and then to nibble on the cooled meat and the rolls that had gone a bit stale. It wasn't anything the two of them weren't used to— meals that weren't perfect but made better by the company. For Calista, it felt like home.

Soon, the small clock chimed eight o'clock, signalling that it was time for Callie to return to her dormitory.

"Walk me out?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Of course."

Their steps were slow as they moved through his office and back into the classroom, the dragging sound of their feet on the stone floor betraying their reluctance to part.

"How's your bed?" Remus asked.

"It's lovely, but..." she trailed off.

"Too soft?"

"Too soft," she confirmed with a half-smile.

"You'll get used to it."

She wasn't so sure. The bed might eventually feel right, but being this far from him every night? That felt like something she'd never adjust to.

Without a word, she turned and threw herself into his arms. His embrace was warm and steady, just like it had always been.

"Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Cal."

She stepped back reluctantly, the cool air of the corridor biting at her as she turned toward the stairs. His quiet presence lingered behind her, a comforting shadow, as she disappeared into the evening light of the castle.

so not a great start, apparently 😃 poor cal, hopefully things start looking up soon...

like i mentioned before, i combine a lot of the movie and book dialogue, cuz there's just some parts from each that i love. honestly my main focus now are the books because of details and everything, but we will def still see some iconic moments from the movie (aka bem).

feel free to leave any more thoughts!! i can't wait for the rest of this act. stay safe my dudes <3